D3G: Degrassi Third Generation
by djghostwriter18
Summary: Title explains it all. The third generation of Degrassi including those from D:TNG and Degrassi. Lots of characters and a lot of plots. Read and enjoy. Oh, and please review.
1. Characters

**Characters**

**Aaron Jordan McDuelle (Santos):** Twelve; Dark brown and neatly trimmed hair; Brown eyes; five feet, two inches; thin. He uses his mother's maiden name to alienate himself from his older brother, Jayden. He is commonly known as A.J. He befriends Jordan and Dustin. Many students do not catch the resemblance between Jayden and Aaron because Aaron is lighter, keeps his hair cut, and did not inherit his mother's dimples, as well as having two different personas. He has a crush on Chandra, who eventually begins to suspect the relationship between him and Jayden. Aaron is able to read Italian and hold a decent conversation in the language, as well as an adapt speaker in sign-language.

**Amber Clarke:** Sixteen; Long, thick dark brown hair; Amber, almost golden, eyes; five feet, four inches; slender. Amber is the long-time best-friend of Mary-Jane and is often seen with her. She is also a member of the Spirit Squad. Amber has dated both James and Marc in the past, but only thinks about rekindling her affair with James. Amber is usually seen listening to, humming, or singing all kinds of music, something that becomes annoying to Mary-Jane at times.

**Ashton Manning:** Twelve; Black hair with long bangs; Dark brown eyes; five feet, seven inches; lanky. Like his older brother, Ashton is also quite arrogant and selfish. He has a crush on Jordan. Ashton is referred to as "Little Manning" by Mary-Jane and Amber. Like Aaron, he does not like being in his older brother's shadow. Unlike Aaron and Jayden, Ashton and Steven do everything to keep away from one another during school. Ashton is one of the primary people that pick on Dustin about his crush on Scarlett.

**Chandra Torres: **Twelve; Dark brown hair; Brown eyes; five feet, two inches; slender. Chandra is a friend of Aaron and Jordan. She is known to have witty comebacks. However, she is a bit insecure about herself. Despite her unwillingness to use effort for her homework, she is quite smart. She constantly strives to get the attention of boys such as Jayden, Nathan, and Steven. Because of her caramel skin color, fine brown hair, and brown eyes, many students call her Bambi.

**Dakota Nash:** Fifteen; Dark red hair that rests at her shoulder blades, that she usually wears in a single braid; Brown eyes; five feet, six inches; slender. Dakota is the half-sister of Steven and Ashton, being the daughter of Craig, as well the stepdaughter to Silas Lowry, the lead singer of the band Black Mist. Despite this, Dakota is quite unpopular at Degrassi and is known as an emo. Her two known friends are Jayden and Kelly, the former nicknaming her "Dash". Dakota is a skilled drummer and is well with large numbers.

**Damon McBride: **Fifteen; Brown hair that stops below his ears; Dark brown eyes (nearly black); five feet, eleven inches; thin. The second bully of the school that likes to target nerds such as Jordan, Aaron, and Dustin. He picks on Dustin about his crush on Scarlett, revealing it to the entire cafeteria. He is not very bright, and begins to question why Jayden would get so angry when he was bullying Aaron. He is usually referred to as Scooter by both his peers and superiors. It is also known that his mother is currently in jail for larceny and arson.

**Dustin Hayes:** Twelve; Short neatly cut black hair; Dark brown eyes; five-foot one inch; thin. Dustin is a well-educated student who is in the gifted program along with Aaron and Jordan. He appears to be one of the "cooler" kids, though he is quite the klutz. He constantly tries to become one of the more popular students at the cost of his grades. Much to his friends' chagrin, he has a longtime crush on Scarlett who is Helen's cousin (a person who Jordan wants to avoid) and who is around Jayden (the only person Aaron wants to avoid).

**Gabrielle Nunez:** Twelve; Medium length, straight black hair; Dark blue eyes; five foot even; skinny. Gabrielle is usually picked on by the majority of her peers, so she generally stays to herself. Aaron befriends her after talking to her after Nathan and Damon picks on her. She is the first one to realize that Aaron and Jayden are brothers. Unbeknownst to her and the others, her father is Jay Hogart, making her the half-sister to Nathan, a person who she has openly announced her hatred for.

**Helen Sinclair-Coyne:** Fifteen; Pale red hair usually worn in a ponytail that rests on either shoulder; Jade green eyes; five feet, one inch; athletically, yet femininely, built. Helen is the bossy co-captain of the Spirit Squad. She constantly makes rude remarks to everyone, especially Shane. While her parents (Declan and Holly J. Coyne) stay in Manhattan, she lives with Scarlett, seeing that Scarlett is an only child. Because of her name and her cunning attitude, Helen refers to Scarlett as "Scar" like the antagonist from _The Lion King_.

**Jacob Isaacs:** Fifteen; Dark brown hair usually spiked with gel; Dark green eyes, he wears glasses; five feet, three inches; a bit chubby. Jacob is a nerdy friend of Shane and Jayden. He has a crush on Scarlett, though only he and Shane know about that. He also was the tutor of Scarlett in the eighth grade, something she forgot. He is into computers like his father, Toby Isaacs. Though he is close to his aunt, Ashley Manning, he is very distant to his cousins Steven and Ashton.

**Jacquelyn Haig:** Fifteen; Long, silky black hair; Dark amber eyes; five feet, two inches; slightly plump. Jacquelyn is usually referred to as Jackie or "Miss Jackie" by Helen. She dated Jayden during his first year at Degrassi, but the two have since broken up and are still friends. She is normally the mediator between the two captains Helen and Mary-Jane. She is known to be a little envious over the fact that the McDuelles and the Coynes are neighbors. Jacquelyn is also an adapt tap-dancer and ballet dancer.

**James Brooks Jr.:** Sixteen; Dark brown hair; Light brown eyes; six feet, four inches; lean. He is the basketball team captain and starting point-guard for the school. He is friends with classmates Mary-Jane Del Rossi, Amber Clarke, and Steven Manning, as well as friends with Jayden McDuelle. He is a very chauvinistic about not bullying the younger generation, something he constantly bickers with Steven and Marc Milligan about. He is also very protective over his younger sister, Vanessa. James is an avid mountain climber and snowboarder.

**Jayden Tyrone McDuelle: **Fifteen; Dark brown hair usually in corn-rows and sometimes worn pull back into a puff; Dark brown eyes; five feet, six inches; lean. Originally from Newport Beach, California, Jayden moved to Toronto with his parents (Maxwell and Manuella McDuelle) and went to school during his eighth and ninth grade years at Degrassi. He and Scarlett Chessex grow a crush on one another, though neither will admit it. He plays the guitar and drums.

**Jordan Cameron:** Twelve; Curly blonde hair that stops an inch below her shoulder blades; Light brown eyes; five foot even; thin. Jordan is the younger sister of Kelly and Shane by mother and the oldest child of her father (Sean Cameron). Like many other girls who see him, Jordan has a crush on her brother's friend, Jayden. She can be outspoken and very firm on her beliefs, and according to Shane, an able fighter. This is Jordan's first year at Degrassi, which makes her nervous, something Helen picks on a lot. Both Kelly and Shane are very protective over Jordan.

**Kelly Mason**: Fifteen; Platinum blonde hair that stops at her chin; Clear blue eyes; five feet, five inches; rounded. Kelly is outgoing and commonly known for having an energetic attitude. She wears slightly bizarre clothing, which Jayden praises for being "different", though Helen bashes her for it. Although she lives with her adopted father, she is very much in contact with her adopted mother and stepfather. She plays pitcher for the soft-ball team.

**Laura Reynolds:** Fifteen; Wavy, brown hair that reaches the bottom of her back; Light brown eyes; five feet, four inches; shapely. She is notoriously known at Degrassi for dating multiple guys and her "bad girl" reputation. She has a deep rivalry with Scarlett and Helen. She hates cheerleaders because they are always "preppy". She is known to wear a black leather jacket.

**Marc Milligan:** Sixteen; Red, nearly burgundy, short hair; Blue eyes; six foot even; muscular. Marc is usually associated with Steven, though he has been seen around James sometimes. He constantly pushes Shane to play better on the field, though the coach (Coach Blue) sees nothing wrong with Shane's game. Marc picks on both Masons because they work at the Dot. Mary-Jane and James have both pointed out Marc's stupidity, as well as other students like Jayden, Laura, and Chandra.

**Mary-Jane Del Rossi:** Sixteen; Long blonde hair; Hazel-green eyes; five feet, seven inches; shapely. Mary-Jane is the daughter of the editor of the fashion magazine, _Edge_, Paige Del Rossi and the English teacher, Marco Del Rossi. She is bossy and often imprudent about others' feelings. She rivals with Helen a lot for the position of queen bee of the school and the sole captain of the Spirit Squad, though her friends find the feud pointless. She is best-friends with Amber and is on talking grounds with Jacquelyn. Since both of her parents were at one point homosexuals, Mary-Jane shows no disgust towards homosexuals, transsexuals, or hermaphrodites.

**Nathan Hogart:** Fifteen; Curly blond hair usually covered by a hat; Dark blue eyes; five feet, seven inches; average. One of the two bullies in the school that constantly nags Shane. Coincidentally, Nathan has a crush on Kelly, who repeatedly rejects him. He and Laura have a mutual friendship and usually trade dirt about other students with one another and their third running mate Damon. It also known that he and Jayden have also built a rivalry.

**Nicole Campbell:** Fifteen; Wavy, dark blonde hair usually in two pigtails; Blue eyes, though she wears green contacts; five feet, five inches; thin with noticeable legs and thighs. Nicole is a member of the Spirit Squad that many of the boys like because of her shapely legs and thighs. She is usually seen with Jacquelyn and/or Helen. She has a knack for "bad boys" and has a crush on Nathan and Shane. She is known to be a bit flirtatious at times, especially when talking to Shane or Jayden, and tends to gossip a lot.

**Scarlett Joann Chessex**: Fifteen; Black silky hair usually worn down against her back; Dark blue eyes; five feet, five inches; slightly curvy. Scarlett is the fashionable daughter of the Art Teacher and Football Coach, Blue, and designer Fiona Chessex. She is best-friends with her cousin, Helen Coyne, and her ex-boyfriend Shane Mason. She has a crush on Jayden, but does not admit it to anyone. She calls Jayden "J.T" after learning his middle name. She wants to be an interior designer, mixing her father's knack for art and her mother's knack for fashion.

**Shane Mason:** Fifteen; Short, sandy-blond hair; Brown eyes; five feet, nine inches; toned. Shane is the ex-boyfriend and best-friend of Scarlett. Though Jayden suspects it, Shane truly has no more romantic feelings for his ex. He works at the Dot with his adopted sister, Kelly, which is owned by his father (Gavin Mason) and managed by his mother (Emma Cameron) though the two are now divorced. He secretly has a crush on Laura Reynolds. Shane also plays the drums and defensive back for the football team.

**Steven Manning:** Sixteen; Short, dark brown hair; Brown eyes; five feet, eleven inches; thin. Steven is the older brother of Ashton, though the two hardly speak to one another during school. Steven is arrogant and very conscious about the way he and others' look. Steven is on bad terms with Jayden, who openly announced how he hated Steven. Steven has a long-time crush on his friend, Mary-Jane, although she never really seemed to care for him in that way. Like his parents (Craig and Ashley Manning), Steven wants to become a musician, though many have noticed that he does not have the voice to sing.

**Vanessa Brooks**: Twelve; Yellowish-brown hair; Green eyes; five feet, three inches; lean. Vanessa is the younger, athletic sister of James. The two have a healthy brother-sister relationship, much like Jayden and his older sister Danica. She is normally optimistic and good-natured, but has a deep hatred for bullies and those unwilling to stand up for themselves. Like her brother, she is a quite skilled mountain climber and also a great surfer.


	2. Episode I: Welcome Back

Season One

Pilot Episode: Welcome Back

Jayden McDuelle sighed as he tied his white and purple shoes. There were several things that were wrong today. For starters, it was the first day back in school. That meant another school year with friends, enemies, exes, currents, teachers, tests, coaches, and most importantly, problems. Secondly, his younger brother, Aaron, was now going to school with him. Jayden had no problems with Aaron. But Aaron had problems with Jayden. Since moving to Toronto, Jayden has been the center of attention of a lot of students, and Aaron did not want to live in his shadow, much like they did in Newport Beach. Jayden did not personally care though. Aaron was his own person after all.

"Hey Jay," Jayden's mother, Manny McDuelle, said standing at his opened doorway. "Are you about ready?"

Jayden nodded. "Yeah." Jayden stood up and grabbed his back from his bed. "Dad left already?"

"He had to seal some deals, but he'll be here by lunchtime, I know that." Manny said. "He also took Aaron so no one would find out."

"Ah." Jayden said understandingly.

Aaron, unlike Jayden, went by his mother's maiden last name, Santos, so that no one could put the two together. Jayden never minded to do this, since he and their older sister, Danica, had several similarities that people instantly picked up on.

"So, who do you have this year?" Manny asked.

"Uh… I have Ms. Anderson again." Jayden said, hiding his hatred for his English teacher. "I'm in Media Immersion, thankfully."

"That's good." Manny said as the two began walking through the large house/mansion. "Do you know when the track meeting or basketball meeting will be?"

"No, but I'm sure Coach Blue does." Jayden replied. "Coach Hamilton usually doesn't tell us anything so my best bet is to go to Coach Blue first."

"Why, because he's our neighbor?" Manny asked with a smile.

Jayden shrugged. "Wise resources, right?"

"I guess." Manny said laughing a bit. "Have I ever told you that you remind me of your father?"

"Not a day goes by that you don't." Jayden muttered.

Truthfully, and much to the boy's chagrin and satisfaction, Jayden did look a lot like his father, more than any of his other siblings. Added with the dimples gained from his mother, he currently believes his looks are more of a burden than a blessing.

"So, are there any resolutions that you have this year? A.J says that he will go out for basketball." Manny said as the two got into her red Mercedes.

Jayden frowned in thought. "Resolutions…?" A car horn broke Jayden out of his thoughts as he saw his mother waving at their neighbors, the Coyne family getting into the car. Jayden eyed Scarlett getting into the car. "Nope. Can't think of any."

Manny caught her son looking at Scarlett and smiled.

"Oh, I think you do."

* * *

Aaron stood at the bottom of the steps of Degrassi Community School with his two friends, Jordan Cameron and Dustin Hayes.

Dustin sighed. "Well, here we go. First step into the new school."

"It can't be that bad." Jordan said. "Kelly and Shane go here. As well as…"

"As?" Dustin said when Jordan did not finish her statement.

"Jayden." Jordan replied with a smile.

Aaron scoffed. "Let's go. We're not going to see the entire school standing out here like a bunch of losers."

Dustin shrugged and followed Aaron up the steps, closely followed by Jordan. The three walked into the school and looked around.

"Now, where is Mr. Murphy's class?" Dustin asked.

"Look at this." Damon said coming to three. "Fresh meat."

"Fresh meat…?" Jordan replied, furrowing her brow.

"Hi. I'm Dustin Hayes." Dustin said stepping towards Damon. "I'm looking for Mr. Murphy's class."

Aaron palmed his forehead with his left hand. Jayden had warned him of the potential bullies of the school, and this guy seemed to be one of them.

Damon offered a hand, which Dustin took to shake. However, Damon applied more pressure than Dustin could take, making the younger boy fall onto one knee.

"Damon." Damon said as he still squeezed Dustin's hand.

"Let go of him!" Jordan ordered.

"First day," Jayden said coming into the school. "And you're already making yourself look even more pathetic than you did last year." Damon released Dustin and glared at Jayden. "Watch yourself McBride."

"Hey Jay!" Kelly called from down the hall.

"Seriously," Jayden said as he stepped to Damon. "Watch yourself."

With that Jayden walked past Damon and down the hall towards Kelly while Dustin stood up, holding his sore right hand. Damon glared at the three newcomers.

"Don't think you're getting off that easily." Damon said. "We will be seeing each other soon."

Despite himself, Aaron had to mentally thank Jayden for his interventions. And as Damon walked off, he figured that he would have to thank his older brother later.

"Jayden is the coolest…" Jordan said dreamily.

Aaron then lost all thoughts to do such thing.

"Let's go." Aaron said. "And Dustin," Dustin turned to Aaron. "How about _I_ do the talking next time?"

"Sure A.J." Dustin replied.

* * *

"…And that's why I came back." Helen concluded, gaining a nod from Jayden and Shane. "Prep schools are not for me."

"Mainly because you're not preppy." Jayden said with a smirk. "You're more… What's the word?"

"Going to kill you if you say the wrong thing?" Helen suggested angrily.

"Close, but no." Jayden said.

"Well," Shane said. "I've been working all summer long. My parents can be a bit overbearing about the subject."

"You working?" Helen asked.

"Keeping us off the street." Kelly said before groaning. "They tell us this _every single day_. Drugs. Alcohol. Sex. I could write a book about things I haven't even tried yet!"

"Sad." Scarlett said, finishing her preparations in her locker. "Now may I ask why all of you are crowded around _my_ locker?"

"Oh Scar, get over it." Helen said. "You know as much as I do that you like the attention."

"Certain kinds of attention. Between you, J.T, Shane, and Kelly, I have a maniac, a pretty boy, a wannabe jock, and Dr. Seuss's henchman." Scarlett said before eying Kelly's outfit. "Seriously, do you take enjoyment in dressing like that?"

The question gained a silent snicker from Helen while Jayden looked at Kelly. Today she wore a white shirt beneath an orange vest, a jean skirt, and yellow and orange striped socks with her orange and black sneakers. This kind of dress was considered "normal" when one talked about Kelly Mason.

"Yes I do." Kelly answered.

"Well we don't." Helen said. "Please. If you learn nothing else this school year, get some fashion sense."

"Don't listen to them Kelly." Jayden said. "I said it the first day I met you and I'll say it again. I like it because it's different."

"Different isn't always a good thing, J.T." Scarlett said eying Jayden.

"And I'm _not_ a pretty boy." Jayden said.

"And what does a 'wannabe' jock act like?" Shane asked, thinking about the question himself.

"Ugh. You guys are _so_ annoying in the morning." Scarlett said. "Helen, I have announcements to do. Please make sure these three get to class. Especially one said neighbor."

Jayden frowned. "Why me? Why not Shane?"

"Because," Scarlett replied walking away. "Only one of you is dumb enough to skip the first class on the first day."

"I'm still not going." Jayden mumbled.

"I heard that." Helen said before grabbing Jayden's left arm. "Come on. Let's go."

"Nails…" Jayden said. "And my class is the _other_ way."

"Shane, Kelly, let's go." Helen said changing directions.

* * *

Dustin sighed as he sat in a seat beside Jordan. Aaron sat in the row behind them beside a girl that went to school with them last year, Chandra Torres.

"Good morning and welcome back to another school year at DCS!" Scarlett said cheerfully on the TV. "I am Scarlett Chessex. Today…"

"God she's so fake." Chandra muttered. Chandra saw Aaron glance at her before speaking in a low tone. "Anyone can tell that she's not that gleeful."

"Oh." Aaron said.

"Hey, didn't I have you in a class last year?" Chandra asked. Aaron nodded. "I thought so. A.J Santos, right?"

"Yeah, that's me." Aaron said. "I thought you were going to Lakehurst."

Chandra scoffed. "I was but my parents were so passionate that I come here instead. I swear that old school rivalry is overrated."

"I heard a kid was stabbed by it." Aaron said.

Jordan, overhearing the two, turned around in her seat.

"Yeah. His name was J.T. He was a friend of my mom and dad's." Jordan said quietly. "She told me that there is a memorial here, but I haven't seen it yet."

"Sad." Chandra said. "Did you know that Manny McDuelle's son goes here? And Craig Manning's son? That's like two guys and one tub!"

Aaron fought himself not to openly gag about the comment. It was bad enough she had fantasies about his _brother_, but it was his brother _and_ another guy at the _same time_. Thankfully, he has a very strong stomach.

"I saw Jayden earlier." Jordan said.

"Really? I bet he didn't say anything to you. Probably just passed you in the hallway or something." Chandra said.

"Actually," Jordan replied a bit heatedly. "He stood up for me to a guy named Damon. So it was more than just 'passing me in the hallway'. And he's friends with my older brother and sister."

Aaron really never understood why girls liked his brother so much. It confused him greatly that he had seen so many guys go out of their normal ways for a girl, and Jayden gets a handful by just being Jayden McDuelle.

"We'll see." Chandra said disbelievingly.

"It's going to be a long day." Aaron said.

"I know." Chandra and Jordan said in unison with Jordan turning back around to face the front.

* * *

Mary-Jane put the stubborn strand of her luscious blonde hair behind her ear again as she talked to the principal of the school, Mr. Simpson.

"I think it is a wonderful idea Mary-Jane." Mr. Simpson said. "But the announcements are over."

"I know. I was a little late getting here today and went straight to homeroom to check in. Sorry." Mary-Jane said. "But, I can always do the announcement during lunch or sixth period."

"Hmm… That sounds fine by me. Do it during your lunch. You've already missed homeroom. I don't want you to miss anymore class time today." Mr. Simpson said.

Mary-Jane nodded. "I'll be here then."

"Good. Go." Mr. Simpson said as Mary-Jane stood up and left his office. "She reminds me of Paige day by day."

* * *

Jayden put his hands in his jean pockets as he walked down the hall. There were many students that he recognized from his previous years, most of them he knew.

"So, where are you headed?" Helen asked catching up to Jayden.

"Algebra II." Jayden answered. "You?"

"Surprisingly, the same." Helen said. "Guess that means I have someone to cheat off of."

"Your F." Jayden said.

Helen rolled her eyes. "Please. I would never cheat off of you in history or science because those are the classes you absolutely suck at. But math is something I would cheat off of you faithfully."

"Where are your two running mates?" Jayden asked.

Helen shrugged. "Don't know and I don't care. Miss Jackie is probably learning how to tap-dance the Chinese alphabet and Nicky is probably catching AIDS from some random guy."

"If this is what you say about your 'friends', I hate to hear what you say about your enemies." Jayden said.

"Jayden, we've known each other for two, three years now. I think you _know_ what I say about my enemies." Helen said before pointing to a girl standing by her locker. "She needs to put on clothes that actually don't reveal her veins."

Jayden laughed a bit. "Nothing has changed about you Helen."

"Me? Change? Never happened." Helen said.

"Hey Jay! Hey Helen!" Nicole said as the two walked into the class. "We have first period together. Isn't that great?"

Helen pinched the bridge of her nose. "Where is Ashton Kutcher when you need him?"

"I don't think we're being punk'd. I think she's serious." Jayden said as he sat in a seat beside Nicole.

"So," Nicole said leaning towards Jayden. "How was your summer?"

Jayden shrugged. "Nothing big."

"Yeah right." Helen said sitting behind Nicole. "His dad owns a villa in Italy. That's where he and his family go to."

"You need to stop hanging around me." Jayden said to Helen.

"Make me." Helen challenged with a glare. Helen's glare lessened before she gave Jayden a slightly sinister smile. "Where's your ex at?"

Jayden shot Helen the infamous McDuelle glare that is said to be passed on from generation to generation. Normally, the stare was enough to make any sane person think twice, but Helen Sinclair-Coyne was far from the average sane person.

"I thought we agreed that Jackie didn't like to be referred to that." Jayden said.

Helen shrugged. "Silly me."

* * *

Mary-Jane rolled her eyes. "That's true. I can't believe that we have to do this."

"Come on, asking a guy to a dance should be easy for the notorious Mary-Jane Del Rossi." Amber said.

"It's not that I can't ask anyone and they'll say yes. It's just _who_ would I ask?" Mary-Jane asked.

"Well," Amber said. "There's Steven and James. I'm sure you don't want Marc and-"

"Ew, no." Mary-Jane interrupted. "I only put up with that loser because _you_ put up with that loser." Mary-Jane then sat up straighter. "But… James shouldn't be _that_ bad, should he?"

"No…" Amber replied.

"But, it'll be weird seeing as you two dated and I know you want to be back with him." Mary-Jane said. "So I'll just hold him for a back-up and let you do your magic."

"It's not really magic." Amber said with a smile. "It's just a hair flick, a smile, and a question. That can't be beat."

"We'll see." Mary-Jane said.

* * *

Kelly stared at the paper in front of her. Leave it to Mr. McCall to give a pop quiz on the _first_ day of school. Kelly looked over at Dakota, who was having similar problems. Canada had _too_ much history.

"Dash," Kelly whispered. Dakota looked at her friend. "What did De Champlain find? Montreal or Quebec?"

"Quebec." Dakota answered in an equally low tone.

Kelly gave a nod before writing the answer.

"This is so stupid." Dakota whispered. "Half of this stuff I don't even know."

"This isn't going to look for our first grade." Kelly whispered.

"Time." Mr. McCall said rising from his seat. "Pencils down. I'll be collecting these and seeing where you stand. Whether you're good enough to say in my class, better and have to be put somewhere else, or not so good and put back to what you were in last year."

Kelly sighed. "Well Dash, nice sitting beside you."

"We'll be beside each other back in our old class." Dakota replied with a grin. "So it will be nice sitting beside you."

"Likewise." Kelly said as Mr. McCall grabbed their papers. "And to think that this year has only started."

"Another year being a panther. Boy, this is the life." Dakota said sarcastically.

"Yeah. Lucky us." Kelly said. "At least you don't have Nathan breathing down your neck."

"Is that all?" Dakota asked. "I have _two_ brothers that go to this school, both of them complete jerks, everyone thinks I'm some emotionally distorted individual who looks at the dark side of everything, and to top it off, the dad I claim is leaving for another tour and this one is in Europe." Kelly smiled wearily. "Yeah. So you don't have _anything_ on me."

"You're right. Sorry Dash." Kelly said.

"No problem." Dakota replied.

* * *

Aaron and Dustin walked out of their first period class before Damon stepped in front of them.

"Told you that we'd meet again." Damon said. "Now, which one of you wants to go first?"

"What do you want?" Aaron asked.

Damon struck a thinking pose. "Hmm… What could I want from two puny kids? Lunch money? Nah, they're probably broke. And since-"

"Wait," Aaron said digging into his pockets. "I do have money. I'm nowhere near broke."

"You're still picking on kids smaller than you? Seriously Scooter, who bullies anymore?" Scarlett asked as she and Helen rounded the corner to the group.

Damon frowned. "Sorry if I'm not up to your standards. I forget that you and your cousin are the wannabe princesses of the school."

"Are you dumb?" Helen said. "You do know that her dad is the football coach right? Maybe picking on his daughter isn't the brightest thing in the world." Helen then scowled. "Then again… Look who I'm talking to."

"That's not going to work on me." Damon said before turning towards Aaron and Dustin. "Lunch money. Now."

Dustin stood frozen, his jaw slightly opened as he stared at Scarlett. He remembered seeing her before when he was younger, but seeing her again, this close, literally shut his brain down.

Helen frowned. "Uh, kid, fix your jaw before a fly flies in."

Dustin blinked. "Huh? What did you say?"

"Let's go Helen. I don't want to be late for Art of all classes. Daddy will be pissed." Scarlett said before looking at Damon. "And for your sake, you'd better hope I forget about this on my way down there or someone will become the permanent benchwarmer for the team. But if you're lucky, I'll see if I can talk Helen into letting you being the mascot."

"Whatever." Damon said as Aaron and Dustin walked off. "Dang it! That's the second time this has happened!"

* * *

Kelly sighed as she tried her best to get to her class without running down the hall. She was, unfortunately, caught by Nathan.

"Well, well," Nathan said as he and Laura leaned against the lockers. "If it isn't sweet Kelly."

"Not today Nathan." Kelly said.

"How about you and I go to the movies sometime soon and we'll call it even?" Nathan asked.

Kelly snorted in laughter. "I'd rather die than go on a date with _you_."

"Kelly! What's taking you so long?" Shane asked as he poked his head out of a classroom door.

"Brothers…" Kelly muttered before walking off.

Laura began laughing as Nathan gave her a fierce glance. This, however, did not stop her from laughing as she wiped away an imaginary tear.

"Oh don't try that tough look on me. It'll never work." Laura said. "I can't believe you're still going after waiter-girl. Why don't you go for someone that might make you look better?"

"Like who? You?" Nathan asked.

"I'm trying to hook you up, not make a miracle." Laura shot back. "Anyway, let's see now… There's those two cousins that annoy me to no end. You could get the one that does the announcements."

"Why not Helen?" Nathan questioned.

Laura frowned. "Because I hate cheerleaders."

Nathan waved a dismissive hand. "Yeah, yeah. Heard the story before." Nathan put his hand down and sighed. "Where's Scooter at? I do _not_ want to go to class."

"Then don't." Laura said standing up straight. "See you out in the back. Bring some cards or something to do." Nathan opened his mouth. "I will _never_ have sex with you Nathan Hogart. Get that through your thick skull."

"Never say never." Nathan said as Laura began walking away. "And stop swaying your hips! It's slightly distracting for a girl who wears a biker's jacket."

Laura gave Nathan the middle finger over her shoulder as she continued walking. Nathan laughed as he leaned against the lockers. Laura Reynolds, the proclaimed toughest girl in the school, was also a complete heartthrob. She had dated several guys before, none of them really important because she usually used them for things like a car, homework, or an alibi. Laura would never "fall in love" because she, like Nathan, knew that there was no such thing. Besides, it was much more fun using people than loving them.

* * *

James smiled. "That was the second best day of my life."

"Why's that?" Amber asked.

"Well I-"

"I believe I was talking." Toby interrupted James. "Now, like I was saying, this year in Media Immersion, we're going to do things differently. For instance, I've decided that you'll only have one written exam. The others will be on the computer." The students cheered for the declaration. Those who took the class last year all complained about having to write essays and long answers for the exams. Now they would type it. "And we will also be doing class projects as a class. Everyone must attribute for a grade."

"Now," Amber said lowering her previously raised hand. "When you say that it'll be a 'class' project, does that mean that it'll be a project that you decide the topic on or us?"

"I'll give you all what I'm looking for and the rest is up to you." Toby replied.

"So when will we be doing these projects?" Steven asked.

Toby sighed. "Uh, about December, January. I want it to be there before the second semester."

"This class has just gotten a bit easier." Steven said to James.

"I know." James replied. "Now all we have to do is find a way out of Mr. Woods English class and we're good."

"Hopefully." Steven said.

* * *

"Let me see if I get this straight," Jayden said staring at the two cousins. "I have you both in Coach Blue's class? That just sucks."

Helen smiled. "Don't worry Jayden. Later on, we can go find your ex and you can tell someone who'll listen."

"Seriously J.T, I don't see the big problem." Scarlett said. "So what if he's my dad, your neighbor, and could make your life hel-heck if I ask him to? There's nothing to worry about."

"Watch your language or _you'll_ have something to worry about." Jayden said with a smirk. "Problem with having a parent that's a teacher is that they're around you in school where the rest of us could say that line. But you? You're stuck."

"Can you even draw?" Helen asked Jayden.

"Can you?" Jayden replied.

"Better than you, I'm sure." Helen said. "If your History is anything like your art, then I'm sure a blind man draws better than you."

"Care to make a bet?" Jayden asked Helen.

"No." Helen said quickly.

Jayden laughed quietly. One thing that Jayden, and Danica, were known for is making smart bets. Therefore, their betting record has no losses, except for Jayden who lost two bets to his dad and Danica.

"Do you know what I've just thought about?" Scarlett asked.

"What?" Helen asked.

"The last time the three of us had the same class together," Scarlett said as she continued to think. "Was J.T's first year here. Don't you remember Helen?"

"Scar's right. That is the last time we were together." Helen said. "That can only mean one thing."

"What?" Jayden asked.

"Something bad is going to happen." Helen responded. "And I'm just reminding you both, I don't go down easily."

"Tell us something new." Jayden mumbled.

Helen frowned. "Something new? I got something. Both of you dated losers that you're still in contact with. Weird? No. Stupid? Yes."

"We will _not_ talk about that again in this class." Scarlett said. "Now, pay attention. Daddy's about to start class."

"Just my luck." Jayden said.

* * *

Lunch time finally came for the students, giving some a relief from the hardship of the classroom. Meanwhile, Mary-Jane made her way to the office to make the announcement. She would have done it over the television, but she did not have time for the any of the AV nerds, as she calls them, to set it up for her. So instead, she opted for the intercom.

"Attention students," Mary-Jane said into the intercom, pressing the button to speak to the entire school. "Friday we will be hoisting the first ever Back-to-School Dance. Tickets will be sold tomorrow, Wednesday, and Thursday during lunch, and Thursday and Friday after school. And guys, before you ask the girls, think twice. During this dance, the girls must ask the guys to the dance. Have a nice day."

* * *

"Are you serious?" Scarlett asked as she sat at the cafeteria table with Helen, Nicole, and Jacquelyn. "When did they decide this and why wasn't I informed of this earlier?"

"It's Mary. She's just-"

"Who would _I_ ask?" Scarlett interrupted Helen.

Helen frowned. "I don't know. Who would _I_ ask?"

"I know who I want to ask." Nicole said glancing at the table that sat Shane, Jayden, Jacob, Kelly, and Dakota.

"Jayden?" Helen asked.

Nicole shook her head. "No. Shane. But maybe Jay too if… Ah, I'd say both of them if I could."

Jacquelyn rolled her eyes. "I swear this is some sort of problem."

"What?" Nicole asked innocently as she played with one of her pigtails.

"That cute trick only works on guys." Helen said. "And Miss Jackie, let her be. She needs the attention because with those brains, she's not getting far."

"I guess I could ask someone to go." Scarlett said absentmindedly. "But who? Shane's a little… Odd. And Jayden is already my neighbor. I don't want to see him _all_ _day long_."

"Well, if you're going to be like that, I'll ask him." Helen said, causing Jacquelyn, Scarlett, and Nicole to look at her. "What? It's just some stupid dance that girls, us, have to ask guys, them. Get over it."

"Wait a second, how do you know he'll say yes?" Jacquelyn asked.

"Are you jealous, Miss Jackie?" Helen replied.

"Helen," Scarlett said. "Let's be honest about one thing. Jayden T. McDuelle is a little different than normal guys. Threatening him won't intimidate him in any way at all."

Helen scoffed. "Is that what you all think? That I can't be feminine and flaunt to get a guy to a dance?" Scarlett nodded. "Fine then. I'll just flirt with him and then ask him. And then we'll see who gets the last laugh."

"I'm warming up my vocal chords as we speak." Scarlett said.

At Shane's table, the group was also describing the new dance.

"I hate dances." Dakota said.

"Have you ever been to one Dash?" Jayden asked. Dakota glared at Jayden, who smiled. "Come on Dash, you can't really hate something you don't know anything about. But, they are a bit overrated at points."

"Thankfully," Kelly said. "I have a shift on Friday, so I don't have any pressure of asking or rejecting anyone."

"Lucky." Dakota muttered.

"What about you Jacob? Any girl that you would like to ask you?" Jayden asked.

"Well, um, there is one girl, but, uh…" Jacob stammered.

"Calm down. This isn't twenty questions." Kelly said. "We won't even ask who the girl is."

Jacob nodded. "Thanks."

Jayden frowned as he saw the small smile that grew on Shane's face. Since moving to Toronto, Jayden has learned several things about his friend, Shane Mason. One thing was that Shane hardly smiled at inside jokes. If the joke was that funny, Shane said it and explained it. But this smile was something Jayden has learned as Shane's secret smile. A trait that both Shane and Kelly have. When one knew something that others did not, they would put on a smile similar to the one Shane was wearing now. Being the observant person that he was, Jayden knew that this secret had something to do with Jacob and his secret crush. However, the respectable side of Jayden figured it was better left a secret until Jacob revealed it himself.

"Who would you like to go to the dance with?" Dakota asked Jayden.

"Well," Jayden said as he thought about the question. "I don't really have a preference right now. I'm sure that Helen will get Jackie to ask me though. She loves messing with people like that."

"You're right." Shane said. "Possibly the same for me and Scarlett."

"Yep." Jayden said. "The friends we have."

"Ditto…" Shane said.

Across the cafeteria, Aaron, Jordan, and Dustin sat talking amongst themselves. Their conversation paused a second as Chandra sat down beside Dustin.

"Ashton Manning, super jerk." Chandra announced. "Nothing like his brother." Aaron, Dustin, and Jordan just stared at her. "What? Was someone sitting here or something?"

"No. Just that you're sitting here." Dustin said. "Don't you have any other friends?"

"Let's see. I'm a geek, like you. I'm new to the school, like you. And, oh, I'm sitting here, like you. How many friends can I have?" Chandra retorted.

"Well," Aaron said. "Who are you asking to the dance?"

"I was thinking about Jayden, but then I saw Steven and almost forgot him. Then I saw Jayden and remembered him all over again." Chandra said.

Jordan frowned. "You think that you can get Jayden to the dance? Yeah right."

"Is that a bet?" Chandra asked.

"It's a dare." Jordan said crossing her arms.

"Fine." Chandra said standing up. "I'll be back."

The trio watched Chandra walk to the other side of the cafeteria.

"Do you think he'll say yes?" Dustin asked.

"No." both Aaron and Jordan said in unison.

Shane frowned. "Hey, it's one of the newbies."

Jayden and the others turned to see Chandra approaching their table.

"Hey, um Jayden right?" Chandra asked with a smile.

"Yeah. What can I do for you?" Jayden replied.

"I was wondering," Chandra said. "Would you go to the dance with me?"

Kelly and Dakota sat slack-jawed as Jayden searched through his mind to find a polite way to put her down.

"What are you doing here Bambi?" Helen asked from behind Chandra.

Chandra frowned. "You again? Do you have anything better to do other than stalk me all day?"

"If you didn't know," Helen said. "You're standing in _my_ way and this is _my_ friend that you're talking to. And see her?" Helen pointed to Jacquelyn. "That's his crazy ex-girlfriend who is seconds away from coming over here to ask him to the dance."

"Well, she'll have to wait in line until I'm done." Chandra said.

"Um, Bambi," Jayden said, not knowing Chandra's name so he used the nickname that she responded to. Thankfully, Chandra looked at him. "I'm sorry, but I can't go to the dance with you. I mean, not that I can't, but… It's complicated."

"It's because you're a sophomore, isn't it?" Chandra asked.

"Yes and no. There's more to it." Jayden said. "I hardly know you. In fact, I don't know you at all. But, in the future, if we ever become friends and there's another dance where girls have to ask guys, then we'll go. I promise." Chandra frowned slightly. "Hey, I don't break promises. So if I promise you it'll happen, it will happen."

"He's telling the truth, unfortunately." Helen said. "Now go take a nap somewhere or something while I talk to Jayden and Shane."

"Oh no." Shane said covering his ears with his hands. "I knew she was going to say something about it."

"Fine." Chandra said. "Oh, and thanks Jayden. See you around?"

"Only if I don't see you first." Jayden said with a smile, gaining a positive smile from Chandra. Chandra turned around and walked off. "Embarrassing."

"If I ever doubted it before," Kelly said. "I don't now. You _do_ know how to talk your way out of trouble."

"Between my mom and my dad, it's sort of natural." Jayden said before looking at Helen. "Now, what do you want?"

"Nothing now." Helen said before clearing her throat. "I mean, I did have something to say, but Bambi has got my mind all jumbled and stuff. I'll tell you both later, okay?"

"Sure…" Jayden said.

Helen grinned. "Great. See you around." Helen's grin dropped. "And no, you won't see me first. You never do."

"I'll try to next time." Jayden said as Helen walked away. "That was weird."

"Helen Sinclair-Coyne has finally lost it." Dakota said. "All that evilness in one body has finally killed the brain."

Shane laughed. "Yeah right. All that evilness _is_ her brain."

Chandra sat down with a content sigh.

"And…?" Jordan asked.

"He said no." Chandra answered.

"I told-"

"But," Chandra cut Jordan off. "He said that if we become friends and there's another dance where the girls have to ask the guys, he'd go with me. He promised."

"Oh no." Aaron muttered.

"What?" Dustin asked.

"Well," Aaron said. "It's rumored than whenever Jayden 'promises' something, he usually does his best to go through with it, no matter what."

"Oh. So in other words, Chandra won this bet at a later time." Dustin said.

"Exactly." Chandra said before glaring at Jordan. "Don't bet against me. I never lose."

"We'll see." Jordan said. "That should've been me…"

"Oh boy." Aaron said.

* * *

The end of the day came with the students trying to get out of the refurbished school as quick as possible.

"I can't believe I have to ask some guy to the dance." Mary-Jane said. "Worst thing is, it was _my_ idea."

Amber shrugged. "I'm sure the right guy will come sooner or later." James blew the horn to his car. "You riding with us?"

"Of course." Mary-Jane said as the duo made their way to James's white Lexus.

"Where to?" James asked as the girls got into the backseat, seeing that Steven occupied the passenger seat.

"My house." Mary-Jane said. "I have to go through last year's yearbook to find a likeable date for the dance."

"You going to Mary's Amber?" James asked.

Amber nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay." James said. "Oh, by the way Amber, I did get your message from the other night. I just thought I'd tell you that there is no such thing as a yeti."

"You say that now." Amber said with a smile. "When you're snowboarding or hiking or climbing, one of them might come out and get you."

"That sounds more like a rapist than a yeti." Steven commented.

"You never know…" Amber said before laughing.

"My friend has caught stupid from Marc. Hooray for me." Mary-Jane said flicking a strand of hair from in front of her face.

"Hey!" Amber exclaimed as Steven and James laughed.

* * *

Scarlett frowned. "He said that?"

"Yes." Helen said to her cousin as she lied in her bed. "Weird huh?"

"So," Scarlett said. "What does that mean?"

"I don't know, but I do know that I'm definitely asking him to the dance while I got the chance." Helen replied. "I can't have tramps like Bambi getting him."

"Well… I wish you luck." Scarlett said.

"Thanks." Helen said with a small smile. "I'll probably need it."

Scarlett left Helen's room and walked to her own. She flopped on her bed and sighed heavily. Truthfully, she wanted to ask Jayden to the dance seeing as they had been growing closer over the previous year. She thought, more like knew, that there was more than a friendship between the two. But, if what Helen said was true, then that means that he feels the same for Helen, possibly more. This angered Scarlett, but she refused to let it show.

"Whatever J.T." Scarlett mumbled to herself. "Two can play that game."


	3. Episode II: Love Lockdown

Episode II: Love Lockdown

"Well look who finally decided to come to school." Jayden said as Kelly and Shane walked towards him with Jordan on their heels. "What took you two so long?"

"Jordan saw you and nearly fainted." Kelly replied. "It took us both to drag her this way."

Jayden looked at Jordan. He had seen her a few times during his previous two years here. Ironically, he has heard more about her from his mother and brother than his two friends.

"Are we ready to go?" Jayden asked. "The weirdest thing happened earlier this morning."

"What?" Shane asked as the four walked up the steps.

"So I went to the car to wait for my mom," Jayden said. "And I see Helen and Scarlett talking. So, I was going to go over there, but Scarlett gets into the car."

"How's that weird? It's Scarlett we're talking about." Kelly said.

Jayden glanced at Kelly. "I think I know who Scarlett is and that is weird for her."

"What'd Helen do?" Shane asked.

"She talked to me." Jayden answered. "And get this. She didn't say one degrading thing and she _laughed_."

Shane quivered. "Ooh, that is weird."

"Very." Kelly said before turning to Jordan. "Get to class on time. And if Scooter or anyone gives you trouble, you know my schedule."

"Mine too." Shane said.

Jordan nodded before walking off in slight embarrassment. Jayden was _not_ supposed to hear that.

"Anyway," Kelly said. "Maybe she's just mad about something."

"And just what have I done that she wouldn't chew me out for?" Jayden asked.

"I don't know. Like I said, it's Scarlett we're talking about." Kelly said.

"Well, let me say that there is nothing that she doesn't voice without a very _great_ reason." Shane said. "That's something I knew from the start."

"It's like they switched or something." Jayden said. "I just want to know why."

"I'll find out." Shane stated. "Give me to lunch. There's nothing she wouldn't say to her best-friend."

"I wonder why…" Jayden said, barely above a whisper.

* * *

Scarlett walked down the hall, her black hair flowing behind her as she power walked towards the office for the announcements.

"Whoa, where's the fire?" Mr. Simpson asked as Scarlett walked into the office.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just having a rough morning." Scarlett said.

Mr. Simpson frowned. "Uh-oh. I know that tone. Boy troubles?" Scarlett offered a small smile. "If you don't know, you're in class with my grandson and I put up with his mother and her best friend. Together, they had enough troubles for all of us."

"I… It's nothing, really." Scarlett said taking the paper she was supposed to read. "It's just this dance and all. Once it's past, everything will go back to normal. Hopefully."

* * *

As Jayden sat in his first period class beside Nicole, as he did yesterday, he watched Scarlett say the announcements on the TV. His mind had been replaying her earlier actions several of times. Was she trying to ignore him? That could be the answer, but then that left the question as to why. The two of them, in Kelly's eyes, were on the brink of dating already. But had that changed? And if so why?

"Jay," Nicole said breaking him out of his thoughts. "Do you think you could ask Shane to the dance for me?"

"You do see the problem with that right?" Jayden replied, burrowing his brow slightly.

"It's just that… Well, with _her_, around him, it might seem weird." Nicole said shooting a quick glance at the TV screen and then back at Jayden.

Jayden understood the problem. Scarlett and Shane were currently the best of friends and dated the previous year. To Jayden there was something still going on between the two, but they both denied it. Then again, Scarlett did tell Shane _everything_.

"I see your point." Jayden said. "But it would still be twice as weird if I did it."

Nicole pressed her hands together pleadingly. "Please? I won't ask for anything else from you until Homecoming and I promise to make it up."

"Stop begging. It's degrading." Helen said from behind Nicole.

"Come on Jay. When have I ever said no to you?" Nicole asked.

"When have I asked for something?" Jayden asked.

Nicole dropped her hands. "You're mean."

"Look, I'll tip him off and you can do the rest, alright?" Jayden said.

Nicole smiled. "Thanks Jay. And like I said, this will no go unrewarded."

"I'm going to be sick." Helen commented. "All this work for the sake of one dance. It's almost sickening."

"You figure out who you're going to ask?" Jayden asked Helen.

Helen stared at Jayden. "You're either anxious to know if it's you or not or you're jealous because you know it's not you."

"Curious." Jayden said.

"You'll know by lunch, I promise." Helen said, gaining a grin from Jayden. "Stop smiling."

"Why? Too contagious for you?" Jayden asked with a smile.

"No." Helen said turning away. "You look _too_ happy."

"Whatever you say Helen." Jayden said turning back to Scarlett on the screen.

* * *

"I've been thinking about asking James." Amber said to Mary-Jane.

"Duh." her blonde friend replied.

Amber sighed. "Come on Mary-Jane. This is actually serious. I don't think that he wants to go the dance with me. What if he says no?"

"Wipe yourself off and go for the next one. How's that so hard?" Mary-Jane asked.

"It just is." Amber said. "You know just as much as I do why James and I broke up. What if he still remembers it? Then what? He'd likely go to the dance with someone else."

"If you're that worried, then I suggest you put a little extra into that offer." Mary-Jane said. "And maybe, just maybe, it'll go like you want it to. If not, oh well. Nothing you can do but be glad you tried."

"Will there ever be a time that you worry?" Amber asked.

Mary-Jane shook her head. "No. Worrying brings wrinkles."

"I see." Amber said with a grin. "You are a character."

"Been told that before." Mary-Jane said.

* * *

Aaron was currently walking down the hall be himself. His brother was right, being invisible within this school was much more preferable than when they would try to walk down the street in Newport Beach. People did not stop you or try to befriend you. You were just like the average person. And that was what Aaron really wanted; to be his own, normal, person.

Today had been especially enjoyable because Damon had seemed to lay off a bit. That is, until Aaron saw Damon's new victim.

"Hey Nate, it's that Goth girl." Damon said as he and Nathan began to pick on Gabrielle. "Hey, freak, you got any cool tattoos on you?"

"No." Gabrielle barely said as she continued to walk down the hall with the two older boys behind her.

"I bet the emo has something to cut herself with." Damon said to Nathan.

Nathan shrugged. "Wouldn't be surprised."

"Isn't her mom some kind of suicidal chick too?" Damon asked.

"That's why her dad left." Nathan said as Gabrielle slipped into the girls' bathroom. "Oh no. I think we broke her. What will we do now?"

"Hey, let's go find Laura. Sure she's got something planned to do." Damon said.

"Good point. Let's go." Nathan said as the two walked on.

Aaron stepped towards the door leading into the girls' restroom.

"Hey Brie, are you okay?" Aaron asked through the door. He did not get an answer and wanted to just walk into the area, knowing it was "off-limits" for him. "Brie it's-"

"Hey A.J." Gabrielle said stepping out of the restroom. "What do you want?"

"I wanted to make sure you were okay." Aaron said. "I kind of saw what happened back there with those two losers. You kind of ran in here upset."

"I have a reason to be." Gabrielle said. "It's not just them either. It's everyone else."

"Well… Not everyone else. I don't think you cut yourself." Aaron said. "Come on. I'll walk to class with you."

"But wouldn't you be late?" Gabrielle asked.

Aaron shrugged. "Some things are more important, don't you think?"

"Sure." Gabrielle said.

* * *

"Hey Scarlett." Jayden said, the first words spoken between them all day.

"Hey." Scarlett said, now pretending to be more interested in her drawing than Jayden.

"Um… Did I do something wrong or is it just that time of the month?" Jayden asked.

Scarlett glared at him. "Neither. Just a time where I want to do my work. Now bother someone else, like Helen for instance."

Jayden frowned. "Who pissed in your cereal this morning?"

"I don't have time for this." Scarlett said standing up.

Jayden watched Scarlett relocated herself at another table with people she had never said more than two words to her entire life. He then turned to Helen who had the same shocked expression on her face as he did.

"You ever get the feeling you did something?" Helen asked.

"What?" Jayden asked.

"How should I know?" Helen replied. "_You_ did it. She isn't mad at _me_."

"I got that much. Thanks for your help." Jayden said.

"Hey," Helen said in a tone Jayden had never heard from her before. Tenderness. "If she's mad at you, that's her, right? Don't think too much about it or else."

"You're right." Jayden said. "Thanks Helen."

"No problem." Helen said. "Now, let's do this picture."

At her new seat, Scarlett could see the smiles that her cousin and friend wore. She forced herself to continue working on her picture. She forced herself not to care.

* * *

Kelly and Shane exchanged glances before they looked at Laura, who was actually in class today. What was more surprising was that Laura actually appeared to be doing work.

"You think this is some sort of trick?" Kelly whispered to Shane.

"I don't know. This looks like the genuine Laura Reynolds." Shane replied quietly. "I wonder what made her come to class today."

"Ask her." Kelly said.

"Me? Why me?" Shane asked.

"Because you're closest." Kelly pointed out bluntly. "Now ask her."

Shane sighed, muttering something about annoying sisters, before leaning towards Laura. He paused for a second as he stared at her. No doubt about it, Laura was possibly the most beautiful girl in the tenth grade, though some like Helen and Scarlett would say different. There was just something about Laura that seemed to…

"Are you just going to stare at me or are you going to take a picture?" Laura asked, snapping Shane out of his thoughts.

"I wasn't staring." Shane said. "Just curious as to why you're in class."

"What? There's a law that I can't come to class now? Then what does that leave me to do if I can't come and I can't skip class?" Laura replied.

"That's not what I meant. I mean it's just odd seeing you in class." Shane said.

"Well get used to it and stop ogling me." Laura said. "You're nowhere near my type. And besides, I'm sure Scarlett still has those perfectly manicured claws of hers still sunk into your skin."

"Me and Scarlett are just friends." Shane said.

"Tch, that's what we all say." Laura replied. "Now leave me alone."

Shane sat up straight in his desk as Laura began doing her work again. Today had been an odd day already. First, Scarlett was mad at Jayden and now Laura was in class.

"Well that didn't go as planned." Kelly remarked. Shane glanced at his sister. "What? It didn't."

"Why didn't you ask her?" Shane asked.

"I already told you," Kelly said. "Because you're closer. But look on the bright side, now we know she'll be here for a while."

"And how is that the bright side?" Shane asked.

"Any information was good information." Kelly said with a smile. "And we also know that you're not her type, so you can't contract something from her."

"Lucky me." Shane said.

* * *

James continued sending messages to Amber during their Media Immersion class on the computers.

**KingBrooks1002: So, u find some1 4 the dance yet?**

**StellAmber9822: No. Y?**

**KingBrooks1002: Just want 2 know.**

**StellAmber9822: Y? Interested? LOL.**

**KingBrooks1002: Interested. Seriously.**

**StellAmber9822: Oh… IDK.**

**KingBrooks1002: U dn't know? Y? MJ taking them all? LOL.**

**StellAmber9822: The good ones.**

**KingBrooks1002: Not me.**

**StellAmber9822: I said good ones. ;-)**

**KingBrooks1002: Ha ha. Hilarious.**

**StellAmber9822: Anyone ask u?**

**KingBrooks1002: No 1 important.**

**StellAmber9822: …?**

**KingBrooks1002: Some cheerleaders. 2 to b exact.**

**StellAmber9822: Oh.**

**KingBrooks1002: No 1 important.**

**StellAmber9822: Would u go with MJ?**

**KingBrooks1002: O_o Really?**

**StellAmber9822: Hypothetically asking.**

**KingBrooks1002: Maybe. Would u go with Steven?**

**StellAmber9822: Guess it's not a secret. LMAO!**

**KingBrooks1002: Funny!**

**StellAmber9822: Might. Might not. We'll c.**

**KingBrooks1002: C u lunch.**

**StellAmber9822: Certainly.**

* * *

"So are you going to tell me what I did?" Jayden asked as he stood beside Scarlett's locker as she put some books into it, preparing herself for lunch and her afternoon classes.

"Jayden," Jayden noticed she did not refer to him as J.T, making him frown more. "I've had a really rough day. I just want to rest now, okay?"

"Well, you see, I wanted to go to the dance and-"

"I've already asked someone." Scarlett lied. "Sorry."

"Oh. No problem. I was just saying if you didn't, we could've gone." Jayden said. "I actually prefer you over anyone else."

Scarlett paused at her task and looked at Jayden.

"Really? Why?" Scarlett asked.

Jayden shrugged. "You're the closest female friend I have. Makes sense to me."

"So you wanted to go because you think that I'm the closest female friend you have?" Scarlett said. "That's your best explanation?"

"What did you want me to say?" Jayden asked.

"I don't know. But that wasn't it." Scarlett said walking away.

Jayden sighed as he followed her towards the cafeteria. Jayden was not known for having the most patience in the world, and it was thinning by the seconds. But, he figured he should do what Helen had said. Let it go.

* * *

Helen watched Jacquelyn and Nicole gossip. Or to be more accurate, she watched Nicole gossip and Jacquelyn listen.

"And that's why they broke up." Nicole concluded. "Weird right?"

"I guess it was bound to happen." Jacquelyn said. "So, Helen, how has the search for Jayden's reply going?"

"Miss Jackie, are you asking me if I asked him yet?" Helen asked. Jacquelyn nodded. "No. I haven't asked him yet. But I am."

"Before or after Scarlett gets him?" Jacquelyn asked.

"Go save a panda." Helen said.

Jacquelyn did not take the stab seriously, though any other Chinese-descent person would have took the statement to heart.

Scarlett sat the table with a heavy sigh.

"Tough day?" Helen asked.

"No. Just one stupid problem that just seems to be reappearing." Scarlett replied. "And no, I don't want you to know and I don't want your help."

"Well fine. I wasn't going to offer anyway." Helen said. "Snob…"

The look Scarlett gave Helen worked more on Nicole and Jacquelyn than it did its target. It was enough to say whatever Scarlett would not at the time.

"Do you know who I thought about asking earlier today?" Nicole blurted out. "Nate."

The statement was enough to stop the stare-off between cousins as their faces turned to one of disgust and looked at Nicole.

"Nathan _Hogart_? That Nate?" Helen asked.

"Yeah… Is that so bad?" Nicole asked.

"God Nicky, you went from bad to worse." Helen said. "Stick with Shane."

"But Shane's not interested in me. I'm sure of it." Nicole said.

"Well," Jacquelyn said standing up. "If you won't ask him to the dance, I will. I dare not venture down Jayden's lane again for fear of…" Jacquelyn stopped once Helen's and Scarlett's eyes narrowed. "Yeah. That."

Nicole and the two cousins watched Jacquelyn walk away.

"Do you think she's serious?" Nicole asked. "Oh no. What if he says yes? What if he was that desperate that he would have said yes to anyone? That anyone could've been me!"

"Nicole. Shut. Up." Scarlett said. "You're giving me a headache."

At Jayden's table, Jayden, Shane, Jacob, and Dakota laughed about a story Kelly was telling them. Their laughter slowly died the closer Jacquelyn came to them.

"Hey Jackie, what's the problem?" Jayden asked, hoping she had more news about Scarlett.

"I want to ask Shane something." Jacquelyn said.

"Really?" Kelly asked looking at her brother.

"I was wondering if you'd like to go to the dance with me." Jacquelyn said.

Shane looked at Jayden who was nodding slightly. Shane looked at Jacquelyn.

"Sure." Shane answered.

Jacquelyn smiled. "Thanks. See you around, okay?"

"Okay." Shane said as Jacquelyn walked away. "Tell me again why I did that?"

"Next to getting your mind off of Scarlett?" Jayden asked.

Shane frowned. "Then why didn't _you_ take her on the offer?"

"Funny." Jayden said in a bored tone.

"Do you know what I just figured out?" Kelly said. "This is the first time that Shane has had a date and we don't, Jay. What's going on?"

"It's the weirdest day on Earth. This is how things are." Jayden replied.

On the other side of the cafeteria, Aaron, Chandra, Jordan, and Dustin continued their normal ritual of exchanging information, a brief studying, and talking about others for the sake of Chandra.

"I can't wait until the dance. I'm going to steal a dance with Jayden, I know it." Chandra announced.

"I doubt it." Jordan replied.

"You know, green is actually a good color for you." Chandra retorted.

"There's Gabrielle again." Dustin said pointing to the girl that sat alone at a table. "She looks so… Lonely."

"Weird with a capital O at the end." Chandra said.

"She looks sad." Jordan said.

Aaron sighed as he stood up. "I'll be back."

"A.J, if you go over there, you'll never be the same, I'm telling you." Chandra said. "My mom taught me how some people can affect you just by their aura."

"I'll take my chance." Aaron replied walking away.

Chandra sighed. "Why is it that every five seconds he's doing something we tell him _not_ to do?"

"That's A.J Santos. The most stubborn and hard-headed kid I know." Dustin said.

"So I've noticed." Chandra said.

Gabrielle watched Aaron walking towards her table. Half of heart felt nearly relieved. She knew that he would not come to cause her harm. Then again, she did not know him that well either, so he could. This day had been the worse, and betrayal from someone she trusted just seemed to go with the mood of the day.

"Hey Brie, why are you over here by yourself?" Aaron asked.

"Keeps me away from everyone else." Gabrielle said as Aaron sat from across from her. "You really don't have to sit here, really. I've sat by myself plenty of times before."

"Are you doing anything Friday?" Aaron asked.

Gabrielle frowned. "No. Why?"

"Ask me to the dance." Aaron said.

Gabrielle blinked in confusion. Had he just told her to ask him to the dance? The question confused her several times in her head before she was able to move on to the point of the question. Aaron Santos had asked her, Gabrielle Nunez, to the dance. Sort of.

"Um, well, I thought you'd go to the dance with Chandra or Jordan." Gabrielle said.

"They'll be at the dance regardless if they went with me or not. But you wouldn't." Aaron replied. "So, how about you ask me to the dance already?"

"Wouldn't it be-"

"Brie, I'm serious. I'd ask you myself, but the condition is that girls ask guys." Aaron said.

"Fine." Gabrielle said before sighing. "A.J, do you want to go to the dance with me?"

Aaron smiled. "Of course I do."

"Why?" Gabrielle asked.

"No one deserves to be lonely." Aaron answered. "And besides, after what Damon and Nathan said to you earlier, you could use a good night out, right?"

"If you say so…" Gabrielle said.

"Hey," Aaron said. "I'd never lie to a friend like that."

Gabrielle grinned. "Thanks A.J."

"You're welcome." Aaron said.

* * *

Outside the cafeteria, a number of students sat at the tables outside. Among those students were Mary-Jane, Amber, James, and Steven.

"It's been a long day." Steven said.

"Why do you say that?" Mary-Jane asked with a frown.

"Because," Steven said. "Some seventh grader asked me to the dance."

"And you said no, I hope." Mary-Jane said, now checking her nails.

"Of course I did! What do you take me for, a pedophile?" Steven replied.

Mary-Jane shrugged. "Not saying you are. Just not saying you aren't." Mary-Jane looked at Amber. "Hey, are you okay? You don't look so good?"

"I don't feel so good…" Amber said standing up. "I'll be back."

Mary-Jane watched her friend walk away before shivering.

"Gross." Mary-Jane said.

"Aren't you worried about her?" James asked.

"Why should I be? Amber is a big girl. She can take care of herself." Mary-Jane responded. "My main concern at this moment is this stupid dance. Just why does this dance have to be so… I don't even know the word I'm looking for."

"Well," Steven said. "I'm sure that whatever happens, you can handle it."

Mary-Jane gave Steven a smile. "That's the words I need right now. Vague lies."

"Anything to help." Steven said.

* * *

Back in the cafeteria, Helen, Scarlett, Jacquelyn, and Nicole sat in near silence with the tension and their looks explaining the entire situation.

Helen and Scarlett were first cousins, Helen's father being the twin of Scarlett's mother. They knew each other better than most siblings. And Scarlett knew that Helen understood her feelings for Jayden. They were feelings that did not need to be said because they were so evident.

On the other hand, Helen has never been one to be "speechless" and could put any situation into words if she tried. She figured, that if she could do it, then why couldn't Scarlett? Helen figured that Scarlett would prefer for Jayden to come to her on hands and knees, and that was something Helen did not have the patience nor stomach for that.

The same thing was going through Nicole's and Jacquelyn's minds. Nicole knew that Jacquelyn, her friend for many years, knew of her crush on Shane. Nicole also knew that Jacquelyn knew that Nicole would _eventually_ get the courage to ask Shane to the dance. But now the chance was over and it was her best friend's fault.

Jacquelyn figured that if Nicole did not have the courage to strike at the opportune moment, she would. Could she help it that Shane said yes? No. That was clearly his prerogative. And above all, who had said that Shane was Nicole's or that Jayden was Scarlett's? In Jacquelyn's mind, first come, first serve.

"It's quiet over here." Jayden said to the girls as he sat beside Nicole, much to the girl's delight. "What's going on?"

"Nothing." Scarlett replied. "Just a little discussion."

"Hmm… I'd say you were lying and you'd probably take a pen and shove it down my throat, so I'll avoid death for another day." Jayden replied. "So what are we discussing?"

"I don't know." Scarlett said glaring at Helen.

"I," Helen replied, glaring just as fiercely to her cousin. "Wanted to ask you to the dance, but Scarlett believes that that's a bad idea."

"Why?" Jayden asked with a frown.

"I don't know." Helen said in mock confusion. "Why is it Scarlett?"

Scarlett crossed her arms. "I never said it was a bad idea. Go ahead if you want to. I just said that Jayden is a bit desperate right now. He did openly confess that he had originally wanted me to take him."

"But you said no." Jayden said. "So why can't Helen, another girl whom I've known just as long, take me instead?"

"I don't care. Do what you like." Scarlett said standing up. "Once more, I don't need this."

Jayden frowned as he saw Helen's eyes follow her cousin out of the cafeteria.

"Did I do something?" Jayden asked.

"Of course not." Nicole said. "Scarlett's just mad about something."

"So she says…" Jayden said. "But, sure Helen. I'd go to the dance with you."

Helen smiled at Jayden. "Thanks Jay."

"No problem." Jayden said.

* * *

After the bell rang, Kelly was trying to hurry to class, once more because of her stubborn locker. And once more, she had to run into Nathan and Laura.

"Kel-"

"Don't you have anyone else to annoy at this hour? You're usually pestering some poor little kid." Kelly quickly interrupted. "I'm in a big hurry."

"Go." Nathan said as Kelly walked on.

Laura laughed. "I can't believe you're so sprung over her!"

"Jealous is what I'm hearing." Nathan said with his hands in his pockets.

"Jealous?" Laura said, her laughter ending immediately. "Why would I be jealous? You do know that _you're_ the desperate one asking her out right?"

"Whatever." Nathan said walking away.

Laura began laughing again. "This is going on my desperate list, I swear."

* * *

Jordan began packing up to leave after the final bell while Aaron and Dustin waited for her.

"So you asked her to the dance?" Dustin repeated for the third time. "A.J, what are you thinking?"

"Brie's never been to a dance before." Aaron said. "She-"

"Hello? _You've_ never been to one of these dances before either. It's your _first_ year here." Dustin interrupted. "I think you were just talking and not thinking."

"I think that's a great idea." Jordan said standing up. "And since A.J has a date, you can come to the dance with me Dustin." Dustin and Aaron stared at Jordan. "Unless you don't want to, that is."

"Oh no! Of course I'll go." Dustin said. "I just didn't expect you to ask that now."

"Oh…" Jordan said.

"I'm serious, I'll go." Dustin said reassuringly. "It just caught me by surprise." Dustin looked at Aaron, ready to change the subject. "Just like a certain someone asking a creepier someone to the dance."

Aaron sighed. "Whatever. I have to go catch my ride."

"Fine. Call." Jordan said.

"I will." Aaron said walking out of the classroom.

"He's not going to call." Dustin muttered.

Jordan sighed. "I know."

* * *

Dakota prepared to walk to her driver's meet up spot like any other day. She hated being picked up in front of the school because it made her look like the rock star that she was not. And like any other day, she walked at an exceptional fast pace to reach her ride, except today, she was joined by Laura for some odd reason.

"So," Laura said. "Your friends have all ditched you and now you have nothing planned for Friday."

Dakota frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"You know. Diner-girl works on Fridays. It's no secret that Helen and Jayden are going to the dance. And from what that talkative blonde dipstick tells me, Jackie is going to the dance with Shane." Laura explained. "So that leaves you and the nerdy guy with the glasses, but I doubt you'd want to hang with him and so here I am. Giving you a one time offer."

"Why? Don't you think I'm an emo like the rest of them?" Dakota nearly spat.

Laura shrugged. "Yeah, so what? I'm a Black Mist fan."

"I should've known…" Dakota muttered.

"There's a party at this address." Laura said retrieving a small slip of paper from her pocket. "Take it." Dakota hesitantly takes the paper. "If you want to relieve some stress and have a good time, I suggest you show up. I mean, let's face it, even if you do bark up the courage to ask someone, it's a sure no."

"And what's your excuse?" Dakota asked.

"I've yet to find a boy worth my time." Laura answered.

* * *

Jayden sighed as he finished his homework at his desk. A knock on the door caused the braided-hair boy turn to see one of his younger brothers standing in his doorway.

"What's up A.J? Damon still bothering you?" Jayden asked.

"Not as much," Aaron said. "But there's a problem. A small problem."

"Okay. What is it?" Jayden replied.

Aaron sighed. "There's this girl… She's considered weird and-"

"I've already heard it." Jayden cut Aaron off. "You asked Gabrielle Nunez to the dance. It's the talk of the seventh grade world." Jayden turned his chair around so he could fully face Aaron. "A.J, this is going to sound real cheesy, but remember to always follow your guts and heart on these sorts of things."

"And do what exactly?" Aaron asked.

"You obviously care for this girl enough to drag her to a dance." Jayden answered. "So my suggestion is that you treat her with the upmost kindness and respect that you can muster. And from what I hear, she could really use a friend." Aaron nodded. "She sounds a lot like Dash."

"Dash?" Aaron repeated.

"She's a friend of mine. Lot of people used to pick on her because of her dark attire when she transferred from Lakehurst in the eighth grade." Jayden explained. "Like you, I went to befriend her and everyone made this big deal about it. But she's now one of my best friends."

"I see." Aaron said. "Thanks Jay."

"No problem." Jayden said. "Oh, and if you could, would you tell Bambi to stop trying to flirt with me? I get the picture already."

"Bambi? Who's that?" Aaron asked.

Jayden frowned. "She's sat beside you at lunch twice."

"Oh! Chandra!" Aaron said. "Why do you call her Bambi?"

Jayden shrugged. "Just a nickname Helen made and it sticks."

"Oh. And I will." Aaron said while walking away. "Bambi…"


	4. Episode III: Obsessions

Episode III: Obsessions

Jayden walked to his mother's car to wait, like any other normal day, except with the fact that neither Helen nor Scarlett were at Scarlett's mom's car this morning. Jayden frowned at the oddness of that, but brushed it off. The strange event did not last long when he heard and saw Helen coming out of the house. Since his mother backed into the driveway, he was able to stand by the passenger door of her car and get a full view of Scarlett's house.

"Hey Jay." Helen said walking to her aunt's car.

"Hey." Jayden said. "Where's your partner in crime?"

Helen rolled her eyes. "Who cares?"

"What happened?" Jayden asked.

Helen gave Jayden a disbelieving look. "Did you really just ask me that question? After everything that happened yesterday, you honestly asked me _that_ question?"

"Oh. She's still angry for whatever the reason may be." Jayden said before Manny came out of their house on the phone. "Well, see you at school."

"Do you think that your mom could take me because this is getting plain ridiculous." Helen said.

Jayden looked over the hood at the car and waited for Manny to hang up to speak.

"Hey Mama, you think you can give Helen a lift? She and Scarlett are having some sibling rivalry." Jayden said.

"Sure." Manny said unlocking her car doors. "Are you coming Helen?"

"Yeah." Helen said sending a text message to her cousin in the house. "Thanks Mrs. McDuelle."

"No problem." Manny said getting into her car.

Jayden sat in the passenger seat and eyed his neighbor's house.

"She's just being difficult this morning." Helen said to Manny.

"People can do that." Manny said as she pulled out of the driveway. "And all, you can do is be true to yourself."

"I try Mrs. McDuelle. I really do." Helen said.

* * *

Nicole and a few other cheerleaders stood at the end of the steps when Manny's red Mercedes pulled up. The girls knew of Jayden's semi-grand entrance, but what surprised them all is when Helen stepped out with him.

"O…M…G…" Nicole muttered as the pair walked past them. "Did I just see…? This is great for the Grapevine!"

* * *

Mary-Jane stopped at her locker and began to get her morning classes' books when James caught up to her.

"Where's Amber?" James asked.

"She got sick. She thinks its food poisoning." Mary-Jane explained. "I was going to go see her after school, but she told me not to." Mary-Jane looked at James. "You know. Amber will _never_ let anyone see her sick. Not even her best-friend."

"This is true." James said. "Well, I guess I'll see you in class."

"Was there something you wanted from Amber? Maybe I have it." Mary-Jane said.

James grinned. "Nah, it's nothing like that. I just… Well it's almost time for the dance and I could've sworn she was going to ask me to the dance."

"If she makes it to the dance." Mary-Jane pointed out. "But I'll talk to her before the day is over with. I'll tell you."

"Thanks." James said walking away. "See you later."

"Yeah…" Mary-Jane said before smiling. "Soon."

* * *

Scarlett sighed as she walked into the school. The morning had been especially annoying to her for a number of reasons.

First reason came when she literally rolled out of the bed because of her alarm clock. The dream she had was so peaceful and so nice… Then the blaring of the alarm came. Helen's laughter did not lessen the pain or embarrassment either.

Second reason was Helen herself. Any normal person could tell that Helen had actually spent an extra thirty minutes sprucing up for the day ahead of her. It was not hard to figure out why Helen had done it and that only made it worse for Scarlett. Helen was making sure she had Jayden eating out of the palms of her hands. But Scarlett wanted Jayden eating out of the palms of _her_ hands.

And then the third reason hit Scarlett like a ton of bricks. While taking her time getting ready, she realized that she did not have a date for the dance. Sad part was, she did not know _who_ to take now. Shane had Jacquelyn. Jayden had _Helen_. Scarlett was left alone. For now.

"…I hear that they're already an item." Scarlett heard, one of the lesser known cheerleaders, say to another.

"No, no," Nicole's voice came. Scarlett rolled her dark blue eyes. Of course Nicole was the ringleader of this gossiping group. "Helen and Jay isn't an item now. Well, not that I know of. But then again, they could be messing around…" Nicole paused as Scarlett walked by. "Scarlett! How are you?"

"Pissed." Scarlett hissed back as she continued walking on.

"Do you think he heard us?" one of the cheerleaders asked.

"Yes!" Scarlett shouted back.

"Whoa," Shane said as Scarlett nearly ripped her locker open. "What's gotten into you this morning? I haven't seen you this pissed since that boy threw-up on your new shoes."

"I'm not in the mood for this today Shane. So back off." Scarlett said digging through her locker.

"I'm just trying to help." Shane said before Scarlett gave him a cold glance. "Is it something I did?"

Scarlett sighed. "No. No, you didn't do anything and I shouldn't be mad at you. But I am."

"Okay. So it has to be something serious." Shane said. "Does it have to do with Jayden and Helen?"

"Tell me," Scarlett replied. "Do the words 'back off' mean anything to your minuscule brain?"

"Not when it's said out of pure anger and means exactly nothing." Shane said crossing his arms. "Come on Scarlett, tell me what's wrong. You know you tell me just about everything, so we might as well get this out of the way."

"Speaking of getting out of the way," Scarlett said slamming her locker closed. "Get out of _my_ way so I can go do the announcements."

"Fine, but you either calm down or tell me what's wrong." Shane said.

Scarlett nodded. "Sure."

Scarlett walked around Shane, leaving him to think by himself. Knowing Scarlett, which he did, he knew a ballpark guess about what her true problem was. The only way he could solidify his case is if he spoke to Helen.

And she was _ten times_ as worse as Scarlett.

* * *

"Hey," Dustin whispered to Aaron. "Have you talked to your weird girlfriend?"

"One, she's not weird, and two, she's not my girlfriend." Aaron replied. "And no, I haven't seen her today. Why?"

Dustin shrugged. "Just thought I'd ask since everyone is asking about it."

"Let them." Aaron said.

"You're like one of the most talked-about students in the entire school!" Dustin whispered. "Aren't you a bit concerned about that?"

"Not at all." Aaron answered. "See, I talked to one of my older siblings-"

"The brother we don't know?" Dustin interrupted.

"Him." Aaron said. "Anyway, he said that I shouldn't listen to anyone but myself on these kinds of things. See, he was quite famous in-"

"New York." Dustin cut in again.

"Yes…" Aaron said. "And says that I should make her trust me. She needs a friend."

"I'll say…" Dustin muttered. "But, then again, if you want to be that one, go for it."

"Thanks for the support." Aaron said.

* * *

After the announcements went off, Jayden could feel the room warm up. However during the announcements, there was a cold, hatred feeling radiating from his right. Since he knew Nicole was incapable of hating anyone, just about, he knew where this source was coming from. Helen Sinclair-Coyne.

"Like I was saying," Nicole said. "So you two are going to the dance together, right?"

"For the millionth time, yes." Helen said. "What are you trying to do, Nicky? Get an interview for one of your stupid little gossip groups?"

"Maybe…" Nicole said while playing with one of her two signature pigtails.

"Trust me. There is no story between us." Helen said. "Jay's just taking me to the dance, that's all there is to it."

"But you two were with each other _all_ morning _and_ his mom dropped you off." Nicole said.

"One," Helen said holding up her right index finger. "We're neighbors stupid. His mom drives me and Scarlett to school some days. And two," Helen now held up her right index and middle fingers. "This is our _first period class_. Morning isn't even over."

"But you have second period together as well and lunch is after fourth period." Nicole stated. "So therefore, you two will have been together for the majority of the morning."

"Whatever Nicky." Helen said.

"You know," Jayden said. "I am in the room. In fact, I'm sitting right beside you."

Nicole smiled. "I know Jayden. I would _never_ overlook you sitting beside me."

"I'm sure…" Jayden replied.

"And speaking of you and Helen and what you share in common," Nicole said. "What's wrong with Scarlett? When I saw her earlier today, she seemed _really_ pissed."

"She fell out of the bed. No biggie." Helen said nonchalantly. "Now, let's finish this worksheet, okay?"

"Okay." Nicole said.

Jayden frowned to himself. Scarlett falling out of the bed would not make her pissed at the world. Fortunately, and unfortunately, Nicole was a tad slow and did not hear the lie. But Jayden did.

* * *

"I can't believe that they're actually going to the dance together." Dakota whispered to Kelly. "I didn't know that Shane was over Scarlett."

Kelly shrugged. "I don't know. Just know that whatever he's doing, he already knows what he's doing."

"And Jayden?" Dakota asked.

"That, I don't know." Kelly said. "Jay's been weird though. He sort of flirts with Scarlett and then does a one-eighty and goes after Helen. It's confusing."

"Do you know what else is confusing, Ms. Mason? How Jayden and Helen helped conquer Canada from the French." Mr. McCall said.

"Sorry Mr. McCall." Kelly replied.

"Since we're on the subject of the dance," Mr. McCall said. "Let me remind you that tickets will be on sell today during lunch. Make sure you buy them before Friday because procrastination will not help any of us. Especially those of you who lack at homework." Dakota quietly rolled her eyes, gaining a giggle from Kelly. "Is there something funny, Ms. Mason?"

"I was just trying to picture my brother and his date dancing. He is kind of stiff, like how I expect De Champlain to be." Kelly said.

"Ah… Good connection. But you're not off the hook yet." Mr. McCall said.

Dakota broke out into laughter.

"Shut up." Kelly muttered to her friend.

* * *

After the bell rang, Gabrielle began walking to her second period class. She stopped to get a drink of water when Nathan and Damon found her.

"Well, well," Nathan said. "I hear our little friend here has a date for Friday."

"A.J Santos. Another one of my buddies." Damon said. "It feels so good that my friends are friends."

"Speaking of friends," Nathan said as Gabrielle attempted to walk away, but was stopped with Damon stepping in front of her. "Don't you think we should get to know our friends better?"

"Yeah. Like Gabrielle Nunez here." Damon said. Damon snapped his fingers as if he had just got an idea. "Did you know that her mother was a stripper?"

"Shut up." Gabrielle said.

"Oh, does that anger you?" Damon asked.

"I think we're touching a sore subject like her deadbeat dad." Nathan added.

"Leave me alone." Gabrielle said.

"She met your dad while stripping?" Damon said in mock shock. "I can't believe it."

"Just leave me alone!" Gabrielle called as she stormed down the hall.

Damon and Nathan laughed a bit.

"We should be ashamed of ourselves." Nathan said.

* * *

"Bambi."

Chandra stopped in her steps and saw Jayden walking towards her. She gave him the sweetest, yet sultriest, smile she could do at the time.

"Hey Jay." Chandra said.

"I, uh, wanted to talk to you." Jayden said. "I met up with A.J earlier and-"

"You know A.J?" Chandra asked.

Jayden nodded, although in his mind he laughed. How could he not know his younger brother?

"I know a lot of people." Jayden said. "Anyway, I was wondering if you could lay-off a bit. And I don't mean to avoid me in any and everyway possible, I mean, don't come onto me as hard as you do. Do you get what I'm trying to say?"

"Yeah…" Chandra replied. "And let me guess, it's because I'm twelve."

"That's partially the problem." Jayden said.

"Oh. Then there must be someone else." Chandra said.

Jayden nodded. "And that's the rest. So, could you do me that one favor? Please?"

"Sure Jay." Chandra said with a smile. "Talk to you later."

"Sure." Jayden said as Chandra walked off. "I need a publicist."

* * *

"I wonder what Amber has." Steven said, gaining a confused look from James. "I mean if it's serious or not."

"Oh. Me too." James said. "Mary said that she would call her during the day, but she never gave me any specific time." Steven nodded. "Say, Steven, who are you waiting for to ask you to the dance? I saw a few girls asking you earlier and you rejected them all."

"It's a bit personal…" Steven said. James gave a quick breath of laughter before Steven grinned. "Then again, nothing's really personal to me, so I'll say. It's Mary, to be honest."

James frowned. "Mary-Jane? Why?"

"Why not?" Steven replied.

"I mean," James said. "She's cute and all… Okay, maybe a bit more than cute, but she'd have all these demands, demands that I don't even think are words."

"Well, I'd do them if I knew what they were. And who knows? There might be a reward for doing those demands." Steven said.

"Or so you hope." James said.

* * *

Jayden eyed the silent Scarlett once more before he continued his drawing of the fruit bowl near the front of the class.

"This is so boring." Helen muttered. "I wish Blue would let us do something more exciting."

"Like what?" Jayden asked.

Helen shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe…" Both Jayden and Scarlett watched the smirk that curled on Helen's face. "Maybe nude pictures of other students."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Scarlett asked.

"Wouldn't you?" Helen replied.

"No." Scarlett said. "I wouldn't let any of these boys, or girls, paint me naked. Not even J.T."

Jayden frowned. "Now why do you have to drag me into this? And who said that I would want to paint you nude?"

"Uh, you're a boy and I'm a really hot girl. I think that's self-explanatory." Scarlett retorted.

"Uh-huh…" Jayden muttered.

"Speaking of boy and girl," Helen said. "Hey, you, neighbor, don't forget to get the tickets at lunch or else."

"Or else what?" Jayden challenged.

"Do you really want to know what I could do to you?" Helen asked glaring at Jayden.

"I'm curious." Jayden replied. "Tell me."

"If you two are going to flirt, all class long," Scarlett interrupted. "Then maybe I should move back to my seat from yesterday."

"You're fine." Jayden said. "I don't want you to be in your 'I-hate-the-world' mood. You're much easier to talk to when you're out of it."

Scarlett sighed. "That's what they all say."

"They who?" Helen asked.

"Nothing." Scarlett said.

Jayden saw Helen's eyes squint momentarily before she looked at her drawing. Jayden knew that whatever Scarlett was talking about, Helen must have figured it out because she actually dropped the subject.

But he would never know.

* * *

After being excused for the restroom, Aaron was now walking down the hall to the men's room before he heard a familiar voice, Jordan's. He eyed the closed janitor's closet before opening the door where Jordan was.

"Jordan? What are you doing?" Aaron asked.

"Uh… Nothing." Jordan said.

Aaron frowned. "You have to be doing _something_ or else you wouldn't be _here_."

"I, um, was doing something but now I'm not so…" Jordan's sentence fell short as she continued to struggle with her shirt.

Aaron studied the situation to understand what was going on. A girl fixing her shirt in the janitor's closet gave him a lot of scenarios. But this was no ordinary girl, this was Jordan Cameron. Therefore, only one logical thing came to his mind.

"Were you stuffing your bra?" Aaron asked. The question seemed to be the right one as Jordan froze and gave him a fearful looked. "Why?"

Jordan sighed. "Because I have to get Jayden's attention somehow. I figured that he was a breast kind of guy."

"He-" Aaron stopped himself before revealing information about his brother. "You are better than that Jordan. Take it out."

"No." Jordan said. "If I do this, I can securely snatch him from Chandra."

"Bambi's not-"

"Bambi?" Jordan interrupted.

"Her nickname that I actually learned from… Anyway, this isn't going to help." Aaron said.

Jordan frowned. "You learned this from Jayden, didn't you? Her nickname."

"Jordan, I-"

"Didn't you?" Jordan interrupted.

"Yes but I-"

"What else did he tell you?" Jordan asked.

"Nothing." Aaron said. "Seriously Jordan, you don't have to do this to get Jay's attention. I'm sure that if he's smart, he'll look over at you anyway, just the way you are."

Jordan rolled her eyes towards the ceiling. "Not helping."

"Just take that out already." Aaron said.

"Fine. It was starting to itch anyway." Jordan said before pausing. "Could you, um, unclip me?"

"Unclip…? Do you mean-"

"No duh. Can you do it or not?" Jordan asked.

Aaron sighed as Jordan turned her back to him and lifted her shirt up. Aaron moved to unclip her bra before a wolf whistle was heard from behind them. Aaron and Jordan both snapped their heads around to see Marc.

"Close the door!" Jordan ordered before Aaron closed and lock thee door. "God this is so embarrassing!"

"How about you learn from this and _never_ do this again?" Aaron replied as he unclipped her bra for her.

"Whatever." Jordan said. "Just stand outside and be the lookout. I have to get back to class soon."

"Ditto." Aaron said before unlocking the door and stepping out of the closet. "I still have to pee."

* * *

Kelly and Shane continued their work diligently, though they both would stop periodically to see Laura's empty seat.

"I knew it was too good to be true." Kelly said to Shane.

Shane shrugged. "Some things never change."

"Speaking of changing," Kelly said. "What's wrong with your friend? She's been going from okay to piss a lot today. I heard her snapping at some cheerleader this morning."

"Me too." Shane said. "I talked to her, but you know how Scarlett is. She doesn't tell what she doesn't want to and no amount of talking or forcing is going to get it out."

"Hmm… I bet she's jealous." Kelly replied.

"Jealous? Of who?" Shane asked.

"You, of course." Kelly answered. "I mean, you go to the dance with her cousin's friend and then her cousin takes the guy she was most-likely going to ask to the dance, it just makes her angry."

"Well what do _I_ have to do with anything? I didn't ask Jackie to the dance, she asked me." Shane said. "Besides, I don't think that Scarlett would be mad about that."

"But Jay and Helen?" Kelly asked.

Shane shrugged. "That's something I don't know. But I will find out. Eventually."

"You always do." Kelly said with a smile. "Mom would be proud."

"Correction: Mom _is_ proud." Shane said with a grin.

* * *

Before going to the cafeteria for lunch, Jayden stood in a small line for dance tickets. He was idly thinking about Scarlett's latest mood swing in-between their second and third period class, but soon lost his train of thought as he purchased the two tickets.

"And I didn't have to drag you here myself." Helen said as Jayden placed the tickets in his pocket.

Jayden frowned. "You stalking me now?"

"Yeah, I was secretly stalking you so I thought I'd tell you." Helen shot back. "Are you going to hold onto those or do you need me to?"

"I got them Helen." Jayden said. "I'm just half-amazed that you would journey out of your daily routine to make sure that I got two measly tickets." Jayden smirked. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think something was up."

"Hopefully, you _do_ know better or else I'd have to remind you." Helen replied. "Now, come on, we have people waiting."

"I'm guessing your cousin didn't give you much info about her everlasting, never-ending mood swings, huh?" Jayden asked.

"To put it kindly, she told me to buzz off and screw myself." Helen answered.

"That's a no." Jayden said. "And if it makes you feel any better about yourself, she said worse to me."

"Really?" Helen asked surprised.

Jayden nodded. "Yep. Where she told you to 'screw' yourself, she told me to _kill_ myself."

Helen laughed. "Even pissed she still makes me proud of her."

"You are weird." Jayden said.

Helen threw an around Jayden's shoulder.

"I'm not weird and besides, you'd be desperately and hopelessly lost if I were any different." Helen said. "Right?"

"Seeing as you're in striking range," Jayden said. "You're right."

Helen rolled her eyes as Jayden laughed, neither of the two minding the students' reaction as the walked into the cafeteria like that.

"That little tramp!" Chandra whispered fiercely.

"Hussy." Jordan said crossing her arms across her chest.

"Well," Kelly said to Dakota, Shane, and Jacob. "That answers that question. He's been playing buddy with Helen."

"Oh boy…" Shane said as he looked at the table where Scarlett sat frozen.

Helen released Jayden. "Remember that when we're at the dance. I _will_ be within striking range and I _will_ strike if you do something out of line."

"Like I would try anything with you Helen." Jayden said. "See you later."

With that, the two went to their normal tables and the other students went back to their normal conversations that ended up talking about Helen and Jayden.

"So," Scarlett said to Helen as the latter sat at the table. "I see you two are becoming quite close."

"Me and Jayden? Yeah right. We're always like that." Helen said.

"You get a ride from him, you're constantly around him, and then you two walk together to lunch?" Nicole said. "Something is up."

"Nicky, what have I told you that there is no story between us? Let it drop." Helen said.

"Right." Scarlett said. "Then again Helen, it is pretty convincing."

"I'm sure." Helen said before looking at Jacquelyn. "Miss Jackie, why are you so silent?"

"No reason." Jacquelyn said.

At Aaron's table, both Jordan and Chandra were still pissed about Helen and Jayden's entrance.

"Could you two get over it?" Dustin asked.

"No." Chandra and Jordan said in unison.

"I honestly don't see the big deal." Aaron said. "Ever since I've met the guy, girls just seem to throw themselves at him."

"That's the life of a star's son." Dustin said. "Your dad is a super-rich computer tycoon and your mother is a super hot actress." Aaron slightly scrunched his face up at Dustin's description of Manny. "We'd be like that if we were him or like him."

"I doubt it." Aaron stated.

Chandra frowned. "And why is that A.J? You think that if you had the fame you wouldn't use it?"

"I know I wouldn't." Aaron replied. "It's best if people know me for me, not my parents."

"Well, I wouldn't." Chandra said. "If I were like that, I'd let the world know. Besides, a part of me would be the famous parents I have, right?"

Aaron frowned at the concept. "I guess…"

"Where's your freaky girlfriend?" Dustin asked looking around.

"She's not my girlfriend." Aaron retorted.

"Where is she?" Jordan asked. "I hope nothing bad has happened."

"Tch, that weirdo? She's probably cutting herself in the bathroom." Chandra said.

"I wish you wouldn't say things like that." Aaron said.

Chandra smirked. "Why? Falling in love with her?"

"No. But a friend of mine, Jayden, told me that he _applauded _me befriending her." Aaron said. "Completely random but-"

"You don't know him." Chandra interrupted.

"Do you want to bet?" Aaron asked.

"Name your game." Chandra said in a challenging manner.

Aaron hated the strong McDuelle genes that forced him to always take a bet seriously, but went with it anyway. He knew that only Danica and Jayden obtained the near-perfect winning rate that their father had.

"You give me anything to say to him and I'll go tell him." Aaron said. "In return, you lay off Brie."

Chandra smiled. "Fine. I want you to ask him what he told me earlier and tell him that I found out who."

"Sure." Aaron said standing up. "I'll be back."

Jordan shook her head. "A.J is so competitive."

"Poor guy." Dustin said.

Jayden eyed his brother nearing the table. Not that he minded, but he knew of Aaron's rule about talking during school. Although Jayden was not the kind to take orders from his _younger_ sibling, he still respected Aaron's wishes to live a normal life instead of one of stardom and fandom. Danica had explained to them both that their life was decided when their parents became the people that they were today. Stardom was inevitable.

"Jayden, can I talk to you?" Aaron asked.

Kelly frowned. "A.J, you can't just go up to random people asking them for talks."

"No you can't have a picture of his mother." Shane added.

"That's not what I wanted." Aaron said, seeing the grin growing on Jayden's face. "I just need to talk to him. Something Chandra, Bambi, sent me over here to talk to him about."

"I'll talk." Jayden said standing up. "And I need to go get me a tray too. Walk with me."

Aaron shrugged. "Sure."

The two brothers walked towards the lunch line.

"What is it?" Jayden asked. "Someone finding out about your secret?"

"No." Aaron replied. "Chandra betted that I didn't know you nor could I speak to you." Jayden nodded understandingly. It was the McDuelle trait, after all. "So what did you two talk about earlier, so I can win this stupid thing."

"What I told you to tell her." Jayden said. "I figured I'd make her day and get you off easy by doing it myself."

"She says that she knows who it is now." Aaron said as the two began to fix their trays.

"Helen? Is she serious?" Jayden said. "Oh well. Bambi will think what Bambi wants, I guess."

"Are you two dating?" Aaron asked.

"What do you think?" Jayden replied to his younger brother before looking at Aaron. "Tell Bambi that you won the bet and that I said to just respect my wishes until after this dance. Oh, by the way, I saw your friend walking while I was getting my tickets. Gabrielle."

"Thanks." Aaron said. "Which way?"

"Looks like she was heading for the gym, but I could be wrong." Jayden answered grabbing his tray. "I'll see you at home."

"Yeah…" Aaron said, hoping no one heard Jayden.

Aaron returned to his table and sat his tray down.

"Well?" Chandra asked.

"Bambi, respect his wishes and leave him alone until after the dance." Aaron said.

"Where are you going?" Jordan asked.

"Find Brie." Aaron said.

"I'll go with you." Jordan said standing up.

"Come on." Aaron said before the two walked off.

"…He actually won." Chandra said.

Dustin frowned. "How do you know?"

"Because there are only two people that call me Bambi. Helen and Jayden." Chandra answered. "That's how I know he had to talk to him."

"Oh." Dustin said.

* * *

Mary-Jane sighed. "Okay, get better."

"I will." Amber said. "Bye."

"Bye." Mary-Jane said before hanging up. Mary-Jane glanced at James. "Are you happy?"

"Better. Now I have to find someone to go to the dance with me and I knocked off four girls for Amber." James said.

"Hmm… You could go to the dance with me." Mary-Jane said suggested. "I mean, as friends since the girl you wanted to go to the dance with will be MIA and I currently don't have anyone to go with. We could go for Amber. I mean, who else would she trust with you other than me?"

"I'm sure that was not a compliment, but I'll take it." James said.

"What are you talking about?" Mary-Jane asked.

"Why wouldn't Amber trust me?" James replied. "Do I just scream whore or something?"

"Something like that. Thankfully, I'll be keeping an eye on you." Mary-Jane said. "So you can't do anything."

"We'll see." James said.

* * *

Jordan and Aaron walked into the gym where Gabrielle sat eating her lunch peacefully.

"Brie, there you are." Aaron said walking towards her with Jordan behind him. "Why didn't you go to the cafeteria?"

"Couldn't risk it." Gabrielle replied.

"Risk what?" Aaron asked sitting beside her.

Gabrielle sighed. "My mother doesn't know who my father is because she was a stripper, part time prostitute, when she had me."

"Oh…" Aaron said.

"I guess someone knows." Jordan said.

Gabrielle nodded. "Nathan and Damon."

"Those two." Jordan said. "I should've known."

"But why didn't you come to the cafeteria? I don't care about how your mom had you." Aaron said. "And honestly, I don't care now. It doesn't change who you are."

"The daughter of-"

"You don't choose your parents. Trust me." Aaron interrupted. "You're more than the daughter of such and such. You are Gabrielle, my date for the Back-to-School dance. And being such, you should at least get to know me better. Enough to take you to the dance."

Gabrielle blinked. "But, you don't know anything about me either."

"More reasons why you should be in there and not in here, right?" Aaron replied. "Besides, I have friends in the cafeteria that wouldn't let Nathan or Damon get to you."

"Promise?" Gabrielle asked.

"Yeah." Aaron said with a reassuring smile. "Besides, it's not the worst thing. Today, I was put in a pretty embarrassing situation."

"Really? What was it?" Gabrielle questioned.

"Um, how about we talk about it in the cafeteria?" Jordan said. "Yeah, that's it. We'll talk about it in the cafeteria or not at all. Preferably the second one."

"Sure." Aaron said. "Let's go."

* * *

"Dude, not to start anything, but your sister is hot." Shane said to Jayden.

Jayden sighed. "And thus, we're here again."

"I've never seen Danni." Jacob said.

"You don't know what you're missing. And there's a lot to miss." Shane said.

"You know," Jayden said. "If I said something like that about your sister, there'd be problems."

"Didn't know you cared." Kelly said with a smile.

"We should hang out soon." Shane suggested. "Not Friday, of course, but maybe next Friday?"

"Hello? Work?" Kelly said.

"Right. What about Saturday? After our shift is over?" Shane said. "We could catch a movie and go blow off some of Jayden's money at the mall. I know you girls like shopping."

"Deal." Kelly said.

"I can't." Dakota said.

Jayden furrowed his brow. "What? Why?"

"I have something else to do." Dakota said. "You know how random things occur with my parents."

"I understand." Jayden said. "So I guess it'll just be us four."

"More money for me." Kelly said with a smile. "Your loss Dakota."

"Tell me about it." Dakota said.

Jayden sighed. "You ever feel something bad is about to happen? Like something seriously bad?"

"Sometimes. Why?" Kelly asked.

"I have that feeling." Jayden said. "It feels like it's coming from Helen, and yet, it somehow feels…"

"Feels…?" Shane asked.

"Nothing." Jayden replied. "I just feel something bad is going to happen."

"I bet." Shane said. "You get in-between the Coyne cousins and you're as good as dead."

"That's not my problem." Jayden said.

Kelly laughed. "Are you serious? That's your _life_."

"How is it such a bad thing? He's always been in-between them." Jacob said.

"No." Shane said. "There is a difference between being in-between them and being in the middle of them. Being in the middle of them is what he was. The mediator between the two that usually made a bad situation better. Being in-between means that there is something both cousins want from him that he must choose one or the other, and he has."

Jayden raised his left eyebrow. "Since when did you become an analyst on them?"

Shane shrugged. "You learn a few things after years of knowing them."

Jayden did not reply to Shane's statement. He turned his attention towards Kelly, who seemed to be thinking about what her brother had said.

"Oh great… Them." Jacob muttered.

Jayden turned to see Damon, Nathan, and Laura enter the cafeteria. Their eyes seemed to be scanning for someone.

"I wonder what they want." Kelly said.

"Who cares?" Shane asked glaring at Nathan.

"Calm down Shane." Jayden said. "I don't think they are dumb enough to come this way."

"They are pretty dumb…" Shane replied.

At Scarlett's table, she also took notice at the three new editions to the population in the cafeteria. She followed them with her dark blue eyes until they sat at a table to themselves.

"You're burning a hole into their clothes." Helen said, gaining Scarlett's attention.

"Never lose sight of those three. Especially that slut Laura." Scarlett said.

Helen shrugged. "Didn't think she swung that way. But I guess with all the guys she's been with, it's kind of hard trying something new within that range, huh?"

"That's disgusting." Nicole said.

"I wonder if they'll be at the dance." Jacquelyn said, gaining a frown from Nicole.

"Who cares?" Helen asked. "As long as they stay out of my way, I'm fine. And more importantly, they live to see another day."

"Helen, you can't go around beating on people because they are 'in your way' or whatever." Scarlett said to her cousin with a grin. "It's both wrong and uncivilized."

"Wrong I can live with. Uncivilized…" Helen paused. "Nicky, what's up with the glare?"

"Nothing." Nicole said looking away from the other three.

Helen narrowed her eyes. "So why are you avoiding us in our presence?"

"I'm not." Nicole said, her blue eyes connecting with Helen's green ones. "And why does it matter why I'm mad? I thought you hated it when I gossiped?"

"Good point." Helen said.

Aaron led Gabrielle and Jordan back into the cafeteria where Dustin and Chandra were sitting.

"What took you two- three- so long?" Chandra asked.

"Nothing." Aaron said sitting beside Chandra. "Tell me what's up with the Bambi nickname."

"It's just a nickname." Chandra said. "And I've been called a lot worse before. Besides, Jayden thinks it's a cool nickname. Why else would he keep using it?"

"I have no clue." Aaron replied.

"What was that embarrassing thing you were going to tell me?" Gabrielle asked.

Jordan glared at Aaron. "Yes A.J, what is that embarrassing _thing_ you were going to tell her?"

"I don't know what you did," Dustin said with a grin. "But with Jordan about to rip your throat out and Gabrielle getting told of an embarrassing thing, I'm sure it'll be _very_ funny."

Aaron could only think of one question that he usually did when he was in trouble with the opposite sex.

What would Jayden do?

* * *

After the final bell, James was happy to get home. The only thing different from today than any other day was that his younger sister, Vanessa, was going straight home and not walking with her friends to the Dot.

"So," Steven said catching up to James. "You get a date yet?"

"Yeah. And you're going to flip when I tell you who." James said. Steven gave a curious frown. "Mary-Jane."

Steven stopped in his tracks. "Mary-Jane Del Rossi asked _you_ to the dance?"

James nodded. "Yeah. Kind of a thing for Amber though. She won't be able to make the dance."

"Oh." Steven said walking behind James. "I guess that makes it like a substitute date for Amber, huh?"

"I guess you could look at it like that." James said. "Now where is Vanessa at?"

* * *

Aaron walked into the Dot with Jordan and Shane. Shane went towards the back to get his apron while the younger two found a table to sit at.

"Nice lie back there." Jordan said. "I can't believe they fell for it."

Aaron shrugged. "It worked."

"So… You and Gabrielle are going to the dance. Have you bought the tickets?" Jordan asked.

"No…" Aaron said before sighing. "I guess I'd better do that, huh?"

"Yeah." Jordan said. "I can't believe this'll be our first dance at Degrassi. I'm a little nervous."

"You're nervous about a lot of things." Aaron said. "Just go with it, okay? I'm sure nothing bad will happen."

"I hope not." Jordan said.

Shane walked to the table with two plates filled with a cheeseburger and fries.

"The usual." Shane said sitting the plates in front of the two. "And don't worry A.J, this is coming out of Jordan's allowance."

"No fair!" Jordan whined.

Shane shrugged. "Take it up with Mom."

"I will." Jordan said as Shane walked away. Jordan saw the amused look on Aaron's face. "Shut up."

"I didn't say anything." Aaron said, now openly laughing.

* * *

Jayden looked around Helen's room. Nothing had changed since he was first in her room approximately two years ago. Of course, Scarlett was the only one who constantly changed her room around to some weird, yet fashionable, design of hers.

"Not that it matters," Helen said. "But Scar's back to normal."

"That's good to know." Jayden said. "She in her room?"

Helen shook her head. "No. Her and Fiona went to the store. They should be back soon." Helen released her strawberry blonde hair from her bow. "You look confused."

"Thinking about the last time I've seen how long your hair really it is." Jayden said. "Kind of weird not seeing a ponytail resting on your shoulder."

"Whatever." Helen said.

Jayden sat on Helen's bed. "Have I ever told you how much I hate waterbeds?"

"Only every time you come over here." Helen said before looking at Jayden. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Ask." Jayden said.

"Are you really desperate enough to go to the dance with me?" Helen asked.

Jayden shook his head. "No." Jayden laughed a bit. "Lord knows that a desperate Jayden would have accepted Bambi's offer. But that's not why I said yes to you."

"Scar doesn't think so." Helen said. "And I have to admit, I'm not the girliest girl in the world."

"I guess that's what I like most about you." Jayden said.

An awkward silence followed the statement before Helen cleared her throat.

"Well then," Helen said. "To the Dot?"

"Why not?" Jayden said standing up.


	5. Episode IV: Dancing Queen

Episode IV: Dancing Queen

Aaron sighed. "Great…"

"A.J, calm down." Jayden said as he lied in his bed. "It's just a dance."

"I know," Aaron said. "And that's partly the problem. My date is Brie, remember?"

"And my date is the infamously evil Helen. What's your point?" Jayden asked.

"My point is that only one of them is a hundred percent comfortable going to a dance." Aaron answered. "Besides, you've known Helen since we moved here. She was the second girl you ever saw."

"Good point." Jayden said before sitting up. "Look, the dance is in two hours. That's one hundred and twenty minutes. If you can't devise a plan in that period of time, then maybe you don't have Dad's genes at all and Danni was right. You _are_ a pansy."

Aaron glared at Jayden. "I'm not a pansy."

"Then stop acting like one, go find an outfit, and relax already." Jayden said standing up. "I'm going to the Dot to see what Kelly could give me for free."

"Sure." Aaron said. "By the way, what's been going on between you and Helen? I don't think I've ever seen her smile, let alone happy to see you."

Jayden smirked. "Just a bit of that old magic Dad was talking about. You should use it sometime. Maybe on Brie?" Jayden paused. "Or maybe on your friend Jordan?"

"Whatever." Aaron said.

* * *

Kelly was quite pleased that business was not as fast as it usually was on Fridays. She figured that here must be something going on in the area to keep customers from coming.

"I think I can actually spot three empty tables." Kelly said to her father, Gavin. "Do you think that we'll get a late night rush?"

"I hope not." Gavin said. "So, your brother has a date for the dance?"

Kelly nodded. "Jackie. She's Nicky's best friend. Or at least, she was." Gavin frowned. "See, Nicky has a crush on Shane but didn't have the courage to ask him and-"

"Jackie quote 'stole' unquote him." Gavin interrupted. "I've seen and heard it all before."

"Mom?" Kelly asked before Shane walked into the restaurant. "Hey Shane. I thought you'd be preparing for the dance."

"Being friends with Jayden McDuelle makes me prepare for things days before it happens." Shane said sitting at the counter. "So what's up?"

"Dad was telling me about another story in the past." Kelly said before looking at Gavin. "Come on Dad. Tell us."

"There's nothing to tell. It's just awkward that many of my exes are, or were, friends." Gavin said. "Paige and Terri. Manny, Emma, and Darcy. Jane's the only one out."

Shane frowned. "Jane? Who's that?"

Gavin sighed. "She was my girlfriend at one point of time that cheated on me. She left after your mom and I got married."

"Do you still care for her?" Kelly asked, now wiping the counter down with a wet rag.

"Now Kelly, you know that it's me you're talking to. I care for all of you." Gavin said. "Even Jordan, Maddox, and Astoria."

"But do you _like_ her?" Kelly asked with a smile.

"I haven't seen her in almost twenty years. I can't really answer that." Gavin replied. "But I will say that she was actually my first actual _real_ relationship."

"What do you mean your first 'real' relationship?" Shane asked.

"Paige and Manny… That was lust. Darcy taught me a lot, but that was about it. But Jane and your mom… They got me." Gavin said. "That's something I'm trying to teach you two. Find someone who gets you and you'll end up happy."

"But you're not happy." Kelly said.

"I am happy." Gavin said. "I have you two and that's generally all I need."

Jayden walked into the restaurant.

"Hey," Kelly said as Jayden walked towards the stool beside Shane. "Your date drive you crazy yet?"

"Helen? No." Jayden said. "Scarlett, a little."

"Why?" Shane asked.

"She tells me that she'll be at the dance and then won't tell me who it is she's going with." Jayden replied. "Did you have to put up with that?"

"You know I did." Shane said. "Luckily, my dad is a guru of love advices, right Dad?"

"I wouldn't say that." Gavin said. "But I will tell you that you should worry more about Helen than Scarlett. She's the one that seems to have immediate interest in you."

"That's what my dad said." Jayden said.

"Now," Gavin said pointing to Jayden. "That's a guru of love. Or at least a professor on women."

"Max? Why's that?" Kelly asked.

"Anyone that can turn Manny into the perfect wife deserves the title." Gavin answered. "Remember, I knew what she used to be while you all know her as the woman she is today. There is a big difference."

"Really? She never says anything about it." Jayden said. "But she talks about his past a lot."

"I can't say anything about that because I wasn't born in California." Gavin said before spotting some customers walking into the restaurant. "Kelly, table five."

"On it." Kelly said walking towards the new group.

"Anyway," Gavin said to the two boys. "You shouldn't forget why you're going to the dance. If Nicky or Scarlett is on your mind, then maybe you should be talking to them instead."

"Good advice." Jayden said. "What's the special for today?"

"For a friend, what's on your mind?" Gavin asked.

* * *

Helen sighed as she plopped onto Scarlett's bed.

"I'm sure whoever he is will like you in either one. Just pick one already." Helen said. "You're going to waste five hours just picking out an outfit."

Scarlett paused and turned in her closet so that she was facing Helen on her bed.

"And how are you so sure that J.T will approve of your outfit?" Scarlett asked.

"Do you think I really care? It's a dance, not a date." Helen said. "You're just overreacting."

"You're right." Scarlett said stepping out of her closet. "I am overreacting."

"I just said that." Helen said. "So, care to share?"

Scarlett sighed. "Jacob Isaacs."

"Ew. I didn't know that you were that desperate." Helen replied.

"Don't do that." Scarlett said.

"Hey," Helen said. "If I knew that it was either Jayden or Jacob, I would've picked someone else. Anyone else."

"Glad you care, but it's really just someone to get me into the dance without looking like a loser." Scarlett said. "Or more of a loser, I should say."

Helen grinned. "Scar, you'll never be a loser to me. Or Jayden for that matter."

Scarlett frowned. "Where are you going with this?"

"If you just admit that I was right and you were wrong," Helen said, still grinning. "I'd give him to you on a silver platter. You like him. You want him. And I can charm any boy without a threat."

"No I don't and he's only going to the dance with you because he knows you." Scarlett replied. "So therefore, I still have a chance to get the last laugh, and I will."

Helen stood up. "Then let the games begin, dear cousin."

"Likewise." Scarlett said.

* * *

Alex looked at her daughter with a smile.

"I'm glad you're making friends." Alex said.

"A.J's just taking me to the dance." Gabrielle said before the doorbell rang. "That's him. Mom, please don't say anything embarrassing."

Alex giggled. "I won't Gabrielle. Go have fun."

"Thanks." Gabrielle said before walking towards the door.

* * *

Jayden looked at his mother's Mercedes.

"Remember," Manny said. "If you scratch it up, I will be _very_ pissed."

"Dimples," Maxwell said to his wife. "You're putting your car's safety over your son's. He'll be fine."

"If he drives anything like you, then of course I'll put the car's safety over his." Manny replied. "Do you know how many speeding tickets you should have?"

"Your point?" Maxwell asked before looking at his eldest son. "Jay, be careful with the curves. And I'm not talking about the car."

"Max!" Manny chastised as Jayden laughed.

"Will do Dad." Jayden said. "Should I force A.J into the car with me on the way back?"

"Yes." both of his parents said in unison.

"Fine. Let me go get Helen." Jayden said walking across the small lawn in-between the McDuelles' driveway and the Coynes'.

"Let's go Dimples," Maxwell said to his wife as he led her into their home. "After I drop Chris, Kitty, and the twins at your parents, we'll have the house to ourselves."

"That's if Danni is so kind to stay away." Manny said.

"I have her doing a business meeting for me." Maxwell said causing Manny to giggle. "Exactly. Friday night all to ourselves."

* * *

At the dance, Aaron, Jordan, Gabrielle, and Dustin talked near a table that held the punch bowl and cups.

"This isn't so bad." Jordan said. "I thought that something embarrassing would happen."

"Something like what?" Dustin asked.

"I don't know." Jordan replied before an upbeat song play. "I love this song! Come on Dustin, let's go dance!"

"Before-" Dustin was pulled away before he could finish his statement, leaving Gabrielle and Aaron standing beside each other.

"Come on Brie," Aaron said taking her hand. "Let's go dance."

"Sure." Gabrielle said following Aaron.

* * *

Mary-Jane walked out of her house and then into the car where James waited.

"This late enough for you?" James asked as he backed out of her driveway.

"Perfect." Mary-Jane said.

"I talked to Amber." James said as he began driving towards the school. "She explained to me what 'looking after me' meant. And I must admit, I still don't approve of it."

"How did she sound?" Mary-Jane asked.

"Horrible." James answered. "It makes me a little better that I didn't go over there and catch whatever she has."

"I was thinking about that as well. When is the last time you two were together?" Mary-Jane asked.

"Uh, I'd say Tuesday when she became sick." James said. "You were there."

"No, no. I mean the last time you two were _intimately_ together." Mary-Jane said.

James's eyes widened. "No! That's not it!"

Mary-Jane laughed. "I know! But the look on your face was so worth it!"

James sighed as Mary-Jane eventually calmed down. James glanced at Mary-Jane's smiling face in the passenger seat and shook his head.

"I can't believe I fell for that one." James said. "Why do I let you get to me?"

"Because it's easy." Mary-Jane said, now applying some lip gloss to her lips. "Be thankful I couldn't keep a straight face or else I would've kept the lie up."

"Whatever." James said.

* * *

Helen nearly blushed as Jayden helped her out of the car, though she hardly needed the helping hand.

"What's with the chivalry?" Helen asked.

Jayden grinned. "You're my date for tonight. So, as the good guy that I am, I'm turning my attention on you for the next four hours."

"Stop talking like that. You're going to make someone think something." Helen said.

"Let them think." Jayden said extending a hand towards her. "Now. Dance?"

"Whatever." Helen said taking his hand. "I'm only doing this because of a bet, I thought I should tell you that."

"The dance, taking my hand, or blushing?" Jayden asked.

"Whatever Jayden." Helen said.

Jayden led Helen to the gym, giving the tickets to Mr. Simpson at the door.

"You two have a good time." Mr. Simpson said as they walked into the dance.

"Okay, let's dance and get this night over with." Helen said.

Unfortunately for the both of them, a slow song began to play.

"You're joking." Helen said before Jayden pulled her onto the dance floor. "What are you doing?"

"Answer my question." Jayden said put his hands on her waist. "Did you bet about the dance, taking my hand, or blushing?"

"I don't have to answer that question Jayden." Helen said.

"Then dance." Jayden said as the two began to dance. Jayden laughed quietly. "You nervous Helen?"

"No." Helen said.

"Then what are you doing?" Jayden asked pulling her closer to him. "This is dancing with me."

Despite herself, Helen rested her head on his chest as the two began to dance. She would never live it down if she did _not_ dance with Jayden.

"I overheard about the deal." Jayden said quietly to Helen. "Nicky told me."

"I knew it." Helen muttered.

"You're a beautiful girl, Helen. You don't need to threat any guy to do what you say." Jayden said. "Though, like I said, I like your feisty side. It's what makes you, you." Helen looked up at Jayden. "Don't get me wrong, the softer side of you is great. But when you're your everyday mean self, it's kind of… I don't know."

"Why don't you?" Helen asked.

Jayden shrugged. "It's just good to know that some things will never change. And that's where you come in."

Helen rested her head back on his chest, her arms around him now.

"Scar came to the dance with Jacob." Helen said. The silence that followed made her a little unnerved. "Jayden?"

"I heard you and I don't care." Jayden replied. "We're here together, and like I said, for tonight that's all that matters."

"Yeah… For tonight." Helen said.

Shane and Jacquelyn laughed at a joke that he had told her, both of them dancing to the slow song with one another.

"You know," Jacquelyn said. "Nicky was pretty pissed when you said yes."

"Why's that?" Shane asked.

Jacquelyn sighed. "She was too afraid to ask you and I beat her to the stretch."

"Oh." Shane said, though he had already heard the story from Scarlett a day ago. "So are you two cool?"

"Don't know. Nicky's a little mad." Jacquelyn said.

"Hope she's alright." Shane said. "I wouldn't want to get in-between you two."

"You already have." Jacquelyn said.

Jacob gasped. "I-I'm sorry Scarlett."

Scarlett smiled. "Don't worry. Just don't do it again."

"Sure." Jacob said as the two began dancing.

"How long have we known each other Jacob? Since last year, right?" Scarlett asked.

"Actually," Jacob said. "I was your tutor in eighth grade, remember?"

"Really? Huh. I don't remember that." Scarlett said. "But if you say so, I believe you. You're not one to lie, I hope."

"No." Jacob said shaking his head.

"Good." Scarlett said. "Now, tell me about your friend Jayden McDuelle." Jacob frowned. "I'm sure he's told you something about me, right?"

"Yesterday," Jacob replied. "He said that you were still mad at him about something and that he would have to worry about it after the dance."

"Oh." Scarlett said eying her cousin at Jayden dance.

The song ended and Jayden and Helen separated enough for her to look up at him.

"You're not a bad dancer." Helen said.

Jayden smiled. "I have to be. My mom wouldn't have it any other way."

"Could you get me something to drink?" Helen asked.

"You want a Scotch, some bourbon, or vodka?" Jayden replied. Helen glared at him, causing him to laugh. "I get it. You can't drink with your uncle in eyeshot of you. I understand."

"Go." Helen said pointing to the punch. "And if I smell alcohol in the drink, I will shout rape so loud your ancestors will hear it."

"Deal." Jayden said walking away.

Jayden walked to the concession table where Aaron stood pouring drinks.

"Now isn't this ironic." Jayden said. "How's your night going?"

"Good." Aaron said. "Yours?"

"Good." Jayden said.

"Looks like it's about to get worse." Aaron said watching Helen and Scarlett talk. "We both know what's going to happen if they start to conspire or argue."

"Good point." Jayden said pouring a drink for Helen. "See you later."

"Sure." Aaron said walking towards Gabrielle. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Gabrielle said as Aaron sat beside her. "And thanks for bringing me here. I'm having a good time."

"You're welcome." Aaron said.

James and Mary-Jane continued dancing with one another, this time, the song was more upbeat. The two of them knew of the rules of strict friend-to-friend contact however that rule was thrown out of the window once Mary-Jane turned around and began grinding against him.

"What happened to stopping me from doing something scandalous?" James asked.

"Who said you can't have fun too?" Mary-Jane replied placing his hands at her waist. "Just go with the flow."

James grinned. "You don't have to tell me twice."

"That's more like it." Mary-Jane said.

Shane and Jacquelyn continued dancing with one another.

"You're a good dancer." Shane said.

"Years of ballet and tap." Jacquelyn said. "And you're not as stiff as you look."

"Ha-ha." Shane replied. "Be thankful that I have a great sister or else I would be."

"Speaking of your sisters," Jacquelyn said. "Jordan looks like she's having a good time."

Shane looked over at his younger sister dancing freely with Dustin. He shook his head in slight embarrassment seeing as Jordan and Dustin were really just jumping up and down off beat. She clearly got her dancing from their mother.

"She's just happy that she didn't do something completely stupid or embarrassing, though her dancing is embarrassing me." Shane said.

"She's a newbie. Let her be." Jacquelyn said.

Shane nodded. "You're right." Shane turned his attention to Jayden and Helen, who were doing a bit of their, own dirty dancing. "Looks like they're having fun too."

Jacquelyn turned to see the grinning Helen wrapped in Jayden's arms, her back against his torso.

"They look a bit _too_ happy." Jacquelyn said.

"How about we have fun like that?" Shane asked.

Jacquelyn shrugged. "It's your night, Shane."

"Then let's have some fun." Shane said.

"What are we doing?" Dustin asked Jordan as the two continued their "dancing."

"I don't know." Jordan said as her blonde hair continued to bounce up and down as she jumped about. "But it's really fun."

"I know." Dustin said.

Jayden released Helen as the song ended.

"Bathroom break." Jayden said to Helen.

"Be back." Helen said. "I'm actually happy."

Jayden grinned. "Be back fast."

As Jayden walked away, Helen sighed in contentment. She walked over to a row of chairs lined against the wall and sat down.

"You look like you're having a good time." Scarlett said sitting beside Helen. "The way you were 'dancing' made me think we were in some porn flick."

"Like I said," Helen said with a smirk. "All you have to do is just say the word."

"There is nothing between J.T and I and like I said, he's only here because he's known us longer than the other girls." Scarlett replied.

"We'll see." Helen said.

* * *

As it would be, Jayden was not the only one in the bathroom. James, Shane, and Jacob stood at the sinks washing their hands and talking.

"Welcome to the club." Shane said looking at Jayden. "How's your date with the evil one?"

"Oddly enough," Jayden said. "She's been nice all night long."

"Nice? Are you sure we're talking about the same girl?" Shane asked.

Jayden nodded. "Same Helen Sinclair-Coyne."

"That is weird." James said before looking at Jayden. "But then again, who am I to judge?"

"How's your date with Mary-Jane?" Jayden asked.

"It's not a date." James said. "We're only here because Amber got sick. I think we all know that if she was here, I'd be with her instead."

"But she's hot." Shane said.

"Very." Jayden added.

James shook his head. "That's not everything."

"She knows you just as long as Amber does." Jayden said. "Plus, she's here and seems to be into you. _And_ you've never been down that road before."

"Couldn't the same be said with you and Helen?" James asked. "Don't get me wrong, but I'm not the only one dancing with me ex's friend."

"There's a difference though." Jayden replied. "Only one of us won't admit that there might be something between us and our dance partner. And it's not me."

James nodded. "You might have a point."

James walked out of the restroom as Jayden looked at Jacob.

"I'm guessing your night is going well." Jayden said.

"Yeah." Jacob said. "Though, I don't think Scarlett's having that good of a time. Although she is talking to me a lot."

"You never know." Jayden said with a grin. "You could be the after-Shane-boyfriend."

"Good one." Shane said.

* * *

Gabrielle and Jordan talked with one another as they stood in the bathroom.

"I don't know." Gabrielle said. "I didn't think about it."

"Of course you didn't, but I'm sure he did." Jordan said. "Remember, if he moves in then-"

"I don't care about that." Helen said to Jacquelyn and Nicole as she entered the bathroom. "I'm thinking about it and…" Helen paused as her eyes settled on Jordan and Gabrielle. "Uh, hello? Who do we have here?"

"That's Shane's sister, Jordan." Nicole said.

"Uh-huh…? Well, who did you come to the dance with?" Helen asked Jordan.

"A friend, Dustin Hayes." Nicole said nervously.

Helen frowned. "Never heard of him." Helen's frown lessened. "But I'm sure he's a good friend if you came to the dance with him, right?" Jordan nodded. "Do you think he might try a pass on you?"

"I… I don't know." Jordan said.

"Would you want him to?" Helen asked. "I'm guessing you would since you're new here and reputation is important to you."

"I just dance with Jayden!" Chandra shouted with excitement as she ran into the restroom. Chandra's smile disappeared as she saw Helen. "Oh. You."

"Yes, me." Helen said. "Who said that _you_ could dance with _my_ date, Bambi?"

"Fair game." Chandra replied.

"No. Love and war is fair game. In-between has rules." Helen said. "And my rule is to stay away from him or else."

"Uh, no." Chandra said. "I could be the youngest girl that he's dated."

"Or be the youngest girl he's rejected." Helen said.

"Helen, didn't you leave him alone with Scarlett out there?" Nicole asked.

"Yeah. Yeah I did." Helen said glaring at Chandra. "I'll be back. I have to go make sure that no one else gets the idea that single means 'fair game'."

Helen brushed against Chandra as she walked out, Jacquelyn and Nicole knowing better to reprimand her for the action now.

"She's charming." Chandra said sarcastically.

"Ignore her. She's just stressed tonight." Jacquelyn said. "Though, I wouldn't go near Jayden McDuelle if I were you."

Chandra frowned. "Why's that?"

"Getting in-between Helen and Scarlett is the _dumbest_ thing you could do on your first year here. They'd make life so hard on you." Jacquelyn said. "And I have a date to get back to."

"Yeah…" Nicole said, her voice expressing both her depression and anger.

Jacquelyn left before Nicole could say anything else.

Chandra crossed her arms. "I wonder if Jayden has a younger brother."

Jordan shrugged. "If he does, he's probably like nine, ten."

"That means when he's twelve, I'll be fourteen. That's not so bad." Chandra said, causing Jordan and Gabrielle to frown. "What? Can't I dream?"

"I guess." Jordan replied.

* * *

The last song of the night was another slow song, and Helen found herself in the same position earlier.

"I can't believe you danced with Bambi." Helen said. Jayden laughed, causing her to smile slightly. "It's not really funny."

"Yes it is. I think you're jealous." Jayden said.

"Why would I be jealous?" Helen asked.

"Because there is something that I gave her that I won't give you." Jayden replied.

Helen scoffed. "Yeah right. What you're not willing to give, I will take."

"Oh really?" Jayden questioned. "Like what?"

"Like this." Helen said pulling Jayden's head into a kiss.

Aaron looked over Gabrielle's shoulder at his brother making-out with their neighbor in plain sight.

"He doesn't listen…" Aaron muttered.

"Who doesn't?" Gabrielle asked.

"No one." Aaron answered. "So, how was your first dance?"

"Great." Gabrielle said. "You're a good dancer."

"Thanks." Aaron said with a grin."

Jordan spotted Aaron and Gabrielle dancing, as well as Jayden and Helen kissing.

"I'll be back." Jordan said walking away from Dustin.

Dustin frowned as he turned to see what Jordan was looking at behind him. He eyed the grinning Aaron and Gabrielle and shrugged it off. That was no big surprise and Jordan should not be mad about that. Then he looked at Jayden and Helen, who had finally pulled away. He could feel the light bulb shining above his head as the idea popped in. She _had_ to be jealous of those two. She talked about Jayden every single day.

Dustin turned to follow Jordan, knowing exactly what her problem was.

"Wow." James said to Mary-Jane. "I didn't think he had it in her."

"Helen's a common slut. It's no surprise to me." Mary-Jane said. "Then again, Jayden was single after he broke up with Jackie."

"Thought it was a mutual thing?" James asked.

"That's how it always is. Mutual." Mary-Jane said before she felt James's hands going lower. "Any lower and this will count as feeling me up."

"Oh. Sorry." James said stopping his hands. "I was kind of focused on those two."

"Uh-huh?" Mary-Jane said. "Hey, I'm a bit hungry? You think we could go get something to eat?"

"Sure. Let's go." James said taking Mary-Jane by the hand.

Jayden rested his forehead against Helen's.

"You're pushing your limits." Jayden whispered. "And for some reason, I like it."

"Why? Are you some kind adventure-seeking lunatic?" Helen asked.

"Crazy. Not a lunatic." Jayden said with a grin before spotting Coach Blue coming towards them. "And now your uncle is on his way here. I guess this is where I make my leave."

"Call." Helen said before kissing Jayden once more. "Please."

"I will." Jayden said before walking away.

* * *

Jordan had always found the park across from her house to be the best place to think, even in the midst of night.

"Hey," Dustin said. "Why'd you run off?"

"Just needed some air." Jordan replied. "Sorry if I ruined your night."

"You didn't." Dustin said. "I kind of guessed you'd be jealous over Helen and Jayden swapping spit and tongue-wrestling."

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Jordan said snapping out of her thoughts. "I'm trying not to think about it."

"Well, we could always think about something else." Dustin said. "Like who dressed the best or who you think would make the funniest noise if hit by a train."

Jordan giggled. "That's not funny."

"You laughed." Dustin said.

Jordan sighed. "Actually, I just like to sit out here. Kelly got me doing this."

"Really? Why?" Dustin asked.

Jordan shrugged. "I don't know. When I was about four, she used to always wander out of the house and end up here and some nights, I would follow. Our mom would be pissed that we would be out so late, but after a while, she just accepted it." Jordan looked at the night sky. "And Spin sometimes makes us night picnics with the excess from the Dot. He'd pack it for Kelly so we can have something to snack on out here."

"Wish he thought of that tonight." Dustin said.

"Me too." Jordan said.

* * *

Shane sighed as he stuffed his hands into his pants' pockets. He and Jacquelyn now stood on the path from her driveway to her porch.

"Well, tonight was better than I planned." Shane said.

"Me too." Jacquelyn said. "And thanks for not being a complete jerk and standing me up."

"That's happened?" Shane asked.

"No. Just a fear I have." Jacquelyn replied before giving Shane a kiss on his cheek. "Goodnight Shane."

"Night." Shane said as he watched her step onto her porch, open her door, and disappear into her house. Shane grinned. "I am the man."

Jacquelyn watched Shane walk down the driveway with a grin plastered on his face. She gave a hearty sigh before nearly skipping down the hall towards her bedroom.

* * *

Jayden and Aaron sat in Manny's Mercedes quietly. Jayden had already dropped Gabrielle off, telling her that Aaron stayed across the hall from his grandparents, which is why he offered Aaron the ride in the first place. Of course, the lie worked, Gabrielle was taking home safely, and now the two brothers rode home in secret.

"You danced with Chandra? Why?" Aaron asked.

Jayden shrugged. "Made her happy, right? Although she's going to be looking for me more now, she'll leave when I say so."

"How do you figure that?" Aaron replied.

"If she believes that I don't hate being around her, when I tell her to leave, she'll think that I want to see her later." Jayden said. "And that's all I have to do. Make her trust me enough so when I say 'go' she goes."

"That's wrong." Aaron said. "You shouldn't do that to her."

"Oh really? What's your plan Casanova?" Jayden asked.

"The truth." Aaron responded. "You're always finding some sort of underhanded way out of things. Maybe if you were honest, then things would be different."

"Really?" Jayden responded. "Then let's make a scenario, okay? I like Scarlett, no doubt about it. Truthfully, I would've loved to take her to the dance instead of Helen. Now, if I were to tell Helen this, she'd be pissed. Scarlett, who had asked Jacob, would've had to decide between me and him. Jacob's night would have been ruined, my night ruined, Helen's night ruined, and Scarlett's night ruined. That, plus Helen and Scarlett would've hated one another, that would have been double for me, and living next door to them would become hell on Earth."

"That's one scenario." Aaron said.

"Right. The other one is that Helen would've castrated me." Jayden said. "How could I forget that one?"

Aaron frowned in thought. "Hmm… Maybe you're right about that one."

"Sometimes, when they say that the truth will set you free, they mean free from life." Jayden said. "And that's something I don't want to lose yet."

"Okay. So there is a time and place for one of your dishonest stories." Aaron said. "But it doesn't mean you should do it all the time."

"Really, Mr. Santos?" Jayden asked.

Aaron sat in silence now. If there was one thing Aaron hated about his older brother is how he could turn the tables of an argument in a heartbeat. Now Aaron looked like the hypocrite.

"Anyway," Jayden continued. "I had a great time with Helen tonight. And I have to admit, she's a _great_ kisser. Better than I thought."

"Really? I wouldn't have guessed it." Aaron said. "Say, do you know what happened to Jordan?"

"No. One moment she was dancing with your nerdy friend and then she was gone." Jayden said stopping at a stoplight. "Kind of weird if you ask me. Then again, your friends are weird."

"True." Aaron replied.

Jayden smiled. "Hey, I'm sure she's alright. And you can admit your feelings for her later."

"Whatever." Aaron said. "Just drive."

"Whatever you say, A.J." Jayden said. "But remember, the truth will set you free."

* * *

James and Mary-Jane reentered his car from the restaurant, both of them thoroughly stuffed. James looked at the time.

"Not bad." James said. "Here I thought I would miss that midnight curfew of yours, Cinderella."

"You're not funny." Mary-Jane said.

James looked over at Mary-Jane. "I had fun tonight."

"We should do this again." Mary-Jane replied.

"Yeah…" James said. "And maybe-"

Mary-Jane all but pounced on James, pressing her lips against him. There was little resistance from the boy at first, until he eventually began to kiss back. In almost no time flat, Mary-Jane had straddled James in the driver seat. The two stopped however, once her back hit the horn.

"Mm…" Mary-Jane said.

"We… We can't do this Mary." James said.

"Why?" Mary-Jane asked.

James stared at Mary-Jane. Her exotic, two-tone, eyes met with his, own brown ones. And for once in his life, he saw a pleading Mary-Jane. Though to the normal eyes, she was almost glaring at him, he could see what she really looked like.

"What about Amber?" James asked.

"Who says that we need to date?" Mary-Jane asked.

"I can't do this." James said. "I'm sorry."

"We'll see." Mary-Jane said getting back into the passenger seat. "We will see, James."

"Oh boy…" James said.

* * *

Helen sat up to see Scarlett standing at her doorway. She studied Scarlett's posture, trying to figure out what her cousin would say or do. Honestly, Helen had too great of a night for a fight to occur. She would postpone this to the morning if she had to.

"I'm happy for you." Scarlett said, her voice barely audible.

Helen blinked once then twice. "What?"

"I said I'm happy for you." Scarlett said a little louder. "J.T's a good guy and you deserve him."

"What are you playing at?" Helen asked suspiciously.

"I'm serious Helen. You deserve him. I don't because I acted like some spoiled child and shot him down when he asked me to." Scarlett said. "So, I'm happy for you and I'm backing you up one hundred percent." Helen saw a smirk come on Scarlett's face. "Besides, it's about time that it was you with the boyfriend and me the support."

"Sure Scar." Helen said. "Now can I get some rest? I'm trying to sleep on Cloud Nine tonight."

Scarlett laughed. "Sure Helen. And Daddy said that the next time you want to French a guy, don't do it on school grounds or its PDA."

"I'll make sure I remember that a hundred years from now when I actually care." Helen replied.

Scarlett smiled as she walked away, leaving Helen to mutter one thing to herself.

"Liar."


	6. Episode V: Burn in My Light

Episode V: Burn in My Light

Monday came sooner than Jayden or Aaron had wanted. Like any normal day, Maxwell had dropped Aaron off at the school early after dropping the younger McDuelle children off at their school, where he met up with Dustin. Jayden, on the other hand, moved a bit sluggish today because he knew what waited for him once he stepped at school.

Questions and rumors.

"So," Manny said as she ate an apple. "A.J tells me that you and Helen did a little more than dirty dancing Friday."

"Yeah. It was kind of weird." Jayden replied.

Manny frowned. "Jay, is there something you're not telling me?"

"Mama," Jayden began. "You know that I don't necessary like to explain these things to you because you always act the same way."

"Really?" Manny asked.

"Yeah. I tell you, you overreact, Dad comes in, then you run off and tell Emma." Jayden said. "And before that, it was going next door to tell Taylor who told Summer and there goes the entire Newport Union."

Manny laughed. "Jay, I'm only trying to make you feel better. Your father said that you used to do a lot of talking with Danni and since I am the closest thing to Danni, I figured I'd do it."

"Okay." Jayden said. "I made out with one of my best-friends while her cousin, whom I have a crush on, watched. Worst part about it, I liked it."

"Then ask her out." Manny said plainly.

"You think?" Jayden asked.

Manny finished her apple. "I know Holly J. She's a real go-getter kind of person, and Helen's no different. She'd hate you if you beat around the bush and procrastinate." Manny tossed the apple core into the trash. "Besides, she's pretty and smart. That's a hard combination to come by nowadays."

"Is that how you felt when you dated Mr. Mason?" Jayden asked.

"Yeah right. That was a simple mistake made by two hormonal teenagers." Manny said. "And if that's what you're feeling, then you shouldn't date Helen. You shouldn't even be around her. In fact, I-"

"Mama, you're doing it again." Jayden interrupted.

Manny sighed with a smile. "I'm sorry Jay. It's just that, I don't want you to do something stupid like your sister is notoriously known for. And I'm not talking about Kitty, Renée or Jenée."

"Danni's told me some of her stories." Jayden said. "Thankfully Mama, I'm still a virgin."

"And you'd die one if your father wasn't such a firm believer of passing on the McDuelle title." Manny said standing up. "Let's go. I'm sure you have a great deal of rumors to deal with at school."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Jayden said with a sigh.

* * *

Laura crossed her arms. "So, let me see if I get this straight. Jayden McDuelle played tongue Twister with Helen Sinclair?" Nicole nodded. "Well I be. Seems as if that dance wasn't so bad. You can go."

Nicole did not have to be told twice to leave. Laura was not considered the toughest girl in school for nothing and only Helen had the courage to stand toe-to-toe with the leather jacket-wearing girl.

"So that's what happened huh?" Nathan asked. "Kind of sad, really. I thought that nothing was going to happen there."

Laura sighed with a smile. "Another day, another dollar."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Damon asked.

"We will see." Laura said walking away. "Later boys."

* * *

James frowned as his eyes were covered by a pair of hands he was unfortunate enough to see the owner sneaking up on him.

"Guess who?" Amber asked.

"Um… Let me see. Is it the girl who stood me up for a cold?" James replied as Amber removed her hands with a small giggle. "I see you're better."

"Yeah. The doc says that I'm a hundred percent healthy." Amber said. "So, tell me everything."

"Everything…?" James repeated curiously.

"Yes! I heard that Jayden and Helen made out in the middle of the dance floor!" Amber said. "I would go find Nicky, but she's nowhere to be found right now. And Mary's been acting weird lately."

"How so?" James asked.

Amber shrugged. "Just weird. I can feel it." Amber leaned towards James to whisper. "I think she may have hooked up with some guy over the weekend, but she's not going to tell me who. I bet its Steven."

"I don't think that's it. I think it's your imagination." James said closing his locker. "Speaking of Steven, where is he? I haven't seen him today either."

"Me neither." Amber said. "Anyway, yeah, that's what I think happened. And you know something? I'm going to find out."

"Let's hope so…" James said.

James began walking with Amber down the hall. In the back of his mind, he was kicking himself for letting Mary-Jane put him in such an awkward position. He would rather it be Steven Mary-Jane was with than himself now. And he could only ask himself one question: Why did he still want Mary-Jane?

* * *

Jayden closed his locker and turned to look at Kelly.

"You know me better than that. I'm not obliged to answer any incriminating questions without either parent or our lawyer." Jayden said, causing Kelly to roll her eyes. "Oh don't give me that. I didn't even drive her home."

"Uh, hello, she lives next door." Kelly said.

Jayden sighed. The girl that was now in a Japanese-related schoolgirl outfit had a small point. Though, a small point was all she had.

"If it is a crime for showing a girl a good time, then sue me." Jayden said. "But like I said, I plead the American fifth and I'm not saying anything else."

"Okay Jay. Just remember who you're playing with. This isn't like Jackie where if you 'hurt her feelings' she'll forgive you. This is Helen we're talking about." Kelly said. "Queen of the Damned."

Jayden spotted Helen, along with Jacquelyn and Nicole, approaching them.

"You speak of the devil and she shall arrive." Jayden said as Kelly turn her head, sending her blonde pigtails twirling in the wind.

"Can I talk to you?" Helen asked.

"You need two bodyguards to talk to me?" Jayden asked eying both girls accompanying Helen.

"Go to class." Helen said to her friends. "I'll talk to you two afterwards. I'll text you Miss Jackie."

"Sure." Jacquelyn said before her and Nicole walked off.

"I'll give you two some space." Kelly said. "Just remember Jay. Off with their heads."

Jayden grinned at Kelly's retreating figure. His grin did not falter as he changed views from Kelly to the shorter Helen.

"Hair's back to normal, huh?" Jayden asked pointing to her ponytail.

"Do you like me?" Helen asked.

Jayden frowned. "Kind of kindergarten, don't you think?"

"Jayden, answer the question." Helen said.

"Of course I like you. Why else would I be friends with you." Jayden said, knowing that that was not what she wanted to hear.

Helen sighed in frustration. "That's now what I mean."

"Then say it." Jayden said raising an amused eyebrow.

"You know what I mean." Helen said. "And I'm not going to say it."

Jayden shrugged. "Then I guess I don't have anything to say."

Helen stepped towards Jayden, tilting her head so she could successfully eye him. The five-inch difference made this a bit hard for her.

"You know what I'm trying to say. Why won't you just answer the question?" Helen asked.

"Because," Jayden replied. "You won't _ask_ the question."

The two had a small staring contest before Helen sigh.

"Fine… Do you… I mean, you don't have to but-"

"Helen, let's make this official." Jayden cut her off, bringing a smile to her face. "Now, was that so hard?"

"No, but," Helen said as she grabbed his arm. "We're going to be late because you are so difficult!"

Jayden grunted in pain. "Have I ever reminded you that you have a knack for digging your clawed nails into my arm every time you grab it?"

"No." Helen said.

* * *

Mary-Jane continued to randomly glance up at Amber, who was busy doing her work, for once. Mary-Jane knew that it would be just a matter of time before Amber opened her mouth and asked that cursed question once again. And if Mary-Jane had been any less of the tough person she was, she would have cracked at the thought of it.

"Can't believe I missed the first dance." Amber said looking up at Mary-Jane. "I bet it was actually fun."

"Fun? We're not in first grade anymore, Amber." Mary-Jane said with a small flick of her hair. "But it wasn't bad, if that's what you're wondering."

"I know that you hooked up with some guy." Amber said. Mary-Jane's eyes narrowed slightly. "Oh come on. Why else would you be acting so jumpy?"

"Jumpy? Who's jumpy?" Mary-Jane asked.

"You are." Amber responded deadpanned.

Mary-Jane nearly bit her lip at the thought. Had she been acting jumpy? Her mother had always told her that she had a weird twitch whenever she was lying, but Mary-Jane had thought- more like prayed- that she outgrew that.

"I'm not jumpy." Mary-Jane said in the most convincing voice she could muster. "You just believe that so I will tell you _everything_. Even the things that _didn't_ happen."

Amber frowned. "What?"

"You know that I won't tell you everything unless you somehow make me feel bad for something and thus I have to come clean." Mary-Jane said. "But since I don't because there isn't anything that I would feel remorseful about you're, stuck here, wondering what to use against me to get the information."

"…Okay Mary. Though I have no clue on what you're talking about." Amber said continuing with her work.

Mary-Jane sighed. Crisis avoided.

* * *

Nicole frowned in frustration, her left hand twirling her left pigtail as she tried to figure out the answer to the problem. She turned to her left to see Jayden with a similar frown on his face before his eyebrow twitched and he wrote something down.

"Psst, Jay," Nicole whispered, causing Helen to smile. Nicole was so childish sometimes. Jayden looked at Nicole, nonetheless. "What's number ten?"

Helen watched Jayden's fingers move. Seventeen. She then looked down at the problem again and plugged in seventeen for the variable.

"He's right." Helen muttered quietly to herself.

"Okay," Nicole whispered. "And what's thirteen?"

Again, Jayden's fingers moved swiftly and quietly. Helen knew the answer to this one, it was five. And when Jayden's answer matched her own, she felt a sense of pride in her. Jayden McDuelle may not be a genius, but he knew his numbers. Then again, with a father like Maxwell McDuelle, who has been learning to run a business at seven, who didn't know mathematics?

Helen, now finished with her paper, began to text her friend with her phone under the table. She was a master at this and not a living teacher could catch her.

"Final question," Nicole whispered. "Are you dating Helen?"

Helen watched Jayden's fingers stop and he looked at the grinning Nicole. Helen rolled her eyes. Again, Nicole was so childish. But she did want to know what his response was going to be, so she paid attention.

"Hold on." Jayden said turning back to his paper.

Helen did not have to see her friend's face to know that she was pouting. Nicole hated being rejected when it came to a good gossip. Her vibrating phone caused her to look downwards momentarily, and then back at Jayden and Nicole.

"Jayden," Mrs. Carson said. "Could you collect the papers for me?"

"Sure." Jayden said rising from his desk.

Helen watched him walk around the classroom collecting papers. She wondered what being his girlfriend actually felt like. The way Jacquelyn had described it he was the epitome of chivalry. The dates, he paid for. The gifts he surprised her with were not always expensive, but good nevertheless. And he had a sense of edginess that came with their date that occurred during school last year. Those sounded like wonderful things, but she had to wonder if he would do the same for her.

As Jayden walked by her desk to grab her paper, he gave her a glance and a smile.

"Stop texting." Jayden said quietly as he moved to Nicole's desk.

Helen did not verbally reply, giving him an extended middle finger behind the teacher's back for a response.

"When?" Jayden asked as he stood in front of Nicole's desk.

"Whenever." Helen replied.

Jayden dropped a small piece of paper Nicole's desk as he went to get the other students' papers.

"Oh my God!" Nicole yelped.

"Nicole, is there a problem?" Mrs. Carson asked turning to face the girl.

"No Mrs. C." Nicole replied. Once Mrs. Carson turned back to continue writing her next lesson on the board, Nicole whipped her around to look at Helen. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?" Helen asked.

"That you two were dating!" Nicole nearly screeched to the entire class.

"Nicole!" Mrs. Carson called, causing Nicole to turn to face her. "Not important in my class. Now stay focus."

"Okay." Nicole said.

Helen frowned as she leaned forward to peek over her friend's shoulder. There, on the small slip of paper, were three letters that made Helen smile: Duh.

Helen looked over to Jayden, who had stacked the papers and sat them in their class's tray. He caught her look and gave her a wink. This was a wink she had seen times before, to Jacquelyn and sometimes to girls like Nicole or Kelly in a playful manner, but never at her. And this one was a mixture of his normal impish nature and something else. Something that only Jayden could do to differentiate between the girls in his life.

"Ms. Coyne," Mrs. Carson said, breaking Helen out of her thoughts. "Could you repeat what I just said?"

"No." Helen said.

"And why is that?" Mrs. Carson asked.

"Because-"

"I was distracting her." Jayden interrupted Helen. "Sorry Mrs. C. It won't happen again."

"Sure." Mrs. Carson said as Jayden sat down at his seat.

Helen felt her cell phone vibrate. She looked down and saw the screen.

**U O Me – Jay.**

**

* * *

**

"I'm telling you, they are dating." Kelly whispered to Dakota.

"No way." Dakota replied. "Jayden and Helen?" Kelly nodded. "Wow. Why?"

"Uh, because it's Jayden we're talking about. His overacting hormones have kicked into high-gear or something." Kelly said.

"Well aren't you happy?" Dakota asked.

"Yes and no." Kelly said. "I'm happy because Jayden's happy. I'm unhappy because his actions will cause Shane to do the same thing with Jackie."

Dakota frowned. "What's so wrong with that?"

"Nicole." Kelly said.

Dakota nodded thoughtfully. She understood Nicole's crush on Shane and knew that it would crush Nicole if Shane dated Jacquelyn. Then again, Nicole with her unlimited happiness did not seem like one to mope around for long.

"I say let them go." Dakota said.

"You would say that." Kelly said. "But I see the big picture. Jayden dates Helen. Shane dates Jacquelyn. And the entire school runs to _me_ for update."

"We'll have to see." Dakota said.

* * *

After the bell rang, Amber began walking to her second-period class where James and Steven would be at. She made a pit stop at the nearest restroom to idly check herself in the mirror.

"Oh. Helen." Amber said stepping to the sink beside the one Helen was standing at. "Didn't think you were the make-up type."

"I'm not. Just don't want to go to class." Helen replied before Laura walked into the restroom. "Oh great. King Elizabeth itself."

Laura glared at Helen. "You think just because you got yourself a boyfriend that I can't stomp your disgusting face into the floor?"

"I'd like to see you try with or without Jayden." Helen shot back.

"Heh. So it is true, huh? You two are dating." Laura said. "Well, I'm not surprised. From what I hear, you two where second-best dancing on the floor. Only next to…" Laura glanced at Amber. "Your ex and best-friend."

"What are you talking about?" Amber asked.

"Well," Laura said leaning against the wall. "From what I hear, they were pretty cozy with one another Friday night. And because I know it's not my place to tell you, I'll tell you that they did a bit of their own dirty dancing. Dancing that _I_ wouldn't approve of."

"No." Amber said. "They were just having a good time."

"That's what you all say when you don't think the boy you're helplessly in love with flirts with your best friend." Laura said before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a nail-filer. "It's a sad cliché if you ask me, which is why I say that love is overrated."

"Because no one _wants_ you." Helen said.

Laura pocketed the filer. "Say what you want, but Jayden _will_ disappoint you. And he will only disappoint you because you have expectations of him. That is why love is pointless."

"So why do you date so many guys?" Amber asked.

"I don't go head over heels for any boy." Laura replied. "And I don't _date_. Those are flings. Pointless and lustful flings."

"Slutful is more like it." Helen said.

Laura smirked. "I'll say this. You are a step up from Jackie."

"I'm a step up from _anyone_." Helen replied stepping away from the sink. "And remember that I don't need Jayden. And I also don't need fear to live."

"And I do?" Laura asked.

"Of course. Everyone knows that." Helen said. "And one day, just one day, you're going to run into that one. And instead of loving or even respecting you, he'll fear you. And then you'll see exactly what I mean."

Laura followed Helen with her eyes as the latter left the restroom. Laura then looked at Amber.

"You have words of ignorant wisdom?" Laura asked.

"Tell me what you heard about James and Mary." Amber said.

Laura smirked. "Well…"

* * *

"I'm happy for you both, really." Scarlett said. "I just find it weird that you would bounce around from friends like that."

"I didn't do it intentionally." Jayden said. "Your cousin is just very persistent. And a great kisser."

"The first part, I know. The second one, keep to yourself." Scarlett said.

Jayden grinned. "Oh come on. You wanted to know."

"Yeah. Right." Scarlett said as Helen walked into the room. "Late on the first date. Tsk, tsk, Helen."

"Scar, not now. I just ran into the _last_ person I want to see." Helen said. Jayden and Scarlett both frowned at her. "Laura Reynolds."

"Oh." Scarlett said. "What did she say?"

"Dating with feelings is pointless and Jay's a disappointment in the making." Helen said.

Jayden frowned. "She said that about me? Really? I don't think that I've ever said anything wrong to her before."

"Well she did." Helen said. "I can't believe that she's even at school."

"Hey, people talk. Your mom is the epitome of that." Jayden said, gaining a glare from Helen. "She's a TV host. She's paid to talk Helen."

"Yeah, but you didn't have to say it like that." Helen said.

"I'm sorry, but weren't you the one that gave me a very provocative offer earlier today?" Jayden asked.

Scarlett frowned at the blush that came on Helen's face. If there was one thing Helen did not do was blush.

"Are either of you going to tell me what that offer is?" Scarlett asked.

"No." Helen said quickly.

"Take a hand, subtract a thumb, minus a ring, don't use the index, and put your pinky down and what are you left with." Jayden said.

Scarlett frowned as she processed his statement. Meantime, Helen glared at her boyfriend before it dawned on her how she referred to him now. It seemed weird.

"Oh." Scarlett finally said.

"Yeah. Oh." Helen said. "Let's get to work."

"Define 'work'." Jayden replied.

"Ugh. You're twice as annoying now." Helen said as Jayden laughed.

* * *

James frowned as Amber had not even looked at him since coming into class. He decided to send a message to her to see what was wrong.

**KingBrooks1002: Hey, r u ok?**

**StellAmber9822: Yeah.**

**KingBrooks1002: U r ignoring me.**

**StellAmber9822: Srry. I don't want to intrude.**

**KingBrooks1002: What?**

**StellAmber9822: I heard about what happened. You and MJ.**

**KingBrooks1002: 1 night only.**

**StellAmber9822: Whatever.**

**

* * *

**

Kelly was excused to get some water, something she was almost dying from the lack of.

"Everyone but us got together Friday." Nathan said as he leaned against the lockers across from the water fountain. "Why is that?"

"Nathan," Kelly said. "Let's get one thing straight, okay? You are a loser. A jerk. And I would do my brother the favor by killing myself if I _ever_ thought about going out with you."

"Why is that?" Nathan asked.

"Because I can't stand you." Kelly said before getting her water. She could feel Nathan staring at her and forced herself to stop drinking, though her throat was really dry. "Take a picture. It'll last longer."

"What are you two doing?" Mr. Simpson asked walking down the hallway.

"Getting a drink, Grandpa." Kelly said revealing the note. "I wouldn't skip with you scouting the halls."

"And you, Mr. Hogart?" Mr. Simpson asked, looking at Nathan. When Nathan did not reply, Mr. Simpson sighed. "My office. Now."

"Right away sir. See you around, Kelly." Nathan said walking towards Mr. Simpson's office.

"Is he bothering you?" Mr. Simpson asked his granddaughter.

"Not anymore." Kelly said. "But I have to go back to class. See you later."

"Alright." Mr. Simpson said as Kelly walked off. "She's just like her mother."

* * *

The bell rang for lunch and Aaron had half the mind to attempt to run home. If he heard one more story about his brother and his newly made girlfriend, he was going to grow out his hair and then pull it out.

"A.J," Jordan called. Aaron turned to see his friend running up to him. "Did you hear?"

"If you tell me about Jayden and Helen, then yes, I've heard in about five languages." Aaron said. "I bet you're mad."

"Yes… And Chandra danced with Jayden and is going around the entire school talking about it." Jordan replied.

"I'm sure she's just really happy." Aaron said.

Jordan scoffed. "I don't care. She's just trying to rub it in."

"That's just Chandra." Aaron said. "She's just really happy that it was Jayden she got to dance with."

"So I heard…" Jordan said.

The two of them continued their walk to the cafeteria in silence after that. They both had a reason to be envious of Chandra and Jayden. To Aaron, Jayden knew that Aaron had a crush on Chandra. It had been like this a year ago. And for Jordan, Chandra was not good enough for Jayden. Not even good enough for him to dance with.

"So how did your night end with Gabrielle?" Jordan asked.

"Well," Aaron said. "Since I live across the hall from Jayden's grandparents, he dropped us off. I noticed you had left and I was going to call you later, but my brother was being so difficult that I just lost track of time."

Jordan nodded. "Older siblings will do that to you."

"Tell me about it." Aaron said.

The two stopped a few inches shy of the cafeteria where they witnessed Damon picking on Gabrielle.

"Hold on." Aaron said.

"A.J, don't-"

Jordan's words fell short as Aaron made his way towards Damon and Gabrielle.

"Hey," Aaron said catching Damon's attention. "Leave her alone."

"Oh? Standing up for your girlfriend now?" Damon said before shoving Aaron. "And what are you going to do if I don't?"

Aaron replied with a push of his own. "Just stay away from her."

"Why you little-"

"This is getting old." Jayden said as he and Shane were on their way into the cafeteria. Damon looked at the two. "You bullying them, we stopping you, and you running back to your little clique, it's getting old and I'm not really in the mood to deal with it today."

Aaron could hear it in his brother's voice. There had to be something that happened that had pissed Jayden off.

"Ooh," Laura said joining them. "Are you guys going to fight? My money is on Shane, since he does hold the record for most fights that haven't been properly dealt with. I guess, courtesy of his grandfather, who ironically is our principal."

Jayden glared at the girl. "Give me five good reasons why I shouldn't beat you and your overly retarded friend here, right here and right now?"

"Because then people will see you for the bad boy that I see you as and not the good-natured Jayden McDuelle. But it's your call, really." Laura said.

"Gabrielle, A.J, go." Jayden said as the two younger kids joined with Jordan and walked into the cafeteria. Jayden pointed at Laura. "You should be walking on eggshells after what you said to Helen. Something that _I_ had to deal with, I might want to add."

"Aw, your girlfriend did run to you. How sweet?" Laura responded.

"Jay, just ignore them." Shane said.

"No, because they're ignoring me." Jayden said. "McBride, last warning, stay away from them. And Laura, stay away from Helen. Period."

"Or what? Are you going to hit a girl, oh knight of shining armor?" Laura asked crossing her arms. Jayden stood quietly as Laura smirked. "No. It's like _they_ want. But I say go for it. Release your anger on me, if you please. It's what you want, right?"

"I'm not that deranged." Jayden said before walking into the cafeteria with Shane following him.

Damon frowned. "I don't understand why he gets so pissed about that."

"Who knows?" Laura replied. "But I do know one thing. Jayden McDuelle _is_ the guy _I_ say he is. And I will prove it if it's the last thing I do."

"Do you think he'll actually hit a girl, let alone you?" Damon asked.

Laura grinned. "Yes. Yes I do."

* * *

Amber sat at the table that sat Mary-Jane, James, and the awkward silence that accompanied them.

"So no one is going to tell me, huh?" Amber asked her two friends.

"Like I said," James replied. "It won't happen again. It was clearly just a one-night thing."

"Yeah. And it didn't go as crazy as whoever told you. We danced and that was it. We got a bite to eat and went home, I swear." Mary-Jane said.

Amber sighed. "I don't know why I believe you, but I do."

"Because I'm your best-friend and wouldn't lie to you like that." Mary-Jane said. "So, I'm sorry if you had to miss the dance due to illness but-"

"Hey," Steven interrupted as he came to the group. "What are you guys doing here? We could be going to get something to eat."

James frowned. "We're here because it's what we usually do."

"Yeah, but today, I have these." Steven said revealing a set of keys. "My mom said that since my dad was getting a new car from my granddad's I can drive this one around."

"That's great! Now we don't have to eat this nasty school food!" Mary-Jane said standing up. "Let's go!"

"Sure." James said standing as well. "Amber?"

"I'm coming." Amber replied as she stood up. "So, where to?"

* * *

Kelly connected Jayden's eyes with whatever he was currently looking at. It came to no surprise when she found Helen in his line of sight.

"Why not just go over there?" Kelly asked.

"I'm kind of thinking why I haven't asked her out before." Jayden said. "You'd think I'd know her better by her physical attributes rather than her personality, but I don't. Or at least, I haven't noticed before."

Shane shrugged. "She still looks the same to me."

"Does Jackie?" Jayden replied. Shane chose not to respond, causing Jayden to raise an eyebrow. "I rest my case."

"Why did you ask her out?" Dakota asked before opening her canned soda.

"Tortured her for a while before doing it myself." Jayden answered. "She wouldn't say it for whatever the reason may be, so I continued to poke fun at her and then relieved her of her duties."

Shane nodded. "Yeah. That sounds like something you would do."

"What?" Jacob asked.

"A girl becomes to shy to ask Jayden out for whatever the reason. He annoys them because they can't ask the question. Finally, he asks the question and somehow makes up for the irritation caused." Shane said. "Had I or any other boy learn that trick, the world would be without a lot of bachelorettes."

Jayden smiled. "I hear jealousy."

"Jealous? No. Remember, you have Helen. I had Scarlett. Big difference." Shane said.

"Not so much of a difference." Jayden said. "Sure Scarlett's the beauty queen of the school, but she's no cheerleader. Plus, you're dating _my_ ex, not my ex's cousin. So I win this."

"No, because-"

"Do you two have to make everything into a competition? No one wins." Kelly interrupted.

"I win." Jayden said.

"No. I do." Shane said.

"Be all to end all," Jayden said. "I dated Jackie, not just took her to some dance." Shane opened his mouth, but soon closed it after he found that Jayden was right. "Therefore, I win."

Scarlett sighed. "I don't know Nicky. Why don't you tell us, for the hundredth time why, you love cheerleading in front of boys?"

"If you don't become a stripper, I'll be surprised." Helen remarked, gaining a glance from Nicole.

"I don't like stripping." Nicole said.

"Just attention." both cousins said in unison.

"But it's Nicky. Who would she be if she didn't?" Jacquelyn asked.

Helen sighed. "No one I would recognize, that's for sure."

"So," Nicole said to Helen. "Since you said you'd explain later, and it's later, how about you tell me how you asked Jayden out?"

"I am curious." Scarlett said.

"Well," Helen said. "I was trying to ask him, but you know how difficult asking Jayden simple questions can be. He wanted me to say the entire sentence, word by word." Helen sighed. "And after irritating me to no end, he finally asked it. End of story."

Scarlett looked at Jacquelyn. "And your story went…?"

"I was rehearsing some dance moves in the gym when no one should have been there and yet he was." Jacquelyn said. "Since he was already friends with you and Helen, he said it would be a good thing and so we just dated."

"How was it?" Helen asked.

Jacquelyn sighed. "It was great. His parents are pretty funny and he's a great guy. He just has a lot of friends that are most noticeably girls that like him."

"Like who?" Scarlett asked.

"There's a few." Jacquelyn said. "Which is why dating him becomes… I don't know, hard. He and his stupid sense of morality put him in almost everyone's business, especially if it is a damsel in distress. Everyone at this table knows what I'm saying."

"I know." Helen said. "Oh well. I guess old habits die hard. It's probably not as bad as you say."

"Well, when his next door neighbor is the glamorous Coyne Cousins, it is." Jacquelyn said. "And it only makes me right because he ended up dating one of you. You."

"She has a point." Scarlett said.

Helen shrugged. "Her problems, not mine. Besides, the way she was on-"

"Mm-mm." Scarlett said shaking her head.

"But I was-"

"No." Scarlett cut Helen off again. "Not today."

"Fine." Helen said with a sigh. "Bossy…"

Aaron looked at the grinning Chandra as a group of girls that he went to school with last year scurried away from her after hearing her tell on her dance with Jayden.

"I can't believe this." Jordan said. "How is it that she gets this big jump to popularity from just _one_ dance?"

"Seriously, the jealousy is getting annoying." Chandra responded. "Just because I danced with _the_ Jayden McDuelle while you were too busy worrying about whatever doesn't mean anything. It could've been you… In another life time."

"That was so funny." Jordan said lifelessly.

"So," Dustin said. "I'm guessing everyone had a good time at the dance, right?"

"I did." Aaron answered. "It was kind of like how my brother explained it, only a little bit better."

"Why? Gabrielle?" Dustin asked, causing the quiet girl to look at him.

"That… And it was the first dance of the year and it didn't go seriously disastrous." Aaron said. "Hopefully you had a good time with Jordan."

"It wasn't bad…" Dustin said.

Jordan frowned. "Is that all?"

"Who cares? I did what I said I would and none of you believed me." Chandra said. "Therefore, I will become the youngest girl to date Jayden McDuelle and I might even date him for the longest."

Jordan scoffed. "Yeah right. I know Helen. She'll never lose him to the likes of you, let alone anyone she doesn't approve of. So good luck."

"I don't need luck. I have good looks." Chandra said.

"Say what you want." Jordan said as she spotted Jayden and Helen now sitting beside one another. "But I say that they aren't going anywhere anytime soon."

Chandra glared at Helen's back. "Whatever."

Scarlett stood at the soda machine in the cafeteria, deciding between orange and grape. This was always a problem of hers and her friends tended to make it worse. Helen and Nicole always said orange, while Jayden and Shane argued that grape was the way to go. She treasured three of the fours' thoughts and usually doubled Helen's opinion since Helen knew her better than both boys. However, today was not one of those days.

"Hi Scarlett." Scarlett turned around to see Dustin standing behind her. "Your cousin dates Jayden, right?" Scarlett frowned in confusion, trying to see if she actually knew the kid. "I, uh, I heard that you had a thing for Jayden and I want you to know that-"

"Grape." Scarlett said before turning to the soda machine to select the drink. "Thanks for the help…"

"I'm-"

"Don't care." Scarlett said taking the bottle from the machine. "Thank you for reminding me that grape soda is for loser-headaches. A type of headache induced by losers."

"How did I do that…?" Dustin asked.

"Think about it." Scarlett said walking back towards her table.

Dustin stood at the soda machine a second before following Scarlett. Jacquelyn, Helen, Nicole, and Jayden stared at him while Scarlett simply drunk her drink.

"Um, do you want something?" Helen asked.

"I was trying to talk to Scarlett." Dustin said.

"Well, as her publicist, I'm telling you that she doesn't want to talk to you right now." Helen said. "It is clearly seen as she is drinking grape soda, the drink when she is feeling stressed by a loser. That loser would be you." Dustin frowned. "Hey, I didn't make the rules, I just announce them. So go run along, eat your graham crackers, and take a nap somewhere."

Dustin looked at Scarlett, who still ignored his existence, before walking away.

"Simply amazing." Jayden stated.

"What is?" Helen asked.

"No glare. No curse words. No eyes rolled. Just a simple phrase and he leaves." Jayden said. "Now, if you could do all that, then why is it that you have the hardest time in the world asking one simple question?"

"Shut up Jayden." Helen said.

Nicole smiled. "I think it's because beneath that hard exterior, Helen's really just as frightened as the people she scares."

"Of her reflection." Scarlett muttered, though Helen and Jayden heard it.

"I heard that." Helen stated.

"Oops." Scarlett said with false sympathy.

"You know," Jayden said to Helen, gaining her attention. "It's only fair that I give you the first weekend date that I gave Jackie. So, Saturday, wake up nice and early because you'll be spending a day with me."

"And if I say no?" Helen asked crossing her arms.

"Let's just say that I have a lot of friends in Manhattan and starting a rumor that you were sleeping with a few random guys so that it'll reach your parents is a lot easier that you think." Jayden replied. "But, it's still your call."

Helen sighed. "Fine. Saturday. Date."

Jayden gave her a kiss. "You sound as if you didn't want to." Jayden stood up. "And now I'm going to return to my friends. Too many girls at one table for my taste."

"What are you talking about? You have hit on every single one of us and dated two of us." Scarlett said.

Jayden shrugged. "What can I say? I like pretty women and I date the prettiest of the pretty."

"Well, you missed one." Scarlett replied.

Jayden laughed a bit. "I'm not perfect."

With that, Jayden walked away, leaving Nicole to give a knowing smirk towards Helen.

"Oh shut up." Helen said looking away from her friend.

"Oh come on! You so like him!" Nicole said. "I can't believe that you're actually _blushing_! It is _so_ cute!"

"Word of warning," Jacquelyn said. "Don't try to be cute. You'll just sweat it off." Helen and Scarlett stared at Jacquelyn. "What?"

"Just what did you two do on your _first_ date?" Scarlett asked.

"Any and everything that I wanted to." Jacquelyn said. "We went to the movies, the mall, a nice restaurant, just everything."

"And the sweating? How did he make you sweat?" Scarlett questioned.

Helen sat quietly as she leaned towards Jacquelyn. Jacquelyn knew what this meant from her time with Helen. Helen was never a true gossiping girl, but whenever she leaned in to hear more, that meant that she took interest in whatever was being talked about. And if Helen took interest, it was best to tell the entire tale or else.

"We didn't have sex or anything. I mean, we didn't go all the way. We did have this seriously intense make-out session though." Jacquelyn said, hoping Helen would sit up.

"That's all?" Helen asked. Jacquelyn nodded. Helen gave Jacquelyn a squint before sitting up straight. "So, if he didn't go all the way with you…"

"Disgusting." Scarlett said.

"Oh come on. Really?" Helen replied. "If this was you, you'd jump on him the first chance you got and trust me, there are a lot of first chances."

"Yeah right." Scarlett said.

* * *

Amber sighed as she began making her way to Mary-Jane's father, Marco's, English class. Lunch was extremely weird and she just wanted to wind down in a class where she had neither James nor Mary-Jane in.

Before she made it to the class, however, she nearly ran into Jayden.

"Oh, sorry about that Jayden." Amber said.

"It's cool." Jayden said. "Just going to Ms. Anderson."

"I feel sorry for you." Amber said. "I have English too, but I have-"

"Mr. Del Rossi. Lucky." Jayden replied before beginning to walk off.

"Hey." Amber said, stopping Jayden. "Can I ask you something?" Jayden nodded. "You were at the dance. Did James and Mary seem a bit too close to you?"

"Define 'too close' because I have a _clear _different definition." Jayden answered.

"Like," Amber said moving closer to Jayden. "This close?"

"Yeah." Jayden said stepping away from Amber. "But, they were just dancing. Trust me. I talked to James at the dance and he is clearly still into you."

"Are you sure?" Amber asked.

Jayden grinned. "Hey, how many guys do you know that can dance with Mary-Jane that close and still have their mind on some other girl?"

"Thanks Jayden." Amber said with a smile. "Oh, and congrats with Helen. You've tamed a tiger."

"I hope so." Jayden replied.

* * *

Dakota sat at her desk in her Chemistry class. She looked beside her where Laura had taken a seat.

"So," Laura said. "That party is this weekend. Are you in or not?"

"I'll have to see." Dakota answered.

"Look, it's a simple yes or no question." Laura replied. "I'm not into helping people outside of my usual circle, but I have to know if you'll be there or not. Just incase you walk in and some random guy tries to hit on you. They have to know that you're with me."

Dakota frowned. "What do you mean, I'm with you?"

"Trust me. When I say that, people seem to let you be. I have that way with people." Laura said. "So what do you say? We start over as friends with a party?"

Dakota thought about the idea. Jayden had just cancelled on their day out fora date with Helen, leaving her, Shane, Kelly, and Jacob to go by their selves. This was only partially bad because they still had to wait until Kelly and Shane's shift were up.

"What time did you say it started?" Dakota asked.


	7. Episode VI: Over and Over

Episode VI: Over and Over

Scarlett could only watch as her cousin zipped from the dresser, to the closet, to her bed, to the mirror, and back over again. She slightly bounced on Helen's waterbed, seeing how it was much more fun than her own mattress.

"I can't believe I let him talk me into this stupid date with nothing to wear!" Helen said angrily. "What was I thinking?"

"I'm going with something on the lines of: God he's hot." Scarlett replied. Her response caused Helen to momentarily freeze and glare at Scarlett. "What? I'm only guessing."

"Well you're wrong." Helen said before she continued her search through her immense collection of clothing. "Had I been that freaky dresser Kelly, this would be a lot simpler. Throw on some mismatch socks, boots, a skirt, a plaid shirt and a striped skirt and top it all off with a red beret."

Scarlett laughed as she pictured Helen in the described outfit. The thought of Helen looking that ridiculous pushed aside the thought that Helen was going on a date with Jayden in the first place.

"That's it!" Helen said with a smile on her face. "This is perfect."

"Yeah, well, you only have about ten minutes to get dressed and since the guy lives next door I don't think-" Scarlett was interrupted when Helen's shirt met her face. "What are you doing?"

"Getting dressed. Are you going to sit there and watch me?" Helen asked, now standing in her bra and panties.

"I think I'll keep my breakfast." Scarlett said hopping off of Helen's bed. "Don't worry. J.T will probably like you in anything. And if anything fails, try nothing." Scarlett ducked a teddy bear that was launched by Helen. "I'm kidding!"

"I don't care!" Helen said throwing more of her stuffed animals at Scarlett.

Scarlett could only laugh as she scurried out of Helen's room.

* * *

Maxwell looked at his oldest son with a curious frown.

"So," Maxwell said. "You dated one friend, flirted with the cousin, and then moved on to Helen? There's some sort of reason behind this, right?"

Jayden sighed. "It's weird."

"Tell me about it." Manny said drinking a glass of orange juice.

"I wanted to go to the dance with Scarlett, she shot me down, so Helen asked and I had a good time." Jayden said. "Plus, she's a good kisser."

"Oh. That's what it is." Maxwell said.

Manny sat her glass on the table. "That's what I think. And if that is it, I don't like him seeing her."

"You don't like him seeing _any_ girl. And I say, better girl than guy." Maxwell said. "So go for it Jay. If she makes you happy, then I'm not going to stop you unless she targets _my_ money. Once then, I step in to stop her from harming you and me."

"Nice to know that I mean so much." Jayden muttered.

Maxwell frowned. "No. You mean more than the money. But you're not going to see what she doesn't want you to. Remember, I'll be the one looking in, not the one looking out."

"I know." Jayden said before sighing. "Remember when I did this with Jackie and you said that nothing could go wrong because she seemed like someone easy to please? Well nothing did go wrong because she isn't someone hard to please. But Helen…"

"Hey, I've lived here too, you know? I think I know her by now." Maxwell said. "Helen's kind of like your mother in a way."

"I'm listening." Manny said leaning in towards Maxwell.

Maxwell smiled. "If you remember what they want and only give it when you're in trouble, those 'love taps' get easier to deal with." Maxwell looked at Jayden. "Oh, and remember to never, _ever_, forget who you're with or they will remind you."

"Is that what I did?" Manny asked with a smile.

"Of course you did Dimples." Maxwell replied. "That's why I'm here today."

"Not to interrupt you two making another one of those cursed siblings," Jayden said. "But, how do I make this one better than Jackie's date?"

"Treat her nice and don't repeat anything you did with Jackie unless she wants to." Manny said.

"Make her feel better than Jackie." Maxwell answered. "If you can make a woman feel good about herself, she'll let you feel her good."

"Maxwell!" Manny reprimanded while her husband laughed.

"Go son. And don't forget to fill your mother's car up." Maxwell said.

"I won't. And thanks." Jayden said walking out of the kitchen.

Manny glared at Maxwell. "You're worse with him than you were with Danni. Why?"

"Because," Maxwell said. "It gets you all hot under the collar and heated." Maxwell leaned towards Manny's ear. "And I love to see you heated under the collar."

"Well, too bad because I have to meet up with Emma in a little while." Manny replied. "It would have been much better if you didn't say what you said to _my_ son."

"Fine. Remember, not all of our children came from my urges." Maxwell said sitting up straight in his chair. "You will call, soon."

"Whatever." Manny said before kissing her husband. "I have to get ready now."

* * *

Jayden looked at Scarlett checking for her non-existing split ends. Needless to say that she had said virtually nothing to him since he walked in. The silence, that settled in-between them, was both unnerving and soothing. And ironically, it was the loudest thing in the room.

"I'm sorry." Helen said walking down in her pink top and leather skirt. "Scar was being her selfish self earlier with the shower, knowing I had to get ready."

Jayden blinked. "I'm sorry. I didn't hear a word of what you said over the sound of how amazing you look in that."

"Puh-lease." Scarlett breathed out.

"Seriously." Jayden said. "I'm used to seeing you in jeans and a tee-shirt. This… This is wow, Helen. I should've dated you a long time ago if this is how you would dress."

"Hey, hey," Coach Blue said. "That's my niece you're talking to."

"Yeah… Almost worth getting into the trouble." Jayden said. "But, I promised my parents that I wouldn't, so let's go Helen."

"Sure." Helen said. "I'll be back."

"Have fun." Coach Blue said before his niece and neighbor left the home. "Well, that's one gone. So what are you going to do today, Scarlett?"

"Bask in the joy that I am now, once again, the only child." Scarlett said walking to the stairs. "I'll be in my room."

Outside, Helen sat in the passenger seat of Manny's car where Jayden sat in the driver's seat. She had noticed that he kept glancing at her every now again as he started the car up.

"Did you mean it?" Helen asked Jayden.

"Helen," Jayden said looking at her. "I meant every single word I said back there. Jackie and I would have _never_ happened if I knew you'd dress like _this_."

"Don't make me sound so sluttish." Helen said.

Jayden grinned. "No. I would never call you a slut. Vixen, yes. Slut, no."

"Vixen? That's what, a fox or something?" Helen replied.

"Yeah. You do kind of remind me of a fox." Jayden said before putting the car in drive and pulling out of the driveway. "And by the way, I am a bit selfish. This look is clearly a look for me, right?"

Helen laughed. "Sure Jayden. This outfit will forever be yours."

"Good." Jayden said. "Because if anyone else caught you like this, you might forget me."

"You live next door." Helen said.

"That doesn't stop one from forgetting." Jayden replied. "I've seen it happen all the time in Newport. One person gains more popularity than the other and they lose themselves and their friends. Common thing in life."

"Well," Helen said. "Helen Sinclair-Coyne is not some money-hungry tramp that changes with the income. You should know that by now."

Jayden grinned. "I do. Which is why I like you so much."

* * *

Aaron walked into the Dot where he found Jordan and Dustin sitting at a table talking. He joined the two with a sigh.

"Parents." Aaron said.

"Oh." Dustin said. "Hey, did you see how Scarlett was acting yesterday?"

"Yeah. She ignored you like she always did." Aaron replied.

Dustin frowned. "No. I'm talking about how sad she looked when Jayden and Helen were talking to each other."

"I missed it." Aaron said.

"Me too." Jordan replied. "I don't even think Scarlett does sad."

"Well she did." Dustin said. "This could be my chance. You know how Chandra had her moment with Jayden and it paid off? This could be mine."

Aaron shook his head. "Dustin, you've always wanted to be with the popular crowd, but now I think you've finally lost it. Trying for Scarlett Chessex is like swimming in lava."

"To you. Not to me." Dustin said.

Chandra walked into the restaurant and made her way to the table.

"So," Chandra said sitting down. "My dad gets all pissed about all these girls calling about me and Jayden and-"

"I so hope you didn't start a rumor about that." Aaron said.

"Yeah. I heard that Helen got suspended last year for beating a girl that started a rumor about her." Jordan said. "I can only imagine on what she'd do if she found out that _you_ started a rumor about Jayden."

"As if I'm afraid." Chandra said.

"You don't have to be," Jordan replied. "I'm just saying that Helen won't be happy."

"Then so be it." Chandra said. "And in the end, Helen will know what happens when you mess with Chandra Torres."

* * *

James sighed as he sat down at his desk. He turned his desktop on and looked at his cell phone. He had wondered if Amber was home or available, seeing as she would normally call him by this time. Then he thought about the previous week. Amber and Mary-Jane had been off, Amber more than her friend. When James was alone with either girl, there were weird moments.

Amber did not really look at him. What was worse was that she nearly shot down every attempt at a conversation that he tried with her. Her demeanor told him that she was still angry at him, maybe even disgusted. But that only made him wonder if she learned what had almost happened later. And if she did learn that, who told?

For Mary-Jane, it was nearly the same thing for the opposite reason. She did not want to talk to him so the two could space themselves to dodge rumors, but the harder they tried, the harder they failed. And to top it all off, she would occasionally give him a glance as she passed him in the hallways with a smile and he found himself always returning the smile with one of his own.

Pushing those thoughts aside, he found out that Mary-Jane was logged onto a chat-room and decided to chat with her.

**KingBrooks1002: Hi. Wat's up?**

**PrincessMJ3: Amber giv'n u da cold shoulder 2?**

**KingBrooks1002: Obviously…**

**PrincessMJ3: Me 2. Wonder y.**

**KingBrooks1002: Don't know.**

**PrincessMJ3: Wat r u doing l8er?**

**KingBrooks1002: IDK. Y?**

**PrincessMJ3: My parents r going on a date. Want 2 stop by?**

**KingBrooks1002: Wat about Amber?**

**PrincessMJ3: C'mon. I don't bite.**

**KingBrooks1002: MJ, we can't do this.**

**PrincessMJ3: I thought so. Still on her.**

**KingBrooks1002: Sorry.**

**PrincessMJ3: Please?**

James stared at the screen for a while. Once more, he felt some sort attraction towards Mary-Jane, and this time, they were spaces apart. The last time, they were closer. So. Close.

**PrincessMJ3: Never mind.**

**KingBrooks1002: What time?**

**PrincessMJ3: Rlly?**

**KingBrooks1002: Amber doesn't hear this.**

**PrincessMJ3: Duh. 7:30, btw.**

**KingBrooks1002: B there. See ya.**

**PrincessMJ3: Yeah.**

James logged off of the chat room and leaned back in his chair. His cell phone began vibrating, causing him to answer the call.

"Hello." James answered.

"Hey James." Amber said.

"Amber?" James breathed into the receiver. "I wasn't expecting to hear from you after you did your best to ignore me last week."

"I know. I'm sorry." Amber replied. "I was trying to not believe what Laura told me."

"Laura?" James repeated.

"Yeah… She's the one that told me about you and Mary." Amber said. "And Monday, when I talked to Jayden-"

"Jayden McDuelle? _He_ trashed me?" James asked.

"No!" Amber said. "He actually told me that… You and I…" James frowned at her pause, but she cleared her throat and continued. "Listen, I just want you to know that if you and Mary-Jane want to be an item, I can't stop that. But, please, don't do it behind my back."

"I will. I mean, if it happens, I'll make sure that you're the first to know, but nothing is going on between us." James said. "Nothing. I promise."

"I hope you're right." Amber said. "Look, I have to go visit my brother. He goes to Banting and I really wanted to see him."

"Go ahead. Call when you get home." James said.

"I will." Amber said. "Bye."

"Bye." James said before hanging up. "What am I doing?"

* * *

Helen gaped. "I am _not_ a hundred and thirty pounds!"

"Oh… I'm sorry." the "psychic" said. "Another guess?"

"To save your life and my money," Jayden said. "No." Jayden led Helen away from the man into the busy sea of teenagers at the mall. "Now that was funny."

Helen glared at Jayden. "No it wasn't."

"Yes it was." Jayden said laughing.

"Shut up." Helen said shoving Jayden. "You're not funny."

"You're so clamped up. Laugh." Jayden said putting an arm around her shoulders. "Besides, I don't think you're a hundred and thirty pounds."

Helen grinned. "You do know how to talk your way out of a problem."

"I get it from my dad." Jayden replied. "You know, earlier today I thought your cousin was going to shoot me."

"Not before I shot her." Helen said. "She was being so difficult earlier. She didn't even help me pick out an outfit!"

"Well I-"

"Jayden." a man said walking with a camera.

Jayden and Helen stopped.

"What are you? 6teen? ONE? TMZ?" Jayden asked.

"Extra." the young man said. "So what are you doing today?"

"Uh, trying to take my girlfriend out on a nice date." Jayden answered.

"Really? Is that what you do for all of them?"

"Only the good ones." Jayden said. "Do you have anyone else to interview? I'm a little busy."

"You can't do an interview?" the man asked. "It'll just be for five minutes."

"Go ahead." Helen said. "I don't mind."

The cameraman frowned. "Wait a sec… Aren't you the daughter of Holly J. Sinclair?"

"It's time to go." Jayden said with a grin. "See you around."

Jayden and Helen walked away from the man.

"What was that about?" Helen asked.

"One, you _don't_ want to do an interview while on a date. It gets so thwarted that it's not even funny. Two, I can hear your mother now already. I don't want to give her any more ammo than she has." Jayden said. "And finally, you'll be doing an interview in _that_. The world will see you like that and then it becomes their look for you and not mine."

"I didn't know you cared." Helen said before standing on her tip-toes and kissing his cheek. "But I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself."

"I'm sure you can." Jayden said. "Though, like I said, the paparazzi are evil. They make simple things so difficult."

"Speaking of difficult," Helen said. "Scar's off her game."

"I see." Jayden replied. "But, that's her, right?"

"Yeah." Helen said.

* * *

Scarlett rolled out of her bed and made her way out of her room. She scratched her head as she made her way down the steps, her hair now beginning to frizz. She ignore at what she thought her hair looked like as she made her way into the kitchen.

"You're up later than usual," Coach Blue said to his daughter. "Are you alright?"

"Peachy." Scarlett answered as she opened the refrigerator. "Good. We have a grape." Scarlett pulled out a canned grape soda. "I really need one right now."

"Scarlett, are you sure you're okay? You can tell me anything." Coach Blue said.

"I'm fine." Scarlett said. "I'm just trying to catch up on some sleep that I missed this week."

Coach Blue smiled. "Scarlett, I don't think that's it."

"Then what could it be Dad?" Scarlett asked shutting the refrigerator door.

"I think you're jealous of your cousin's date." Coach Blue answered. Scarlett scoffed in response. "Seriously Scarlett, I know the look of a jealous woman, and you're wearing one right now. Now, I don't know if you're jealous because Helen has a date and you don't or if it's because Helen is dating Jayden."

"I'm… I'm just not used to Helen being the one gone and me here." Scarlett said. "I don't know what to do."

"Go out. Go shopping. Just don't stay here moping all day." Coach Blue said.

Scarlett sighed. "I wish I could, but I might run into Helen and J.T and that'll be weird. So, I'm just going to have to tough this one out. Besides, knowing Helen, she's probably giving J.T a hard time."

"She probably is." Coach Blue said.

* * *

Dakota frowned. She never got visitors sans Kelly and Jayden and her mom was quite familiar to those to. So when she got company that was not sent to her room, she was confused. She was more confused when she saw Laura sitting in her living room.

"Laura?" Dakota asked.

"Nice place." Laura said. "Then again, I shouldn't be surprise. Silas Lowry does live here." Laura looked around. "And he is?"

"Europe. Tour." Dakota replied. "Come to my room."

Laura got up and followed Dakota up the spiral staircase. She came to Dakota's room which was surprisingly girly. The light pink walls and stuffed animals justified that Dakota Nash, despite her knack for wearing black, was quite the normal girl.

"What are you doing here?" Dakota asked.

"This place is huge. I should hang out here more often. You'd never know." Laura said.

Dakota crossed her arms. "This isn't funny. This is my home. What do you want?"

"Your dad is Craig Manning, right?" Laura said. "That means you're like the ultimate rich girl. I wonder why you dress in such dark clothing then. You should be-"

"Laura. What are you doing here?" Dakota asked.

Laura frowned. "The party, duh. I'm here to make sure that you're not chickening out on me or something."

"I'll be there. I just don't want you coming to my house." Dakota said.

"Why? Do I embarrass you?" Laura asked.

"No it's just-" Dakota's phone rang. "Great." Dakota grabbed her phone. "I got it Mom!" Dakota called before answering. "Hello."

"Hey Dakota, whatcha doing?" Kelly said.

"Um," Dakota said eying Laura, who was looking through Dakota's closet. "I'm trying to keep my sanity and do what my _mother_ wants me to do at the same time. Why?"

"Shane and I got the night shift so we could go out today." Kelly said. "So we were wondering if you'd be up if you wanted to tag along with us today? Catch a movie. Get some food. What do you say?"

"You know, I wish I could but- Put that down." Dakota said to Laura who put Dakota's treasured drum sticks back in their case. "I have something to do."

"Okay." Kelly said. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Bye." Dakota said.

"Bye." Kelly said.

Dakota hung up and glared at the other girl in her room. Laura may be the toughest girl walking DCS, but Dakota would _never_ stand for someone disrespecting her in her own home.

"Look," Dakota said, catching Laura's attention. "I promised I'd go, but that does not give you _any_ reason to tear through my stuff _or_ come to my house."

"Well, looks who's grown a spine." Laura said. "Listen, _Dash_, I don't have the time to thoroughly put you in your place right now. That, and I'm a bit more respectable than you think. I would never harm you within your own home without a pretty good reason." Laura glared at Dakota. "Don't give me one."

"I said I was going. What more do you want from me?" Dakota asked.

"Talk is cheap." Laura replied. "I'm here to make sure that you go whether you approve of it or not. So get used to it."

Dakota sighed. "There's no other way, huh?"

"No." Laura said. "Now, what do you have to do around here?"

* * *

Aaron, Jordan, Dustin, and Chandra now sat at a picnic table at the park across from Jordan's home.

"You know," Chandra said. "I think they're big because we view them as important."

Jordan frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"You know, the quote unquote important people." Chandra responded. "They're just important because they think that and they make us believe it. So, therefore, we could be like that."

"Yeah." Dustin said. "That makes sense."

"It doesn't." Aaron said.

"Why?" Chandra asked.

"Let's take Laura, for instance." Aaron explained. "She's famous for being tough. Nothing else. She breaks the rules and doesn't care for anyone. Then there's Mary-Jane who's known for-"

"Being attractively hot." Dustin interrupted.

"Thanks for that…" Aaron said, trying to dodge the glares of Chandra and Jordan. "Anyway, they're that way because it's who they are."

"Your opinion." Chandra said. "Manny McDuelle is famous because that's who she is. Helen and Scarlett are just two egotistic tramps."

"If you think that this little ideal of yours is going to pull Jayden away from Helen, you're wrong." Jordan said.

"I could." Chandra challenged.

"And if she can do that," Dustin said. "Then why can't I call Scarlett?"

Dustin revealed a slip of paper.

"Tell me you didn't." Aaron said.

"Yep. Five bucks to Nathan and he does this." Dustin said revealing his cell phone. "And now-"

"Wait a second," Aaron cut off his friend. "If you do this, remember how this will ultimately affect you. You might embarrass yourself."

"No regrets." Chandra said. "Do it."

Dustin nodded before dialing the number.

Aaron palmed his forehead. "The friends I have…"

"I know." Jordan said lifelessly.

"Hello?"

"Um, can I speak to Scarlett?" Dustin asked.

"Who?"

"Scarlett Chessex. Does she live here?" Dustin asked.

"No. You have the wrong number."

With that, the woman on the other line hung up, leaving Dustin to sit in a stupor. Dustin looked across the table at the amused faces of Aaron and Chandra before looking at the grinning Jordan.

"Not a word." Dustin said before Jordan burst into laughter. "It's not funny."

"I told you." Aaron said.

"It's only funny because- Because you gave… Five dollars!" Jordan said while laughing.

"Some friends you guys turned out to be." Dustin muttered.

* * *

Helen looked at the theater and the night background behind it.

"I can't believe we spent an _entire day_ together." Helen said. "Well, I should say an entire day _together_."

"Same difference." Jayden replied as the two walked to get their tickets for the movie. "I can't believe you took those pictures."

Helen took out a strip of pictures that they had received from a photo booth. They were a bit risqué with her straddling him on the last three, making out with him. She smiled before putting the pictures into his back pocket.

"Something to think about." Helen said.

Jayden grinned. "I will." Jayden stepped towards the glass. "Uh, two for _Nights of Elm Street._"

Helen watched the exchange between money and tickets. She eyed the girl behind the glass working the ticket booth give Jayden a suggestive smile.

"Here you go." the girl said.

"Thanks." Jayden said before putting an arm around Helen, causing the girl's smile to drop. "Let's go Helen."

Jayden led Helen into the theater lobby where he checked the time on his wrist watch.

"We have a few minutes." Jayden said. "Not bad seeing as you wanted to try on _every_ pair of shoes."

"Well, I had to make sure they looked good." Helen said. "Gosh, I thought you knew a thing about women."

"Jackie and you are two totally different people, which is why I did different things for you." Jayden replied. Helen raised her eyebrows as Jayden sat at a booth. She sat down beside him and leaned against him. "What?"

"She told me that you did the entire day thing with her too." Helen said. "So you don't have to-"

"I didn't spend the entire day at the mall," Jayden said. "And that's a bad thing."

"Why?" Helen asked.

"If I knew that that would be so tiring, I wouldn't have done it again." Jayden responded, gaining a laugh from Helen. "But, understand that the only thing I did the same with you is asking what you wanted to do. I guess you and Jackie are friends for a reason because you wanted to do almost the exact same thing."

"I wonder why we never tried this before." Helen said.

Jayden shrugged slightly. "I don't know." Helen kissed Jayden's cheek, causing him to raise an eyebrow. "And that was for?"

"Do you remember when you first came here?" Helen asked. "You and I weren't always the best of friends. In fact, I couldn't think of anyone I would want to ignore rather than you." Jayden chuckled. "And that was just saying I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted." Jayden said. "Do you have anything else you want to apologize for?"

"Why?" Helen asked.

"Just looking for another kiss." Jayden said. "Ones that you're willing to give."

"Well… Let me think." Helen said with a smile.

* * *

James sighed as he rang the doorbell. He stuffed his hands into his pants pockets as he looked around, seeing if anyone saw him standing at the house.

"I said seven thirty." Mary-Jane said opening the door. "It's a quarter after eight."

"I talked to Amber before and I…" James paused. "Look Mary, doing this just feels wrong, you know? Keeping this from Amber."

"Did you complain in the boiler room Thursday?" Mary-Jane retorted crossing her arms. "So what's with the change of heart?"

James sighed. "Nothing. Can I come in?"

"Yeah." Mary-Jane said stepping aside. James walked into the house and Mary-Jane closed the door behind him. "So what did she say?"

"She told me that if you and I wanted to date, I should be up front with her." James said. "She doesn't want us to sneak behind her back."

"And what do you think?" Mary-Jane asked, walking up her steps.

"I don't know." James answered following her.

"Hmm… Then maybe you just need some help." Mary-Jane said taking off her top and dropping it on the floor beside her. "My parents won't be back until midnight, my little brother and sister are at my grandparents' house. So it's just you and I for four hours."

James could only stare at the blonde-haired bombshell in front of him. Mary-Jane was exotic for a reason. Mary-Jane stepped towards him and grabbed his belt loops on his pants, pulling him towards her.

"Offer's still on the table." Mary-Jane said seductively.

"Consider it a deal." James said before capturing her lips.

As the two began kissing, Mary-Jane quickly undid the buttons to his pants, backing up towards her bed.

"And remember," Mary-Jane said falling backwards. "Our little secret."

"Our secret." James said before lying on top of her.

* * *

Dakota looked at the house. The loud music and multiple cars in the driveway told her that this was the right place. She walked into the place, nursing her sore ears from the music.

"You made it!" Laura called to Dakota over the music. "I can't believe you have a spine!"

"Who are these people?" Dakota nearly shouted.

Laura shrugged. "How the hell should I know? It's just a party." Laura presented Dakota with a cup. "Drink. It's not poison or drugged, I swear."

Dakota sipped the beverage, her face scrunching up as her brainwaves registered the taste.

"I know! I'm a Bloody Mary type, myself!" Laura said before grabbing Dakota's free hand. "Come this way!"

Dakota followed Laura through the house of jumping body and pounding music to the backyard where there was a table of kids smoking pot, a couple making out against a tree, and two boys gambling beside the pool.

"Scooter chickened out." Laura said in a quieter tone, since they were no longer muted by the music. "Nathan is upstairs getting money for whatever. So I guess you're the only one I truly know right now."

"Lucky me." Dakota said.

Laura nearly snatched the cup out of Dakota's hand and threw it on one of the boy's gambling.

"Hey!" he said angrily as he stood up.

"Me and my friend here want something to drink and it better be good." Laura said glaring at the boy. "Don't make me wait." the boy could only glare at her. "Me standing here without a drink means I'm waiting. And if you want to keep your precious acorns, you'd better hurry."

The boy walked past Laura and into the house.

"Wow. Didn't know you had that much influence." Dakota said.

"Trust me. Fear is influence." Laura replied before the boy returned with two red plastic cups. "If there is any drugs in this, I swear to God that you will never piss normal again and will need your mommy to chew your next meal for you."

"It's straight out of the bottle, I swear." the boy said before returning to his game.

"Here. This should be better." Laura said extending a cup towards Dakota. Dakota hesitated, causing Laura to roll her eyes with a sigh. "It's not going to kill you unless you're behind the wheel."

Dakota took the offered cup and smelled it before sipping the drink. The taste was better, but the burn afterwards made her cough lightly.

Laura laughed. "Seems that you're a lightweight. Kind of hard to imagine two rockers having a daughter who can't take a single cup of alcohol."

"Why'd you invite me here?" Dakota asked.

Laura shrugged. "Seemed like the right thing to do at the time." Nathan walked out into the backyard with an unlit cigarette behind his right ear. "Hey, Nate. Where's my money?"

"Here you are." Nathan said before handing Laura a few bills. Laura counted the small stack before nodding. "Why's _she_ here?"

"Dash? She's here for the party of course!" Laura said with a smile. "I thought, 'hey, why not' and here she is."

Dakota nearly shivered at Laura's smile. It was an awkward thing to see her grin like a normal person.

"Whatever." Nathan said. "So, got any bets?"

"Ravine." Laura said. "Leave us be." Nathan nodded before walking back into the house. "We bet on almost everything, but underground fighting, the best. Fast cash."

"Oh." Dakota said before taking another sip. This time, the burn did not hurt as worse. "I would have never guessed."

"That's the spirit." Laura said before taking a huge gulp of the alcohol. "Ah. That's good." Laura looked at Dakota. "Remember one thing, Dash. I'm just trying to be friendly. I thought you might need a reliever, and you got one."

"Thanks." Dakota said.

"I heard about you and your dad." Laura said. "Since I only have my dad, I thought that you and I had some similarities. Our missing parent hates us."

Dakota nodded. "I know the feeling. My 'dad' only cares about Steven and Ashton. I'm not even important."

"Then drink and let's forget them both." Laura said.

"Right." Dakota said.

* * *

Kelly sighed. "Another busy night."

"I know." Shane said as the two slumped behind the counter. "When will it end?"

"Who knows?" Kelly asked.

"What are you two doing?" Emma asked with her hands on her hips. Kelly and Shane quickly stood up. "That's more like it. You know that the faster you serve them-"

"We know, we know. The faster we'll be done." Shane interrupted. "Seriously Mom, who do you take us for? Jordan?"

"Shane, no picking on your sister." Emma said. "Kelly, table."

"On it." Kelly said walking towards the table.

"Mom," Shane said. "It is almost closing time. Why do we still have so many customers?"

Emma sighed. "I have no clue and I'm about to close prematurely so we can all get some decent sleep tonight. I bet Sean is worried." Shane shrugged, catching Emma's eye. "And your father is probably wondering why Kelly hasn't called yet."

"Dad's a little overprotective. You know that." Shane said.

"Shane, order." Kelly said sitting the small notepad paper on the counter with the order.

"On it." Shane said turning to the grill.

"You know," Emma said. "You two remind me of your dad. A lot." Kelly leaned on the counter. "Yeah… He loved this place."

"Loves." Kelly and Shane corrected in unison.

Emma laughed. "Yeah. He _loves_ this place. And you two have the same passion as he did. I just hope you remember to go home sometimes."

"Says the boss that's making us work." Shane muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Emma asked.

Shane smiled at his mother. "Nothing Mom."

As Shane continued the cooking, Kelly's cell phone rang. She walked towards the back and answered the phone. She went to the backroom to answer the call.

"Yeah." Kelly said.

"Hi Kelly." Dakota's voice came on the other in an uncharacteristically high-pitched voice. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Dash? What's wrong? You sound… Happy." Kelly responded.

"I'm at a friend's house and I need you to help home me get." Dakota said. Kelly frowned. "Me help home get. Get me home help. Help me get home."

"Dakota, what is wrong with you?" Kelly asked.

"Now you know that place behind your house down the road? That's where I am." Dakota said before hanging up.

Kelly sighed before walking out of the backroom. She grabbed the plates off of the counter and quickly sat them on the table. She then made her way behind the counter to Shane.

"Dash is drunk." Kelly whispered to her brother. "We have to go get her."

"Why us?" Shane questioned in a low tone.

"Because she just called!" Kelly whispered angrily. "Now let's go!"

"We can't. Mom." Shane said tilting his head towards his mother.

Kelly sighed. "We're going to have to sneak out of the back. Dad's going to be so pissed at us."

"How about we just tell her that something came up?" Shane asked, gaining a frustrated breath from his sister. "Okay, dumb thought."

"Okay. We have to think." Kelly said.

"I got it." Shane replied moving towards the door. Shane flipped the sign, so now it read closed. "Now, we can-"

"Why did you just do that?" Emma asked glaring at her son.

"Um… We're booked at it's about time to go, so I thought that more customers would only be a burden. Beside, Jordan just called Kelly." Shane replied. Emma glanced at Kelly who was staring at Shane. "I figured you would want to check in on her and we finish up here."

"You're right." Emma said. "I'll be right back. I'm just going to go home and then I'll be right back."

"Oh no! We can close by ourselves." Kelly said. "Dad's showed us how to do it several of times and let's me do it on Friday's."

Emma sighed. "Okay. Are you coming to my house or your dad's?"

"Dad's." Shane and Kelly said in unison.

"O…Kay…" Emma responded. "See you two tomorrow. And be careful."

"Okay Mom." Shane said.

"We'll call." Kelly replied as Emma left the Dot. She turned to see Shane calling someone. "Who are you calling?"

"Jordan. Giving her a head's up." Shane responded. "Call Jay. We're going to need him."

"Right." Kelly said.

* * *

James looked at the time on Mary-Jane's clock that sat on her nightstand.

"I have to go." James said as he sat up. The two had gotten redressed a few minutes ago and were currently lying in Mary-Jane's bed silently. "I'll be over here tomorrow?"

"I'd like that." Mary-Jane said before giving James a tight hug. "And I'm happy that you decided to stay."

"It wasn't a hard choice once you began." James said as he moved out of the bed. "I'll call when I get home."

"Please do. And don't tell Amber, no matter what she says." Mary-Jane said.

"I won't." James said before Mary-Jane sat up on her knees. James leaned in and kissed her passionately, half of his mind telling him to stay for another hour. "We'll have to do this again."

"Next time, your place." Mary-Jane said. "I'm through messing up my sheets."

James laughed. "I bet." James walked towards her door. "See you later, Mary."

"Yeah." Mary-Jane said as James left her room. Mary-Jane grinned. "Got you."

* * *

Helen walked into the house with two bags of clothing and a wide smile. She made her way up the steps and nearly floated to her bedroom.

"How was it?" Scarlett asked from behind Helen. Helen made her way to her closet while Scarlett walked towards Helen's bed. "Let me guess, not up to standard?"

"Oh my God," Helen said turning to face her cousin. "He is just… Just…"

"Pathetic? Stupid? Tell me Helen." Scarlett said.

"Amazing!" Helen said throwing her hands into the air. "He's _nothing_ like he usually is when on a date. He's like a different guy!"

Scarlett frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Okay, so he still cracks one of those _annoyingly_ rhetorical questions every now and again," Helen said. "But he treats me like _royalty_. Every girl that wanted to be with him, he would politely deny and then comfort me. He gave me his _honest_ opinion on _every_ outfit I tried on and didn't rush me. And, to make the night better, he let me drive his mom's Mercedes!"

"He doesn't sound all that-"

"God, and he kisses like… I don't know. Way better than Jackie says." Helen said before moving to her bed and flopping beside her cousin. "I was _so_ stupid in letting Jackie get him the first time."

"So I guess you had a good time, huh?" Scarlett asked.

"Yeah." Helen said. "Don't worry, I got outfits that we'd both look good in, so feel free to look at them whenever." Helen sighed. "Life is good."

"I bet." Scarlett said standing up. "Well, I'll let you ride on Cloud Nine alone. When you come back to reality with the good details, I'll listen."

"Look." Helen said revealing a copy of the pictures from her pocket to Scarlett.

Scarlett looked at the pictures. The last three really caught her attention and made her momentarily freeze. She was hoping that Jayden and Helen's friendly arguments would grow serious and the two would see how wrong they were for each other. But seeing a picture of them _kissing_ with Helen in his _lap_ made Scarlett think that Helen was right. Helen could seduce any boy she wanted to.

"I'm going to go back to bed." Scarlett said sitting the pictures on the bed beside Helen. "Talk to you in the morning."

"Okay." Helen said as Scarlett left her room.

Scarlett walked to her bedroom and lied in her bed, staring at the window that faces Jayden's house. More importantly, after a few weeks of snooping and measuring, she found out that her bedroom window faced his.

"They're happy." Scarlett said. "And so am I…"

* * *

The red Mercedes stopped in front of the house, gaining quite the attention. Jayden, Kelly, and Shane stepped out of the car.

"We have approximately ten minutes to get back." Kelly said as the three walked towards the house. "Where could she be?"

"I don't know." Jayden said. "Are you sure Dash was here? This doesn't look like her scene."

"Well, this matches the description she gave me." Kelly said.

"Well, well," Laura said walking to the three. "What are you three doing here?"

"Where's Dakota?" Jayden asked.

Laura smirked. "Oh, Dash? She's mentally in Tokyo, but physically, over there."

Jayden's eyes followed to where Laura was thumbing to. He found Dakota laughing with a group of people. She was obviously drunk.

"Okay Shane. No talking. No compromising. Grab and go." Jayden said.

"Yeah." Shane said as the two walked towards Dakota.

"Hi guys! What are you-" Dakota was lifted by Jayden and Shane. "Hey!"

"Let's go." Shane said as he and Jayden carried Dakota out of the house.

"Is that what you three do? Ruin the fun?" Laura asked as she followed them.

"This isn't fun for anyone." Kelly said as Jayden and Shane put Dakota into the car. "Let's go you two."

"Hey," Laura said stepping in front of Jayden. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Move." Jayden said.

"Make me." Laura said boldly.

Jayden just glared at Laura, knowing what she wanted. She wanted him to harm her to show that he was a bad guy. However, he simply walked around her.

"That's it? Run away?" Laura asked.

Jayden looked at Laura as he opened the car door before getting inside. He started up the car and drove off.

"Sorry for not telling you earlier." Kelly said to Ellie over the phone. "But now she's asleep and my dad just reminded me." Jayden and Shane frowned. "Okay. Bye." Kelly closed her phone. "Dakota's coming to Dad's house. Spending the night."

"We have to hurry." Shane said. "And you might want to set up-"

"Already ran it by him." Kelly interrupted. "Now we just have to get back to the Dot before Mom."

"Hold on." Jayden said.

* * *

Emma frowned as she looked around her ex-husband's restaurant.

"I can't believe it…" Emma said before turning to Kelly and Shane. "You two clean up fast."

"Yep, that's us." Kelly said with a smile.

"Ahem." Jayden said sitting on a stool.

"And Jay helped." Kelly added. "He's taking us to Dad's."

"Good." Emma said. "I can't believe I didn't believe you two when you said you could close this place." Emma smiled. "I'm going to go home then. I love you both. And Jayden, tell your parents I said hi."

"Will do." Jayden said as Emma left the place.

Shane sighed. "Too close."

"My dad is going to be so pissed. I said twenty minutes. It's been nearly two _hours_." Jayden replied.

"Just drop us off, please?" Kelly said. "We'll pay you back."

"No need." Jayden said standing up. "Let's go."

Dakota slowly walked towards the counter, her face showing sickness and misery as well as tearstains.

"I am so sorry." Dakota said.

"No problem." Shane replied. "Now, let's go. We have a _long_ sleep ahead of us."

"Yes." Dakota groaned.


	8. Episode VII: Come Together

Episode VII: Come Together

"See you after school." Manny said to Jayden. Jayden waved towards her before she drove off. "He is such his father's child."

Jayden made his way up the steps, half-expecting a flock of cheerleaders wanting to know the detail of his and Helen's date. Then again, he half expected Kelly to tell him an update on Dakota. No one knew why Dakota was at the party and she was quite tight-lipped about it.

"Hey." Helen said walking towards him.

"Hey." Jayden said before she gave him a kiss. "How was your day yesterday?"

"You mean after you told me that you had to 'interrogate' your friend? Alright. Scar and I just talked mostly." Helen replied.

"I'm sorry." Jayden said. "It's just that-"

"I know. She's a friend and a girl in trouble. Your kryptonite." Helen interrupted. "And I'm not mad or anything. I know that if I forced you to stop that, I'd be changing you."

"You know," Jayden said with a smile. "Its things like that that makes my life a lot easier." Helen shrugged and began walking towards her locker. "So, you and Scarlett made up?"

"Ha. That's a laugh." Helen said. "I don't know what her problem is. One day she's normal and the next she's completely locked in her room." Helen stopped at her locker. "What about you? Any word on why she went to that party in the first place?"

"No. She's quiet about it and I'm seconds away from getting my answer elsewhere." Jayden said.

"Like where?" Helen asked.

"One Laura Reynolds." Jayden answered, catching Helen's attention. "Don't worry. I won't let her get to me to the point that I'll have to knock her out."

"Okay. But if you need me-"

"I will call. Promise." Jayden said before kissing Helen once more. "See you in first period."

"Okay." Helen said.

* * *

Dakota stared at her reflection in the mirror in the restroom. She had to find a way to avoid her friends for the entire day. They would still want to know why she went to the party. And in the back of her mind, she knew she would do it all over again.

"Great party, right?" Dakota turned to see Laura standing with a smirk on her face. "I told you it would help you relieve stress."

"Yeah, but, um, I don't think that-"

"Jayden and his groupies have that much influence on you?" Laura questioned.

"No." Dakota said. "But they are my friends."

"You're right." Laura said. "How could _I_ compare to the ultra-rich boy who was on a date or the two spoiled kids who were working during the time, none of the three caring for _you_."

"They do care." Dakota replied.

"Really? Did they ask you if you wanted to stay or not?" Laura asked.

"Y… No." Dakota answered. "But I was _drunk_. They did it to help me, and if my dad had have been in town, I don't think I would've gotten away."

"But you did and you were happy." Laura said. "Stop trying to be so good-natured. It's not who you are."

"And how would you know?" Dakota asked.

Laura shrugged. "Like I said. We have similarities."

* * *

By the time lunch came, many things were left unquestioned for a lot of students. But no one had more questions than Amber Clarke. Her best-friend and ex-boyfriend seemed to be acting weirder than normal today, which could only mean one thing. They knew or did something.

"So," Amber said gaining the attention of Mary-Jane, James, and Steven. "What do you guys want to do today?"

"After taking a well deserved nap, you mean." Mary-Jane said.

"Yeah." Amber replied. "I heard from Helen that _Nights of Elm Street_ is pretty good. Pretty scary and suspenseful."

"And you wanted to see that because…?" Mary-Jane asked.

"It sounds like a good movie and I want to see it." Amber replied.

"I could go for the movies." James said. "What about you Steven?"

"Wish I could," Steven said. "But my dad is preparing to leave for a concert and that means that I have to help."

"Help? Steven, you can't sing." Mary-Jane said.

"With the equipment." Steven said. "And what are you talking about? I could become a musician if I chose to be."

"Sure." Mary-Jane muttered with a roll of her eyes.

"James," Amber said revealing a dollar. "Could you go get me a soda, please?"

"Sure." James said. "What kind?"

"Sprite." Amber said as James took the bill. "Thanks."

"No problem." James said as he walked towards the cafeteria's doors.

"Well," Mary-Jane said with a grin. "Seems as if you two have patched things up. I do believe that an apology is needed."

"Maybe." Amber said. "We'll have to see."

* * *

Inside the building, Aaron had left the cafeteria for the bathroom.

"Well, well," Nathan said as Aaron entered the restroom. "Look at who we have here."

"A.J Santos." Damon said. "My good ol' pal."

"Leave me alone." Aaron mumbled.

"Oh," Nathan said. "Still brave, huh? You stand up for your dirty girlfriend and now you have the power to save them all. Just one question." Aaron froze as Nathan stepped towards him. "Who saves you?"

"Not Jayden." Damon said locking the bathroom door. "And since we're such friends, I won't lie. This _will_ hurt. A lot."

* * *

Jayden and Scarlett stood by the soda machine.

"She's annoying like that." Scarlett said. "And now you share the responsibility of putting up with her like I do. So welcome to my world."

"Your world sucks." Jayden said gaining a small smile from Scarlett.

"Let me guess. Grape again?" Dustin asked coming to the duo.

Scarlett frowned as she picked up an orange soda.

"No. Orange." Scarlett said.

"Oh." Dustin said.

Jayden raised an eyebrow, an act that Scarlett caught.

"And what are you thinking about?" Scarlett asked.

"Nothing. Just an epidemic occurring within our own school." Jayden replied.

"And what is that?" Scarlett questioned.

"Bambi chasing me. This guy chasing you." Jayden said. "The new kids are really shooting high this year, I tell you. I've still yet to ask Mary-Jane out."

"You're right…" Scarlett said before looking at Dustin. "Look, Kid, I get it. I really do get it and it's starting to become creepy."

"But I'm-"

"_I'm_ not interested." Scarlett said. "Do us both a favor and stay away from me."

With that, Scarlett walked towards her table.

"I don't get it." Dustin said.

"Let me be the first to tell you," Jayden said. "You will _never_ get women. They're fickle and are known to have quick mood swings. Protect yourself at all times."

"Thanks." Dustin said. "Say, do you think that I have-"

"A chance? No. But, if you start small, you'll find that what you want is usually there all along." Jayden said before reaching for the Sprite that he had selected. "And if I'm wrong, you can find me and tell me about it. Though, I'm usually right about this."

Dustin sighed as Jayden walked away. He thought about following Scarlett, but her reputation did not exceed her capabilities. She could, and possibly would, show her anger in a very painful way. So he decided to go back to his table with the other three girls he was trying to avoid; Jordan, Chandra, and Gabrielle.

"And you failed. Again." Chandra said.

"Yeah…" Dustin said. "I don't understand it though. She's obviously mad and I try to help and it just makes it worse."

"Give up." Jordan stated. "She isn't worth it, if you ask me."

Chandra nodded. "Agreed. And if me and Jordan agrees on something, then it must be true."

"I guess." Dustin said.

At Jayden's table, Kelly sighed heavily.

"Anyone but me thinks that something is going on with Dash?" Kelly asked.

"Worried because she decided to go hang with some new people?" Shane questioned.

"Yes!" Kelly said. "She's not that socializing, we all know that." Kelly sighed and rolled her sleeves up. "Saturday, Laura was at that party and she seemed to be a little bit _too_ close to Dash." Kelly looked at Shane's and Jayden's faces. "Not like that. I mean, what if Laura is manipulating Dash?"

"Impossible." Shane said.

"It's not really imp-"

"Impossible." Shane repeated, stopping Jacob from saying whatever he was going to. "Dakota isn't that easy to influence or manipulate. So therefore, she's alright. Dakota is doing whatever she wants."

"He's got a point." Jayden said. "But, I still want to talk to Laura. Make sure she gets the message clear and to the point."

"Please do." Kelly said. "I don't know what will happen if Dash became like Laura."

"You mean other than Dakota becoming like Laura?" Shane replied. Kelly glared at her brother. "It was just a statement."

"A bad one." Kelly said. "Where is she anyway?"

"I don't know." Jayden responded. "But I will find out."

* * *

The bell for fifth period rang and Mary-Jane found herself at her locker trying to continue her façade. She only had a little more than ninety minutes left before she and James would be force to another awkward position made by, none other, Amber Clarke. Her friend was becoming more of a nuisance than a friend.

"Mary," Mary-Jane stopped herself from banging her head on the locker. Speak of the devil. "I just wanted to talk to you for a second."

"Sure. What is it?" Mary-Jane asked.

Amber frowned at the voice used. It was Mary-Jane's "professional" voice. It was the voice she used towards people she neither liked nor hated. In other words, it was used for those who wielded some sort of superiority over Mary-Jane like teachers and not for her friends like Amber.

"Saturday, I called James and talked to him." Amber said. "And I told him that if you two wanted to be an item, just run it by me first. Is that cool?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever. But it's not like we have a secret attraction or anything." Mary-Jane responded. "That, and I really _don't_ need your okay to date someone, even if it is James."

"I know. But it's the best friend's ex law. You know what I mean." Amber said.

"I get it." Mary-Jane said. "But, I understand that you want him and-"

"Don't lie to me." Amber interrupted. Mary-Jane looked at her friend as if she had grown two heads. While Amber was normally peaceful, she had a tendency to become infuriated from time to time. "I know that you two have grown comfortable together. Probably a little _too_ comfortable together. I bet that's where he went Saturday night."

"…" Mary-Jane stood speechless for a moment before blinking. "Amber, hon, did you really just say that? And are you really trying to become angry at _me_?"

"I have a reason." Amber said.

Mary-Jane nearly slammed her locker, causing some students in the hallway to turn at the two friends.

"One, I _don't_ want James. If he leaves you because you're stupid and paranoid, that's you. Two, never _ever_ tell me what I have to run by you because I don't _need_ to." Mary-Jane said before stepping in front of Amber. "And three. You don't _own_ anyone. Especially not me. So the next time you come to me giving me orders, you'd _best_ bring the Navy with you or else."

With that, Mary-Jane took her leave, taking several of the male population's eyes, who were there, with her. Amber could only stand there with her arms crossed.

That cleared up everything.

* * *

Manny paced in the office.

"How could this have happened?" Manny asked angrily. "I don't even want to _know_!"

"Manny, I assure you, we will find out who did this." Mr. Simpson said. "We just need time."

"Time?" Manny said stopping immediately. "Time? Do you know how much _time_ it took for me to get here? Do you know how much time it took for Max to get here? Just what the hell were you doing in-between that _time_?"

"Manny. That's enough." Maxwell said. "Snake, do you have any idea on who could've done this. Something you've seen in the halls or something?"

Mr. Simpson sighed. "Sorry Max. No. And I also know that you two respect A.J's wishes to be known as a Santos, but I knew that you would want to know rather than having Manny's parents come and get him."

Maxwell nodded. "That was smart." Maxwell looked at Manny. "Manny, baby, please calm down. I will find them."

Manny looked at her husband. There were several things that many did not know about Maxwell McDuelle, things only she and a select few did. And with that knowledge, she knew that if he went looking for someone, he always got his person. Always.

"I know this doesn't help much," Mr. Simpson said. "But with this 'no snitching' code that the kids have, A.J was very silent on who did it to him. If you could get him to talk, I can handle it appropriately."

"The man that said the pen is mightier than the sword never used one in a swordfight." Maxwell said. "I don't want any negotiations or promises. I want something of equal or more value, and I will get it." Mr. Simpson opened his mouth. "Snake, I assure you that since A.J is relatively unharmed, seeing as it could've been worse, no deaths of your students will occur. In fact, I'm sure you won't even hear about it until later."

Mr. Simpson could only sigh and nod. When Manny had first introduced Maxwell to Mr. Simpson, Mr. Simpson had originally thought that he was another guy that fell for Manny's looks and somehow got her pregnant multiple times. But after a month or so, Mr. Simpson learned that the businessman truly loved his wife and kids and would do anything, _anything,_ to keep them happy.

Jayden walked into Mr. Simpson's office and looked around. His mother seemed angry, his father had his poker face on, Mr. Simpson looked as if he lost some sort of bet, and Aaron looked… Jayden's mind stopped at just that. Aaron looked _horrible_. It was clear that he was in some sort of physical altercation. Now that brought Jayden to one question: Was it a fight or was he jumped?

When the adults refused to say anything, Jayden spoke up.

"What happened?"

His question sounded as if it bounced off of the walls thousands of times before hitting his parents in their respective ears.

"A.J was in a fight-"

"Jumped." Manny cut Jayden's principal off. "He was jumped and we need to know who it was."

Jayden looked at his brother. "Who was it?" Aaron was silent. "Aaron this isn't-"

"No Jay." Maxwell cut his son off. "We will find out, whether or not A.J has the courage to speak up or not." Aaron flinched at his father's words. "In the meantime, I'm going to need you to keep an ear out for anything. Understood?"

Jayden nodded. "Yes sir."

"A.J, let's go." Maxwell said as Aaron stood up. "We'll see you at home Jayden."

Manny hugged Jayden. "Be careful. If they're targeting Aaron, they could be after you too."

"Let them try." Maxwell said as he led Aaron out of the office.

Manny eyed Jayden. "Jayden, listen to me. If you find out who did it, don't go fighting them. Just tell me or your dad and we'll handle it."

"I will." Jayden said in dismay.

Manny gave him a smile, one that always seemed to make him feel better, and left. He then eyed the principal of DCS.

"Jayden," Mr. Simpson said. "I'm going to ask this once. Do you think you have any clue on who it is?"

Jayden took a moment to think, not of the answer, but of what he should say. If he told who he thought it was, then they would be protected by the principal and probably end up with suspension. But, if he kept the information to himself, he could gain revenge before telling his parents to let them put the icing on the cake and then tell Mr. Simpson.

He liked the second thought a lot better.

"No." Jayden lied. "A.J and I don't really talk much during school and when we do, it's about girls or homework. Never about him being bullied or having someone after him."

Mr. Simpson nodded. "I understand. That's all."

Jayden nodded before leaving the office with one thought.

Someone would pay for this.

* * *

The school day was finally over and Dakota wanted nothing more than to go home. But like always, Fate would not let her go so easily.

"Dash," Laura said catching up to her. "How was your day?"

"Terrible." Dakota said.

"Need a pick-me-up?" Laura asked revealing a bottle from her inside coat pocket. Dakota stared at the clear liquid before reaching for the bottle and taking a gulp. "See? That helps right?"

"A little." Dakota said handing Laura the bottle back. "Thanks for that."

"No problem." Laura said as the two neared the black Navigator.

"You need a lift?" Dakota asked.

Laura snorted in laughter. "Hey, don't go getting senile on me. Just call when you need a little help."

"I will." Dakota said getting into the car.

* * *

"He's a weird kid." Shane said to Jordan as the two and Kelly entered the Dot. "Doesn't he live like across from Jayden's grandparents?"

Jordan nodded. "Yeah. Have you ever been there? It's a cozy place."

"Uh, why would I want to go where a bunch of old people are?" Shane replied as the three went to the backroom to drop off their things. "You know, I think A.J realized how weird Gabrielle is and is thinking of a way to tell her that they're just friends."

"Well aren't you the modern day Casanova?" Kelly said rhetorically.

"Whatever." Shane said.

"Can I ask you two a question?" Jordan said as her older siblings looked at her. "Do you think that Chandra has any chance with Jayden?"

"Yeah. I'd say a snowball's chance in Helen's bedroom." Shane answered.

"If that…" Kelly added.

"I just wanted to know since you know the guy." Jordan said before smiling. "That makes me so happy now."

"Jordan you're-"

"All girls have dreams." Kelly said. "Don't shatter hers."

"Fine." Shane replied.

* * *

Helen sat in Jayden's backyard with Jayden and Maxwell, Jayden strumming his father's guitar.

"You're good." Helen said before Jayden stopped.

"Don't embarrass me." Jayden said looking at Helen. "Playing the guitar helps me release myself."

Helen raised her eyebrows. "Release yourself?"

"Emotionally." Jayden said. "If not, I'll go punching the first person I can't stand, five-year-old twin sisters included."

"You sound like me." Maxwell stated. "Except, I didn't have the joy of having younger twin sisters. I _was_ the younger twin."

"That's right. Your twin married the baseball player." Helen said.

Maxwell nodded. "Yep. Unfortunately, neither of us will admit that the other one was right."

"What are you talking about?" Jayden asked.

"I met your mom in Las Vegas. Although she and Darius knew each other since the third, fourth grade, they actually hooked up in Jersey City." Maxwell said, gaining Jayden's and Helen's interest. "So as you see, two 'sinful' meetings that ended in eleven children and two marriages."

"_Eleven kids_?" Helen repeated. "Just what were you two doing, competing?"

"Ugh. Don't answer that." Jayden said.

Maxwell laughed. "No. It's just that my last two were twins. So instead of six, I have seven. Manny wanted three girls and three boys."

"And Reggie?" Jayden asked.

"Now that. That you _don't_ want to know." Maxwell replied. "But, when I met your mother, I had just done my final performance with my band."

Helen nearly jumped out of her seat.

"You were in a band? That's rich." Helen said.

"But I'm richer." Maxwell shot back. Helen sat back in her chair, remembering that no one but her mother could argue with Mr. Maxwell McDuelle and win without leverage. "And to answer your question, I had a band. We were pretty good. I think I only did it to not fall into my father's shadow and look at me now. The only difference is my hair, the number of kids, and of course, I lived longer."

Jayden and Helen sat in silence for a while. Helen never knew the story behind Maxwell's father. Jayden, however, knew bits and pieces.

"Um, anyway," Maxwell said. "I had a band and we got to tour the states for a while. It was a blast, to say the least."

"A band…" Jaden said. "I could see myself in a band. Of course, there're not many musicians here that are my age, but yeah, I could see me doing something like that."

Helen smirked. "Sure you can."

"What? You don't believe me?" Jayden asked.

"I'm just saying your dad may have done it, but you? That's not going to happen." Helen replied.

"Max," Manny said stepping at the backdoor. "Could you come here for a second?"

"Sure." Maxwell said standing up. "Jay, don't ruin my baby."

"I won't Dad." Jayden said before his parents disappeared into the house. "Swear he loves this thing more than me." Helen removed the guitar from Jayden's hands and sat in his lap. "So this was your diabolical plan, huh? Wait until he leaves and then make your move."

"Shame on me." Helen said before kissing Jayden.

"Ooh. I'm telling…" Jayden and Helen looked at Renée, the twin sister of Jenée and Jayden's five-year-old sister.

"Renée go play somewhere else." Jayden said as the girl scampered away. "I hate younger sisters."

"Me too." Helen said. "That's why I don't live with mine."

Jayden smiled. "Glad you know what I mean."

"You know," Helen said seductively. "You being in a band would be extremely sexy."

"Oh really?" Jayden asked raising an eyebrow. "Well, what if I don't have the drive to become one? What would you do to change my mind?"

"I could start with this." Helen said kissing Jayden's cheek. "And then move to this."

Jayden leaned back in his chair with Helen kissing him, both of them grinning at her out of character actions.

"Fine," Jayden said. "I'll call around. Get a band. How's that sound?"

"You're ruining the moment." Helen muttered.

Jayden laughed before kissing her. "I'm sorry."

* * *

Jacquelyn walked out of the corner store, heading towards her house now. She passed a familiar duo of Nathan and Damon.

"I bet that little twerp will think twice the next time he tries to stand up for that retard." Damon said.

Jacquelyn paused in her steps. Nicole's desire to hear gossip was seriously rubbing off on her.

"I don't know." Nathan said. "Chumps like A.J come back for some reason like they have something to prove. And if Shane or Jayden has a problem with that… Well, it won't end pretty."

"Nope." Damon said as the two entered the store.

Jacquelyn frowned. "A.J? Who the heck is that?"

* * *

Kelly smiled. "Thanks and come again." the customer walked out of the restaurant, allowing Kelly to drop her smile. "My face hurts."

"Come on Kelly," Gavin said. "You're just being polite. I can't believe that being polite hurts so much."

"Well it does." Kelly said rubbing her face.

Shane's cell phone rang. "Hello."

"Hey," Jayden said. "I have to ask you something. Your dad was in a band, right?"

"Yeah. Why?" Shane asked.

"My dad just gave me a good idea." Jayden said. "We could be in a band."

Shane smirked. "Us? A band? You smoking Jay?"

"Not what you'd think." Jayden said. "Anyway, I'll talk to you about it later. Just, chew it over. And don't tell Kelly. She'll be all wow with it."

"Wow?" Shane asked.

"Let her find out and you'll see what I mean." Jayden replied. "I have to go. Helen's… Let's just say Helen's _really_ biting me."

"You lucky SOB." Shane said. "Alright, see you later. Bye."

"Bye." Jayden said hanging up.

"Who was that?" Kelly asked.

"Jayden." Shane said. Shane idly thought about what Jayden said. "He was saying something about starting a band."

"Really? That's great! We should…"

As Kelly went on a ramble, there was only one word that went through Shane's mind.

Wow.

* * *

Amber got into the back of James's car where Steven was sitting as well. She eyed Mary-Jane in the passenger seat, who was carelessly putting on some lip gloss.

"This movie better be good." Mary-Jane said eying Amber with the mirror.

"It is." Amber said.

James could hear the disdain in their voices and decided to step in-between them, a place his father has deemed no-man's land.

"I hear it's good." James said. "My mom overhead some people at the hospital talking about it. Said that it's probably the best Freddy movie in a long time."

"I bet…" Mary-Jane muttered.

"I talked to Vanessa earlier today." Amber stated. "She says that you were quite busy Saturday night."

"Not really. I left for a while and came back." James said. "Vanessa was on the phone when I came in, so I don't expect her to know when I really came back in."

"Oh." Amber said.

"Saturday was weird." Steven said.

"Tell me about it." James replied.

Amber frowned a bit. She had no clue on whether or not James and Steven were together. And if they were together, that meant that James and Mary-Jane could not have been together like she thought. If nothing else, Steven was loyal to his friends.

"Well, I stayed home watching my siblings because my parents went on a date." Mary-Jane said closing the mirror on the visor. "And that is how my Saturday went."

"That sucks…" James commented, trying not to look at Amber in the rearview mirror.

"Your parents went on a date?" Amber asked.

"Uh, yeah. I tried to call you but you didn't pick up." Mary-Jane said. "I was bored out of my mind. No one wanted to answer their phone and I was stuck alone with those two evil brats."

"I went to see my brother." Amber said.

Mary-Jane gasped. "Oh my God. You went to go see Simon without me?"

Amber shrugged. "Didn't think you'd want to go."

"I _always_ go." Mary-Jane replied.

"I just didn't think you would want to go." Amber said. "Sorry if I ruined your weekend or anything. Then again, you had to watch your brother and sister."

"Don't remind me." Mary-Jane said.

The car got noticeably quieter as the group continued their trip to the theaters. Amber and Steven had both decided to watch the scenery as they drove by while Mary-Jane had other intentions. Every so often, she would send a glance to James and vice versa. They had both made sure that Amber was preoccupied before shooting smiles at one another.

"Do you know what I find odd?" Steven finally broke the silence. "How is it that Jayden and Helen both stopped hating one another and just jumped right into it?"

"That is a good question." Amber said, now interested with the events occurring inside the car.

"It was bound to happen if you ask me." Mary-Jane said. "The two of them just can't stay away from each other."

"How do you figure that?" James asked.

"Yeah, they _hated_ each other." Steven added.

"But," Mary-Jane said. "They couldn't stay away from each other. And that's what drove them together."

"That sounds awfully familiar." Amber murmured under her breath.

"I'm sorry. Did you say something Amber?" Mary-Jane asked.

"No." Amber said. "Why? Did you hear something Mary?"

"Must've been the wind." Mary-Jane responded.

James and Steven both felt the anger rising between the two girls. It was bad enough to get in-between Amber or Mary-Jane when they were mad at another student or teacher. But getting in-between Amber _and_ Mary-Jane was almost suicidal. James did it earlier to try and lessen the inevitable, but apparently the attempt bore no fruit.

"Anyway," Mary-Jane said. "I knew that the two had something going on. That 'I-hate-you' thing could only last but for so long. Besides, she usually saved her best jokes for him. I think she's always had a thing for him."

"So why just now tell him? Don't they live beside each other?" Amber asked.

"Look, I'm not a love philosopher or someone who studies the minds of little kids." Mary-Jane responded. "But I know that she's had a thing for him. It was just too obvious to ignore." Mary-Jane paused. "Then again, rumor was that he had originally wanted to go to the dance with Scarlett so…"

"So Helen must've thought about what it would've done to her cousin." Amber concluded. "You know, the whole I'm dating your crush behind your back thing is just too inhumane even for Helen."

"If you say so." Mary-Jane said.

* * *

Aaron sat in his bedroom quietly. His parents had made it quite clear that the first thing that he tells them better be who did it or else. So, to avoid further punishment, he remained silent. Then again, Jayden did have company over, meaning Aaron usually stayed in his room anyway to avoid being seen in the "Jayden McDuelle's" house.

"Hey," his older brother said opening the door. "Got a minute?"

"More like a lifetime." Aaron responded as Jayden closed the door behind him. "Where's Helen?"

"She and Scarlett went to help Coach Blue do something." Jayden said. "I guess you're not going to tell me who jumped you, huh?" Aaron looked at the floor. "Hey, I get it. No snitching or whatever. Just remember that there is a line in your little plan."

"What are you talking about?" Aaron asked looking at Jayden.

"You may use the last name Santos to get by as an average person," Jayden said. "But I still see and know you as Aaron Jordan McDuelle. Always have and I always will. So when someone attacks _my_ younger brother, they cross _my_ line. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"You're going to find them, aren't you?" Aaron asked.

Jayden nodded. "Yes. And I'm not going to rest until I do."

"I can-"

"Shut up." Jayden said, stopping Aaron. "I'm not here to compromise or negotiate with you. This is what it is. Deal with it."

Aaron sighed. "I can't win, can I?"

"Oh, you can win. But you choose to lose." Jayden said. "You don't want to use the last name McDuelle because it ties you with a computer company, an actress, and millions of dollars. What's wrong with that, I will never know."

"Everything." Aaron said. "They want this and that from you everyday. Do you think that _I_ want to go through that everyday? No. In fact, I'm glad I was jumped. It makes me feel slightly invisible. A relief that you and Danni will _never_ get to experience."

"Adam introduced me into the world of comics when I was nine years old." Jayden said. "And that's when I learn that with great power comes great responsibility. Fame and money is power. You have to use it for the better of you and those around you, not necessarily in that order." Jayden pointed at Aaron. "You gave it up because you can't handle it. You are, in all sorts of the words, a quitter and a pansy."

"I am not." Aaron said angrily. "Stop saying that."

"How about instead of just telling me to stop," Jayden said. "You _make_ me stop."

Aaron could only glare at Jayden, knowing that fighting him physically was a bad idea. Heck, the only one Aaron thought would take Jayden on a good day was Danica, and that was because she had martial arts on her side and a really frightening anger.

"I'm not going to fight you." Aaron finally said.

Jayden smirked. "I wouldn't waste either of our time beating you either. What I meant, is that you prove to me that you're not a quitter or a pansy and I'll stop."

"Fine. I will." Aaron said.

"Good luck." Jayden said. "You're going to need it." Jayden turned to face the door. "Oh, and you can start by learning how to fight back. Since I'm not your brother during school hours, you'll have to put up with whomever by yourself, and watch out for your friends."

"I do that anyway." Aaron said. "Why are you reminding me of that?"

"Because," Jayden said eying his brother. "That's what a McDuelle does."

As Jayden left, Aaron groaned and fell back-first onto his bed. Jayden had once again made him feel like he was a hypocrite. While trying to separate himself from his family in school, he was doing nothing but what the average McDuelle would do anyway. Worst part was, it was just too natural for him to stop.


	9. Special Announcement

****

**A/N:** The following is a short message that I made for my younger brother who is African American and goes to a predominantly Caucasian school and gets picked on almost everyday. R&R.

* * *

Hey, my name is Jayden McDuelle, and I'm here to give you a fun fact.

**Jayden: **

**Amber:** Fun Fact:

**Mary-Jane:** Did you know that in 2013, suicide was the third leading cause in deaths for teenagers in Canada and the U.S?

**Shane:** The reason?

**Scarlett: **Fun Fact Number Two:

**Helen:** Bullying.

**Kelly:** Bullying reached its peak.

**Nicole:** And although there were peaceful protests to raise awareness.

**Jacquelyn:** It still was not enough and bullying continued.

**Amber:** Even into our time.

**Scarlett:** And let's not think about in the year 2030, which is only three years away.

**Jordan:** So we,

**Aaron: **The students of Degrassi,

**James:** Are here to make a statement.

**Steven:** Because we've all seen what it's like to be picked on.

**Ashton: **We're doing this, not just for Muslims.

**Mary-Jane:** Homosexuals.

**Dakota:** Children who dress differently.

**Jacob:** Kids smarter than others.

**Marc:** Kids who cannot comprehend as well as others.

**Gabrielle:** Kids who are larger than others.

**Kelly:** Or kids that are smaller than others.

**Dustin:** Kids born with a birth defect. Whether it be physical,

**Amber:** Or mental.

**Laura:** And just because we choose to stand up for them does not make us,

**Ashton: **Terrorist.

**Mary-Jane: **Gay.

**Dakota:** Gothic.

**Jacob:** Nerds.

**Marc:** Idiots.

**Gabrielle:** Fat.

**Kelly:** Anorexic.

**Dustin and Amber:** Retarded.

**Laura:** But because we're here to end it.

**Nathan:** Period.

**Vanessa:** For those who are in need of a shoulder,

**Nicole: **(smiling) I am a friend.

**Jacquelyn:** I am your friend.

**Scarlett:** And I will be there when you need me. Even if I am a fictional character,

**Dakota:** Or a real-life person.

**Mary-Jane:** Because I'm a fighter.

**Chandra:** I am a fighter.

**James:** I am a fighter.

**Jayden:** I am a Bull-Fighter and I will help fight against bullying world-wide.

**Amber:** Because if it stops in your generation, then it makes a better time for our generation.

**Jordan:** And the world becomes a better place.

**Helen:** So become a Bull-Fighter and help stop bullying.

**Scarlett:** So the next time we have a fun fact.

**Damon:** It'll actually be fun.

**Jayden:** Join the fight and let's stop bullying. Because here in Degrassi, for every child or teen that is bullied, there's someone like me.

**Scarlett:** Like me.

**James:** Like me.

**Aaron:** Like me who will stand beside them.

**Marc:** Because I'm a Bull-Fighter.

**Vanessa:** I'm a Bull-Fighter.

**Ashton:** I'm a Bull-Fighter.

**Jayden:** And with your help, we can stop this from happening, one bully at a time.

_Join the pledge and become a Bull-Fighter. Post _**I'm a Bull-Fighter**_ onto your page if you too want to become one._


	10. Episode VIII: Bring Me to Life

**A/N:** It has been a while, but I am back. I still wish that more people would send me what they think instead of just reading, but whatever. So, without further ado, Episode 8 of Like a Record. And please review!

* * *

Episode VIII: Bring Me to Life

Kelly, Shane, and Jordan were currently walking down the sidewalk in front of the school.

"I can't believe that he was jumped." Kelly said. "I mean, who would want to jump A.J? He's virtually invisible."

"I bet it was Damon and/or Nathan." Jordan said. "They're always picking on us and A.J always stands up to them when it comes to Gabrielle."

Shane shrugged. "It could've been practically anyone, really. But I'll find out. And I hope that Scooter or Nathan had something to do with this. I've been itching to-"

"No more fights. Mom would be pissed. Not to mention Dad's double-duty schedule that he'll pin on you." Kelly said.

"True," Shane said. "But if Jordan just so happened to be in trouble…"

"No. I was used for the Dakota thing, remember?" Jordan said. "I'm not your scapegoat, Shane."

"Yes you are. That's why Mom had you." Shane said as the trio made their ways to the front steps where Aaron and Dustin were talking. "Hey A.J, how are you?"

"Better." Aaron said. "Thanks."

"No problem." Shane said. "Remember, if you need anything, just call."

"I will." Aaron said as Shane and Kelly walked up the steps. "You had to tell them."

"You're like family." Jordan said throwing an arm around Aaron's shoulders. "So we have to look after you when your 'older brother' can't."

Aaron nodded as he felt his throat tighten up. His brother _could_ and _wants_ to look after him. But Aaron did not want it.

"Let's go." Aaron said.

* * *

Helen smiled as Jayden continued to whisper things in her ear as he held her against him, her back against his torso.

"Jayden… I have to get my books." Helen said.

"Then answer my question." Jayden replied.

"Hey Jay," Kelly said as she and Shane walked towards him. "Can you help us for a second?"

Jayden looked at the blonde with purple and orange highlights in her hair.

"What can I do?" Jayden asked.

"Well, Jordan's friend A.J was jumped yesterday and we wanted to know if you could help us find out who did it." Kelly said.

"Sure…" Jayden responded, now completely thinking about the situation again. "Anyway, Shane tell you about-"

"Yes!" Kelly interrupted happily. "I think it's a great idea!"

Jayden looked at Shane who merely shrugged.

"Wow." Shane said.

Jayden laughed. "Yeah. Wow."

"Jayden," Helen said. "You're going to have to release me so I can go see Scar."

"Sure." Jayden said releasing Helen. She turned around to face him. "What? Did I do something wrong already?"

"No." Helen said. "In fact, it's because you did what I asked the _first_ time I asked it that troubles me."

Jayden hummed in thought. "Hmm… You're right." Jayden hugged Helen again. "How's that?"

Helen laughed. "Better. Now, let go."

"Hey Shane, hey Jay, and Kelly." Nicole said as she and Jacquelyn walked towards the group. "_So_, are the cheerleading practices going to start today Helen?"

"Yes." Helen said breaking free from Jayden's grip. "That is, if I'm able to make it there without someone towering over me."

"I see." Nicole said glancing at Jayden with a grin.

"Jayden. A.J. Help. Remember?" Kelly asked.

Jacquelyn frowned. "Who is this A.J character?"

"A friend of Jordan's." Shane answered. "He was jumped yesterday and Jordan has asked us to find the guy or guys."

"Well," Jacquelyn said. "If it has anything to do with what I heard Nathan and Scooter-"

"McBride." Jayden muttered.

"Yeah… They were talking about it yesterday after school. Something about he's a chump that doesn't quit and if you two had a problem it'd be messy." Jacquelyn explained.

Jayden walked away from the group angrily causing many confused faces.

"Your boyfriend is weird." Nicole said to Helen. Helen snapped Nicole a fierce glare. "I m-mean… In a cute way."

"Let's go." Helen said before she, Nicole, and Jacquelyn walked off.

Kelly and Shane were left staring at the direction Jayden took off.

"You think he's mad?" Kelly asked.

Shane nodded. "Yep. And now we will see the McDuelle Blackout." Shane sighed. "What a life."

* * *

Dakota looked around the emptied locker room.

"This is the perfect place to skip during first period." Laura said. "Plus, it's away from those two losers, Nathan and Scooter."

"Can't argue with you there." Dakota said sitting on a bench.

Laura sat on a bench opposite of Dakota and revealed a bottle.

"You know," Laura said. "Last year, I knew that there was something off about you. Everyone said that it was because you were just some suicidal chick, but I knew that there was something more. You're filthy stinking rich."

Dakota sighed. "Trust me. It comes with its problems."

"I bet." Laura said. "You got some cups?" Dakota nodded and revealed two red plastic cups. "That's better. Don't want you wasted before class, now do we?"

"Thanks." Dakota said.

"Hey, I'm a friend, remember?" Laura replied. "Now let's drink."

* * *

Helen watched Jayden's pencil tap on his desk impatiently.

"Are you okay?" Helen whispered towards Jayden.

Jayden's pencil stopped. "Slightly angered."

"Why?" Helen asked.

Jayden sighed. "Last week, I told Damon to lay off with those three, Jordan, A.J, and Dustin. And now that he and Nathan haven't-"

"Don't get caught." Helen cut in.

Jayden smiled at Helen. "I won't."

* * *

Kelly could only sigh as she sat in her seat wondering where Dakota was.

"Ms. Mason," Mr. McCall said. "Do you know where your friend, Ms. Nash, is?"

Kelly shook her head. "No."

"That is strange." Mr. McCall said. "I hope she is okay."

"Me too." Kelly replied.

* * *

Mary-Jane looked at Amber. Amber was now casually checking her nails at the time, completely ignoring the teacher. It was not like Amber to miss out on a lesson, but Mary-Jane could completely understand why. The lesson was incredibly _boring_.

"Hey." Mary-Jane said to Amber. Amber hardly gave her friend a glance. "So that movie wasn't so bad. I actually liked it."

"Uh-huh." Amber said.

Mary-Jane frowned. "What's your problem?"

"Nothing." Amber replied. "Just realized what you said."

"What did I say?" Mary-Jane asked.

"Think about it." Amber said.

Mary-Jane chose not to say anything. The only thing she could do was, try and pretend that she did not care at all. But she did care, whether Amber knew it or not. Mary-Jane was beginning to deeply care for James Brooks.

* * *

Scarlett was walking down the halls, running a small errand for the guidance counselor, Mr. Goodwin. She hated doing errands because of her status as student body president, but she did it nonetheless because it gave her a valid reason to skip class.

Currently, she had to hang up a memo on a cafeteria wall. The memo was about the cheerleading tryouts that were to be done later on today. She never really cared about cheerleading, but for the sake of her cousin, she was always doing things for the Spirit Squad.

"I still can't figure out why you're not a cheerleader." Scarlett smiled slightly before turning to see Jayden. "What are you doing?"

"Hanging this up." Scarlett said. "What are you doing?"

"Getting some water." Jayden replied.

Scarlett frowned. "Your class is-"

"I know." Jayden said. "Just trying to calm down a bit." Jayden looked at the poster. "Cheerleading tryouts, huh? Guess that means that Helen won't be free this afternoon."

"And many to follow." Scarlett said.

"Well, I guess that's acceptable." Jayden replied. "Well, I have to get back to class. Hopefully, I'll see you this happy at lunch. Or else."

"Or else, what?" Scarlett asked as Jayden walked off. "Hey! I'm talking to you!"

"And I'm ignoring you." Jayden responded.

Scarlett, despite herself, smiled at his antics. Maybe, she thought, he dating Helen would never change who he truly was. Then again, Helen was Helen. If he could not change himself, Helen surely could.

* * *

The bell had rung for the end of first period. Mary-Jane walked out of her class, still thinking about what Amber had told her. Before the thought slipped her mind, she decided to speak to Amber.

"Amber." Mary-Jane said. Amber stopped and looked at Mary-Jane. "I want to talk to you."

"About?" Amber asked.

"You know about what." Mary-Jane said.

"Look," Amber said. "I know you want James. I get it. But what I don't understand is how you got the notion that _I_ wanted _you_ to take him to the dance for _me_. That doesn't make sense, because I would've wanted him to stay at home while I was out."

Mary-Jane sighed. "This is not how I wanted this to go."

"You're selfish and spoiled and I stick by you because I get you. I get you." Amber said. "But you will not take James that fast. Not without a fair fight. And I know you've never had a fair fight picking on kids like Helen, but I'm not Helen."

"Tell her." Laura said as she and Dakota walked past the two.

"Stay out of this." Mary-Jane said.

Laura stopped. "I'm sorry," Laura looked at Mary-Jane. "You're mad at me because you are chasing after your best friend's man. Oh how much I have _tortured_ poor Amber Clarke."

"Are you drunk?" Mary-Jane asked disgustedly.

"No. But I have had a few ones." Laura said. "Because, if I were drunk, I would be blabbering on and on about things that don't have to do with you. But… Seeing as my good friend wouldn't allow it…" Mary-Jane looked at Dakota. "I am fully aware of the situation. You want James. You tried to steal him while Amber was MIA."

"You don't know what you're talking about and I suggest you keep it that way." Mary-Jane said angrily.

"Ooh. I'm _so scared._" Laura replied. "Tch. You're not worth it. Not now anyway. Just remember one thing, Princess. You're a dirty slut who keeps her legs open twenty-four seven, which is why I find it understandable that you would want to be on top of the pyramid. You're comfortable there."

"Listen here you little whore," Mary-Jane said. "I don't know who you are or what you think you're doing, but you're starting to piss me off. Now I don't care if you have the other girls shaking in their boots, but no one scares Mary-Jane Del Rossi. Not even you."

"Well Princess, if you want a fight, then let's fight." Laura said.

"Hey, Laura," Dakota said. "It's not worth it. Just go to class or somewhere else."

"You're right. Wouldn't want to ruin my hair." Laura said. "But tomorrow, be on the lookout Princess. Or to dumb it down for you preppy overrated dipstick cheerleaders: Watch your back bitch."

With that Laura walked away from Mary-Jane, leaving the older of the two standing with a disbelieving look on her face.

"Laura's right." Amber said, causing Mary-Jane to whip her head around to look at Amber. "You _do_ want James and you did _try_ to steal him from me while I was sick."

"He isn't yours." Mary-Jane said.

Amber glared at Mary-Jane. "I thought so."

Mary-Jane watched Amber walk away with a frown smeared on her face. Out of all the things that she wanted to say to Amber, none of them came out because of Laura. And now she had to deal with this after school during cheerleading tryouts.

"Great." Mary-Jane said.

* * *

Aaron was walking down the hallway alone, against his better judgment. He had been asked several questions about his previous beating and chose to ignore them all. He saw Jayden walking in his direction, but ignored the thought. His brother had not said much to him since their talk yesterday.

That thought was quickly demolished once Jayden nearly dragged Aaron into the nearest restroom.

"Damon and Nathan?" Jayden said.

Aaron blinked. "What are you-"

"Don't lie to me A.J. It was them, wasn't it?" Jayden asked.

Aaron sighed. "Yeah. But please don't-"

"Shut up." Jayden said. "You want to tell me why you didn't say anything earlier? I _hate_ those two and would've _loved_ fighting them with a legit reason."

"You're not going to go find them, are you?" Aaron asked.

"Now," Jayden answered. "You've known me for what, ten years while I've known you all twelve years you were here. I think you should know me by now."

"That's a yes, isn't it?" Aaron questioned.

"You know it is." Jayden replied. "And the next time this happens, don't think I will be that forgiving towards you. Mama and Dad are out here trying to make amends-"

"Get vengeance." Aaron interrupted.

"Well, if I'm correct, you are the child that carries Granddad's name. Honor it or else." Jayden said. "Now, like I was saying, our parents are out trying to make amends and you're doing your best to 'stand alone' or whatever. Hey Stupid, you're number three of seven. Dad is three of nine. You have a large family. Embrace it."

Aaron sighed as Jayden brushed past him and out of the restroom. Things were about to become much worse for him and he knew it.

* * *

"It's not like him to be late." Helen said to Scarlett.

"_Unless_," Scarlett replied. "He's skipping. And knowing J.T, that's a very good excuse."

"Not with me it isn't." Helen said crossing her arms before Jayden walked into the classroom. "About freaking time."

"I had to talk to someone." Jayden said. "But I am here. I would've skipped, but, giving the circumstances that I'm dating you and this is your uncle's class and you're my neighbor, that just didn't end well in my mind."

"Smart." Helen said.

"That's just J.T." Scarlett said.

"No it isn't." Helen said.

Scarlett frowned. "Why so defensive? I've known the guy just as long as you do. I think I know how often he skips classes and I don't have 'love' to blind me and see otherwise."

"I don't-"

"Helen, Scarlett, I'm starting class." Coach Blue said. "Now, as I was saying…"

Scarlett glared at her cousin. "Honestly, grow up."

Helen scoffed. "You first."

Jayden stared at Helen and Scarlett. He had just seen both girls as happy as can be and not even an hour later, they were at each others' necks.

"Tramp." Scarlett muttered.

"Jealous." Helen shot back.

Jayden silently shook his head. It was going to be a _long_ day.

* * *

"She didn't come to first period." Kelly whispered to her brother. "I think something may have happened to her."

"Like what?" Shane responded in a low tone.

Kelly shrugged. "I don't know. I just feel it though."

Shane looked over at Laura and then back at Kelly.

"If Dakota is skipping," Shane said. "Then with who? _We're_ her only friends!"

"I know that." Kelly said staring at Laura. "But I know that she did something. I just do."

"You sound like Mom." Shane said.

"Hey, Laura." Kelly said.

"What are you doing?" Shane whispered.

"What?" Laura asked.

"Have you seen Dakota today?" Kelly asked.

Laura frowned. "No. What do I look like, her keeper? Besides, isn't she your friend?"

"I thought that you two had become friends." Kelly said.

"Maybe we have and maybe we haven't. But I haven't seen her so just leave me alone." Laura said.

Kelly frowned as Laura turned away from her.

"I don't trust her." Kelly whispered to Shane.

"I'll find out." Shane replied. "Just give me an hour or so."

* * *

Jayden looked at Helen's painting on the easel.

"Not to brag," Jayden said. "But I can do better than that."

"Prove it." Helen said before looking at Jayden's painting. "Finish your painting."

"Instead of trying to take his tongue from out of his mouth, maybe you should concentrate on taking some of his talents." Scarlett said.

Helen frowned. "I would if I could. How about you go try it on _your_ boyfriend." Helen gasped. "Oh wait. That's right. You don't have one."

"Tell me something new like how you plan on seducing the next boy." Scarlett said.

"Oh shut up already and get over it." Helen said.

"Get over what?" Scarlett asked.

"You! You're so jealous Scarlett!" Helen said a bit louder than she should have. "You're moping around at home, you're trying to boss people around here in school, and you obvious keep trying to make _me_ look like the bad guy! Well I have news for you. I did what you couldn't! And if you don't like that, bite me!"

"You no-good stupid son of a-"

"Scarlett! Helen! Detention!" Coach Blue said from his desk. "You two act as if you can't stand each other."

"I can't." Helen shot back. "Not while she-"

"I don't want to hear it." Coach Blue said before sighing. "Man that's annoying."

Jayden stared at the two cousins for a moment. Mentally, he felt sick. He had done the cursed and wrong thing by getting in-between them. There was nothing more that he wanted to do than to solve both of their problems at one time. The only problem was fixing one problem meant starting another.

"You're going to miss your cheerleading tryouts." Jayden said quietly to Helen.

"I'm going to miss my cousin." Helen replied. "As much as I hate the place, I will return to Manhattan if this continues."

"Please. Don't. I hate long-distant relationships." Jayden said, gaining a smile from Helen. "Look, if you need to, just come next door. I know that walking may not be your thing, but it's the closest place I think we can meet up out of your house."

"Thanks Jay. I really need that right now." Helen said.

"No one deserves to be alone. Especially not someone's girlfriend." Jayden said with a smile.

* * *

James looked at Amber once more, who gave him a sweet smile and then returned her focus back to her computer screen. He had no clue what had happened in the last twenty-four hours- not even that long- and wondered what was wrong with her. Then again, he would not complain if she was acting normal again, even if normality was now odd.

**StellAmber9822: Loved the movie. We should do it again.**

**KingBrooks1002: Whenever.**

**StellAmber9822: No. Just the 2 of us.**

**KingBrooks1002: Rlly?**

**StellAmber9822: Yea.**

**KingBrooks1002: When?**

**StellAmber9822: Whenever.**

**KingBrooks1002: R u ok?"**

**StellAmber9822: Yes. Y?**

**KingBrooks1002: I heard about u and MJ. Wats up?**

**StellAmber9822: Stupid stuff.**

**KingBrooks1002: Like?**

**StellAmber9822: Nothing.**

**KingBrooks1002: So… Movies…?**

**StellAmber9822: Whenever.**

**KingBrooks1002: Ok.**

James looked at Amber. Once more, she gave him a smile that told him all that he wanted to know. They were back to normal and if not something close enough.

* * *

As the bell for lunch rang, Aaron hurriedly got his things together to go to the cafeteria, lest something happens like yesterday.

"Hey A.J," Jordan said catching up to him. "What's the rush?"

"Nothing. Just caught in my own thoughts, I guess." Aaron replied. "So, how's your day been?"

"Me? I'm fine. How about you?" Jordan asked.

"Good." Aaron said. "I kind of hate going to Media Immersion later on."

"Why?" Jordan said. "I thought you would like that class out of all."

"Yeah, but it's also the class where we have to do the most work in." Aaron said. "The 'gifts' of being 'gifted' remember?"

Jordan shrugged. "Granddad is like that. I'm used to it."

"I bet." Aaron said. Aaron spotted Jayden walking towards them. "Don't look now, but your crush is headed this way."

"Oh my God." Jordan said. "How do I look?"

Aaron shrugged. "The same as always I guess." Jordan slapped Aaron's arm. "Ouch! What was I supposed to say?"

"Hey Jordan. A.J." Jayden said to the two. "Hey, Jordan, if your brother or sister asks where I'm at, tell them I had to go do something for a teacher first, okay?"

"Yeah." Jordan said.

Jayden smiled. "Thanks. In a weird way, I wish you were my younger sister instead of the ones I have now. You're resourceful and I like that. And by the way, thanks for the bail out Saturday. Really came in handy."

"Um… No problem…" Jordan said before Jayden walked off. Jordan sighed. "He likes resourceful people and _I'm_ resourceful. Yes!"

"Let's go Jordan." Aaron said.

* * *

Dakota sat at her usual lunch table where Jacob, Kelly, and Shane were already sitting at.

"Where's Jay?" Dakota asked.

"Who knows? I guess he was the same place you were during first period." Kelly said. Dakota sighed, causing Kelly to frown. "Let me guess. Laura."

"Kelly it's-"

"Don't give me that Dash." Kelly said. "First you're just drinking. Next, you're smoking pot. And before you know it, you're pregnant. That's how it works. If you keep hanging with Laura, that's what's going to happen to you."

"You're overreacting. And I'm not drunk." Dakota said.

"Now." Kelly retorted. "What about tomorrow?"

"Laura's not that bad." Dakota said.

Kelly pointed at Dakota. "She's no good Dash. Stay away from her or she'll drag you down with her."

"Whatever Kelly." Dakota replied.

Nicole and Jacquelyn exchange glances from Scarlett to Helen, neither cousin speaking to or looking at each other.

"So…" Nicole said. "What's going on?"

"Do we really want to know?" Jacquelyn asked.

"Oh come on. Something clearly happened. Helen was so happy during first period and now she's all mad." Nicole said. "Something had to happen, that's all I'm saying."

"You know, I _was_ happy earlier today until _someone_ had to ruin it." Helen said.

"Well that _someone_ might have been doing you a favor by reminding you just _who_ the guy is you're dating." Scarlett replied.

"I don't need help. I don't need reminding. I know Jayden just as long as you do and just because I don't know his stupid middle name doesn't mean that I'm any less suitable to date him than you are." Helen said.

"So this is about Jayden?" Nicole asked.

"No!" Helen and Scarlett snapped at the same time.

"Sorry." Nicole muttered.

"Give it up Scarlett. I win. I can seduce any guy I want to and now that I actually like a guy, you don't have to get all sensitive about it." Helen said.

"Sensitive? Yeah right. You're just not going to admit that I was right from the beginning. You are nothing but what he could scrape up after Jackie and him broke up and I rejected him." Scarlett said.

"Why you -"

"Where is Jayden?" Nicole asked looking at the table where he normally sat in.

"I don't know." Jacquelyn said. "I hope he isn't doing anything stupid."

"He is." Scarlett said.

"Isn't." Helen said. "Doing something stupid meant asking you to a dance."

"Touché. But I've seen him do dumber like when he asked you out." Scarlett shot back.

* * *

Damon's bloodied face connected with the locker once more before he slumped onto the ground.

"Now," Jayden said standing over him. "This is going to be my _last_ time telling you this. Leave those kids alone or else I won't go so easy on you. Understand?" Damon let out a grumble before Jayden kicked the boy against the locker. "I thought so."

Jayden walked out of the locker room and spotted Laura standing with her hands behind her back.

"I knew it." Laura said.

"Not now." Jayden said.

"Come on. You just beat the hell out of Scooter in there. Show me the rest of the anger." Laura said. "Does it piss you off that I openly trash talk your girlfriend? That I got your friend drunk Saturday and today. That I know just-"

Laura was cut off as Jayden's hand stopped inches away from her face.

"Know that my father has told me that real men never strike a woman. So you're lucky." Jayden said lowering his hand. "You lose Laura. I won't hit you. I won't strike you. But Helen? She will. And if you're lucky, you'll live to apologize. Because if she ends up in jail for _attempted _murder, she'll only regret not finishing you off when she had the chance."

"Big words for such a small slut." Laura replied. "I mean, seriously, my breasts pack a stronger punch."

"Then you need to wash them." Jayden said walking away.

Laura smiled. "That hurt." Jayden did not respond as he continued walking on. "Go on and run Jayden McDuelle! But I don't lose! Ever!"

Once Jayden had disappeared out of the doors, Laura decided to go check in on her "friend" in the locker room. She walked in to see the benches spread across the floor haphazardly and Damon lying on the ground near some lockers. Damon was clutching his stomach area and his lips and nose were bleeding badly.

Laura sat on a bench and crossed her legs, staring down at Damon.

"You know what really sucks about this?" Laura said. "I won't verify that Jayden was even down here to do this. So even if you say it, no one will believe you."

"Ugh… Shut up Laura." Damon said.

Laura shrugged. "No point in getting mad at me. I didn't do this to you."

"How'd he know I was here?" Damon asked as he tried to sit up fruitlessly.

"I don't know." Laura said. "Have you seen your butt-buddy Nathan? Sure he had something to do with it."

"Why does he care for the kid so damn much?" Damon questioned, now sitting against the locker. "I swear to God that when I'm back to normal I'll-"

"Come on. You're record against Jayden isn't one I would brag about. Hell, I wouldn't even _mention_ it." Laura interrupted. "However, I have learn that a sore heals in time. Cancer, however, worsens if not treated."

"What are you talking about?" Damon asked.

"You just sit there and look pretty. I'll handle Jayden." Laura said. "Because I am cancer, Scooter. The incurable, unsafe, unfriendly cancer and I will do the one thing no one seems to do. Show the world the true Jayden McDuelle."

"Good luck." Damon said. "He'd toss you aside like the small whore you are."

Laura frowned before standing up. She stepped towards Damon and looked down on him before smiling. Damon returned the smile before the two ended up laughing. Laura extended a hand, pulling Damon up to his feet. She then punched him in the face and followed it with a blunt kick to his groin, sending him back to the ground.

"Remember who you're talking to." Laura said. "Clean yourself up before someone finds you here. You're a pathetic site."

Laura walked out of the locker room leaving Damon on the ground clutching his sore area.

* * *

Chandra scoffed. "Ashton Manning is a loser."

"Why's that?" Aaron replied.

"Earlier today," Chandra explained. "I was late getting to class and he has the _nerve_ to try to ask me about _Jordan_."

"Me?" Jordan asked.

"Looks like someone has a secret admirer." Dustin said.

"If he were a secret admirer, wouldn't that mean that Jordan has no clue about it?" Chandra asked.

"Well… Not necessarily." Dustin answered.

"You're hopeless." Chandra said.

"Bambi," Aaron said. "I think you're just angry for whatever the reason may be. I don't think it necessarily has to do with Jordan or Ashton."

Chandra sighed. "You're right. It's that stupid project for Media Immersion. I haven't thought anything for my presentation."

"I know what you mean." Dustin said. "Everyone keeps on doing it on some musician or star. I want to do it on someone else."

"Scarlett?" Jordan, Chandra, and Aaron said in union.

Dustin crossed his arms. "Losers."

"Seriously, I think that…" Chandra paused once she saw Jayden walk into the cafeteria. "Sorry! Gotta go!"

Chandra stood up and made her way across the cafeteria to the boy of her affection.

"I can't believe her." Jordan said. "The boy has a girlfriend and she _still_ tries! What is the world coming to?"

"One beat down from one Helen Coyne to one Chandra Torres." Aaron answered.

"Hey Jay!" Chandra said happily. "I haven't seen you around lately. I mean, I have, but you're not really saying much."

"Bambi, are you okay?" Jayden asked.

"Perfect!" Chandra said with a smile.

"Uh… Um, I have to get over here to Helen." Jayden said. "See you around."

"Sure." Chandra replied. "And remember your promise."

"I remember." Jayden said as he walked away. "God, why do I have to make everyone happy?"

Helen frowned at Jayden. "And where have you been?"

"You're mad at Scarlett, I presume." Jayden said sitting beside Helen.

"What gave it away?" Helen asked.

"Because normally," Jayden replied. "You wouldn't care. Just as long as I was there. So what have you two been arguing about now?"

"They-"

"Nothing." Scarlett said cutting Nicole off. "Just petty things."

Jayden frowned. "Earlier it sounded like you were arguing over me and I'm not petty. All the time."

"You're _never_ petty." Helen said. "I don't do petty."

"With all due respect, Helen. You haven't _done_ me yet either." Jayden said with a smirk.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Scarlett said.

"Jay! That was _really_ perverted!" Nicole exclaimed.

Jayden shrugged. "Sue me."

"Hey Jayden," Shane said standing behind him now. "Have you seen Nathan or Scooter around here? I've been searching and searching and nothing."

"Try the locker room. I think Damon should be getting up any moment now." Jayden said.

Helen glared at Jayden. "You didn't." Jayden nodded. "Jayden. You know that if he tells you're suspended, off the track team, off the basketball team, _and_ your mom will never trust you with her car until Christmas."

"Small price to pay in order for him to take me seriously. Lay off of the kids." Jayden said. "And as for him snitching, I doubt it. Even if Laura-"

"Laura?" Helen interrupted.

"Yeah, she was just listening to it, I guess." Jayden said. "I told her that if you got arrested for attempted murder, you'd never live it down that you didn't kill her."

Helen leaned on Jayden. "In your own weird way, that's actually sweet of you."

"Correction. In _your_ own weird way, that is the truth." Jayden responded before kissing Helen. "But, of course you know I wouldn't let her bad talk you while in my presence."

"I know you wouldn't." Helen said.

"When you're done playing tongue wrestling with Helen," Shane said. "Come over to the table to tell me just exactly how that went down."

"No problem." Jayden replied before Shane walked away.

"Did you really just beat Scooter down?" Nicole asked.

Jayden looked at Nicole. "Yes I did. Would I ever lie about something like that?"

"Just glad you didn't get caught." Helen said.

"Me too." Jayden said. "And hopefully, he and Nathan will learn that this year, they don't get so many strikes with me."

"Glad that you're here to save the day or whatever." Scarlett said.

"Whenever you call, I'm there." Jayden replied. "That's just who I am. Jayden McDuelle."

"Jayden T. McDuelle." Scarlett responded with a smirk.

"I'm so killing Danni when she returns for that." Jayden said.

* * *

Manny sat down on her couch and sighed heavily. She had just spent the last few hours talking to her agent about a movie offer. Ultimately, she rejected it because she still wanted to spend time with her family. She was a mother after all.

"Hey," Maxwell said walking into the entertainment room. "I thought you'd be out with Emma."

"She's at work, I think." Manny said before looking at her husband. "What are you doing here so early?"

"Did you forget that I'm my own boss? I can do that to make my wife happy." Maxwell said before leaning in and kissing Manny. "Are you happy yet?"

"Content. Not happy." Manny said with a smile. "Now if you could just-" Manny was interrupted by the phone. "Oh give me a break." Maxwell laughed as Manny answered the phone. "Hello."

"Hi Mama!" the mature, yet extremely happy, voice of Danica McDuelle said. "How are you?"

"Danni? What- Where-" Manny paused. "Just when did you decide that you were going to call me and tell me that you were alright?"

"Hmm, I'd say the same time you and Dad decided to call and tell me that you were _moving_ to _Toronto_." Danica replied.

"Danni don't get sassy." Manny said.

Danica giggled. "I'm playing Mama. But, Grandma is like really pissed at Deion right now. She got suspended from her school for fighting."

"Well, her mother is the twin of your father. I can see where she gets it from." Manny said. "So where are you?"

"You know that phrase, when in Rome?" Danica said. "Well, I'm not in Rome, but I'm in Italy. I'm at the villa."

"You don't have any boys over there, do you?" Manny asked. "If you do, you know your dad will find out and he will not be happy."

"None if you don't count Scott." Danica answered. Manny gave a relieved sigh. "Oh come on. Am I _that_ promiscuous?"

"You were engaged to a boy you had known for three days. I think that's a yes." Manny said.

"Sure beats your story with Dad." Danica said, causing Manny to frown. "But, I still think you and Dad have the best love story ever. I swear."

"Yeah, yeah." Manny said. "What did you want Danni? Call to put wrinkles and grays in my head?"

"Nope! I'm coming down there for a few weeks." Danica replied happily. "I thought about just moving there, but it gets cold in Toronto and I like my sunny house in L.A."

"You mean _my_ house?" Manny questioned.

"Your house, my house, tomato, tomata." Danica said. "So, is that cool? Do you think you have time to baby your oldest daughter?"

"For you," Manny said. "I have all the time in the world."

"And that's why you're the greatest mother in the entire universe." Danica said, gaining a laugh from Manny. "I'll be there in like two days, I swear. I have to fly home and get a change of clothes. I'm sure Jay or A.J has perverted friends that would die if they saw me in my bikinis."

"Did you pack anything _other_ than bikinis to Italy?" Manny asked.

"Hmm… Two pairs of shorts and a few tank tops. So basically, no." Danica said. "But then again, Sophie, Scott, and I just wanted to relax. Scott went out to try and score him a Roman or Italian or whatever, and Sophie and I just sun bathed in the privacy of my own backyard. Or Dad's." Danica paused. "Speaking of which, is he around or is he at work?"

"He's right here." Manny said before extending the phone towards Maxwell. "Please. Talk to your talkative daughter."

Maxwell laughed. "Hey Danni."

"Daddy!" Danica said happily. "How are you? Renée and Jenée haven't driven you insane have they? If they did, I'll take care of it when I get there."

"No they haven't. Besides, together they can only put me through _half_ the things you did." Maxwell replied. "So, you're in Venice, huh? How'd you enjoy your private trip?"

"Perfect. Even Julie didn't screw this up." Danica said. "Speaking of which, the Coopers and Cohens and etcetera wants to know when we can get together again. I said I'd have to check in with you because I can't really make plans for the family."

Maxwell sighed. "That's a good one. I don't know really." Maxwell paused. "Say… You said that you were there with Scott. Anyone else?"

"Sophie. That's it." Danica replied. "But, I get it. The daughter that slept with a boy on her sixteenth birthday, still grounded I guess. No one takes into account that she's _twenty _and old enough to do a lot of things on her own."

"To me, you'll always be my little girl and not old enough to do _everything_ on your own." Maxwell responded. "And yes. You are still grounded for your sixteenth birthday. Not because of what you did, but because of who you did it with."

"He was a loser, wasn't he?" Danica questioned. "Oh well. I have to get going if I want to make this plane. See you in two days Dad."

"Okay, I'll see you then Danni." Maxwell said. "And could you do me a favor and call your aunt for me? I was overlooking some figures and-"

"Whoa, you're losing me with that Wall Street lingo again. I speak English." Danica interrupted.

Maxwell laughed. "Yeah, you still are my little girl. Get your English-speaking butt here as soon as you can, alright?"

"Sure Daddy. Anything for you and Mama." Danica said.

"Bye Danni." Maxwell said.

"Bye." Danica said before hanging up.

Maxwell sighed. "You know, twenty years ago, you said that you were pregnant and I was happy."

"Now?" Manny asked.

"I should've run as far away as I could so that child couldn't put me through what she did." Maxwell said before sitting beside Manny. "But, for some odd reason, I feel that it was worth the pain."

"Really? Why?" Manny questioned.

"Because I kept you in the process." Maxwell answered. "And if that means raising seven children and dealing with your dad's mood swings, then I say bring it on."

"Max… I think you want something." Manny said standing up. "And I thought I should tell you, I'm not going to do it."

Maxwell frowned. "Do what exactly?"

"Correction. I'm not going to _give_ it up." Manny said sultrily. "You're going to have to come and get it. And I suggest you do it before we have to go get the twins and Christian."

Maxwell raised an eyebrow. "Since I ran track, I'll give you a ten second head start."

Manny giggled before darting out of the room. Maxwell smiled before looking up at the ceiling. Saying a silent thanks to his deceased father, he stood up and made a beeline after his wife.

* * *

The final bell finally rang, giving many students the relief they have been looking for all day long.

"What is your problem?" Chandra asked Ashton.

"Bambi maybe you-"

"Shut it A.J." Chandra snapped back. "This guy has been pissing me off all day long."

"Look," Ashton said. "I asked you a simple question. Is it my fault that some people look better than you?"

"Really? You think I'm that stupid?" Chandra said. "You're just seriously annoying and _nothing_ like your brother."

"That's right. How could I be like the 'perfect' son?" Ashton replied. "God I hate you people so much."

"You people?" Chandra asked.

"You and everyone else that thinks that Steven is without problems." Ashton answered. Ashton opened his locker, causing a container of pills to spill into the hallway. "What the…?"

"So you are on your period." Chandra said picking the bottle up. "These aren't prescribed to you."

"I don't know where they're from." Ashton said.

"What's the meaning of this?" Toby asked walking to the group. He took the bottle from Chandra's hand. "Are these yours Chandra?"

"No. But I know where they came from." Chandra said glaring at Ashton.

"Is this true Ashton?" Toby asked his nephew.

"They were in my locker, but I swear, I didn't put them there." Ashton said.

"You're right. I did." Chandra responded rhetorically. "This is probably why you've been so annoying all day."

"Ashton, come with me." Toby said before leading Ashton away.

"You don't think that they're his, do you?" Aaron asked Chandra.

Chandra scoffed. "Who else could they be? Yours?"

"I don't take pills." Aaron replied. "Come on Bambi. We're going to meet Brie, Dustin, and Jordan at the Dot."

"Sure." Chandra said.

* * *

Kelly stood in front of Dakota.

"What now Kelly?" Dakota asked. "You've already made me feel worse about myself in the last two hours. Is there something you forgot?"

"Dash, I'm your friend and I just want to help." Kelly said. "Please. Stay away from Laura. She's bad news."

"Seriously, she's not that bad." Dakota said. "And I'm late. My mom does need help at home."

Kelly sighed. "Okay Dash. Call me later on."

"Sure." Dakota replied as she walked past Kelly.

Kelly shook her head. "And that's how it happens."

* * *

Helen and Scarlett looked at the time on the clock on the wall. The two were currently sitting in detention with Marco.

"Alright you two, you can go." Marco said. "I don't know what was said, but please keep it at home."

"Yeah, yeah." Helen said as she stood up to leave.

"Excuse her. She's a bit moody." Scarlett replied as she stood up to leave as well. "This will be the last time I'm here. Promise."

Marco grinned. "I believe you."

Scarlett and Helen walked out of the classroom, neither speaking to one another.

"I missed the meeting." Helen said looking at the time on her cell phone. "Thanks a lot, _cousin_."

"You're welcome." Scarlett responded.

"I know this may be the _worst_ possible time for me to interject," Jayden said leaning against the lockers. "But your mother, Scarlett, told me to drive you two home because she didn't want to hear your arguing on the way home."

"I'll catch the bus." Scarlett said.

"No Scarlett. Ride with us." Jayden replied. "I have to talk to you." Scarlett and Helen frowned at Jayden. "Both of you."

"I'm listening." Scarlett said crossing her arms.

"It took me approximately ten minutes to get it out of Nicky and nine of those ten minutes, she was talking." Jayden said. "I don't know how much of what she said is true. I don't know if you are truly that mad Scarlett that Helen proved you wrong. I don't know if Helen is really rubbing it in your face that she and I are dating."

"More like shoving it in my face." Scarlett muttered.

"Either way," Jayden said. "I thought that it might be important that you hear _my_ part. Sure, Scarlett, I asked you to the dance first. But that doesn't make Helen second-best to you or not. I just thought I'd have a better chance getting a yes from you than her." Scarlett opened her mouth. "I'm not calling you easy. I just know both of you and that made sense to me, and apparently everyone else when I told them."

"So what are you saying?" Helen asked.

Jayden grinned. "What I'm saying is, I wasn't expecting to fall for my date. I was looking for a friend to go to the dance with. But you Helen and your godforsaken stubbornness were going to prove your cousin and me wrong."

"J.T, I don't think you understand what's going on here." Scarlett said.

"Oh I do." Jayden said. "It's not that hard to see. And if it is, you both were shouting it in my ear for the last week now, so what's not seen is heard." Jayden sighed. "Scarlett, we are friends. In fact, we are good friends and you are the cousin and best friend of my girlfriend. If you can't accept that, then that's on you. But don't make Helen feel as if she was my back-up plan, because she wasn't."

"And for me?" Helen asked.

"Don't rub it in her face. Some things are not worth it." Jayden answered. "You won the bet, but you don't have to collect on your reward. Can't I be your consolidation prize?"

Helen sighed before smiling. "I guess so. Though, making her saying that she was wrong would've been better."

"I bet. But hearing you say that you were thinking about going to Manhattan because of that just got me thinking that you two wouldn't know how to live without each other." Jayden said.

"Yes we do." Helen and Scarlett said in unison.

Jayden laughed. "See what I mean? You're two of a kind and the world spins smoothly when you're picking on Kelly's clothing instead of ringing each other's necks."

"He's got a point." Scarlett said. "So, forgive me?"

"I guess." Helen said. "Just as long as you can keep your snide comments and grubby fingers off of the _only_ thing that I have that you don't and we'll be fine."

"Sure." Scarlett said walking down the hall. "Though I saw him first."

"Why-" Helen was silenced by a kiss from Jayden.

"Consolidation prize, remember?" Jayden said taking her hand. "Let's go."

"Shotgun." Scarlett said, gaining a laugh from Jayden and a glare from Helen.

"You did not just call shotgun." Helen said.

Scarlett shrugged. "Guess I didn't. Have fun riding in the back, cousin."


	11. Episode IX: Feel Good Inc

Episode IX: Feel Good Inc.

Ashley Manning stared at her stepbrother before looking at her youngest son.

"Is he telling the truth?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah but they're not mine. I don't even know how they got there." Ashton said.

Ashley sighed. "Toby, what do you think?"

"I don't know what to think." Toby said. "I just saw them sprayed out in the halls and from what I can gather, they fell from his locker." Toby could see Ashley's feature settle into a thinking frown. "Is something wrong Ash?"

"He has been acting odd lately." Ashley said her eyes now closed. "Do you think that's what it is?"

"What? You can't-"

"Ashton, be quiet." Ashley interrupted. Ashley looked at Toby. "Do you think that that could cause that Toby? Be honest with me."

"I'm not sure." Toby said. "But I'll look into it."

"Thanks." Ashley said. "Craig leaving for this little tour has become a lot more burdensome than it's worth."

"I understand." Toby responded rising from the armchair he sat in. "I've got to go now. You want me to take Ashton and Steven to school?"

"Just Ashton. Steven gets a ride from James." Ashley said. "And if you find out _anything_ call me."

"I will." Toby said. "Come on Ashton."

* * *

"I don't know. I thought that he and Jackie might've had something, but they don't." Nicole said to Helen and Scarlett as she and Helen stood near Scarlett's locker and Scarlett picked her morning books. "What do you think?"

"Go for it." Helen said. "Can't be as bad as you think."

"Seriously? Because I don't want Jackie to think-"

"Nicky," Scarlett interrupted. "Do it or I'll do it for you. Anything just to get you to shut up in the mornings."

"But… You and Shane are _good_ friends. If I trusted you to talk to him, who's to say that you _won't_ take him for yourself?" Nicole asked.

Scarlett grabbed her last notebook for the morning and closed her locker, giving Nicole a glare in the process.

"Why does everyone think that he and I still like each other? Sure, he's my friend but that's only because I've known him since I was _five_." Scarlett said. "If I really want him, I would go to his mother's house, get access to his room from said mother, and do it there. And if I did that, there would be absolutely nothing you could do."

"She's got a point. Mrs. Cameron simply adores Scar." Helen said with a shrug.

Nicole sighed. "Well, if it's okay with you Scarlett, I guess I'll do it."

"Good." Scarlett said. "Now I'm off to prepare the stupid announcements although nothing important is happening this week."

"I'm sure something will come up." Helen replied. "See you in Art."

"Unfortunately." Scarlett said walking away.

Nicole frowned. "So, you two are friends again?"

"Never stopped." Helen said walking down the hall. Nicole followed her quickly. "And she does make a strong point. Two if you count the fact that she and Plain Shane don't care for each other like that anymore. But, you should do it before some girl gets a claim on him. Namely Jackie."

"Right." Nicole said.

* * *

"Hey." Steven said to Amber. "You've been avoiding everyone lately."

"Not everyone." Amber said. "Mary and I are just having a small problem."

"So I heard. I can't believe that there is a day where you two would not be walking side-by-side." Steven replied with a smile.

"Well, there will be more." Amber said closing her locker. "Yesterday at the cheerleading tryouts, Helen wasn't there so I had to step in for temp co-captain." Amber sighed. "Ugh. It was horrible. We didn't agree on _anything_."

"Can I get the reason why you two aren't friends?" Steven asked.

"We're still friends, in Mary-Jane's definition of the word." Amber answered. "But, it's just a stupid reason to fight over. That's why she won't admit that she's wrong."

"Sure." Steven said before the bell rang. "Well, I have to go to gym. See you at lunch."

"Yeah." Amber said before Steven walked off.

* * *

Kelly watched Mr. McBride call the roll.

"Dakota?" Mr. McBride said looking up to see her empty desk. "I guess she must have the-" Dakota walked into the classroom. "Ah, there you are."

"Sorry Mr. McBride." Dakota said. "I overslept."

"That's okay." Mr. McBride said. "Glad to have you back."

Dakota gave a small grin as she sat in her seat. Kelly eyed her friend carefully. Dakota looked absolutely _horrible_. Her eyes had bags under them they could probably be seen down the hall if one tried. Her hair was in a messy ponytail, unlike the way Dakota's nearly flawlessly combed-out hair usually is.

"Are you okay?" Kelly whispered to Dakota.

Dakota glanced at Kelly. "It's what you want, right?"

"Kelly Mason." Mr. McBride said reading the roll. "Already chatting with Dakota, so here and accounted for."

Kelly ignored her teacher's antics and continued her conversation with Dakota.

"What do you mean?" Kelly asked.

"Well," Dakota said. "This is called a semi-withdrawal." Kelly's eyes noticeably widened. "I threw-up twice already- no I'm not pregnant- and I have the worst headache ever. All of this because I can't have what I need."

"You don't need whatever Laura is giving you." Kelly said. "Trust me."

"Why should I trust someone who has _never_ had it?" Dakota asked angrily. "Besides, it's just like you to make people miserable. I guess it keeps your mind off of those _ridiculous_ outfits you put on."

Kelly was seconds away from snapping back, but held her tongue because her father had explained to her that when someone goes through withdrawals, they tend to be out of their normal character. If she were to argue, it would just push Dakota right back to wherever she came from.

"Sure Dash." Kelly said. "I hope you see that I'm right."

"Yeah right." Dakota muttered.

* * *

"…That's the morning announcements and I hope you have a wonderful day." Scarlett said ending the announcements. As soon as the camera was off, she dropped her painful smile. "My jaws hurt…"

"You do such a good job though." Mr. Simpson said.

Scarlett shrugged. "It's in my genes. I can't really help it that I have the perfect face to put on TV."

Mr. Simpson laughed. "I believe you Scarlett."

"I don't believe you." Scarlett said standing up from her seat.

"Believe what you want," Mr. Simpson said handing Scarlett her usual note, though it was now not needed. "Have a nice day Scarlett."

"I will." Scarlett said taking the note.

Scarlett left the office and began walking towards her first period class.

"Hey. Scarlett." Scarlett gave a heavy sigh as she watched Chandra walk towards her. "Can I talk to you?"

"You're already doing it." Scarlett muttered. Chandra stopped in front of Scarlett. "What do you want to talk about, Bambi?"

"Jayden." Chandra answered with confidence. "I want him. I want him away from Helen. May you help me?"

"Uh, no." Scarlett replied. "First off, J.T and Helen are two good friends of mine, not to mention that Helen is my cousin. First cousin at that. That, plus he lives next door to me-"

"He does? Where?" Chandra asked.

Scarlett placed a hand on Chandra's shoulder.

"Listen, Bambi, it is quite okay to have a crush on someone but going after a taken man is not the way you want to go." Scarlett said. "Talk to someone else, preferably someone your own age."

"If you're not going to help me," Chandra said. "Then I'll just have to do it myself."

"Good luck. You're going to need it when Helen gets a hold of you." Scarlett said before walking off.

Chandra crossed her arms. "J.D, huh? I'll make him mine one way or another."

* * *

"Just how did I get paired up with you?" Helen asked glaring at Jayden.

"I ask myself that same question every night now," Jayden replied. "Still, no answer has come to me."

"Whatever." Helen said looking at the paper. "And our topic just happens to be math and fame. How in the world do we associate something as useless as Algebra II with paparazzi?"

"Oh that's easy." Jayden said. "If Jayden shoots two cameramen every day for three months, how many people _won't_ get a shot of his mother and father?"

Helen smiled. "That's not quite right, but nice try."

"Let me ask you this," Jayden said. "Have you and Scarlett patched things up?"

Helen nodded. "Yeah. I guess when you tell her to back off it means a lot more than when it comes from me."

"I wonder why." Jayden said. Helen glared at him. "No, I'm serious. I wonder why she would listen to me over you. You have access to her while she's sleeping."

"I'm not that cruel." Helen said. "Now, shut up and help me think of something."

"Don't you mean, shut up and think for me?" Jayden replied with a smirk.

"You are so freaking annoying." Helen said before smiling. "And somehow, that is just-"

"Hot. I know." Jayden interrupted.

* * *

Mary-Jane watched as Amber rested her head on her desk while their substitute teacher lazily flipped through a novel at the desk.

"So what movie are you two seeing?" Mary-Jane voiced quietly.

Amber sat up. "I don't know yet. We haven't decided."

"Oh." Mary-Jane said.

"You know," Amber said. "You're right. I don't own James. So if you want him, go after him."

"Amber I-"

"No. Like I said. You were right." Amber interrupted. "So take what you want. It's what you do anyway. Don't hold out on my account."

Mary-Jane knew what Amber was really doing and chose not to respond to her lest another argument ensues.

"Thanks." Mary-Jane said.

"Don't mention it." Amber said returning to her former position. "Ever."

* * *

After the bell to end first period rang, Dakota rushed out of her class to make a beeline towards the bathroom. Kelly followed her friend worriedly only to hear Dakota retching in a closed stall.

"Are… Are you okay?" Kelly asked.

"What does it sound like? I'm peachy!" Dakota replied before flushing the stool. "Uh…"

Kelly watched Dakota walk out of the stall.

"Dash," Kelly said. "I think you might need some serious help. Like, serious help."

"No I don't." Dakota said. "I'm going to prove a point to you and then I'm going to go do whatever I want afterwards. But first, one thing at a time."

"If you say so." Kelly responded.

* * *

"Helen, maybe you should talk to her softly." Scarlett said standing beside her seething cousin, who stood in front of Chandra.

"Let me see if I get this straight," Helen said to Chandra. "You just walked up to me telling me that you're going to attempt to steal Jayden from me."

"I'm gong to class." Scarlett said. "I'm not witnessing this."

Scarlett walked away from the two leaving Helen to glare at Chandra.

"Look, I know that you and J.D may have some strong connection and all," Chandra said, gaining a frown from Helen. "But that's because we haven't talked yet. Give me a moment or two and I can show him what's better than you."

"Yeah. And I'm the queen of Sparta." Helen said. "Stay away from him."

Chandra smirked. "I get it. You're scared of a little competition."

"Compe- No! I'm just really annoyed by you." Helen responded. "Stay away from _me_." Helen sighed. "I have to get to class before _my boyfriend_ worries. You can understand, right?"

"Soon I will. J.D will be mine." Chandra said walking away.

Helen grunted. "It's freaking J.T!"

* * *

Ashton sat at his desk in his science class.

"Today," Mr. Chambers said. "We're going to be using some acids in the lab today, so please get out your gloves, aprons, and goggles."

"Hopefully they won't give some people a buzz." Chandra muttered low enough to avoid the teacher's ears, but loud enough for Ashton to hear her.

"What are you talking about?" Vanessa, Chandra's lab partner, asked.

"Ashton had several pills in his locker." Chandra explained. "He pops pills."

Vanessa frowned. "Are you sure? He doesn't act like someone who pops pills."

"I know so. I saw them with my own two eyes." Chandra said. "And if you don't believe me, talk to honest A.J. He was there as well."

"I guess you don't know the people you think you do anymore." Vanessa said.

"Nope," Chandra replied. "Because they have secrets like that. Shame."

* * *

Laura sat down in her seat with an angry plop and a sigh. Her eyes cut in the direction of Shane and Kelly.

"Uh-oh." Shane said.

"I bet it's because of Dash." Kelly responded. "I told Dash to stop hanging around Laura and now she's alone. Again."

"I bet it's not." Shane said.

"It is. I know it is." Kelly said.

"Hey, Kelly," Laura said gaining the attention of Shane and Kelly. "Nice talk to Dash, by the way. I hear she is now trying to 'better' herself."

"Yeah. I have to take her away from losers like you." Kelly said.

Laura snorted in laughter. "Good luck with that girl scout."

"What's your problem? Why do you want to make Dash like you?" Kelly asked.

"I'm not. I'm just taking what is given to me and helping a friend." Laura replied. "And in the end, that's what she'll see and that's all that matters."

"Whatever." Kelly said.

* * *

"I'm sorry, bring that by me one more time." Jayden said.

"Bambi has it in for you J.T." Scarlett replied. "Simple as that."

"How is that simple? And why me?" Jayden asked.

Helen shrugged. "I don't know. And she kept calling you J.D."

"J… D…? Who is that?" Jayden said. "Scratch that, just why didn't either of you come to me?"

"Because you give her false hope." Helen said. "Then she'll have this thought of me and you breaking up and her snatching you up on the rebound."

"Therefore," Scarlett said. "We make everyone happy by spacing you and Bambi and dealing with it ourselves."

"Yeah, but that never ends well." Jayden replied. "You'll scare the poor girl."

"Poor girl? Yeah right. She's old enough to know what she's doing." Helen said. "And if-"

"No Helen. We will not fight the newbie." Scarlett said. "Besides, we both know what J.T- J.D I meant- will do." Jayden frowned, gaining a smile from Scarlett. "Oh come on, that's funny."

"No it's not." Jayden said. "I hate my middle name, let alone having someone mess it up."

"What is it, by the way?" Helen asked.

Jayden shrugged. "Don't know. And I'm not telling."

"Please." Helen said sliding towards Jayden. "You know I can keep a secret. I kept the last one…"

Jayden's eyes narrowed. "If I learn anything from this, it's that Helen Sinclair-Coyne can seduce _any_ man she puts her mind to. But," Jayden leaned into Helen's ear. "It's Tyrone."

"Oh. That's not that bad." Helen said sitting up. "I thought it would be something like Tiberius."

"You'd be surprise when I say that my mother suggested it." Jayden replied. "It was to honor her dead friend or something. Not fair if you ask me."

"I bet you'd say that." Helen said. "Then again, everyone wants to be their own person, right?"

"Not necessarily, but I guess." Jayden said.

"For once, agree with me." Helen said.

Jayden smiled. "Sure Helen."

* * *

James shrugged. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Steven asked. "They're around you every second of the day now. Surely you could tell me what's going on."

"It's not that simple." James said with a sigh. "Whatever is going on between Mary-Jane and Amber, they don't _want_ me to know."

"Come on. Is it that hard to see?" Steven replied. James shook his head. "I thought so. So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know." James said. "Me and Amber, we're close, you know? But Mary-Jane is… She's addictive man. She's like… Like…"

"A drug also known as Mary Jane?" Steven suggested.

"Yes! That's it!" James said.

"What's 'it' Mr. Brooks?" Toby asked.

"Um, nothing. Sorry about that." James answered.

"No problem." Toby said. "I'll just have to continue my lesson. All over again."

This gained a collective groan from the class.

* * *

The bell rang for lunch and Jayden had figured that today would go by faster if he did everything he needed to do before socializing. This proved to be a fault as he stopped by his locker and was first joined by Laura.

"So," Laura said. "Scooter looks good, wouldn't you say?"

"Don't know what you're talking about." Jayden replied.

"Sure you don't." Laura said. "Remember, Jayden, you will crack soon. And when you do, I'll be there."

Jayden stared at the girl. "What in that deranged mind of yours makes you believe that _I_ would _ever_ want to be with you?"

"I forget," Laura said. "You want commitment."

"Or something close to it." Jayden said. "So how about you go find someone a little bit easier and a _lot_ more desperate to sleep with tonight and I'll send my condolences?"

"That hurt." Laura said with a mock pout. "First you hurt my pride, then you'll hurt my heart, and finally, finally you'll hurt me. Soon."

"Just stay away from Dash." Jayden replied.

Laura shrugged. "Deal. But, don't get mad at mewhen _she_ comes to _me_, understood?"

"You sell Dash too short." Jayden answered.

"No." Laura said. "You just have too much expectations of one screw-up. I'm a freak. She's a freak. Hell, you're a freak, you just won't show it."

"Freak? Is that what you call yourself nowadays?" Jayden said with a slight smirk. "I guess that is a step up from what they used to call you. Slut. Whore. Etcetera."

"If that's how you're going to be," Laura said. "Then I guess I'll just have to turn my attentions to proving myself right and you wrong."

"Good-" Jayden was cut off as Laura slapped the books out of his locker. He glared at her as she gave him a smirk and walked away. "Luck."

Jayden sighed as he knelt to pick the books and papers up. He decided to let it go, seeing as she seemed to purposely swat the text books and not any of his notebooks of folders that would have made a sea of papers in the hall.

"Let me help." Chandra said handing Jayden the last book. "I guess some people just have a problem with respecting other's property."

"So it seems…" Jayden said as he went back to his locker.

"I um," Chandra said stepping beside him. "I wanted to talk to you."

"About?" Jayden questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Well… Not trying to start anything, but I wanted to talk about us." Jayden's face showed a bit of his disapproval, prompting Chandra to continue. "I mean, I know that you are like three years older than me and you have a girlfriend, but, I'm not ugly, am I?"

"No." Jayden said with a frown. "Who told you that?"

"Just something Helen told me earlier." Chandra responded nonchalantly. "I usually don't mind about what people say, but I am a bit self-conscious about my looks. Especially when I'm around someone I like…"

"Bambi," Jayden said closing his locker. "Let me be honest with you, okay? There is nothing, and I do mean _nothing,_ wrong with the way you look. If you let people get to you like that, then it's all up here." Jayden tapped her gently on her forehead with his index finger. "That being said, I'm not shallow. Never have been and never will be. If you ever want a ray of a chance with me, you'd better learn something else about yourself than good looks."

"Well, I've always wanted to become a cheerleader or a dancer." Chandra replied.

"Go for that first and then we'll see just how special you are." Jayden said. "Who knows what ten years in the future will look like?"

Jayden walked away from Chandra, leaving her grinning happily. She squealed before making a beeline towards the cafeteria.

* * *

Jacob frowned quizzically. "Are you okay Dakota?"

"Fine." Dakota said as she stared at the table, running her fingers through her head. "I just have a severe headache, that's all."

Shane looked at his sister, knowing that someway, somehow, this was Kelly's doing. And from the look Kelly was giving Dakota, he was certain of it.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Jacob asked.

"I said I'm fine." Dakota nearly snapped back. "Just, be quiet for a second. My head is pounding."

"Okay." Jacob said pushing his glasses up.

"Well," Shane said. "This is weird."

"What?" Kelly asked.

"Dakota pissed. You're pissed. Something had to happen." Shane answered.

"Nothing happened." Kelly said.

Dakota sat up, her tired brown eyes glared at Kelly.

"_Nothing_ happened? Really?" Dakota said. "The only thing that I had control of, _you_ took away from me."

"You're not in control when you're drunk Dash. Duh." Kelly said.

"Ugh. You're impossible to deal with." Dakota replied. "Maybe that's why your _real_ parents couldn't stand you."

There was an unsettling silence at the table. Shane looked over at Kelly who was scratching her nails into the table.

"Dakota… That was a low-blow." Shane said calmly. "If that's how you want to be, maybe you should go sit with Laura or Nathan."

"I will." Dakota said standing up. "At least they won't try to change me."

As Dakota walked away, Shane looked to see Kelly motionless. Due to his knowledge of his sister's rare anger, he knew not to move in too fast with a reassuring hug because she could catch a severe reflex and possibly lash out against him in rage. So he waited until he heard her sigh. That sigh signaled that she had calmed down enough for human contact. It was then that he put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her towards him.

"Hey, don't let Dakota get to you. She's mentally ill or something." Shane said.

Kelly gave one heavy sigh. "I know. She's not herself. But at the same time, this is the _real_ Dakota Nash."

"What's going on over here?" Jayden asked sitting at his usual seat. "Why's Dash walking out of the cafeteria?"

"She and Kelly are going at it. Trying to keep Dakota away from Laura." Shane explained. Jayden nodded. "She made a comment about the 'never-again-shall-we-speak-of-it' thing."

"Oh…" Jayden said, knowing the code quite well. "Are you okay Kelly?"

"I'm fine." Kelly said sincerely. "I'm just worried about Dash, that's all."

"Hey, she'll get through it. And what she can't go through alone, we'll drag her through it if needed be." Jayden responded.

Kelly smiled. "Thanks Jay." Kelly then hugged Shane a bit tighter. "And you too, big bro!"

"Kelly… Hard… To breathe!" Shane managed to get out.

At their normal table, Helen and Scarlett commented on the latest trends such as songs, movies, and clothes, while Jacquelyn listened. Nicole, on the other hand, was thinking about something completely irrelevant.

"They're hideous!" Scarlett exclaimed.

"They're not that bad." Helen said.

"Helen, my dear sweet cousin, what about those boots are 'not that bad'?" Scarlett asked.

"Well… I don't know." Helen said. "But, if there is ever a time when I'm stuck in some mud, those are the boots that I would want to have so when I get out, you wouldn't be able to tell much."

"That's a really stupid reason." Scarlett said before looking at Nicole. "What's your friend thinking about?"

"Boys." Jacquelyn and Helen said in unison, breaking Nicole's train of thought.

"Huh?" Nicole asked.

Helen smirked. "You know, if you stayed like that any longer, a pigeon might've landed on you."

"What were you thinking about?" Scarlett asked.

"Nothing!" Nicole answered quickly. "So, what were you talking about again?"

Helen leaned on her elbows. "Nicky, tell us."

Like Jacquelyn, Nicole has come quite used to that pose. And just like her long-time friend, Nicole has also learned that it was better to tell Helen what she wanted to know rather than beat around the bush.

"Well," Nicole began. "I was just thinking about what I was talking to you guys about earlier." Both Helen and Scarlett gave identical groans of detest. "I'm going to do it."

"Go!" the cousins ordered in sync.

"Fine! Fine!" Nicole said standing up. Nicole smoothed her jeans a bit. "Wish me luck."

Nicole walked away from the table.

"Ugh. Will this day ever end?" Scarlett asked as she laid her forehead on the table.

"Hmm… Friend of Helen, two o'clock." Jayden said to Shane. "If I were you, I'd run."

"Why? Wouldn't she be over here for you?" Shane asked.

"I'm taken." Jayden said with a smirk before sipping the Sprite from the bottle.

"Hey Shane…" Nicole said. Shane turned and looked up at her. "Can I talk to you for a second? In private?"

"Um, sure." Shane said standing.

Kelly, Jacob, and Jayden watched the two walked away.

Jayden laughed. "That Shane… He's got more game than I do!"

"He better not." Kelly said with a frown.

Shane and Nicole now stood by the soda machines where no one was currently at but them.

"So, what is it?" Shane asked.

"I… Um…" Nicole stammered. "Well, you see, I wanted to know what you were doing this weekend."

"This weekend? Nothing I guess. Why?" Shane replied.

Nicole twirled a finger around one of her pigtails and gave Shane a playful smile.

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to go out Saturday. Like to the movies or dinner or something." Nicole said.

Shane stared at the girl for a moment.

"Um, sure." Shane answered. "Did you have anything specific in mind?"

"Well, no, but we can figure something out before the weekend, right?" Nicole asked in a flirtatious voice.

"Uh y-yeah." Shane responded.

"Good!" Nicole chirped before giving him a hug. "See you around Shane."

As she released him and began walking away, Shane dug into his pocket for a dollar bill to put into the soda machine. He needed something _very_ cold at this very moment to get his mind off of Nicole.

At their own table, Dustin, Aaron, Gabrielle, and Jordan all wondered why Chandra had such a big smile on her face and why she had yet to talk about Ashton, Helen, or anyone else she did not like.

"I'm going to go on a limb and say she's broken." Dustin said waving a hand in front of Chandra's face. "Yeah. I think we might have to return her for another one."

"Hey, Bambi, are you okay?" Aaron asked.

"Mm-hmm." Chandra said with a nod, still smiling.

"I bet she fell asleep in class and had a dream about Jayden." Jordan muttered.

It seemed that Jordan's voice broke Chandra out of her spell as she glared at Jordan.

"No. I'm not _that_ desperate like you." Chandra responded. "And since we're on the subject on why I'm better than you," Jordan scoffed. "How about I enlighten you about what he told me?"

"Oh this should be good." Jordan murmured.

"He said that there is nothing wrong with the way that I look and that the future may hold surprises for the both of us." Chandra said. "And that doesn't include you or Helen."

"Funny you should mention that, Bambi." Aaron and Jordan both noticeably paled at the sight of Helen behind Chandra and Dustin. "I have to tell you something." Chandra attempted to stand, but Helen placed her hands on Chandra's shoulders, placing the younger girl back in her seat. "Please. Don't stand on my account. I'll make this quick." Helen leaned so she and Chandra were face to face. "Don't take Jayden's kindness as a sign of hope. I know what he said to you, and though I don't approve, I know him and I know what he likes to do. He likes to make little girls like you happy at all costs while keeping him to himself."

"That's not what he said." Chandra replied hotly. "And to be honest, I think he's trying to coach me into a better person that _you_ are."

"Let's not be stupid, okay? If not me, than Scarlett. And I doubt that you could win him from both of us." Helen responded. "So, do us all a favor and stay away from him, okay? Because, if you know him like _I_ know him, then you should know that he would not lift a finger to help you if I lost my cool. Even _he's_ not that courageous."

After the words left her mouth, Helen stood up straight and walked back towards her table.

"Well," Jordan said. "That could've gone much better, wouldn't you agree _Bambi_?"

Chandra did not reply. Instead, she hurriedly stood up and rushed out of the cafeteria.

"That could have gone _much_ better." Dustin said.

"Could I have everyone's attention?"

Jayden frowned. "This guy again?"

"Scooter isn't that bright." Shane added.

"I wonder what he wants." Helen said to the girls at her table.

"I don't know." Scarlett said. "You just make sure that your boyfriend isn't fired up."

"I should worry about that, shouldn't I?" Helen asked casually.

"Yes!" the other three girls answered.

"Okay." Helen said standing up. "I'm going to make sure that he's preoccupied."

"Good. I have your stupid attention." Damon said taking a piece of paper out of his pocket. "This is, of course, the Most Pathetic List. Nathan and Laura wanted to read it, but they're helping a 'friend' right now."

Kelly gasped. "Dash…"

"The top five things start with Aaron J. Santos." Damon read. "Who lost a one-on-one fight in a bathroom and called his grandparents to come and get him. The pathetic moment, he pissed his pants during the fight."

Some of the lesser known students snickered at the comment while Aaron's eyes noticeably narrowed. Jordan could almost hear Aaron growling, signaling to her that sitting beside him might have been a mistake today.

"Number four would be Kelly Mason. The pathetic thing? Well, her attire is self-explanatory." Damon continued.

Although today Kelly wore a simple white tee-shirt and jean pants, she knew what Laura was trying to do. Revenge for driving Dakota away from the drunk.

"It's more like odd than pathetic." Helen said, now sitting in Jayden's lap. Jayden glanced at Helen. "Oh yeah. Sorry."

"Number three is Jayden McDuelle." Damon said, shooting a glare at Jayden. "He tends to jump little kids in the locker room for lunch money because his parents aren't as rich as everyone believes. His pathetic thing is that he is constantly flirting with a seventh grader, Chandra Torres."

"Why that stupid son-"

"Don't finish it." Helen cut Jayden off. "We'll get them later."

"Like soon later." Shane added.

"Number two, Mary-Jane Del Rossi. She purposely got her friend sick to steal Amber's would-be boyfriend under her noise." Damon read. "She has already screwed the guy four times already and it still doesn't get his mind off of Amber."

"That poor fool…" Scarlett whispered.

"What?" Nicole asked.

"As much as I hate Mary-Jane," Scarlett said. "She is _not_ going to take that lying down."

"According to him, she's already lying down." Jacquelyn responded.

"And the number one most pathetic sight of this school goes to Dustin Hayes who constantly stalks Scarlett Coyne in order for her to acknowledge him." Damon said.

Aaron and Jordan looked at Dustin.

"Congratulations pal, you're the most pathetic person of the month." Damon said. "You should-"

"Maybe you should leave before I require more lunch money." Jayden interrupted loud enough for Damon to hear. "You know, my parents are going through a hard time and I don't know what I'd do with you little kids."

"You won't-"

"And where do you get off calling _my_ sister pathetic?" Shane asked rising from his seat.

"You might want to leave while you have the chance." Jayden added. "Helen can only stop me for so long."

Damon shrugged. "I don't care. Still get twenty bucks for this."

Damon soon left the cafeteria.

"Boy… What has the world come to?" Helen asked.

"I don't know." Kelly answered. "Just hope that no one takes this seriously."

* * *

After the last bell, the students prepared to leave for home, except those who chose to stay after for cheerleading.

"I'll see you later." Helen said kissing Jayden. "And don't do anything stupid or I'm going to be really mad at you."

"Hmm… Should I pass of the chance to see you mad at me? It's quite sexy, you know?" Jayden said.

Helen rolled her eyes playfully. "Go home Jayden."

"Fine." Jayden said. "See you in an hour, I guess."

"You know," Helen said. "Nicky and Shane don't have to be the only ones with plans for the weekend."

Jayden lifted an eyebrow. "You're going to have to be more specific than that. I don't see what that has to do with us."

Helen sighed. "You're so annoying. Us, Jayden. We can go out this weekend."

"I thought we were already going out." Jayden replied.

"A date." Helen said. "I want you to take me out on another date."

"Oh. That's what you're trying to ask me." Jayden said gaining a slap on his arm. "Ouch! Okay, date it is. I'll talk to you about it later."

"You'd better." Helen replied with a smile before she walked towards Jacquelyn and Nicole.

Jayden gave a grin before making his way out to his waiting mother. Before he got to the parking lot, he ran into Amber.

"Hey. You okay?" Jayden asked.

"Yeah. Just kicked my foot against that stupid bag." Amber said pointing to the large gym bag that appeared to be Coach Blue's. "Whoever sat it there has got to be a complete idiot."

"Yeah." Jayden said before walking away.

"Hey Jay!" Amber said causing him to stop and look at her. "Remember what you said about James? About how he still cared for me?"

"Yeah. Why?" Jayden asked.

"Do you think that he still feels that way? I mean, it's kind of questionable, right?" Amber asked.

Jayden shrugged. "Wouldn't know. I don't see him around a lot. But if you wanted me to, I could find out for you."

"Thanks, but no thanks." Amber said. "Have a good day."

"You too." Jayden said. "Oh, and do me a favor and make sure Helen doesn't get _too_ overworked about the new cheerleaders. She tends to lash out at them."

"Tell me about it." Amber said with a smile. "I will."

Jayden nodded before finishing his journey to his mother's car. Unsurprisingly, Aaron had his own means of transportation home.

"So how was your day?" Manny asked.

"Would you believe me if I told you that one of A.J's friends tried to seduce me?" Jayden responded. Manny smiled and nodded. "Well, that didn't happen. Though I'm sure she wanted to."

"And Helen?" Manny questioned.

"Could've knocked the poor girl out if she wanted to. Or, if I told her to, to be more exact." Jayden answered. "Ironically enough, I'm the only one that attempts to stop Helen from hurting Bambi."

"You're a good guy." Manny said.

"Not good enough." Jayden muttered. "And soon, I'll show Damon why."

* * *

Scarlett lied on her bed with a sigh.

"Are you okay?" Fiona asked her daughter. "You seem, happy."

"I'm fine Mom." Scarlett said. "It's just a boy."

"A boy?" Fiona questioned with a smile.

"Yeah…" Scarlett answered with a grin. "I finally just realized something. Something I should've thought about in the beginning."

"Oh. Do you like this boy?" Fiona asked.

Scarlett paused. "Yes. Yes I do."


	12. Episode X: Don't Speak

Episode X: Don't Speak

Dakota did not walk towards her first period class or the cafeteria like many normal students did once she first arrived at school. No. She headed straight for the area behind the building. An area where the principals of the school were less likely to be. An area of the school where Laura was most likely to be.

And she was.

"Dash? What is it?" Laura asked before putting the cigarette out on the side of the building.

"It. I need it." Dakota said. "I have this killer headache and everyone seems to be complaining about every little thing." Laura nodded before snapping her fingers. A boy, Dakota guessed to be a student at the school, handed Laura a plastic bottle. "Thanks."

"Take the whole thing. I got more of it at home." Laura said handing Dakota the bottle.

Dakota wasted little town downing four straight gulps of the drink. She sighed contently.

"That is good." Dakota said. "I owe you one Laura."

Laura shrugged. "What are friends for?"

* * *

Aaron and Jordan looked at Dustin.

"I'm sorry about what happened yesterday." Jordan said. "Maybe they will forget about it soon."

"Soon? Yeah right." Dustin said.

"Hey, look on the bright side," Aaron stated. "You've always wanted popularity within the school. Now you have it, sort of."

"That's not helping." Dustin said.

"I still don't know what the big deal is." Jordan said. "Popularity is just… I don't know, not worth it."

"Easy for you to say. You have _two_ older siblings here and _everyone_ knows them." Dustin said. "And you, A.J, you're mysteriously friends with Jayden McDuelle, the most popular guy on campus. Me? I'm just a nerd."

Aaron shrugged. "You'll learn to live with it, I guess. But it's not as great as it sounds. It can't be."

"Why? Because I have some mysterious friend looking over my shoulder every five seconds?" Dustin asked.

"No. Because being popular has, its downs." Dustin frowned at Aaron's statement. "I mean, look at it like this. You don't have a reputation to tarnish, unlike Mary-Jane, who the school now looks at as a slut instead queen bee. Or like Jayden who people are wondering if he really does beat on little kids."

"You're wrong. I'm Scarlett's stalker, remember?" Dustin asked bluntly.

"You're impossible." Jordan said. "Just get over it. In the end, you'll probably be more famous than you're worth, I'm sure."

"If that was a compliment," Dustin responded. "Then I'll take it."

* * *

Helen looked over at Nicole's shorts before grabbing her morning books.

"You know," Helen said. "I never thought about wearing a jean thong, but if you can make it happen, I say more power to you."

Nicole sighed. "There're not _that_ short."

"Sure they're not." Helen said. "They're just short enough for me to see your tan lines. Disgusting." Helen then smirked. "I get it."

"You get what?" Nicole asked with a frown.

"You're doing this to gain Plain Shane's attention." Helen answered. Nicole turned her attention away from Helen. Helen laughed. "I knew it! You are such a flirt Nicky!"

"I'm not a flirt and so what if I am? You can't blame me, can you?" Nicole replied. "From what I heard, you actually wore a skirt that had nothing to do with cheerleading for Jay."

Helen shrugged. "Point. Then again, I do _date_ him."

"Well, maybe I want to date Shane." Nicole said. "Is that so hard to believe or accept?"

"No it's not." Helen said. "And, if you want my honest opinion, I say go for it. A guy like him needs someone to keep him out of trouble and Kelly is his sister."

Nicole smiled. "Thanks Helen!"

Helen stood frozen as Nicole hugged her. "Nicole… We're touching."

"I know! It's a hug silly!" Nicole replied happily.

"I know what a hug is and I _don't_ want to hug you." Helen said before Nicole released her. "Now. Let's go to class."

"Yeah." Nicole said.

* * *

"You'd be surprised." Jayden said to Scarlett as the two walked down the halls. "I can't believe that Damon actually had many of the students listening to him. I'm not violent towards little kids." Scarlett glared at Jayden. "Not outside Renée and Jenée and that's different. They're my annoying sisters. Kitty isn't that annoying."

"That's because Katya knows that she doesn't have to deal with you." Scarlett said. "And Christian can be annoying. I've heard you fuss at him too."

"Kids. What can you do about it?" Jayden asked.

"So," Scarlett said. "You and Helen are going on another date this weekend?"

"Yep. Why?" Jayden replied.

Scarlett shrugged. "I just wanted to know. You know, I'm becoming quite used to you making me an only child every now and again."

"I do try to please everyone." Jayden said. "You included."

"Yeah…" Scarlett said. "Well, I have to go do these announcements and you have class. So go and don't skip it or I'll tell Helen and we'll see where that goes from there."

"How about," Jayden said. "Let's not and say we did?"

Scarlett smiled. "No. I _will_ do it if you skip class. So go."

"Alright I'm going." Jayden said. "Don't have to be so demanding."

Scarlett watched Jayden walk towards his class before turning towards the office. For the last three days the two of them had reverted to something akin to what they used to be. Borderline good friends and lovers.

* * *

Jordan thanked the teacher before leaving the classroom, making a direct rush towards the bathroom. She had learned that the problem with her parents owning a restaurant is that no one really tells her "No" and she tends to eat and/or drink a bit _too_ much. Today, thankfully, she only had a little bit too much soda.

Almost crashing into the ladies' room, Jordan found the first empty stall to relieve herself. However, there was a thick smell in the air, one she had smelled before during one of her father's friend's wedding.

"Why…"

Jordan flinched a bit. The voice sounded so familiar. But, she figured that she would have to think about it later or be late for her return to class. So after wiping herself, she flushed the stool and made her way to the sink.

"Who's there?" the voice asked again before Dakota opened a stall. "Oh… It's only you Jordan. I thought you were your sister."

"Oh, hey Dakota." Jordan said. "What are you doing here?"

The question seemed obviously rhetoric to Dakota as she just gave Jordan a very cold stare.

"As if you don't know." Dakota said.

"I don't. Honestly." Jordan said now trying to dry her hands with the paper towels.

"Kelly didn't tell you?" Dakota asked surprisingly.

Jordan shook her head. "No. What was she supposed to tell me?"

"…Nothing." Dakota replied. "I just thought she would've told you, that's all." Dakota leaned on the door to the stall and took another mouthful of the liquor. "Mm. I sort of hate myself now."

"Why is that?" Jordan questioned.

Dakota grinned. "Jordan, I'm in a bathroom getting drunk to avoid problems in my life. What's not to hate about me?"

"Oh…" Jordan said, not knowing what to say. "Well, um, I'm going to go back to class now."

"Do you want some?" Dakota said holding the offered bottle towards Jordan.

"No thanks! See you later!" Jordan responded as she quickly left the bathroom.

Jordan nearly jogged towards her class for one very good reason. Dakota Nash scared her senseless and she did not want to be in the room with a creepy drunk girl. Though Kelly and Shane has told Jordan that Dakota was really just some down-to-earth rich girl, the usually black-wearing, borderline Goth will always remain one of the creepiest people on Earth to Jordan for as long as they both drew breath. Period.

* * *

Jayden's eyes scanned Nicole's perfect legs and thighs before turning back to Helen.

"If that doesn't work," Jayden replied to Helen. "I'd be questioning said friend's sexuality."

Helen frowned. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Let's be honest. Nicky knows how to flaunt those legs of hers." Jayden answered. "They are appealing."

"Do you really like making me mad or is this one of your perverted moments?" Helen asked.

"Hmm… A little of both, added with some truth." Jayden said.

"Again, why did I have to be put with you?" Helen said with a sigh.

"I found the answer to that. Because your teacher loves to make jokes and she found out that we're seeing each other." Jayden answered. "So take it up with her or the principal, but this has _nothing_ to do with me."

"Everything can be traced back to you somehow." Helen responded. "So, have you figured out a great topic yet?"

"Actually, I did." Jayden said. "See, we could use either of our mothers in this case, since they both have to manage their time and money wisely. Your mom and her show and my mom and her movies."

"And how do we tie math into that?" Helen asked.

"You're the snobby one. We could talk about how rich you are." Jayden responded.

"That- What did you just call me?" Helen asked. Jayden laughed. "Watch it J.D."

Jayden's laughter immediately stopped. "I get your point. Just don't call me that anymore."

"Why J.D?" Helen asked with a smile.

"Because it's freaking J.T." Jayden said.

"That's funny," Helen said. "That's what I said."

"Weird." Jayden muttered.

* * *

Kelly watched as Dakota walked to her seat and sat down with a heavy sigh.

"Are you okay Ms. Nash?" Mr. McBride asked.

"I'm fine." Dakota answered.

"Okay." Mr. McBride said.

Kelly waited until Mr. McBride went back to his lesson before leaning towards Dakota.

"Are you really okay?" Kelly asked.

Dakota smiled at Kelly. "Perfect."

Kelly's face scrunched up. "Have you been drinking?"

"Yes." Dakota whispered back. "But look on the bright side, I'm not drunk. I still know what I'm doing."

"You are drunk." Kelly whispered. "And now you're drunk in _school_."

"Kelly, I am fine." Dakota said. "Please, don't make a big deal of this. If anything happens, I can take care of myself. Okay?"

"Sure Dash." Kelly said. "Just don't get yourself hurt."

"I won't." Dakota said.

* * *

The bell rang, causing Jayden, Helen, and Nicole to file out with the rest of the students.

"I hate this project." Helen said. "Nicky, what was your topic again?"

"Math and sports." Nicole answered. "Really easy especially with-"

"The smartest person in the class as a partner, I know." Helen interrupted. "Jayden is just completely hopeless."

"Hey Jay I…" Shane paused as he looked at Nicole.

"Up here." Jayden said with a grin. "If my face was _that_ close to those legs, I'd be smiling all the time."

"Yeah… But," Shane said before clearing his throat. "Kelly just said that your friend is drunk so-"

"No." Helen cut Shane off. "Dakota is a big girl and today Jayden has promised not to worry about it for the next twenty-four hours." Shane looked at Jayden who shrugged. "So therefore, she's _your_ problem."

"Why did you give her that power?" Shane asked Jayden.

"It's only for the day." Jayden said. "But, in retrospect, you can say every annoying thing to her and she can't get mad or I can go and stop Dash."

"So, I can say something about her height or lack thereof and she can't get mad?" Shane asked.

Jayden smirked. "Best deal ever, huh?"

"Oh, you are my hero." Shane said. "I'll see you later then. And you Nicky…"

"See ya Saturday." Nicole said with a smile.

"Sure." Shane said as he walked away.

"Hooked, line, and sinker." Jayden said with a smirk.

Helen nodded. "So true."

* * *

"Hey Scarlett," Scarlett paused mid-step and looked over her shoulder to see Jacquelyn. "I have to ask you a question."

"Sure." Scarlett said.

"How do you accept it?" Jacquelyn asked.

Scarlett frowned. "Accept what?"

"How do you accept Helen and Jayden?" Jacquelyn said. Scarlett's frown deepened. "I mean, you obviously like Jayden, right? And Helen is your friend that dates him. How are you _not_ jealous?"

"Because jealousy is for the weak and pitiful." Scarlett replied. "And I accept it just like everyone else. They're dating. So what? It's not like they're married."

"But," Jacquelyn said. "They could… That's not what I wanted to talk about though. I wanted to ask you about Shane."

"Oh…" Scarlett said nodding. "I understand." Jacquelyn smiled weakly. "So, you're wondering how to take Shane's attention away from the ever flirting Nicole Campbell. Well, I guess the only thing I can say is fight fire with fire. If Nicky wants to flirt with him, flirt back."

"Yeah. Thanks." Jacquelyn said. "Why don't you do that with Jayden?"

"Because that would be wrong of me." Scarlett responded. "Besides, I think he's finally gotten over me and Helen's last episode, so I don't want to ruin a good thing. Even if it is just a friendship."

"Right." Jacquelyn replied.

* * *

"There he is." Damon said.

"Crap!" Dustin replied as he ran down the steps at lightning speed. Many of the students frowned and commented rudely at the boy that zipped past them. Dustin found a door and slipped inside. "Finally." Dustin's eyes landed on two bodies that were staring at him. "Oops."

"What are you doing here?" Mary-Jane whispered harshly.

"I was being chased by Scooter. I swear!" Dustin said as Mary-Jane pulled her shirt back on.

James sighed. "I knew this would happen eventually."

"Wait a second," Dustin said. "This is what Scooter was talking about yesterday. You _are_ sleeping together!"

"No duh." Mary-Jane said. "And you'd better not tell anyone."

"Come on Mary, we can't just expect him _not_ to tell." James said before looking at Dustin. "So tell us what you want and it better be a good price or else."

Dustin stared at the two juniors for a moment.

"I think I have an idea." Dustin said.

* * *

The bell rang for lunch, gaining a positive reaction for many students.

"No news on Ashton?" Aaron asked Chandra.

"No. Mr. Isaacs told me to back off or pay the consequences." Chandra answered as she sat down. "This stinks."

"Why? It's not really any of our business if he takes pills or not." Jordan said.

"You would say that, wouldn't you?" Chandra replied. "This guy could be a borderline psychopath and all you care about is his privacy. Well, when he ends up snapping and killing half the school, remember that it was _your_ idea not to investigate when we had the opportunity."

"That is so not my point." Jordan said. "No one _cares_ what he does except you two."

"In my defense," Aaron said. "I was stopping Bambi from getting in trouble in the first place."

"What happened?" Gabrielle asked.

"She was going to pick a fight with the guy. And I just went to stop her." Aaron answered.

"I was _not_ going to fight him." Chandra said. Aaron frowned. "Okay. Maybe a little. But I was not going to make a big deal about it. Jeez."

"Where's Dustin?" Jordan asked.

"Who knows" Chandra replied.

"I hope he isn't doing something stupid." Jordan said. "For a smart guy, he has a tendency to do a lot of stupid things."

"Tell me about it." Aaron muttered.

* * *

Dakota lied on a bench at the field while Laura sat beside her. Once more, there were people around her that she had never seen before in the school, but after one boy announced how much he hated Mr. McBride's History class, she figured that they all attended DCS with her.

"Wish the school would just catch on fire." Damon said.

"Haven't you heard? You can only get school fires at Lakehurst." Laura said.

"Stupid school." Damon mumbled.

Dakota ignored the small talk, enjoying whatever the alcohol beverage Laura had just supplied her with, her mind now floating freely without the worries of her life.

"You okay Dash? You look… Happy." Laura said.

"Fine." Dakota said as she sat up. "In fact, I'm better than fine."

Laura raised her eyebrows. "Oh really? Even after your friend tried to-"

"Kelly's just worried." Dakota interrupted. "She has a reason to. Her parents are all strict about alcoholism and drug abuse. She's just trying to keep me away from it."

"Failed." Laura commented.

"You know," Nathan said exhaling a plume of smoke. "If you and Shane weren't such good buddies, you'd be hot."

Dakota frowned. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Laura laughed. "Give it up Nathan. You can't get Kelly and you can't get Dash."

"Dakota I care little about. But as for Kelly… Well, she's just playing hard to get." Nathan said before taking another drag of whatever he was smoking. Dakota did not get a good look due to the temporarily dizziness she had experienced. "And when I do get her, I'll make sure I set a camera in Shane's room and put on a _great_ show with his dear sweet sister."

"I'd like to do that to Jayden." Damon said.

Laura's face scrunched up. "You'd take his younger sister, who is like eight, into his bedroom? That's just sick."

"No. Not that one. His older one." Damon said.

"Ah." Nathan said. "Danni."

"Yeah. Her." Damon said. "I'd like to beat that punk to a pulp before taking his sister's sweet-"

"Sweet what?" The voice belonged to the boy in question and caused the group to see Jayden standing with his hands in his pockets. "Seriously Damon, do you believe that you have a chance at either of those things?"

"Watch it McDuelle. This isn't like last time." Damon said.

"You're right. We have an audience and I don't have any patience." Jayden responded. "Dash, what are you doing?"

Dakota sighed. "Jayden, please. I don't need this now."

"I'm just asking a simple question. A simple answer will be nice." Jayden said.

"I'm drinking." Dakota stated.

"It's not that I mind you drinking," Jayden said. "It's who you're drinking with. And before you try to educate me on the people around you, let me be the first to tell you that I know them all too well. Well, except for like one or two of them."

"So you know me? I'm flattered." Laura said.

"Come on Dash. Get your drink, your things, and let's go." Jayden said.

"And where are we going?" Dakota asked.

"You choose." Jayden answered. "Like I said, I'm not here to talk you out of drinking. Your prerogative. But I am here to remind you that your three 'buddies' are the three that you once told me you hated the most." Laura glanced at Dakota. "Now, I don't know how strong that drink is, but I doubt it's _that_ strong."

"I'm fine." Dakota said. "Thanks for your concern."

"No problem." Jayden said with a shrug. "See you when you get your mind straight."

With that, Jayden walked away, gaining a bunch of confused frowns.

"That's it?" Laura asked. "No sarcastically annoying phrase or forceful glare? That's all he does?"

Dakota nodded. "That's Jayden's way. He can be so understanding when he wants to be. I guess that's why I like him more than any other friend of mine. He understands me."

"Really?" Laura said. "Because what I know of the guy is totally dif- Wait a second, you've been his friend for a while now, right? Then you can tell me one thing. What gets Jayden ticked?"

Dakota shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I've never seen him ticked before. A little mad, yeah, but never like _really_ pissed."

"Great." Laura said.

* * *

Dustin sat down at the table with a bag from Wendy's.

Chandra frowned. "Where'd you get that?"

"James." Dustin said. This gained frowns from Jordan and Aaron. "You know, James Brooks? He plays basketball with Jayden. My friend."

"Uh-huh…" Jordan said.

Dustin shrugged. "Whatever. He got me this."

"Wait a second," Chandra said. "Vanessa's brother, James?"

"Him." Dustin replied.

"You know," Aaron stated. "I'm not even going to ask how this happened."

"Ditto." Jordan said.

Scarlett's smile did not falter as Helen glared at her cousin.

"Oh shut up." Helen said.

"You lost your cool just that fast? That's sad Helen." Scarlett responded. "I pinned you down to last all school day and fall at cheerleading practice."

"It's _your_ fault." Helen said.

Scarlett's eyebrows shot up. "My fault?"

"He's _your_ ex." Helen replied angrily. "So if _you_ sat somewhere else, he wouldn't come over here."

"There is someone gaining his attention." Scarlett said glancing at Nicole.

"What'd I do now?" Nicole asked snapping out of her thoughts.

Helen sighed. "How could I forget that?"

"What?" Nicole questioned.

"You." Helen answered. "You're the other reason I lost that stupid bet. Because you keep revealing those cursed legs of yours that gains attention and Shane can't help himself."

Nicole smiled. "Sorry Helen. I'll stop after Saturday, I promise."

"Whatever." Jacquelyn muttered.

Helen and Scarlett exchanged glances before looking at Jacquelyn.

"So, Miss Jackie, anyone put sand in your cereal lately?" Helen asked.

"Pissed in her grits is more like it." Scarlett added.

"No." Jacquelyn said. "I just have a slight headache, that's all."

"Oh." the cousins said in unison.

Jayden sat at his seat.

"Well?" Kelly asked.

Jayden shook his head. "No avail, but she wasn't mad at all. A little annoyed in the beginning, but I think I got to her. The guilt trip."

"Ah. Wonder why we didn't think of that." Shane said.

"I don't know," Jayden said. "But we have to do some practice today. My dad's letting us use the studio."

"Really? That's great." Kelly said. "Can I come?"

Jayden shrugged. "More the merrier, I always say."

"Thanks!" Kelly said with a smile.

"I can see it now." Shane said. "We'll be in New York, no, Las Vegas! Live!"

"Not to disturb anyone at this table," Jayden said. "But that's how Danni was conceived."

Kelly, Jacob, and Shane looked at Jayden.

"Seriously?" Kelly asked.

"How do you know?" Jacob asked.

Jayden sighed. "Long story short, I asked how they met and I got something close to the unrated version. Of course, my mom didn't want me to know _everything_, and I still don't till this day. But, Danni does."

"So, you'll just be doing what your dad wanted to do?" Jacob asked.

"Something like that." Jayden said before glancing in Helen's direction. "And something a little bit better."

"Amen to that!" Shane said with a grin.

* * *

The bell for the end of fifth period rang, and the students began to make their way to their final class of the day.

"Bambi, what are you doing?" Aaron asked.

"Ssh. Do you want anyone to hear you?" Chandra replied. "I bet you that there are more pills in this stupid thing."

"You're breaking the law!" Jordan chastised.

"Sue me later." Chandra said as she fiddled with Ashton's lock. "Stupid thing! They make this look so easy on TV!"

"Ahem." Chandra, Jordan, and Aaron slowly turned to see Toby standing behind them. "What are you three doing?"

"Um, I lent Ashton my homework and now I need it." Chandra said.

Toby crossed his arms. "And what homework did _I_ give you, Chandra?"

Aaron fought the urge to palm his forehead in embarrassment. That had to be the _lamest_ excuse he had heard in his life.

"Detention. All three of you." Toby said before walking away. "And hurry. If you're late to my class, I'm giving you and extra fifteen minutes."

Jordan glared at Chandra. "I have _never_ had detention before!"

"Really? It's not that bad. Just _boring_." Chandra said. "Come on, let's go."

Chandra walked off.

"Calm down Jordan." Aaron said. "I-"

"Calm down? This is going to go on my record!" Jordan snapped.

"I don't think it is." Aaron replied. "And besides, I've never had detention either. So it'll be an experience for both of us."

"Sure." Jordan said as she and Aaron began walking towards their class.

* * *

After the final bell rang, Jayden found himself trying to stay awake in the passenger seat as his mother spoke to the principal about something.

"You're not going to sleep, are you J.T?" Jayden's eyes slowly opened as he looked at Scarlett in the back seat. "That near unlimited stamina of yours is finally wearing down, huh?"

"Let's just say that between Shane drooling over Nicky, Jackie's jealousy, and Dash running around with Laura, I have a _lot_ to sleep on." Jayden replied. "And then your mother having us drive you home is just the icing on the cake."

"You're right. How will you _ever_ survive with me staying _right next door_?" Scarlett said. "The pain and suffering you must be experiencing."

"Tell me about it." Jayden said before his mother came back into the car. "So, everything okay?"

"Fine. I have to come back later though." Manny answered as she began driving off. "How was your day?"

Jayden sighed. "On a scale of one through ten, it scored a negative."

Scarlett let out a small laughter from the back.

"And how was your day?" Manny asked, directing the question to Scarlett.

"It was better than that, I can say that much." Scarlett said. "I've been thinking about Sat- the weekend."

Jayden frowned. "You have plans?"

"Oh, you don't know the _half_ of it." Scarlett said.

"I hope you're not trying to go out with some unqualified boy Ms. Chessex." Manny said with a smile. "I'd hate to see what your parents do."

"Unqualified? More like preoccupied." Scarlett replied. "He's alright, Mrs. McDuelle. Just a little slow in the head sometimes."

"Sounds like my son." Manny said, thinking about Aaron at the moment.

"Tell me about it." Scarlett said.

Jayden sighed. "And then you speak like I'm not even here. What a life?"

"It gets worse." Manny stated. "Trust me."

* * *

Jayden and Scarlett got out of the car.

"So close to my bed that I can almost feel it." Jayden said.

"Scarlett, did you want to come in? Your mother said she wouldn't be home for another hour and I know your dad is after school right now." Manny offered.

"Sure." Scarlett said.

Jayden followed his mother to the door, glancing at Scarlett over his shoulder just once. Her silence always equaled into a scheme or plan. The door opened to reveal a person Jayden had not planned on seeing for at least another month.

"Jayden!" Danica said hugging him tightly. "My little brother has grown a few inches!"

"Danni, this is quite uncomfortable for my lungs." Jayden said. Danica released Jayden and stood up, towering him by seven inches. She still looked the same, a tanned version of their mother with their father's dark, calculating eyes. "Where have you been?"

"I've- Is that Scarlett?" Danica asked looking at Scarlett.

"Hey Danni." Scarlett said politely before Danica hugged her. "It's been a while."

"I'll say. You don't look like you have a stick in your a- butt." Danica said releasing her. "Are you two-"

"No." Scarlett and Jayden said in unison.

"Hey dates my cousin." Scarlett said.

"Helen." Jayden added.

Danica frowned. "I thought you _hated_ Helen?"

"Let's talk in my room." Jayden said walking past his mother into the house.

Manny sighed. "Yeah… All of my kids in one house at one time, not the best idea I've had."

"Don't worry Mama," Danica said with a smile. "I'm sure you'll find it _much_ easier to relax with me here." Danica put an arm around Scarlett. "Right Scar?"

"Right." Scarlett said, unsure what to say to the girl Jayden had stated- and proven- to be a bit mentally unstable.

* * *

Shane looked around the Dot.

"You can handle this, can't you?" Shane asked Kelly.

"Yeah. Just as long as we don't get some crazy wave of customers coming in." Kelly said. "So are you going to your band practice?"

"No. China." Shane said.

"Shane, don't talk that way to your sister." Emma chastised. "I'm still a little angry that Jordan got detention. Don't push your luck."

"Listen to your mother or else suffer." Gavin said with a shiver.

Shane and Kelly laughed at their father's antics while Emma glared at him.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Emma asked with her hands on her hips.

"Must I preach to the choir?" Gavin replied.

"Spinner this is really-"

"Em," Gavin said. "It's _detention_, not the end of the world. I'm sure it was just some misunderstanding and she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. With your snooping and Sean's luck, it's bound to happen soon."

The bell rang on the top of the door, signaling someone's entrance to the restaurant.

"Jackie? What are you doing here?" Kelly asked.

"Uh, I think the phrase you're looking for is: What can I get you?" Shane responded, gaining a pair of annoyed, rolling blue eyes from his sister.

"I came here to talk to you, Shane. You got a minute?" Jacquelyn asked.

"Yeah." Shane said. "Come on, I was just leaving."

"Sure." Jacquelyn said following him outside. "So, um, you have a date with Nicky Saturday. Is there any reason behind it or was it just a spur of the moment kind of thing?"

"She just asked and I said yeah." Shane said. "It's not really rocket science or anything."

"I just wanted to know." Jacquelyn replied. "I mean… I don't have a _right_ to know but it's still just curiosity."

"No. It's not like I have a crush on her or anything. I mean, she's attractive." Shane said. "Besides, I don't think that I want to date anyone for a while. I like the quote bachelor life. I'm not Jayden."

"Oh." Jacquelyn said. "I just wanted to know."

"No problem." Shane replied. "Need me to walk with you home? I can, since I don't have anything better to do other than go to Jayden's place anyway."

"Sure. I'd like that." Jacquelyn answered.

* * *

Aaron groaned as he began walking towards Mr. Simpson's office. Jordan had stormed out of detention once it was over, clearly still angry that she had detention in the first place. Chandra, on the other hand, seemed to be more relieved than mad.

"Hey Mr. Simpson." Aaron said.

Mr. Simpson coughed into his sleeve before smiling.

"It's after school, A.J. Call me Snake." Mr. Simpson said. "So, how was detention?"

"Horrible." Aaron replied. "I don't see how Jay manages it. And Danni…"

"She's put in enough hours for a paycheck, I heard." Mr. Simpson said. "Well, your mother should be here soon. She told me to tell you to go out in front of the building but not after you picked this up." Mr. Simpson gave Aaron an envelope. "Make sure she gets that and I'll see you tomorrow."

"I will." Aaron said. "See you later Mr- Snake."

"Tomorrow." Mr. Simpson said as Aaron left the office.

Aaron walked out of the building where he could see his mother standing outside of her car waiting for him. From the frown on her face, he could tell that she was _not_ happy.

"Care to explain to me how you got detention son?" Manny asked her arms crossed under her chest.

Aaron sighed. "My friend, Chandra, was trying to get into another student's locker and Jordan and I just so happened to be there at the time." Manny nodded. Breaking into another's locker was more of Danica's forte than Aaron's. "Besides, I think Mr. Isaacs plays favorites because it was his nephew's locker."

"That's understandable." Manny said. "Get in. Your sister is here."

Aaron groaned. "Danni?"

"Yes, Danni. Who did you think I was talking about?" Manny asked walking towards the driver's door.

"Katya, Renée, Jenée. One of them." Aaron said opening the door to the passenger seat. "You know she's going to find something to pick on me about like always."

"No she won't." Manny said as she began to drive off. "Just think about it like this. Now that Danni's here, you don't have to worry about anyone caring about who your parents are. She'll make sure that they learn to leave you alone."

"True." Aaron said absentmindedly.

Unbeknownst to Aaron, Gabrielle had witnessed the entire event sitting in her mother's car. Her mind was stuck on two things. Thing number one: Aaron J. Santos was the son of Manny McDuelle. Thing number two: Aaron and Jayden were _brothers_.

"I've fixed your schedule." Alex said coming back into the car. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine." Gabrielle said.

* * *

Helen frowned as Scarlett sprawled out on Scarlett's bed.

"What do you mean you love your neighbor?" Helen asked.

"Danni's home." Scarlett said. "Who else can torture J.T when I'm not able? You? Hardly."

"His sister is home. The Californian Princess herself? Oh great." Helen said. "Just how is this good news, Scar? Once she figures out that-"

"Already has. She'll be over here in a few minutes to talk to you." Scarlett interrupted.

Helen's eyes narrowed. "And you told, didn't you?" Scarlett nodded. "I bet you told her about Saturday as well, didn't you?" Again, Scarlett nodded. "I hate you sometimes."

"Oh come on, what's the worst that can happen?" Scarlett asked sitting up.

"I don't know, but I don't like it." Helen answered as she walked towards the door. "I'll be back. I'm going to make sure that I still have a boyfriend _and_ a date Saturday."

"I'll be here." Scarlett said as Helen walked out of her bedroom. "Bingo…"


	13. Episode XI: I Came to Make a Bang

**Episode XI: I Came to Make a Bang**

The car filled with laughing teens stopped at the end of the stairway outside of DCS.

"I can't believe that you danced with your seventh-grade _stalker_." Danica said while laughing with Scarlett and Helen. "What were you thinking Jay?"

"I was trying to make her happy so she'd leave me alone." Jayden answered. "And it worked for a while."

"I'm sure it didn't." Danica said. "God, that was about as dumb as that time you and Marissa-"

"No." Jayden cut his sister off. "We won't bring that up again." Jayden opened the door. "See you after school sis."

"You act as if you have much of a choice." Danica said. "Alright Coyne cousins, see you later on as well."

"Sure." Scarlett said as she and Helen got out of the backseat.

Once the three students were out of the car, Danica drove off.

"Tell me something Scarlett," Jayden said. "Since when did you and Danni become friends?"

"Two years ago when you moved here." Scarlett responded. "Now, let's get ready for school. Coming Helen? J.T has to wait for his two buddies to get here."

"I know." Helen said before kissing Jayden. "See you first period."

Jayden watched the two walk up the steps before shaking his head. Yesterday after school proved to be a testing one. First off, it was his first band practice with Shane and Jacob. That was not so bad, considering the two had some musical background, sort of. Shane's father was in _two_ bands, so it was mostly coaching Jacob. Then there was Scarlett who Jayden could have sworn was trying to _flirt_ with him, something the two had not done since the summer before he left for Italy. Helen's and Kelly's arrival did nothing to ease the pain as they both brought their own small dilemma to the small studio in Jayden's backyard. Finally, the icing on the cake was his glamorous older sister, Danica McDuelle. As much as he loved her, she was still annoying.

"Hey Jay." Kelly said as she, Shane, and Jordan walked towards the building. Jayden's eyebrow involuntarily rose as he saw the overall-wearing girl. "Sorry we're running a bit late. Dad's alarm clock broke."

"He crushed it yesterday." Shane said. "The stupid thing kept beeping for no reason." Jayden gave a nod. "Hey, Kelly, could you and Jordan give us some room? I have to talk to Jayden about something important."

"Sure." Kelly said. "Come on Jordan. Let's make sure you're in class on time."

"Whatever." Jordan said, now quite used to being embarrassed in front of the one boy her siblings knew she liked. She swore they did it on purpose.

As the two girls walked away Shane shoved his hands in his jean pockets.

"Can I ask you a favor? Could you spy on your ex for me?" Shane asked.

Jayden frowned. "What and why?"

"Spy on Jackie for me." Shane repeated. "See, yesterday before I came to your place, she comes by the Dot and she…" Shane looked around to make sure that none of the gossiping crowd- e.g. Nicole and her gossiping cheerleaders- were about. "She asked me if I and Nicky were trying to date and other questions that give me a really bad feeling about the whole thing."

"Which is funny," Jayden replied. "Because Scarlett was acting weird as well yesterday."

"You mean those looks she was giving you?" Shane asked.

"And before that." Jayden answered. "I don't know Shane. I think we have an epidemic on our hands."

Shane grinned. "And I'm sure you have a plan to solve it."

"You bet I do." Jayden replied. "So here's what we're going to do…"

* * *

Dustin and Aaron stood at Jordan's locker while the girl rummaged through her things.

"I know I put it in here somewhere." Jordan said.

"Oh come on Jordan, I really need this." Dustin said. "If I don't, Mr. Walsh is going to skin me alive."

"Hold your horses." Jordan replied.

Chandra walked towards the group.

"Hmm… If I had to guess, someone is copying off of Brainy's homework." Chandra said.

Jordan paused and looked at Chandra. "No one asked you, _Bambi_."

"Don't call me that. Only certain people are allowed to call me that." Chandra replied. Jordan scoffed and went back to her search. "Anyway, I thought you all would like to know that I, Chandra Torres, have finally made the greatest plan to get inside of Ashton's locker."

"Really? You mean you actually took the time to think without worrying about messing up your _great_ features?" Jordan said sarcastically. "What is the world- I found it!"

"Thanks!" Dustin said taking the paper. "Oh, you have saved me a bunch Jordan. I owe you."

"Don't mention it." Jordan said.

"Hey Dustin." Mary-Jane said walking past them. "See you at lunch."

"Sure." Dustin responded. "Well, I have to go to the library real fast to copy this. See you guys later."

"Sure…" Aaron said as Dustin walked away. "Did anyone but me just see that?"

"Mary-Jane acknowledged Dustin." Jordan added.

"It's got to be a trick." Chandra stated. "No way is this real."

"We'll have to see." Aaron said. "I have class."

Jordan just turned and walked off towards her class. Ever since she has known Dustin, he has always wanted to be one of the "cooler" kids. This never seemed like a big deal since every other kid wanted to be like the more popular ones. But now Dustin had their attention. It was strange, but something told her that it was real. This meant one thing.

"I have to find out." Jordan muttered to herself.

* * *

Kelly was mildly surprise that Dakota had beaten her to class.

"Hey." Kelly said sitting in her normal seat.

Dakota looked at Kelly. "Hey. You seem to be in a good mood."

"Me? You should hear yourself." Kelly replied. "Doing anything later on today?"

Dakota shook her head. "Nope. Free. Why?"

"Just thought we could meet up later on." Kelly answered. "You could come and listen to my brother and the others play later on."

"The band…? Oh yeah! I totally forgot about that." Dakota said.

Kelly frowned at the use of "totally". Dakota _never_ used such lingo.

"Anyway," Kelly said. "I thought you might want to come with me. Hear them play, free meal at the Dot. What do you say?"

"Sure." Dakota said. "Just as long as I can choose what I can eat and drink." Kelly frowned slightly. "I don't think your dad would sell me any alcohol even if the Dot sold it."

"True." Kelly said. "Fine. Deal."

"And Kelly?" Dakota began.

"Yeah?" Kelly replied.

"No matter what it seems," Dakota finished. "You'll always be one of my best friends. Not Laura or any of the others."

Kelly smiled. "Thanks Dash."

* * *

"…Which is why Helen's mother's appearance charge is more than my mother's." Jayden concluded. "And that's how you relate math to fame."

"Bravo. For a minute, I thought you two wouldn't be able to pull it off." Mrs. Carson said.

Helen shrugged. "Two great minds."

"Uh-huh? More like two minds in love." Mrs. Carson said with a grin. "Turn in your papers in the tray."

Jayden and Helen did as they were told and sat down.

"Glad this is over with." Jayden said.

Helen nodded. "Me too."

"Hey Jay," Nicole said turning to him. "Has Shane said anything about me today?"

"Nothing that I could repeat in front of my girlfriend, but yeah." Jayden said. "But, I have to ask you a question. What's going on with Jackie?"

"Wait a sec. You won't repeat whatever Plain Shane said but you'll openly admit worry for your ex?" Helen asked.

"Just a question." Jayden answered. "She's acting like another person I know."

"Like?" Helen questioned.

"I'll tell you later to avoid complications." Jayden said. "Now, Nicky, could you just answer my question? Please?"

"Well… She has been acting a bit weird lately." Nicole said. "But, I just put it off as one of those Jackie things. You should know those things seeing as you dated her and all."

Jayden nodded. "Perfect."

* * *

The bell rang for classes to switch.

"Hey, I'll catch up with you later, okay?" Dustin said to Aaron.

Aaron shrugged. "Sure. Whatever."

Dustin walked off causing Aaron to walk down the hall by himself. He had a thought that Damon or Nathan would appear from around a corner and annoy him. His thoughts subsided when Chandra walked up to him.

"Okay, spill it. How the heck does Dustin know Mary-Jane _and_ James?" Chandra asked.

Aaron shrugged. "I don't know Bambi. Honestly." Chandra's eyes narrowed. "What?"

"Dustin has somehow become popular and I _have _to know how." Chandra said. "So if you know _anything_ A.J, you'd better tell me."

"I'll tell you as soon as I know." Aaron said before Chandra walked around him. "Good grief…"

* * *

Shane frowned. "Why is that?"

"Because I know when you and/or J.T are up to something and you are." Scarlett said. "So what is it?"

"Um, nothing. I was just wondering if-"

"If you ask me _anything_ about Nicky, I'm going to scream." Scarlett interrupted.

"Fine. Fine." Shane said. "I don't know why you're being so hostile towards me. _I_ don't date Jayden."

Scarlett frowned. "What are you saying?"

"Come on Scarlett," Shane replied. "You know I know you better than that. You don't have to tell me when you're mad about a certain someone or something. I just know."

"So what? It's not like I'm going to do anything to stop them." Scarlett said. "It's a little too late for that, and besides, it's partially my fault that they're together."

"So I heard. Jay was a little baffled about the dance thing." Shane said.

"He was?" Scarlett asked.

Shane nodded. "Oh yeah. One because you refused him for Jacob and two because Helen asked him. But, I'm here to be the friend to you that I am. If you need to talk, get it done before tomorrow. I have a date."

"Sure." Scarlett said. "Say, do you have any clue on where J.T is taking Helen?"

"No. Why?" Shane asked.

"No reason." Scarlett said. "Go to class."

"I'm going." Shane replied with a grin as he walked away.

Scarlett frowned. "That was odd…"

* * *

Steven sighed before a message appeared on his screen.

**StellAmber9822: Wat's the deal with the newbie?**

Steven looked at the screen before looking over to where Amber sat. She eyed him before he shrugged and began typing a reply.

**DaMann98: IDK. He's annoying**

**StellAmber9822: I know! And MJ & James just luv him!**

**DaMann98: He's supposed to come with us to lunch.**

**StellAmber9822: Makes me want to stay here.**

**DaMann98: Well, no 1 says u have 2 go.**

**StellAmber9822: Point.**

**DaMann98: I'll stay w/ u.**

**StellAmber9822: Really?**

**DaMann98: N e thing 2 keep the dork away from me.**

**StellAmber9822: Deal.**

James watched Steven grin.

"What're you smiling at? Date?" James asked.

"You could call it that." Steven responded. "Just something that's happening later on today."

"Oh." James said.

"Question," Steven said. "What's up with the newbie?" James frowned. "Just why are you and MJ catering to him? I _hate_ newbies."

"Hey, they're just the same as we were when we first came here." James replied. "Plus, he's not that bad. Quite funny actually."

"_Sure_." Steven said skeptically.

* * *

"Hey Chandra, there's something I have to ask you." Ashton said.

Chandra sighed. "Make it quick. I don't want to get the reputation that I hang with junkies."

"Well," Ashton said trying to let the remark rub off of him. "I was wondering if you knew how your friend became Mr. Popular over one night. He was hanging with my brother and his friends earlier and I thought I should ask you."

"I've be wondering that too." Vanessa added. "James doesn't bully kids, but it is weird to see _Mary_ hanging around him faithfully."

"Weird isn't the word. Unheard or unbelievable is more like it." Ashton said.

"I don't know." Chandra finally answered. "A.J and I are looking into it. Of course, Jordan is too, but she's bound to do something stupid. As always."

"And A.J won't? Tch. You don't know the guy then." Ashton remarked.

Chandra frowned. "Said guy is the same guy that keeps me from pummeling _your_ face into the ground _everyday_. So I suggest you learn to thank him and thank him soon." Chandra then sighed and smiled. "Plus, he's friends with Jayden. That means, he's my meal ticket and Jayden's the meal."

Vanessa laughed. "Good luck Bambi. I'm rooting for you!"

"Thanks." Chandra said.

* * *

"Ugh, that _stupid_ project is finally over." Helen said. "Thank God."

Scarlett smiled. "I thought you'd be happy to have some real reason to be under J.T all the time."

"If she was under me all the time," Jayden said. "We'd be at my house in my room locked door. Since we're not…" Helen rolled her eyes. "Since we're not, we're here and she's _beside_ me. Unfortunately."

"You are a true perv, did you know that?" Helen asked.

Jayden shrugged. "Hey, blame my parents. A pervert and a flirt do not make a clean child, believe me."

"Speaking of which," Scarlett said. "Danni's going to be here for a while, isn't she?" Jayden nodded. "That's good."

"As much as I love my _only_ older sibling," Jayden stated. "I would prefer that you two don't mingle. I think you bounce ideas off of each other to harm others, namely me."

Scarlett scoffed. "You make it sound like we're trying to take over the world or something."

"With your minds, I wouldn't doubt it. First Canada, then the U.S, and finally the world." Jayden said.

"You have watched _way_ too many cartoons." Scarlett replied.

"I don't know Scar," Helen said. "He drives a strong point. You are the most devious person I know." Scarlett frowned. "I mean that in the most respectable way possible."

"Then I'll take it as a compliment." Scarlett replied.

"Look at it like this. If you _did_ take over the world, you could eliminate some of the minor problems quickly like Mary-Jane and then I wouldn't have to worry about her at cheerleading." Helen said with a grin.

"Or," Scarlett said. "I could take you both out and make life easier on myself." Helen gaped a bit, gaining a laugh from Scarlett. "I'm playing. I wouldn't order a hit on my cousin."

"Don't join my family then." Jayden muttered.

"Really?" Helen asked.

Jayden nodded. "We are very vindictive people, no matter who did what to us. Even my mom, and she's married into the family."

"That's sad." Scarlett said.

"True. But, at the same time, watch my back and I'll watch yours. Stab my back and I'll stab yours. That's just the way life is sometime." Jayden responded.

Helen put an arm around Jayden. "You're so philosophical sometimes. I love that about you."

"I think I'm going to be sick." Scarlett murmured under her breath.

* * *

The bell for lunch had rung and the students began to make their way to either the cafeteria or their cars.

"So," Aaron said to Jordan. "That's why I speak Italian."

Jordan nodded. "It makes sense, sort of. Then again, it is New York City. _Nothing_ makes sense there."

"Hey, you two." Aaron and Jordan stopped as Mary-Jane stopped in front of them. "I'm looking for Dustin. Have you seen him?" Jordan and Aaron shook their heads. "Thanks. Now, where is he?"

The two watched as Mary-Jane walked off.

"So, we now know Mary-Jane through association? That's kind of cool." Jordan said. "And frightening."

"How?" Aaron asked with a frown.

"Well, they might expect us to be cool like Dustin and then we do something like, well, we normally do. Nerdy." Jordan explained, causing Aaron to break out in laughter as he continued to the cafeteria. Jordan began following him. "What?"

"'Cool like Dustin?' Yeah right, Jordan. Dustin is _nowhere_ near 'cool' or whatever." Aaron said while laughing.

"Then how do you explain that?" Jordan asked pointing towards Dustin, Mary-Jane, and James walking, talking, and laughing together.

Aaron shrugged. "I can't. But it's not his coolness."

"Sure." Jordan said. "Ooh! They're serving chocolate pudding today!"

Aaron shook his head. "Only you Jordan."

* * *

Outside at their own table, Amber and Steven sat at their own table while James took Dustin and Mary-Jane off campus for lunch.

"This is so much better." Amber said.

"Tell me about it." Steven said. "So, what's going on between you and MJ? Have you rekindled in any way?"

"No." Amber replied. "It's probably getting worse. I lost care a while ago."

Steven nodded. "I see. But I'm going to need to know the reason before I agree if it's a stupid reason or not."

Amber sighed. "At the dance, James and Mary-Jane were seen dancing 'provocative' by several of the students, and they both denied it. Well, Mary-Jane denied it. James said that it meant nothing." Steven gave a silent "Oh" and Amber continued. "Then this past Saturday, Mary's parents left the house and James was nowhere to be found. I think that they hooked up. But they don't answer me, neither of them."

"I get it now." Steven said. "So now you have to find out if they are sleeping with each other."

Amber nodded. "Exactly. I don't doubt it, I just don't know for sure."

"Well, I'll help anyway I can, if you want me to." Steven offered.

"Thanks. I'd like that." Amber said with a smile. "You're a good friend Steven. I wonder why I didn't date you instead."

"I know that answer." Steven answered. "Because after you and Marc broke-up, James was on you faster than MJ on a new Versace handbag."

Amber laughed. "True."

"Plus," Steven added. "I had to keep a respectable distance from you because he's my boy. We do these sorts of things for one another." Steven paused. "I guess, that's where you see the problem with MJ, huh? Not giving that respectable boundary."

"That's exactly why." Amber said. "I'm glad there're people like you around or else _I'd_ be made the bad guy."

"Well, that's what I'm here for. To help." Steven said.

"And I'm in need of some, so do your job."Amber said with a smile.

"Sure." Steven said.

* * *

In the cafeteria, Jayden sat with Helen, Scarlett, Jacquelyn, and Nicole, attempting to find out what was on Jacquelyn's mind without making it so obvious to the likes of Scarlett and Helen. However, that was always easier said than done.

"I can't wait!" Nicole said happily.

"So I hear." Jayden replied. "Do you think you could squeak just a little bit louder? The people in Russia didn't quite catch that."

"It's just a date." Jacquelyn said.

Helen's eyebrows rose. "Are you actually jealous Miss Jackie?"

"What? No!" Jacquelyn said defensively. "I'm just saying, it's just a date. I mean, I could understand if the guy just came out of the blue and asked _her_ on a date, but he didn't. In fact, it could be out of his good graces."

"And so it begins." Helen responded.

"What?" Scarlett asked.

"Oh come on," Helen replied. "Girl asks guy out, another girl grows jealous and calls it good grace. It is so you Scar that you don't even see it."

Scarlett frowned. "What are you blabbering about now Helen?"

"Who knows and who cares?" Jayden interjected before the two cousins could go at it once more. "I can just say that I'm happy for you Nicky." Jacquelyn scoffed. "Oh come on Jackie. Wasn't I good enough?"

Jacquelyn sighed. "Sure Jay. You were good."

"Is there anyway possible you two could rephrase that so I don't have disturbing images in my head?" Helen asked.

"What I'm saying," Jayden said. "Is that everyone at this table has had either or between Shane and me, _except_ Nicky. This should be good." Jayden smirked. "Besides, between Nicky, Jackie, and Scarlett, Nicky is the one that I worry the most that will call at the _worst_ possible time when… If you catch my drift."

Helen playfully pushed Jayden away.

"Drink." Scarlett said standing up. "You need one Helen?"

"Sure." Helen said. "Orange."

"Be right back." Scarlett said walking towards the soda machine.

"I told you." Jayden simply stated.

"Whatever." Helen replied.

Shane saw his chance and moved to the soda machine where Scarlett stood. He could tell she was in another debate with herself, so that meant she was either really tired or really annoyed. Or scheming. Scheming was always something Scarlett did that kept her mind preoccupied from simple tasks such as choosing a flavor of soda.

"You know I'm going to say grape, right?" Shane asked as he stepped beside her.

"Did you find out?" Scarlett questioned without looking at him.

"No I-" Shane was cut off with Scarlett pressing the button for grape. "Wrong thing to say?"

"The worst." Scarlett said putting another bill into the machine and taking her grape soda out. "So, Nicky tells me that she's really ready for Saturday. How about you?"

Shane shrugged. "Guess I am. It has been a while since I've done these sorts of things."

"Well, I am high maintenance. Maybe she'll be easier." Scarlett said getting Helen's drink. "Scratch that last phrase. I _know_ she's a lot easier than I am."

"Are you trying to pick on Nicky to avoid the thoughts of Jayden and Helen's date?" Shane asked.

"Nice talking to you." Scarlett said. "See you around."

Shane watched Scarlett walk away before smiling.

"Jay, you are a genius."

* * *

Dustin rolled his eyes. This had gone from innocent and quite appealing to straight up disgusting.

"God I can't believe we're down to this." Mary-Jane said to James as the two broke away from their kissing session. "Sneaking around with _him_."

"Everyone's happy." James said. "So we shouldn't complain."

"You're right." Mary-Jane said before looking at Dustin. "Say, why don't you have a girl here to make this easier on yourself?"

"Next to you saying that I couldn't invite anyone?" Dustin responded. Mary-Jane glared at him. "I m-mean Jordan gets shy easily and A.J and Chandra don't care for people like you." Mary-Jane's glare intensified. "What I meant was-"

"We get it. Your friends are happy where they are." James said, gaining a nod from Dustin. "Take a breath man. She's not going to attack you."

"Says you." Mary-Jane muttered.

Dustin began drinking his mixed soft-drink through the straw. His eyes stayed focused on the beauty Mary-Jane for fear that she _might_ strike at any given moment.

"You know," Mary-Jane said. "I think we got the better end of the deal on this one." James frowned in thought. "I mean, it could've been Helen that walked into the boiler room and I would _never_ let Helen get _any_ leverage over me. Ever."

"True. So you see, everyone wins." James said. "And with Scooter and Nathan off of his back, Amber gets off of ours."

"Which would be simpler if you would-"

"Club. Saturday. Ring any bells?" James interrupted. Mary-Jane smiled. "I thought so."

Dustin could only feel bad in his heart. Amber seemed to be an alright girl, smart, cheerleader, not bad-looking, and an overall nice person. So doing something like this behind her kind of made him sick and knowing that James and Mary-Jane were going to hook up again Saturday only made him feel worse. Then again, there were the pros of this agreement. Nathan and Damon stayed away from him and he gained the popularity that he has always wanted. So in the end, James was right.

Everyone wins.

* * *

Jordan sighed in content. "I love chocolate."

"For once, I agree." Chandra said. "Chocolate makes the world go round."

"Women…" Aaron muttered gaining glares from Chandra, Jordan, and Gabrielle. "Anyway, so what have you learned Bambi?"

Chandra sighed. "It's hopeless. I think Dustin might've scored them on his own. No underhanded deals or anything."

"Why do you say that?" Jordan asked.

"Because I talked to Steven…" Chandra paused momentarily and smiled. Jordan openly gagged, snapping Chandra back to reality. "Anyway, he says that he doesn't really know, but Dustin isn't that annoying. Just a newbie. So maybe Dustin just befriended one or both of James and Mary-Jane."

"That is a possibility." Jordan said. "But I don't think so."

"Why do we care?" Aaron asked.

Chandra scoffed. "Why do we care? We care because one of the most bizarre things in Degrassi history has just occurred and if we somehow figure out why it happened, we could set the records straight."

"I doubt that there is some sort of secret government reason behind this." Aaron replied. "Just a guy hanging out with older students."

"Older and more popular students." Jordan stated.

"Who just so happens to be James Brooks and Mary-Jane Del Rossi." Chandra added.

Aaron smiled. "The bizarre thing is you two agreeing on something. Maybe we should find out the reason behind that first?"

"No!" Jordan and Chandra said in unison.

Jayden returned to his normal table with a sigh.

"Mission accomplished." Jayden said.

Kelly furrowed her brows. "Mission?"

"Don't worry about it." Shane responded.

"So I hear the bands going good." Dakota said. "When's the first show?"

"You should know the music business better than anyone. Your mother produces the best music in the world and your dad is part of one of the greatest bands in history. You know it doesn't work that fast." Jayden said.

"And scout." Dakota said.

"What?" Kelly asked.

"My mom. She scouts for music as well." Dakota replied. "That's why she's at home at odd times of the day."

"Oh." Kelly said.

"I'm glad you're back to your normal self, an alcoholic or not." Jayden said, gaining a glance from Jacob, Shane, and Kelly. "To be honest, I'm not that judgmental of people, so I don't really care if you are one or not Dash. Just know your limits and know the people you're around. I'd hate to think of what would happen if someone drugged your drink. Could be tragic."

Dakota smiled. "Glad you care and are willing to accept me."

"That's what I do." Jayden replied.

"I wish you wouldn't drink period." Kelly stated.

"No. We're not going down that road today." Jayden said. "Today should be of happier thoughts such as-"

"Such as Helen's on her way over here and she does _not_ look 'happy'." Shane interrupted.

"You." Helen said pointing at Shane.

"Me?" Shane asked.

"Yes. You." Helen said. "Come."

"I'm not a-"

"Go!" Jayden and Kelly said in unison, sensing the anger radiating off of the strawberry blonde.

Shane sighed as he stood up. The short cheerleading co-captain led him towards her table where only Nicole sat. Shane frowned.

"Where're Jackie and Scarlett?" Shane asked.

"Where I'm going." Helen replied. "Calm. Her. Down."

"What?" Shane questioned.

Helen pulled out a chair across from where Nicole sat and pointed to it. Shane sat down.

"She's hyper. It's your fault. I suggest you fix it before I _fix_ you." Helen nearly hissed. "And I do mean fix as in sterilize or spay." Shane silently gulped. "Good boy. Now, fix it."

Helen walked away leaving the two at the table.

"So, you're that excited, huh?" Shane said. Nicole nodded with a smile. "I hope you decided what you wanted to do."

"Yes. There's this club downtown that I want to go to and _you're_ going to take me there, right?" Nicole asked.

Shane shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"

"I'm glad that you said yes." Nicole said. "Some people say that I'm annoying and talkative."

"Well, you are a bit talkative when you're excited about something. But I don't find it annoying." Shane said. "And I guess, since you chose the club, I choose the movie."

Nicole smiled. "_And_ a movie?"

"Sure. I figured you'd have to have something to brag about to Helen and Jayden." Shane said. "Just don't expect a big fiesta or something because you're with me and not the rich and spoiled Jayden."

"I don't care about that. I'm just happy." Nicole said.

Shane grinned. "Me too."

* * *

After fifth period, Aaron found Chandra and Ashton arguing once more.

"I don't have time for this." Ashton said. "A.J, get your girlfriend."

"Girlfriend? Why you- Hey!" Chandra shouted as Aaron began pulling her away.

"Bambi, you cannot keep fighting with him." Aaron replied. "You're going to piss Mr. Isaacs off more if you keep messing with his favorite nephew."

"I can do whatever I want to. Now let go." Chandra said wrenching her hand free. "You have no clue on what you're talking about."

Aaron sighed. "You're going to make life harder for yourself. At least here in school."

"And I guess you have a plan to 'help' me, right?" Chandra asked.

"I'll make a bet with you." Aaron said. "You play cards?"

Chandra crossed her arms. "Listening."

"Blackjack. Twenty-one. Whatever you want to call it. One game." Aaron said revealing a deck of cards.

"What's the stipulation?" Chandra asked.

"You pick my poison and I pick yours." Aaron answered. "And my stipulation is that you stay out of Ashton's business until Winter Break. No ifs, ands, or buts about it."

"And mine…" Chandra said before smiling. "You have to hook me up with Jayden when he breaks up with Helen. No questions ask."

"Fine. You want to shuffle?" Aaron asked.

"We're going to do that here?" Chandra questioned.

"Scared?" Aaron replied. Chandra grinned before taking the cards. "Now, do you want to deal it out or should I?"

"Deal." Chandra said handing Aaron the shuffled deck.

* * *

After the final bell, Vanessa eyed Amber and Steven talking outside of her brother's car. She had known the two for a while now and had never seen them buddy-buddy before.

"Well," Amber said. "I have to get to tryouts. Call me."

"I will." Steven said as Amber walked away.

"So you've moved on to my brother's ex, have ya?" Steven looked at the younger grinning girl. "Can't blame you. She's pretty and I like her."

"She is, huh?" Steven replied. "Say, where is your brother?"

"I don't know, but I'm getting just as anxious." Vanessa said.

* * *

Aaron and Chandra walked with Jordan, Kelly, and Shane towards the Dot.

"So you're really going to go through with it? You're a brave man Shane." Kelly said.

Shane shrugged. "I don't really see the problem. Besides, Nicky's hot. Right A.J?"

"Don't even answer that." Kelly said, glaring at Aaron over her shoulder before turning around. "So why did you three get detention yesterday?"

"Bambi attempted to break into Ashton's locker." Aaron answered. "Jordan and I were just there and Mr. Isaacs flipped out."

"I'll say." Chandra added. "He thinks that just because Ashton is his nephew that he's better than any of us. The dipstick isn't even that smart _and_ he's popping pills."

"Well, it's best to leave him alone. You don't want your teacher breathing down your neck, trust me." Shane said. Kelly giggled a bit. "You know I'm telling the truth. With as many times that Jayden has dragged me down with him, I'm just glad we _don't_ have any classes with each other this year."

"Speaking of which," Chandra said. "How much of a chance do you think that I stand with him?"

"None." Shane answered bluntly, resulting in Kelly jabbing him with her elbow. "Ow!"

"I can't wait to get something to eat." Jordan said. "And then we're going to talk about Dustin's jump to stardom. The three of us can come up with something, hopefully."

"There is one thing I've learned about my American friend and that is there is no family more underhanded than the McDuelle family." Aaron frowned slightly at Shane's comment. "Being such, they have taught me that every scam, scandal, and conspiracy have at least two key players that are so obvious that they usually are overlooked. These two players are James and Mary-Jane. Now all you have to do is find out what they have to gain from hanging with Dustin and bam. There you go."

"You know," Kelly replied. "You can be so smart sometimes. Why don't you apply yourself better?"

Shane shrugged. "Don't know. Don't care."

"He's right!" Chandra said. "And I think I know what it is."

"Really?" Jordan asked.

Chandra nodded. "But I'm only telling if you pay for my meal."

Jordan groaned. "I knew there was a catch."

Aaron grinned. "Look on the bright side. You'll find out sooner rather than later. And that's all you wanted, right?"

"I guess." Jordan said before sighing. "So, what's the special for today at the Dot?"

* * *

**A/N: There's the latest of Like A Record. I hoped you liked it. I'll be trying to make the chapters a bit more exciting as well as working on my other stories like Twice the Trouble (shameless plug!) Anyway, till next time! **

** -D.J Ghostwriter**


	14. Webisode I: The Mistletoe Effect

**A/N: So, after doing that special message a while back, I decided to do more random chapters of Like A Record. These chapters are equivalent to the mini-webisodes of _Degrassi: TNG_ so they may or may not be relevant to the story at all. If you have any ideas about a webisode, whether it be about my characters, your characters, or the original characters, let me know! Now, without further ado, the first Like A Record Webisode!**

**

* * *

**

**The Mistletoe Effect**

Thirteen years old Jayden McDuelle woke up in a bit of a sour mood. Five months ago, he was lying in his bed in Newport Beach, California. Now, the day before Christmas, or Christmakkuh as his neighbor would celebrate, he sat in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, moping. His three years old twin sisters, Renée and Jenée were ripping and running about the house screaming about Santa Claus coming to town. He scoffed at that. All he wanted for Christmas, his birthday, New Year's, etcetera was to go back home. Toronto was just not the place for him, despite the friends he had made.

After getting dressed, Jayden made his way downstairs where his parents and other younger siblings, Katya (6) and Christian (5), were helping their parents with decorations around the house. It was a family thing to do the tree a week prior Christmas, which so happens to be Jayden father's birthday. Weird.

"Hey Jay!" Manny said cheerfully to her eldest son. "Why the long face?"

"Do we have to celebrate Christmas in Toronto?" Jayden asked.

"Yes." Manny replied putting a hand on her hip. "Why can't you be more like Danni and A.J and just get with the program?"

"Because he's like his mother." Maxwell muttered while playfully wrestling with the twins.

Manny gave her husband a warning glance over her shoulder before looking at Jayden.

"How about you go out and do something? Go to The Dot or something." Manny said. "But don't forget that at six, we're all coming home. So don't be late."

"Hey Jayden," Maxwell said standing up from the floor, much to the twins' dismay. "Come here for a second."

Jayden followed his father to the entertainment room. Maxwell looked around before opening up a large dictionary. He pulled out a small mistletoe.

"What is that?" Jayden asked.

"Mistletoe." Maxwell said. "I'm going to teach you something that I used to do whenever Christmas seemed to be a little troublesome to me." Jayden actually grinned a bit. "It's called the Mistletoe Effect."

Jayden's left eyebrow rose. "Mistletoe Effect?"

Maxwell nodded. "Yep. The Mistletoe Effect. Now, I'm going to tell you how it works. You put this in your right sleeve and whenever you meet a girl you automatically get a kiss."

"Dad, how dumb do you think I am? That'll never work." Jayden said.

"Take it and find out yourself." Maxwell said. "If it doesn't work, I'll ask Cohen to keep an eye on you while you move back to Newport by yourself. But if it does, not only do you not speak a word to this to your mother, but you don't complain until we leave for the summer. Deal?"

"Deal." Jayden said taking the mistletoe. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"Yeah. It only works on girls that you know. The more familiar you are with them, the more likely you are to get that kiss." Maxwell explained. "Give it a while to warm up. It hasn't been used in a while."

"Whatever." Jayden said. "I'm going next door for a while."

"Thought you didn't think it worked." Maxwell said with a smirk.

"I'm just going to get out of the house like Mama said." Jayden responded. "And if it works, then it works."

"Go." Maxwell said before Jayden walked off. "I wonder if I should've told him that it won't work with a negative attitude. He'll figure it out."

After Walking out of his house, Jayden could only think of one good thing that Toronto has that southern California doesn't; snow. Snow covered the driveways and roads, and from the looks of the gray skies, more was to come.

From the tracks in the driveway, Jayden knew that his mother or father to Aaron to their grandparents' place. He walked down his driveway, onto the sidewalk, and into his neighbors' driveway. He did not want to mess up the yards. Helen already hated him as it is. Jayden rang the doorbell and waited. Fiona Chessex opened the door.

"Jayden, hi." Fiona said. "The girls aren't here. They left with Blue earlier."

"Oh." Jayden said. "Thanks Mrs. Chessex."

"Are you guys staying here for Christmas?" Fiona asked.

Jayden nodded. "Yeah. My parents decided to stay here since we're usually with my dad's family."

"That's good. Scarlett could use the company." Fiona said. "We'll be here for Christmas as well and Helen's going to New York to spend Christmas with her family."

"Oh. May you tell her I stopped by?" Jayden said.

Fiona grinned. "Sure. See you tomorrow, I'm sure."

"Yeah." Jayden said before turning around and walking away.

Scarlett Chessex was the pretty girl-next-door. She and Jayden began as good friends from day one. She was actually the first person he spoke to in Toronto. She was the one that introduced him to Shane Mason, his best friend here, and from there came his other friends. The two had been on a "non-official" date where Scarlett showed Jayden all of the hotspots in return for him having to pay for lunch. It had been one of his better days since moving. And in all actuality, she was the girl he wanted to get that holiday kiss from the most.

"Stupid stem." Jayden muttered as he walked down the sidewalk. "Well, I guess I can't say it doesn't work because I haven't met a girl I know." Jayden thought about all the girls he had met in Toronto. He crossed out the girls that flocked him because he had his dad's looks and had an actress mother. "I guess I'll go to The Dot and test this thing out."

As Jayden walked, he thought about Marissa Cooper-White, his ex-girlfriend. He did not need some stupid myth to be true to get a holiday kiss from her, whether or not his parents, his mother, approved or not.

After making it to The Dot, Jayden walked in to see that it was quite busy. He scanned the tables to see it filled with strangers, so he made his way to the counter and sat on the stool.

"Hey Jay." Kelly Mason said standing beside him.

"Hey." Jayden replied before Shane, who was working the deep fryer, turned to look at him. "See you guys are packed."

"More packed than before." Shane Mason said. "Kind of Dad's fault for doing some sort of Christmas Lunch Special."

Gavin Mason looked at his soon while cooking at the grill.

"Keep that up and you'll be here all day." Gavin said before setting a plate on the counter. "Table three Kelly."

"On it Dad." Kelly said taking the plate and walking off.

Jayden frowned. "I've never seen this place so crowded."

"Christmas." Gavin said. "The gift of giving."

"If the business is getting so annoying," Jayden said. "Why not just close for the day?"

"Because that's what Christmas is about Jayden. Doing things you don't want to make someone else happy." Gavin said. "And in return, something good happens to you. Trust me."

"…Yeah." Jayden said. "I'm going to go find Dash. See you later Shane."

"Sure." Shane said as Jayden began walking to the door.

Kelly hugged Jayden. "Merry Christmas Jay."

"Thanks." Jayden said. "Merry Christmas Kelly."

The blonde went back to work before Jayden walked out.

Kelly was by all means another pretty girl. Unfortunately, Jayden had already figured that she and he would probably always be friends. Still, that did not mean that he was anywhere near content about getting a hug instead of a kiss that he was promised from his father.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he decided to go to Jacquelyn Haig's house. The reason? Jacquelyn had a crush on Jayden and Shane and Nicole had both tried to hook the two up. Jayden was not quite ready to date someone he does not spend a lot of time with, so he was procrastinating a bit. However, if this Mistletoe Effect worked, he'd date her ASAP.

Jacquelyn's house was around the corner from The Dot, down the street from Shane and Kelly's mother's house. He rang the doorbell and waited.

"Hey Jayden." Jacquelyn said after opening the door. "What can I do for you?"

"Nothing. Just a bit bored." Jayden replied. "So, what are you doing?"

Jacquelyn sighed. "I'm doing some last minute steps. I have to do a dance later on tonight. Ballet."

"Oh. Well, if I'm interrupting, I'll go." Jayden said. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." Jacquelyn said before slipping back into the house.

Jayden, despite himself, smiled. Jacquelyn was shy and Jayden knew that. Whenever the two were together, she would noticeably tense up and hush herself. This heavily contradicted Jacquelyn's two friends, Nicole Campbell and Helen Sinclair-Coyne. The two of them would never hold their tongues unless it was of great importance.

Turning around, Jayden began walking away. Once again, he was down about not getting the kiss he was promised. But his mind then thought of someone else. Nicole. She was the epitome of flirtatious. If _she_ did not give him a kiss, then the mistletoe was actually a curse.

But, before he got to her house, he passed the park across from Emma's house where Jordan Cameron, Dustin Hayes, and his ten years old brother Aaron were playing. The three were having a snowball fight, something that was so simple yet so pleasurable. He had half the mind to join them until he remembered his task at hand. If this thing worked, he was going to find out. Besides, it gave him something to do while everyone else seemed to be gone.

Jayden saw a girl he learned earlier this year named Laura Reynolds. She stood in a large black coat, which was actually more enjoyable to see than her usual leather jacket. And despite her usual sneer and rude comment, she was actually attractive. He thought that maybe with the holiday spirit and a little of the Mistletoe Effect, he could at least get a Merry Christmas from her.

"What do you want dickless?" Laura asked.

He was wrong.

"Nothing." Jayden said walking past her.

No matter how attractive she was, Laura Reynolds would always be the most annoying girl he knew in the world. And that only got worse as a snowball made its way to his back. He turned around to see Laura's smirking face.

"Merry Christmas loser." Laura called walking away and laughing.

"Jerk…" Jayden said the opposite way.

The walk to Nicole's house was noticeably long for whatever the reason may be. And it seemed as if his luck was starting to better. She was out making a snowman with her younger brother, Harry. The only thing that Jayden could wish for was that she was in some type of shorts or skirt to show off those perfect legs of hers. He had to deal with the pants she wore, though they did show of the shape of her legs well. Smiling, he knew that he would have to celebrate Christmas in July to get his _true_ Christmas present from Nicole.

"Hey Jay!" Nicole called. Jayden walked towards the duo. "Mind helping me? Harry's a bit cold and wants to go inside."

"Sure." Jayden said.

The three made the snowman with the toddler happy at the results.

"I go tell Mommy!" Harry said before running towards the house.

"So what are you doing?" Nicole asked stepping towards Jayden.

"Uh, nothing really." Jayden said. "My mama told me to go out for a while so I did."

"Well, thanks for the help." Nicole said. "I know we're supposed to be under a mistletoe but…"

Jayden nearly sighed in relief. He had walked for far too long for this. And just before their lips connected, the worst thing happen.

"Nicole Campbell!"

Her mother. Her mother came then. Curse her mother. Curse her brother. Curse this stupid Mistletoe Effect!

"Got to go! Sorry!" Nicole replied running towards the house.

Shoving his hands into his pocket, Jayden realized that there was only one girl left; Dakota Nash. Sad, because he looked at her as a sister. She did not have many friends, he being her current only one. So he decided that he would just sit with her for a moment. He knew where she would be, her dad's place. The only problem was that Craig Manning and Dakota hardly got along and for some reason Craig was not a fan of Jayden either.

Craig's house was smaller than Dakota's stepdad's, Silas Lowry's, house. And it also seemed a lot more creepier than Silas's too. But as Jayden rang the doorbell, he realized that Dakota was forced to be there. It was the law that her father saw her on holidays.

"Hey Jayden," Dakota said with five years old Lillian on her back. "Glad you're here. As you can see, I'm having a small problem."

Jayden grinned. "I can help with Lily." Dakota stepped aside and let Jayden into the house. "So where're Craig and Ashley?"

"Picking something up." Dakota said, making sure not to spill that her dad and stepmom were out getting Lily's Christmas presents.

Jayden and Dakota made their way to the living room and sat down on the couch with Lillian playing with Dakota's hair, though Dakota did not mind her younger sister's actions.

"So," Jayden began. "My dad gave me another thing to try out." Dakota's eyebrows rose. "The Mistletoe Effect. I'm supposed to get a kiss from every girl that I know that I come in contact with."

"And how is it working?" Dakota asked.

Jayden sighed. "No good. The closest I came was Nicky."

"That bad huh? Try Scarlett?" Dakota questioned.

"She's out with her dad and cousin. And if I'm lucky, I'll just make it home with a sufficient hug." Jayden answered. "So how has your day been?"

"As best as it can be with this little one." Dakota said as Lillian fell in Dakota's lap. "And Ashton and Steven have been giving me the cold shoulder, so I've been having a pretty decent day."

"I wish I could say the same." Jayden said. "Danni's coming in from L.A sometime today, so the peace inside of the house should be long gone by the time I get back."

"Sucks for you." Dakota said. "Hey Lily, do you mind going to get my soda from the kitchen?"

The girl who Dakota was currently playing with while talking to Jayden immediately hopped onto the floor and scurried out.

"She still adores you for whatever the reason may be." Jayden said.

Dakota grinned. "And only on the holidays will I ever show that I love her more."

"Wish I could feel this holiday love." Jayden said.

"It'll come to you soon. Trust me." Dakota responded.

Steven Manning walked into the room. "What is he doing here?"

"He was-"

"Dad said no company until he gets back. And if I can't invite anyone, what makes you so special?" Steven questioned. "He's got to go. Now."

Dakota frowned. "Why do you have to be so stupid all the time?"

"You'll see-"

"Don't worry about it Dash. I don't like being around idiots either." Jayden said standing up. "I'll go."

"You better." Steven said.

Jayden smirked. "Not like you could've made me. I'm leaving to keep my friend out of trouble. See you tomorrow Dash."

"Sure." Dakota said.

Jayden walked out of the house of the singer Craig Manning, not really caring where he was going next. So instead, he made his way to a small restaurant known as New York Styles. This place sold a lot of New Yorkers' favorites such as hotdogs, cheesecake, and others. Jayden himself only came for a cup of hot chocolate. After getting the cup, he sat down at an empty table, ignoring the people looking at him. Sometimes, he hated celebrity parents.

"So, here's where you've been." Jayden looked to see Helen sitting in the chair across from him. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm about to leave. Blue's outside waiting for me." Helen said. "Going to Manhattan to spend Christmas. I'm sure that you're going back to Newport, right?"

"I wish." Jayden replied.

"Me too. If I knew that there were almost all three million square miles in-between us, I'd have a _lovely_ Christmas."

Jayden smirked. "Didn't know that you knew math."

"Math? I just know how far you are from me. The farther, the happier." Helen said with a smile.

"Why are you sitting here?" Jayden asked.

"Waiting on my order." Helen answered. "Besides, you look like you could use the company."

"Whatever." Jayden said standing up. "I do hope you have a good holiday. Even if I know that you're wishing for a bus to hit me."

"Train, but who's picky?" Helen replied. Jayden turned around, not really in the mood to deal with Helen now. "Scar's at home now. I'm sure that she could say something to you to cheer you up."

"Thanks." Jayden said before walking out of the restaurant with his hot chocolate.

He made his way to a bench used for the bus stop. Seeing no one there, he sat down with a heavy sigh.

"Holiday blues?" a voice said. Jayden turned to see a man sitting beside him. "I can tell."

"Do I know you?" Jayden asked.

"No. But I know you." the man said. "Son of Max and Manny McDuelle? Kind of hard not knowing you."

"Who are you?" Jayden said.

"You can call me J.T." the man said. "I've been watching you for a while. You don't seem to be very happy."

Jayden sighed. "No I'm not. I'm spending my Christmas Eve trying to get one kiss that I was promised in the first place. And to top it off, I'm in Toronto. I'd rather be in Newport, you know, my _home_."

"I think you don't know what the holidays are all about. So how about I show you my mistakes?" J.T said standing up. "Come on. From one J.T to another."

"Sure." Jayden said standing up as well.

The two began walking down the street, and to Jayden, they were going at a faster rate than he had previously been walking, though he did not feel like he was putting that much effort in his walking. They soon stopped in front of a house that Jayden recognized as Dustin's.

"This is where one of my exes lives." J.T said. "And like you, I overlooked the beauty of her because she was, well, unattractive to me in the beginning and a nerd." Jayden looked at where J.T was pointing to, to see Dustin's mother, Liberty. "Ironically enough, if I could, I'd be with her now instead of the other two."

"What does this have to do with me?" Jayden asked.

"You overlook the simple joys of the holiday _and_ the city. It doesn't have to be what you want. It doesn't have to be what you're used to. It just has to feel right. And you're too stubborn to know what feels right, right now. But you will."

Jayden frowned. This was _nowhere_ near helping his two problems now. But he followed J.T anyway, knowing that the more time he spent out of the house, the longer he could keep his sanity. He then came to another house that he did not know. However, he knew the woman in the window was. She was supermodel Mia De Chaplin.

"She was the second ex that I want to show you." J.T said. "She's beautiful, isn't she?"

"Yeah." Jayden said. "I don't know how you compare the two."

J.T shook his head. "I wouldn't expect you to. Then again, no one really compares to Scarlett, do they? Even if you know she's got a crush on your best friend." Jayden's eyes widened. This guy knew _too _much. "Come on. It's posted everywhere on your face."

"If I were in Newport-"

"You really put Marissa with Scarlett?" J.T asked. Jayden was now silent. He didn't really, but he would not say it. "Admitting that you've moved on will help you out a lot."

"Look," Jayden said. "If you're going to help me out so much, how about you help me to get this stupid mistletoe to work?"

"That's just it. I can't. You have to help yourself by helping someone else." J.T said. "Think about it. The only one you've helped was Nicky, and she was about to kiss you."

Jayden blinked in confusion. Had this been true? Truly he has almost gotten a kiss without helping out… No he didn't.

Now with a new thought, Jayden began backtracking. However, before he could make it to Jacquelyn's house, he ran into Mary-Jane Del Rossi, Amber Clarke, James Brooks Jr., and Steven Manning. Ignoring the two beautiful cheerleaders in front of him for a moment, Jayden mentally questioned how Steven gotten this far away from his house so soon.

"We can ask Jayden." Amber said.

"It wouldn't hurt." James added.

"Ask me what?" Jayden asked.

Steven sighed. "I have to find a present for Dakota and I don't know what she likes."

"…" Jayden was silent for a moment. "She wanted a poster of some drummer, but I really don't know who it is."

"Thanks!" Mary-Jane said hugging Jayden. "Now we can go and do what we want to!"

"Thanks for helping Jayden." Amber said before kissing his cheek. "Merry Christmas!"

"You too…" Jayden responded as the four older teens walked down the sidewalk. "Huh. It does work."

"You were saying?" J.T asked.

Jayden did not respond as he made a beeline towards Jacquelyn's place. He made it to her house to see her sitting on the curb in front of her yard.

"Hey," Jayden said. Jacquelyn snapped her head up to Jayden. "Why the long face on Christmas Eve?"

"The show is in about an hour and I'm afraid I might mess up." Jacquelyn said.

"You'll do fine." Jayden replied with a smile. "Come on," Jayden pulled Jacquelyn to her feet. "You're one of the better cheerleaders at school. You perform in front of people all the time. You'll do great, I'm sure."

"You think?" Jacquelyn asked.

"Yeah. And whether you do good or not, how about we celebrate that you had guts to do it anyway? You call and tell me when and we'll go. Okay?" Jayden said.

"Y-Yeah." Jacquelyn said with a smile.

Jayden kissed Jacquelyn. "For luck."

"Thanks Jayden." Jacquelyn said. "And Merry Christmas, again."

"Yeah." Jayden said before walking off.

"So," J.T said. "How'd that feel?"

Jayden grinned. "Actually, it felt good. Both of them. But, now I guess I go help out Kelly at The Dot."

"Sure but-"

"Jay!" Jayden turned to see Nicole jogging towards him. She gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "That's for earlier."

"Thanks. Where're you headed?" Jayden said.

Nicole smiled. "I'm going to go see Jackie's dance. She's a little nervous."

"I'm sure she's feeling better now." Jayden said. "But I'm going to go help Shane and Kelly at The Dot. See you later?"

"Sure! See ya later!" Nicole said before skipping away.

Jayden laughed silently. Nicole was always bubbly and had pent up energy.

"You were saying?" J.T asked.

"Ah be quiet." Jayden said, gaining a laugh from the man.

Once Jayden got back to The Dot, he could see it almost anarchy with Kelly doing her best trying to serve all the tables at once. Jayden sighed before walking towards the back room to grab an apron. When he came out, Shane gave him a curious stare.

"You? Helping? Must be the Christmas spirit." Shane said with a smirk.

"Where's this going?" Jayden asked.

"Ten." Gavin called.

Knowing the restaurant like the back of his hand, made this easy for, Jayden delivering plates for people. And after half an hour of hard labor, the place was finally quieted down.

"Thanks Jay." Shane said. "Don't know what we'd do without you."

"Be stuck with a crowd of people." Jayden said before Kelly nearly tackled him off of the stool with a crushing hug. "Kelly… Can't breathe."

"Thank you Jay!" Kelly said kissing his cheek. "You've been so helpful!"

"Okay. One is quite enough." Gavin said, not really like seeing his daughter kissing any boy, family friend or not.

Jayden heard J.T whistle. He looked at the man who was pointing to a watch.

"Oh yeah." Jayden said hopping off of the stool. "I have to go back home. My mom wants us to be home by six."

"Okay. See you tomorrow." Shane said.

"You know it." Jayden said taking the apron off. "Merry Christmas Kelly."

"You too-"

"Stop flirting with my sister!" Shane called to Jayden as Jayden left laughing.

"…" J.T was silent for a moment. "You know, I never knew that helping _every_ girl got you a kiss. Maybe one or two, but not everyone."

"Lucky me." Jayden said.

"Luck? No. I think your dad may be on to something with that Mistletoe Effect thing." J.T said. "Wish I'd known that."

"Say, you never told me about your third girlfriend." Jayden said. "You've told me about the first two, but what about the last one?"

J.T laughed. "The last one _is_ the first one. Liberty and Mia came afterwards."

"So who is she?" Jayden asked.

"You saw her this morning." J.T answered. "But, out of all my exes, I'm actually proud of her the most. She's finally found someone who-"

"There you are." Jayden looked up to see Scarlett. "Who are you talking to?"

Jayden looked beside him to see J.T gone. Feeling slightly embarrassed, Jayden found a quick recovery.

"No one. My mom's going to kill me though if I don't make it back in time." Jayden said.

"I just saw Danni." Scarlett said before sneering. "And Laura."

"Really? Where?" Jayden asked. Scarlett pointed across the street where Laura was standing. Bending down, Jayden made a snowball and launched it, hitting the girl in the back. "Payback."

Laura flipped Jayden off before storming off, though Scarlett and Jayden laughed. Scarlett's laugh slowly died when she saw something on the ground. She picked it up and stared at it.

"What is this doing in your sleeve?" Scarlett asked holding the mistletoe in front of Jayden.

"My dad told me about something called the Mistletoe Effect." Jayden said.

"You're stupid for believing in that." Scarlett told him, tossing the mistletoe away. "Come on. Your dad made apple pie."

"How'd you-"

"I smelled it. Duh." Scarlett said taking Jayden's hand. "Let's move. You're my ticket into your house, remember?"

"Sure." Jayden said.

Jayden walked with Scarlett, the two idly talking about this or that. As they were walking, Jayden realized that he no longer had the mistletoe with him, therefore the luck was lost. And with the girl he wanted it most on. Oh well. Better luck next year.

When Jayden arrived at his house, he spotted his grandfather's car as well as Emma's. He frowned in curiosity as he saw his front door open. Walking inside he saw his mother hanging something above the door.

"No way…" Scarlett muttered as the two stared up at the mistletoe.

More importantly, it was the _same_ mistletoe that she had just thrown away.

"Well, well," Danica McDuelle, Jayden's eighteen years old sister said. "What do we have here?" Jayden and Scarlett both gaped a bit. "You know tradition."

Scarlett sighed. "For tradition I guess." And instead of a kiss on the cheek Jayden was expecting, she gave him a slightly passionate kiss. Enough to gain his mother's full attention. "There."

"And that's enough for you." Manny said coming down the step ladder. "I know we should've hung this up somewhere else. But your father can be so stubborn."

"Come on Mama." Danica said. "Nana and Grandpa are probably watching something boring on TV."

"Hey Jay." Jordan said shyly as she followed Dustin and Aaron down the hall.

Jayden smiled a bit. Jordan and Dustin did not know that Aaron and Jayden were brothers. In fact, the two believed that Aaron was a family friend of Jayden's and that Aaron's grandparents just knew who Manny was. They were partially correct seeing as they were Manny's parents, but everything else was false.

"How was it?" Scarlett asked Jayden, breaking his thoughts.

Jayden shrugged. "Don't know. I've felt better." Scarlett rolled her eyes. "What?"

"Come here." Scarlett said grabbing Jayden's head. This kiss was much more different that the first. The mixture of love and lust was nearly enough to knock Jayden off his feet. But he had been kissed before. He would not embarrass himself now. "How's that one?"

"Perfect." Jayden said with a smile.

"Come on J.T." Scarlett said walking to the kitchen. "We'd better get a slice before someone else does."

"Sure…" Jayden said.

In the kitchen, Jayden saw his mother's best friend, Emma, helping his father cook something.

"Hey Emma." Jayden said.

"Hey." Emma said. "Spin just called. Said you helped him at The Dot earlier. Thanks."

"No problem." Jayden replied.

"Hey Em," Manny said coming into the kitchen with a picture in hand. "You'll never guess what Renée just found." Jayden and Scarlett looked at the picture on the counter. "A picture of you, me, Toby, and J.T. Do you remember it?"

"Do I remember your ex? Of course I do." Emma said.

Jayden frowned. "Wait a second… Do you mean the same J.T that dated Mia De Chaplin?"

"How'd you know that?" Manny asked with a frown. "He died when we were in the eleventh grade."

"…" Jayden was silent for a moment. Never in a million years will he admit talking to ghosts. "I just do."

"Uh-huh…" Manny said skeptically. "Well, come down here in the entertainment room. We're watching a movie."

"After a piece of pie." Jayden said, gaining a nod from his mother.

Manny and Emma left the kitchen talking about something that occurred when they were children. Jayden swore that his mother was a bigger kid than he was sometimes. But when his father sat the pieces of pie in front of Jayden and Scarlett, Jayden's attention was on his smirking father.

"What?" Jayden asked.

"You still don't believe in holiday miracles?" Maxwell asked.

"…Yes. I believe." Jayden said.

"No whining for six months." Maxwell said. "And no mentioning anything to your mother."

"You know that-"

"Mm-mm," Maxwell said shaking his head. "Don't tell me something I already know. Just enjoy what you have."

"Sure." Jayden said as his father left the kitchen.

"What was that about?" Scarlett asked, her dark blue eyes meeting Jayden's brown eyes.

Jayden smiled. "Nothing. Just reminding me about that Mistletoe Effect."

Scarlett scoffed. "As if it works."

Jayden shrugged. "I'll never know now."

"Good." Scarlett said before eating a fork-full of pie.

Jayden smiled as he continued eating his slice. Whether or not it was truly the Mistletoe Effect or not, he would never doubt his father's words again. Plus, he had finally gotten _two_ kisses from Scarlett. Now, if only he could see Nicole in shorts again, this would truly be a great Christmas. He paused in his thoughts.

Does the Mistletoe Effect works in the summer?


	15. Episode XII: Tonight Is The Night

Episode XII: Tonight is the Night

Jayden put his wallet into his back pocket before eying his older sister.

"You got somewhere to be today?" Jayden asked.

"And what if I do?" Danica replied. "You're too busy with your date, remember?"

Jayden frowned. "Did I do something?"

"No." Danica said with a smile. "I just had a little conversation with Dad earlier and it is quite clear that my business decisions are not as good as he wants them to be."

"Oh." Jayden said. "I'm going to run to the Dot. I have to catch up with Shane about some project."

"Sure. I'm going next door for a second." Danica said. Danica saw the frown on her brother's face. "Don't worry. I'm not going to interrogate your girlfriend. Again."

"Well, I feel better." Jayden said. "Do you mind if I-"

"Yes. Take your mother's Mercedes, but my baby stays with me." Danica interrupted.

Jayden sighed. "You sound like Dad."

"Great minds think alike." Danica replied with a smile.

"More like mean, evil, corrupted ones." Jayden muttered.

"What was that?" Danica asked.

Jayden smiled. "Nothing Danni. See you later."

* * *

Scarlett sighed as she walked down the steps. Whoever was at the door was about to get a piece of her mind.

"J.T it is way too… Danni?" Scarlett said as she opened the door.

"Hey!" Danica said with a smile. "What're you doing today?"

"Um, nothing." Scarlett replied. "Why?"

"We're going to go out. Just you and me, a girls' day out." Danica answered. "Don't give me a lot of lip and don't make a gay joke about this. Just go get ready and come by my house when you're done."

"Can I ask why?" Scarlett asked.

"Well, if you don't go, it'll be a waste of timing explaining why you did if you didn't." Danica responded, gaining a frown from the younger girl. "Look, come and find out when you're dressed, okay? See you soon."

Scarlett could only nod and close the door silently. Once more, Danica had done something completely unheard of.

"Who was that?" Helen asked combing her hair.

"Danni." Scarlett said. "I, uh, have to get ready to go."

Helen frowned. "With Jayden's sister? Scar, not to scare you a bit, but even _I_ wouldn't go anywhere alone with her unless I knew for sure she was having a good day."

"Well try telling her that." Scarlett said. "So when is J.T coming?"

"Oh, not until tonight." Helen said. "I was thinking that since I bailed out on you last time, I'd spend at least half the day with you. But I see that nothing keeps the glamorous Scarlett Joann Chessex locked down."

Hearing her full name, Scarlett glared at Helen. Helen simply laughed and made her way up the steps.

"I hate my cousins." Scarlett muttered.

* * *

Shane eyed Jayden as he walked to the table and sat down.

"What took you so long?" Shane asked.

"Sister." Jayden lied. In truth, he had recently dropped Aaron off at their grandparents' place. "So, what's up with Scarlett and don't skip anything."

"One hundred percent jealous." Shane answered. "When I was talking to her yesterday, she was quite open with some things. Like she wanted to know where you two were going."

Jayden frowned. "Really? Why?"

"I don't know. She's crazy like that sometimes." Shane said. "I just know that she really wanted to know where you were taking Helen tonight. I think she wanted to be there too, but I can be wrong." Jayden nodded. "Okay, your turn."

"Well, I can say that Jackie is just as jealous." Jayden said. "When we were at lunch, she just looked absolutely sick while Nicky was just bouncing around. And I don't mean sick as in Helen's I'm-going-to-kill-you sick, I'm talking about her face turned green, sick."

"Good sign?" Shane asked.

"Well Romeo," Jayden replied. "It means that whatever you did or didn't do at the dance worked because Jackie is in to you. Deeply in to you. Like any time someone would say anything about said date, she would roll her eyes or make noises. She's jealous."

"What to do then?" Shane questioned. "I mean, you remember what my dad said, right? What if all I think about on this date is Jackie and then Nicky notices it and just loses it?"

"I can't answer for that." Jayden said. "I can say that Danni is cooking something up though. She told me earlier that she was going over to speak to our neighbors."

"Not good." Shane said.

"Not good at all." Jayden added. "But, on the flip side, as long as she's got them preoccupied, I can think about what I'm going to do."

Shane frowned. "What do you mean?"

"There has to be something I can do to keep Helen happy and make Scarlett at least satisfied." Jayden responded. "And the longer I have to think of it, the less likely I'll screw up when I think I found it."

"You may have a point." Shane said. "So let's think."

"Think." Jayden said.

* * *

Scarlett sighed before ringing the doorbell. The door opened to reveal Manny.

"Oh, Scarlett," Manny said. "Danni is on her way down. She's talking to one of her many friends. I think." Scarlett frowned slightly. "Come in."

Scarlett was allowed into the house and looked around. Not that she had ever been in the house, but it was still an amazing home. Modest on the outside and luxurious on the inside. Scarlett smiled slightly. Jayden was possibly the best synonym for said house. Innocent enough on the outside, but a truly amazing person once you get to know the inner boy.

"Izzy, I'll tell you one more time." Danica said walking down the steps. "It isn't that bad. Just come on over or move or whatever, but I am not going back to Italy and I sure as he… Heck am not going to France." Scarlett frowned before Danica laughed. "That's true! Say, I have an outing with my neighbor… Yeah, the Coyne girl, Scarlett. She's having those problems that occur like once a year… No, the ones that involve the opposite sex and how oblivious they can be…" Scarlett turned to see Manny's eyebrows furrow. "Alright, talk to you later. Bye."

"What are you up to Danni?" Manny asked much like she did eighteen years ago.

"Nothing." Danica replied innocently. "Just going out with my friend, that's all."

"That's all? Danni, are you getting into someone's business? Namely Scarlett's?" Manny said.

"Mama, how about you go relax?" Danica said walking to her mother. "You need it. You've been doing movies and commercials and other sponsors, you need the time to lie down and just do whatever you want." Manny's eyes now narrowed. "What I'm going to do to Scarlett is just take her out, treat her -nicely, and talk to her. Why, because I'm a friend. That's all I'm doing."

"Sure Danni. Don't scare the poor girl." Manny said walking away.

Danica sighed. "Mothers…" Danica then turned her attention towards Scarlett. "Okay Scar, let's go. I promised Sophie that I'd call in about two hours and then I have to check back in with Izzy. Not to mention that Scott's been quite quiet and I have to annoy my Nana Kirsten at least once a week and today is said day."

"Sounds like a lot." Scarlett said as Danica grabbed her keys.

"That's the life of Danica Mariella McDuelle." Danica replied. "Let's go."

Scarlett followed Danica out of the house towards Danica's Audi. Scarlett got into the passenger seat as Danica got into the driver's seat.

"Helen preparing for her date tonight?" Danica asked starting the car up.

"Yeah." Scarlett said quietly.

"I take it that you still like Jay, huh?" Danica said pulling out of the driveway. Scarlett's silence caused Danica to smile. "No need in hiding it from me. I knew last year when I came down here. And then the other day, you were just sending him the most obvious glances. I'm sure that even he picked it up."

"He's dating Helen, you know." Scarlett said. "I can't stop that. She's my cousin and best friend and J.T is a friend of mines too."

"You know, when my parents met, my mom was in another relationship too." Danica said. "In fact, because of that faithful night, my mom's three-year relationship came to an abrupt end."

"I didn't know that." Scarlett said.

Danica nodded. "Yep. Big fight, big make-up, beautiful daughter. All because of that godforsaken town known as Las Vegas."

"So is that why you're taking me out? To talk about my feelings for Jayden?" Scarlett asked.

Danica smiled. "That and because Jayden told me to." Scarlett gasped. "Yep. The other day, he said that he wished that there was something I could do to help him balance out his 'friend' time with you and his 'boyfriend' time with Helen without making it seem like he's not favoring Helen. I came up with this idea late last night when Sophie suggested it to me."

"So… He was worried about me?" Scarlett questioned.

"I wouldn't say worried, but he cares." Danica answered. "He told me that you were pissed when Helen asked him out, or when you heard it. I think it's just Jayden's kryptonite of a girl in distress that's killing him, and a good friend just makes it worse." Danica stopped at a stoplight. "So, I'm here to talk to you, make you feel good, make you feel better about Helen and Jayden, and then plan a way to break them up."

Scarlett blinked. "You're serious aren't you?"

"Of course I am." Danica said as the light changed green. "Do you think that I honestly place Helen over you? Hardly. I mean, she's got the attitude, but she does not have the finesse that you bring to the game." Danica pointed to Scarlett without looking at her. "That's what separates you two. Her cheerleader's charm cannot compete with your elegant maturity."

"Thanks, I think." Scarlett said before looking out of the window. "I can't believe that I'm in the car with my cousin's boyfriend's sister, thinking of a way to break them up."

Danica laughed. "Well get used to it Scar, because we have _all_ day together!"

Scarlett smiled. "Well, let's begin."

* * *

Ashton sat on the couch in his living room, his parents standing in front of him.

"Twice? Are you kidding me?" Ashley asked.

"Mom, I swear those are not my pills." Ashton said. "I don't know who keeps putting them there, but it's not me."

"How many people know where your locker is?" Craig questioned.

"A few." Ashton said. "Steven, Dakota, A.J, Chandra-"

"Those two? Didn't they catch you the first time?" Ashley said.

Ashton nodded. "But I doubt it's theirs. I mean, they can't even _break_ into my locker. That's how they got detention."

"Okay, so it's not them." Craig said. "Anyone else?"

"No one that I can think of." Ashton answered. "Seriously, they're not mine though. I don't even know what kind of pills they are."

"Ashton, this is the _second_ time they were in your locker." Ashley said. "If they are not yours, and no one knows your locker combination, then I don't know what to say. They either have to be yours or someone you know."

"No. I don't know whose they are and I know they aren't mine." Ashton said.

Craig sighed. "This is getting us nowhere. We'll just have to think of someway to monitor his actions."

"But they-"

"I've heard enough." Craig said, stopping his youngest son. "We'll talk about this later. I have to get on to the studio. Don't leave the house."

"Sure." Ashton said as Craig left the room.

"Ashton, why won't you tell us whose it is?" Ashley asked desperately.

"The same reason you can't tell me the secrets of the universe." Ashton replied. "Neither of us knows."

"Whatever Ashton." Ashley said.

* * *

Dakota sighed as she sat up in her comfortable bed. She groaned before flopping back onto her bed.

"That anyway to treat a friend?" Laura, who was standing in Dakota's doorway, asked with a smirk. "Get up. I have a bet at the ravine."

"The ravine? Are you insane?" Dakota snapped back as she quickly sat up. "Partying is one thing, but I will _not_ go there."

"Why? It's not like I'm selling you into prostitution or whatever." Laura said. "Come on Dash, it'll be fun and plus there's a special drink involved. Oh, and one guy beating another into a bloody pulp while I collect on my wins, again."

Dakota sighed. "Fine. Let me get dressed."

"That's the spirit." Laura said.

* * *

Later that day, Shane stood outside of Nicole's house. He had asked his dad to borrow the truck, considering Emma would _never_ allow Shane to drive without an adult in the car.

"Hey Shane!" Nicole said. Shane's mind momentarily stopped. She was wearing shorts _shorter_ than the ones she wore Thursday, and her white shirt positively revealed the red bra she wore beneath it. "Are you ready to go?"

Shane cleared his throat. "Yeah… You look good."

Nicole smiled. "Thanks. You do too."

Shane led Nicole to Gavin's old F-150 and the two got into the truck.

"So what's first? My place or yours?" Nicole asked.

"Movie." Shane said starting the truck up. "And trust me, after hearing all this hype about _Nights of Elm Street_, it better be _half_ good."

"We're going to see that?" Nicole replied. "That's good, because Helen says it's a good movie. Helen doesn't really like horror movies, so it must've been great."

"So I hope." Shane said driving down the road now.

"You have your license?" Nicole asked.

"Permit. But my dad allows me to drive anyway." Shane answered. "You?"

"Neither." Nicole said. Nicole took out her cell phone. "Do you think Jay went to go pick up Helen yet?"

"Nope. Knowing him, he's probably still sleeping." Shane said.

"Sleeping? What is he doing sleeping?" Nicole asked in a high-pitched voice.

"Um… He had a rough day yesterday." Shane answered, trying to cover for his friend. Truth be told, Jayden usually went to sleep when he had something heavy on his mind- e.g. Helen and Scarlett- and it was best if that sleep was not interrupted. "So, anyway, tell me again why you wanted to go to that club again?"

Nicole shrugged. "I don't know. It just seemed like a great place to go." Nicole undid her two ponytails and pulled her hair into one ponytail. "Can I ask you something Shane?"

"Anything." Shane said.

"Is this out of good grace?" Nicole asked. "Did you really say yes to make me feel better?"

"No!" Shane said, almost slamming on breaks. "Who gave you that idea?"

Nicole smiled. "It doesn't matter. I just wanted to know."

"Nicky, you are _far_ from unattractive." Shane said. "And you're fun to be around. Who in their right mind _wouldn't_ want to be around you?"

"I don't know." Nicole said before leaning towards Shane. "But I'm glad you think so."

Shane shivered a bit. "Uh, y-yeah."

* * *

Scarlett was completely floored. Not only had Danica bought her new clothes that she wore when walking out of the store, but she was now sitting in Jewel's, a club where Scarlett was way too young to be at in the first place. And to top it all off, they were sitting in one of the VIP skyboxes, staring at the dancing group below.

"This place is amazing." Scarlett said.

Danica shrugged. "It's alright. I only come here because they make the best wings. My dad showed it to me when I was about fourteen."

"_Fourteen_? How did they allow you into this place?" Scarlett replied.

"Uh, the same way they let _you_ into the place." Danica said. "But, to answer your question honestly, my dad and the owner of the club know each other. Josh White? He's like my uncle. Ironically, he's my friend, Scott's brother-in-law."

"Oh." Scarlett said. "So you really have been spoiled all of your life."

Danica smiled. "They don't call me the Californian Princess for nothing. I just let them slide with the three biggest mistakes of their lives."

"What mistake?" Scarlett asked.

"Mistake one, I'm not the richest heiress that lives in California. Mistake two, I _hate_ being called that. And finally, mistake three, I was _so_ born in Las Vegas." Danica answered. "Which is why I'll never go back to that cursed city again."

Scarlett shook her head. "Wait a second. You were _born_ in Las Vegas and you call it a 'cursed' city? Why?"

"I told you that that was where I was conceived, right?" Scarlett nodded. "Well, my dad and my other 'uncle', Ryan Atwood, own a hotel there. When tabloids heard about my mother's infidelity with her boyfriend, they flocked around her home. So she was forced to 'live' in the hotel." Danica smirked. "Daddy's security policy is one that _no_ cameraman is willing to risk going against."

"So, not only were you born in Las Vegas, but you lived in a hotel?" Scarlett questioned.

"The years I can't remember, yeah. Then we moved to a new house in Newport Beach. Ironically, the house was the same house that my nana used to own." Danica explained. "And when I was five, Jay was here. But by that time, I was already seen _everywhere_. Paris, London, Tokyo, if one or the other parent went, I was there. And thus, a princess was born."

"Wow." Scarlett said. "I didn't know that."

"Bet you also didn't know that Jay almost lost his virginity in an abandoned house either." Danica said casually.

Scarlett's eyes widened. "No…"

"E-yep," Danica said. "Josh's daughter, Marissa, and Jay were close. Not as close as you and him, but close enough." Danica paused. "I guess that's why I sort of favor you. You replaced her, in a sense."

Scarlett hesitated. "S-so, what you're saying is, J.T only cares because I remind him of some girl from California?"

"I never said that. I said it's why _I_ favor you." Danica answered. "Our father has made sure that Jay _never _mixes two girls up. So whatever he sees in you is different from Coop, let me just say that."

"Why is it that I'm here again?" Scarlett asked. "If J.T and Helen are dating, you're obviously not going to force them apart, and I'm trying to live past that, then what are we doing here?"

Danica crossed her arms. "I don't do this often, so you'd better show me just that much more respect."

The tone Danica had switched to caused Scarlett to pause. It was just another example at how unstable Danica is.

"Anyway," Danica said in a more relaxed tone. "I'm only here because you need help and the friend you usually go to is on the opposite side of the fence this time. Plus, I love my brother and whenever he needs me, I'm there to step in and help."

"I'm still missing the point of this." Scarlett said.

A plate of Buffalo wings was sat in front of the two girls before the waiter walked away.

"Let me ask you a question." Danica said. "When's the last time you and Jay had a nice talk? No strings attached?" Scarlet shrugged. "So tell me when's the last time you thought about telling him how much you like him?"

Scarlett sat quietly for a moment. Danica simply smile before reaching for a wing and biting into it.

"You don't know what you're talking about." Scarlett said.

"Girl jealous over her cousin's boyfriend because said boyfriend was the girl's potential boyfriend? Happens all the time." Danica said. "The real question is what you're going to do about it."

"What I'm going to do about it?" Scarlett asked. Danica nodded as she continued eating. "I'm going to do nothing."

"Nothing you say?" Danica responded. "Then I guess she's right about you."

"She who?" Scarlett questioned.

Danica wiped her mouth. "Helen." Scarlett frowned. "Taking a boy that you clearly like, I mean even Kelly knew about it and I've always that she was oblivious to the world because of the way she dresses." Scarlett's frown lessened. "All I'm saying is be there. If you're there for the ups and downs, you will eventually win."

"And why do you care?" Scarlett asked.

"I told you. I love my brother." Danica answered. "I want him to be happy and I know what he wants. It's my job to help when I can. He wants you and here I am."

Scarlett snorted in laughter. "If I'm what he wants then why doesn't he just dump Helen?"

"You mean next to the cold shoulder you've been giving him?" Scarlett smiled meekly at the statement. "Let's be honest, you blew him off for the first dance of the year and then threw him into your cousin's arms. How would you react?"

"You got a point…" Scarlett said staring at her hands in her lap.

"Eat." Danica said with a smile. "Tonight isn't about your mistakes, it's about the solutions to them. I'll come up with something, but in the meantime, we eat, dance, and forget about the whole ordeal."

"Sure." Scarlett said.

* * *

Helen laughed. "You're kidding."

"No I'm not." Jayden said. "You're lucky I didn't take you to the ice rink."

"A skating ring? This is something I didn't expect you to do." Helen said as Jayden took her hand. "Jayden, can you skate?"

"Roller-skate, ice-skate, I can do it all." Jayden said. "My mom, amazingly, is the X-Games skater of the family. She can rollerblade, ice-skate, and ski."

"Wow." Helen said as the two walked towards a young man behind the counter.

"Two pairs." Jayden said.

"Size?" the man asked.

"Four." Helen said.

"Eleven." Jayden said paying the man.

The man nodded before going to a back room.

"You know," Jayden said. "This is my first time using rental skates."

"Tell me something else about you." Helen said with a smile.

"I have the hottest girlfriend in the Western Hemisphere." Jayden said before kissing Helen. The kiss was cut short when Jayden saw the man returning. "Thanks."

"No problem. Have a good time." the man said as Jayden and Helen took their rental skates and walked towards a bench.

"I can't believe I'm going skating at a quarter-till eight at night." Helen said.

Jayden smiled. "I tried to rent a hotel room, but it just didn't sound like me, you know?"

"Tch, yeah right. That sounds _exactly_ like you." Helen replied taking off her shoes. "Just like it sounds just like your sister to take my cousin out for a day on the town."

"Well, Danni is Danni. She's going to do what she wants, when she wants, and however she wants to do it." Jayden replied. "Besides, with both Scarlett and Danni out of our way, I have you all to myself and vice versa."

Helen smiled. "I like that."

"I'm sure you did." Jayden said.

* * *

The doorbell rang throughout the house. Amber hurried down the steps and quickly opened it before either of her parents could.

"Hey." Amber said.

"Hey?" Steven said confused. "Did I just hear you run to the door?"

"Um, no." Amber lied. "Why would you think that?"

"No reason." Steven said. "So, are you about ready? I tried to get in contact with James but-"

"Don't worry about it." Amber interrupted. "Just let me go get my keys."

Steven frowned as Amber disappeared behind the door. He did not have long to think about Amber's strange behavior before she returned with purse and a set of keys.

"Just incase we get back later than planned, I don't want to have to wake my parents." Amber said stepping onto the porch and closing the door. "So, are you ready?"

"Yeah." Steven said. "But do you mind if I get something to eat first? My parents have been busy with Ashton all day about these pills and I really just want to get something to eat."

"No problem." Amber said. "By the way, you're paying."

Steven shrugged. "I kind of figured that much."

* * *

Dakota looked around the place known as the ravine. To her, it looked like a small junkyard with several of unused cars, scattered car parts, two barrels of fire, and one picnic table in the distance. The table threw her off for a while, but she soon came back to reality when Laura pointed to a spot on a blanket where she sat. Laura soon sat beside her.

"This, Dakota, is the ravine." Laura said. "I do all of my business here."

"The fights, right?" Dakota replied. Laura nodded. "I don't see any fights."

Laura smirked. "They're getting ready for them."

"Thought I'd find you here." Nathan said. "Any bets for tonight?"

"Fifty, Mamba." Laura said handing Nathan the bills.

Nathan frowned. "Is that all?"

"Don't want to show off in front of Dash, so take it and go." Laura said. "And don't skip my prize money either."

"Whatever." Nathan said walking away.

Laura sighed. "Loser. Sometimes I wonder why I have to deal with him."

"That's easy. No one else will." Dakota said.

"I guess you're right." Laura said as two boys squared off. "The one to the right is Mamba. He's my goldmine. Ironically, I used to take his lunch money in the fifth grade."

"Wow." Dakota said as she watched 'Mamba' pick his opponent up and slam him onto the ground, gaining a pop of cheers from the surrounding teens. "I guess you two go back."

"He still owes me lunch money…" Laura muttered.

"Is this what you wanted?" a boy said holding a bottle towards Laura.

"Yes." Laura said almost snatching the bottle. "Dash, this is Ethan Valieri. He goes to Bardell, not too far from here. Ethan, this is a friend of mine, Dash."

"'Sup?" Ethan responded.

"Hi…" Dakota said, her eyes frozen on the bottle. "Where are the cups?"

Laura raised her eyebrows. "I never said that you were getting any of this." Dakota's face became that of a surprised one. "I'm playing Dash. Ethan, we need cups."

"I'm on it." Ethan said before an older boy called the match. "Aw man. And just when I thought that today would be that day that someone beat Mamba. Oh well."

"Rules of the ravine," Laura said as Ethan walked away. "Number one, remember to watch your own back. Friends here are only as good as you pick them, so it's best to be on guard at all times. Rule number two is never, and I mean _never_, walk into a van without knocking first. You could walk in on someone's private sessions, whether it's sexual or professional like drug deals. Finally, never bring more money than you have to. We are all low-lives, if you will, and will not hesitate to rob from a rich girl such as yourself."

"Thanks for the warning. I'll be sure to remember them." Dakota replied.

Laura glared at Dakota. "Do you think I'm playing with you? At any given second, someone could grab you by the hair, pull you into one of those vans, rape, rob, and kill you."

"Do you think I would be here if I didn't already weigh the pros and cons?" Dakota asked.

Laura paused. "… No, I guess not. You aren't that dumb, after all." Laura then looked around. "Where the hell is Nathan with my money?"

Dakota grinned a bit. Although Laura was a bit more normal than she originally believed, Laura was still the tough girl that she always was. Dakota figured that as long as she did not get _too_ wasted and managed to keep Kelly and her other friends off of her back, life would get better.

"You're gutsy from coming here." Nathan said returning to the girls with a wad of cash. "Not a lot of Shane's 'goody-goody' friends venture out here, if any."

Dakota grinned. "Jayden always said, what is life without its risks?"

* * *

Nicole smiled as she began dancing and grinding against Shane.

"You're a pretty smooth dancer for a football player." Nicole said over the music.

Shane grinned. "I have Kelly to thank for that. She wouldn't let me out of the house if I didn't know how to dance." Shane's eyes landed on a pair of familiar faces. "Is that James and Mary-Jane?"

"Where?" Nicole said before spotting the two. "Oh my God! It is! I wonder what Amber is doing?"

"Not knowing about this, I'm sure." Shane said.

"That's so sad." Nicole muttered.

"It's not really our problem." Shane said.

Nicole turned so she was facing Shane.

"Sorry to cut this short," Nicole said with a small pout. "But I'm hungry."

Shane smiled. "Sure, we can go get something to eat. Let's go."

Nicole's smile was enough to tell Shane that he made the right call to agree with her on this one. They had both chosen not to get dinner before the club, something Nicole had said about dancing on a full stomach. So now the two were walking out of the club, hand in hand, where they spotted Amber and Steven.

"What are you guys doing here?" Amber asked Nicole with a grin.

"You already know." Nicole responded. "So what are you two doing here?"

"Just checking it out." Amber said. "So how is it?"

"Surprising." Shane said before Nicole could reply. "Come on Nicky. Let's go."

"But I want to see-"

"No." Shane said nearly pulling the smaller girl out of the club.

Steven frowned. "I wonder what that was about."

"Who knows?" Amber said. "Come on. Neither of us got to go to the dance. Let's make the best of this."

"Sure." Steven said.

The two moved to the dance floor where they began dancing. While dancing, Amber felt someone bump into her.

"Sorry." Amber apologized.

"You'd bett-" Amber and Mary-Jane turned to look at one another. "Amber?"

"Mary? What are you doing here with…" Amber paused as her eyes cut to James. "…I see."

"Amber we-"

"No." Amber said interrupting James. "I get it. You two ran off tonight to be together. I knew it. I absolutely knew it. And you had the _nerve_ to make me think I was crazy." Amber shook her head. "You two deserve each other. One liar for another."

"You're here with Steven, hon. Why are you-"

"I'm here with him because _we_ couldn't get in touch with _you two_!" Amber nearly shouted throwing her hands into the air. "Had either of you answered your damn phone, you'd known that!"

Mary-Jane was stunned for a moment. Amber _never_ used profanity, let alone against a friend. She would have responded to her friend just as heated, but something told Mary-Jane to vote against the action. So she just stood there with Amber venting in front of her.

"You know what? I don't care. That's right, I don't care." Amber said. "Steven, we came all this way to enjoy the dance since _neither_ _of us_ got to go to the dance at school. We're going to dance." Steven simply nodded. "As for you two, go screw yourselves."

Steven and James exchanged glances with Steven giving James a small shrug before Amber grabbed Steven's hand and pulled him to the other side of the dance floor.

"That did not go well." Mary-Jane said.

"You think?" James replied.

Mary-Jane turned towards him. "So now what? I told my parents I'd be home late but I can understand if-"

"She said she didn't care." James interrupted. "So let's continue."

Mary-Jane grinned. "Sure."

* * *

Helen smiled as Jayden leaned in to kiss her once more. The innocent good-night kiss turned more into a passionate make-out session before the sound of someone clearing their throat stopped them. Jayden turned his head to see Fiona with her arms crossed.

"Are you done checking my niece's tonsils, Jayden?" Fiona asked.

"Sure. It's there." Jayden said with a smile as he stood up straight. "See you tomorrow Helen."

"Yeah." Helen said before moving past her aunt into the house.

"You're going to get me in trouble with your mother." Fiona said to Helen as Fiona closed the door. "I'm just glad you've found someone to be happy with."

"He is nearly perfect." Helen replied. "If only he didn't make those stupid perverted jokes every now and again and didn't have to live next door to me, he would be."

"Really? Seems as if you and Scarlett had a good day." Fiona said. "She's upstairs in her room, by the way."

Helen moved up the steps and began heading for Scarlett's room. When she got there, she found her cousin lying in her bed reading a magazine.

"How was your day?" Helen asked.

Scarlett looked up at Helen. "I went to a club with an open bar. I'm sure it was better than yours."

"Do tell." Helen said closing Scarlett's bedroom door.

Scarlett sat up. "Danni took me there after taking me shopping, getting my hair straightened, and a manicure and pedicure." Helen's eyebrows rose. "She and I have become great friends over the past few hours. Plus I know who makes the best Buffalo wings in Toronto."

"So why'd she do it?" Helen asked.

"It's Danica McDuelle. The only answer that makes sense is because she felt like it." Scarlett replied. "Trust me. I stopped asking that question at around four."

"Well," Helen said. "I guess everything ended well, right? You're happy. I'm happy. Jayden's happy. The world is right between us, finally."

"Looks like it." Scarlett said. "Though I may want to warn you. Danni says that you're next."

Helen groaned. "That can't be good."

Scarlett smiled. "I'm sure it isn't."

* * *

"You owe me little brother." Danica said to Jayden.

"What do you mean I owe you?" Jayden responded. "When did I say take Scarlett out on an exclusive trip that makes my dates look like a trip to the local park?"

"Last night, remember? You said, 'I wish there was some way I could make Scarlett happy without completely ignoring Helen.' That's what I did." Danica said. "You should be happy. I told Scar _everything_ about the way you feel."

Jayden's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's because I like to see competition." Danica answered with a smirk.

Jayden sighed. "Why do you make my life miserable?"

Danica sat on Jayden's back as he tried lying in his bed.

"That's because I love you little brother!" Danica said happily.

"In the nearby future," Jayden replied. "I will get even. But until then, thanks."

"You're welcome." Danica said. "Now, about how much this day cost."

Jayden groaned in misery. He knew it was too good to be true.

* * *

**A/N: So here is Episode Twelve: Tonight is the Night. There are nine episodes left in Season One, along with some of the Webisodes that will come up every now and again. Hope you enjoyed it. See ya next week!**


	16. Episode XIII: Somebody Save Me

**Chapter XIII: Somebody save Me**

Aaron waited at the steps for Dustin and Jordan. Dustin was usually here at this time, but it seems as if he was running late today.

"A.J," Aaron turned to see Gabrielle. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Aaron said. "What is it?"

Gabrielle sighed heavily. "Are you the son of Manny McDuelle?" Aaron frowned. "Wednesday, I was here getting my schedule changed when I saw you get into her car. I heard her call you son."

"You can't tell anyone." Aaron said quietly. "If they find out that I'm her son then-"

"You're Jayden's brother." Gabrielle cut off in a quiet tone. "That's how you know him. He's the older brother that we never see."

Aaron nodded. "That's true. I go by our mother's maiden last name since no one really knows it, surprisingly."

"Wow." Gabrielle said. "I can't picture you two… I mean, you're so different and all." Aaron shrugged. "So why is it, no one else knows?"

"It's because I don't want to live the same life Jay lives." Aaron replied. "I wanted quiet and peace. He chose whatever our parents gave him."

"Oh." Gabrielle said.

"Um, let's go inside, okay? I don't want anyone overhearing us out here." Aaron said.

Gabrielle nodded. "Sure."

* * *

Dustin looked at Nathan again.

"Are you sure?" Dustin asked.

Nathan nodded. "Really sure."

"And this will help me how?" Dustin questioned.

"It's like this pipsqueak," Nathan said. "If you can somehow get Simpson out of the office for ten minutes, I don't care what you have to do, Scooter and I will handle the rest."

Dustin frowned. "But when he finds out-"

"_If_ he finds out and he won't find out if we do our jobs right. Got it?" Nathan said.

"Got it." Dustin said.

"Good." Nathan said walking towards the school building. "I'll see you before lunch then."

Dustin sighed. "What have I gotten myself into?"

* * *

Jayden smiled. "I bet you did."

"And you know what? I could do it again." Helen replied. "Even if that means holding your hand."

"Now Helen," Jayden said. "We both know that it is _I_ that can skate and has to hold _your_ hand. Don't give these people false advertisement or they'll be mad."

"Whatever Jayden." Helen said.

"Hey, Jay!" Kelly said running towards him. "We have a _big_ problem!"

"Whoa, calm down Kelly." Jayden said. "What's the problem?"

"You remember that call I got from Dash two weeks ago?" Kelly asked. Jayden nodded. "Well I got another one and she doesn't sound alright."

Helen frowned. "You mean to tell me that Dakota skipped school, that hasn't even started yet, to go get wasted?"

Kelly sighed. "Helen, now's not the time for-"

"She was being serious." Jayden interrupted. "And what do you mean she's called you again? When did she call you?"

"About thirty seconds ago. I got Shane and he's waiting for us outside." Kelly said.

"You can't skip school." Helen said.

Jayden sighed. "She's right. I can't. But I'm going to have to." Helen crossed her arms. "If it was you, I would do the same thing Helen and then some."

"You're right." Helen said. "I'll try to cover for you in first period, but in Blue's class, you're on your own."

"Don't worry about it." Jayden said before kissing Helen. "Go ahead. I have to find Jacob."

"Why?" Kelly asked.

"Helen lying for me will be something the teachers will suspect. Jacob's word is almost sacred to the teachers." Jayden said before walking off.

"There he goes again." Helen said. "Oh well. What can I do about that?"

Kelly shrugged. "I don't know."

The bell rang for first period.

"Great." Helen said. "Make sure you're back by lunch at the latest. I don't want him getting in trouble for someone else."

"I'll try." Kelly said before Helen walked off. "Snob…"

* * *

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

Laura nodded. "Yep. They should be here in about," Laura paused and checked the time on her cell phone. "Fifteen minutes."

"And why are you protecting her?" Ethan asked.

"Because I am." Laura snapped back. "Now just shut up. I have to wait as well."

"Why?" Ethan questioned.

"Go to school!" Laura shouted.

Ethan laughed. "You're just as snappy as she is."

Laura glared at Ethan, but the boy simply laughed. Had she been in her soberest mind, she would have punched Ethan square in his jaw. However, Saturday and Sunday proved to be a little bit more wild and crazy than she originally planned.

Dakota groaned. "My head is killing me."

"I bet." Ethan said. "Just sleep a while. Laura says your friends should be here soon."

"Hurry." Dakota whined.

Ethan could only laugh at the two girls. The night before, they were the wildest, dancing and drinking like there was no tomorrow. Now that tomorrow has come, the two were sluggish and zombie-like.

* * *

"What do you mean he's skipping with Kelly and Shane?" Nicole whispered to Helen.

"He's not here. Simple." Helen replied in a lower tone. "Now stop talking about it or else we'll get them caught."

"But, what if they're caught? They could get suspended-"

"Simpson suspending his grandkids? Yeah right." Helen said. "Just do your work."

"Okay." Nicole said.

Helen sighed. "Hurry up Jayden…"

* * *

Mary-Jane stared at Amber, who was busy humming a song quietly as she did her work. This was odd, only because this was what Amber normally did. Mary-Jane shook her head slightly. Was she insane? She was worried about Amber because Amber was acting _normal_.

"Amber, I want to say sorry." Mary-Jane said, though the other girl continued to hum. "I know that you wanted to date him again, but it just happened, you know?"

Amber's humming abruptly stopped and she looked at Mary-Jane.

"It just happened? I'm sure it did." Amber said. "Just like I'm sure you're sorry about making me look crazy as well."

Mary-Jane rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"No point in getting mad at me. I'm trying to ignore you." Amber replied before going back to her work, humming once more.

Mary-Jane chose not to try and make amends for what she had done now. Amber was just being plain annoying and Mary-Jane did not have the patience to talk to her now. Besides, she had James, right? Why should she care what Amber thought?

* * *

"Where is she?" Kelly asked as the two ran down the street.

"How should I know?" Shane replied. "I just hope Mom isn't running an errand today. She's everywhere when she has to run errands."

"I know." Kelly said.

"As if you two are the only two out here. Thanks for worrying." Jayden said.

"Well, your parents are usually at home." Kelly said.

Jayden sighed. "That's what they want you to think. My mom runs out just as much as your mom does, plus Danni is still in town." Jayden paused. "Danni's still in town!"

"So…?" Shane asked.

"Why are we _walking_ when Danni's still in town?" Jayden said grabbing his cell phone from his pocket. "God I'm so stupid sometimes."

"But others, you're so smart." Kelly said. "Just make sure she can find us where no one else can."

"Let's hope." Jayden said waiting for his sister to answer the phone.

"Speaking." Danica answered.

"Danni, I need you to do me a huge favor." Jayden said. "It involves skipping school, not telling our parents, and making it back before lunch. Do you think you can do that?"

"What and why?" Danica responded.

"Dash got seriously drunk and we're trying to find her." Jayden answered. "I don't know where she is, but I need her to be put somewhere safe. Like the studio. But I can't get there if Dad and/or Mama are home, do you get what I'm saying?"

Danica sighed. "Jay, I really wanted to rest today."

"I'm sorry Danni. I wouldn't ask this if it wasn't a dire emergency." Jayden said.

"Where are you?" Danica asked.

"Across the street from the bank. In front of Howie's Deli." Jayden answered.

"Okay. Go down the street and sit in Wendy's. I'll be there in about ten minutes." Danica said.

"Thanks. Bye." Jayden said.

"Bye." Danica said hanging up.

* * *

Scarlett sat down beside her cousin with a sigh.

"You're going to laugh at this," Scarlett said. "But I almost forgot what class I was supposed to be at a second ago. I almost walked into Mr. McBride's class." Scarlett saw the thoughtful look on Helen's face. "What has J.T done?"

"It's not him. It's Dakota." Helen said. "She's not here."

Scarlett shrugged. "Okay. So what?"

"She's out drunk again and needs help." Helen said. Scarlett frowned. "Jay, Shane, and Kelly went to go find her."

Scarlett's eyes widened. "Now? What are they thinking?"

"How am I supposed to know that?" Helen asked. "They left and they told Jacob to cover for them. Kelly said that they'd be here before lunch, but I doubt that."

"We have to-"

"We can't do anything." Helen interrupted.

Scarlett stared at Helen for a moment before frowning.

"What's on your mind? This isn't the first time that he's done this." Scarlett said.

Helen looked at Scarlett. "True. But, it's not him I'm worried about." Scarlett's eyes widened. "Oh come on. I'm not that heartless."

"Sure you're not." Scarlett said sarcastically.

* * *

Dakota groaned. "Where are they?"

"Who knows? The idiots probably got lost." Laura said. "You did tell them where you were, right?" Dakota's silence caused Laura to sigh. "Never mind."

"I thought so." Laura and Dakota looked to see Jayden, Kelly, and Shane. "Tell me Dash, do you like it when we go out looking for you?"

"Jay… Please… Not right now." Dakota said.

"Well then tell me when Dakota, because right now, you're putting us all in jeopardy." Jayden said. "Not to mention that you're completely wasted."

"Jayden, maybe it's best if we get her in the car." Danica said from behind him.

"Sure." Jayden said.

"Wait a second," Laura said. "I need-"

"Don't you dare finish that statement." Jayden interrupted. "Dakota maybe a bit of an idiot for following you here but you, you're on your own."

Shane and Kelly both looked at Jayden shocked. If there was one thing Jayden was, it was a sap when it came to helping the female population, no matter what it was. A 'damsel in distress' was his one true weakness, if there ever was one. Yet, here was Laura, clearly a girl and in need of a ride, and he was able to be just as cold-hearted as he probably should be.

"Jayden, isn't she a student too?" Danica asked.

"Yes but-"

"Then she needs a ride." Danica said. "Stay put. I'll go get the Tahoe from the house."

Danica walked off leaving the five teenagers here.

Shane sighed. "Well, another day ends with the three of us in some crazy scenario. But wait. Lunch hasn't even come yet."

"At least we have Dash." Kelly said.

"That makes it _all_ the better." Jayden muttered.

"What's bugging you?" Shane asked.

"You mean next to wasting my morning finding a girl who _obviously_ didn't want to be found and then having to come to the aid of another girl, whom I would rather watch get hit by a train rather than saving? Nothing." Jayden answered.

Kelly sighed. "I know you're mad Jay, but what other choice did we have?"

"Leaving her." Jayden said plainly.

The response caused Dakota to be sober for a few seconds. Jayden was her first friend ever and here he was opting to leaving her behind somewhere.

"You can't be serious Jayden." Kelly said.

"I gave Dakota a chance like, last Wednesday." Jayden replied. "She _chose_ to be here. She _chose_ to stay with Laura. It's kind of like I _chose_ to be here instead to give my friend yet another chance."

Laura walked up to Jayden and began poking him in his chest.

"Listen here Mr. High and Mighty," Laura said. "I don't care about you. I hate everything about you and your slutty girlfriend."

Jayden sighed before turning towards Kelly and Shane.

"And now I have to put up with _two_ drunks. Thanks. This is exactly what my day needs." Jayden said.

* * *

The bell for lunch rang.

"Hey, A.J," Aaron stopped to allow Jordan to catch up to him. "You're not going to believe what I saw." Aaron opened his mouth but Jordan continued to speak. "He was hanging with Nathan!"

Aaron frowned. "Nathan? Really?" Jordan nodded frantically. "Why?"

"I don't know." Jordan said. "I thought that maybe you did."

"No. I didn't know until now." Aaron said.

Dustin began walking down the hall.

"Dustin!" Jordan said walking to him, taking Aaron with her. "What the heck do you think you're doing hanging with Nathan?"

"Um, I don't know, but I have to do something." Dustin replied. "See you guys in a few minutes."

"Dustin!" Jordan called in vain.

"Let him go." Aaron said. "Come on. I'm sure Bambi has a whole entire collection of things she has to say."

"I bet." Jordan said.

Jacob sat at the now empty table as his four other friends were all missing. He began eating his lunch silently, something he has not done for a year now, before Helen sat beside him. He stared at her for a moment, feeling a bit uneasy about sitting this close to her. His attention turned to Scarlett, who sat on his other side. Seeing his crush this close to him was a little too much added with his uneasiness about Helen's close proximity.

"Where are they?" Helen asked.

"I don't know." Jacob said. "They said that they would call. They haven't."

"That is not what I wanted to hear." Helen said. "I-"

"I got this one Helen." Scarlett said. "Jacob, I- we need to know _everything._ And I mean ev-vree-thing."

Jacob sighed. "I'm sorry. All I know is to tell Mr. Simpson or any teacher that asks that Shane and Jay went to help Mr. McDuelle out with something and Kelly went to visit Dakota because she's sick. That's all."

"I'm going to-" Helen paused once she felt her phone vibrate. She stood up. "Take this call."

Scarlett watched Helen walk away before turning to Jacob.

"Seriously. What all did J.T say?" Scarlett asked.

* * *

"Hey." Jayden said.

"Hey? Is that all you can say is 'hey'?" Helen replied. "Jayden McDuelle, get your butt back here in school as quick as you can. Blue was _very_ suspicious about your absence."

"I know." Jayden said. "Look, we're taking Dash home. We're praying that her mom stepped out or something."

"Well, hurry up." Helen replied. "Lest something bad happens."

Jayden laughed. "Lest? Since when did we step back into the medieval times, milady?"

"Since I said so. So hurry up." Helen said. "Bye."

"Bye." Jayden said before hanging up. "Well, Helen's officially pissed."

"So I hear." Danica replied. "She take her medicine this morning?" Jayden did not reply to his sister, causing the young woman to laugh. "I'm playing Jay. Lighten up!"

"I can't. I have a _very_ bad feeling about this." Jayden said.

"Me too." Shane added.

Danica scoffed. "You two and your 'bad feeling.' Trust me. I've done so many things in my life that I had good feeling about that turned out to be the worst things done possible."

"Sure you have." Jayden muttered.

"Seriously, relax. We have a strong alibi, your geeky friend is there to fool the teachers, your bossy girlfriend is there to make sure everyone else is quiet. Nothing can go wrong." Danica said.

* * *

"Are you sure?" Mr. Simpson asked.

Dustin nodded. "Yeah. They were hanging out by the field."

"I'm on my way." Mr. Simpson said standing up. "Come on Dustin. Show me exactly where."

Dustin led Mr. Simpson out of his office, seconds before Damon and Nathan slipped in. Nathan picked up the phone and began dialing the first number on a slip of paper he received from Damon.

"Hello?" Emma answered.

"Hi, Mrs. Mason? This is Mr. McBride, your children's History teacher." Nathan said, doing his best Mr. McBride impersonation. "I'm calling to let you know that neither of your children showed to my class this morning and I'm a little worried. I've known Shane to be tardy every now and again, but an absence from him and Kelly no less."

"I can't believe this…" Emma muttered.

"If you were to come down here, I'm sure we can straighten this all out." Nathan said.

"I'm on my way." Emma said. "And thanks."

"You're welcome." Nathan said before hanging up. He dialed the second number. "Sap."

"Talk to me." Maxwell said.

"Hello, Mr. McDuelle? This is Mr. McBride, Jayden's History teacher." Nathan said, impersonating Mr. McBride again. "I'm calling to let you know that your son was not present to my class this morning. Now I'm sure you're very uptight about his attendance, which is why I've arranged for a meeting right now, if you or your wife can make it."

"Jayden skipped class you say?" Maxwell said. "Yeah, we'll be down there soon."

"Thanks for your time. Hopefully we can solve this today." Nathan said.

"I hope so too." Maxwell said. "Bye."

"Bye." Nathan said before hanging up. "What does it look like?"

"Coast clear." Damon responded with a grin. "Boy, I can't wait to see their faces."

"Me neither." Nathan said standing up. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

* * *

"...But that's what I heard." Chandra said. "So what do you think?"

Jordan shrugged. "I don't know. I've known James and Mary-Jane for a while."

"Knowing and knowing of are two different things." Chandra responded, gaining a pair of rolling brown eyes. "So, that's the word on the wall."

"Seriously, has anyone seen Dustin?" Aaron asked.

Chandra furrowed her eyebrows. "No. Why? Does he owe you something? He owes me a free homework."

"Brie?" Aaron questioned.

Gabrielle shook her head. "Not since earlier today."

"I told you. He's hanging with Nathan now." Jordan said. "He doesn't want to hang around us anymore."

"Because he's somehow weaseled his way into Mary-Jane's circle? Tch. Anyone can do that." Chandra said.

"Oh really? How?" Jordan asked.

"Become a cheerleader. Duh." Chandra answered. "It's got to be the easiest thing there is. Even _you_ could do it."

Jordan pursed her lips at the statement.

"Then why don't _you_ go out for it?" the voice came from Helen, who was walking past their table before Chandra made the statement. "If it's that easy, why not join out for the Spirit Squad?"

"Tryouts are over." Chandra answered.

Helen smiled. "For my dear Bambi, tryouts are _never_ over. See this afternoon."

Helen gave a near cynical snicker as she walked off. Jordan's lips also curled into a smirk.

"Good luck… Bambi." Jordan said.

"Shut it Cameron." Chandra shot back.

* * *

Jayden sighed. "She's not home. So let's go."

"What about me?" Laura asked.

"Stay in here with me." Danica said. "I don't want Jayden to forget that despite your aggressiveness and drunken state, you are indeed a girl and he cannot harm you whatsoever."

"Kelly, get her keys. Shane, help me get her to her room." Jayden said.

"On it." Shane said before the three went to move out to do their task.

Laura sighed as she sat back in her seat. Danica eyed the girl via rearview mirror.

"You're pretty." Danica said.

"Didn't know the Californian Princess was a dyke." Laura replied.

Danica grinned. "She isn't. It's just a statement. You are." Laura snorted in laughter. "And a pretty face like that with the attitude you have only means one thing. Something traumatizing happened to you as a child. Something like rape or molestation. Could be death in the family. Shattered dreams is also a likely thing."

"Look, you don't know me so don't try to categorize me." Laura said. "Just do this one favor, I'll repay you, and we call it quits."

"I don't do even." Danica shot back. "So don't ever _belittle_ me. The dyke thing was a joke, but the even thing… Don't even go there."

"You think that-"

"No. I don't think, I know." Danica interrupted. "Do me a favor and let whatever it is go. And maybe, _maybe_, there is hope for you yet."

"Tch. Whatever." Laura said. "And maybe tomorrow I'll be a millionaire."

"If you live to see it." Danica said.

Jayden, Shane, and Kelly got back into the car.

"Done." Jayden said. "Now, back to school."

"Maybe to the park, drop a body off, and to Mexico. How does that sound?" Danica asked.

Jayden laughed. "No Danni. You can't kill her."

"Just a thought." Danica said pulling off.

* * *

Emma frowned. "Manny? Max? What are you two doing here?"

"Let me guess," Manny replied. "Shane skipped Mr. McBride's class too?"

"Not only him, but Kelly too." Emma said. "The Dot was a bit overcrowded, so I told Spin that I'd handle it."

Mr. Simpson looked up from his computer.

"I'm sorry to say this, but they have not been in all of their morning classes." Mr. Simpson said.

"I've told that boy time and time again not to skip classes." Manny murmured.

"Have any of the students seen them today?" Maxwell asked Mr. Simpson.

"Um, I could ask around." Mr. Simpson said.

"The sooner the better." Maxwell said. "But I'm sure that we'll be here whenever they think that they can slip in unnoticed."

"And we will be here waiting." Manny added while crossing her arms.

"Mr. Isaacs," Jacob stopped once he saw Mr. Simpson behind him. "My office."

Jacob sighed. He knew this would happen, and somehow, he let Jayden talk him into doing this. The things his friends make him do.

* * *

Aaron paused in his step. "Who is here?"

"My mom and Jayden's parents." Jordan said. "And I haven't seen any of them all day."

"Oh…" Aaron said, glancing at Gabrielle. "Well, maybe they're here because Jayden and your siblings aren't."

"Serves them right." Jordan said. "Always using me to get out of trouble. You know, I wonder why I do it so many times."

"Next to helping out Jayden?" Aaron asked dully.

Jordan snapped her fingers. "That's it!"

"I have to get to class." Aaron said. "See you two later, okay?"

"Sure." Jordan said as Aaron walked away.

"We can still make fifth period if-"

"If what?" Kelly, Shane, and Jayden stopped instantly as Maxwell's voice caught their attention. Between the four parents, they knew who held the harshest punishment, and Kelly and Shane were slightly frightened because that man married their godmother. Jayden, on the other hand, was terrified. "So, what is it this time? Did you have a commercial to shoot or did you just want to hang out in the mall?"

"Dad," Jayden began. "I can explain. Seriously."

"We're listening." Manny said as she and Emma stood beside Maxwell.

"Oh… Hi Mom." Kelly said taking a step behind Shane.

"Hi Mom? Kelly, what were you three doing all day? Joyriding? Playing hooky? What?" Emma asked.

"Actually we were-"

"Yes." Jayden interrupted Kelly. "We decided to skip the morning classes and have lunch off of campus."

Manny frowned. "You're serious?"

Jayden nodded. "Serious."

Both parents of Jayden were nowhere near oblivious to the lie that their son was telling. There was something he was hiding. And from the looks Shane and Kelly were giving him it was something that might have gotten them off the hook.

"Well," Mr. Simpson said stepping out of his office. "I've arranged the three of you to serve detention." Kelly sighed in frustration as Shane sighed in relief. "But since you three are technically not counted for the school day, you will have to serve your time on Saturday."

"What?" Shane said.

"I can't do that. I have a job!" Kelly replied.

Mr. Simpson sighed. "I'm sorry. But you must obey the rules."

"And since you're not technically here today," Emma said. "Get dressed. You're needed at the Dot."

"Yes ma'am." Kelly said.

Shane's eyes cut to Jayden before he and his sister followed Emma out of the school.

"Jay, let's go. You _will be_ helping out at the job today." Maxwell said.

Not completely out of hearing range, Kelly and Shane shuttered. Being a waiter/waitress was hard. Being Maxwell McDuelle's assistant for two hours, harder.

"Not before-"

"In the car." Maxwell cut his wife off. "Now let's go."

Jayden followed his parents out of the building towards his mother's car. On the way there, he saw Laura sitting at the bottom of the steps. Without either of his parents knowing, he sent her a look that should have killed her. He wanted it to kill her, no doubt, and from the slight widening of her eyes, she got the message this time. But Jayden knew that Laura would do something similar to this again. So for now, he would let it go.

"So," Manny said as the three entered the car. "What really happened?"

"Dash got drunk and needed someone to come get her." Jayden answered. "Me and Shane basically carried her, and Kelly had to open the door and stop the house alarm from going off. She's the only one out of the three of us that knows the code."

"Why didn't you say that earlier?" Manny questioned. "Are you completely stupid Jay?"

Jayden sighed. "If I did, we'd still be in trouble, plus Dash, _and_ Dash could be in serious trouble with her mother and the law. Not to mention that being where Dash was, _I_ would also be in the presence of alcohol, which would've looked bad on a police report."

"So Dakota is at home now?" Maxwell asked driving off. Jayden nodded. "That's good. I guess, in the end, everyone ended okay."

"I don't know Dad. You and Mama may see the big picture, but I doubt Helen will." Jayden said.

Maxwell smiled. "Son, there'll come a time when you'll learn to trust those around you other than your parents and older sister."

"I hope so." Jayden said. "So do I have to work with you still?"

"No." Maxwell said. "But you're still working at the Dot." Jayden groaned. "You, Shane, and Kelly schemed together and now you'll work together. That seems fair to me, what do you think Manny?"

"Fine by me." Manny said. "Let me call Emma."

Jayden closed his eyes. He swore on his grandfather's grave that by the end of the year, he will get even with Laura and whoever ratted on him or his name was not Jayden Tyrone McDuelle.

* * *

Jacob stood at his locker, a little down that he would be spending his Saturday in detention.

"Hey, Jacob," Jacob's down depression lifted once he saw the beautiful Scarlett Chessex walking towards him. For the second time today, his heart raced as she drew closer. "What happened to J.T and Shane?"

"We got detention Saturday." Jacob answered.

Scarlett nodded. "I figured." Scarlett then frowned. "Wait. You got detention too?"

Jacob nodded. "Yeah. Mr. Simpson said that I was an accomplice to their day out."

"Day out? I thought they went to go get Dakota?" Scarlett asked.

"They did." Jacob answered. "But they said otherwise for whatever the reason." The bell rang for class. "I have to go."

"Go." Scarlett said as Jacob walked away. "Why'd you lie now, Jayden?"

* * *

Jayden sighed. "Will this day end?"

"No and no." Kelly said. "And I need a shake. Vanilla."

"I'm on it." Shane said as he prepared the blender.

Emma smiled as she sat at a table with Manny.

"It's good to be the boss." Emma said.

"You're only the boss until Spinner steps in." Manny said. "But it is good to be in charge outside of the house." Emma frowned. "Oh come on. You know that _I_ run my household. Max just voices my law."

Emma smiled. "I bet."

"Here you go." Kelly said sitting the vanilla shake in front of Manny. "That'll be two fifty-nine when you're done. Mom said to give you a discount, not free."

Kelly walked away, resulting in a smile from Manny.

"I have never seen Kelly mad before." Manny said with a grin.

Emma shrugged. "I see it every other day. She'll get over it." Manny gave a small nod before drinking her shake. "I guess Max found it in his heart to actually forgive someone. Even if it did take forty-one years of his life."

"I've only known him for twenty, so he could've forgiven someone before then. Though I doubt it." Manny said. "He's too much like his sons."

"Does anyone know yet?" Emma asked.

Manny shook her head. "Nope. A.J is not my son until I pick up him up from my parents later on today. Shame, right?"

"Yeah." Emma said.

Danica walked into the café.

"Hey twerps. Cheeseburger and fries. Send it to the table." Danica said, gaining three sets of glaring eyes. Danica smiled as she sat at the table with her mother and Emma. "So, what's the news movie Mama?"

"Movie Mama?" Emma asked with raised eyebrows, looking at Manny.

Manny sighed. "My daughter being her obnoxious father again."

"Why do I have to be Dad? When can I be you or just Danni?" Danica asked with a mock pout.

"When you're less annoying." Manny said, gaining a smile from Danica. "Sometimes Danni, I still see you as that little girl from back then."

"You were so happy when you found out that you were pregnant again." Emma said. "God, I can still hear the phone ringing sometime."

"I didn't call that many times." Manny said.

"Dad says you did." Danica said before Kelly laid the plate on the table in front of Danica. "Thanks."

"Just don't forget to pay." Kelly said walking away.

"They're mad." Danica said. "And here I thought I had it bad because I was the one working with Dad not too long ago."

"Ouch." Emma said before taking a fry from Danica's plate. "So what are you going to do now that you're in Toronto again?"

"Leave." Danica replied. "I only have a few weeks left and then Izzy and I are going to do a little business together. I'll probably leave in two weeks max."

Emma shook her head. "The life that Danica McDuelle lives must be tough."

Danica shrugged. "It's a living." Danica then gasped. "I could get you a new café in Marseille. Izzy, Sophie, and I saw this lot there and thought about buying it for absolutely no reason, but it would be a great place to put the Dot. American café in France. Think about it."

"She could sell water to a drowning fish." Manny muttered.

* * *

The final bell rang and Scarlett had yet to forget what Jacob had told her. She stopped at her locker to drop off her unneeded books.

"I'm going to kill him." Helen said stopping at Scarlett's locker. Scarlett turned to see that her cousin had amazingly changed into her cheerleading outfit. "I told him not to go. I knew something was going to happen. And so now whatever I thought about for Saturday is ruined."

"He'll be out in time to do something." Scarlett said. "And why did you change so fast?"

A smile appeared on Helen's face. "Bambi says that it is easy getting onto _my_ cheerleading squad. I'm going to see just how tough she really is."

"Don't break her." Scarlett replied.

"I will." Helen responded before sighing. "Say, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure. What is it?" Scarlett answered.

"Find your neighbor and kick him." Helen said.

"Kick him?" Scarlett repeated confused.

"You'll know where when you see him." Helen said. "For now, I have to go find Bambi before she sneaks off campus. See you at home."

"Sure." Scarlett said before frowning. "Jay's lost it. Helen's lost it. Bambi's clearly lost it. And now I'm talking to myself." Scarlett sighed. "What a life?"

* * *

Gabrielle looked around.

"Wow…" Gabrielle said. "This is your place?" Aaron nodded. "And Jayden's house?" Again Aaron nodded. "I can't believe it."

"Well believe it." Maxwell said. "Your mother is on her way A.J. Make sure you two aren't left alone and please, for the sake of your dad, don't do anything stupid."

"We won't." Aaron said as Maxwell walked down the hall. "Anyway, so here's my place. I think that I can trust you with this secret, right?"

"Right." Gabrielle said. "And you were right."

Aaron frowned. "About what?"

"When you told me that you and Chandra had a talk about how fame wouldn't change you. It hasn't." Gabrielle said.

"I guess not." Aaron said. "Come on. My room is probably the safest place to go because Jayden will come home pissed and Danni will do everything in her power to make it worse."

"Okay." Gabrielle said following Aaron upstairs.

* * *

Chandra looked at the other girls. She noticed Amber and Mary-Jane, as well Helen, Jacquelyn, and Nicole.

"What is this?" Mary-Jane asked.

"Oh, this is a late tryout." Helen replied with her arms crossed. "Bambi here believes that cheerleading is easy and that anyone can do it."

"Is that so?" Mary-Jane said. "Okay Bambi. Let's see what you got."

Chandra sighed. "This is so not fair."

"Oh, I give you kudos for even showing up." Helen said. "But you crossed the line twice with me. Once with Jayden. Twice when you defamed cheerleading. So let's go. I don't have all day."

Chandra looked at the several cheerleaders who all had the same look as Helen. She knew that she was stuck doing this. Then she realized that if she was actually better than expected, Helen would have to eat her words. The thoughts of shutting Helen up, surprising Mary-Jane, and getting praise from Jayden was enough to motivate Chandra to stay.

She would cheer like she had never cheered before.

* * *

Dakota did not hear her door open, but when she heard someone clear their throat, she was sure that someone was in her room. She turned to see Jayden standing in her room, his face a mixture of anger and worry.

"Hey." Dakota said her voice hoarse from the misuse.

"Kelly's mad at you." Jayden said. "She thinks that you owe her more than you have. And because I know just how much you're actually worth, I say that that's a lot."

Dakota sighed and sat up. Jayden sat on her bed, something that he did regularly when the two of them were alone in her room.

"So, how long?" Dakota asked.

"How long is what?" Jayden questioned.

"My suspension." Dakota said. "Kelly probably told on me to avoid more punishment. So how long did Simpson suspend me?"

"I didn't let her tell it. The worse is you have make-up work." Jayden said. "And I have detention Saturday, plus I worked at the Dot with Shane and Kelly since we were considered absent for the school day."

"I'm sorry." Dakota said.

"I know you are." Jayden replied. "I know that you're sorry for doing that to Kelly, Shane, me, and Jacob." Dakota frowned. "Jacob had to lie to cover for us. They believed that you were sick. Shane, Kelly, and I were joyriding."

"I'm-"

"I got that." Jayden interrupted. "Sadly, I know you'll do it again." Dakota looked at her hands in her lap. Jayden reached and brushed her hair out of her face. "Hey, I'm fine. I just have to make sure that you're fine as well Dash. You know that."

"But why? Why have you always been such a good friend to me?" Dakota questioned.

Jayden grinned. "While I probably will never see you as dating material, I will always look at you as my true friend. You and I, we grew up in fame and spotlight. People made us become things we don't want to be. And I get it's hard for us to have a good time without everyone breathing down our necks." Dakota looked at Jayden. "But know one thing. If you ever need me, I will be there. I know what you're going through. I-"

"No you don't." Dakota interrupted. "My dad, my real dad, can't stand me. I mean, you've seen how he picks me up from school. You have both of your parents so how would you know what it's like?"

"True." Jayden said. "Then again, you're an only child within your own house. I'm two of seven. So the love you don't think you receive is the responsibility that is put on my shoulders."

"It's not the same so don't try to make it like that." Dakota said.

Jayden sighed. "You're right. I won't even argue with you with that. But know that anytime you want, you can always come over to my place."

"I will." Dakota said before Jayden hugged her.

"I told you last year and I'll tell you again. I love you sis." Jayden said.

Dakota laughed. "I love you to bro."


	17. Episode XIV: Voices

**Episode XIV: Voices**

"Jay! Get up!" Danica called again opening his bedroom door to see her brother lying asleep. "If I have to-"

"For the love of God, Danni I am awake!" Jayden replied. "Can I please have a moment of silence before I get ready?"

"Sure." Danica said. "Mama! He's awake!"

Jayden groaned as Danica left his bedroom. Today was going to be the worst day ever.

* * *

Helen was also having a bad morning. Her cousin seemed to be awake and energized already.

"Scar, go back to bed!" Helen said annoyingly as she threw the covers over her head.

Scarlett rolled her eyes as she continued to go through the new clothes Helen had received two weeks ago.

"You're never going to get anything done while lying in the bed." Scarlett said.

"I'm sure that's how you make a baby." Helen retorted.

"You have to get out of the bed to find someone to lie in it with you." Scarlett replied.

"I have him already and if I stay here long enough, he'll come to me worried." Helen said. "Now get what you want and go already. I'm tired."

Scarlett shook her head as she picked out the outfit she wanted. She turned to see Helen's body was thoroughly covered in the comforter.

"One day," Scarlett said. "You're going to ask me for something and I'm going to go to sleep on you."

"When 'one day' becomes a day of the week, I'll worry about it." Helen replied.

Scarlett did not reply. She just walked out of the room this time. Helen could be so stubborn. But Scarlett had an agenda today and she could not delay. Not even for the sake of her stubborn cousin.

* * *

Jayden sat at a desk in a classroom. Jacob, Shane, and Kelly were already sitting spaced from one another. Laura was also in the classroom, giving Jayden a really bad feeling. Jayden sat in a seat in the same row that Kelly sat. Mr. Simpson sat at the front at the teacher's desk.

"Remember, no talking, no sleeping, no chewing gum, no checking your phone, and no sleeping." Mr. Simpson said gaining a collective heavy sigh.

Laura stared at the four other students in the classroom. For Jacob, she remembered taking his lunch money in the sixth and seventh grade. His attendance here made her slightly confuse. Then there was the goody-goody Kelly Mason. Laura was nearly floored when Kelly appeared in a normal pink tee-shirt and a pair of normal jeans. Laura switched from Kelly to her brother, Shane. Shane was nothing spectacular. He was just a normal football player who dated the pretty chick and was friends with the pretty boy. And finally, the famous Jayden McDuelle himself. He was the guy that all the girls fawned over for whatever the reason. Laura did not care for the famous Jayden. She wanted to show the _real_ Jayden. And she would.

"I'll be back." Mr. Simpson said rising from his seat. "Not a peep."

The students watched Mr. Simpson walk out of the classroom. Laura was a little baffled when Jayden began tapping on his desk. Shane seemed to know what it meant and gave a nod towards Kelly, who grinned.

"Gone." Jayden said.

"I can't believe I'm in detention." Kelly said. "My record is so ruined."

"Record? Try my weekend." Jayden said. "My dad still wants me to go in with him later on today."

"Wow. That sucks." Shane replied. "What I can't believe is that Jacob is here with us." Jacob remained silent. "Hey, why are you giving us the quiet treatment?"

"No reason." Jacob answered quietly.

Laura snorted in laughter, causing Jayden to quickly glare at her.

"And tell me what's so funny, oh Queen of the Damned." Jayden said.

"He's not talking because he was told to be silent. Gee, if any of you actually followed the rules, you'd know that." Laura replied.

"Oh really?" Jayden said. "Maybe if _you_ followed the rules we wouldn't be here."

"True." Laura said.

"Do you know what the best part of today is?" Shane asked Jayden.

"No. What?" Jayden replied.

Kelly smiled. "Jordan has to work in our place."

Jayden smirked. "Well, that does make me feel better."

* * *

Aaron walked into the Dot to see that there was a line. He frowned knowing that Kelly's abilities usually kept the line to a minimal. He was more surprised to see Jordan behind the counter. Then he remembered about his brother's predicament.

"Hey A.J. Sorry I can't talk right now. Busy!" Jordan said quickly.

Gavin sighed. "Jordan, just calm down and do it one order at a time."

"I'm trying!" Jordan replied.

"Do you need help?" Aaron asked.

Jordan and Gavin immediately stopped doing what they were doing and stared at Aaron. Aaron realized that he had asked a rhetorical question and moved to the back to wash his hands and grab an apron.

"Okay A.J," Gavin said. "Jordan will be our waitress. Can you use a grill?"

"Yeah." Aaron said. "My dad taught me."

"I'll take it since Jayden says the same thing. Your dad can teach like Max, right?" Gavin asked. Aaron shrugged. "Who cares? Let's go."

* * *

"I guess it's my go." Jayden said. "Dare me."

"Ooh… Dare, huh? Okay, I dare you to…"

"Take a lap around the classroom with no shirt." Laura interrupted Kelly's turn. Jayden frowned at Laura. "What? Too afraid?"

"Fine." Jayden said lifting his shirt over his head. He had to curse his older sister for rushing him this morning and thus he did not have a t-shirt beneath the shirt he wore to school. "One lap."

"Walking." Kelly added taking out her cell phone.

Jayden lazily rolled his eyes as he began to parade around the classroom shirtless. He ignored Shane's snickers, Kelly's giggles, and Laura's eyes period. After the deed was done, he sat down and put his shirt back on.

"Are you happy?" Jayden asked Kelly, who nodded.

"It's my go, right?" Shane asked.

"No. Hers." Jayden said looking at Laura. "Since she obviously wants to play now."

"I don't have time to-"

"Dare or dare?" Jayden interrupted.

"That's not-"

"Dare, huh? Alright. What can we make Laura do?" Jayden cut off Laura once more. "I say that you do the exact same thing."

"Uh, I'd rather not." Laura said.

"Ditto." Kelly added.

"Do it." Jayden said to Laura.

Shane saw the glaring match between Jayden and Laura. Truth be told, he would have loved to see Laura without her shirt. Since Laura has never done anything personally, he has not seen her as the bad person Jayden does. Therefore, he was looking at the completely hot girl that he had always had a crush on.

"You'd like that huh?" Laura said. "Fine." Laura took off her leather jacket, revealing her white, no-sleeve shirt beneath. "Taking it off."

"Go for it." Jayden replied crossing his arms.

Laura pulled her shirt over her head to reveal her black lacy bra. She stood up and walked around the room, but nearly growled when she noticed that Jayden would not look her way. When she returned to her seat, she threw her shirt towards him, only for him to catch it.

"Trust me. I don't need to see you." Jayden said tossing her shirt back to her.

Laura put her shirt back on, causing Shane to frown slightly. He forgot to get a picture of that.

"How are we doing in here?" Mr. Simpson asked walking back into the room seconds after Laura's shirt was successfully on.

"Bored." Kelly answered.

"I um," Mr. Simpson said. "I have to step out for a while. Mr. Chessex will be down here soon to continue the last hour of your detention. Don't move."

With that, Mr. Simpson walked out of the classroom with a light cough. Again, Jayden's fingers tapped on his desk in a steady rhythm. This time, however, it was Kelly to speak first.

"I'm really bored." Kelly said.

"Just an hour left." Jayden replied. "One measly hour."

* * *

Jordan and Aaron sat at a table, panting lightly.

"How do they do this _every single day_?" Aaron asked.

"I don't know… But I'm _never_ covering for them anymore!" Jordan responded. "I'm so tired! And my legs hurt!"

"You two only have a fifteen minute break, so I'd make as much use of it as you can." Gavin said behind the counter, gaining two heavy sighs.

"I'm never coming here again." Jordan said. "I don't care what my mom says."

"Yes you do." Aaron said. "And you know you do."

Chandra walked into the Dot with Dustin closely following her.

"Don't say a thing!" Dustin said to Chandra as she walked to the table where Aaron and Jordan sat.

"Oh Lord…" Jordan muttered burying her face in her hands.

"Guess what I heard." Chandra said sitting at the table. "Nathan and Damon snitched on your siblings and Jayden. That's why they're in Saturday School!"

"Uh-huh…" Jordan replied removing her hands. "And in what way does that help me?"

"Now you know why you're here. And you're welcome." Chandra snapped back.

"Ugh. I don't have time for this." Jordan said. "I have about ten minutes left before I get up and start serving all these people their orders faster than I can go."

"Sucks to be you." Dustin said.

"Could you get me a plate of fries?" Chandra asked. Jordan glared at her. "Hey, I asked."

"I'm on break." Jordan replied.

"A.J-"

"No." Aaron interrupted Chandra. "Just wait Bambi. It's been a _long_ day."

"Whatever." Chandra said.

* * *

Helen woke up and stretched in her bed. After hearing her joints pop, she moved to get out. She did not bother to check the time, knowing it was well near noon. The only thing that worried her was that Scarlett had not attempted to get her up since earlier meaning that her cousin had something to preoccupy her time with.

And that was not a good sign.

"Hey Aunt Fiona," Helen said coming into the kitchen. "Where's Scar at?"

"She and Blue left for the school." Fiona said. Helen frowned. "Blue's checking inventory for whatever sport and Scarlett went with him. Why?"

"Oh. No reason." Helen said turning around.

"Danica stopped by earlier." Fiona announced. "She said to come over when you woke up."

"Sure." Helen said leaving the kitchen. "Frick!"

* * *

Jayden, Shane, Kelly, Jacob, and Laura watched Coach Blue walk into the room.

"Oh boy, so this is the class today, huh? Much smaller than usual." Coach Blue said. "Sadly, all of you got it for the same thing, right? Skipping school for a day off? Sucks."

"Tell me about it." Jayden muttered.

"Look," Coach Blue said. "I'm not going to be here long, definitely not long enough for the rest of your hour. So let's make a deal. Sit tight in here for the next ten, fifteen minutes while I have to do what I have to and when I return, you can leave. How does that sound?"

"Great!" Kelly responded happily.

"Then I'll be back. Remember, stay put until then. And if someone comes in, be quiet." Coach Blue said before walking out.

"What a cool guy." Shane said. "I wish my dad was like that."

"You and me both." Jayden added.

"Shame, shame I know your name." Scarlett said walking into the room. "What am I going to do with you three?"

"Scarlett?" Shane said confused. "What are you doing here?"

"Do you think my dad would've remembered to do the inventory the day you were put in detention? No." Scarlett said before sitting in the teacher's desk. "Just know that you all will pay me back." Scarlett glanced at Laura. "All. Of. You."

"I heard you. I ain't deaf." Laura retorted. "Just why do we have to be put in _your_ company for the next fifteen minutes? I'd rather Simpson to come back and sit in here for an hour by myself."

"That can be arranged." Scarlett said. "Do you really want to do that?"

Laura scoffed and rolled her eyes while Jayden grinned.

"Anyway," Scarlett said looking over at Jayden. "I bet you won't have anymore brave ideas to help a friend for a long time, huh?"

Jayden shrugged. "Depends on who it is. Some I'd do it any day, everyday. Others… Yeah right."

"I bet." Scarlett said with a smile.

"Not that your flirting isn't sickening, because it is," Laura said. "But isn't he dating your dipstick of a cheerleader cousin? So why are you hitting on him?"

"You know J.T, you look a lot like Laura now." Scarlett said. "Though your manly facial features are about the same, but the hair and breast are new."

"Nice to know that you _are_ gay and you like my bust, but please, don't confuse me with your boyfriend over there." Laura said. "Unlike you, I'm not afraid to say what it is that I really want to."

"And what do I want to say?" Scarlett asked.

"Jayden to break up with Helen and date you instead." Laura said. The classroom fell noticeably quiet as Shane and Kelly looked between Jayden, Laura, and Scarlett. Laura smirked. "Oh, I've hit a nerve. I should be ashamed for admitting the truth."

"There's little truth to that." Scarlett said. "But I won't call it all lie. And that's because that, unlike you, I don't sleep with every boy that I know."

"Just every other boy, right slut?" Laura asked.

Scarlett smirked. "You wish I was that easy, don't you?"

"I-"

"You're annoying." Jayden interrupted Laura. "And stay out of my business. That would include Helen and me."

"Sure Jayden…" Laura said. "Just make sure you make it worth my while. You obviously are keeping Scarlett happy someway. But, pleasing me, it's a bit harder. But I don't kiss and tell."

"Why do I have to be such a nice guy all the time?" Jayden asked himself.

"So," Shane said attempting to change the subject. "Where is Helen, Scarlett?"

"Sleeping and then she has to go see what Danni wants." Scarlett replied nonchalantly. "I tried to wake her up to come here, but she said that she had better things to do."

"Do you know what we did for the past three freaking hours?" Kelly said with an annoyed tone. "Truth or Dare. That's what we did."

Scarlett smiled. "I'm sure I missed some hilarious moments."

"Jay walking around with no shirt." Kelly replied. "But… Just incase you wanted to see it, I got a clip!"

"As enticing as that is," Scarlett said. "I'd rather not. You sound almost like Nicky when you did that."

"Your loss." Kelly said.

Scarlett looked at Jayden. "You know J.T, as long as I've known you, I've never pinned you down for either an exhibitionist or nudist."

"I'm not. It was just a stupid dare from a very stupid person." Jayden said.

Laura snorted a short laughter. "Really? You seemed to like it."

"So everyone got to see J.T strut shirtless? That is hilarious." Scarlett said.

"Oh it gets better. Laura did the same thing." Jayden replied.

"Now… Now I think I'm sick." Scarlett mumbled.

"Or green with envy one." Laura responded.

"Anyway," Scarlett said. "That's all you guys have been doing? I'd expect the three of you would have formed some escape plan instead of going the entire four hours here."

"We would've," Shane said. "But Jacob didn't want to leave. He figured that we were already in deep trouble already, so we shouldn't push it."

"…I see…" Scarlett said quietly.

Scarlett had to momentarily slap herself. Of course Jacob would not want to skip detention. He was, like her, the child of a teacher in their school. Plus, he was a diehard nerd.

"So here we are." Jayden said.

"Tell me," Scarlett said. "What on God's green Earth made you decide not to rat out Dakota with you? Obviously it would be her here instead of you if you did."

Jayden sighed. "There was a long-term effect to look at." Kelly and Scarlett frowned at this, while Laura decided to pay more attention to Jayden. "If we did tell the truth, Dash would be subject to a lot of things. I mean, she's the daughter of Craig Manning and Ellie Lowry, as well as the step-daughter to Silas Lowry. The paparazzi would be all over her. They would make her seem like the new Lindsay Lohan or something. Then she could face rehabilitation and suspension, not detention. And jailed if they find out that she was drinking on campus. So the way I see it, everyone walked out rather unharmed."

"Idiot… You got detention for literally saving a friend. How is that not coming out unharmed?" Scarlett asked.

"If I was her and you were me, would you have told the truth knowing the consequences?" Jayden asked. Scarlett paused in her response, allowing Jayden to continue. "Think about it. My parents are now made a bad role model because they raised an alcoholic. My schooling is basically over for a year. Social and private life, completely ruined. And you'd have to live with the fact that, not only am I plotting and planning to get even with you, but it's all your fault. All because you couldn't take one for the team."

"Well, since you put it that way… Yes. I would've told the truth." Scarlett said. "Only because I know that you would've gotten help."

"And hell." Jayden said. "Paparazzi is no joke. Ask Helen."

"I'm sure it isn't." Scarlett replied. "But trying to help her in secrecy will keep putting you in detention and I can't keep bailing you out. So tough luck. Leave her be."

"Some day in the future, you'll understand." Jayden said quietly. "Dash and I… We get each other, you know? Fast life. Flashing lights. No privacy. We're one in the same. The difference is she has a method to release her stress. She drinks. Me? I just leave mine to myself. Bottled up. So who's to say what I will ultimately end up doing to relieve stress. It could be booze or a martini. It could be crack. No one knows."

"I know because I know who you are." Scarlett said. "You'll do what you always do. Storm into your house, march into your room, slam your door, and go to sleep. And that's because you're a better person than Dakota is."

"Again. Flirting." Laura stated.

"Shut up! I'm trying to help someone here." Scarlett snapped. "Now, like I was saying J.T. She's weird. Always have been and she always will be."

Jayden shrugged. "Say what you want, but I'm sure you don't know me better than Helen does." Scarlett frowned. "She'll tell you what I think about sometimes. Shane could tell you that."

"Leave me out of this Jay." Shane said. "I want no part in getting in-between Scarlett and Helen again. I still have scars from the last time."

"Fine. But ask Helen. She'll tell you." Jayden said.

"I'd rather not…" Scarlett muttered.

"I will." Laura said. "I want to know what makes you ticked so eventually-"

"I'm not going to hit you." Jayden interrupted. "Stop trying."

"I'm just saying…" Laura said with a smile.

Kelly sighed. "And I could've been at work instead of here. What a crappy life."

"Tell me about it." Shane mumbled.

* * *

Helen looked around the entertainment room in Jayden's house. Danica was busy on the flat-screen desktop computer in the corner of one room, her fingers never stopping as she typed. Helen would have asked her what she was doing, but a part of her did not want to know. The sane part, that is.

"I'm almost done." Danica said. "You can take a seat. We're not going to go anywhere today."

"Oh." Helen said sitting on the couch. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to find a place for me and my friend." Danica answered, still typing a mile a second. "She wants to find a place where she used to live and I'm trying to find a place closer to here. I found me a place, but as always, Izzy is not easy to please."

"Uh-huh. And why did you want to see me?" Helen asked.

"Not finished. Hold that for later." Danica said. "Ha! Gotcha!" Helen frowned at the sudden outburst before Danica spun the chair around to face her. "So, what were you saying?"

"You wanted to see me for what?" Helen asked.

"Yeah." Danica said. "You know, last week I got to spend the entire day with Scar, and I've learned a lot about her. Things that I'm sure you've known for years."

"Okay." Helen said skeptically.

"You know, things like her favorite colors, favorite bands, favorite songs, and more importantly, the people she likes." Danica responded, her demeanor becoming more serious. "I think you know where I'm going with this, right?"

"No I don't so tell me." Helen said.

"Fine." Danica said crossing her arms. "You date a boy she likes and I know for a fact that you hated him from the get-go. And she's liked him from the jump."

"She sure didn't show it." Helen said. "She _betted_ me that I couldn't do it, even after I told her to _take _him. And for the longest, everyone has been trying to set those two up, but Scarlett refuses to believe that she likes him. So I don't think I've done anything wrong."

"Legally, you didn't. You took something that wasn't owned by anyone at the time." Danica replied. "But _technically_, you took the guy she's been crushing on for a while and you know it."

"I like Jayden. Simple." Helen said. "And I'm sorry if you have a problem with it-"

"I don't have a problem with it. I'm not dating you and I don't have to put up with either of you." Danica said, gaining a glare from Helen. "However, like I told Scarlett, I'll tell you. I love my brother and I'm going to make sure that he's happy. Can you make him happy without having sex with him?"

"What?" Helen nearly screamed.

"Don't worry about that part. I have no care if you do or don't, but my mother… Stickler." Danica said. "But answer my question. Can you make him happy?"

"Look, we're not married." Helen said. "So how about you let us date without getting into our business like that? I promise you that if I have sex with the guy, I'll call during it to tell you. Just leave us alone. Please."

"Much respect for the simple fact that you added the word 'please' there, and I'll do it." Danica said. "Just remember one thing. You never know what tomorrow will look like, so don't go unprepared."

"Uh, tomorrow is supposed to be pretty warm, sunny, few clouds." Helen replied.

Danica smiled. "Tomorrow as in ten years from now." Danica smiled immediately dropped. "And stop being a smart ass. I hate that."

"Danni!" Manny said coming into the room. "What have I told you about saying things like that where the twins can hear you?"

"They're not even down here." Danica said standing up. "I'm sure you know how to let yourself out, right Helen?"

"Of course I do. Wouldn't want to pry in your business." Helen said standing up as well. "You know how that is, right Mrs. McDuelle?"

"Yes I do." Manny said. "Have a good day Helen."

"It's better already." Helen said walking out of the room.

Manny glared at her daughter, causing Danica to wince slightly. No matter how old she got, Danica knew that her parents' wrath was still as dangerous and painful as it was seventeen years ago.

"Profanity in my house? By my daughter no less." Manny said. "Danni, what am I going to do with you?"

"She just aggravated me Mama. That's all. I could've strangled her and then you'd be saying murder in your house by your daughter no less." Danica replied.

"Why are you messing in your brother's affairs? Jayden can handle himself." Manny said.

Danica sighed. "Because I messed up, remember? I'm the mess-up in the family and I don't want Jay, A.J, Kitty, Chris, or the twins to be like that. To be like me."

"Danni, sit down." Manny said as she and Danica sat on the couch. "When I was in high school, I got pregnant." Danica's eyes widened. "And I got an abortion."

"What?" Danica shouted.

"Ssh, yes, I got an abortion." Manny said. "I live with that memory everyday now. And I tell myself that my kids will not go down the path I did."

"I didn't know that." Danica said.

Manny smiled. "There are quite a few things you don't know. Things like, said aborted baby was Craig Manning's baby. I was deemed the school slut. I was kicked out of my house by your grandfather and stayed with Emma until college. And when I was pregnant with you, there was a moment when your father was arrested for breaking into my parents' apartment."

"No!" Danica said. "Dad may be a little crazy at moments but he wouldn't do that."

"They refused to do anything with you." Manny replied. "They, for some reason, loved Jay and wanted us to be married. That, plus me cheating was like reverting to the girl that they formerly disclaimed."

"So what did Dad do?" Danica asked.

"Well," Manny said rethinking of the day. "He flew up here, found where they stayed, knocked on the door, and when they wouldn't answer, kicked it completely in. He told my dad that you can't just stop being a father and that I needed him. And to be honest, I did."

"Why?" Danica questioned. "You had Dad and Grandma. I'm sure they were enough to take care of you."

"Well, when the world knows that you slept with a multi-millionaire in his own hotel while you were supposedly there with your boyfriend, you are humiliated, ridiculed, and made to be the butt of everyone's jokes." Manny explained. "Max and your grandma, they were doing their best to control the wildfire of rumors as much as they could, but that meant that I was left by myself and my parents didn't want to help." Manny smiled. "But when you were finally here, I was so happy. And Max…"

Danica frowned when Manny broke into a fit of laughter. The laughter continued for a while until Danica had finally had enough.

"What's so funny?" Danica asked, much like she did years ago.

"Do you want to know the first conversation you had with your father?" Manny asked. Danica nodded. "He told you that you weren't allowed to date until twenty one." Danica scoffed. "He said that no man would be able to touch you until you were sixteen, and that included hugs and hand-fives. And most importantly, no matter how old you get, you will always be his baby girl, even if there's a girl younger than you."

"That sounds like Dad." Danica said. "But what did you say?"

"I didn't look at you straight for almost two weeks. I kept picturing the baby I aborted." Manny said honestly. "But when we were in the hotel room together, just you, me, and Max, he noted how much like me you looked."

"I'm sure that's not all he said." Danica said. "Come on Mama, tell me. I'm twenty for Christ sake."

Manny sighed. "He actually told me to hold you. He said that if I couldn't hold you, I'd lose you both. So I did. And I realize that you were the dawn of my new life. I wouldn't be referred to as the slutty cheerleader who slept with every guy she could get her hands on. I wouldn't be known as the cheating actress. I would be known as the best mom ever. I would be known as the perfect wife, if Max asked me to marry him. That's what I wanted."

Danica smiled. "Mama, you achieved that so long ago." Manny grinned. "But, I don't think that you should pin it all on me. _I_ didn't sleep with you to make me. That would be weird."

Manny laughed. "God, you look like me by you sound just like your father."

"I know." Danica said leaning on Manny. "And I'll be here with you for many more years to come."

"Sure Danica." Manny said combing her fingers through her daughter's hair. "Just as long as you're quiet when I need you to be."

"Mama!" the in sync call of Renée and Jenée came.

"And the moment is over." Danica said with a smile. "It was good while it lasted."

"Yes it was." Manny said.

* * *

Jayden, Shane, and Kelly walked into the Dot where Jordan and Aaron were running back and forth trying to take orders and deliver the right plates to the right table.

Kelly sighed. "Amateurs…"

"Well, better get to work." Shane said moving to the back room with his sister.

Jayden turned around, preparing to leave.

"You're not staying? We could use a hand." Gavin said with a grin.

"I'll come back later." Jayden said. "There's someone I have to see first."

"Go ahead." Gavin said.

Jayden walked out of the café, dodging Scarlett as he did so.

"Where are you going?" Scarlett asked.

"To see someone…" Jayden answered. "What are you doing here?"

"Lunch." Scarlett said. "Um… About earlier…"

"I know." Jayden said. "She's just talking crazy. That's just how we talk, right?"

"Right. Right." Scarlett said. "Um, well, Helen's up if you were going that way. I thought maybe you'd want to talk to her, since she and Danni had a not-so-kind talk. Or so, that's what she texted."

"I will." Jayden said. "See you later."

"Yeah…" Scarlett replied as Jayden walked off.

* * *

"Okay, I'll see you then. Love you too. Bye." Ellie said before hanging up. "Si said that he'll be here soon."

Dakota nodded. "That's good."

"Ms. Nash, Jayden McDuelle is here." their butler said.

"Thanks." Dakota said standing up.

"Jayden? I haven't seen him in a while." Ellie said. "Tell him I said hey."

"Where are you going?" Dakota asked.

"I have to find a band to play at The Ridge in about a week." Ellie said. "If I don't, then we won't be paid and the fans will be pissed."

"Y- Wait a second. I think I may be able to help." Dakota said as she dashed to go see Jayden waiting in her bedroom. "Hey Jay."

"Hey Dash." Jayden said. "How're you?"

"Fine." Dakota replied. "Why are you here? I thought after detention you'd run to Helen."

"Later. First, I have to make sure that you're not passed out somewhere." Jayden said. "And… I was thinking that maybe you can see the counselor at school." Dakota frowned. "I'm not going to force you to do it, but at least talk it over with yourself. For me. And I'll come with you if you want."

"I… I'll think about it." Dakota said. "Now, how would you like to play at The Ridge sometime soon?" Now Jayden frowned. Dakota sighed. "Hello. Juvenile Grace? Are you seeing what I'm saying?"

"Juvenile Grace performing at the Ridge? That'd be great." Jayden said. "And who knows? We could have a spot open for a certain redhead drummer."

"No. Not until I'm cleaned up." Dakota said before Jayden hugged her. Dakota laughed. "Jay… You're a bit strong, you know?"

"I know." Jayden said releasing her. "Now, I'm going to see Helen before either she or Danni rips the other's head off."

"Go." Dakota said. "And Jay… Thanks for the whole not-telling thing."

Jayden grinned. "Anything for my sister."

"Yeah. Family." Dakota replied with a smile.


	18. Episode XV: Living on a Prayer

**Episode XV: Living on a Prayer**

Jordan and Aaron waited for Dustin to join them at the bottom of the steps in front of the school.

"Do you know why I hate Tuesdays?" Dustin said joining them. "Because it isn't Friday. And then you realize that it isn't even Thursday."

"Well, at least we've survived Monday." Aaron said as the three walked up the steps. "Meaning one day down and one less to go."

"True." Dustin said as the three entered the school.

"Hey," Jordan said. "Have you noticed Ashton acting weird whenever someone walks by his locker?"

"No." Aaron answered. "Why?"

"I just find it weird." Jordan stated before spotting Chandra. "Oh great…"

"Hey A.J, have you seen Jay today?" Chandra asked.

"No. Why?" Aaron questioned.

"Oh, no reason." Chandra said "See you guys later."

Jordan, Aaron, and Dustin watched Chandra walk away.

"Have you ever thought that she may be a bit possessive of him?" Dustin asked.

"Every day." Aaron answered.

* * *

James stood at his locker, talking to Steven.

"She'll get over it soon, I hope." James said. "I just… I feel wrong about it sometimes, you know? But now, it's like I don't even care about it."

"I'm sure." Steven said. "Mary-Jane is like… I don't even know, but if you get her, you're on top of the world."

"I feel like it." James said.

"Hey," Mary-Jane said coming to the two. "Can I talk to you James?"

"Sure. Steven." James said.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm going." Steven said before walking away.

"So, boiler room again?" Mary-Jane asked.

"I don't think so." James replied.

Mary-Jane frowned. "What? Are you insane? You're really going to try to run back to Amber? Even after the cold shoulder?"

"Not necessarily." James replied with a smile.

"And you're smiling? What are you thinking?" Mary-Jane asked.

James leaned in and kissed Mary-Jane deeply. She was a bit surprised, but eventually kissed back.

"I'm not hiding anymore." James said.

"Good." Mary-Jane said with a smile. "I was getting tired of pulling that loser around."

"Me too." James said as he kissed her again.

* * *

Jayden smiled as Helen leaned against him.

"I don't believe that your mother actually called to tell you that." Jayden said. "It only means that we have to be a little bit more inconspicuous."

"You and your paparazzi-attracting body." Helen said. "You'd think you would've learned to stop being that and be normal for once."

"Normal? Yeah, right." Jayden said. "Come on, let's get to class before something happens."

"Come on." Helen said. "And after school, how about we go out today? Just you and me."

"Sure." Jayden replied. "Now, onwards to class."

* * *

Scarlett walked into the office towards the area where she was supposed to broadcast the morning announcements.

"Hey Mr. Simpson." Scarlett said.

"Hi Scarlett. How's your morning so far?" Mr. Simpson asked.

"Better than yesterday." Scarlett replied. "And you? You sound much better now that that cold has passed."

"I feel much better." Mr. Simpson said with a grin. "Now, are you ready to get this day over with?"

"Right." Scarlett said before she scanned the paper she was supposed to read.

* * *

Kelly eyed Dakota for a moment. Today, Dakota seemed much more normal than she did in the past weeks. Kelly knew that it could be just for the day, but she did not want to ruin it.

"Kelly…" Dakota muttered. "I need your help."

"Sure. What is it?" Kelly asked.

"I… I want to go see the counselor after school." Dakota said. "I would ask Jayden, but I don't want to ruin another day for him." Kelly frowned slightly. "I know you have to work, but I figured that you would like a day off in exchange for me getting help."

"I don't understand. Why the change?" Kelly questioned.

Dakota sighed. "Monday, I learned that Jayden didn't tell on me for a good reason. To him. I still don't see much of the logic." Kelly understood what Dakota was saying. Jayden's reason did seem wrong. "So I decided to do this so it'll never happen again."

"I'll go." Kelly said. "I'm happy that you finally decided to do this."

Dakota smiled. "Yeah. Thanks."

* * *

"It was a trip." Jayden said to Helen and Nicole. "Kind of like the worst road trip ever."

"I bet." Helen said. "I can only imagine what would've happened if you ran into your mom or worse your dad while out."

"I wouldn't be here if it was my mom." Jayden said.

"So where was she?" Nicole asked.

"Just out." Jayden said, avoiding a rumor being spread about his friend. "But, again, the good news is that she's alright."

"For now." Helen said. "If she so happens to ruin one of our Saturdays again, she won't be. I'll make sure of it."

Jayden smiled. "Don't be mean Helen."

"I won't have to be if she didn't ruin _two_ Saturdays now." Helen said. "That, and I had to put up with Danni."

"And I said I was sorry about that. Danni was just bored." Jayden replied. "Beside, our primary problem is your mom and a group of freelance photographers that follow the famous around in search of a shocking or scandalous story. And I'm not talking about Nicky and the other cheerleaders."

"Why can't you just say things in the simplified version?" Helen asked.

"It's much funner this way." Jayden said.

"Funner isn't a word." Helen replied.

"You said it." Jayden responded. "But seriously, your mom is right. If you and I don't learn to move a bit quieter, we'll be put as the new Bradgelina."

Helen sighed. "You did not just say that…"

Nicole, on the other hand, giggled at Jayden's comparison.

* * *

The bell rang, releasing the students to head to their second period class. Mary-Jane walked out of her class, intent on getting away from Amber before the news hit her. Unfortunately for her, James caught up to her faster than she expected.

"What are you doing?" Mary-Jane asked.

"Walking towards you, hoping that I will get at least a hug." James said. "Is that wrong?"

Mary-Jane sighed. "No." Mary-Jane gave James a kiss. "And from now on, do it more often."

"Sure." James said with a grin.

Amber, who witnessed this display of affection, walked the opposite way. She nearly knocked Nicole off of her feet, who noticed her foul mood instantly.

"What's wrong Amber?" Nicole asked.

"Nothing. See you later." Amber mumbled.

Nicole frowned before turning to see James and Mary-Jane talking and holding hands.

"Oh…" Nicole said to herself.

* * *

"A.J, wait up for a second." Aaron waited for Ashton to catch up to him. Though the two were no where near friends, Aaron still respected the guy enough to hear what he had to say. "I need your help."

"My help?" Aaron asked.

"You're the only one I know that can do this." Ashton replied. "I need you to help me spy on whoever it is that keeps breaking into my locker."

Aaron's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Me?"

"Yeah." Ashton said. "Like I said, you're the only one I know that can do this. No one suspects you of anything wrong or right." Aaron's frown deepened. "If I had Jordan there, they'd know something was wrong because she's too good. If I had Chandra there, they'd know something was wrong because she just screams setup. But you? You're like neutral or whatever."

"So you're serious? You need my help." Aaron said. "Fine. I'll do it."

"You will?" Ashton responded. "Thanks man. I owe you one."

"I'm just curious as to who's doing it as well. They owe me a day in detention." Aaron said.

"Ditto." Ashton said.

* * *

Jayden was seconds away from walking into his second period before Chandra caught up to him.

"Hey." Chandra said. "So what I told you yesterday, what do you say?"

"Go see you cheering? Um, that would be really hard to do seeing as my girlfriend is your captain." Jayden replied.

Chandra gave a mock pout. "Oh come on Jayden, you know that she can't be mad if you just peeked."

"Then you don't know Helen like you should." Jayden said. "So I'm going to go ahead and go to class for both of our sakes."

"Fine. But you're eventually going to see it my way." Chandra said before giving Jayden a smile. "There's always tomorrow Jay."

"Sure." Jayden said before walking into the class. Jayden sat in his usual seat across from Scarlett, beside Helen. "Another day, another dollar."

"Your dad sell his trillionth computer?" Scarlett asked.

"No." Jayden replied. "I wish he did though. He'd be in a no-doubt happy mood when I got home, meaning I could do anything today and get away with it."

"Unlike a week ago, Mr. Skip School to Save a Friend." Helen said.

Jayden sighed. "For the billionth time, I am sorry Helen. I should've listened. But everyone is safe and sound."

"I think she may need a dumb-downed version." Scarlett said with a smirk.

"Ah, not funny." Helen replied. "So, Scar, you've been plotting and planning something for a while now. What is it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Scarlett answered.

"Oh come on. Every time Blue comes here to do something, you go with him. And Danni seems to be talking to you a lot." Helen said. "Something has to be up."

"Nothing has to be up and there isn't anything going on." Scarlett said. "You act like I can't help my dad out every now and again. I mean, unlike you, I do play _real_ sports."

Helen frowned. "Cheerleaders are athletes."

"Sure they are." Scarlett said.

"They may or may not be athletes," Jayden added his two cents. "But Helen is clearly athletic."

"Am I going to want to hear how you know that?" Scarlett asked.

"Depends. How far can your mind picture this without blanking out?" Jayden replied.

"No." Helen and Scarlett said in unison.

* * *

James watched as Amber typed on her computer, listening to the song she was humming. He thought about typing a message to her before Steven leaned to him.

"So you're dating Mary-Jane now, huh? That's quite the accomplishment." Steven said.

James shrugged. "Yeah, I know. But something feels… Off."

"Don't tell me you're worried about Amber." Steven said. "Look, she's fine. She's told me so. Worry about Mary now."

"Yeah." James said.

* * *

Vanessa blinked in confusion. "Say what?"

"Your brother. He dates Mary-Jane, right?" Chandra asked.

"I don't know. If it happened today, then I _wouldn't _know." Vanessa answered. "But, I think it's about time. They've been spending a lot of time together. And I do mean a _lot_ of time."

"Well, this afternoon at practice, I'll find out for you." Chandra said.

"What you can do for me," Vanessa said. "Is tell me why you're always hanging off of Jayden's arm."

Chandra smiled. "So you've noticed?"

"I know that you two aren't dating or doing things on the DL." Vanessa responded, ending Chandra's smile. "Come on Bambi, you can't really be that much into him, can you?"

"Jayden and I are good friends. That's all there needs to be said about that for the moment." Chandra said. "But when he's done playing with Helen, he'll know where to find me."

"Okay. Just don't bite off more than you can chew." Vanessa said.

"I'm not." Chandra replied.

* * *

Steven looked over at the time before exhaling noisily.

"Rough day?" James asked after hearing the loud sigh.

"Just a long one." Steven said. "You speak to Amber?"

"No response." James said as the two looked over to the brown-skinned beauty. "I hope she doesn't hold this against me for the rest of the year. Though she did say that she didn't care anymore."

"Women lie. Know that." Steven said pointedly.

"True." James muttered.

* * *

"Scarlett, you can't keep them all to yourself." Jayden said.

"And why can't I?" Scarlett replied.

"Because _I_ need them." Jayden answered. "Just one will suffice. I promise."

Scarlett sighed. "Fine. Take the green one."

"I don't need the green one. I have a green one. I need-"

"Use any other kind of red except for scarlet red. It's my favorite color." Scarlett interrupted.

"Then hand me the crimson one." Jayden said before Scarlett slid the colored pencil across the table. "Thanks. Even though I asked for this _thirty minutes ago_."

"Better late than never, I always say." Scarlett said.

Helen rolled her eyes. "You two are like freaking kindergarteners, I swear."

"Even they know how to share." Jayden remarked. "Scarlett's just selfish."

"You wanted my favorite color. You know how I am about that." Scarlett said.

"So it's your name? Big whoop. If I collected everything with the name 'Jayden' on it, I would have no room for anything else in this world." Jayden said.

Scarlett raised her eyebrows. "Like what?"

"…" Jayden paused to think. "Foreign stuff."

"_Sure_." Scarlett said sarcastically.

"Look," Helen said. "Share the stupid pencils. It's truly annoying that you two are over here arguing and everyone is looking."

"Do I embarrass you?" Jayden asked with a smile.

"Yes." Helen said.

"I could always embarrass you in other ways, you know?" Jayden said sliding towards her. "Ways that would have me in more trouble, but who cares? I'm always in trouble, right?"

"Stay over there." Helen said sliding away from him. "I have to do my work."

Scarlett laughed. "I can't believe you're blushing!"

"Shut up!" Helen retorted gaining a laugh from both her cousin and her boyfriend. "Losers…"

* * *

The bell rang for lunch which was more than okay for Jayden.

"Hey Jay!" Jayden fought the urge to turn around and swing at the annoying voice, but three things stopped him. They were suspension, hitting a girl, and hitting someone younger. Either way, Chandra caught up to him. "So, how was your day?"

"Fine." Jayden said. "Bambi, what did we talk about?"

"I know, I know. I'm not here to flirt or anything. Well, I'm not trying to be cute." Chandra replied.

"Jayden, what are you doing?" Helen asked as Chandra and Jayden stopped in front of the cafeteria doors.

"Going to lunch, being followed, the usual." Jayden answered with a shrug.

"Uh huh. And what about you Bambi?" Helen asked.

"Walking with a friend towards the cafeteria. Is that a problem?" Chandra replied.

"No." Helen said. "Don't be late for practice." Chandra gave Helen a look before walking into the cafeteria. "Tell me that she's a little less annoying and I will be just a little less angry."

Jayden smiled. "Now Helen, tell me again what Bambi has that you don't?"

"I can't think of anything." Helen said. "But I'm sure you could think of something."

"Let me try." Jayden said before kissing Helen. "I haven't kissed her yet, but let's just say she has a lot to live up to."

"You're not out of trouble yet, Mr. McDuelle." Helen replied with a sly smile. "But, since Blue has a meeting today and Fiona will be out doing a job…"

"Are you trying to get me in trouble Ms. Coyne?" Jayden asked.

"Depends. You like playing with danger?" Helen questioned, gaining a laugh from Jayden.

"You know, not only is it really, _really_, sexy to hear you talk like that, but it is really amusing." Jayden said.

Helen frowned. "Are you saying that I'm funny when I'm trying to be sexy?"

"No. I'm saying its fun and enticing to see you go from pissed-off Helen to my Helen." Jayden said. "I like them both, a lot."

"Come on." Helen said pulling Jayden into the cafeteria. "I'll talk to Bambi about this later."

"Then it worked." Jayden said with a smile.

Jordan sighed. "Chandra, for the umpteenth time, leave Jayden alone. Helen will be pissed and then come after you."

"I'd like to see her try. I have Jay right where I want him." Chandra said.

"I doubt it." Aaron muttered.

Chandra frowned. "And how would you know, A.J? Are you somehow connected to the guy?"

"No." Aaron said.

"You know," Chandra said. "You never told us how you know him."

"Maybe she can date him." Gabrielle finally spoke up to avoid the suspicion of Aaron and Jayden's connection. "I mean, rumor is it that Jayden and Helen hated each other and look at them now. Jayden and Chandra are on talking terms. Who knows what will happen?"

"Thank you Brie, I'm glad I have your support." Chandra replied before glaring beside her towards Aaron. "Unlike _some_ people I know."

"Sorry Bambi, I just don't see it happening." Aaron said. "Just my opinion. Don't think about it too much."

"Whatever." Chandra retorted.

* * *

Dakota sighed. Seeing this, Kelly gave Dakota a reassuring smile.

"Come on Dash, just one more step." Kelly said.

"I know." Dakota said. "This just seems wrong. I'm not supposed to be here. I'm not supposed to be a… A…"

"Hey, it's okay. That's what I'm here for, remember? To remind you that it doesn't have to be. You just have to go in." Kelly said. "And you are, right?"

Dakota sighed. "Yeah. Let's go."

The two stepped into one of the two the counselor's office where he, Mr. Goodwin, sat reading papers.

"Ah, hello. What can I do for you two today?" he asked.

"I…" Dakota paused and looked at Kelly. Kelly gave her a nod. Dakota took in a deep breath and looked at Mr. Goodwin. "I have a drinking problem, or at least I'm developing one. Can you help me?"

"Sure Dakota." Mr. Goodwin answered. "I'm glad you came to me before it became harmful to you or others."

"I have friends for that." Dakota replied with a small smile.

"Well," Mr. Goodwin said. "They are good friends. I suggest you keep them."

Dakota nodded. "I'll try."

* * *

Scarlett grabbed a soda from the machine.

"Orange today, grape tomorrow." Jayden said. "The epic changes of Scarlett J. Chessex."

"Funny, _Tyrone_." Scarlett said before Dustin joined the trio. "And what day would be complete without my personal stalker?"

"A boring one I guess." Jayden said.

"I, uh, just wanted a drink today." Dustin said to the two. "Sorry if I did something wrong."

Jayden gave Scarlett a fixed look, causing the girl to roll her eyes.

"Oh come on." Scarlett muttered before looking at Dustin. "Hey, Dustin, right?" Dustin nodded. "I'm sorry about telling you to stay away from me. Although you are really starting to annoy me, you just caught me at a bad time."

"Sure." Dustin said stepping towards the machine.

"Brat." Scarlett muttered low enough for Dustin not to hear her.

"Why can't you be nice? You're about as bad as Helen is at an adopt-a-cat marathon." Jayden said.

Scarlett snorted in laughter. It was only because Helen was a die-hard dog-person.

"See you around?" Dustin asked, breaking the two sophomores' thoughts.

"I wouldn-"

"Sure Dustin. Tell Jordan, A.J, and Bambi I said hey." Jayden interrupted Scarlett before Dustin walked off. "Rule number one in dealing with little kids. Make them happy and they will leave you alone."

"Tell me how that works with Bambi." Scarlett said.

"I will probably _never_ make her happy." Jayden replied. "And that brings us to rule number two. Promise them something that isn't impossible, just unlikely to happen and you'll never shoot their hopes down."

"Thanks professor. I'll try that later." Scarlett said.

Amber eyed the table before sighing to herself.

"Let's just do this." Amber said before walking towards the table. Amber sat in a seat beside Nicole. "Hey guys."

Helen frowned. "Something wrong with Mary?" Amber opened her mouth but Helen continued. "A bus. Tell me it was a bus and it kept going."

"If it was a bus, it missed," Amber replied. "Because not only is she alive and okay, she's dating James."

"Really?" Nicole nearly shrieked.

"Uh, yeah." Amber said.

"Don't worry. Nicky does that when she's excited." Helen said. "So, about James and Mary-Jane. How do you feel about that?"

"Helen, I think that's self-explanatory." Jacquelyn replied.

Helen glanced at Jacquelyn. "I'm not asking you. I'm asking her."

"I don't know." Amber said. "Part of me wants to be mad and the other part just wants to let it go."

"What's going on over here?" Scarlett asked sitting in the empty chair beside Helen.

"Mary-Jane stole James from Amber." Nicole responded.

"Oh really? Wow." Scarlett said.

"Wow what?" Helen questioned.

"Nothing." Scarlett said. "Go on."

"Yeah. That's how I feel." Amber said. "And instead of going out to lunch with Steven and risk running into them, I just stayed behind, you know?"

Helen shrugged. "I guess I could. I've never experienced that before."

"I'm sure." Scarlett said. "However, Amber, you shouldn't let this get to you. I know that Mary-Jane is somehow the epitome of beauty to these shallow minded guys, but she will make a mistake. All you have to do is be there."

"If I didn't know any better," Helen stated. "I'd say that you've had this plan for a while now. I'd say like three week-ish or something in that general area."

Scarlett smiled. "Helen, for the last time, keep J.T to yourself if it pleases you. I don't have time to argue over him."

"I'm just saying." Helen replied. "It seems kind of suspicious."

"It's not." Scarlett said.

Amber glanced at the four other girls individually before realizing how old this story must have gotten to them. Between the Helen-Jayden-Scarlett scenario and the Nicole-Shane-Jacquelyn one, the best friend taking her friend's love interest must be pretty clichéd to this group of girls. The only really minor difference Amber could see was that Shane dated neither Nicole nor Jacquelyn at the moment, while both James and Jayden chose the wrong one.

Across the cafeteria, Jordan fought the urge to slap Chandra across her face for a comment she had said about Kelly.

"Asides from Bambi's dress code," Aaron said. "I don't really think that there's anything wrong with either Kelly or Dakota. I don't really know Dakota, but she can't be as bad as you say."

"The girl is a Goth alcoholic. You can't get much worse than that." Chandra said pointedly.

"There are _plenty _of things worse than that." Jordan said. "There's being pregnant, there's being suicidal, there's being _raped_, there's being-"

"We get the picture." Chandra interrupted.

"Not to get off subject," Dustin said. "But why are we talking about Kelly and Dakota again? And why are we talking bad about Kelly in the first place. She's hot!"

Jordan's anger shifted from Chandra to Dustin in a matter of seconds and the urge became stronger since Dustin was sitting to her immediate right.

Aaron chose not to say anything at that moment because he has seen Jordan's angry look plenty of times. The sad reality was, no matter what Jayden deemed to be like "family", Aaron saw the cute Kelly just as much as the next guy.

"Hey, A.J," Ashton said walking to them. "You got a moment?"

"Yeah." Aaron said standing up. "I'll be right back."

Chandra, Gabrielle, Jordan, and Dustin watched as Aaron and Ashton walked off talking amongst themselves.

"Why in all the worlds would A.J want to associate himself with that loser?" Chandra asked.

"Maybe he needs help in math?" Dustin suggested.

"And A.J Santos helped him? I doubt it." Chandra said. "He never does anything for free. Never."

"And you've learned this in, what, three weeks?" Jordan commented. "A.J has done things out of the kindness of his heart."

"Didn't think you felt that strong about him. What would Brie say if she knew?" Chandra remarked with a sly smirk.

Jordan scoffed. "Ugh. Why do I have to put up with you every single day?"

"I ask myself that same question about you." Chandra said.

* * *

Ellie was quite pleased that she got the rest of the day off. It was unusual for her to do so, but she was not going to press matters and end back up trying to manage up and coming artists anymore. It seemed that everyone wanted to be signed or managed by her for the simple facts that she was a former drummer of a popular band and then married the lead singer of said band. Now, the only thing in her mind was finding someone to play at The Ridge.

She paused when she saw a letter on the table.

"What has that girl done now?" Ellie thought out loud after recognizing her daughter's handwriting. She began reading the note before smiling. "Juvenile Grace huh? I'd better call Manny and Emma about this first."

Jordan closed her locker door.

* * *

"As much as I hate saying this," Jordan said turning to Chandra. "You're right. Something is wrong. I haven't spoken to A.J since lunch."

"See what I mean?" Chandra said. "What if Ashton got A.J to pop pills with him? He'd never be the same. I mean, it's bad enough that-"

"Chandra, I don't think that A.J, or Ashton for that matter, pops pills." Jordan cut off. "But, I do find it weird that I haven't seen him since lunch. Maybe he's with Dustin though."

Chandra sighed. "You're so dumbly optimistic."

"I knew I'd find you two arguing." the voice of said boy came as Aaron walked up to the two. "We have class to get to."

"And just where have you been?" Chandra asked stepping in front of Aaron with her hands on her hips.

"Helping someone. Why does it matter?" Aaron questioned.

"Let me tell you something," Chandra said poking Aaron in the chest. "You can't hang around people like Ashton. He's a junkie. He's a loser. And if you stay around him, you'll be just like him. It's bad enough you have Brie sitting at our table, and now Ashton?"

"Okay, lay off Brie and I'm not becoming a junkie." Aaron responded, pushing Chandra's hand off of him. "Besides I was actually with-"

"Hey Jay!" Chandra completely cut Aaron off as soon as her object of affection moved into view.

"Bambi." Jayden said before looking at Jordan. "Hey, Jordan, have you seen your sister around here? I really need to talk to her."

"Uh, no…" Jordan answered.

"Now why can't she be like you and there when I need her?" Jayden said. "Oh well. Better get to class. See you at the Dot later Jordan. Oh, and see you two around."

Chandra stood flabbergasted as she looked at the blushing Jordan.

"Hello. Earth to Bambi and Jordan. We have class." Aaron said as the two girls stood frozen. "Women."

With that, Aaron walked towards his class leaving Jordan completely happy about Jayden's comment and Chandra extremely jealous.

* * *

Dakota sighed quietly as she looked at the time.

"I'm afraid I have another meeting soon." Mr. Goodwin said. "If you need to, come by tomorrow or afterschool."

"I will." Dakota said.

"And Kelly," Mr. Goodwin said. "Make sure that she stays away from all forms of alcohol for a while. I don't think she's completely hooked onto it, yet, but she's close to it. She's not dependent on it, which is a good thing."

Kelly nodded. "I will."

Mr. Goodwin signed two slips. "Here are your notes back to class and I hope both of you have a good day."

"Thanks Mr. Goodwin." Kelly said. "Let's go Dash. We have a long day ahead of us, I'm sure."

"Yeah." Dakota replied as the two took their notes and left Mr. Goodwin's office. "Thanks Kelly. I really, really needed you."

"Sure. Though I still don't know why you couldn't ask anyone else to do this for you." Kelly said.

"Truthfully," Dakota said. "I only have two friends. You and Jayden. And between the two of you, only you would force me to do something, even if I didn't have to. Jayden would always give me a choice, even if he knew that it was life or death."

"I get it." Kelly replied. "I'm bossy."

"That's a blunt way to put it." Dakota said with a smile.

Kelly nudged Dakota. "Sure Dash, whatever. And you're welcome by the way."

"Just," Dakota said. "Just make sure that this stays between the three of us, okay? Or four counting Shane."

"It's a promise." Kelly said.

* * *

The final bell rang throughout the building, gaining many relieved sighs from both students and teachers.

"Hey Amber," Steven said catching up to her. "So, have any plans today?"

"You mean after cheerleading?" Amber replied. Steven nodded. "Hmm… Nope. I'm free."

"We could grab a drink somewhere." Steven said. "You up for it?"

"Sure. Anything to get my mind off of, well, you know." Amber said.

"Then I'll see you then." Steven said walking away.

"Substitution. I like it." Scarlett said. Amber turned to see Scarlett closing her locker with a small smile. "Though, if I had to be honest, I'd say that it's not going to work."

"Scarlett, about what you said at lunch," Amber replied. "I'm thinking that you made that statement more for yourself than for me."

"Now why would I say that about me?" Scarlett asked.

Amber shrugged. "Don't know. Maybe I'm not the only one who's experiencing the whole betrayal thing."

"Maybe… Anyway, I still stand by what I said. Patience is a virtue." Scarlett said.

"You are waiting on Helen to mess up with Jayden." Amber stated. "Scarlett, of all the low-down things you've done, stealing your cousin's boyfriend is-"

"I've done worse. And I'm not 'stealing' her boyfriend, as you so put it." Scarlett said. "Maybe you should pay more attention to James ditching you for your best friend while you were sick."

"Scarlett, I'm not stupid. I know what you're doing." Amber replied. "How do you think Helen feels about this? I'm sure she knows."

"The only problem is if he knows. And he doesn't. And he won't. I won't tell. Helen won't tell. And you're not." Scarlett said. "I have to go now. My mom is waiting. Something that you should be doing as well."

With that, the brunette walked away, causing Amber to sigh.

"Devious little girl." Amber muttered.

* * *

Dakota stepped out of the car and was surprised that the first person she saw waiting for her was actually Laura.

"What are you doing here?" Dakota asked.

"I came to give you something and then I'm out." Laura said reaching into her pocket. "Don't worry. This isn't harmful." Dakota's eyes widened once Laura pulled out a roll of cash. "Take it."

"What?" Dakota questioned.

Laura sighed. "You were too drunk to realize that you made quite the few bets and won. This is your winnings."

"I can't take this." Dakota said. "It's got to be…"

"Two hundred and fifty. Just like you betted." Laura said. "Don't be so modest and take the stupid money. I may be a lot of things, but I don't steal from my friends."

"Thanks." Dakota replied before grabbing the money. "So where are you off to now?"

"Give a guess. Jayden may have you sanctified or whatever, but I'm going to live life the way I want to. And if you need me, you know where to find me." Laura said.

Dakota was going to say something, but Laura walked off. Shaking the thoughts of the leather-jacket wearing girl to the side, Dakota walked into her home where Ellie was, as usual, on her cell phone.

"Oh, Dakota just walked in. She can do this for me." Ellie said. "Alright. Bye." Dakota frowned as her mother gave her a positively warm smile which could only mean that Dakota was seconds away from running a bizarre errand. "Hey, how was your day?"

"Stressful." Dakota replied. "Did I get any mail?"

"No, but I did get your letter." Ellie said. "And if they want to perform there, they had better get the information, don't you think?"

"Mom, are you serious? You're really going to let them perform?" Dakota asked happily.

Ellie laughed. "Of course I'm serious! Go find them and hand them this." Ellie gave Dakota three envelopes. "I'm sure they'll know what to do after they open it."

"They're going to be freaked out by this!" Dakota said. "I have to go tell them quickly!"

"Then go." Ellie said before Dakota hugged her and left. "Kids…"

* * *

Jayden's eyebrow rose as he saw Scarlett enter his bedroom. She made her way in front of his dresser.

"Have I ever told you that your bedroom smells like Old Spice?" Scarlett asked with a smile.

"Not hearing the insult and she's smiling." Jayden said. "So either you've brought Danni up here to tag-team assault me or you're being genuinely nice. Both of the two wrong in many ways."

"I'm only here because I got bored." Scarlett said. "Student Council is planning a dance and me, being president, had to listen to their ideas. Over the phone. So, here I am. Done and bored."

"Why did you guys do it over the phone?" Jayden asked with a curious frown.

Scarlett shrugged. "Something about Mr. Simpson's cold and how some of us don't want to catch it."

"Ah." Jayden replied. "So, you're here now and you're bored. Just what did you think that I was going to do?"

"I was hoping that you could entertain me, somehow." Scarlett said. "Like playing your guitar or just talking. Anything."

"Okay." Jayden said. "Talk." Scarlett nodded. "My girlfriend, who also happens to be your cousin, told me that at lunch you said something about waiting on her to make a mistake." Scarlett sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't give me that. I had to hear it so now it's your turn."

"Helen's overreacting. Plus, I told that to Amber about Mary-Jane." Scarlett replied.

"Scarlett, come on now. We both know you better than that." Jayden said. "I'm flattered, to say the least, but I don't think your statement was anywhere near as helpful as it should be."

"I was talking about-"

"Me and you." Jayden interrupted. "No one is blind enough not to see that. Some times, I don't even try to ignore it. What about you?'

Scarlett stood quietly as Jayden stood up. He walked towards Scarlett and looked at her, the two nearly eye-to-eye.

"Know this. I think you're beautiful, talented, and a bit bossy, but we can work with that." Jayden said, earning a smile from Scarlett. "However, I don't want to cheat on Helen and I'm not going to break up with her to be with you. Both scenarios make me look like the bad guy, don't you think?"

"Yeah." Scarlett said nodding.

"So," Jayden said. "How about for both our sakes, we wait. And when Helen asks what I said to you, play mad. This is supposed to be scolding."

"Just one question," Scarlett responded. "Are you dating Helen to make me jealous?"

"No." Jayden said. "Just like you, Helen has her assets and flaws. I won't deny that, as stated, I originally saw you with potential, but I'm not going to deny that your cousin is straight out-"

"That word better be attractive." Scarlett interrupted.

"Attractive with a capital S, E, X, Y." Jayden said with a smile.

"Tch. You guys are all the same." Scarlett said.

"But do you know what makes us all the while?" Jayden asked. Scarlett shook her head. "We know what you're thinking. Always."

"Always? Then what am I thinking?" Scarlett questioned. Jayden opened his mouth. "Uh-uh. Show me."

"Just this once." Jayden said.

The door quickly swung open, revealing Jayden's seven-years-old brother Christian.

"Phone." Christian said holding the cordless phone towards Jayden.

"Thanks. You can leave now." Jayden said before taking the phone. "Speaking."

"Dude! Dakota is the greatest!" Shane said on the other line.

Jayden frowned. "How did you come to that?"

"Come to the Dot and I'll tell you!" Shane said before hanging up.

"Well, not only was that the worse timing possible, but that was also very weird." Jayden said. "Come on Scarlett, we're going to see your ex and possibly Dash. There's some great news going around."

"Yeah, but first," Scarlett kissed Jayden. "A little pick-me-up."

"The only one." Jayden responded.

* * *

Jordan and Aaron watched as Shane and Jacob talked between each other.

"Your brother is really excited about something." Aaron said.

"Which isn't good. The last time I saw him this excited, he was setting up a Halloween prank for me." Jordan said. "He better not be setting up a prank."

"Or?" Aaron asked.

"Or I'm not going to be happy and then I'll get my revenge." Jordan said. "Which reminds me that I'm not happy with you." Aaron frowned. "Come on A.J, tell me what Ashton said. I won't tell anyone, I promise."

Aaron sighed. "Fine." Jordan smiled. "He wanted me to help him with the pill thing."

Jordan gasped. "Chandra was right!"

"No. Bambi is wrong. Really, really wrong." Aaron said.

"How do you know?" Jordan asked.

"Because for the day, Ashton has been using _my_ locker and the pills still appeared in his." Aaron said. "Somebody has his locker number and combination and has planted the pills there. So we figured that we'd just stay away from his locker until we find out who it is."

"Oh. That's kind of you to help him. Even if I don't believe him." Jordan said. "And if you need any help at all-"

"I know, you'll be number one on my call list." Aaron said before Jayden and Scarlett entered the café. "What are they doing here?"

"Who knows?" Jordan asked.

Jayden and Scarlett came to the counter where Jordan and Aaron sat, Scarlett sitting beside Jordan while Jayden stood and leaned beside the cash register.

"About friggin' time!" Shane said coming to the two. "What took you so long? Who cares? We just got a gig at The Ridge!"

Jayden blinked. "The Ridge? How?" Dakota came from the restroom, wiping her hand on a paper towel. "Dash? You were serious?"

Dakota smiled and nodded. "My mom said it was a go, so I came down here as soon as I could. Of course, the driver wouldn't go but so fast, but I'm here."

Jayden sighed. "Oh man, this is good news. Great news to be honest. My dad is going to be… Thanks Dash."

"No problem." Dakota replied.

Jordan frowned. "Shane, what are you talking about?"

"If you must know," Shane replied. "We, as in our better-than-ever band, have a gig at The Ridge."

"Really? That's awesome!" Jordan said.

"You guys just remember not to screw up." Gavin announced standing over a deep fryer. "Trust me. Screwing up is not fun in front of people looking for good music. Oh, and have fun."

"This is going to be great." Kelly said. "I can come, right? Please Dad, let me be off that day!"

"We'll have to see." Gavin said. "In the meantime," Gavin handed Kelly two plates. "Table six."

"On it." Kelly said walking away.

"So you guys are actually going through with this, huh?" Scarlett asked. "Can't say that I'm all that shocked. You two are daredevils when you want to be."

"Daredevils? Yeah right." Shane said. "I'm just glad that this is going to happen."

The bell rang before the others turned to see Helen in her cheerleading outfit, along with Jacquelyn and Nicole. Scarlett muttered something incoherent under her breath, though Jayden still heard her say something.

"To think," Helen said. "I come here in an attempt to get away from you Jayden, and I run into you."

"Why are you so mad at me?" Jayden asked.

Helen smiled. "I'm not. But Nicky is. She says that I don't 'hang' with them anymore."

"Oh." Jayden said. "Well, all of you came at the right time because we're about to celebrate." Helen looked at Jayden curiously. "We just got a gig at The Ridge."

"Really? Now that's shocking. Here I thought of you guys as mediocre at best." Helen said.

"Ouch." Gavin said. "And you say that this is your girlfriend Jayden? Sounds more like your enemy."

"She only says that when she wants something. It's our way of saying, 'How are you?'" Jayden responded. "So, what do you girls say? Stay with us?"

"Seeing as we are in the presence of growing rock stars…" Nicole began.

Jacquelyn looked at Nicole. "You just want to be with Shane and Jayden. That's all."

"Who are growing rock stars." Nicole pointed out.

"Well," Helen said. "I guess I can't really be 'ditching' my friends if they just so happen to be around my already famous enough boyfriend." Helen smiled. "So I'll stay."

"Duh." Jayden said. "Jordan, A.J, Scarlett, let's go get a table. It'll be on me today."

"Since you're paying…" Scarlett said getting off of the stool.

"A.J? Coming?" Jayden said. Aaron just stared at his older brother, knowing this broke their no-contacting-in-public rule. "Oh come on. Your grandparents would be pissed if they knew that you dissed me. And don't get me started on your _parents_."

Aaron sighed. No matter where he was, who he was with, or what time it was, Jayden would always pull some underhanded trick to get his way with Aaron without technically breaking any rules. Aaron just chalked this down as an older brother thing and that one day he would do it to Katya, Christian, and the twins.

"Sure." Aaron said. "Coming Jordan?"

"Sure." Jordan said.

* * *

That night, Emma smiled at Sean.

"His first gig." Emma said to Sean as the two lied in the bed. "Spin was so happy. I guess they are more like us than we think."

"I'll be there," Sean replied. "And hopefully they do a good show."

"I hope so." Emma said. "I'm so glad that Ana went straight to bed tonight instead of trying to sneak in here." The house phone rang. "And I guess that's Kelly wishing me a good night." Emma grabbed the phone off of the nightstand. "Hello?"

"Hello, is this Mrs. Cameron?"

"Yes." Emma answered.

Unfortunately for Emma, the rest of the night would not be as peaceful as she hoped.


	19. Episode XVI: Sing for the Moment

**Chapter XVI: Sing for the Moment**

Waking up, Aaron felt that something was surely wrong with the day. Neither parent woke him up early so that he could be dropped off in secret. The twins were still in the house running about and the smell of Danica's perfume already ran through the house, meaning she was awake. Aaron walked out of his room and saw Jayden's door was open, meaning Jayden was awake. Aaron walked downstairs to the kitchen where Manny cried against Maxwell's shoulder while Danica and Jayden sat at the table with sober faces.

"What's going on?" Aaron asked.

"Snake died of cancer last night." Danica said. "He, uh, must have known it was coming because he had set up so many things for… It."

"Oh…" Aaron said before sighing heavily. "Man…"

"I'm going over to check on Kelly and Shane." Jayden said standing up. "Are you coming A.J?"

"Yeah." Aaron said.

Yeah. Today had already started off as a bad day.

* * *

Mary-Jane walked down the steps of her house, ready for the day of school that would never come. Instead, she found both of her parents in the living room, talking softly.

"Uh, is school canceled or something?" Mary-Jane asked. Paige nodded and Mary-Jane saw the tear-stained eyes of her mother. "Why?"

"Um… Mr. Simpson… Well, he passed last night." Marco said. Mary-Jane's eyes widened. "Yeah, I know. So school is canceled for the day."

"He died?" Mary-Jane repeated. "That… I just saw him yesterday laughing with Scarlett."

"Well, he's gone." Marco simply stated. "And now we're here remembering our teacher, friend, your principal, and my boss."

"I'm sorry Mom." Mary-Jane said sitting beside Paige.

* * *

"Helen, get up!" Scarlett said louder this time. Helen sat up in her bed and glared at her cousin. "Mr. Simpson died!"

At that moment, all the anger and sleepiness left Helen as she saw the seriousness in her cousin's eyes.

"What? How?" Helen asked.

Scarlett shrugged. "I don't know. I was talking to him yesterday and we were joking and laughing and-"

"I get it." Helen said moving to hug Scarlett. "I know."

"I… He was writing. And talking. And laughing. And he said he had a cold but-"

"I know." Helen comforted Scarlett. "It'll be okay."

By now, Scarlett was crying openly. It was no secret that Scarlett had a mentor/student relationship with Mr. Simpson, stronger than any of the other students. There was only three other students who knew Mr. Simpson better and they were Shane, Kelly, and Jordan, his grandchildren.

"Come on. Let's get something to eat before going to Shane's place." Helen said.

"Shane? Oh God…" Scarlett replied. "How could I forget-"

"Scar," Helen said. Scarlett typically talked faster whenever really depressed for some odd reason. "I'll call him and let him know that we're on our way, 'kay? You just get ready."

"Sure." Scarlett said nodding.

* * *

The door opened to reveal Jayden and Aaron. Without a word, Kelly latched onto her friend, crying over the lost of her grandfather.

Aaron just watched as Jayden hugged her back. Aaron figured that not even Jayden knew the right words to say in this situation. Instead of waiting to be invited in, Aaron walked inside, trying to find his friend. He knocked on Jordan's door before twisting the knob. Locked.

"Jordan… It's A.J." Aaron said.

"Don't bother." Shane said leaning against his closed bedroom door. "She's locked herself in there since we told her."

Aaron sighed. "I'm real sorry about your granddad. I know Jordan's probably taken it worse than you are."

Shane nodded. "That's how it is."

"How did he have all of this planned though?" Aaron said. "Jayden told me that there was a service and everything."

"Jayden's here?" Shane asked. Aaron nodded. "Oh. Well, it seems that the notes he would be writing in the morning was his new will and how he wanted it to go down. I would assume that Scarlett knew this, but she would've told me if it was something like… You know."

"Yeah." Aaron said. "Jayden's talking to Kelly on the porch if you-"

"Nah. I never know the right words to say, even to my own sister. She's probably in better hands for the time." Shane said. "Now, if you can get Jordan to open the door, I'll be happier. Or, as happy as I can be."

Aaron nodded before knocking on the door again.

"Jordan, please open the door." Aaron said. "I'm worried about you. You never lock yourself-" Before Aaron finished, the door opened as Jordan stood in front of him with a calm expression. "…" Aaron was speechless. She looked unfazed. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." Jordan said. "You?"

"I'm… Can I come in?" Aaron asked. Jordan stepped aside and allowed Aaron to come into her room before shutting the door and locking it again.

"I guess you heard." Jordan said walking to her bed. She sprawled out in her bed and looked at Aaron. "Kind of sucks, huh?"

"Kind of sucks? Jordan, are you sure you're alright? I mean, your grandfather just died. You -"

"Step-grandfather." Jordan corrected.

Aaron frowned. "Where'd that come from? You've never called him that before. Why the change?"

"He lied to us A.J." Jordan said. "All that 'I have a cold' stuff was just a cover-story for his cancer. And what's worse is that he _knew_ he was going to die." Jordan paused and scoffed. "Some grandfather I have."

Aaron stared at Jordan for a moment. He was beyond surprised that she acted this way. He was thinking that he was going to end up like Jayden and just standing speechless with a girl's body wrapped around him. No. Jordan proved to be the exact opposite, though Aaron was far from being oblivious.

Aaron sat on her bed. "When you're ready, I'll be here."

"Okay, but don't wait up." Jordan said before getting back under her covers. "I'm going back to sleep. Wake me up in about half an hour."

"Sure Jordan." Aaron said as Jordan closed her eyes.

Five minutes of silence and Aaron knew that Jordan was asleep. Her breathing told him that much. But what confused him was the small whimper she made in her sleep. He took one of her hands and held it, ending the noise.

"Yeah. I'll be here." Aaron said quietly.

Outside of Jordan's room, Shane remained in the same spot he previously was, slightly satisfied that Jordan opened her door up for Aaron. Earlier that morning, after the news was said, no one entered Jordan's room once she locked the door. Sean, Emma, and Gavin had all given up trying to talk their way in, Sean even demanding and ordering Jordan to do so. Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly depending on how one saw Jordan Cameron, the girl would not bend for anything and kept her door sealed.

"Hey." Shane looked at Jayden and saw the large wet stain on his shoulder.

"Kelly do that?" Shane asked. Jayden nodded, drawing a smile from Shane. "I thought so. Unless you were trying to hit on my mom too."

"Good to know that you can still make jokes." Jayden said with a slight grin. "Just don't snap on me."

"I've already punched two holes in my wall and cried my eyes dry. I think I have nothing left but words to say and memories to share." Shane said.

Jayden nodded. "Me and you both." Jayden put his hands in his pants pocket. "Kelly and I were sitting at the park just remembering. You coming?"

"Let me get my shoes." Shane replied. "You know, A.J is a miracle worker. No one but him has even gotten Jordan to answer her door, and she let him in."

Jayden's right eyebrow rose. "Are you saying that I couldn't?"

"We already tried using you and it failed. Severely." Shane said.

"Wow." Jayden whispered before speaking clearly. "Is she okay?"

"I seriously don't know and that's what scares me the most." Shane answered. "I hope, or pray, that she is."

"I guess time will tell." Jayden said.

"Yeah…" Shane responded.

* * *

Kelly sat on a swing, staring at the ground. She had stopped crying some time ago, and now just sat in silence, waiting for her friend and brother to join her. She heard the two coming out of her mother's house and turned her head to see them crossing the street.

"Like I promised, Shane has come and I have returned." Jayden said with a smile.

Kelly gave a light grin. "Thanks Jay." Shane sat in the empty swing beside Kelly. "Did Jordan let A.J in?"

"Yep." Shane said. "Weird huh?"

"I can't believe that she didn't open the door for Sean or Mom. She never disobeys orders." Kelly said.

"Unless we ask her too, but different scenario." Shane responded. "Are you still holding up?"

"I'm better." Kelly said. "Just remembering the time the three of us got in trouble for pulling that prank on Jordan."

"Which one?" Shane asked.

"Halloween." Jayden replied. "It's the only one that I will ever admit having a part of."

"Yeah…" Shane said with a grin. Shane stood up. "Boy Granddad was pissed."

"Yeah he was." Jayden said.

"Where are you going?" Kelly asked Shane.

"Nowhere." Shane answered.

"Shane!" Shane and Jayden watched as Scarlett ran towards him. Scarlett latched onto Shane. "Oh Shane I'm so sorry!"

"Yeah," Shane said hugging the girl. "Thanks Scarlett."

"So what are you doing here?" Helen asked Jayden as she walked to the others.

"I guess the same reason you're here." Jayden answered. "Scarlett's been crying all morning?" Helen nodded. "Sad."

"Kelly, I'm sorry about your lost. Seriously." Helen said.

"Thanks Helen." Kelly said as Helen moved next to Jayden.

"Hey, you want to sit down?" Shane asked Scarlett.

"Yeah…" Scarlett answered before sitting down in the empty swing beside Kelly. "How are you two doing?"

"Fine. We're just thinking of some of the old times." Kelly said.

"I'm just wondering how I didn't see the signs." Scarlett said.

Shane sighed. "I don't know. Like I said to A.J, he wrote his will in the office." Scarlett's eyes widened. "Yeah… I'm sorry that you had to know like this but-"

"There wasn't anything you could do Scarlett." Jayden interrupted, knowing what was coming next. "I guess, in the end, Snake wanted to go. There's nothing we can do but respect his wishes like he would do if we were in that position."

"Still…" Kelly trailed off.

"I know." Jayden said. "These wounds will be open for a while, I know. But at the same time, I don't doubt that you of all people can't move on. He always did favor you for some odd reason."

"You know Jayden, in all due respect," Shane said. "But you're not his grandson and yet you still had some leeway, so don't go pointing fingers."

Jayden grinned. "That you can blame my mom for."

"So when is it?" Helen asked.

"Amazingly, later today. I guess they were all prepared for this. Everyone but us." Shane answered. "Oh well. You'll be there?"

Helen nodded. "Yeah, I will. I have to call my parents to let them know what happened."

"Go ahead. We'll be right here." Jayden said.

* * *

Dakota watched her mother sit quietly for a moment.

"He's really gone?" Dakota asked.

Ellie nodded. "Yeah. It's just weird."

"How?" Dakota questioned.

"Mr. Simpson was a student at Degrassi himself." Ellie explained. "He was a student when your grandfather was a student. Then, he was a teacher there when I and your dad was growing up. Afterwards, he became a principal before your aunt went there."

"Really?" Dakota said. "Wow. He has been there all his life."

"All his life…" Ellie said with a small smile. "I guess it's only natural that he would pass there. It was his life and joy, outside of his home. And sometimes, you thought that place _was_ his home."

Dakota laughed softly. "I bet. Is Granddad going to the service today?" Ellie nodded. "Dad?"

Ellie looked at Dakota. "I don't know. I know Ashley will be there, but Craig, I'm not so sure about." The door opened to reveal Silas Lowry, Ellie's husband. "Hey."

"I heard." the man said in a solemn voice. "El, I'm so sorry."

"I'm alright." Ellie said as Silas sat beside her on the couch.

Silas looked at Dakota. "What about you Dakota? Are you alright?"

"Yeah Dad, I'm fine." Dakota said with a smile. "When'd you get back in?"

"Last night." Silas replied. "I came back to find my favorite two women in bed asleep." Silas leaned closer towards Dakota. "And I got you something, but your mother probably won't approve, so you're going to have to go in the back and smuggle it in here."

"Really?" Dakota asked hopping out of her seat. "I'll be back."

Ellie looked at Silas. "Si, you can't keep spoiling her. Eventually you're going to have to let her go."

"My daughter." Silas simply replied. "Besides, you'd be surprise at-"

"Thank you!" Dakota squealed tackling Silas on the couch.

Ellie could not help but to laugh, even in these gray times. Dakota never revealed her true girlish side to anyone _but_ Silas.

"What'd you get her?" Ellie asked.

"You know that drum set that I wanted last Christmas but they were sold out?" Dakota replied excitedly. "He found one! He got one!"

"I know a few people." Silas said. "And who knows? Maybe you'll be better than your mom."

"Don't get ahead of yourself." Ellie said sitting up straight. "I wasn't known as the best drummer for nothing."

Dakota rolled her eyes. "Whatever Mom. _I'm_ going to go try them out so I can show you who the _real_ best drummer is."

"Not now." Ellie said. Dakota frowned before nodding, realizing what had occurred earlier. "We'll go to the service first."

"Yeah…" Dakota said. "I'll go get ready."

* * *

Maxwell watched as his wife held Emma and vice versa. The two said little words to each other, though he knew from experience that so little could say so much.

"Thanks for coming. Em's been, well, you know." Gavin said to Maxwell.

Maxwell nodded. "Same here. I hear Jordan won't come out of her room."

"No she won't." Sean said. "Her friend, A.J, went in there to check on her and hasn't come out since."

"Sounds tough." Maxwell said before sighing. "This must be really hard for Emma. Has anyone checked in with Spike and Jack?"

"Yeah but…" Sean's words trailed off causing Maxwell to nod understandingly.

"Worse than she is, I bet." Maxwell said.

"Yeah." Sean said.

* * *

Jordan opened her eyes and yawned. She sat up and turned to see Aaron sitting on the edge of her bed, reading a book. Her breath hitched as she thought that he had discovered her diary, but she calmed when she saw that it was just a book from her bookshelf.

"Nice nap? It isn't time to go yet." Aaron said to Jordan without looking at her.

"Yeah." Jordan said. "What are you reading?"

"The only thing you have there. Jane Eyre." Aaron replied closing the book. "I was worried than in a few more minutes, I was going to go crazy." Jordan smiled. "That's genuine."

"What's genuine?" Jordan asked.

"That smile." Aaron answered. "It's about the only genuine thing I've seen about you all day."

Jordan glared at Aaron. "I thought we could put the death of Snake behind us for a few minutes. Like I said, it's not like he was 'genuine' either."

"Look, Jordan, I know you're mad that he passed and all, but this won't help you out at all." Aaron said.

"And what should I do? Be happy that he's in a better place like the others? Be sad that he left us like my mom? What?" Jordan asked angrily.

Aaron moved and hugged Jordan. He half-heartedly believed that she was going to push off of him and yell some more and was surprised when she hugged him back.

"Jordan, honey, I need you to get dressed." Emma said from the other side of Jordan's door, breaking the hug up. "Jordan?"

"I'm coming." Jordan responded.

Aaron stood up. "I'll be waiting outside when you're ready, okay?"

"A.J," Jordan said. "I… I don't want to go."

"What? Why not?" Aaron asked.

"I just don't, okay? Can't we go somewhere else?" Jordan pleaded.

Aaron sighed. "Sure Jordan. But we're going to have to be quick about it before someone realizes it or else."

"Thanks." Jordan said with a smile.

Aaron stepped outside of Jordan's room where Emma and Sean stood.

"How is she?" Emma asked.

"She's fine." Aaron replied. "I think she's just trying to think of anything and everything but, well, you know."

"Thank you A.J." Emma said. "You can go on, we got it from here."

"Actually," Aaron said. "She asked if I could come with her. I guess for support."

Emma and Sean exchanged glances before Sean sighed.

"Sure." Sean said.

"I'll be right back." Emma said as she walked away from the two.

* * *

Dakota sat quietly as her mother pulled into the driveway of her biological father's house. No secret that Ellie and Craig were not the best of friends, but they did come together when Dakota was the subject, most of the time. So Dakota was rather confused as to why they were there today.

"Let's go." Ellie said.

Dakota, along with her mother and stepfather, got out of the Navigator and walked towards the modest home.

"Mom! Dakota's here!" the sound of seven-year-old Lillian Manning called.

Ellie smiled. "She's still so loud."

"Which is why I don't like coming here." Dakota said.

Silas put an arm around Dakota. "You'll be okay."

Dakota gave him a smile before Ashley came to the door, already in a black dress, like Ellie. Dakota would never be caught dead wearing a dress, and decided on a feminine dress suit.

"Hey." Ashley said. "I guess you heard?"

"Yeah, I did." Ellie said. "Can we come in?"

"Oh! Yeah, come on in!" Ashley replied. Though the two would never agree on the same thing when it came to Craig, Ashley and Ellie had remained friends throughout the years, something that confused Dakota. "How was your tour, Silas?"

"Same old, same old," Silas answered. "You?"

"Not touring for a while." Ashley said.

"Oh." Silas said.

"Is Craig coming?" Ellie asked.

Ashley shrugged. "He's been upstairs all day, so I can't really answer that. I was going to leave early with Ashton and Lily. Steven said that he didn't want to go, so I'm not going to force him."

"I understand." Ellie said. "I just can't believe he's gone."

"Me neither." Ashley replied. "It seems like yesterday we were sitting in his classroom doing whatever it is on the computer or using his computers to produce or smooth out a song."

"Yeah," Ellie said. "Those were the days." Ellie looked at Dakota. "Now, I guess, it's their turn to do that, huh?"

"Yeah it is." Ashley said before Ashton walked downstairs in a suit. "Are you ready?"

Ashton nodded. "Yeah."

Dakota looked at her brother, hiding the smile fighting its way to her face. She had never seen Ashton or Steven in a suit. It was quite amusing.

"Lily, let's go!" Ashley called before sighing. "Swear that girl just bounces around here."

"I'll call Emma to let her know we're on our way." Ellie said. "Hopefully, she has calmed down a bit."

"Hopefully." Ashley said.

* * *

Liberty Hayes née Van Zandt hugged her friend tightly with Damian standing behind her.

"Emma, I'm so, so sorry." Liberty said.

"Thanks." Emma said before Liberty released her. Liberty moved to hug Manny, who accepted. "How have you two been?"

"Good." Damian answered. "I'm sorry about your loss. Mr. Simpson was a friend to all of us."

"Thank you Damian." Emma replied.

Aaron looked at Jordan, who had her earphones plugged into her ears, blasting her music from her iPod. Aaron gave a silent sigh as he removed one of the earplugs, gaining a glare from the blonde.

"What are you doing?" Jordan nearly hissed.

"I promised that I would leave with you," Aaron said quietly. "But that's only if you don't do something stupid."

"The sooner we can leave, the better I'll be." Jordan said sternly. "Period."

Aaron sighed. "Fine Jordan. We'll leave, I promise."

"You're the best A.J." Jordan responded with a small smile. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Aaron muttered.

Dakota released Shane.

"You're always like that." Dakota said.

Shane shrugged. "What can we do about it?"

"I hope Scar gets better." Helen said looking over at her cousin talking to Mr. Goodwin.

"I'm sure she will." Jayden replied. "Then again, to be there while he did it and not know… That's got to be hard on her."

"I know it is." Helen said. "But what can I do? She'll start talking a mile a second. It's bad enough that-"

"Shane, I'm so sorry." Nicole said as she and Jacquelyn came up to the group. Nicole hugged Shane tightly. "Is there anything I can do?"

"I'm sure there is, but nothing you can do in the house of the Lord." Jayden muttered with a smirk. Helen elbowed Jayden in his side causing him to laugh. "I'm playing, sort of."

"You'd better beh- Hold that thought. I have to go act up for a moment." Helen said before walking towards Chandra.

"She won't." Dakota said. Jayden and Shane nodded. "Not here."

"Watch her." Jacquelyn said.

"So," Helen said. Chandra looked at Helen and narrowed her eyes. "Yesterday, I let your innocent flirt slide because Jayden asked me to. But today is totally different."

"You're going to do that now?" Chandra asked. "How spoiled can you be to ruin someone's _funeral_ for your own needs?"

"Let's get one thing straight, _Bambi_," Helen replied. "I'm not spoiled. I can't be if I choose to stay with the Queen of Spoiled. But I am a very, _very_ vindictive girl. I will hurt you the next time I catch you trying to flirt with Jayden. Understood?"

"You see those two over there?" Chandra said pointing to an older Drew and Alli Torres. "They are my parents. Not you. I don't have to listen to you and I'm not."

"I thought you'd say that." Helen said before swinging at Chandra. Fortunately, Jayden caught Helen's wrist. "Jay-"

"Ssh," Jayden said quietly. "Luckily, no one saw you attempt to harm her." Helen gave a grunt. "No, we're not going to hurt anyone at Snake's funeral. Come on, we're being seated."

"You can't save her every time-"

"I'm saving you." Jayden interrupted. "Knock her senseless here and I'll be talking to you through a thick sheet of glass. And I've already told you, I hate long-distance relationships."

"Whatever Jayden." Helen said.

"As for you," Jayden said to Chandra. "I think you've learned from this and will respect her wishes. I'm not stopping her next time, no matter where we are."

"Yeah. See you around." Chandra replied walking away.

Helen watched Jayden glare towards her.

"What?" Helen asked.

"I can't believe that you would do that here of all places." Jayden replied.

Helen sighed. "I'm sorry Jayden. I know how much he means to you. I promise that I'll be nice until you're better." Jayden gave a sigh before Helen kissed him. "I'm serious. Today is about Mr. Simpson. And I know that he'd want you to calm down. I'm going to help."

"Please." Jayden said.

* * *

After a few more minutes, the ceremony began. The friends and family of Mr. Simpson sat in the church to mourn over the lost. Shane had not really taken into account on everyone that was there, but there were a lot of people, more than he knew. For example, Dustin was there with his mother and father, who were friends of Shane's parents and stepdad. Of course Jayden's entire family was there, one of the few times Shane has seen all of his friend's siblings in one place at one time sitting still. It was also the first time he had seen Dakota acting sisterly towards Lillian. The younger girl must have been bored out of her mind, Shane figured. Jacob was there with his younger siblings and his father, Shane's Media Immersion teacher.

Going out of his normal circle of friends, he spotted other students and their families as well. For example, Mary Jane was there with her parents and younger siblings. So were James and his family. Shane thought that his granddad must have been a teacher to James's parents since James and Mr. Simpson did not seem as close as Mr. Simpson did for those like Jayden or Scarlett, or even Mary-Jane. He knew that Scarlett's parents were more likely there on the behalf for their daughter than their own connection with Mr. Simpson. But one person seemed to stand out.

In the back of the room, Laura sat in the mist of a few, unknown, people. She, also, seemed to be quite sad. Shane did not bother to worry over that for so long, so he moved on.

He turned his attention the most important of those present; his family.

First were his mom and grandmother, who were both still crying. On any given circumstance, crying over a period of time somewhat irritated him. But he understood what they were feeling this time. He would cry if he could, but for some reason, he could not. Not that he particularly wanted to, but it would make his parents feel better if he "showed his emotions" more. And now here his mother, Emma Cameron, the strongest-willed woman that he knew, was crying. She was downer than he had ever seen her before, and he had seen a lot. His grandmother was not doing any better. In fact, she was doing worse. His mother had the power to view the body. His grandmother did not.

His attention went from them to his father, who was consoling Kelly. Shane had always looked up to his father. Now, he looked up to him even more. Everything that he said to help Kelly and Scarlett somehow backfired, yet, Gavin could say nothing and it did help. Shane scratched that off as a father thing, since Kelly was by all meanings of the word a daddy's girl.

Then there were his two younger siblings, Maddox, nine, and Anastasia, five. He felt sorry that they had to experience this, this early in their lives. Maddox, of course, understood it more than Anastasia did, but it did not mean that she did not grasp that basic meaning. Grandpa was gone. Shane smiled a bit. Next to Jordan, Anastasia was probably the smartest of his mother's children, or at least she would be. Kelly would always be the wisest and knew what to say and/or do in any situation. Jordan and Anastasia could only define things by text. And Maddox, as much as Shane found it annoying, wanted to be like his older brother everyday. Shane always compared Maddox to Jayden's twin sisters Renée and Jenée. Those two stayed under Jayden as much as Maddox stayed under Shane. The only difference is that Maddox imitated Shane while the twins merely just wanted to play with Jayden. Both, highly annoying.

He then looked at Jordan. Her face appeared to be in a mixture of disgust and anger. Shane attempted to study her the most. Like he said, Jordan would one day be smarter than he will, but that does not mean that he could not figure out things if he truly put thought into it. And he was putting several of thoughts in about his sister. Early when Aaron had arrived, she looked calm. While they were standing outside, she appeared anxious. Now, she looked downright sick. He wondered if this was some sort of phase that she was going through, one different from his own and Kelly's. He paused at that thought. He, like Jordan, was not crying. So maybe they were not so different. But, the biggest difference, was viewing the body. While Shane gave one final look over their deceased grandfather, Jordan hardly glanced. Now, it did not take a rocket scientist or a full-pledged psychiatrist to know that Jordan did not want to be here at this moment. The only question Shane had was: Why?

And then she stood up and made her way to the back, gaining several gasps and stares.

"Jordan." Kelly whispered through her sobs, but the blonde continued to walk out.

On the other side of the aisle, Aaron also rose and looked at Jayden. With a simple nod, Jayden basically excuse his brother to go find his friend. He then looked at his parents who gave him a curious stare.

"It's probably for the best." Maxwell whispered to Manny.

Shane looked to see his mother and Sean whispering before Emma nodded and basically accepted her daughter leaving. Before too long, Danica rose and left as well, tearstains marring her cheeks. Shane brushed his crush aside for a moment to silently thank God that Danica was going after his sister. Whether or not she wanted to be there, Danica would basically drag Jordan back.

Sighing, Shane realized that it was his time to speak, despite the fact that Jordan was to go before him. Again, she was favored by many adults, their grandfather included. Shane stood next to Kelly by the podium, one supporting arm around her shoulders as he looked at the others seated.

"Our grandfather was, um, a good man." Shane began. He looked to see his best friend give him a nod. Therefore, he continued like the message meant. "He was always a parent or grandparent first and a principal or teacher second. And I'm sure he's still going to teach me and my brothers and sisters a few more things even after… After…"

If ever there were a surprising event in his life, this would be it. Shane never thought that he, _he_, would cry. And now that he was crying almost uncontrollably at the stand, it was now Kelly that was supporting him.

"I got this." Kelly whispered to him. "Please. Sit."

Shane nodded and began to move back to his seat, still crying. He hated feeling so weak, but he knew that this was life. It was something outside of his control. Once he sat in his seat, he felt a soft, warm hand cupping his. He looked to Jacquelyn smiling at him. She embraced him as Kelly continued her speech. And he wished it was his voice that was being heard instead of Kelly's. He was supposed to be the older, bigger, stronger brother. And yet, she would always be better.

What a life.

* * *

Aaron sat at the bench with Jordan, who now had red eyes of unshed tears.

"Are you okay?" Aaron asked.

"He's dead…" Aaron blinked before turning to see his best friend sob. "He's dead A.J!"

Aaron hesitantly pulled Jordan to him, allowing her to cry on his shoulder. He had no clue that it would come so soon, but he knew that she would eventually cry for Mr. Simpson. That was a given.

"Hey," Aaron attempted to console her. "It's going to be okay."

"No it won't! He's never coming back!" Jordan shot back.

"…" Aaron sat in defeat, holding the sobbing girl. What would Jayden say? "Jordan, I'm sure he'll always be with you. He loved you."

Her crying seemed to lighten up, though she was still crying a bit. Aaron mentally smiled and chalked this as a victory, one of his many since that morning.

"Please Aaron," Jordan said hugging him tightly. "Please don't leave me right now."

Aaron's face noticeably reddened. "S-sure."

The sound of approaching footsteps caused Aaron to turn his head slightly to see Danica approaching him. She gave him a warm smile, one he has seen on her face about once a month.

"How is she?" Danica asked.

"Fine, I guess." Aaron replied. "What are you dong here?"

"That rule doesn't apply on me." Danica said. Aaron wanted to panic about his older sister blowing his cover, but for some reason, he just held Jordan closer. "I wanted to make sure that she was fine. Sean and Emma wanted me to." Aaron nodded. "I'll go back and tell them where you two are, alright? Just make sure that she's taken care of."

"I will. That's Danni." Aaron said, actually thanking her for keeping his identity secret.

Danica gave him her infamous smile. "You're welcome A.J"

* * *

They were seconds from leaving to head to the burial site and Jayden had noticed the one thing he had overlooked. Laura. There. He went to move towards her before Helen stepped in front of him. Her eyes reminded him of a scolding mother instead of a caring girlfriend.

"Don't think about it." Helen said. "I will not have you doing something dumber than what I did with Bambi."

"I know, I just have to ask though." Jayden replied. "She's here. I mean, why is she here? She just got his grandkids detention!"

"Ssh, ssh, I know." Helen said calmly as she hugged Jayden. "But if you go over there and do something stupid, I won't forgive you. But," Helen said quieter. "If you can somehow go over there and not make a complete idiot out of yourself, I'll give you something nice."

"How nice is nice?" Jayden asked.

Helen winked at him. "Think about it."

Helen slowly released Jayden and walked away. Jayden stared at her before turning to Laura, who was now talking to Dakota.

"Why are you here?" Dakota said worriedly. "If Jay or-"

"Calm down. This wasn't invitational only, you know." Laura answered. "Besides, Mr. Simpson was the _only_ person to have some kind of… Kind of… I guess hope in me."

Dakota nodded. "I understand."

"I owed it to the-" Laura cut herself off and sighed. "I owe it to him to be here. Though, I still say he was wrong."

"You can change Laura. It isn't impossible." Dakota said before her eyes caught Jayden coming towards them. "Uh-oh…"

Laura saw Jayden coming to her and sighed heavily, running a hand through her brown locks.

"The least you could do was wear khakis." Jayden said.

It was evident in his voice to both Laura and Dakota what he meant. He wanted Laura to leave.

"Look," Laura said. "I came to give my final respects and whatnot. If you have a problem with that, then that's actually on you." Jayden only glared at her. Laura scoffed. "Typical. See you around Dash."

Laura attempted to walk away but Jayden moved back in front of her.

"Whether or not that was your real reason," Jayden said. "Thanks for coming."

No sooner did those words leave his mouth did Dakota start to cough. Jayden thanking Laura was equivalent to Mary-Jane bowing to Helen. In other words, it was never going to happen.

Laura only walked away as Jayden looked at Dakota. His features now posed and relaxed to the part where even a small smile came onto his face.

"What?" Dakota asked.

"Helen told me that I couldn't be mean, so that was the _worst_ that I could say to her." Jayden answered.

Dakota groaned. "Am I going to want to hear how she got you to do that?"

Jayden smirked. "No Dash, you're not."

* * *

She always thought that it would take a million years for this day to come. Not for her father to pass away, but for a reunion such as this. Standing with Emma were Manny, Paige, Jimmy, Marco, Toby, Liberty, Ashley, Hazel, Ellie, Sean, Gavin, and even Craig. Sans Terri and J.T, these were the people that she was most noticeably around during her first year at Degrassi. They now stood at Mr. Simpson's grave, each with their own memory with the man.

"I can't believe he's gone." Jimmy was the first to speak, gaining a few nods. "It just doesn't seem real."

"I know." Paige said. "Just the other day Mary was telling me how they were all planning the next dance."

"He's seen more in that place than any of us." Hazel stated.

"He's _done_ more for that place than any of us." Marco added.

Manny gave a small smile. "It seems like only yesterday we were all sitting in his classroom in one period or the other." Manny's brown eyes turned to her friend. "Do you remember when we were helping your mom and dad with the setup for their reunion?"

"We've been through a lot. We put _him_ through a lot." Gavin said. "Seeing that I was not always the most perfect guy to marry his daughter…"

"Tell me about it." Sean said. The group laughed a bit before Sean sighed. "I hate to see him gone."

"I wonder what he would've done if he saw all of us now." Ellie said. "The Goth girl now a mother and a wife."

"Her gay boyfriend now straight with kids and is married to the queen bee of the school." Marco said.

"We have all changed quite a bit." Jimmy said. "For the better."

"I'm not the same, that's for sure." Gavin said.

Jimmy grinned. "True. You're no longer the guy that had a hard time bathing."

Paige gave a quiet giggle. "Thankfully."

"If we're going to down each other," Gavin responded. "Neither of you are catty and annoying nor conceited and… Well, annoying."

"None of us are slutty anymore. Thankfully." Craig stated.

"No. None of us are." Manny replied.

"I guess, to put it simply," Toby said. "We're not kids anymore."

"Nope. We all have kids to be that for us." Gavin said.

"Speaking of kids," Paige said. "We have to go Marco. You know how Mary gets when she's watching Angele and Justin."

"You're right." Marco said. "Emma, again we're sorry for your lost. If you need us, you know how to reach us, right?"

Emma nodded. "You're okay. See you around." As Marco and Paige walked away, Emma sighed. "I guess we should all go. I have to check on Jordan."

"I'll come with you." Manny said. "Max can handle the others with Danni, I'm sure."

Emma smiled. "Thanks Manny. I can always count on you."

"Always." Manny responded with a smile.

"You know," Liberty said. "We should put a memorial of Snake beside J.T's."

"That's actually a good idea." Emma replied. "But, I want to rest for a while. Come by later and we'll talk, okay?"

"Sure." Liberty said with a small smile.

After watching the adults disperse, Shane finally made his way to the gravesite alone.

"I miss you already." Shane muttered, putting his hands in his pockets. "I just wish I got the chance to say it earlier."

"Hey," Jacquelyn said stepping beside Shane. "Are you alright?"

Shane looked at Jacquelyn. "Yeah." Shane turned back to the gravesite. "I'm just trying to say all that I wanted to earlier."

"Just take your time. I know that you'll eventually find it." Jacquelyn said. Without warning, Shane turned and hugged her. "W-what?"

"Thanks." Shane said, oblivious to the fact that Nicole, Jayden, Helen, and Scarlett watched.

"Um…" Nicole said to Jayden, Helen, and Scarlett. "I have to, uh, go."

"Nic-" was all Helen got out before Nicole turned and walked off. "Jealous much?"

"Whatever." Jayden said going to the two hugging teens. "Alright you two, break it up. We have to get back to our worrying parents."

Shane grinned and looked at Jayden. "I guess I can always count that you'll be there when I do or don't want you to."

Jayden shrugged. "It's a family curse. Our moms and now us." Jayden mentally added Aaron and Jordan into that scenario as well. "Anyway, we do have to get going. Though, I did want to say one more final thing."

"You go ahead." Helen said. "Come on Miss Jackie. Scar's not all too keen about you hanging off of her favorite ex."

Scarlett smiled. "Whatever Helen."

"Come on." Helen said leading Jacquelyn away. "And stop being fast."

Scarlett laughed as she followed her cousin and her cousin's friend, leaving Jayden and Shane standing at the gravesite alone.

"Smooth." Jayden said to Shane.

"Impulse." Shane replied. "You know what I thought about?" Jayden gave a small frown. "What if our mothers somehow started this entire thing? Like if they were living a show or something and those other guys were just stars or characters of it?"

Jayden gave a short laugh. "Yeah right. You know how much I hate paparazzi. I'd shoot someone before they could write a story or show about me."

"Just think about it. They've been with each other for so long, a show just makes sense." Shane said.

"Shane," Jayden said putting an arm around his shoulders. "Glad to know that your stupidity hasn't left you yet. But there's no way that our mothers were in a show, sans my mom who is an actress."

"It could happen." Shane said.

Jayden removed his arm. "Sure it could. Next you're going to tell me that your _grandparents_ were in the _prequel._" Shane shrugged. Jayden pointed to the sky dramatically. "I can see it now. _Living in Toronto._"

"How about _Degrassi_?" Shane asked.

Jayden frowned. "Then what would we be? _Degrassi: The Next Generation_?"

"It has a nice ring to it." Shane answered.

Jayden sighed. "Come on Shane. We have to get going." The two began walking off. "TV show? What have you been smoking?"

* * *

Emma and Sean walked into their house to find Aaron sitting on the couch quietly.

"Where is she?" Emma asked softly.

"She cried herself to sleep." Aaron replied. "She's in her room."

"Thanks." Emma said to Aaron. "You can leave now. I'm sure your parents are waiting for you."

"Sure." Aaron replied before making his way past the two leaving the house.

Emma walked towards Jordan's room to see that her door was open and her daughter was sleeping. She then gave her sleeping child a sad smile before turning around. Emma was no amateur when it came to handling people who had trouble expressing their emotions. In fact, she was two-for-two when it came to her husbands.

"Is she okay?" Sean asked.

"Yeah. She's fine." Emma replied. "Come on. We have a lot to do."

* * *

Jacquelyn and Shane sat at the park across from Emma's house.

"I don't know why that happened." Shane said. "Thanks for coming to talk to me."

"No problem." Jacquelyn replied.

"Hey Shane," Kelly called standing beside Gavin's truck. "Dad said let's go. We're going home for a while and stopping by Grandma's."

"Okay." Shane replied before looking at Jacquelyn. "Thanks again."

"Hey, anytime you want, just call or stop by. I'll understand." Jacquelyn said standing up with Shane.

"Sure. I'll call tonight." Shane said.

Jacquelyn smiled. "That's cool." Shane smiled before walking towards his father's truck. Jacquelyn turned around to hide her blush. "Yes!"

* * *

**A/N: So what do you think? Sorry that I had to kill off one of the best teachers on the show (if not the best) but it had to be done, you know? How Snake timed and planned his own death will be explained in a webisode. Thanks for reading.**


	20. Episode XVII: Confessions Pt I

**A/N: So, there are two songs, equivalent to five episodes (Confessions is a three-parter and Damages has two parts) left in the first season of Like a Record. This gives me time to work on my other fanfics such as Twice the Trouble and Days of Yesteryear, the latter I have yet to post. I have already typed the final chapters of this season, so I will be focusing on the other stories. I hoped you enjoyed this season as much as I enjoyed typing it. Well, I'm ramblings so here's what you came for. Part One of Confessions.**

**

* * *

**

**Episode XVII: Confessions Pt. I**

It had been two days since Mr. Simpson's funeral and the students were back in school.

Shane came to Jayden's locker.

"Dude," Shane said. "The performance is Friday."

"I know." Jayden said before sighing. "Not that it matters, but we're going to have to put in some practice today and tomorrow. And I mean serious practice."

Shane nodded. "I'll be there."

"Nothing better get in your way either." Jayden said. "Because nothing is going to get in mine."

"Dude, I said-"

"Hey Jayden," Helen said walking towards him. "Cheerleading practice might be cut today, so I was thinking that you and I could go out and get away from people like Plain Shane and the others."

Shane looked at Jayden with a grin.

"Well my friend," Shane said while patting Jayden's shoulder. "Let's see you move this 'nothing' out of your way."

"Nothing?" Helen questioned, looking directly at Jayden.

Jayden sighed. "I- we- have practice today Helen for the little gig Friday. So I can't go with you today."

"Oh. That's fine." Helen replied.

Jayden frowned. "Really?"

"Yeah. You have to get ready for your first show. I understand. I'd leave you if the Spirit Squad had some tournament to prepare for in a heartbeat." Helen said. Shane snickered as Jayden's frown increased. "I'm playing. But I get it. Go and have fun with your little boy band. But not _too_ much fun."

Jayden's left eyebrow rose. "And what kind of 'fun' would I have with you instead of them?"

Shane silently gagged as he put his hands in his pocket and walked away. He clearly did not want to be around his friend and his friend's girlfriend when the former of the two began to get, in lesser terms, excited.

"Let's go to class." Helen said grabbing Jayden's arm forcefully.

"Ouch! There go those nails again." Jayden replied.

"Get over it." Helen said with a small smile.

* * *

Manny went to open the front door, only for Danica to beat her to the punch. She mentally smiled as she heard her best friend's shriek of laughter as her eldest daughter engulfed her "aunt" in a tight hug.

"Danni, it's getting hard to breathe." Emma laughed.

"Fine," Danica said releasing Emma. "Mama's been talking about some memorial that…" Danica paused as her eyes landed on Liberty. "Oh, I'm sorry. Danni McDuelle."

"Liberty Hayes." Liberty replied.

"So anyway," Danica said turning her attention back to Emma. "Mama's been talking about a memorial for Snake and I said it was a good idea, but the only problem was getting those losers out of school for us to do it and-"

"Danni, leave them along." Manny said as Danica sighed heavily. "Come on you two. I'm sitting in the back." The two women followed Manny through the house to the backyard where Manny sat in a deck chair at a table. Liberty and Emma took seats at the table with her. "So, I guess you guys came to talk about that, huh?"

"Yeah. Is that so bad?" Emma asked.

Manny nodded. "I thought we could use this as a day to hangout."

"Hangout? Manny, I think Danni's rubbing off on you." Emma responded with a smile. Manny lazily rolled her eyes. "Yep. She has."

"You know," Liberty said. "I have never been here before."

"Never?" Manny asked. Liberty shook her head for no. "Wow. It's not really hidden or anything. I'm surprised Emma hasn't brought you here before. She brings _everyone_ here."

"I do not!" Emma retorted. "I just bring a few friends over every now and again."

"_Sure_." Manny said. "But, back to Snake's memorial."

"Yeah…" Emma said.

Liberty looked at her downcast friends and smiled warmly.

"Hey," Liberty said. "We'll put it beside J.T's so that whenever J.T does something foolish in the afterlife, Mr. Simpson is right there to catch him again."

This brought a small laughter from the three women.

"You know what I find funny." Emma stated. "That through all of this, our children are the best of friends. Or at least they were."

"They were?" Liberty asked, thinking on who Emma was talking about.

"She means Dustin, Jordan, and A.J." Manny explained. "Of course, you wouldn't know A.J as my son because he does everything in his power to not get caught with us in public."

"Oh, A.J and Jordan. Yeah, I've met them once or twice." Liberty said before frowning. "A.J is your son?"

"My second boy." Manny said. "Max was so proud that he nearly demanded that his father's first name be Aaron's middle name."

Emma smiled. "And you wholeheartedly agreed."

"Point?" Manny replied. "He was happy, right?"

"Excuse me for asking," Liberty began. "But how did you two meet? The last I heard before you returned was that you were dating Jay and then poof. You're pregnant with your daughter by some entrepreneur."

Manny sighed as she leaned back in her chair.

"It is a very long story, but I'll give you the short version." Manny said. "Jay and I wanted to go to Las Vegas for a vacation. Unfortunately, Jay was late getting there, and he had 'supposedly' already gotten us a room. So when I get there, I learn that the last four rooms were just bought. I was pissed and-"

"Began cussing at the man behind the desk." Emma cut in.

"Thanks Em, but I think I can tell it." Manny said. "So afterwards, Max pulls up and I learn that _he_ bought those last four rooms for himself, his band members, and his sister."

"Wait a second. Did you say his _band members_?" Liberty questioned.

Manny nodded. "He was in a band when he was a teenager. He stopped and began focusing on his father's business instead though."

"Oh." Liberty said.

"So anyways, after that, Max said that since his room had _three_ bedrooms, I and Jay could room with him if we chose to." Manny said. "I, of course, took the deal. I had spent several of months planning that vacation and I was not going to be stopped by Jay's laziness."

"This is the good part." Emma said with a smile.

"Why don't you explain it then?" Manny suggested.

"I will." Emma responded. "So, during Max's performance, Manny and Jay were dancing at the club. He leaves to go get something to drink but takes almost forever to return. So between time, Manny's flirting with-"

"Our conversation was strictly professional, thank you very much." Manny interrupted. "And because of that, _I'm_ telling the rest." Emma scoffed. "So Max and I were talking when his sister Reggie attempted to hook him up with some girl named Katana. I, not trying to make the woman feel uncomfortable, stood up and went back to the hotel room. And there was Jay. And there was Alicia Morning. Together. Having sex."

"Oh… That must've been hard for you." Liberty said.

"…" Manny paused. "It was. Until I got a pick-me-up." Liberty gave a confused frown. "Max and Reggie took me out. We partied and got drunk basically. And then… Well, to put it simply, Danica Mariella McDuelle was soon born."

"And I guess everything else just fell into place?" Liberty asked. Manny and Emma nodded. "Wow. That's a lot different from what I heard."

"Tabloids." Manny and Emma said in unison.

"Thankfully," Emma added. "They worked things out and now here they are. Twenty one years later."

"I can hear my story on TV anytime," Manny said. "What about you Liberty?"

"Well, Damian and I met after Emma's wedding to Spinner." Liberty replied. "He and I were just friends at first, but then…" Liberty paused, which caused Manny and Emma to giggle a bit. "What?"

"You're blushing." Emma said.

"Sorry. It's just that I don't usually talk about that." Liberty said. "After you guys left Smithdale, the only friends I had was the sisters in my sorority and even they didn't talk to me like you guys did."

"That's sad and it's kind of ironic that Damian married you." Manny said. "I have lost two exes to you Liberty. Damian and J.T."

"I guess that hurts your pride, doesn't it?" Emma said to Manny. "Knowing that you, the self-proclaimed beauty queen of the school, are zero and two against the valedictorian."

"It shouldn't." the three women turned to see Maxwell walking towards them. "But, what do I know? I'm just her husband."

"Hey, what are you doing here? I thought you were in a meeting?" Manny said before Maxwell gave her a small kiss.

"Recess." Maxwell said standing up straight. "Your daughter is helping me get some papers together since she's doing nothing better other than talking to Izzy. Swear the two of them should never meet."

"I found it!" Danica called coming out into the backyard. "Just like you said with some minor revision." Danica handed Maxwell a small clip of papers. "Hope it helps."

Maxwell checked the time on his watch.

"It actually does." Maxwell said. "Well, hate to come and go, but there's someone else I have to talk to before going back."

"I'll be here." Manny said.

Maxwell grinned. "You usually are."

Danica rolled her eyes. "Its things like this that caused me to go from the only child to the oldest of seven." Danica's cell phone rang. "Ooh, Sophie. Talk to you guys later."

Maxwell shook his head. "And they say Jay's more like me."

"Tell me about it." both Emma and Manny said in unison.

* * *

Dustin walked down the halls by himself for the first time since arriving in Degrassi. Thankfully, he was heading towards lunch where his friends were waiting for him.

Or so he thought.

"What's going on?" Dustin asked as he saw Ashton sitting in the seat that he once sat in.

"We figured that you were going out with James and Mary-Jane." Jordan said.

"I was but they decided to go together." Dustin replied before his eyes landed on Vanessa. "Her too?"

"She's _my_ friend." Chandra replied. "A problem with her means a problem with me."

"You can sit here." Aaron said pointing to an empty seat beside Gabrielle. Dustin sighed before walking around the table to the chair. "So, your fifteen minutes of fame are up, huh?"

"Sort of." Dustin said.

"Anyway," Chandra replied turning to Vanessa. "Like we were saying…"

"Oh! A.J, I just thought of this cool idea for Shane's band!" Jordan said.

"Tell me." Aaron said.

Dustin watched the others talking diligently without him. He gave a small sigh as all he could do was try to listen to both conversations at once.

"You know," Helen said to Scarlett, Nicole, and Jacquelyn. "I kind of miss having Amber here. It was fun seeing someone fresh that was miserable."

"You're such an evil person, I swear." Scarlett said.

"Evil person? That the best you can do?" Helen replied. "Come on Scar, you can do better than that."

"Not right now I can." Scarlett said.

Nicole's cell phone began vibrating. She checked it before standing up.

"Um… I'll see you guys later. I have to meet up with someone." Nicole said.

Helen smirked. "Let me guess. Some random guy that you don't want us to know?"

"No!" Nicole responded. "I just have to go! See you later!"

"…" Scarlett watched Nicole walk away. "Your friend gets weirder and weirder everyday."

"I know." Helen said.

Jayden tapped his finger impatiently.

"Problem?" Kelly asked.

"We're having a bit of a technical difficulty." Jayden replied. "While Shane is good on the drums, he could use some work." Shane frowned. "Hey, no offense. You're better than it than I am. To a degree."

"So what's the problem? You guys need a drummer?" Kelly asked. Jayden and Shane nodded. "Oh. I hope you find one before Friday."

"Me too. I'd hate to be embarrassed like Dad said." Shane said.

"I could give it a shot." Dakota stated.

Shane frowned again. "You play the drums?"

"Well she had to have some musical bone in her body, don't you think? Both of her stepparents are musicians, not to mention who her birth parents are." Jayden said.

"True." Shane said.

"What do you say Jacob? Should we give Dash a chance?" Jayden questioned.

"It couldn't hurt." Jacob said.

"Then it's settled." Jayden said before turning to Dakota. "Come by today and we'll see how good you are. Let's see if you truly are the daughter of the World's Greatest Drummer."

Dakota smiled. "I know I am."

* * *

Mary-Jane sighed. "You know that there is a rumor that our new principal might be Mr. Simpson's daughter, right?"

"Shane's mom?" James replied. Mary-Jane nodded. "Well, that's not that bad. I mean, it could be worse."

"But she helps Shane's dad run the Dot. If she's here, who's going to be there?" Mary-Jane asked.

"I guess his dad." James said. "It's not that it'll matter because…" James paused as the two watched Steven and Amber enter the restaurant. "…Oh boy…"

"We can go if you want." Mary-Jane said.

"No, no, it's cool. Besides, we don't have to be back for another twenty minutes. Let's stay." James said. "If Amber has a problem with us, then she's the one who lied when she said that she didn't care, remember?"

"Okay." Mary-Jane replied.

Though Mary-Jane agreed with James, she also thought about her long friendship with Amber. The two had been friends since the second grade and had been through a lot with one another. She really did not want any boy, James or not, to get in-between that. But when Amber gave her a smug look, all thoughts went out of the window. If she wanted war, then it would be war she got.

"Hey Amber!" Mary-Jane called. "How about sitting with us?"

Amber scoffed before muttering under her breath, "Typical…" Amber then looked at Mary-Jane. "Sure. We'll join you."

"What are you doing?" James whispered.

"Payback." Mary-Jane muttered.

Amber may have been Mary-Jane's former best-friend, but now she was Mary-Jane's second most hated person. No one will ever take Helen's place on that list.

* * *

Laura watched Nicole take a hit on the cigarette than Nathan had handed her.

"You sure that you should be dragging around a cheerleader?" Laura asked.

"No better than you bringing Dakota around." Nathan answered. "Besides, she's cool. Right Nicky?"

"Yeah." Nicole said exhaling a cloud of smoke. "Besides, I don't really want to be around them right now. Backstabbers and all."

Laura rolled her eyes. "Great. Drama."

"No drama. Promise." Nicole said before taking another drag. She exhaled. "Plus, Jay doesn't cover me like he does Dakota. That's Helen job, and she doesn't care for anyone."

"No way." Laura said sarcastically.

Nathan grinned. "What's wrong Laura? You should show our new guest with respect and the other stuff. Like you did for Dakota." Laura scoffed. "Hey, I'm not giving her secrets to bet at the ravine. That's what you did remember?"

"Yeah, yeah." Laura said. "Just don't come crying to me when this fails. I know it is."

"We'll see." Nathan replied holding his hand out. Nicole handed him the cigarette. "Thanks."

* * *

Back in the cafeteria, Jayden had taken a seat beside Helen at her table.

"So what's the plan for your band?" Scarlett asked.

"Today and tomorrow, we have to practice. Maybe not as hard tomorrow as today and Friday, but we need it." Jayden said. "And if a great drummer doesn't come by, we might bomb."

"Don't say that." Jacquelyn said. "I'm sure you guys will do great."

Jayden grinned. "Thanks. We need all the support we can get."

"Ahem." Helen said a bit loudly.

"Not to brag," Jayden said to Helen. "But you and I are the only couple amongst our friends, remember? I can't share your support with the guys."

"Hm." Helen hummed.

Scarlett frowned lightly. "Something wrong Helen?"

"No." Helen said. "Just that I was going to go to practice today, get out early, and go spend time with my busier-than-ever boyfriend."

"Helen, I'm really sorry. I promise that I'll try to make this as short as I can." Jayden replied.

"No, go." Helen said. "Like I said, I understand. You guys need to practice. I'll just have to share. Sometimes."

Jayden gave Helen a kiss. "So understanding you are. "

"Enough." Scarlett said rising from her seat. "Care to join me in our daily trip to the soda machine J.T?"

Jayden looked at Helen.

"Orange." Helen said before kissing Jayden.

"Be back." Jayden said standing up.

Jacquelyn watched the two walk away.

"What's really going on Helen? You seem mad." Jacquelyn said.

Helen sighed. "Why is it that when _I_ want to plan something, something always comes up? First it was Dakota. And now it's the band. In a couple of months, it'll be basketball or track. I can't win."

"You _are_ winning." Jacquelyn replied. "You just have to be patient Helen. Trust me. I know what you feel and I didn't get the band."

"Tch. Lucky." Helen muttered.

"I'm serious. Just let him do something for himself once. He'll make it up." Jacquelyn said.

"How about you worry about Shane, okay?" Helen retorted. "I'll deal with _my_ boyfriend on _my_ terms."

"Okay… But remember, I tried to help." Jacquelyn said.

Dustin watched the others talk. Jordan and Gabrielle were talking about some show. Vanessa and Chandra were talking about some students. And Aaron and Ashton were talking about… Well, Dustin had no clue. But they were having a great conversation.

"So," Dustin said. "What's going on today?"

"Jordan and I were going to hang out at the Dot." Aaron said. "Brie said she'd be there later, but that's what we're doing."

"I have cheerleading." Chandra said. "God, I don't want to put up with Helen for an hour."

"I got to work on some homework." Vanessa said. "Science is not my strong suit."

"Who are you telling?" Chandra asked.

Vanessa frowned. "Hey, we all can't be in the 'gifted' program like you three."

"Jealous." Chandra murmured with a smirk.

"Speaking of jealous," Jordan said. "I bet Jayden's giving his two tickets to Helen and a friend of his choice."

Aaron was quiet for a moment. He knew that Jayden was forced to give the second free ticket to Danica by their older sister. Jayden was brave, but not stupid.

"Are you going?" Ashton questioned. "Your brother is in the band right?"

Jordan nodded. "Yeah, but Kelly beat me to it. I think he's trying to take Jackie or Nicky instead."

"Isn't there a third member?" Chandra asked.

Vanessa nodded. "Yep. Jacob Isaacs."

Chandra sneered. "Mr. Isaacs's nerdy son? I'll pass."

Jordan sighed. "Well, there goes my chance."

"I'm sure that there is another way to get in there." Aaron said. "We just have to find it."

"A.J! That's brilliant!" Chandra said happily. "We can sneak-"

"No! I meant getting tickets!" Aaron interrupted. "I will _never_ follow one of your plans again. It never ends right."

"So?" Chandra replied. "Didn't have to be so rude about it."

"Do you think you could get me one too?" Dustin asked.

Chandra frowned. "What? Your new _friends_ can't get you in? I'm sure Mary-Jane or James could get you in?"

"Not if he can't get _me_ in." Vanessa added.

"True." Chandra said.

Aaron watched Dustin nod. Truthfully, he felt bad for his friend. Dustin did make the mistake by attempting to hang out with Mary-Jane and her friends for whatever the reason was. Everyone knew, or at least suspected, that there was no real friendship between Mary-Jane, James, and Dustin. And in return, Jordan and Aaron learned how to do things without Dustin. Chandra never cared if Dustin was there or not, so she had hardly changed.

"How about we try to move past that?" Jordan questioned.

"I'll think about it." Chandra responded.

Aaron sighed. "Good grief…"

Scarlett grabbed the soda from the machine.

"Not that it matters," Scarlett said. "But don't you think that Helen's becoming just a tiny bit possessive? I mean, she's pissed that you have band practice."

"Not sure." Jayden replied. "I guess this is what you meant when you said that if 'Mary-Jane' should make a mistake 'Amber' should be there, huh?"

Scarlett looked at Jayden. "What are you-"

"Remember what I said." Jayden interrupted. "We wait."

With that, Jayden walked away from Scarlett. Scarlett stared at the orange soda in her hand and sighed.

"Just when I thought the day was going so well." Scarlett said to herself.

Shane looked Kelly.

"Say what?" Shane asked.

"Nicky. She's been missing." Kelly answered looking around. "You think she left early or something?"

"No I don't." Shane said. "Something must've come up."

Dakota smiled. "I thought you were trying to take Jackie to the concert?"

"Actually," Shane said. "I was going to ask Nicky, but if she's unavailable, then I will ask Jackie. Why? Do you know who _you're_ going to give your tickets to?"

Dakota shrugged. "Not really. I could sell them, you know?"

"Speaking of the show," Kelly said. "What song are you guys going to perform?" Shane and Jacob shrugged. "What? Don't you know? I thought you guys-"

"Kelly, it's not like we had a lot to work with." Shane interjected. "We got the gig, Granddad died, we had a light practice, and now here is today. Do you _really_ think that we had a lot of time to practice?"

"I guess not." Kelly said.

"But," Shane responded. "You shouldn't worry. Our glorious leader can think of something before then. Or else, we are in for a _long_ night."

"Very long." Jacob added.

* * *

After lunch, Nicole stood by her locker to get her books. She was quite happy that she would be able to go to the ravine with Nathan. Despite what many thought, she always had a crush on him. Kind of like how she suspected Shane to have one on Laura, though no one has ever asked Shane about it.

"There you are." Helen said coming to Nicole. "Where have you been? Miss Jackie has been worried sick about you."

"I was with some friends." Nicole answered. "Didn't think that you or Jackie cared."

Helen frowned. "What are you talking about? Of course she- we care. It's not like everyday that our extremely talkative and giddy friend isn't there with us and she's not sick."

"I'm fine. Thanks for caring." Nicole said closing her locker door.

Helen took in a whiff. "What is that smell…? Have you been smoking?"

"Again," Nicole replied. "Thanks for caring, but I'm fine. See you later."

Helen watched as Nicole walked off. Scent of smoke was masked by whatever perfume Nicole was wearing, but it was clear and evident. Helen had half the mind to follow Nicole to see if she was really going to class. But the other half of her mind told her to let it go. It would do her no good if she put herself in the same position that Jayden put himself in when getting involved with Dakota and Laura.

"Let it go." Helen said to herself walking away.

* * *

At the end of the day, Helen stood by her locker with her books in one hand and a small frown of anger. She did not understand what the deal with Nicole is and Mary-Jane seemed to be angry about something earlier, meaning that the next hour of practice was going to be harder than it should be. Worst of all, Jayden had to do this stupid band practice later on, so she had no one to talk to but Scarlett. Helen was seconds away from blowing up before a pair of arms nearly slithered around her waist.

"Two hours." Jayden's voice reached her ears. "I'm going to do two straight hours of band practice and then I'm yours. I promise."

Helen smiled. "What's with the change of heart? I thought you guys were going to be like six hours or something?"

"I changed it because I felt bad about you." Jayden said. "I kind of heard about Nicky's new smell. Everyone seems to be a little unnerved about it, but I know that you are more disturbed about it. Even if you don't want to show it." Helen gave a small nod. She would never truly admit caring for one's well-being without reasonable cause. "Plus, I know how mad you get when having to work with an annoying Mary-Jane, so I decided to help you relax."

"You're too nice." Helen said closing her locker. She turned to Jayden. "Usually, I hate too nice, but today, I love it."

"I bet." Jayden said giving her a chaste kiss. "We'd best be going. You have a squad and I have a band. Kind of hard to imagine how we make time for each other."

"I'm surprised by it as well." Helen said as the two began walking down the hall. "And if you hear anything about Nicky-"

"I'll call." Jayden interrupted. "Like I said, I know you."

"Thanks." Helen said.

* * *

Ashton and Aaron were walking from Aaron's locker after Ashton had successfully grabbed the notebooks he needed for his homework.

"I don't know," Aaron responded to Ashton. "I've never really seen Bambi extremely pissed, but I've seen Jordan. It's kind of scary."

"I bet." Ashton said before the two heard the sound of a locker closing. The two turned to see a student walking away from Ashton's locker. "No way…"

Aaron and Ashton walked towards Ashton's locker and opened it. There inside were the pills that Ashton had been framed for.

"Well," Aaron said. "At least we know who did it."

"So now what?" Ashton asked.

"Though _we_ saw the act, we have to catch it on tape or a witness with a lot of credibility." Aaron replied. "So for now, we'll stake out even harder."

"…" Ashton processed Aaron's words a bit. Having two older siblings that seemingly hardly cared caused him to grow up doing a lot of things on his own. But now he had someone helping him and it felt strangely good. "Thanks."

"No problem." Aaron replied. "Now, I promised to meet Jordan at the Dot. Come on."

"Sure." Ashton said.

* * *

Nicole looked around. The ravine was not as bad as she thought. Sure, it sort of reminded her of a junkyard from a movie where the homeless men and women used the vehicles there for houses and different rooms, but after one got past that, it was actually quite pleasurable.

"I can't believe it," Laura said walking towards Nicole and Nathan. "You actually brought this dipstick here. What are you thinking? What head are you thinking with?"

"I'd say both." Damon said, gaining a glare from Laura. "Hey, I can't really be mad at the guy."

Laura jabbed Nathan in his chest with her index finger.

"Listen here," Laura said. "Having her around isn't going to get your mind off of Kelly any faster and you know it. So why not just drop her off somewhere before the cavalry arrives?"

"No." Nathan said. "Hey, Ethan! You know where Torrie is? I need her for a second."

Ethan shrugged causing Nathan to frown.

"She's probably sucking some-"

"And you would know, right?" Nathan interrupted causing Laura to scoff. "Lay off of Nicky. She's here to deal with being left alone by Shane, remember?"

"Whatever." Laura said before looking Nicole. "So, Nicky, I guess you'd like a drink, huh?"

"I guess…" Nicole replied, looking at Nathan.

"Yeah, she'd like some." Nathan said. "And don't slip in a Mickey."

"I wouldn't think about it." Laura said walking off with Ethan.

"She doesn't like me." Nicole stated.

"Tch, she doesn't like anyone." Damon replied. "Deal with it. She'll warm up to you later on. She still hates me."

"_Everyone_ hates you Scooter." Nathan said. "Come on Nicky. Time to give you the grand tour of our lovely establishment."

Nicole smiled. "Thanks Nate."

* * *

Jayden grinned as Dakota finished her set.

"Well? Did I pass?" Dakota asked Jayden as she sat at the drum set.

"What do you think guys? Did she pass?" Jayden asked. Jacob and Shane nodded. "Well Dash, welcome aboard. Shane, strap on the bass. You seem better at that. Jacob, no one works a keyboard better than you, so you're good." Jayden sighed with a grin. "Seems as if everything is going to come along just fine."

"I hope so." Scarlett said sitting in a chair beside Danica. "It would be a waste of a life if you guys get there and suck."

"And she wonders why she isn't invited." Jayden said to Jacob and Shane.

Scarlett glared at Jayden. "I heard that."

"So," Danica said. "You guys know what you want to play. You have finally gotten a drummer. I guess the only thing you need is for someone to go around spread the word."

"I guess that's your job, huh?" Jayden asked.

"No." Danica answered. "Besides, you know the family rule. Mama's movie's first, Dad's business second, and everyone else is behind Danni. So if it has _nothing_ to do with me, why should _anyone_ go see it?"

"What about us?" Shane questioned.

Danica shrugged. "Sorry Shane. I can't say that just because you're a friend of the family that I am obliged to see your first concert. But I will see the best one." Danica's cell phone rang. "Sorry kids. I've been waiting for this phone call."

Danica stood up and walked out of the studio, answering her phone.

"So," Scarlett said. "Your first gig. I bet you'll remember this until the end of time."

"You know," Shane said. "I'm pretty sure that _you're _going to remember this longer than we will."

"Of course. As seen from our dating days, I clearly have the better memory." Scarlett replied.

Jayden shook his head. "Lovers… Never understood them."

Dakota gave a quiet laughter from her seat. The look Scarlett had given Jayden after his statement was simply priceless. Though none of the boys could see it, Dakota could see how hurt Scarlett was at the remark and how she tried to mask it with anger.

"Okay band, let's take ten." Jayden said. "We'll start the first song afterwards, alright?"

"Sure." Shane said. "Say, you think your mom will let you drive us to the Dot to get a quick bite?"

"Doubt it. Kitty seems to have gotten into a small dispute with her teacher earlier today." Jayden answered.

"Kitty? As in Katya McDuelle, Kitty?" Shane replied, gaining a nod from Jayden. "Wow. Never thought I'd see the day."

"She is the 'good child' as my parents say." Jayden said, mentally disagreeing with himself. Everyone knows that Katya got into more trouble than Aaron did.

"I have a hypothetical question," Scarlett said. "Say you guys _do_ become something important. Then what will you do?"

"What do you mean?" Shane asked.

"You know, for us small people. What do you do?" Scarlett rephrased.

Jayden smirked. "I think your ex believes that you'll move on with all the girls promised in the career. You might want to lay it on her softly that she'll be forgotten."

Shane grinned. "I don't know. She's a smart girl. I think she might figure it out."

"Tragic." Jayden said.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Don't know why I put up with you two."

"You love us." Jayden said. "That's why."

Now Dakota's once quiet laughter erupted into a loud guffaw at Scarlett's reaction. Never in her fifteen, near sixteen, years of living did she think that she would see Scarlett baffled _and_ blushing at the same time. But the look on Scarlett's face was quickly replaced by an angered one after Dakota began laughing.

"Shut up Dakota." Scarlett said.

* * *

"Alright girls, that's it for today." Mary-Jane said to the other cheerleaders. "Go home." The other girls began to leave as ordered, lest Mary-Jane thinks of something else to try for the day. "Helen, where's your friend at?"

"Don't know and I don't care." Helen replied.

"Well you might want to tell her that this was a mandatory meeting and because she missed it, Bambi will replace her for the next game." Mary-Jane said.

Helen shrugged. "I don't see a problem with that. But I'll tell her."

"You might want to catch up to her." Mary-Jane said. "I saw her talking to Nathan and Scooter earlier today." Helen frowned. "Don't believe me. But when she returns with some kind of HIV or on drugs, remember I warned you."

Helen watched the blonde walk off, now thinking to herself.

"Hey Helen," Jacquelyn said walking to her. "I can't get in touch with Nicky."

"Didn't think that you cared." Helen said.

"What?" Jacquelyn questioned. "Why wouldn't I care for her? She's one of my best friends."

"Same friend that you hate for taking Plain Shane out on a date, right?" Helen retorted. Jacquelyn gave a small sigh. "I thought so. Some friend you turned out to be."

"Oh really? At least I didn't take my _cousin's_ choice." Jacquelyn shot back.

Helen glared at her friend. "Don't compare me to you. Scar admits that she basically handed him to me on a silver platter. And even then, I still tried to hook them up. You? You just couldn't help yourself." Jacquelyn opened her mouth but Helen continued. "Whereas Scar _rejected_ Jayden for the dance, Nicky was just too shy to ask Shane out and you took that as some sign to go for him. If _I'm_ bad for helping a friend get over being rejected, you must be _hell bound_ for snatching a guy up so your 'best friend' couldn't get him."

Jacquelyn stood frozen for a moment as she stared at Helen. As much as she hated it, Helen had a point, and a strong one at that.

"I'm just worried about her. She never misses practice unless she's sick." Jacquelyn said.

"I know." Helen said in a quieter tone. "Jayden's keeping an eye out for her, so let's just go to his place. Maybe she'll be there trying to get a sneak peek at what they're doing."

"I hope you're right." Jacquelyn replied.

Helen nodded. She knew she was lying, but Jacquelyn did not. And if she could save one friend from another, she would. But as soon as Helen got her hands on Nicole for skipping practice for Nathan, all friendship would be out the window.

* * *

Nicole smiled. "I like it here."

"You and everyone else that's been here." Laura retorted. "What's your point?"

"Come on Laura, don't be like that." Damon said. "Besides, we had to put up with Dakota, didn't we?"

"Dash is different." Laura said.

"I didn't think you swung that way." Nathan replied before taking another hit off of the joint that he had previously rolled up.

Laura scoffed. "Don't confuse me with yourself." A blonde girl walked past the four sitting in front of blue van. "Torrie! Get your scrawny ass over here and pay me!"

The girl stopped and gave Laura the middle finger before reaching into her pocket.

"Who's that?" Nicole asked before taking a drag off of Nathan's joint.

"Torrie Coyne. Some cousin of Helen and Scarlett's." Nathan explained. "But unlike her two cousins, Torrie isn't that stuck-up or annoying. Just rich and cheap."

"And a cheerleader." Laura stated as Torrie handed Laura a few bills. "Thanks."

"Yeah, yeah," the girl said grabbing Laura's bottle. She took a gulp of the alcohol before sighing. "You don't know how much I needed that."

"I can only imagine how many of these guys have been in your pants today." Laura said with a smirk.

Torrie smiled. "Not mine. But I swear to you, I could start a brothel and become a madam. You don't know how many hook-ups I've done today."

"Makes me shiver just thinking about it." Laura said.

Torrie's light blue eyes landed on Nicole. "Who's the stowaway?"

"Oh. This is Nicky, one of you ditzy cheerleaders." Laura said. "Not the entrepreneurs like you or myself."

"Ah." Torrie said. "Nice to meet you. Maybe we could do business sometime."

"Better yours than mine." Laura replied.

Torrie laughed. "True. She'd rather be paid to be my whore than have to fight for you. We wouldn't want to mess that pretty little face of hers up."

Laura and Torrie laughed a bit as Nathan sighed.

"You have any of those tickets?" Nathan asked.

Torrie frowned. "Those Juvenile Grace tickets into that stupid club? No. My dad said that Ellie is their manager and that he couldn't get anywhere near them. She knows how to build the hype, I can say that."

"Oh. Well if you can-"

"I know. I know. Sell them to you first." Torrie said before smirking. "I get it. You're trying to treat your lady friend here. Shame. And she would have made such the perfect prostitute."

"I bet…" Nathan muttered under his breath.

"Well," Torrie said. "I'm going to go over there to my school's circle. I'll see you guys around."

Torrie walked off, causing Nicole to smile slightly. She already figured that she and Torrie would not be friends anytime soon, so her safe bet was to stay around Nathan or Damon.

"I have to go do some business." Nathan said standing up. "Be back in a sec."

"Take her with you." Laura said. "When I brought Dash, I took her with me. Now it's your turn."

"Fine." Nathan sighed. "Let's go Nicky."

Nicole was beyond happy to go with Nathan. She did _not_ want to stay unattended with Laura about. She followed Nathan into a beat-up old van where a boy was sitting and waiting impatiently. Nicole saw the boy's eyes bounce from wall to wall, ceiling to floor, her to Nathan, and all over again.

"You got it?" the boy asked.

"Yeah." Nathan said pulling a pack out of his back pocket. "Money first?"

"Front seat like always." the boy said. "Check." Nicole watched Nathan check the driver seat before putting a wad of cash into his pocket. He tossed the pack to the boy, who caught it quickly. "Thanks Nate!"

"Is that crack?" Nicole asked.

"Yeah. Not my style, so I just sell the stuff." Nathan said. "Come on. You do not want to be around when that shit hits the fan."

"Is it that addictive?" Nicole questioned.

Nathan shrugged. "Did it once. Burned badly. I quit. Not that big of a deal if you ask me."

"Could I…?" Nicole's words died as the boy glared at her, pushing the white powder into a thin line. "I'm sorry. I'll just be on my way."

"One." the boy said making another, smaller line of the drug. "Well?"

Nicole looked at Nathan who shrugged simply. She grinned and knelt onto the van floor. If she was going to bury her friends, this would be the nail in the coffin. Plus, if it did its job, she would no longer care about Shane and Jacquelyn.

She was not expecting the buzzing rush that soon followed.

* * *

That night, Kelly stayed at her mother's before leaving to go to her dad's. She was saying bye before she realized that Jordan had gone into her bedroom already. Kelly walked into Jordan's room to find her doing something that nearly startled Kelly. Jordan was reading a book that their grandfather used to read when they were younger.

"Jordan? You okay?" Kelly asked.

"Um, I'm reading a book," Jordan replied. "Why wouldn't I be okay?"

Kelly could only stare at her younger sister before coming into the room, shutting the door behind her. Kelly moved to Jordan's bed and sat down beside her.

"You miss him." Kelly said.

"Don't you?" Jordan responded.

"Have you been to the grave yet?" Kelly asked. Jordan shook her head. "How about after school I'll-"

"And say what?" Jordan interrupted. "How sad I am? How much better I am now? What?"

"Jordan, I know that you're hurt, but you have to eventually move on." Kelly said.

Jordan glared at Kelly. "Like you, huh? Well I'll move on _my_ time, okay? So how about you get out of _my_ room and go to _your_ dad's?"

Kelly sighed. "Sure Jordan. Goodnight Jordan."

"Uh-huh." Jordan said as she went back to the bed.

Kelly walked out of Jordan's bedroom.

"Still won't listen?" Shane asked.

"No." Kelly said.

"Well come on. I'll give you someone to talk to tonight." Shane said, gaining a smile from Kelly. "Let's go. Dad's waiting."

"Sure." Kelly replied.

In her room, Jordan had placed the book at the side of her bed, unable to read it. She took her cell phone and dialed the only person that could help her at the time.

"Hello?"

"Hey A.J." Jordan said. "Got a minute?"

"Sure." Aaron said.

Whether she would admit it or not during this conversation, Jordan was beyond grateful for having Aaron now more than ever. He would know what to say to her, he always did. And thankfully, he asked for nothing in return. He was certainly her best friend ever.

Or more.


	21. Episode XVIII: Confessions Interlude

**Episode XVIII: Confession (Interlude)**

Jayden made it down to his kitchen where he saw his mother and older sister talking. Whatever the two were talking about must have been really important seeing as that neither woman looked up to see his arrival.

"…Today after school lets out." Manny concluded. "With it only being a half-day, it shouldn't take that long."

"Sure. I'll be there." Danica said before looking up to see Jayden. "Speaking of being there, you have one day left. Excited?"

"Terrified is more like it." Jayden responded. "Yesterday's practice went well, but I think we can do better. And today is only going to be a small rehearsal to wrap everything together."

"Seems as if you're taking this music thing seriously." Manny said with a smile. "Any reasons why?"

"Groupies." Danica murmured.

"No." Jayden said glaring at his older sister. "It's just that, it's the other dad, you know? He gave up on music because it was his duty to take over the business. Well, now that Danni's already staked her claim, I'm free to continue what he wanted to do."

"Makes sense to me." Danica said.

Manny ignored her daughter. "Jay, just make sure that you're doing what _you_ want to do, okay? I don't want you growing up old like your parents. Sometimes it's okay to crawl from beneath the thumb you're under."

"Try it and see how much you like it." Danica said. "All there is is more rules, harsher punishments, and younger siblings. Hundreds and hundreds of younger siblings." Manny swatted Danica with a rolled up newspaper. "Ow!"

"We do _not_ have _hundreds_ of kids!" Manny chastised.

"It feels that way." Danica said rubbing her sore arm.

"So," Jayden said. "Who's taking me to school?"

"I am." Danica said rising from her seat. "Let's go before I get hit for speaking the truth again." Manny swung for Danica, who dodged. "See ya later Mama!"

Jayden watched his older sister hurry out of the kitchen and eventually the house. He looked to see his mother, surprisingly, smiling.

"You okay?" Jayden asked.

"Yeah." Manny answered. "Just thinking where I would be without my children."

Jayden shrugged. "I don't know but-"

"Tyrone! Hurry up!" Danica called from the front door.

"Go." Manny said with a giggle as Jayden's reddening face showed his dislike for his middle name.

* * *

Aaron stared at Jordan. "Long night, huh?"

Jordan scoffed. "You were there."

"Was he now?" Chandra asked with a smirk. "I always knew that you two had a thing for each other. Now I'm certain."

"No." Jordan said. "We were on the _phone_. I was talking about…"

"About what?" Chandra said. "Your future? Your wedding? Your kids?"

"Her grandfather." Aaron stated, causing Chandra's smirk to disappear. "That's what we were talking about."

"Not that it's any of your business." Jordan said before walking off.

"She that messed up?" Chandra asked Aaron.

Aaron nodded. "And more. That's why I was talking to her."

"…You're a good guy A.J," Chandra said. "Just wish you weren't a pushover."

"Whatever Bambi." Aaron replied.

* * *

Nicole hummed a tune in her head as she gathered her morning books. She felt good today, great actually. In her head, nothing could ruin this day.

"There you are." Helen said, causing Nicole to smile at her friend. "Wipe that stupid smile off of your face. Where were you yesterday? We had a _mandatory_ meeting!"

"It was mandatory?" Nicole asked in a confused tone.

"How could you _not_ know that it was mandatory? _I'm_ co-captain!" Helen said.

"Look," Nicole said. "I just had something better to do."

"Better?" Helen questioned with a frown.

"Yeah, better." Nicole said. "So, if you don't mind, I'm going to go to class. See you there Helen?"

Nicole attempted to step away, but Helen roughly shoved her against the lockers behind her.

"Listen here Nicole," the shorter girl hissed. "I don't know what the hell crawled up your ass in the last few days, but I suggest you dig it out and dig it out _real_ fast or it'll be joined by my foot."

Nicole moved Helen's hand off of her.

"You may run the cheerleading squad Helen," Nicole said. "But you don't own me, got it? If I want to hang with anyone, I will."

"If you want to hang so badly, get some rope and find a ceiling." Helen said.

"You're such a bitch." Nicole said before Helen slapped her across the face. That slap stung severely and it took all of Nicole's willpower not to cry. Helen was amazingly strong for her size. "You're just proving my point."

"Forget what Jayden said," Helen said stepping closer to Nicole. "If I hear you say that again, I'll make sure that it's the last thing you say alive. Stay away from me. Go run off with whoever it is you're screwing. As of this moment, you're just another one of them."

"Them who? Those you can't scare into doing your biddings or those who actually has a chance to steal Jayden away from you?" Nicole shot back.

Helen gave a heavy sigh. She really did not want to get suspended this year, especially not with Nicole. Of all the girls she knew, Nicole was the only one that she had never physically harmed before today.

"You know what, go." Helen said stepping away. "Just remember what I said. Keep your tongue in check."

"I knew it." Nicole said. "It's both of them, isn't it?"

"No." Helen replied. "You want to know why? The only person that has a shot at _my_ boyfriend is _my_ cousin. And I don't need you to fear me."

"Yes you-"

"I go looking for you, and you're here with Nicky?" Helen did not turn to Jayden, though Nicole did. "What's going on? And why is Nicky's face red."

"See you around." Nicole said using Jayden's entrance as an escape.

"Helen?" Jayden said.

Helen turned to Jayden. "It's bad Jay. Real bad."

"Come on. Talk to me." Jayden said as the two began walking the opposite way from their class.

* * *

Amber paused at the water fountain, getting a sip of water, before heading back to class. However, before she reached her class, she walked past James in the hall. She kept her eyes straight while he glanced at her.

"Amber." Amber took an extra step before stopping and looking at him. "Can we talk?"

"About?" Amber asked.

"Everything," James responded. "I know that you're still pissed about Mary-Jane and I, and I get that. I should've come to you like I said I would."

"Really?" Amber said boringly.

James sighed. "Just, just give it a chance."

"It? James, you sound as if we're all a couple." Amber said. "I don't do threesomes."

"I mean why don't you bring along Steven or Marc and the four of us will have like a double-date?" James said. "I don't want us to be enemies and I hate to see you and Mary-Jane fighting. So what do you say? Give it a chance?"

"No." Amber answered. "And I never will."

With that, Amber continued walking to her class.

"You're not making this easier!" James called to her, but with no avail. Amber continued walking without giving him another chance to continue. James sighed. "Whatever."

* * *

Due to the shortening periods, Scarlett found herself in her father's class faster than she expected. And strangely, she was the first one there.

"This is a first." Coach Blue said, giving his daughter a warm smile.

Scarlett shrugged as she sat at her desk. "There's a first for everything."

"Where's your cousin? You two usually walk in here together." Coach Blue said, now drawing a few 3-dimensional shapes on the board.

"I don't know. With J.T more likely." Scarlett said as some other students walked in. "So what are we doing today?"

"Wait and find out." Coach Blue said.

Scarlett pouted. "Daddy! I just want to know."

"Sorry Princess, but no-can-do. You're going to have to wait." Coach Blue said.

Scarlett ignored the way he referred to her, seeing as she did cross the line of mixing their personal lives with their professional lives. Sometimes she hated being in her dad's class. She turned her attention just in time to see Helen and Jayden walking into the class. From Helen's facial expression, Scarlett knew to expect some fury slip from her cousin's tongue. Plus, Jayden stood at a noticeably farther distance away from Helen as they talked.

"What's eating you?" Scarlett asked as Helen sat down across from her.

"Nicole Campbell." Helen said. "That stupid tramp ditched practice yesterday for some guy and now Bambi has her slot at the next game."

"Okay? What's so bad about that?" Scarlett replied.

"Helen thinks Nicky left with Nathan or one of his goons." Jayden answered.

"Oh." Scarlett said, understanding fully now. "Then why not just go find Laura? I'm sure she'll tell you, seeing as that both Scooter and Nate seem to be too terrified of you to say anything."

"That's why _I'm_ going to find out." Jayden said. "But, I'm sure Laura will give me some back-talk that really has nothing to do with Nicky at all so-"

"_I'll_ get to the bottom of it." Helen interrupted. "And I'm using my favorite method."

"Shoot first and aim second or shoot and ask questions later?" Scarlett replied.

"…" Helen was silent for a moment before smiling. "Both."

Jayden sighed. "The people I know…"

* * *

Manny stared at herself in the mirror, smoothing her shirt down.

"You know," Maxwell said, startling her a bit. "The first time I saw you do that is when you were pregnant with Danni. There isn't another one, is there?"

Manny smiled. "No. I'm just going to meet my friends later on and I wanted to at least look decent."

"Decent is when you're sleeping. Beautiful is when you first get up in the morning. Stunning is when you actually put forth the effort." Maxwell said, wrapping his arms around her. "And breathtaking is when you wear nothing at all."

"Max… I have to go." Manny said, trying to ignore the small kisses he placed on her neck. "This is important."

"I know." Maxwell said standing up straight. "He was like a father to you." Maxwell smiled. "And part of me does wish he was. Your dad hates me."

"Well," Manny replied. "You do have a way of talking back with little to no care about his feelings."

"His feelings always seem to contradict yours for some odd reason." Maxwell said.

"Give him a chance." Manny said, staring at the reflection of her and her husband. "He's trying."

"Now." Maxwell responded as he looked at their reflection. "You know, we _do_ look good together. I see what Forbes was talking about."

Manny giggled. "It's because of me."

Maxwell smiled. "Of course it's because of you. Now, how about we go meet up with your friends so we can hurry up back here and have Happy Hour? What do you say?"

Manny smirked. "Make it two and you have a deal."

"It's an early release today, remember?" Maxwell said, gaining a pout from his wife. "But tomorrow is a full day and I don't have anything planned. And Danni's leaving tonight. So we can have several Happy Hours tomorrow."

"Deal." Manny said with a smile. "Now, let's go."

* * *

After the final bell, Jayden found Laura walking towards the gym.

"Hey," Jayden said gaining her attention. "I have to talk to you."

"Really? Finally giving in, Jayden?" Laura asked.

"No." Jayden said. "Something tells me that you know what's going on with Nicky and I want to know what it is."

"Tch, figures." Laura said rolling her eyes. "Look, Nathan and Nicky have this thing going on. I don't know if it's screwing every other hour or love or whatever. But she's following him around like Dash did me."

"So, there's a chance that the feeling is mutual?" Jayden responded. Laura frowned. "Oh don't act like you and Dash aren't friends. I wouldn't be surprised if she was your only friend."

"And how would you know?" Laura asked.

"Because you call her Dash." Jayden said with a smirk. Laura opened her mouth to reply until she realized how right he was. "Now, on to Nicky and your loser running mate."

"I can't help you with that." Laura said. "And believe me, there is nothing more I want to do next to dropping that annoying slut off with anyone I know won't be around me."

Jayden glared at Laura. "You're not lying to me, are you?"

"And if I was?" Laura shot back.

"Hey Laura," Nicole said, gaining their attention. "Nate says are you coming?"

"I'll catch up to him later." Laura said. "Now go." Nicole nearly ran off at the command. "See what I mean?"

"She's his errand girl." Jayden said.

"Yep." Laura replied. "So anytime you want to swoop in and do your 'saving the girl' thing, you can."

Jayden smirked. "Good luck."

"What?" Laura shouted as Jayden walked off. "Get your ass back here and take her already!"

"I can't." Jayden replied. "Helen told me to stay out of it."

Laura wanted to throw a book at him, but had none to throw at the current moment. She then chose to give him a stiff middle finger.

"Ms. Reynolds." Marco said.

Laura gave a heavy sigh. Jayden McDuelle was always going to be her number one target and she would get even with him so long as she drew breath.

* * *

"Are you sure you're not going to stay for the memorial? They said that they would be building it later on." Dustin said to Jordan.

"No." Jordan said grabbing her backpack. Jordan closed her locker door. "Say, A.J, do you think you can help me out with some of the science homework?"

"Um, sure." Aaron said.

"Wait. You're skipping your-"

"No." Chandra said cutting Dustin off. "Don't."

"See you guys later." Aaron said. "Come on Jordan."

"Sure." Jordan said walking away with Aaron.

Dustin frowned. "What was that all about?"

"She's having a hard time coping with her grandfather's death stupid." Chandra replied. "Any _ordinary_ day, I would've loved to jump on the A.J dating Jordan bandwagon. But today is different."

"Well, are you coming to the memorial with me?" Dustin asked.

"I'm going, but not with you." Chandra said. "You should've picked better friends."

Dustin watched the girl walk away with a heavy sigh.

"This stinks." Dustin said to himself.

* * *

Kelly sat down at the table with Jayden, Shane, Dakota, and Jacob.

"I can't believe that she isn't coming." Kelly said to Shane. "I mean, this is goody-goody Jordan skipping out of the making of his memorial."

"She'll come around, I'm sure." Shane said. "Besides, it's not like she's wandering the streets alone. A.J is with her."

Jayden's eyebrow rose at the statement. He mentally pictured his brother dating his best friends' younger sister. It was clearly easier to picture than him dating Kelly, though he was not against the idea completely.

"This memorial will be placed beside J.T's, huh?" Jayden said. "I wonder how many people will be there. It's going to be crazy if it's anything like the funeral."

"I know." Shane replied. "But I can't say that I hate it."

Kelly grinned. "You shouldn't. You only have twenty-four hours to prepare for one of the best nights of your life."

"She's got a strong point." Jayden said. "Say, Jacob, did you give out your tickets?"

"Not yet." Jacob said. "I'll probably give them out to whomever wants them."

"To some girl I bet." Shane said. "Like Laura or Scarlett or Nicky or Jackie."

"Three of the four I find highly unlikely for him to get to." Kelly replied. "Not downing you or anything Jacob, but Laura, Scarlett, and Jackie seems to be preoccupied at the moment."

"Say," Shane said looking at Jayden. "What's Nicky's deal? I saw the way she left earlier today and Helen didn't seem to like her at all."

Jayden shrugged. "Wish I could say."

* * *

"I can't believe that everyone is so worked up about that memorial." Jordan said to Aaron. "What do you think?"

"I think you need to let it out before you blow up into a million pieces." Aaron said. Jordan rolled her eyes. "Come on Jordan, one second you're mad and the next you're crying. Would you just let it all out instead of trying to ignore it?"

"You don't know what it's like." Jordan said sitting on her bed beside Aaron. "One day, I feel good. I feel like he's going to be in his office talking to Scarlett like every morning. I feel like when I return home, he's on the phone with Mom making sure our homework is done. And every so often he's walking into Mr. Isaacs's class to make sure that the gifted students are all taking apart of the class."

"But?" Aaron asked.

"Other days I feel…" Jordan paused. "Lost."

"Lost?" Aaron questioned. "Like you don't know where you are or you don't know where you're going?"

"Both." Jordan answered. "Like I wake up in this different place where everyone is lying to make me feel better. Even you."

"I'm not trying to lie to make you feel better." Aaron replied. "I'm just trying to help you get through this."

"You and no one else. Kelly and Shane want to baby me into just crying my eyes out." Jordan said.

Aaron grinned. "I think they've got a camera somewhere, waiting for you to breakdown."

Jordan gave a soft laugh. "Probably!"

Aaron watched Jordan laugh for a moment, happy to see that this was an authentic laugh. But, as much as it pained him to see her hurt, he had to get her to that memorial one way or the other.

"So," Jordan said. "What do you want to do?"

"Honestly, I planned on going to Snake's memorial." Aaron answered.

"Really? So why not just go?" Jordan retorted in an angered voice.

Aaron sighed. "You asked what I _wanted_ to do, not what I was going to do. I'll stay here with you until you're ready to go."

"I'm not going." Jordan said defiantly.

"Today. You're not going today, and neither am I." Aaron said. "But you will go, eventually. And I will go with you."

"Really? Why not just go without me?" Jordan asked.

"Like I said, I'm going to stay here until you're ready to go." Aaron replied. "So, what do you want to do? And don't force yourself to go to the school on my sake."

Jordan shrugged. "I don't know. I just want to sit around and do nothing, I guess."

"Then let's do it." Aaron said.

* * *

Emma looked at the memorial. She smiled happily as she eyed the student-principal memorial of J.T and Mr. Simpson.

"I can't believe that we didn't think of this earlier." Manny said to her friend.

"I can't believe you got all dressed up for this." Gavin responded. "You and your old friend."

Paige looked at herself. "This? I just threw something on."

"Sure you did." Marco said, gaining a nudge from his wife.

"I told you." Maxwell muttered.

"Well," Jimmy said. "Should we let them in now?"

"I guess we can." Emma said before looking at her brother. "What do you think Jack? Should we let them see it now?"

"Yeah." Jack said.

"Of course we let them in." Danica said before going towards the doors with Jack. "Gosh Jack, you sound as if you're that loser from back then."

"We all can't live like you." Jack said with a grin as the two allowed the other students to enter the area.

"About time." Helen muttered as she walked past the two.

Danica crossed her arms. "Impatient brat…"

"Hey," Jack said. "Isn't that your brother's girlfriend?"

"What's your point?" Danica said. "She's still bratty."

Jayden, Shane, and Kelly looked at the memorial.

"Granddad would be proud." Kelly said.

"I'm sure he is." Shane replied. "Now, if only I could somehow stay out of trouble, I'm sure he'd be happier. Too bad."

Jayden smirked. "Come on Shane. One day without getting on your teachers' nerves can't be that bad. Maybe you should do your homework."

"I'm dying just thinking about it." Shane said.

Kelly scoffed. "Figures."

Helen looked at Scarlett before sighing.

"Well," Helen said. "I guess you'll be stopping here every morning to do your usual chat, huh?"

"Is it that bad?" Scarlett asked.

Helen shrugged. "I guess it's better than some other people I know."

"Can you let the Nicky thing drop?" Scarlett questioned.

"No." Helen answered. "Do you know the only thing worse than Nicole hanging with Nathan? Bambi moving up in ranks under Mary-Jane's orders. Now that's a worse."

"This will come back to haunt you, you know?" Scarlett said. "You're just doing the same thing you told J.T _not_ to do."

"I'm not going after Nicole. In twenty years, when my kids are riding in the back of my car, I'll point out the window and tell them just how bad and stupid it is to let losers run your life. I won't use her name. I'll just say her name is Nicky." Helen said.

Scarlett smiled. "Helen, that _is_ her name."

"No. Her name is _Nicole_. Nicky is the fun-loving dipstick that I actually enjoy being around for a minimal time until she gets overly excited." Helen replied. "She and Nicole are two totally different people."

"Yeah. Whatever." Scarlett said.

* * *

Laura openly gagged at the sounds of Nicole's giggles. She looked at the dark blonde sitting up against Nathan.

"I never knew you were the jealous type." Ethan said.

Laura shot him a glare that told him to hush, which he did. Torrie, on the other hand, was not so easily scared.

"You're not, are you?" Torrie asked.

"Why the hell would I be jealous of Nicole?" Laura questioned.

Torrie shrugged. "There are only two boys I know that you're around most of the time, Ethan and Nathan. And since you and Nathan go to the same school, I just figured you'd have more of a bond with him than Ethan. You obviously hate Scooter."

"You do too." Ethan added.

"True," Torrie replied. "But we're not talking about me, are we?" Ethan gave a small shrug. "Now, Laura, are you jealous?"

"No. I'm pissed off." Laura said. "You know how Jayden _always_ seem to stop us from having fun?" Ethan and Torrie both nodded. "Well, he said that he wouldn't get Nicole away from me because _Helen_ told him to stay out of it."

"I'm missing the point." Torrie said.

"_Everyone_ knows that that loser can't stand to see a female throw her life away to drugs and alcohol, especially a friend." Laura explained.

"Oh…" Torrie said. "Wow. Helen got him to change that much? Always knew we were related." Laura scoffed. "Hey, she does have the Coyne dominate gene."

"There is no gene more dominate than his, trust me. I can seduce your brother. Hell, I could probably make you horny." Laura said. "Jayden, no. It's like he's gay."

"Or just not interested in you." Torrie responded. "Don't ruin it for the rest of us because he hates you. _I_ haven't done anything wrong."

"Well, when I finally get the chance to shoot him, I'll do it for me and only me." Laura said. "Just as soon as I find a way to get away with it _and_ kill Nicole with him."

"Good luck." Torrie said.

"Seriously Laura," Ethan said. "Why can't you let Nate be happy for once? Do you know how long it is since he's scored him a girl? A good-looking one at that?"

"Blame Kelly Mason. She's been playing hard-to-get with him since the dawn of time." Laura replied. "And is it my fault that he is unattractive and obnoxious?"

"Speak for yourself." Torrie said.

Laura's face scrunched up. "You're disgusting."

"Hey," Nathan said to the group. "Now that you're done talking about us, we're going to go get something from the store. You want something?"

"No. But don't forget to buy a fresh pack of condoms. I'd hate to see the little bastards you and Nicole can produce." Laura said.

"Whatever." Nathan said. "Jealous."

Laura's eyes nearly shot through the boy as he and Nicole walked off.

"You know Laura," Torrie said. "I don't see what's wrong with this. I mean, on the bright side, he's going to stop looking at you whenever you wear that sports bra."

"Whatever." Laura said. "I still say that this is all Jayden's fault. And I will get even. I always do."

* * *

Aaron walked into his house, half expecting one or the other parent questioning his whereabouts. When he entered the entertainment room, he saw Danica sitting on the couch talking on her cell phone.

"Talk to you later. Bye." Danica said before hanging up. "Hey, A.J, sit down. I was just about to go hunt you down."

Aaron frowned, but sat on the couch beside his older sister. She gave him the kind smile he once fell for when he was younger that always suckered him into a prank from her and Sophie. He would not fall for another again.

"I wanted to talk to you about your situation." Danica said.

"My situation?" Aaron repeated confusedly.

"Yeah, stupid, your situation," Danica retorted. "You know. You and Jordan?" Aaron's frown returned and deepened. "Oh don't play dumb. You two have been spending an awful a lot of time together. In fact, if you'd been Jayden, I would have suspected you two to be sleeping with one another. But we both know that you and Jordan will probably never do that, don't we?"

"So you wanted to talk to me about-"

"Seriously, I wanted to wish you luck for the time I'm going to be gone." Danica cut in. "You're trying to help her over Snake's death, but eventually you're going to have to bring her into reality. She's got to understand the whole circle of life thing. I also wanted to tell you that in the future, and I'm hoping sooner than later, she's eventually going to grow on you and vice versa."

"And how do you know that?" Aaron asked.

"Because A.J, I've seen it. And it happens. So, don't get nervous. Don't get scared. Just go with it, okay? Sometimes being more than friends is better." Danica said as Jayden walked into the room. Jayden began to walk out of the room just as fast as he entered before Danica spoke. "Wait a second," Jayden groaned. "I want to talk to you two."

"Danni," Jayden said. "If you don't mind, I have a computer upstairs in my room that will allow me to watch TV on it. So I'll let you two-"

"Sit. Now." Danica said. Jayden sat at the computer desk, facing Danica in the chair. "Now, A.J, like I said, it will happen. There're too many obvious signs. Just remember to not panic." Aaron nodded. "Go." Aaron stood up and almost ran out of the room. "Now, you."

Jayden's eyes followed Aaron until he could no longer do so. He envied and hated his younger brother so much at the current moment.

"This has something to do with Helen, doesn't it?" Jayden asked.

"No. Just you." Danica said. "See, I'm going to France for a while and then back to L.A. And when I return, if you and Scarlett are not dating or have not dated, I'm going to simply kill you. Capisce?"

"You're kidding." Jayden said. "Just why in the world would I want to dump Helen for the sake of Scarlett?"

"I think I made that clear. I'm going to kill you otherwise and tell our parents I did so. It's not like they can rejuvenate you or anything." Danica replied. Jayden sighed. "Look, little brother, I'm not trying to get into your business or anything. Well, not anymore. But I want you to be completely happy. And I'm not stupid or deaf. I heard what you told Scar. How you choose not to break up with Helen to avoid looking like the bad guy."

Jayden frowned. "How'd you hear that? She told you?" Danica nodded. "I knew it. You two are in on some kind of scheme. But believe me Danni, I will let life take its course. If it happens, it happens. I won't stop it."

"Not good enough." Danica said standing up. "I have to go. Remember what I said. Oh! And know that you actually made Scarlett feel quite bad when you did say yes to Helen for the dance. We both know that she'll never swallow her pride to admit what she feels and it would have been easier on her if you said yes to Nicky or Kelly. You know, people that _aren't_ her cousin and that you're not all too attracted to."

"Where are you going with this?" Jayden asked.

"She just needs someone that understands her without her saying anything." Danica answered. "And I think we both know just who knows her well enough to feel whatever she's feeling without her saying anything, right?"

"Danni, Helen and-"

"She'll get over it." Danica said. "But, like I said, it's up to you. Au revoir!"

Danica walked out of the room, causing Jayden to sigh and lean back in the chair. She always could make him feel bad about himself.

* * *

Fiona Chessex walked to the door. She was not accustomed to having visitors at night, sans her family and occasionally her neighbors, but in both cases she knew beforehand.

"Danni?" Fiona said looking at the young woman. "What are you doing here?"

"I needed to speak to Scar before I left town." Danica said. "Is she up?"

"Yeah, I'll go get her." Fiona said before walking further into the house.

Danica tapped a foot impatiently as she waited on the porch. The old her would have just walked into the house and went to Scarlett herself. But, her parents had taught her finesse and grace. And they had nearly beaten every form of respect into her throughout her life. So now, the only sign of impatience she showed was a simple tap of either a foot or a finger on a table.

"Hey," Scarlett said stepping out onto the porch. "What's up?"

"Here." Danica said handing Scarlett a ticket.

"What's this?" Scarlett asked.

"You said that you wanted to get to that show, right?" Danica replied with a smile. "Just make sure that you thank me when I come back."

"What…? How'd you…? Are you serious Danni? You're leaving?" Scarlett questioned. Danica nodded. "Oh, okay. Well, um, thanks. I'll-"

"Go." Danica said. "And if you don't go, I'll make sure that the ass-kicking I'm supposed to give Jayden if he doesn't go through what I said goes to you instead."

"Fine, fine, I'll go. It's not like anything's going to change." Scarlett said.

"You'd be amazed." Danica said turning around. "Well, I'm off. Tell Helen to call before doing _that_. She'll know what I mean."

Scarlett idly thought about the statement as Danica crossed the small lawn in-between the two driveways and got into her car. Then she thought about whatever Danica told Jayden to do. Whatever it was, it must have been important. Finally, her mind came to the ticket in her hand. She had been a bit down that no one had offered her to come with them, seeing as she thought they were all good friends. But now, she had a likable excuse and a ticket to get inside.

"Thanks Danni." Scarlett said before pocketing the ticket and going into the house.

"She leaving?" Helen asked. Scarlett nodded. "Thank God. Another day and I thought I'd go mad."

"I'll miss her." Scarlett said.

Helen smirked. "Not turning sides on me are you?"

Scarlett glared at her cousin. "No!" Scarlett then frowned in confusion. "She also said call before doing 'that'. What is 'that' exactly?"

Helen's face immediately turned red and she began going up the steps.

"Don't worry about it!" Helen called.

Scarlett's face then turned into realization as she burst into giggles.

"Helen! Oh Helen!" Scarlett called as she walked up the steps.

No matter what happened next, Scarlett would always remember Helen's one true weakness. She was completely embarrassed when it came to 'the talk'.

"Helen," Scarlett said in a sing-song voice as she entered Helen's room. "I think someone needs a talk about the birds and the bees."

"Get out!" Helen yelled throwing a stuffed rabbit at Scarlett.

Scarlett laughed. Payback never felt so good.


	22. Episode XIX: Confessions Pt II

**Chapter XIX: Confessions Pt. II**

Dakota got to school and began her normal search of her friends. She had become quite accustomed to this since she began hanging out with Laura weeks ago. Laura and her friends stayed on one side of the building and Jayden and the others stayed on the other side. Depending on the day, Dakota went to Laura to chat and then head off to class with Kelly. And today was one of those days.

"What can I do for you Dash?" Laura asked.

"I- Nicky? What are you doing here?" Dakota questioned, her attention towards the blonde wrapped in Nathan's arms.

"I'm talking. What are _you_ doing here? Didn't Jayden forbidden you from coming here?" the obviously drunk girl responded. "You're a naughty girl Dakota."

"Uh…" Dakota said. "…I'm lost."

"Long story." Laura said. "Anyway, what are you doing here?"

"I came to give you this." Dakota said revealing the ticket to Laura. Laura frowned at the ticket. "Come on. Take it."

"Why?" Laura asked.

"Because you're my only friend _not_ in the band." Dakota answered. "Besides, you took me to your life, let me take you to mine. Although there's a guard or a waiter around every corner, it's good."

Laura took the ticket. "I'll be there. But I ain't doing anything else but showing up."

Dakota grinned. "I knew you would."

"Hey Dakota," Nicole said. "Where's _my_ ticket?"

"In my ass." Laura replied. "Don't worry about her Dash. I'll bury her before anyone knows she's missing."

"Hopefully." Dakota muttered before walking off.

"So," Damon said. "You and Dakota _are_ friends, huh?"

Laura shrugged. "I said it from the start, didn't I? I'm just trying to be a friend."

"Lesbian." Nathan muttered, causing Nicole to grin widely.

"Says the boy with no dick." Laura retorted. "And wipe that grin off of your face before I wipe myself with it after a piss."

Nicole's smile quickly vanished. It was going to be a long day ahead of them.

* * *

Helen silently crept up behind Jayden.

"And what is my favorite redhead doing behind me?" the boy asked, still searching for his lost library book in his locker.

Helen smiled. "Just seeing if you're ready for tonight, that's all." Jayden faced her with a grin. "I take that as a yes."

"Yes we are." Jayden said. "Took a while, but we are ready."

"You sure? Because I don't want to go out here and you look like an idiot." Helen said.

"You're a ray of sunshine, I swear." Jayden replied. "So where's your friends and cousin?"

"Uh, friend, and Miss Jackie's somewhere around here. Probably with your friend, Plain Shane." Helen said. "And Scar is walking around talking to some of those student council nerds."

"Or walking this way." Jayden said as he spotted Scarlett coming towards them. "Well, it must be a good day if both Coynes are here and not arguing. So what's going on with Red and her redhead cousin?"

Scarlett lazily rolled her eyes. "Whatever J.T. I'm actually in a fairly good mood today because of your sister."

"My sister? What did she do? She's supposed to be-"

"She gave me her ticket since she wasn't going to be there to see it. Told me to go see you." Scarlett said. "Also something about her kicking J.T's ass if he did something wrong and doing the same to me if I didn't go."

"Uh-huh…" Helen said. "How convenient…"

"Everything okay?" Jayden asked Helen.

"Yeah. Perfect." Helen said. "I'm going to go find Mary-Jane to tell her that we'll have to limit what we do today. I'm not going to miss a second of this."

"Thanks." Jayden said before giving Helen a small kiss. "See you in first period."

Helen walked away from the two.

"I wonder what that was about." Jayden said.

"You know _exactly_ what that was about." Scarlett replied. "I should probably just-"

"You're seriously stuck on this 'Helen hates you around' thing?" Jayden said."Come on Scarlett, you can't believe that. Helen's perfectly fine with you being in talking range of me. I know so."

"Yeah, right." Scarlett said.

"Look," Jayden said. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll talk to her."

"Thanks, but that's not going to help either me or Helen." Scarlett responded. "Let her think whatever she wants to think. But there is a way that you can help me."

Jayden raised an eyebrow. "And what's that?"

"A song. Tonight." Scarlett said. "Would you do that for me? Please?"

Jayden shrugged. "We'll see. Well, I have to go to class. Don't be late for second period."

"It's not me who is late, it's you." Scarlett said walking away.

Jayden sighed. He had a bad feeling about the next eight hours of school.

* * *

Manny sighed as walked towards the door, making sure her robe was tightly closed around her. Already, her day with her husband was ruined by the mysterious knocker.

"Hey!" Emma said happily.

Manny frowned. "Emma? Liberty? What are you two doing here?"

"Two reasons. One, as a member of the PTA, we need to find a new principal with the board. And two, you're the one that was asking for a day out where we can, and I'm quoting, 'hangout'." Emma replied.

"Today? Really? I was kind of-"

"He'll be here later." Emma interrupted. "Come on. When's the next time all of us will be off?"

Manny sighed. "Alright. I'll go get dressed. You guys are party poopers."

"Yeah, yeah." Emma said walking into the house with Liberty behind her. "Oh Max! We're taking your wife for a while!"

"He's not going to be happy." Manny said walking up the steps.

Liberty looked at Emma.

"I take it that you've done this before." Liberty said.

"Plenty." Emma said. "There's a reason they have seven kids, you know? Without me, it'll probably be ten, twenty maybe."

Liberty smiled. "I don't think that they would have that many kids."

"Yes they would." Emma replied. Maxwell walked down the steps in a tee-shirt and jean shorts. "Hey, we're borrowing your wife for a brief minute."

"So I heard." Maxwell said going towards the kitchen. "I will get even Emma."

"I know you will." Emma said following him. "Say, you wouldn't mind stepping in as temporary principal, would you?"

Maxwell laughed. "Yeah right. Could you picture me running a school? Those kids are _way_ better off without me."

"That's true." Emma said. "Do you know anyone who could be a good temp?"

"You." Maxwell said plainly.

"No. Not me. I don't want to be principal." Emma said. "So, anyone else?"

"Next to you? Nope. Not a clue." Maxwell said. "Just remember to find someone who knows what they're doing. My junior year at Harbor, we had some lady who ran the place into the ground. Academics and athletics alike."

"I won't. I hope." Emma said.

* * *

Jayden began walking towards second period, alone, as Helen told him that she had something to do. He let her go without question because she did not appear to be in a bad mood or a rush.

"Hey Jayden," Aaron said. Jayden looked at his brother. "Can you do me a favor?"

"What's the favor?" Jayden asked.

"I need help getting Jordan to go see Snake's memorial." Aaron answered. "She seems fine one moment and then the next, she's just plain weird."

"A.J, all girls are plain weird. And to them, that's normal." Jayden replied. "Just give her some time. She'll see it sooner or later. And if she doesn't-"

"You sound like Shane and Dad, you know." Aaron said. "But what if she doesn't? What if she stays like this forever?"

"Forever? I doubt that." Jayden replied. "Listen, if you really want to get her to go, just ask. And if that doesn't work, make her feel like she owes you. She'll repay you somehow."

"I hope you're-"

"Hey Jay!" both McDuelle boys groaned at the voice of Chandra. "Why are you with A.J?"

"Just answering a question he had." Jayden said. "What are you doing here Bambi? Isn't your class in the other halls? Like the hallways for middle schooled children?"

"Yes," Chandra said. "But, that doesn't mean that I don't have time to come and say hello to a friend, right?"

Jayden smiled. "You're right, so I'll go to class so you and A.J can talk or whatever. A.J, tell Jordan I said hi."

Jayden walked away leaving Chandra standing with her jaw agape. Aaron grinned.

"Come on Bambi. I have to relay his message." Aaron said.

"Shut up A.J." Chandra said forcefully grabbing his arm. "Come on. Your class is this way!"

Jayden felt bad for his brother, knowing the pain all-to-well with Helen around. Speaking of which when he stepped into Coach Blue's classroom, he spotted Scarlett sitting without Helen. Making his way to his usual seat, he looked at Scarlett.

"Where's your cousin?" Jayden asked.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Scarlett responded. "I thought that you two had run off somewhere."

"No. No more off-campus trips for me for a while." Jayden stated, gaining a small smile from the girl. "You know, I thought that she'd beat me here, but I see that I was wrong."

"Helen's her own girl. She'll make it here." Scarlett said. "Shouldn't you be worried about your show tonight?"

"Yes, but Helen first." Jayden said. "With her and Nicky at each other's throats, I'm worried that she may get suspended before I do."

Scarlett scoffed. "What's new?"

"I guess nothing." Jayden answered. "Well, except you there with her."

"Daddy's class comes first. Any other class, I'd be with her instead." Scarlett said.

"I'm sure." Jayden said.

* * *

Shane sat down beside his sister.

"Oh man," Shane said. "I feel like a celebrity."

Kelly frowned. "A celebrity? Shane, have you been drinking?"

"No." Shane replied. "But every other person is wishing me good luck and hoping we'll do good tonight."

"Do well." Kelly corrected. "It's hoping we'll do well, not good. And they're saying this to _everyone_. Even Dash and Jacob."

"Why doesn't Jayden get put into that?" Shane questioned.

"Um, next to him _always_ being treated like a celebrity, I don't know." Kelly shot back, causing Shane to nod. "But then again, I'm _really_ excited that _my_ brother will be playing."

Laura gave a small snort of laughter, gaining the Masons' attention.

"Something funny?" Kelly asked.

"No." Laura said, her brown eyes borrowing into Kelly's blue ones. Laura then looked at Shane. "And don't blow it tonight either. I'm giving up on the plans I already had to be there, so don't screw it up."

"And who invited you?" Kelly questioned.

"Dash. Duh." Laura replied. "Boy, to be so smart, you sure are dumb."

Shane looked at his sister for a moment to see what she thought. From the looks of it, she obviously was not okay with Dakota inviting Laura to the show later on. For Shane, he hardly cared if Laura showed up or not. Again, it was not like she did anything to him.

"I have to speak to Dash." Kelly muttered.

Shane sighed. His mother's stubbornness added with his father's anger was a way to describe him. But Kelly, she had it worse. She had their father's stubbornness and their mother's anger. She was a far scarier foe.

* * *

The bell rang for lunch and for once in a long time, Amber was in a fairly good mood. She had no clue why she was in a good mood, she just woke up happy.

"Hey Amber," Steven said catching up to her. "Marc and I were just about to leave to get a bite to eat. You coming with?"

"Yeah, just as long as we don't run into anything that ruins my good day." Amber replied with a smile.

"Hey Amber!" Amber bit back a groan. This was starting to become annoying. "Hey Amber, have you seen Nicky anywhere?"

Amber looked at Jacquelyn. "Nope. Though, I heard from Mimi that she was heading towards the field."

"The field? Thanks." Jacquelyn said before walking off.

"What's with that? I thought those two were always around one another." Steven said.

Amber shrugged. "It's complicated."

"Like…?" Steven questioned.

"Imagine the same thing that happened to me and Mary-Jane just with the simple fact that neither of those two girls dated Shane before." Amber explained. Steven gave a nod understandingly. "Yeah, it's not something you want to get involved with."

"I'll take your word for it." Steven said. "Now, let's go."

"Sure. Just don't be so forceful with it next time." Amber said with a smile.

* * *

Nicole was in no condition in going back to class, which was good because she did not plan on it. Though Nathan did not smoke the stuff, he sure had a lot of cocaine on him at nearly all times. And Nicole was going to use that to her advantage no matter what.

"I must say," Laura said. "I pegged you down as choking on a cigarette. You're one helluva smoker."

"Told you that Nicky was cool." Nathan said.

"I didn't say that. I said she could sure smoke." Laura replied. "Which shouldn't surprise me because I bet she sucks something else too. Though, I want say it until she's completely sober and can whine about it."

"You and Torrie are just hard on her for no reason." Damon said. "Give it up."

"How about you give up on your mother getting out of jail anytime soon?" Laura shot back.

Damon frowned. "Like your mom gave up on you?"

Laura gave Damon a glare that momentarily silenced the boy. It was no secret that Laura hated her mother, though she had not seen the woman since she was five. She hated her mother and no one really blamed her for it. However, that did not mean that she liked when people brought her up. She even went as far as telling her dad about her resentment and he agreed that all topics about her mother would be limited. And the last Laura has heard, her mom was out of prison, but that was two years ago.

"Nicky?" the group turned to see Jacquelyn standing with shocked expression.

"Oh, hey my ex-besty! How are you?" Nicole squealed.

"Nicky, what are you doing?" Jacquelyn asked.

"Smoking. Want some?" Nicole asked, offering the joint to Jacquelyn.

"Is this what you've been doing this entire time? Smoking with Nate and Scooter?" Jacquelyn said. Nicole nodded. "What…? Helen said that…"

"Oh, _her_." Nicole said while rolling her eyes. "She's a real bitch at times, don't you think? No surprise she lied to you."

Jacquelyn frowned. "So you're going to do this because of Shane?"

"No shit!" Nicole shouted. Laura and Nathan were taken back by the sudden outburst. "You knew that I was going for him but you just _had_ to make a move on him! It's not good enough that you dated _Jayden fucking McDuelle_ but you had to go after Shane too! And then you want to whine and bitch about the fact that Scarlett and Helen lives beside Jayden and that they'll always be best friends, so you just tried to take Shane so that someone else could be as miserable as you! Well go back to China because no one gives a damn about you!"

Laura gave a slow applause. "I can't believe it. I'm actually proud."

Jacquelyn stood with her jaw slightly open. First, she was seriously fed up with the Chinese-slander. Despite her mother's ethnicity, she was Canadian! She was born in Canada, was raised in Canada, and lives in Canada. And secondly, when did Nicole grow so angry towards her.

"If that's how you're going to be, then fine!" Jacquelyn said. "Stay with Nate! I hope you end up like every other slut with some kind of STD or pregnancy."

"Ooh," Nicole said before blowing a plume of smoke out of her mouth. "I haven't heard that one before. Maybe I should keep Nate away from you before you decide to take him away. Or maybe you'll just go after Laura instead."

"Don't bring me into this." Laura said. "You two continue. And hurry up and get to the good part and start beating the hell out of each other."

"Whatever." Jacquelyn said before turning around. "I guess this is what I get for caring for a loser like you."

"Touché bitch." Nicole replied before Jacquelyn walked away. Nicole looked at Laura. "Well?"

Laura sighed. "You earned _some_ respect from me but don't think of us as friends. More like mutual enemies."

Nicole grinned. "That's better than this morning! I'll take it!"

* * *

Jayden looked at Helen.

"Is there something on my face?" Helen asked.

"Yeah, a scowl." Jayden said. "Or a grimace. I can't really differentiate between the two."

Helen sighed. "How's this?" Helen smiled at Jayden, making him laugh. "Now what?"

"It's nothing Helen. I just find it funny how you can do that." Jayden replied.

"Do what?" Scarlett asked. "Frown and then smile? Everyone can do that."

"No," Jayden said. "Go from _your_ Helen to _my_ Helen in three seconds flat."

"Your Helen? What is he talking about?" Scarlett asked looking at her cousin.

"I don't want to talk about." Helen said looking away from her cousin and her boyfriend. She spotted Jacquelyn. "Oh look, it's Miss Jackie. I bet she's come to tell us something we already know."

Jacquelyn walked to the table and sat down; not looking at any of the three that were previously was there.

"Uh-oh. I know that look." Jayden said.

"What is it?" Scarlett questioned.

"The 'I hate Nicky' look." Jayden answered. "Yep, in only a few short days, I've come accustomed to it from Helen. So what did she do now Jackie?"

"She's out there smoking with Nathan and Scooter and Laura and she- I don't want to talk about it." Jacquelyn said.

"I say we go up there and just take her out of the equation right here and right now." Helen said.

Jayden sighed. "No Helen, you can't kill her. Man, you're about as bad as Danni."

"Ugh. And then you compare me with your sister." Helen said. "If I could just make it through the rest of the day without some annoying chick and her annoying obsessions, I'll be happy."

"What's wrong with Danni now?" Jayden asked.

"Your sister is out for me Jayden. There's no easier way to say it but that." Helen answered. "If I had to be honest about it, I'd really appreciate it if she just left us alone. Period."

"You know that that's never going to happen. You might as well get comfortable knowing that." Jayden said.

Scarlett smiled. "Yeah Helen. Get comfortable knowing you're going to have to call whenever 'it' happens."

Helen groaned. "I hate that woman."

Sitting in their normal seats, or what has been normal since two days ago, Jordan gave Aaron and smile.

"Please?" Jordan asked sweetly.

Aaron sighed. "For the hundredth time, no. No matter how nice you ask, I will not go as my- Jayden for pictures of him and his dad. It's disgusting."

"You're no fun." Chandra replied.

"Seriously…" Vanessa muttered.

Aaron was completely speechless since no one caught the slip-up. That, plus the fact that Vanessa Brooks seemed to be a closet pervert too, through him off guards. Anyone who fantasized about either parent or any of his siblings was a pervert in his mind.

"So, what are we doing today?" Dustin asked.

"_We_ are going to cheerleading practice." Chandra said pointing to herself. She pointed at Aaron and Jordan. "_They_ are probably going to some 'counseling' for Jordan," Jordan frowned but kept her thoughts aside. Chandra pointed to Ashton. "Pills," Ashton scoffed as Chandra pointed to Gabrielle. "And she's going to do whatever the heck she does after school."

"Missed one." Vanessa said. "I'm dying to hear what you have to say about me."

Chandra shrugged. "I ran out of things. Deal with it."

"So I can't tag along?" Dustin asked Jordan.

"I don't know. Are you going to leave with your so-called friends again?" Jordan responded.

Dustin looked at Aaron who sighed.

"I can't really help you there. Women are crazy when they're angry." Aaron stated, gaining a glare from the girls around him.

"Point taken…" Dustin mumbled as he saw the glares that his friend was receiving.

"But," Aaron said. "Since it is Friday and none of us seem to be able to get into The Ridge," Chandra groaned in sorrow at this. "How about we go to the movies?"

"Ooh! That's a great idea!" Jordan said happily.

"Yeah, I'm up for it." Vanessa said.

"Actually," Gabrielle said. "I can't."

"Oh," Aaron said. "That's okay. We'll get you next time." Aaron looked at the others. "But how about it? Just the six of us since Brie can't come."

"I call dibs on A.J." Chandra said.

Jordan frowned. "You _what_?"

"Dibs. On. Aaron." Chandra said slowly. Jordan and Vanessa frowned at this while Ashton sat a bit shocked. "Oh come on, three boys going to the movies with three girls? It's going to cause suspicion and I will _not_ be associated with someone who pops pills or some random nobody. So if anyone asks, A.J is off-limits for you two."

The table had grown noticeably quiet for a number of reasons, but one reason that everyone thought about was how enthusiastic Chandra was about the idea. For Aaron, it was as if his birthday had come earlier this school year. His crush had staked a claim in him and not his older brother.

"Well," Vanessa said. "Seeing as that does make sense, you're stuck with Dustin Jordan."

"Wha- Why?" Jordan stammered.

Vanessa shrugged. "Hey don't blame me. Blame Bambi and her ideas."

Jordan sighed. "Fine… I'll claim Dustin. But I swear that after the movie is over, this thing ends."

"Oh, it will." Chandra said with a smirk. "I wouldn't want to steal A.J from you, now would I?"

"Whatever Chandra." Jordan said in a low tone.

* * *

The small café was the perfect place for the three women to have lunch. With the right foods on the list, such as veggie meats for Emma, they could eat and catch up on lost years. And since the last time they did this, they were sharing a dorm at Smithdale, there was a lot of time to catch up on.

"Do you know what I think about some nights?" Emma asked. Manny and Liberty shook their heads for no. "What if we all ended up with someone else? Like, what if you did end up with Craig, Manny? Or what if you would've dated Toby, Liberty?"

Manny gave a quiver. "I couldn't see myself in that position."

"What position?" Liberty asked.

"Well, if I were with Craig, that means that the child outside of our marriage could be from either Ellie or Ashley, and neither were fans of mine for a really long time." Manny said. "So who were you thinking about Emma? Peter?"

"God, no. I was just thinking about it period. If I didn't marry either Spinner or Sean, what would I have done?" Emma stated.

"Don't know." Manny said.

"You know," Liberty said. "We should have a day out soon. Like a family get-together. What do you think?"

"My seven, Emma's five, and your four all together for a day? I think that it's a good idea if and only if you can keep the craziness down to a minimal." Manny said.

Emma smiled. "It's a perfect idea Liberty. Just as soon as someone can get her oldest daughter back into the country, we'll do it."

"Great." Liberty said. "I'll tell Damian."

Emma's cell phone rang.

"Is it her?" Manny asked.

"Yeah." Emma said before answering the phone. "So are you going to do the job?"

* * *

Jordan and Aaron were now walking towards class in an awkward silence. Neither had said much after lunch and it was pretty obvious as to why. Well, obvious to Chandra that is.

"This is stupid." Jordan finally said. "Why do we have to do this stupid dibs-system anyway? If anyone asks, we'll just say that we're all friends."

"That's what I was thinking, but Bambi had different plans." Aaron said. "Hey, don't sweat it. No one is really going to think that you and Dustin are dating."

"They'd better not." Jordan muttered before they stopped by her fourth period class. "So, um, see you after school before the movies, right?"

"Until you're ready to see the memorial, yeah." Aaron answered.

Jordan smiled. "Yeah. Until I'm ready."

* * *

As Jacquelyn basically stomped to her fourth period class, she came across a pacing Shane. Seeing him in such a nervous wreck, she put aside all anger for Nicole for a moment.

"What's wrong?" Jacquelyn asked.

"Oh. Hey Jackie." Shane said. "I guess I'm just a bit nervous about tonight."

Jacquelyn smiled. "Why are you nervous? You guys are going to do great. I know it."

"Oh, well," Shane said. "Thanks. There's something else I want to ask you." Jacquelyn frowned in question. Shane revealed the ticket. "I was going to ask someone else, but then Kelly told me to ask you instead, so do you want to go?"

"I'd love to." Jacquelyn said taking the ticket. "Thanks Shane."

"No sweat." Shane replied.

Jacquelyn gave him a kiss on the cheek. "See you tonight?"

"Yeah…" Shane said before Jacquelyn walked off. Shane smiled. "Score."

* * *

Jayden stopped by his locker, not really caring that he was already late for class. If he did what he really wanted to do, he would have just turned around and left. It was not like the interim principal could do much of anything about it and he definitely did not want to go to English. He despised that woman.

He turned his head to see that Laura was standing beside him. Strangely enough, he did not hear nor see her stepping beside him. However, the perfume she was wearing was quite intoxicating.

"What is it?" Jayden asked.

"You were right. Now get Nicky away from me. Now." Laura said.

"I was right about what exactly?" Jayden replied.

"Dash and I are friends. Now get her-"

"Did you just admit something I already knew? For what? It's not going to get me to go after her, no matter what." Jayden interrupted. "Helen said-"

"Helen told you not to chase after Dash and you did anyway. That, plus I strongly doubt that she knows that you gave _me_ a ride back too." Laura said. "Now stop playing stupid and get her away from me. Now."

"Sorry. She's your problem now." Jayden said grabbing his books. "Look, if you really want my advice, and I mean _really_ want to hear it, I say that you just stop hanging around Nathan. That's who she seems to be attached to."

Laura shook her head. "You don't get it do you? She's a girl in trouble. Ain't that the only thing you give you a damn about?"

Jayden frowned. "You must've thought I was kidding."

"What?" Laura asked.

"When we picked you two up from the ravine. Had I been driving and Shane and Kelly had stayed in school, I would have left you two there just like you were without a second thought." Jayden said. "I'm done helping people who don't want help. If Dash wants to drink, I say let her drink. If Nicky wants to smoke, I say let her smoke. And you… You I never cared for in the beginning."

Laura stood frozen in anger and Jayden could see it simply by the look in her eyes. The balling of her fists just elaborated on how angry she was.

"You know what, forget it!" Laura called, shoving Jayden roughly against the lockers as she walked past him. "I can't believe that I actually asked _you_ of all people for help with something so irritating! Like I give a damn anyway!"

Jayden watched the girl walk down the hall while ranting about their exchange. She tripped one unfortunately student and completely shoved a girl back into the bathroom as she walked on.

"Wow… Didn't think she'd take it that seriously…" Jayden said before heading to Ms. Anderson's class.

* * *

Dakota watched Laura storm into their Chemistry class and sit in her usual seat beside the girl and crossed her arms. The teacher, Mr. Cook, gave Laura a curious stare before silently marking her tardy. Even he wanted to avoid her anger at the present time.

"What's wrong?" Dakota whispered to Laura.

"What's wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong." Laura said. "First off, that stupid whore is _everywhere_ now! I can't go anywhere without hearing Nicky or seeing Nicky or hearing about her! And then…" Dakota waited for the outburst. She knew it was coming from the sheer breathing of Laura. "Then there's Jayden. Oh, Mr. I'll Save Them All hardly cares. The one time I need him to give a rat's ass about some unworthy bimbo, he blows me off. He says that 'Helen' told him to stay away. Ugh! I'd kill them both if I could get away with it!"

Dakota sat silently for a moment. She did not want to tell Laura that Helen _had_ told Jayden to leave Nicole alone on more than one occasion. Instead, she decided to cheer Laura up the best way how.

"At least she won't be at the performance tonight. That, plus she won't be at my house and I'm not expecting my mom and dad home for an hour after we get out. You could hangout there." Dakota said.

"Well that solves _one _of my problems." Laura muttered.

"Jay'll come around sooner or later." Dakota said with a grin. "Just give him some time. Helen or not, he's going to help Nicky."

Laura gave Dakota a confused look before her eyes widened.

"Yeah… Right… Nicky." Laura said.

Dakota frowned. "That's now what's wrong?"

"What else would it be?" Laura snapped. "I swear, as soon as I'm out of here, I'm downing an entire bottle of whatever. I don't care what it is. You want some?"

"Um, not before a performance. I don't want another Montreal Event." Dakota said.

Laura nodded. Everyone heard of Craig's terrible performance in Montreal a few years ago because he was too drunk to remember the lyrics. For once, she actually agreed with Dakota and her soberness.

As for Dakota, she was far from letting this drop. She chose to let Laura calm down before asking exactly why Laura was so pissed at Jayden. And for some odd reason, Dakota could not shake the feeling that her friend has finally grown a crush on someone. Albeit, it was on the _last_ boy Dakota thought of.

* * *

After the final bell, the students went to go on about their afternoon routines. Well, all except for Vanessa who had been called back to her Biology class.

"Miss Brooks, I'm sorry to say that your grades have been slipping." Mr. Chambers said.

"Really? But I'm trying Mr. Chambers, believe me." Vanessa replied.

"I know. Hey, Biology isn't for everyone." Mr. Chambers said with a smile. "I called in for a tutor. A former student of mine that I'm sure you won't mind being tutored by."

"Who?" Vanessa asked.

"Ah, there he is." Mr. Chambers said as Jacob walked into the room. "Jacob Isaacs, this is the girl I was talking about, Vanessa Brooks. I figured since you were one of my star pupils that you'll be able to help."

"I'll try." Jacob said.

Vanessa stared at Jacob for a moment. She hated the thought about being tutored, however, the rewards for being seen with a member of any band was just too hard to pass up.

"Um," Jacob said, breaking Vanessa's thoughts. "We're going to have to start this tomorrow. I have something to do later on."

"The performance. I know." Vanessa said. "See you tomorrow?"

"That'll be fine. One at the Dot." Jacob said.

"Sure thing." Vanessa said walking out.

Vanessa groaned. Her weekend was now ruined.

* * *

Dakota threw her bag on her bed before plopping beside it.

"Thank God it's Friday." Dakota said.

"True." Laura said going to the seat on Dakota's windowsill. Laura reached into her bag and pulled out a plastic bottle with a golden liquor in it. "And thank God for cheap pick-me-ups."

Dakota only smiled and watch Laura nearly consume the entire bottle with one gulp.

"So," Dakota said. "Why were you so pissed at Jayden?"

"Huh? Oh, I don't know. I guess all those years of hating the loser added with Nicky being around me twenty-four seven finally got out, you know?" Laura replied.

"Yeah…" Dakota said. "You know Laura, if it's something else, you can tell me. I won't tell anyone."

Laura snorted in laughter. "Not like you have much of a choice."

"I have a choice. I could-"

"And I would shove my fist down your throat and rip your spine out." Laura cut Dakota off. "Like I said, it's not like you have much of a choice."

Dakota sighed. "Fine Laura. Don't tell me. But I know that there's something else."

"…" Laura only stared at Dakota before shrugging. "Suit yourself. Just don't come crawling back to me feeling like a dumbass. There's nothing else to tell you."

"I think you like him." Dakota said.

Terrible mistake. One-half of her entire bedroom was sprayed with alcohol, spreading the smell everywhere. Dakota groaned at the thought of getting the smell out before her mother came home. Febreze and PineSol would probably cover it, but that stuff was in the closet near the kitchen. And that was a good walk away. Her only hope is that Silas actually stayed out for as long as he said.

"I what?" Laura shrieked.

Dakota smiled nervously. "It was a joke…"

"Don't joke with shit like that." Laura said before looking at her nearly empty bottle. "Damn…"

"You do, don't you?" Dakota asked, now sitting on her knees, facing Laura. "That's why you're so mad at him."

Laura glared at Dakota before putting the cap on her bottle and putting the bottle back in her back. She stood up from her seat and walked to Dakota, grabbing the girl's collar tightly.

"If you tell anyone, so help me God, I will drag you down to hell with me. Understood?" Laura basically growled. Dakota nodded. "Good… Now, we're not talking about this anymore Dash. So what movies do you have to watch?"

"A few." Dakota said before Laura released her. "I'll go run and get something to clean that up. The movies are in the closet, in my drawer. Third dresser."

Laura rolled her eyes at that. What _normal_ child had a dresser _inside_ their _walk-in_ closet? Dakota was too rich for her own good.

* * *

Helen lied in Jayden's bed beside him, much to Scarlett's displeasure. But she swore to herself that she would not rain on her cousin's parade. Until tonight, that is.

"I wish we could end the rest of the day like this." Helen said, still in her cheerleading uniform. "No Mary-Jane. No Bambi. No Nicole. No noise."

"You know, I'm usually against lying in bed all day," Jayden said. "But somehow you make it ten-times better."

"I bet." Helen said with a smile.

Scarlett fought the urge to throw-up right then and there, instead keeping her face as neutral as ever.

"So is this going to be your good-luck ritual for all of your games and performances?" Scarlett asked, sitting at Jayden's computer desk.

"It just might be." Jayden said before his door opened. "If you're either of the twins I'll choke you later."

"Harsh man. I just came by to see what you were doing." Jayden sat up and turned his head to see Shane at his doorway. "No wonder they stay away from you as much as they can. You're completely evil."

"I thought you and Kelly were at work?" Jayden asked, lying back down beside Helen.

"We were," Shane said. "But my dad called some other guys down to take our spots, so we're free for now. Kelly's at home, probably going to see Dakota later on. I decided to come here."

"Yeah, we're doing nothing either. Helen hasn't even gone home yet." Jayden said.

"I can see that." Shane said before leaning against Jayden's wall. "So, any ideas about what you wanted to do, oh great leader?"

"I'm not telling." Jayden said. Jayden's arms went around Helen's exposed stomach. "You're so warm."

"Not that you care," Shane told Jayden. "But your parents are just downstairs and they might just come up here and see you two like that."

"As if they care." Scarlett responded. "I say let them get caught. It'll teach them a lesson."

"'It'll teach them a lesson.'" Helen mocked. "Bite me."

"Hey, you know what I just thought of? What if we become famous? Like big-time rock-stars?" Shane said. "Then, we could travel a lot and stuff, you know? Like Dakota's dad."

"I doubt that." Scarlett said.

"I second that thought." Helen said. "You guys do know that Dakota's mom is just finding someone to fill-in right. The chances of something big happening is-"

"Excuse me Ms. Coyne, but I believe that _I_ have higher grade than you in math, so therefore I would know probability better than you. And I like our chances." Jayden said.

"Whatever." Helen said.

"Maybe instead of rubbing yourself against each other, you can go home and get dressed?" Scarlett said.

Helen gasped. "You're right. How on Earth will I ever make it all the way home and back in time to make the performance? Our home is _so far away_ and Jayden is in _such a rush_."

Shane chuckled. "That was pretty funny." Scarlett glared at Shane. "It was…"

"She's right," Jayden said patting Helen on her butt, making Helen jump. "You might want to go get dress. If it helps, I'm come with you."

"Yeah… I'm officially sick now." Scarlett muttered.

"Then you won't be able to make the performance." Helen responded. "And we both know how much Danni would _love_ for you to be there."

"Well-"

"No, no, no, we are not fighting today. One, it's Friday _after_ school. We should be celebrating. And two, Danni's not here. I don't know how and why you two are arguing over my sister, but it's starting to become annoying." Jayden said, cutting Scarlett off before she could start an argument with Helen. "Besides, tonight is a night of fun, celebration, and breakthrough. So let's make the best of it."

"Fine." Helen said getting out of Jayden's bed. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Don't leave without me, okay?"

"I wouldn't think of it." Jayden responded as Helen slipped on her shoes, grabbed her bag, and left.

"I'm going to go talk to her." Scarlett said getting up and going out of the room.

Jayden sat up, looking at Shane who was shaking his head in disbelief.

"How do you do it?" Shane asked.

"How do I do what?" Jayden questioned.

"Stay in-between them and not sweat." Shane said. "Why, I feel bad for not inviting Nicky to the show and you somehow live with yourself that your older sister had to invite Scarlett to come."

Jayden shrugged. "I live with it because I know who I'm with. I don't shake, bend, or break for anyone, not even Scarlett J. Chessex. And since we're moving onto you," Shane frowned as Jayden pointed to him. "Don't hurt Jackie."

"Jackie?" Shane questioned.

"Yeah. My ex, Jacquelyn Haig. Don't hurt her." Jayden said. "Despite popular belief, she can be fragile and I know that in the future, you're going to over-think something. You usually do."

"Dude, you know that I want to date her just as much as she wants to date me. Just get on the bandwagon." Shane replied. "And, speaking of Nicky, have you talked to her today? I haven't seen or spoken to her all day."

"Believe me," Jayden said. "You don't want to know."

* * *

"Dakota! Are you ready?" Ellie called.

"On my way!" Dakota replied as she turned to Laura, who had somehow calmed down and sobered up in the past few hours. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah, yeah. Stop being pushy." Laura said.

Dakota hopped out of her bed and made her way to her closet. Laura watched curiously as the girl searched for something before pulling out her drumsticks. Rolling her eyes, Laura got up from her spot on the window sill.

"Hope they bring you as much luck as you believe." Laura said.

"They will. I known it." Dakota said with a smile. "Now let's go."

Laura did not respond verbally, but followed Dakota anyway. The two had bonded which was something Laura was not used to doing with anyone but her father. And strangely, Laura believed every word that Dakota said about everything. Though it made Laura sick to think that she now had a _bond_ with the girl, she did feel much better. Better than she did when she was just drinking.

"Oh, hi Laura. I didn't know that you were here." Ellie said as the two girls approached the door.

"Yeah. I was here watching movies." Laura replied.

Silas looked at Laura. "Laura? Sorry we haven't met. I'm Silas Lowry."

"Yeah, Laura, this is my dad, Silas. Dad, this is my friend, Laura." Dakota introduced. "I don't know why this is the first time you two are meeting."

"Sorry to cut this introduction short," Ellie said. "But we have to get a move on. Or do you want to stay here?"

"We're going Mom." Dakota said.

Ellie smiled. "I thought so."

* * *

Jayden and Jacob watched Shane pace about backstage. While Jacob watched a bit worried for his friend, Jayden had a positively amused smirk on his face.

"Let me see if I get this straight," Jayden said. "You put on a helmet and play in front of _hundreds_ of people and you're nervous about playing in front of a few, I don't know, fifty, sixty people?"

"There are a total of one hundred and twenty-one people in that room." Shane said. "My mom was so kind enough to ask when we arrived."

Jayden shrugged. "Hey, the more the merrier right?"

"You guys are here." Dakota said joining her band members. "So are we ready?"

"Yep." Jayden said. "You get my message about the numbers?"

Dakota nodded. "Got it."

"Alright guys, you have ten minutes." Ellie said coming to them. "Big breath and relax. And have fun out there okay?"

"We will. Thanks Mom." Dakota said.

Ellie grinned before walking away.

"So this is it." Jayden said. "My dad's dreams, right here. And to think, we actually owe Helen this idea."

"And I thought you were joking." Shane said.

"Nope." Jayden said putting a hand in the center of his friends. "So you're either with me till the end on this or bailing out now. Your choice."

Shane grinned. "First year you came, you made a deal on skipping class and I was with you then." Shane put his hand on top of Jayden's. "I'm with you now."

"My first real friend." Dakota said putting her hand on Shane's. "So I'm with you bro."

Jayden, Shane, and Dakota looked at Jacob.

"Juvenile Grace." Jacob said putting his hand on top.

"So let's put on a show." Jayden said.

"Five minutes." a man said.

Jayden grinned. "In five minutes, of course."

* * *

Out in the crowd, Scarlett looked at Laura out of the corner of her eye. How Laura got into this place was beyond her. Then she realized that Dakota must have asked her to come or Laura bullied it out of Jacob. She knew that both Jayden and Shane had given their tickets away to their sisters and a female friend.

"Hey Scar!" Helen called over the talking. Scarlett looked at her cousin and Jacquelyn. Helen pointed to her wrist. "Time?"

Scarlett looked at her watch. "Five till nine."

"Thanks." Helen said as she went back to talking to Jacquelyn.

"Let me guess," Scarlett turned to look at Laura. The two almost standing eye-to-eye. "You're here to see your cousin's boyfriend perform, huh?"

"Don't start with me-"

"It's okay. I'm not going to tell her something she obviously already knows." Laura interrupted.

"What do you want Laura?" Scarlett asked.

"I want to know how you did it." Laura said. "Just how in the hell did you weasel your way in when he clearly gave his tickets to Helen and his sister." Scarlett did not reply, causing Laura to smile. "Oh I get it. You're friends with his sister. Do you think that's going to help you-"

"Shut up Laura. Seriously." Scarlett said.

"Why don't you just admit it? You don't like the boy, you _love_ him." Laura proclaimed.

"I do not!" Scarlett replied.

"Yes you do. It's written all over your face." Laura said. "Why don't you just say it and ease your own pains?"

"I do, alright?" Scarlett said, gaining a smirk from the inch shorter girl. "So what? He's with my cousin now and that's all that matters."

"Didn't think you had the pair to admit it." Laura said. "In fact, I was looking for-"

"Ladies and gentlemen, now coming to the stage, give it up for Juvenile Grace!"

As the group took the stage, Scarlett looked at Jayden, wondering if he had decided to do what she had asked earlier. A smile came on her face as the boy came into the front, taking his part as front-man.

"This song is dedicated to a friend of mine." Jayden said. "Someone who asked me to see a song for them earlier today."

Helen's eyes turned to her cousin, who was too busy ogling Jayden to notice. It did not take a genius to know who he was talking about. But the beat of the song caused her to look back at the stage. This was going to be a long show.

_There you are_

_With your perfect way_

_You got that little shine_

_In your eyes_

_To hear one word_

_Would make my day_

_But there's no room for me_

_In your life_

_Ooh, you got me down on my knees_

_Ooh, and in my mind I can see_

_How perfect everything could be_

_But you want give love a try_

_But if I could change your mind_

_How would you want me?_

_Would you say you need me_

_Cause I need you now_

_I tried to move on_

_But your perfect way_

_Has got this little child_

_Asking why?_

_But this world keeps spinning_

_As my heart stops beating_

_Is there still_

_No room inside?_

_Ooh, you got me down on my knees_

_Ooh, and in my mind I can see_

_How perfect everything would be_

_But you want give love a try_

_But if I could change your mind_

_How would you want me?_

_Would you say you need me_

_Cause I need you now_

_If I could change your mind_

_(Please tell me how)_

_(Please tell me how)_

_Oh, if I could change your mind_

_But if I could change your mind_

_How would you want me?_

_Would you say you need me_

_Cause I need you now_

_But if I could change your mind_

_How would you hold me?_

_Would you say forever_

_Or just leave me here to drown?_

_Oh if I could change your mind_

_(Change your mind)_

_If I could change your mind_

_(Change your mind)_

The crowd clapped and cheered for them, none as loud as Scarlett though. While she had known that Jayden could play the guitar, singing was not in his known repertoire. The boy's voice actually fitted the rock-star life.

Onstage, Jayden gave Dakota a glance for her to start the count for their next song. Not that he had stage fright, but he seriously just wanted to get this over with. As the beat to the song they had been practicing all week began to play, he gave a quick mental note to thank Helen for this after the show. Without her, there would be no Juvenile Grace.

_You've never hoped before_

_You've never seen a dream but_

_You think about it_

_Believe that you were made to be more_

_You've never fell in love_

_You never thought about it but_

_You see your friends_

_And hope that He would send you one above_

_And all the while you're praying_

_A stranger shows its face_

_And you're glad that he's found you_

_And lift you into space_

_You feel higher, higher_

_Higher than before_

_It's a feeling that you've_

_Never felt before_

_Take you higher, higher, higher_

_And maybe you'll see the light_

_The higher you go_

_I've been alone before_

_I know what is solo but_

_A couple, no_

_I never thought I'd heard the word before_

_I see the girl that's praying_

_I ask her for her name_

_She tells me and now_

_We're talking, I find myself saying_

_I know you're wanting_

_A place to call home_

_All the while I'm saying this_

_I let it all go_

_And now I'm higher, higher_

_Higher than before_

_It's a feeling that I've_

_Never felt before_

_Take me higher, higher, higher_

_And maybe I'll see the light_

_The higher I go_

_Can we come down?_

_Will we see the ground again?_

_Because if we don't_

_That's okay, I like where we are_

_And if just for a moment_

_Can I see your face?_

_To paint the angel_

_That rescued me from a place_

_A place where I've been_

_The place that you've seen_

_The place where dark ends_

_That's where we will begin_

_To rescue me_

_Was all that I prayed for_

_And now that you're here_

_I want to feel more_

_To feel higher, higher_

_Higher than before_

_It's a feeling that I've_

_Never felt before_

_Take me higher, higher, higher_

_And maybe we'll see the light_

_Now we're higher, higher_

_Higher than before_

_I can see a place_

_That I've never seen before_

_Every time I hold you_

_Our feelings soar_

_And then we'll see the light_

_The higher we go_

The second song, success. That was all that Shane could think about. Not that he minded doing original songs, but cover songs were much easier to deal with. Ellie and Danica were completely ruthless when it came to how original songs should be sang, and Dakota was no less of a perfectionist that her mother was.

"Ladies and gentlemen, give it up one more time for Juvenile Grace!" the man from earlier said over the cheering fans.

Manny smiled as she stood near her husband and best friend.

"I can't believe that you have my son up there." Manny whispered to Maxwell in his ear.

Maxwell grinned. "Our son, Dimples."

"Shane is awesome!" Kelly said happily.

"Yeah, he has your dad's genes." Gavin said. "Your mom doesn't have a single musical fiber in her at all."

"I do too!" Emma protested. "Somewhere."

* * *

"That was a great movie." Jordan said happily.

"I'll agree with you. Just for tonight." Chandra replied. "And I told you. I told you all."

"Yeah, yeah, so they actually thought that this was a date." Vanessa said. "Big whoop."

"And _my_ date paid for everyone, so it makes _me_ look good." Chandra said.

"Yeah…" Aaron said.

"We should do this again." Vanessa said. "What do you guys say?"

Ashton shrugged. "I'm up for it. Just tell me when." Ashton saw Steven pull up. "You need a ride A.J?"

"Nah. I'll get a ride." Aaron said.

"Mind if I ride with?" Jordan asked.

"Sure." Aaron replied.

"Well, see you guys later." Ashton said getting into the passenger seat.

"Don't do anything that would make you look bad Jordan." Chandra mocked as she got into the car.

Jordan sneered at Chandra as Dustin and Gabrielle also got into Steven's car before it drove off.

"That was weird." Aaron said.

"Well I'm glad it's over." Jordan said. "Me and Dustin. Who would have thought of that?"

"Obviously, Bambi." Aaron replied. "But, it wasn't that bad, was it? I mean, it's not like you looked at it as a date or anything."

"Did you?" Jordan asked.

"Well, no." Aaron answered. "You?"

"Of course not!" Jordan responded. Aaron pulled out his cell phone. "Who are you calling?"

"Seeing my brother is M.I.A, I'm calling Jayden to see could give me a ride home. You want a ride?" Aaron replied.

Jordan's eyes widened. "J-Jayden? Seriously? Of course!"

"I should've known…" Aaron muttered.

* * *

"Congratulations on your performance. We're proud of you Jay." Manny said to her oldest son.

"Mama, not that your love isn't wanted or needed," Jayden replied. "But the fact that you're on me tighter than my girlfriend might strike questions." Manny popped Jayden on his head. "Ouch! I'm just saying!"

"Where is Helen?" Manny asked her son.

"Talking to Scarlett and Jackie." Jayden said. "Kind of a good thing that my ex and current are good friends, huh?"

"Lucky is more like it." Manny muttered before Jayden's cell phone rang. "Your brother?"

"You know it." Jayden said before answering his phone. "A.J, I got to tell you, I wasn't expecting your call. I thought you were going to sneak off to Bambi's house to-" Manny popped her son again. "Never mind."

"Serves you right." Manny said.

"Hey," Aaron said. "Can you pick Jordan and me up? We're at the theaters by the place where…" Jayden frowned at the pause. "Your mom and my grandma gets there hair done."

"I'm on my way." Jayden said. "Stay put." Jayden hung up and sighed. "Mama?"

Manny revealed her keys. "Be careful."

"I will." Jayden said taking her keys and walking away.

Manny turned her head to see Maxwell talking to Gavin about something. Oddly enough, the two of them hit it off right off the back. They were good friends, being able to talk about anything, though they usually talked about Manny and Emma. She then saw Emma talking to Sean and Kelly as well. Finally, her eyes landed on Laura, who was looking at her directly. Feeling awkward, Manny smiled.

"Hi." Manny said.

"So you're Jayden's mom." Laura said. "Never met you in person before."

"You are?" Manny asked.

"Oh, I'm Laura Reynolds. Not really a friend of him or your other son, A.J." Laura said. "But I don't really go around telling everyone that they're brothers either."

Manny frowned. "Thanks, but how did you-"

"Long story." Laura lied.

"Laura!" Dakota called. "Come on! My mom's treating us tonight!"

"See you around Mrs. McDuelle." Laura said before walking away.

Manny could only watch the girl walk away. This was the same girl that her son had voiced so much hatred for and yet she knew a secret like Aaron and Jayden were brothers? Something was truly wrong.

* * *

**A/N: I do not own **_Changer Your Mind_ **by Boyce Avenue and I already know that those are not the original lyrics. **_Higher_ **however is owned by me so please ask if you want to use it. By the way, I want to thank WaitCait705 since she has reviewed the most and the most recently with positive reviews. It's people like her that makes people like me do what we do. So thanks!**


	23. Episode XX: Damages Pt I

**A/N: So here is part one of the season finale. I have been debating with myself as to if I was going to do a season two or just end it all here. I decided to go with a season two, so I will be posting snips of it soon. Enjoy!**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter XX: Damages Pt. I**

Something was wrong. He did not know what it was or why he felt that way, but Jayden knew that something was definitely wrong. As he stepped to his locker, he paused before putting in his combination.

"Hey, I have to talk to you." Jayden sighed silently. That wrong feeling just grew tenfold. Though, he turned and gave Helen a smile. "It's about Friday night."

"The performance?" Jayden asked.

Helen shook her head. "No. The dance." Jayden frowned. "You said that you wanted to go as friends and we clearly did not stay that way."

"Is something wrong?" Jayden asked.

"Yes!" Helen said, her hands going into the air. "You and Scar! That's what's wrong."

"I-"

"Tell me this." Helen said. "That song Friday night. Was it for her?" Jayden nodded. "Are you seeing where I'm going with this?"

"I'm hoping I'm not. In fact, I'm hoping that you're just pulling my leg on this one." Jayden said.

"I think she's in love with you Jayden. And I'm a cousin before a girlfriend." Helen replied before smiling. "So please, for me, just let me break up with you and make everyone happy. Just don't tell Scar why I did it, okay?"

Jayden grinned. "Sure Helen."

"See you in first period?" Helen asked.

"Where else?" Jayden responded before she walked away.

Yeah. Today was going to be a bad day.

* * *

"And then we got to celebrate with him and the others!" Jordan concluded. "Friday was the best night ever!"

Chandra scoffed. "And I left with _Ashton_. Ugh. I feel so stupid now."

"It wasn't that good." Aaron said.

"Don't lie." Jordan said before smirking towards Chandra. "It was the _best_!"

"I'm going to class. See you losers later." Chandra said walking away angrily.

"So you guys had a good night, huh?" Dustin asked.

"I guess." Aaron responded. "Like I said, it wasn't the 'best night ever'. But it was kind of cool being able to hang with them after their performance."

"Why didn't you call me?" Dustin questioned. "I would've wanted to come."

"Don't know. You've been hopping between friends recently." Aaron said. "Besides, it happened kind of spontaneously, you know? I asked him to take us home and we ended up going there instead."

"Yeah. Just seems like nowadays, it's just Aaron and Jordan." Dustin said prior to the bell ringing. "I'm going to class."

Dustin walked off, leaving Aaron and Jordan standing near Jordan's locker.

"Well, to class?" Aaron asked.

"Yeah." Jordan replied.

* * *

Amber sat in class, humming a tune in her head while she watched one of the most _boring_ movies in the world. Of course, due to her parents and her own need to excel in class, she watched it without a lot of verbal complaining. But she was mentally fuming.

"Can't say she's _that_ jealous," Amber heard one of her classmates say to the other. "She's obviously been busy with Steven Manning. You know, Craig's son?"

"James for Steve? Kind of a fair trade-off." the other girl said.

Amber did not like people talking about her and she detested it when she was around to hear it. She turned to glance at Mary-Jane, who was also interested in the other girls' conversation. Seeing the blonde's face scrunch into one that resembled confusion, Amber turned back to her educational film.

Steven Manning was a weird guy to pin down. Sure, he was the normal teenage boy with his normal teenage hormones, but he had his moments where he just seemed so carefree. And he had a lot of advice to give. Then there were other times when he seemed to himself. He spoke only when spoken to and he always seemed to be looking elsewhere. Either way, he was no James and Amber appreciated him for that. But was he really dating material for her?

She would have to find out soon.

* * *

Sitting in first period seemed weird for Helen. Although Jayden seemed to be, well Jayden, she felt a bit off-balanced. Half of her was screaming and yelling, telling her to take it back. Scarlett got what she deserves and Helen deserved Jayden. Then, the other half of her told her in a calm and confident voice that this was for the best. Besides, there's more fish in the sea, right?

"Ms. Campbell, maybe you would like to tell me what the answer is?" Mrs. Carson asked.

"Uh, seven?" Nicole guessed.

"No. Ms. Coyne, could you help your friend out?" Mrs. Carson questioned.

"Depends. Who is my friend again?" Helen replied.

"Definitely not me." Nicole said. "Who would want to be friends with a conniving bi-"

"Nicole! None of that language in my classroom!" Mrs. Carson said before sighing. "Helen, just answer the question, please."

"Fifteen." Helen answered.

"Thank you." Mrs. Carson said. "Maybe the extra time you're spending with Jayden is paying off."

"Actually Mrs. C, we broke up. Or she broke up with me." Jayden said. "Tragic."

Mrs. Carson smiled. "I bet it was. Now, on to question number nine."

Jayden looked back at Helen and smiled. She gave him a playful roll of her eyes, which he responded with a wink before turning around. Helen felt both angry and happy that she broke up with him for the sake of Scarlett.

At least, she thought, if she wanted to date him again, he would probably say yes.

* * *

The bell for the end of first period rang and no one darted out of the classroom faster than one Nicole Campbell. Though many people had noticed her change, she was still the gossiping cheerleader deep down and Jayden and Helen's break-up was nothing short of good gossip. Nearly bolting down the hall, she almost knocked Chandra off of her feet.

"Watch where you're going." Chandra said. "Stupid blonde…"

"Sorry Bambi." Nicole said. "I just have to go find Nate. Helen and Jayden broke up!"

"Wait, what?" Chandra asked.

"Helen and Jayden broke up. Now I have to go." Nicole said walking briskly away.

A smile came on Chandra's face as she too began to bolt down the hall.

"A.J! A.J, A.J, A.J!" the boy being called eventually stopped as he saw Chandra running to him. Chandra smiled. "They broke up!"

"They who?" Aaron asked.

"Jayden and Helen! And do you remember our deal?" Chandra asked with a wide grin. Aaron groaned. "Oh come on now. Don't be like that. Besides, it was _your_ idea, remember?"

"Fine." Aaron said. "I'll talk to him during lunch, okay?"

Chandra hugged Aaron. "This is the best day of my life!"

"I bet." Aaron said before Chandra nearly ran away. "Good grief."

* * *

"So it's true huh? You two broke up?" Laura said to Jayden.

"The same still applies. Leave Helen, Scarlett, and I alone." Jayden responded.

"What about A.J?" Jayden stopped on the dime when he heard her say that. He looked at Laura's smirking face. "Oh? Did you forget that I was at your performance Friday?"

"What are you talking about now?" Jayden asked.

"I think even you know what the word 'brother' means. Even if your braids are on a little too tight." Laura said. "I take it that he doesn't want to be known for whatever the reason may be. Or it could be that you're embarrassed by him. I don't know. But what I do know is that I have a lot of pull over a lot of people who hates you. And I now know what makes you ticked."

"You're delusional." Jayden said attempting to walk past her. "A.J is a family friend."

"Fine. I'll just tell Scooter where to find him and he can beat him. Again. And then I can hand A.J over to Nathan. Again. And then I can find -"

"What is your problem?" Jayden interrupted.

Laura stepped in front of Jayden. "You can't live with yourself knowing that your brother is getting his ass kicked daily, can you? That's why you were so angry with Scooter. So I decided to make a simple deal with you."

"Deal? To do what exactly?" Jayden asked.

"I'll keep your secret a secret if you pretend to date me." Laura said. "Simple deal, right?"

"And if I say know?" Jayden said.

Laura smiled. "Well let's see. I could always go for the whole 'Guess who's really a McDuelle' thing and let the school blowup on that. Or, I can simply, seduce A.J. I do have a way with words and people usually do what I want."

"You're-"

"If you think me getting Dash drunk was bad," Laura interrupted. "Wait until your little brother has his first taste of sex. With me, of all people. And then I'll just let it slip out of my mouth that he's your brother. I'm sure that'll make a good show to watch before bed. Wouldn't you think?"

Jayden stared at Laura for a moment. She had finally gotten one over him. It was no secret, to his family that is, that Jayden truly looked out for the better of his younger brother. He always has and he always will. And the fact that the media would blow this up made him protect Aaron even more. But to see Laura use that against him was just…

Jayden smirked. This was a bad day indeed.

"I'll think about it." Jayden said.

"I'm not waiting long." Laura said. "By tomorrow-"

"Friday." Jayden cut her off. "And for your sake, I had better not hear _anything_ about this until then or else you will see the Jayden you've been _dying_ to see."

Laura gave Jayden a small kiss on his cheek.

"I bet I will." Laura said before walking away.

Jayden rubbed his cheek harshly as if he was trying to scrub away the kiss. He had to warn Aaron, but thanks to that stupid rule of theirs, they could not just openly contact each other in public without a good excuse. And Jayden knew how much Aaron would whine if Aaron learned that Jayden was stopping Aaron's chase to have sex with a very attractive girl.

Then again, it was Aaron. He probably would understand.

* * *

Mr. Chambers eyed Gabrielle, who had finally gotten her schedule changed to the classes she needed. It was only delayed due to the death of Mr. Simpson.

"Alright. You can partner up with Ashton. Ashton, raise your hand so your new classmate can find you." Mr. Chambers said.

Ashton begrudgingly does so, though Gabrielle was already moving towards his desk, sitting in the seat beside him. He did not want to be lab partners with the weirdo, even if he was rumored to doing drugs.

"Hey Ashton." Gabrielle said.

"Hey." he nearly groaned out.

"This is great." Vanessa said, turning around to face Gabrielle. "Now you have class with us. All we're missing is Jordan, A.J, and Dustin."

"Yeah." Gabrielle said quietly.

"Ms. Brooks," Vanessa quickly turned her head. Mr. Chambers sat her retest that she took before school on her desk. "A B-plus. I'm impressed."

"Thanks, but it's really Jacob's doing. He's super smart." Vanessa said.

"But he didn't take the test. _You_ did." Mr. Chambers said. "Good job. Keep it up."

Mr. Chambers walked back to the front of the classroom.

"That is good." Chandra remarked. "A few more and I'll actually be able to claim you as a lab partner."

Vanessa rolled her eyes. "Sure Bambi."

* * *

Scarlett watched Helen and Jayden talk as if what was rumored to be true was not. And she did not want to sound but so thankful if it were true. No one could really take Nicole's words as of lately. The junkie could have just dreamt it or something.

"Something wrong Scar?" Helen asked.

"Huh? Oh nothing. Just thinking." Scarlett replied.

"Thinking hard and staring at me?" Jayden said. "Why, one could think that you're looking for a rebound Ms. Chessex."

"So it is true." Scarlett said.

Jayden shrugged. "Unofficially officially, yeah." Helen shook her head. "What?"

"How did I put up with that for so long, I'll never know." Helen said before smiling. "Thankfully, it's not my problem anymore. And if I want to punch Nicole in the face for being a loser, I can without you whining about it."

"True. But now I can skip this class." Jayden said.

"No you can't." Helen and Scarlett said in unison.

Jayden chuckled. "Well, at least I can hear Red and her redhead cousin in stereo again. I am officially out of your way whenever you two want to strangle each other."

"So why'd you do it?" Scarlett questioned.

Jayden and Helen looked at one another before Jayden cleared his throat.

"To be honest," Jayden said. "Helen has yet to tell me why she did it, she just did. But she was cool with it so I agreed. No point in arguing. I'm fair game to her now, meaning she could kill me if she felt like it."

"Uh-huh…" Scarlett said, her blue eyes now looking into her cousin's green ones. "And is this true?"

"I'm not allowed to keep secrets?" Helen shot back.

"I guess it is true." Scarlett said, not trying to argue with Helen. Today was going to be a good day. There was an orange soda with her name on it. "So what now? I mean, I think everyone was used to you two together."

"Uh, well we went through counseling and they said-"

"We did _not_ go through no stupid counseling." Helen said.

"Fine." Jayden said with a small grin. "I think we just go on like we always have. Just with Helen a bit more lenient on me and me just a tad less annoying to her. It was in our prenup."

Scarlett smiled. "I bet it was."

Jayden rose to go sharpen his pencil, leaving the two girls at the table.

"You can thank me anytime." Helen said, now paying attention to her sketch.

Scarlett's smile widened. "You're the best cousin I could ask for."

"Just grab him before someone else does." Helen responded, looking directly at Scarlett. "Because the next time you fall head over heels for _my_ boyfriend, I _won't_ be pitying you."

"I know." Scarlett said as Jayden returned. "So, what's on the agenda today?"

"You tell me Ms. President." Jayden answered.

* * *

Kelly left for the bathroom, though she only used it as an excused to get out of class for a brief moment. Like her brother, she too got bored of school all the time. However, unlike Shane, she did the _legal_ and _right_ way to get out of class instead of skipping it.

A giggle reached her ears. "Nate… Stop it. We should be in the locker rooms."

Kelly nearly felt sick as entered the bathroom.

"Shit!" Nathan said as he pulled his pants up. "Can't you knock?"

"Uh, this is the _girls'_ bathroom. What are you doing here?" Kelly asked.

"It's obvious don't you think." Nicole said hopping off of the sink, pushing her skirt back down. "Come on Nate. Like I said, we were supposed to be in the locker room." Nicole glared at Kelly. "Where people are _courteous _and actually _respect_ other people's _privacy_."

Kelly frowned. "Are you serious? You two are in here having sex in a place that _anyone_ could walk in on you two, and you blame _me_? That's ridiculous!"

"Hey, no shouting. You're drawing a scene." Nathan said. "Come on Nicky. Let's go."

The two walked past Kelly and out of the bathroom. Kelly shivered before leaving as well. It was quite the walk with minimal time, but she would have to go to the next hall to use the bathroom. There is no telling what those two did in there.

* * *

Amber sat in her seat, trying not to glance at Steven and James talking. Unfortunately, she failed. In fact, she was practically staring at the two boys.

"Something wrong Amber?" Toby asked, breaking her thoughts.

"No, no!" Amber said, quite embarrassed that her _teacher_ caught her fawning. "Just thinking, that's all."

"Alright." Toby said, giving her a knowing grin.

Amber's eyes darted to her computer screen and she pretended to be working on the project at hand. Then she got a message from Steven and began chatting with him.

**DaMann98: Sup?**

**StellAmber9822: Nuthin. Y?**

**DaMann98: MJ and James r goin 2 dat new club Saturday and I didn't want 2 be the 3****rd**** wheel.**

**StellAmber9822: U and me? People r talking now.**

**DaMann98: So?**

**StellAmber9822: Ur right. Wat time?**

**DaMann98: 8 or 9.**

**StellAmber9822: Ok.**

**DaMann98: Its a date.**

Amber did not reply to the comment. Though she truly wanted this to be a date, a part of her told her that this was a bad idea. That part of her told her the same thing that Scarlett said, wait. If she waited long enough, the pompous Mary-Jane would mess up and she would take it from there.

Hopefully.

* * *

The bell rang for lunch and Jacob stopped by his locker to get his afternoon books.

"Thank you!" Jacob froze. He had never experienced such a tight hug from a female next to his mother in his life. He looked to see Vanessa hugging him. "Whatever you did worked!"

"I just tutored you. That's all." Jacob said. "It was you who learned it. Not me."

"Well," Vanessa said releasing him. "I got a B-plus on the retake this morning so I'm happy."

"Um, you're welcome?" Jacob stated.

Vanessa smiled. "You're such a nerd Jacob. A rock star nerd, but a nerd no less. So when's our next session?"

"Um, I'll have to check in with Jayden and Dakota. I'll tell you before school let's out, okay?" Jacob said. Vanessa nodded. "Good."

"See you around Jacob!" Vanessa said walking towards the cafeteria.

Jacob watched the girl before going back to his original task. First, there was Jayden and Chandra. Then there was Scarlett and Dustin. Now there was him and Vanessa. And unlike the first two, he found himself falling for his stalker.

* * *

Jayden ignored his friends as he made his way across the cafeteria.

"Hey A.J," Jayden said coming to their table. Aaron's eyes narrowed slightly, but Jayden's gaze told his younger brother to keep silent or else. "I need to talk to you for a moment. Come here."

Aaron knew that Jayden only ordered him around when something was either bothering Jayden or something bad was going to happen. So he stood up and followed Jayden away from the table. The two stood aside from everyone else.

"What is it?" Aaron asked.

"Stay away from Laura." Jayden said.

"What? Who?" Aaron replied.

"Laura Reynolds. I know she's hot. I know she's willing to do just about anyone, but don't fall for it." Jayden said. "She somehow figured out about us."

Aaron's eyes widened. "How?"

"How the hell should I know? She just does and she's using that to force me into dating her. So to keep your secret safe, I'm debating on whether or not I should go through with this." Jayden said as his eyes landed on Scarlett. "Though I'm really, really doubting I will go through with it."

"Don't." Aaron said. Jayden looked at his younger brother. "If it comes down to you getting the girl-next-door or being someone's slave for the sake of me, don't do it. I'll just try to stay away from her."

"I hardly doubt you're going to do that. It takes a woman to keep a man away from another woman." Jayden said.

"I have Bambi and Jordan." Aaron said.

Jayden smirked. "Are you serious A.J?"

"What?" Aaron questioned.

"The other night it was just Bambi. When'd Jordan get put in there?" Aaron opened his mouth. "No, don't say another word. Just make sure that you're happy, she's happy, and it's what you both want. And if she can keep you away from Laura, then more power to it."

Aaron frowned. "You're not going to tell Jordan, are you?"

"And what, ruin my fan-club for the sake of my little brother? No." Jayden said. "But, if you ever need me to drive you guys anywhere, I'm just one call away."

Aaron smiled. "Thanks Jay."

"No problem." Jayden said.

Aaron's smile went away. "Though, I may be in a bit more trouble."

"Oh no. What is it?" Jayden asked.

"I made a bet with Bambi and lost." Aaron said. "So now I have to hook you two up. It was a pick-your-poison thing."

"Ah," Jayden said. "Oh well. I'll talk to Bambi, so don't sweat it. Unless you lost on purpose, which then you can kiss your life goodbye." Despite his joking tone, Aaron knew how serious Jayden was about that. "Anyway, stay away from Laura and good luck with Jordan. I'll try to keep Shane as preoccupied as I can."

"Thanks." Aaron said before Jayden walked away.

At their usual table, Jacquelyn listened to Helen's story about the breakup, though Scarlett looked far from interested.

"Well, it was good while it lasted." Helen said.

"I bet." Jacquelyn replied. "And Friday was great."

Helen shrugged. "They didn't suck, thankfully."

"Who knew he could sing like that?" Jacquelyn said. "In fact, I'm sure that if he sung like that when we were dating, we probably still would be."

"I doubt it. There is always going to be that one." Helen said as she looked at Scarlett. "And that one will always be there to mess a good thing up."

"Are you talking about me?" Scarlett questioned, now paying attention.

Helen smiled. "No. What would give you that idea?"

Scarlett saw Jayden at the soda machine.

"Go." Helen said to her cousin. "And get me an orange soda while you're up there. Make sure he pays for it though."

"Okay." Scarlett said as she stood up and walked off.

"You're okay with her going after him this fast?" Jacquelyn asked.

Helen smirked. "Why did you think I did it? It clearly wasn't so I could be alone. Now hush and worry about Shane."

Jacquelyn nodded, though she noted on how Helen did not call him 'Plain Shane' as she normally did. Maybe Helen felt grief after all.

"I never got to tell you this," Scarlett said to Jayden, who was getting his soda out of the machine. "But thanks for the song Friday. I liked it."

"I bet." Jayden said before he turned to face Scarlett. "But you owe me since it caused me to lose my girlfriend."

"Uh, okay. Sure. What do you want?" Scarlett asked.

"Since I normally would go out with Helen on Friday after school, you could be her replacement." Jayden said. Scarlett frowned at the word 'replacement' but Jayden just smiled. "Now you can feel how Helen felt when you thought that she was second-best when going out with me to the dance." Scarlett smiled. "Doesn't feel so good, huh?"

"I guess not." Scarlett said. "But… What you said…"

"About Friday?" Jayden asked.

Scarlett nodded. "Yeah. Are you serious? I mean, what would Helen or the others think?"

"Oh no you don't. _You_ asked for the song and _you're_ the reason I'm single. Therefore, you will be my replacement on Friday. And I'm not taking no for an answer, so you'd better get used to it." Jayden said.

"Fine. I'll be ready at seven." Scarlett said.

"Who said anything about _you_ deciding what time I come?" Jayden asked. "I suggest you be ready when you wake up. You never know what I'll be thinking. Unpredictable is my middle name. It's just spelled like Tyrone."

Scarlett smiled. "Whatever _Tyrone_. I'll be ready when you stop by. Just don't think you're getting a kiss on the first date."

"I never thought you were easy." Jayden said before pausing in his step. "By the way, when are you going to apologize to Helen?"

"For what?" Scarlett questioned.

"The whole 'wait for a mistake' thing? The very exact thing that you just did." Jayden said.

Scarlett sighed. "As soon as you move so I can get our sodas and go back to our table."

"Whatever Scarlett. See you around." Jayden said with a wink.

Scarlett nearly squealed in happiness at that. He had not given her _that_ kind of wink all year. It made her happy to know that her cousin had done this for her and it seemed to work. Now, she had all week to think of something to wear.

* * *

Steven and Amber were now sitting inside of Steven's car.

"So… You seem quiet." Steven said.

"Oh, I'm just thinking." Amber said. "You know, Helen and Jayden are causing quite a buzz."

"Oh." Steven replied. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure." Amber answered.

"You and I… Well, we've been spending quite a lot of time together." Steven began. "Look, I know I'm no James Brooks, but could you give me a chance? Like a dating chance."

Amber stared at Steven for a brief moment. Now that he had asked her, that bad feeling multiplied inside of her. Something was clearly wrong with this scene.

"Steven, you are a great guy-"

"But?" Steven cut her off.

"We make better friends." Amber said. "And that's what I want from you, a friend. Someone who is incapable of doing that much harm to me. Not like James did…"

"So you don't want to date me because of what he did? I thought so." Steven said.

"Hey, may-"

"Don't worry about it." Steven interrupted. "Enjoy your meal."

With that, Steven got out of his car and walked off. Amber watched him before grabbing her purse, her bag, and her drink and then leaving the car. Ever since she woke up this morning, she knew something bad was going to happen today. And it just did.

* * *

In the cafeteria, Shane, Kelly, Dakota, Jacob, and Jayden talked about this or that, though their conversation had no real meaning at all. That is, until Nicole became the topic.

"Speaking of Nicky, you'll _never_ guess what I saw her doing today." Kelly said.

"No I couldn't." Shane said. "So what is it?"

"Her and Nate were about to… Ugh! Just thinking about it makes me sick!" Kelly said grabbing her head as if she had a migraine.

"He was about to screw her? So what?" Jayden asked.

"In the girls' bathroom!" Kelly cried.

"Oh…" Jayden said before sipping some of his Sprite.

"Nicky and Nathan? Didn't see that one coming." Dakota muttered.

Kelly looked at the angered face of Shane.

"Good thing it isn't Jackie, eh Shane?" Jayden said, reading the look as well.

"Yeah…" Shane replied. "Yeah. Anyway, I think I'm going to ask her out. What do you think?"

Jayden shrugged. "Trade exes?"

"Trade accepted." Shane said with a smirk.

"So no practice today?" Dakota asked.

"None today and none Friday. You can live with that, right?" Jayden asked. Dakota nodded. "Good. The only reason why we don't have it today is because Shane has a shift at the Dot and it is near mandatory."

"It _is_ mandatory." Shane said.

"That's good." Jacob said. "I can tutor Vanessa then."

"You mean the girl that stared at you with googly eyes at the Dot Saturday?" Kelly asked with a slight smirk.

Shane grinned. "I always knew he had it in him."

Jayden's eyebrow rose. "Vanessa who?"

"James's sister, Vanessa." Kelly said. "You know, she's practically everywhere. She's signed up to try to be on student council, rumored to play a bunch of sports, and Jacob's personal stalker."

"I can't date her. She's in grade seven." Jacob said.

"True," Jayden said. "But no one cares if a thirty-three years old man is married to a thirty-years-old woman and they have the same age gap."

"The principle is different. That's _marriage_ and they're _grown_." Jacob said.

"Believe what you want." Jayden said before eying Shane. "I'm just waiting on Jordan to blossom."

This caused Shane to give a disagreeing grunt, followed by a laugh from Dakota and Jayden. Everyone knew that Jayden was joking, but Shane just could not allow his baby sister to start dating, no matter what. Everyone felt dearly sorry for Anastasia, the actual baby of the family. She would have to wait until Shane was old and decrepit before she would even get a kiss from another boy.

"Shut up." Shane muttered.

On the other side of the cafeteria, Chandra had a look of hope in her eyes. Aaron had told her that Jayden would speak to her soon and she could already tell what that meant.

"Bambi, I don't think it's what you think it is." Aaron said.

Chandra glared at him. "Will you shut up? I was clearly on the night after."

Aaron's face twisted into one of disgust. Lately, Chandra's imagery of her and Jayden had become quite detailed and his patience for hearing such things with his brother was thinning.

"I hear you guys have an extra few minutes in practice today." Vanessa said to Chandra. "That sucks."

"Yeah," Chandra replied. "But it's for a good cause, or so I've been told. Plus, I can rub it in Helen's face that she's no longer with Jayden!"

"I don't think she seems bothered by that." Aaron said looking at Helen across the cafeteria. "In fact, she looks almost pleased."

"She really does." Ashton said looking at Helen. "I don't think she cares."

"No one asked either of you. She does care." Chandra said.

"Give it up Chandra. She doesn't care. In fact, no one but you does." Jordan said. "So what if he's single? You still have the same chance as you did before. None whatsoever."

"And you do?" Chandra asked.

"Seeing that he likes _reliable_ people and he thinks of me as one of the most _reliable_ people there is…" Jordan responded. "But besides, he's just a guy that's going to date who he wants. So if he doesn't want you, or me, he's not going to date either of us."

"Glad to hear one of you coming to your senses." Aaron stated.

"Well," Vanessa said. "Now that there isn't anything to do today, I guess I am free for tutoring."

Chandra gave Vanessa a critical eye. "The nerd from Juvenile Grace, right? Mr. Isaacs's son?" Vanessa nodded. "Uh-huh. And just why would you give up this wonderful day for him?"

Vanessa shrugged. "It helps my grade."

"Sure it does." Chandra replied skeptically.

"You okay Dustin?" Gabrielle asked.

The others looked at the unusually quiet boy.

"Perfect." Dustin muttered.

Aaron looked at Dustin before turning his gaze to Jordan. He knew what was bothering Dustin just as much as she did. And oddly, he just did not care anymore.

Helen smiled. "No Scar, I didn't choke the magician man. Jayden wouldn't let me." Helen leaned on her elbows on the table. "But you can tell me what you two were talking about, since you've been dodging the conversation since you got back here."

"It was nothing. Just J.T talking in her normal perverted language." Scarlett answered.

"Oh. That." Jacquelyn said.

"Come on. Do you think I'm that stupid?" Helen asked. Scarlett gave a meek smile. "Tell me Scar. Nicky's not here to spread rumors and I'm going to keep it to myself. Well, until we get home. Then I might make a scene if it's big enough."

Scarlett sighed. "He asked me out on a date Friday and I said yes. Satisfied?"

"Really? It's about time." Jacquelyn said. "When we were dating, I swore that if we broke up because he wanted to be other people it had better been you."

"Likewise." Helen said as she looked at Scarlett. "So congratulations. Your feeble mind has finally caught up to the rest of us. You now see what we did."

"Oh shut up. It's not like either of you were trying to let go." Scarlett replied.

"Uh, hello, I _did_. Today." Helen retorted. "And as for Miss Jackie… Who knows why they broke up? They did and it's over and no one seems to care enough to figure out why."

"Besides, everyone knew you two liked one another. We just figured he would've asked you out years ago when he first arrived." Jacquelyn said.

"But you dated Shane and he went out with Miss Jackie. It's kind of funny if you ask me." Helen added. "So now that you are both completely single, there is no excuse that either of you can say."

"I have some truly wonderful, yet annoying, friends." Scarlett said.

"Yeah, yeah. Just remember one thing. Plain Shane doesn't have _my_ attention." Helen replied. "As soon as you mess up, I will be right there waiting." Scarlett gaped a bit. Out of all the things she expected Helen to say, that was not one of them. And then Helen laughed. "I'm playing. Have fun."

"Yeah. Thanks." Scarlett replied.

* * *

The bell that signaled the end of lunch rang and the students begrudgingly made their way towards their fourth period class.

"Can you believe that Dustin is still mad about us not inviting him?" Jordan asked as she and Aaron walked down the hall. "I mean, when will he let it go? He ditched us for Mary-Jane and James and then they left him."

"I don't think that's everything." Aaron said. "I think he's feeling left out period. We were a trio and now it's normally just you and I."

"So? Payback." Jordan replied.

"Hello, A.J." Jordan and Aaron stopped in front of Laura. The older girl smiled at Aaron. "You are cuter in person than I thought."

"You're Laura Reynolds, right?" Jordan said.

"And what if I am?" Laura shot back. Jordan nearly flinched before Laura looked back at Aaron. "See you around."

Laura walked off, leaving Jordan and Aaron standing in a bit of confusion.

"She's bad news. Shane and Kelly can't stand her. Well, Kelly can't." Jordan said. "I'd stay away from her if I were you."

"I agree." Aaron said.

Jordan gaped. "What? You do? After seeing how pretty she is?"

"Let's go to class Jordan." Aaron replied.

* * *

Jayden watched Chandra walk down the halls talking to some of the lesser known cheerleaders. He called her over and to no surprise, she came.

"Hey." Chandra said. "I heard about the breakup. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. In fact, the only person I'm worried about right now is you." Jayden said.

"Me?" Chandra asked in confusion.

"Yeah." Jayden replied. "Look, Bambi, I heard of the bet between you and A.J and I'm going to tell you that he tried. Hard. But no matter how hard he tries, I just don't see you as dating material, yet."

Chandra frowned. "Why not? Is it because I'm younger than you? Is it because I'm not as good as Helen or Scarlett?"

"No. It's neither of them." Jayden answered. "It's simply you and I. We don't really know each other and you only see me for my parents and my face. You couldn't tell me one thing about me that the world doesn't know if you tried."

"I… You have a point." Chandra said.

"We'll have to learn more about one another before we can progress. So let's start with friends? I'll talk to you everyday whenever I see you and vice versa? How does that sound?" Jayden asked.

"Okay I guess." Chandra replied.

Jayden bit back the groan of detest about the action he was about to do, but gave Chandra a kiss on the cheek.

"See you around Bambi." Jayden said walking away.

Chandra's eyes widened as her hand touch the area where his lips met. It was not some kiss that a parent gave their child goodnight, no, this one was too close to her lips.

"Yes!" Chandra squealed.

* * *

After the final bell, Nicole made her way towards where she promised to meet Nathan at. Instead, she ran into Laura.

"I hear you spread the news about Jayden and Helen," Laura said. "Why?"

"Why not? They deserve the attention, don't you think? They're always hogging it, despite their moms being the most famous moms in the entire school." Nicole answered. "And why do you care?"

"I don't." Laura said. "Just lay off for a while. I'll deal with them both."

Nicole smiled. "Really? What's the plan? Tell me. I won't tell anyone."

"Yeah right." Laura said. "Like I said. Just leave them be. I have Jayden right where I have him. And I don't want you to take any credit when I drag him down to our status."

"Sounds good. Well, good luck. See you at the ravine!" Nicole said happily before nearly skipping away.

Laura gagged. "Slut." Laura's eyes caught the object of her affection moving down the halls with Shane. She took pursuit immediately. "Hey Jayden. Quick chat."

He sighed. He just wanted this day to be over with.

"What is it?" Jayden asked Shane stopped a few steps away from him.

"You should be thanking me." Laura said. "I got Nicky off of your back."

"And why is that?" Jayden questioned. "Do you want me to believe that you somehow have gained any care for someone other than yourself in the past few hours? Yeah right. You're up to something and I don't want to be a part of it."

Laura glared at him before swinging to slap him with all her might. Surprisingly, he caught her wrist.

"Like I said. I don't want any part of it." Jayden said as he nearly tossed her appendage back to her side and walked away.

Laura gritted her teeth. Leave it to Dakota to talk her into being 'nicer' to Jayden. Oh well. Nothing a good drink could not solve.

* * *

That night, Aaron sat in Jayden's room as the two talked about what they were going to do about Laura. Aaron felt kind of pleased that his older had asked to scheme with him, something only Danica and Jayden did seeing that they were the closest out of all of them.

"I don't know. Laura's psycho like that." Jayden said. "Playing human chess with her is a lot harder than you think. Even if I am the regional champ at the game."

Aaron frowned. "You can't play chess. _I_ can beat you."

"Not in human chess you can." Jayden said. "And that's because I have more resources and years of experience."

Aaron shrugged. "Seems the same to me. Besides, I don't think it worked because I was with Jordan."

"You think she's looking to marry you? She's just trying to blackmail you, gain anything to put on the face of a magazine." Jayden responded. "And your hormones will work against you if you're not careful."

"I will be." Aaron said before Jayden's cell phone rang.

"Speaking." Jayden said answering his phone. "Oh, what's up Red? What did you want to talk about?"

Aaron watched Jayden talk to their neighbor before rising from his seat. It was a little overdo that the two would date, even though they technically were not yet. Although it was raining the first day they moved to Toronto, Aaron can still remember how Jayden stared at the brunette that lived next door whose mother helped design the interior of their house. She was the beautiful girl-next-door who had eyes for only the elite.

Aaron smiled. Jayden was one lucky S.O.B.

Aaron's cell phone vibrating caused him to look at the screen.

"Yeah?" Aaron answered.

"Hey." Jordan said. "You busy?"

Aaron looked at the knowing smirk on his brother's face.

"Not anymore. So, what did you want to talk about?" Aaron asked, gaining a thumb's up from his brother.

Despite their unlikeliness, they were still brothers. There had to be some similarities that they shared. Even if that similarity was just talking to a girl that they could have been dating.


	24. Episode XXI: Damages Pt II

**Chapter XXI: Damages Pt. II**

Friday came sooner than most students imagined. Though no one really complained, it still happened quite fast.

Dakota led Jayden through the hallways to find Laura. The way he addressed her earlier told her that he did not want to be in Laura's presence, which hurt Dakota because Laura had become such a good friend of hers. She did not want to see her friends hate one another.

"So, practice tomorrow?" Dakota asked, trying to change his attitude.

Jayden shrugged. "It's fine by me. Though I can't speak for everyone. Jacob might have to tutor Vanessa."

"Oh yeah." Dakota said before the two came outside the building where Laura stood with the usual group. "Here she is."

"Thanks." Jayden said walking towards Laura.

Laura saw him and smirked. "Well, it's Friday. Care to do or die?"

"No deal." Jayden said. Laura's smirk disappeared. "If you want to play games with me, then it's your lost."

"Are you sure? Like I said, getting him to do something stupid isn't that hard." Laura said.

"I'm positive." Jayden replied. "And if you're smart, you'll stay away from him. Even if you do tell or they just figure it out, it won't stop me from ringing your neck if something were to happen to him."

Laura was going to shout or swing at him, but she looked at Dakota's face. Laura gave a heavy sigh as she mentally swallowed her pride. For once.

"Fine." Laura said.

Jayden's face showed his shock and confusion.

"Say what?" Jayden replied.

"Fine. I'll leave him and you alone. Is that all?" Laura asked.

"Uh, no. I kind of was looking forward to an argument or something else, are you okay?" Jayden blurted out.

"I'm fine. Now get out of my face if you're done wasting my time." Laura said.

"Huh. Today might be a good day after all." Jayden said turning around. "Coming Dash?"

"Yeah." Dakota said as Jayden walked past her.

Laura watched Dakota give her a thumb's up as she followed Jayden. Laura gave another sigh and shuttered. Being nice sent a terrible feeling down her spine.

"Well, well, look who finally grew a heart." Nathan said, gaining a giggle from Nicole.

"Shut up." Laura said. "I just have a lot on my mind today. I didn't want to hear him talking any longer than I had to."

"Right." Nathan replied.

* * *

"Hey A.J," Jordan said as she neared him at his locker. "You ready for the test today in Mr. Isaacs's class?"

Aaron shrugged. "I guess. You?"

"Of course." Jordan said. "Say, have you talked to Dustin lately? He's been acting real weird all week long."

"Can't say that I have." Aaron replied. "I guess he's found someone else to hangout with or whatever."

"Oh." Jordan said. "So, do you have anything planned later on today? I kind of have a free afternoon and thought that we could just go do something. Anything."

"Sure." Aaron said before closing his locker. "But I have to do something first, alright? It shouldn't take me but about fifteen minutes. But we can meet up at the Dot and then go from there."

"That's fine." Jordan said with a grin. "Well, I'm going to class. See you later."

Aaron watched Jordan walk away before turning back to his locker. He hated, and liked, having his father's perverted mind.

* * *

"So tonight's your night, right?" Helen said to Scarlett as her cousin neared Jacquelyn's locker. "Excited?"

"This isn't my first date Helen. You make it sound so… Juvenile." Scarlett replied.

"His band is called Juvenile Grace. So therefore it _is_ juvenile." Helen said, causing Jacquelyn to smile at the joke. "And what are you smiling at Miss Jackie? You still haven't answered my question."

"If Shane wants to. I mean, I'm not going to force him into dating me or anything." Jacquelyn said. "So, I guess that's it."

Scarlett frowned. "You're afraid to ask Shane out?"

"No!" Jacquelyn said defensively, though with Helen's smirk and Scarlett's glare it was hard to stay defensive and she became quite quiet. "Maybe."

"Oh come on." Scarlett said grabbing Jacquelyn's hand. "We'll go talk to him together."

"It's sort of embarrassing to have his _ex_ hook us up." Jacquelyn replied, trying her best to stay stationary.

Scarlett stopped pulling. "I guess you're right. So Helen-"

"I'll go talk to him. I promise." Jacquelyn interrupted. "Just let me do it on my on time. Please?"

"Fine." Helen said before she caught Nicole walking towards them. "Look what the crack dragged in."

"I came to see how you guys were doing." Nicole said. "I see that that was a mistake."

"So how have you been?" Scarlett asked being the only other girl that could speak to Nicole without anger.

"I'm fine." Nicole replied. "Partying a lot. I didn't even know that there were that many parties here in Degrassi a year!"

"I'm out of here." Helen muttered.

"Why? It's not like you have anything I want." Nicole responded.

Helen paused in mid-step before turning a fierce glare at Nicole.

"No. I don't have anything you want. But you have something I want." Helen said. "I want my dumbass friend back. And I don't want to look at you while you throw your life away for Nathan, of all people."

"Spare me." Nicole said.

"I heard what you said to Jackie. And I recall saying that if you called me a certain five-lettered word that I would make sure that it was the last thing you said." Helen said. Nicole took a step backwards as Helen grinned. "You can't outrun me and I'm not even going to give the chase. But I will get you. One way or the other."

"Helen don't get sus-"

"You think I care about suspension? Do you really think I do, Scar?" Helen cut her cousin off. "What I do care about is someone calling me out of my name in a way that I find disrespectful. And I've learned that the best way to get respect is to beat it out of them. And that's just what I'm going to do to Nicole when I feel like it."

"So what? You're just going to sneak out of a van or something?" Nicole asked.

"No. I'm going to march up to you and punch you square in your face." Helen said as she stepped in front of Nicole. "And I'd love to see Nathan, Scooter, Laura, Jackie, Scarlett, or Jayden stop me."

Helen bumped her shoulder forcefully against Nicole's as she walked past the blonde.

"Well," Scarlett said. "At least today can be a somewhat good day."

"Let's hope so." Jacquelyn replied. "Someone's life might depend on it."

* * *

Amber sat in her seat and stifled a yawn. She had been up all night trying to do a book report that Marco had assigned. That, plus her own conscious kept her awake.

"Hey Amber," Mary-Jane said. Amber barely glanced at Mary-Jane. "Look, when are you going to put it behind you? I said sorry right? Besides, it's not like we're getting married."

"What are you trying to tell me?" Amber asked.

"I heard that Steven blew you off for tomorrow night and I didn't want to go without you this time." Mary-Jane said, gaining a scoff from Amber. "So, I told James to stay back and you and I can go. Just the two of us like we used to do. What do you say?"

"Hmm, I don't know. Is there _anyone_ in the world I can like without you going after him?" Amber responded.

"Yeah. And he'll probably be at the club Saturday. So what do you say?" Mary-Jane shot back.

Amber sighed. "Fine. I'll go. But I'm still not your B-F-F or whatever you called me."

"That's all I ask for." Mary-Jane said.

* * *

"Alright students," Mrs. Carson said. "We have to make our way to the auditorium for a special assembly. So let's go, and don't worry about those worksheets. You'll have to Monday to finish them."

Jayden sighed as he rose from his seat.

"Have I mentioned how much I hate assemblies?" Jayden said to Helen.

"No. Why don't you remind me for the millionth time?" Helen remarked before her eyes landed on Nicole. "Have I mentioned how much I hate certain blondes?"

"You know, actually you haven't." Jayden responded, gaining a glare from Helen. "Hey. I'm just saying."

"'I'm just saying.'" Helen mocked.

"I take it that the two of you exchanged words earlier since she has not said one thing since coming to class today." Jayden said.

Helen sighed. "It's like one minute she's trying to get me mad and the next she's running and looking for a chase. She can't have it both ways."

"Seems to me like you have a small problem." Jayden said. "Unfortunately for you, you broke up with me so your cousin can be happy, thus ruining your own happiness. Shame."

"Would you go back out with me?" Helen asked. Jayden looked at her with a slight frown. "I mean if I asked, would you?"

Jayden shrugged. "I don't know. Probably."

"Then that's all that matters." Helen said. "As long as I know I have the _toughest _guy to date in school sprung, then I'm better than a lot of the wannabe whores."

Jayden laughed quietly. "You are something else."

The group was now in the hall with several other classes.

"I wonder what this is all about." Helen said.

"Probably something they could've said during the morning announcements." Jayden replied. "I guess they thought that the ratings of their morning show would drop if they somehow replaced your cousin. No one told them that it isn't an actual show."

"Just where do you get these absurd thoughts?" Helen asked.

Jayden shrugged. "I don't know. I blame school." Helen smiled and shook her head. "You know, waking up so early and leaving so late? It messes with my mind."

"Yeah, you should definitely sleep in tomorrow and Sunday." Helen said.

"Why's that?" the duo had hardly noticed Scarlett behind them until she spoke.

"Because he's completely stupid half-way awake." Helen replied. "I mean, look at him. He says that the morning announcement has 'ratings' that goes up or down depending on if you're there to do them."

"I'm flattered." Scarlett replied with a smile.

"Okay," Jayden said. "Let's stop talking about Jayden. It's wrong." The group made their way to the auditorium. "I just hope this thing interrupts second period. I hate Art."

"Hey. My dad is your teacher." Scarlett said.

"Correction: Your dad is _our_ teacher. Besides, it's not him I hate, it's the class." Jayden said.

Helen sighed. "Let's just get this meeting over with."

In the auditorium, Aaron sat beside Dustin as the two waited for whatever the reason they were called for.

"I wonder what this is about." Aaron said.

Dustin shrugged. "I don't know." Dusting glanced at Aaron. "So you and Jordan have been spending some time together."

"Nothing new, is it?" Aaron asked.

"Well, it's just that you two have been spending time _alone_." Dustin said. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say one of you has a crush on the other."

Aaron frowned. "Really? Is that what it looks like?" Dustin nodded. "Oh. Well, I'm trying to help her get over Mr. Simpson's death. I'm trying to get her to go see the memorial, but she keeps saying that there is something else she wants to do first."

"Like?" Dustin asked.

"Eat, sleep, watch a movie, go to the park, those things that aren't really important." Aaron said.

"Sounds more like dates to me." Dustin said.

"No. They're not dates. They were just me trying to get her mind off of Mr. Simpson so she isn't mad one minute and crying the next." Aaron replied. "I never thought that anyone cared that much."

"I don't. I'm just saying it looks fishy, that's all." Dustin said.

Aaron did not say anything else. He never did look at those things as dates and he figured that neither did Jordan. But one thing was certain, Dustin was mad about something. Aaron debated whether it was because he and Jordan had done these things without Dustin or if Dustin had a crush on their blonde female companion.

Mrs. Hart came onto the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, last week we all lost a very good friend of mine and yours, Mr. Archibald Simpson." Mrs. Hart said. "Now, I know that we can never truly replace him in our hearts," Mary-Jane rolled her eyes at that. Mrs. Hart was such a softy. "But we do need a new principal. That is why today, we will all meet our new principal, a student of Mr. Simpson's, Mrs. Darcy Taylor."

Darcy Taylor née Edwards came onto stage with a warm smile.

"Darcy Taylor? I think I've heard of her before." Jayden said.

"Sure you have." Helen replied.

"Hello," Darcy said. "I'm Mrs. Taylor, your new principal. Like you all, I also attended Degrassi, but I have to say, it wasn't this clean when I came here." Some students laughed at that. "I wish to get to know all of you and if not most of you and take DCS to the next level. It won't be easy and it won't be fun all the time, but I promise you, I will try my hardest to make this school better if you work with me."

"Yeah, we could've heard this in class." Helen whispered to Scarlett.

Scarlett nodded. "At least we could be half-way sleep."

"…for my years here. Thank you and I will see some of you sooner than you think. I have a big surprise for you guys." Darcy said. "Now, your teachers will lead you out and back to your class. I will be calling some of you into my office to talk later, starting with the student council."

"Figures…" Scarlett muttered.

"Thanks for your time and have a good day." Darcy said.

Jayden and Helen stood up.

"Well, have fun with the new principal Scar." Helen said. "Let's go Jayden. We don't have to meet the new principal."

"Point." Jayden said. "Well Scarlett, I would like to stay and chat, but I've learned a long time ago that politics just isn't my strong suit. But you do a great job at it."

"Go." Scarlett said before Jayden and Helen left. Scarlett saw Jayden and Helen talking and shook her head. "No… They're done. Hopefully."

* * *

"So let me see if I got this straight," Maxwell said walking outside with a clip of papers in one hand and a soda in the other. "You got a friend of yours to be the new principal even after she told you that she didn't want to?"

"Yep." Emma said. "Kind of great, huh?"

"I'm just wondering how you did it." Maxwell said.

"Well," Manny said. "A long time ago when we were in school, something happened and I was there to help her and she owed me a favor. Simple."

"You did not use her rape against her." Maxwell said, gaining a pair of timid smiles. "Out of all the underhanded things that I've heard you two do, this one takes the cake."

"Oh really? What about when you blackmailed that guy so that Cohen could become governor of California?" Manny asked.

"That's different. You're supposed to be dirty in politics." Maxwell answered before taking a gulp of the soft drink. "I think I'm rubbing off on you two."

"Don't you have somewhere to be, Mr. McDuelle?" Emma asked.

"Don't you have anywhere else to be than my place, Mrs. Cameron?" Maxwell responded. "But, yeah, I'm leaving soon. I heard through the grapevine that someone offered Danni a deal to go to New York to do some sort countdown for the prettiest heirs and heiresses. The apple does not fall far from the tree, does it Dimples?"

"I say it's a good way to keep her out of trouble." Emma said. "Danni doesn't do anything when you're watching."

"You don't know Danica M. McDuelle then." Maxwell muttered.

"Ditto." Manny said. "But I don't think she'll do something wrong. She sees an extra paycheck and she's going to pounce on it."

"Which is potentially…" Maxwell paused as his cell phone rang. "And that's my cue to leave. See you two later."

Maxwell walked into the house, answering his phone.

"When do you two ever see each other?" Emma asked.

Manny shrugged. "I don't know. Here I think we see too much of each other." Emma's face showed disgust for a moment. Manny, after realizing what she had said, simply sighed. "Not like that Em."

"You said it." Emma said as Manny's house phone began ringing. "Who is that?"

"I don't know." Manny said as she moved to the kitchen. She grabbed the cordless phone off of the base and hit the Talk button. "Hello?"

"It's good to hear you again." a masculine voice said.

"Uh, who is this?" Manny questioned.

"You don't remember me? I'm hurt Dimples." the man said.

Manny gasped. "Jay?"

Emma, hearing the shriek, ran into the home to see Manny standing with a disbelieving look on her face.

"Hey. I was coming to Toronto for a while and thought that I'd visit you." Jay said. "You don't mind, do you? I want to meet up."

"I… I don't want to." Manny said. "No. Not after what you did in Vegas. I-"

"I'm sorry." Jay interrupted. "And I want to tell you how sorry I am, just face-to-face. So will you do it?"

"I'm not ruining my marriage, my life, for you." Manny replied.

"I'm not asking you to. I just want to talk." Jay said. "It's something that's been on my mind for a while now."

"Why can't you just ask it over the phone?" Manny questioned. "And how did you get this number anyway?"

"I'll be in town in a few weeks." Jay said. "Please. Change your mind. What I've been thinking about… It has something to do with Danni, and I think you know what I mean. Bye."

Manny stood with the phone in her hand before sitting it on the counter, pressing the End button as she did so.

"What? What did he say? Manny, talk to me." Emma said, knowing the history of her best friend and Jay.

"He's coming to town in a few weeks." Manny said. "Em… I think he wants to do a DNA test on Danni."

Emma's eyes widened. "A-Are you serious? But, she's Max's right? You did do a test earlier to make sure, right?" Manny shook her head. "Oh God. Manny, you can't tell him this or he'll blow up."

"You think I don't know my own husband?" Manny exclaimed throwing her hands in the air. "I just… Dammit!"

"Manny, calm down. We'll figure something out before Jay gets here." Emma said.

Manny nodded. "You're right. I'll just call Danni and we'll see what we can do." Manny sighed heavily. "And I have to tell Max, like, tonight. Regardless of how he'll feel about the doubt of his baby girl not being his, it's better to tell him now then having Jay telling him. And I do _not_ want to be the one to tell the cops who killed Jason Hogart."

Emma gave a small smile. But on the inside, she silently questioned how her friend went on through life without fully knowing who Danica's father really was.

Some things never changed.

* * *

Walking to lunch with Chandra, Jayden realized that the girl was not so bad after getting to know her for a while. Sure, she was completely star-struck and agreed with almost everything he said, but deep down, she was just a little girl with hopes and dreams like they all had. Unfortunately, he had no intentions in dating Chandra now or later.

"And that's why he's mad at them." Chandra concluded her talk about Dustin, Aaron, and Jordan. "I think they're dating on the side."

"They're not." Jayden said. "Trust me. I know A.J and Jordan. If they were dating, we'd all know."

Chandra nodded. "I guess you're right. Say, are you trying to date Scarlett?" Jayden nodded. "I figured as much. Cute, rich girl."

"Actually, she's not all that rich. Well-off, yeah. But when your mother is an interior designer for a lot of rich people, you don't have much of a choice but to have some money, don't you think?" Jayden replied.

"I guess you're right." Chandra said as they entered the cafeteria. "Well, here we are."

"And see, I walked with you the entire way without caring about what others think." Jayden told her. "Age isn't the issue with us Bambi. It's our knowledge that we have on one another."

Chandra sighed. "And I now know that you're going to go after Scarlett and no one else."

Jayden smiled. "And you're already learning. See you after lunch to walk to class?"

"Sure." Chandra said as she walked towards her table.

"Oh my God. You and Jayden walked to lunch together?" Jordan asked.

"Yeah. It's nothing really." Chandra said.

Aaron frowned. "Is everything alright Bambi? You sound sad."

"It's nothing." Chandra said. "So what are we doing today?"

Jayden looked at Shane and Kelly as they stared at an indifferent Jacob. He had no clue what had happened, but the Masons were like sharks when it came to information. Once they thought they had a hint, like a shark they just kept at it until they figured it out.

"I don't." Jacob said.

"But you walked her to class." Kelly countered.

"It was Mr. Chambers' class." Jacob said. "The class that I _tutor_ her for. I came to see how she was doing."

"Why not just ask her?" Shane asked.

"Because she could lie." Jacob answered.

"Couldn't he?" Kelly questioned.

Jayden sighed. "Shane. Kelly. Leave Jacob alone." Kelly sent a glare towards Jayden. "What?"

"Is this the same guy who just walked nearly hand-in-hand with _Bambi_ to lunch?" Kelly asked.

"Dash, are you going to help me out?" Jayden asked.

"Sorry Jayden, but I do have some semi-bad news." Dakota said. "Regarding the band." Now Shane and Jacob paid attention to Dakota. "My mom says that the band we replaced wants us in on a session next Tuesday."

"Is that good?" Jayden replied.

"The phrase 'in on a session' means that they want us in a studio and basically run demos with them." Dakota explained. "And while that sounds very exciting, we could be there for hours doing just one song or there minutes doing hundreds. Just depends on how good we sound, what they want us to sound like, and if my mom is in a good mood."

"Why's that?" Shane asked. "The 'good mood' part."

"My mom is a music perfectionist." Dakota said. "If one note, one pitch, one tune is out of key, then the whole song is ruined and we start from the count again."

"Yeah… Tuesday sounds like a bad day already." Jayden said.

"You don't say." Shane said.

* * *

"Hey, where're you going?" Nathan asked Nicole.

Laura scoffed. "Let her go. I'm tired of seeing her anyway."

"I'll be back." Nicole said sweetly to Nathan. "I promise."

"I'll be waiting." Nathan said before Nicole walked away.

"You know," Damon said. "I thought you said that you wouldn't 'love' anyone but your mother?"

Nathan frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"If Scooter figured it out, then it must be in plain, _bold_, _capitalized_ letters." Laura said. "You've fallen for Nicole. Just admit it."

"I have not-"

"You're _giving_ her drugs, not selling. You're having more than casual sex with her on a daily basis. Hell, if you two had a house I'd swear you were married." Laura interrupted. "Give it up Nate. You fell in love for a dipstick."

"More importantly, you fell for Nicole Campbell." Damon said.

Laura glared at Damon. "No shit Sherlock! I just said that!"

"No, no, no. You said for a dipstick. I'm talking about the best pair of legs in this entire country." Damon said. "That clearly deserves a moment of silence."

"I don't know what you two are talking about." Nathan said. "I'm going to go find someone who owes me some money. If Nicky comes back, tell her I went to get some money."

"Go." Laura said watching Nathan walk away.

"I don't like her around." Damon finally said. "I mean, have you seen how Nate acts around her? It's like he's a different guy. He _never_ gives something away. He charged me a dollar to use a pencil for a test!"

"I know what you mean, but what can we do about it?" Laura said. "Nate will just whine and bitch if we say something wrong about her in front of him. And Lord help us if we just up and leave her somewhere. Nate will have a cow."

"Someway, somehow, we got to get her away from him before he becomes another one of those guys who are sprung over their girlfriend and then ditch their friends for the girl and then gets their heart broken." Damon said.

"You have a point. And I have some advice for you." Laura replied. "Stop watching those stupid teen movies and Lifetime altogether. Thoughts like that remind me of Nicole."

"Whatever Laura." Damon said.

* * *

Scarlett was standing at the soda machine, getting another orange soda, when Jayden joined her.

"I can't believe you got a soda without me. It's like you're mad at me, all over again." Jayden said.

Scarlett smiled. "I just didn't want to ruin whatever conversation you were having at your own table. So, are you still sure about going out tonight? It's supposed to rain."

"It's a twenty percent, which is an F in the grade book. We don't live on Fs." Jayden said. "Besides, between you and me, I don't think either of us can go through another one of our friends. I mean, while I've dated both of your female friends, you have yet to date Jacob."

"True." Scarlett said. "Unless you wanted to date Shane. I can always talk to him for you."

Jayden saw the smile on Scarlett's face and chose to go along with it.

"Yeah. We could go on a double-date with you and Dash." Scarlett's smile dropped as Jayden's grew. "Yeah, I didn't think so."

"I see what Helen means. You are more annoying whenever you think someone won't walk away." Scarlett said. "Well I have news for you. We aren't dating. I can walk away anytime I feel like it."

Jayden looked behind him then at Scarlett.

"Nothings stopping you so I must be doing something right." Jayden said stepping to the machine and putting a dollar in it. "Besides, where are you going to go that I can't?"

"Girls' locker room." Scarlett answered.

"Been there." Jayden said. "And I got detention for the whole bathroom fiasco, so don't say that. You live beside me and nine times out of ten, you're going to ride with me and my mom home today."

Scarlett stepped up to Jayden. "You are still one of the most annoying boys I know."

Jayden smiled. "That's why you like me."

"Ahem," the two turned to see Nicole. "If you're done, I have to buy a drink and get back to the others."

Jayden grabbed his Sprite. "Go right ahead Nicky. And how's Nate treating you?"

"You care?" Nicole asked with genuine confusion.

"Why wouldn't I? I thought we were friends at one point. And it's not like I'm dating Helen anymore, so I don't have to be bias." Jayden replied.

"Well," Nicole said in her usually cheery tone. "He's _so_ nice to me! Anything I want, _anything_, he can basically give it to me. All I have to do is ask!"

"Wow. That's a _big_ step from where you once were." Jayden said. "I'm happy for you. Just wondering how's the sex."

Scarlett nearly choked on her own spit at the blunt statement. She would have expected the statement from Shane or Helen, never Jayden. But, surprisingly, Nicole smiled at Jayden.

"Great." Nicole said.

"I see." Jayden said. "Well Scarlett, we should go to our respective tables. Nicky, I wish the best for you."

"Likewise." Nicole said as Jayden walked off. "Now why can't everyone be like that?"

Scarlett shrugged. "I don't know. But what I do know is that Helen is going to try to rip your head off of your shoulders, so I wouldn't go around her right now if I were you."

"Figures." Nicole said. "Why can't she just be happy and leave me alone?"

"She's worried about you." Scarlett answered. "She's not going to say it, but she really does worry about you. And I'm not saying this to make you two become friends or to stop you from doing whatever it is you're doing, I'm just telling you the truth. Just remember who your friends are Nicky."

"My friends? You mean, the same friends that used to call me names and every time I said I liked someone they either said that I liked everyone or got said boy? Those friends?" Nicole retorted.

"Yeah. Them. The same ones that partied with you on weekends, took you home after cheerleading practice, and were there whenever you needed them." Scarlett said.

"But Jackie-"

"Nicky, who are you talking to?" Scarlett interrupted. "I just spent the past few weeks in your shoes. I'm not going to preach to you, but unlike you, I'm used to getting everything I want all the time. And when Helen had J.T I… Look, all I'm saying is what you're doing is going to backfire. You'll see."

"Yeah right." Nicole mumbled.

* * *

Amber was peacefully sitting alone outside of the cafeteria. She had talked to Marc before he went off with some other football players.

"Didn't know that you liked to sit alone." Mary-Jane said sitting at the table.

"What do you want?" Amber asked.

"Um, I'm sitting here trying to start a conversation. What does it look like?" Mary-Jane replied. "Seriously, did you fall out of the bed this morning?"

Amber stared at Mary-Jane for a moment. All the years she has known Mary-Jane, the blonde has not done anything random. Everything had a reason with her. And this was no different. Then, Amber remembered her last conversation with James.

"Oh my God. He told you to try and make-up with me, didn't he?" Amber said. Mary-Jane sat frozen for a moment. "Didn't he Mary?"

"James just wants us to be at least be on talking terms and I don't see anything wrong with that." Mary-Jane said.

"Duh. You got the boy. You keep your friend. Mary-Jane wins again." Amber said. "But I won't let it be that easy for you any more. I'm done always taking second-seat to you."

"Fine. No second-seat. For now on, Amber and Mary-Jane both sit in co-pilot seats, okay?" Mary-Jane said.

"You're ridiculous." Amber said standing up. "I'll give this 'friendship' a chance. But don't be surprise if I voice my mind just a bit more this time around."

"Sure." Mary-Jane said. "Anything."

"Alright. First opinion: That skirt makes you look like a whore." Amber said before walking away.

Mary-Jane sighed heavily, biting her tongue as she did so. When she was young, she took the phrase too literal, and now whenever she was going to say something she was going to regret, she bit her tongue to stop herself. Now Paige worried that instead of her daughter having a "slip of the tongue", she feared that her daughter's tongue was going to be bitten off.

"Deep breath Mary. She's just taking her time to forgive you." Mary-Jane said to herself calmly.

* * *

The bell rang to signify the end of lunch and the students went to finish their day in school. Kelly and Dakota walked down the hallways, talking about their weekend.

"You know, I can't wait to see you guys perform again." Kelly said. "You were awesome on the drums."

"Thanks. I was just doing what my mom told me to do." Dakota said.

"Well, keep doing it. You were great." Kelly replied. "You know, I think that you guys might have what it takes. Seriously. With the right songs and the right performances, you could be the next Studz or something."

"I hope so. Drumming keeps my mind off of a lot of things." Dakota stated. "In fact without it I'd-"

"Oh my…" Kelly interrupted.

Dakota looked to see what Kelly was seeing, only to see Jacob and Vanessa having a brief make-out session. Kelly dragged Dakota into the nearest bathroom to avoid being spotted.

"I knew it!" Kelly whispered loudly. "There was something going on between them! Jay owes me big time!"

"I don't believe it…" Dakota muttered softly.

* * *

Manny watched her husband come into the house, talking to someone on his cell phone.

"I'm not watching your daughter Reggie. If she has problems at school, that's your job and no, killing never solved anything." Maxwell said. "Yeah, I know… Look, I'm at home now and I have to grab some things before jetting out again. If you need parenting counseling, call Ginger. Texans do it big, or so I've been told… Alright, bye."

Manny sighed for two reasons. Reason one: She married a guy with eight other brothers and sisters and they were as close as siblings could be. It took her nearly four months to remember them all by names. Reason two: She had to tell him. It was no secret that Maxwell and Jay were not best friends, and that was putting it lightly. If he was in a bad mood, who knows what will happen.

"Hey, Emma went home already?" Maxwell asked entering the kitchen.

"She had to go do something for Spin." Manny said.

Maxwell frowned. "Manny, what's wrong?"

"I, um, have something to tell you." Manny said. Sensing urgency, Maxwell sat at the small kitchen table that was hardly ever used. "Jay called today and he said he was coming to town in a few weeks."

"Do you need me to take care of him?" Maxwell asked.

"No. That's not what the problem is." Manny said. "He wants a DNA test on Danni." Maxwell's face showed a glimpse of anger, causing Manny to curse her need to tell him everything. "You have to remember that I slept with you once before I got pregnant, which was a few days after Jay and I were last together."

"I see." Maxwell said. "And you never got this test done before because…?"

"I didn't want you angry with me. At all. For anything. You… You always found a way to make me feel better and I didn't want that to go away." Manny answered. Maxwell nodded for a moment. "Max… Are you okay? I mean, I know you're probably mad, but-"

"I'm not mad." Maxwell said. "When you and I met, you once told me you were deemed as a school slut. I didn't see it then and I don't see it now." Manny smiled brightly. "We'll get the test. But believe me, I know my kids. She's mine."

"Okay." Manny said as he stood up. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm glad you told me now instead of waiting." Maxwell replied. "I just have to grab something I forgot earlier and run back in. I have a two-hour recess, so I'm not in a big rush. Just said that to get Reggie off of the phone with me. So glad we didn't send Jayden to PCA."

Manny moved and hugged her husband tightly, which he responded.

"I love you so, so much." Manny said.

"I love you too." Maxwell replied. "And listen, if there is _anything_ going on, just tell me. I will fix it."

Manny smiled up at him. "I will." Manny gave him a soft, yet passionate, kiss. "Now, what did you come home for again?"

"Hmm… I don't know anymore." Maxwell said with a smile. "Holding you right here makes me think I came here for something else."

Manny giggled. "No Max. Get your things and go back to work. Please."

"Fine. Sometimes I think I married my mother." Maxwell said as he released Manny. "By the way, she hasn't called, has she?" Manny shook her head. "That's good. Now all I have to do is get in touch with your daughter and my weekend is set."

"I can do that." Manny replied. "Is there anything else you need done?"

"Yeah. I need you to stop worrying. You don't look nearly as good as your best when you're worried or sad. I married you for a reason and until that reason leaves, nothing is going to make me leave you." Maxwell said. "Not Jay. Not your dad. Not those rumors. Nothing. Are you getting what I'm saying?" Manny smiled and nodded. "Good. Because I was beginning to think you didn't. I thought you thought I was going to erupt in a fit of rage."

"I did…" Manny stated.

"I'm not. Like I said, Danni's my child. I know so." Maxwell replied. "Now, I have a file somewhere around here and I need to find it."

"I don't know where it is," Manny said sultrily. "But have you checked in the bedroom? I'm sure you can find it there or something better."

Maxwell watched Manny walk away before grinning. Without a shadow of a doubt, he loved his wife.

* * *

The final bell rang and most students were nearly running to get out of school and begin their weekend. Jacob went to put his books into his locker when noticed someone standing beside him. He turned to see Kelly, who a clearly wicked grin on her face.

"I know." Kelly said.

"You know what?" Jacob asked.

"Vanessa. You. I know." Kelly repeated. "I saw you two earlier."

Jacob's eyes widened. "Kelly, you can't tell anyone! If James knew-"

"Your secret is safe with me." Kelly interrupted. "Just remember who your friends are when you and my brother become famous with the band and he's mad at me for whatever the reason is."

"Sure." Jacob said as the blonde walked off. "I need better hiding spots."

* * *

Ashton and Aaron stood at Aaron's locker with Gabrielle, Jordan, and Chandra.

"I wish," Chandra said to Aaron. "But I have to get in touch with my lab partner about this stupid lab report. Kind of like Brie and her partner, Ashton."

"I hate lab reports." Ashton said.

"I bet." Chandra replied. "You kind of like testing the drugs yourself, huh?"

"Where do you get drugs in lab report?" Ashton asked.

Chandra shrugged. "I guess when you were brought into the conversation."

"Bambi, could you really lay off of the pill jokes?" Aaron said. "It's been kind of a long-"

"Cops." Chandra said.

The group turned to see a few cops walking down the hall. The other students in the hallway stepped aside, allowing the four men to walk their path. The group of police walked into a classroom.

"Who do you think they're after?" Jordan asked.

"Hopefully not one of us." Gabrielle replied.

The group came out with Steven in cuffs.

"What's going on?" Gabrielle said as Steven was led to the group.

"So you found out, huh?" Steven asked Ashton.

"You tried to make me take the fall for you." Ashton replied. "And I thought Dakota was a bad sibling."

Steven smirked. "Whatever."

"Let's go." one of the officers said leading Steven away.

"…" Chandra stood silent for a moment. "So you didn't pop pills."

"No he didn't." Aaron said. "And Ashton, I'm sorry it had to come to this, but it was either him or you."

"I know." Ashton said. "What a life."

* * *

Nicole was humming a tune quietly when Helen caught up to her. Nicole's breath hitched, ready for a fist to fly.

"Nicole…" Helen said. "There is no practice today. Go home."

"Okay… Um, Helen, are you okay?" Nicole asked.

"Contemplating on whether or not I should ruin my weekend by punching you in the face right now." Helen replied. "It's one thing for you to have a crush on Nate. It's another to be doing the things you are with him."

"Are you just saying that because you and Jay broke up? If so, then-"

"You have two choices Nicole." Helen interrupted. "Become another one of those statistics or be better than them. It's your call."

Helen walked away from Nicole, who was beginning to realize that Helen _did_ genuinely care for her.

"Hey Nicky, you ready to go?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah." Nicole said happily.

* * *

Jayden walked upstairs, heading towards his room, when he noticed Aaron in his room, looking for something.

"Hey," Jayden said knocking on the door. "What're you looking for?"

Aaron stopped. "My key to Nana's. I had it in my drawer and I can't find it anywhere."

"Oh. Why'd you come home so early?" Jayden asked.

"Oh, no reason. I just remembered that I lost my key and-"

"A.J, you and I both know that the key is in your pocket." Jayden cut his brother off. "So what's _really_ the problem?"

Aaron sighed. "It's Jordan."

"Jordan? The girl that can do no wrong? This I must hear." Jayden said.

"I think she's starting to want… More from me. And-"

"Are you trying to say that she wants to go out with you?" Jayden interrupted. Aaron nodded. "Good. Don't try to make that difficult."

"Well, I like her. But as a girlfriend… I don't know. It's just weird." Aaron said.

"Hey," Jayden said. "Dad and Coop's dads were friends and our grandfathers were friends. So me dating a girl that Dad looked at as a niece was weird." Aaron nodded. That made sense. "But you dating Jordan is nothing new to any of us. I mean, you're already going on dates."

"We're not going on dates." Aaron quickly inputted.

"Say what you want, but they are dates." Jayden said. "Your strength is science and text books. Leave the experience and girls to me. And trust me, they are dates, you like her, and dating her won't be weird."

"If you say so." Aaron said with a sigh. "Well, I guess I should head to the Dot. I told her that I'd meet her there and then… Well, we'd go wherever."

Jayden smiled. "Keep your pistol in your holster as Dad says."

Aaron's face nearly reddened at the statement. Sure Jordan was attractive, but did he really want to picture what having sex with her was like? She was like his mother's unofficial daughter so…

"Don't think too hard on that." Jayden said. "Now I have to go make sure that everything is okay with _my_ date with a girl that _I_ made an A.J mistake with."

"What's an 'A.J mistake'?" Aaron asked.

"Doubting whether or not I should date a perfectly datable girl." Jayden explained. "And unlike you, I am going to do it with confidence because I'm not a pansy."

Aaron glared at Jayden as Jayden left his bedroom. Now, he would do it. He would date Jordan whether he asked her or she asked him. Just to prove that Aaron Jordan McDuelle was not a pansy.

* * *

Dakota watched as Laura paced Dakota's room with fever. She would have asked what Laura's problem was, but she knew that it had to be one of two people: Jayden or Nicole. There was the possibility that it was both of them, but Dakota doubted it since Laura refused to drink on this.

"So," Dakota said. "Do you want to go out today? To the ravine? Catch a movie? Something that stops you from pacing a hole in my floor."

"Not now Dash, I'm thinking." Laura replied, still pacing.

"About what?" Dakota asked.

Laura stopped. "You said that being nice to Jayden would work. And it didn't. Now I'm thinking about how I can get rid of Nicole once and for all."

"It did work." Dakota said. Laura eyed Dakota suspiciously. "When were walking together after fifth period, he told me that he had never seen you in a good mood. He said that it actually made his day."

Laura frowned. "What does that have to do with him getting Nicole away from me?"

"I thought you were doing that because you li-"

"I said we weren't going to talk about that." Laura quickly interrupted. "And, no, I was doing that because I thought he'd owe me the favor in getting Nicole off of my back. Damn, I can't even go to the ravine because she'll be there."

"Let's go Laura." Dakota said putting her shoes on.

"And where are we going?" Laura asked.

"The ravine, where else?" Dakota replied.

Laura smirked. "You can't go back to the ravine. Your friends told you not to."

"That's the point." Dakota said standing up. "If I'm there, they will come. If they come, they might as well take Nicky with them." Laura looked at the ceiling in a thinking manner. "Picture this. I'm drunk. I call Kelly. Kelly tells Shane. Shane comes. Shane sees Nicky high. Shane blows a fuse. Nicky is out of your hair and Nate is injured. Win-win situation, right?"

"Two birds, one stone," Laura said looking at Dakota. "I might be rubbing off on you."

"Let's hope not. Now, let's go." Dakota said.

* * *

Jordan saw Aaron walk into the Dot and smiled brightly. For some reason, she thought about him not showing up at all. She did not know where the thought came for, but once it was in her head, it was hard to get out.

"Hey." Jordan said rising from her seat. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah. But where exactly?" Aaron asked.

"There's this new movie out about-"

"A chick flick?" Aaron interrupted. Jordan smiled as Aaron sighed. "Fine. We can go see it."

"I, um, guess we'll have to do Chandra's plan." Jordan said shyly. Aaron frowned in confusion. "I m-mean, you're a guy and I'm a girl… People will think that…"

"Oh." Aaron said, now hiding a blush of his own. "I guess so. So, uh, you ready to go?"

"Sure." Jordan said before the two left the Dot. "So, everyone's been talking…"

"About?" Aaron asked.

"Us." Jordan said.

Aaron nearly tripped. "Oh. That."

"Yeah." Jordan said. "And I was thinking that… Maybe… I don't know, maybe it won't be so bad if you and I went out. Like officially went out instead of just going out to the movies."

"Uh-huh…" Aaron replied.

"You don't have to. I mean, I can understand why you wouldn't." Jordan said, now focused on the ground.

"And why wouldn't I?" Aaron asked. He had learned from his brother that messing with a girl's mind will make her say more than necessary, thus she spills nearly her soul.

"Well, I always thought that you had a thing for Chandra." Jordan said. "And I mean, come on. She's not bad-looking. She's smart. She's a cheerleader. Several of people know her. No one tries to bully her except Helen and that's because she's the only one tough enough to go head-to-head with her. Jayden is obviously friends with her. And I'm just… I don't know. None of that."

Again, channeling his inner Jayden, Aaron smiled warmly.

"You're perfect the way you are." Aaron said. Jordan gave Aaron a smile that made him realize that his words worked. "You're smart and beautiful. Plus, you're reliable. Anytime I need something you're there to help. And I don't know anyone who knows me better to be my girlfriend than you."

Jordan beamed happily. "Seriously? I mean, even after all my mood swings about Granddad's death and all? And how I look and-"

"There's nothing wrong with the way you look and I'm serious." Aaron said. "If you want, that is."

"Of course I do! I mean… Of course I do." Jordan said. "So, what now?"

"We go to the movies." Aaron replied grabbing Jordan's hand and placing it inside his own. "Together."

"Yeah. Together." Jordan said happily.

* * *

Laura and Dakota walked to their usual spot in the ravine where Ethan, Damon, and Torrie were at.

"He banging Nicole?" Laura asked, gaining nods from the other three. "I knew it."

"I don't mean to sound like Laura," Torrie said. "But anyone but me see Nate changing? He's becoming… I don't know. Like some kind of pushover."

"I hate to admit it, but you're right." Ethan said. "He is changing." Ethan then looked at Dakota. "Dakota? Didn't think you'd be back here so soon."

"I just came to get out of the house for a while." Dakota said.

"I heard you guys rocked last week." Ethan stated.

Torrie took a gulp of beer from the can. "I did too. Congrats."

"Thanks." Dakota said. Torrie offered her some of the beer. "No thanks. I have a drumming session with my mom later and I can't drink before session. It messes me up and she gets mad."

"I bet so." Torrie said. "Man, Nate's worse than Ethan when he was dating Jeanette."

Ethan smirked. "I must've been good when I dated you, huh?"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Torrie said. "So, Laura, how goes your Jayden problems?"

"Let's start, shall we?" Laura replied.

Dakota idly rolled her eyes. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

Shane and Kelly helped Gavin lock up for the night.

"I can't wait for the next show." Shane said to his father. "I mean, I know that it'll probably be a while, but I still can't wait."

"Me neither." Kelly said. "You guys were great."

"Aw man…" Kelly, Shane, and Gavin spotted Jacquelyn. "I was going to get a quick snack before heading home but…"

"Shane, lock up when you're done." Gavin said. "Nice to see you again Jackie."

"You too, Mr. Mason." Jacquelyn said.

"Please. Call me Spinner. Everyone else does." Gavin said before putting an arm around Kelly. "Come on Kelly. Time to go home."

"Have fun Shane." Kelly said with a smile as she walked with her father to his truck.

Shane sighed before taking his key out and unlocking the shop.

"I'm sorry." Jacquelyn said. "I can go home if you want me to."

"Oh no. That's not what's wrong." Shane said. "My dad and my sister always rubbing something in my face is what's wrong." Shane opened the door and allowed Jacquelyn to enter before following her. "So what did you want?"

"Nothing big. Just a plate of fries." Jacquelyn said sitting at the counter. She watched Shane move to wash his hands to prepare the order. "So… You hear about Nicky?"

"Yeah I did." Shane said as he dried his hand while cutting the deep fryer on. "I don't worry about it. Or I'm not trying to."

"Me too." Jacquelyn replied. "So, what have you been doing today?"

Shane smiled as he put in a batch of fries. He then turned to Jacquelyn.

"I've been talking to Jayden." Shane said. "We decided to trade exes." Jacquelyn blushed. "Yeah, so while he's out on a date with Scarlett, I'm supposed to be finding a way to ask you out."

"Really?" Jacquelyn said. "Um, well…"

"Just say yes." Shane said. "I don't want to go through the whole awkward moment thing."

Jacquelyn smiled. "Yeah."

"So," Shane said leaning on the counter. "How's your night been?"

* * *

Later that night, Jayden and Scarlett had successfully exited the movies. The two were walking near one another, though they said nothing. They were seconds away from kissing in the theaters and now there was an awkward sensation following them.

"So…" Scarlett said. "I had a good night."

"Sorry about the car thing. My mom said she needed to go somewhere and Danni-"

"I understand." Scarlett interrupted. "It's okay, really."

Jayden smiled. "Do you remember when you showed me around town in exchange for lunch? I guess that could be considered our first date, right?"

"Yeah…" Scarlett said. "This is weird for me."

"Why?" Jayden asked.

"You just broke up with my cousin. I should be feeling a little bad about this." Scarlett said before feeling a raindrop on her head. "You're kidding me."

A light rain began to fall on the two.

"This is just another sign that this is wrong. I know so." Scarlett said, though Jayden started laughing. "What's so funny?"

"I'm just thinking," Jayden said. "The first day I saw you, it was raining."

"And?" Scarlett asked.

"Don't you see? It's déjà vu." Jayden said now standing directly in front of her. "Kind of like redemption. I can do what I originally wanted to do."

"Yeah." Scarlett said before the two began kissing in the rain. Scarlett smiled. "You are a great kisser."

Jayden chuckled. "You're not so bad yourself."

The two stared at one another before starting make-out session. The two were so wrapped in each other that they did not notice Manny pulling up to pick her son and his date up. Manny smiled as she sat in the car.

"Déjà vu." Manny said to herself as she remembered the day she moved back to Toronto.

* * *

**A/N: So, this is how it ends for the season. The end of Jaylen (Jayden/Helen) and the beginning of Scarden (Scarlett/Jayden) as well as Jane (Jackie/Shane) and A.J/Jordan (can't mix that since Jordan is his middle name). Season Two will also have the return of Jay Hogart and he will add a little twist in there. I'm not really done with the Steven popping pills thing or the Laura and Jayden thing, so be on the look out for that. Janessa (Jacob/Vanessa) is an odd pairing to me, but it works somehow. Kind of like Beauty and the Geek. Characters such as Marc and Damon will have bigger parts in Season Two, I promise. And we might see a little bit Natcole (Nathan/Nicole). I don't want to give out too much information, so I will leave it at that. Webisodes will act as fillers to keep the story fresh. Hope you liked it. **

**DJ Ghostwriter**


	25. Webisode: Shameless Plug

**A Shameless Plug: Cousin and Brothers**

Jayden McDuelle stood beside his ex-girlfriend Helen Sinclair-Coyne as they watched the man behind the camera countdown.

"Hey _Like a Record_ fans, I am Jayden McDuelle."

"And of course I'm Helen Sinclair-Coyne." Helen finished. "Of course many of you are thinking about season two of-"

"Ahem." Jayden and Helen watched as a new girl walked towards the duo. They turned to the men and women working behind the cameras giving them confused look as this girl stepped towards them.

"Deion?" Jayden questioned.

"That's right. I am Deion Mileston, Jayden's cousin." Deion said before looking at Helen. "Glad to finally meet you."

"Jay, what is your cousin doing here interrupting _our_ story segment?" Helen asked.

"I have no clue." Jayden answered.

"And I brought gifts." Deion said. "Come on out!"

Helen gaped. "Mike! Mark! What're you two doing here? I thought I left you in New York!"

"Hi big sis." Mark Coyne said as his twin gave a scoff.

"You didn't leave us in New York. We go to PCA, which is in California. Genius." Mike Coyne replied.

"I'll shove my genius foot up your-"

"Since this segment is _clearly_ PG," Jayden interrupted his ex. "You three mind telling us what's going on?"

"Oh. That." Deion said. "Well, it's been a while and _Days of Yesteryear_ is slowly coming. So we thought we'd give the viewers a peek."

"A peek? On _our_ segment?" Helen said. "Why don't you guys do webisodes like _we_ do? Oh that's right. Because no one _knows_ you!"

"You do see the point of us taking over your segment then, right?" Mike asked.

"Sorry about this Helen." said Mike's younger twin. "But only family was allowed on the set, so the school chose us three. Jayden's cousin and your brothers that you don't like claiming in front of the camera."

"Which I can't do anymore because you're here, now can I?" Helen asked through gritted teeth.

"So…" Jayden said. "Can we finish or-"

"Dear viewers!" Deion said happily. "If you're tired of the hundred and forty characters of _Like a Record_, such as Jayden McDuelle, Scarlett Chessex, Helen Sinclair-Coyne, Mary-Jane Del Rossi-"

"I'm going to kill your cousin." Helen whispered to Jayden.

"And the others," Deion concluded. "Then be prepared for the best drama series ever! It's called _Days of Yesteryear_ and it's about me! Deion Mileston! Jayden's better-than-him cousin!" Deion heard Mike clear his throat. "Oh, and a few other people as well like Helen's younger twin brothers and a few- Ah who cares about them? It's about me!"

"Deion-"

"Ssh! I'm not done!" Deion snapped at her cousin. "Anyway you get to go back to your favorite boarding school also known as Pacific Coast Academy and see what we _actually_ do behind closed doors. For example, did you know Zoey Brooks slept with Logan Reese her senior year. Their daughter is my best friend."

"Deion-"

"I'm not finished!" Deion called to her cousin. "Like I was saying, juicy stuff right? And you, the viewer, gets to see all the real life teen things that happens in a co-ed boarding school. And there's this extremely hot guy named-"

"Stupid the camera's off." Deion turned her head to see Helen standing over her brothers, the plug to the camera in her hands. "This segment is over."

Helen walked off the set, dialing her mother's cell number. She was going to complain like there was no tomorrow.

Deion pouted. "I didn't even get to the best part!"

"I know you didn't." Jayden replied, putting an arm around his cousin. "But there are a few things you need to know. Things such as, our family was never in the shows they watched. We just lived in Newport."

"Yeah…"

"And if you want to be the stand-out character, you have to do it in the story, not a segment. They just got me and Helen because her mother is a TV host and mine is an actress. We kind of know how to read lines well." Jayden said. "Because clearly, I could have told you that Helen was in a bad mood."

Deion sighed. "I guess you're right." Deion then smiled. "Want to get something eat? Your treat?"

Jayden laughed. "Sure. Just remember to pick up your colleagues later."

Deion eyed Mike and Mark. "Boy, she doesn't play around does she?"

"Let me tell you how dating her was." Jayden said as he led his cousin away.

Mike and Mark eventually sat up, nursing bruised faces, swelling eyes, and busted lips.

"I told you that she'd be in a bad mood!" Mark called to his brother.

"She's _always_ in a bad mood!" Mike replied. "She's no better than Aunt Heather!"

Mark stood up. "Hey… Where'd everyone go?"

The twins looked around before Mike groaned.

"I bet Deion got on the plane without us." Mike said.

Mark grinned. "Just another screwing ending for _Days of Yesteryear,_ right?" Mike nodded. "I can't wait until both stories are merged. It'll be like-"

"Mark. Shut up." Mike said as the twins walked off of the set.


	26. Webisode: A Mile in her Heels: Manny

Following a typical day in Manny's shoes. Just how does one survive with seven kids?

**A Mile in her Heels: Manny McDuelle**

Like any other day, the alarm clock went off at six thirty in the morning. Groaning, Manny McDuelle rolled to hit the stupid buzzing atrocity as it had ruined yet another peaceful dream.

"Max," she said nudging her sleeping husband. "Max, you have to wake up baby. You have a plane to catch soon."

"I know." came the tired reply. "Okay, I'm getting up."

So, this was how her day started off. As normal, he had a meeting to go to, this one just so happened to be in Liverpool, England. He would not be home for nearly a week. And though she was sad that he was not going to be there, she knew that it was an important business meeting that require both owners of the company- he and his sister Ginger- to be there.

"I'll go get the kids up." Manny said sitting up.

"Thanks babe." Maxwell said before leaning up to capture her lips. "I'll make breakfast."

"No, I got it. Just get ready." Manny said before getting out of bed, slipping her bedroom shoes on, and leaving the room.

Many people did not know the real life of Manny McDuelle, and that was because on the sets of her movies or an award ceremony, she looked rejuvenated and happy. In fact, some said that she nearly glowed at all times. And for the most part, that was true. And she owed it to her strange family, starting with Maxwell. The next one in line would be her eldest daughter, Danica McDuelle.

Danica, for some odd reason, slept in the pool house out in the back. Sure, it allowed Jayden and Katya to have their own rooms inside the house, but it meant extra walking for Manny. Oh well. She had to put exercise somewhere in her busy schedule.

Walking outside in the cool morning in Newport Beach, California, Manny knocked on the locked door.

"Are you awake, Danni?" Manny asked.

The seventeen-years-old girl groaned. "Mama…"

"Come on. Get up. You know how I feel about you and Jayden getting to school on time." Manny replied.

"I'm up." Danica said before muttering something Manny could not catch. Manny just rolled her eyes. Danica's foul mouth was always directed to a teacher or a student she did not like, but from time-to-time, Manny and/or Maxwell would catch their daughter cursing her luck. "Has Daddy left?"

"He's in the shower." Manny said. "I'm going to run in here and get the others up before I start breakfast. You want anything particular?"

"Is sleep on the menu?" came Danica's response.

Manny did not answer. She just walked away. The pool house was equipped with its own shower, so Danica did not have to leave her 'bedroom' until she was fully cleaned and dress. Although many of Danica's friends thought that this was the coolest thing in the world, Maxwell and Manny knew that it was just to stop people from seeing Danica in her disheveled form. The girl took pride in her good looks.

Now back inside of the house, Manny climbed the steps to her son, Jayden's room. She opened it to see her husband's miniature form lying beneath his covers, back towards the door.

"Jay, school." those were her only words to get him up. Sure, Jayden got into trouble at school like his sister did, but he was still a mama's boy.

"I'm coming." Jayden mumbled into the sheets.

"Hurry up. If Danni leaves and you're not in the car, you can't catch a ride with anyone else. Your father will be gone." Manny said.

Jayden sat up slowly. He grabbed a large rubber band from his nightstand and used it to pull his hair back and tied the rubber band around it, giving him his puffy ponytail that Manny adored since he was little. Her other sons did not have long hair like Jayden nor did they have dimples.

"Anyone in the shower?" he asked, his voice still hoarse from sleep.

"Not yet." Manny said leaving.

Her next target was her other sons, Aaron and Christian's bedroom. While Christian was just four, Aaron was nine and attended elementary school with his sister, Katya. Christian went to a preschool a few blocks away from Aaron's school, leaving Manny to deal with the two-years-old twins, Renée and Jenée alone. Unless she decided to take them to the daycare around the corner, but today she felt like she should keep her daughters home.

"A.J. Chris. Get up." Manny said in a warm voice. The two had bunk beds where Aaron slept on the top and Christian slept on the bottom. Manny went to Aaron and nudged him. "A.J, get up. You have that field trip later on, remember."

"Yeah…" Aaron said.

"Mommy." Manny turned her attention to the door to see Jenée standing there. She knew it was Jenée out of sheer mother instincts. Bending down, she lifted the little girl up.

"What are you doing awake, Jenée?" the toddler shrugged. "Okay. Are you hungry?" a tired nod. "Okay. We'll get you something to eat." Manny looked at Aaron. "Make sure that Chris is awake."

"Sure Mama." Aaron said as Manny left for her last stop, Katya's room.

Aaron and Katya were alike in many ways. They were usually soft-spoken and quite smart. However, Katya had a limit to her patience and once in every blue moon, there would be a phone call home talking about the verbal or physical abuse Katya had done to one of her classmates. Aaron, on the other hand, has never been in trouble in school so far.

Going into Katya's always cleaned room, Manny walked to her bed and gently shook her daughter.

"Kitty. Kitty it's time to get up." Manny said. "Kitty."

"I'm awake." Katya said before yawning. "Did Daddy leave yet?"

Unfortunately, the little difference that Katya did not share with Aaron, she shared with Danica. Manny could only pray that Katya did not do _half_ the things her eldest daughter did.

"No. He's still here." Manny said before putting a hand through Katya's straight dark brown hair. The chocolate orbs that her daughter calls eyes looked up and met her own, her heart nearly melting at the innocent look. "Hurry up and get dressed. I'm taking you and A.J to school today."

"'Kay Mommy." Katya replied.

Manny left Katya's bedroom and took Jenée into her and her twin's bedroom. Manny laid the nearly sleeping girl back in her bed. Manny kissed Jenée's forehead.

"I'll be right back sweetie. I have to go make breakfast." Manny said.

Manny checked to see if Renée was still sleeping, and as if answering her prayers, she was. Manny left and walked into her bedroom to see Maxwell nearly dressed. He was sitting on the bed, looking at some papers in his hands, his shoes beside his feet and his suitcase on the bed behind him.

"So what is it?" Manny asked stepping into the bathroom. She had just enough time to wash up and get dressed before her children would all be ready to eat.

"Nothing." Maxwell said. "I wish I didn't have to leave for _England_ though. It would be much better if this was in L.A or somewhere near."

"Go to England." Manny replied behind the closed door.

"And leave you guys here? You do realize that this will be the longest I've been away since the twins were born, right? I doubt that you can handle all seven of them by yourself." Manny opened the door to glare at him, though with her toothbrush in her mouth, she failed and gained a smile from her husband. "Okay, so maybe I should worry more about them and not you."

Manny gave her husband a middle finger before closing the door, though this only fueled his fire and he laughed.

This was the kind of things that they did behind closed doors. They could say and do everything that they wanted to without the worry of one of their kids seeing it or some reporter catching it on camera. They could act just like they did nearly eighteen years ago when they met. While Maxwell could be the perverted boy he once was, Manny could be, well, Danica. She could be rude, fun, hard-to-get, and above all, flirtatious with her husband. They knew that once they left the comfort of their own bedroom, that this kind of play was limited until all seven kids were asleep. But with their luck, they usual fell asleep before that happened.

Manny spit the toothpaste into the sink. "Hey babe."

"Hmm." he replied.

"For the summer, what do you say about visiting my parents in Toronto?" Manny asked.

"Depends on the time of month. Wouldn't want to catch your dad while he's on his period." Maxwell said.

Manny rolled her eyes once more. "No. He won't be on his period anytime we go up there. So what do you say?"

"Yeah. We'll talk more about this on the phone. I'll go get breakfast started." Manny opened the bathroom door and was seconds away from protesting before he beat her to it. "Don't say a thing. I'll make breakfast. You just make sure that you make dessert for my return. I like my pie hot."

Manny blushed. "Go."

Maxwell left the bedroom, allowing Manny to get dressed in privacy. Once she was fully dressed, she sat on her bed and looked at the family picture on her nightstand. This caused her to look at her notepad and groan. She had a scheduled interview today. After putting her shoes on, she made her way out of the room.

Maxwell was a man of many talents, but none came close to his ability to cook. Sure her father- being the old-fashioned man that he was- found it wrong for Maxwell to do most of the cooking while Manny did not, but Manny and the kids loved it.

"Coffee?" Maxwell asked, sipping the beverage out of a cup.

"I'd love some." Manny said taking his cup away from him with a smile. Maxwell gave her a playful slap on her rear, seconds before Danica came into the kitchen from the backdoor. "Danni! You took longer than I expected."

"It was my hair." Danica said, combing her hair with her fingers. "Tangles and split-ends do not make for a princess."

"Yeah," Maxwell said standing over the stove. "You got anything particular you want to eat?"

"Whatever you got." Danica said. Danica checked the time on the microwave. "I could've slept for another fifteen minutes."

"It would've done you no good, trust me." Maxwell said.

"Say, Mama, don't you have an interview today?" Danica asked.

Manny nodded. That was Danica for you, she kept track of everyone and everything that revolved around her. Well, except for her homework, but she did do her projects three days in advance. This was a great trait, since Manny sometimes forgot when some, lesser important things had to be done.

"Stupid grease." Maxwell muttered. Manny saw her husband frying bacon at the current time. She checked the time on the microwave. "Don't worry Dimples. I'm out as soon as this is done. You can finish the rest."

Manny smiled. Sometimes it was creepy that he knew what she was thinking. Others, it made her life and job that much easier.

"Hey Dad," Jayden said coming into the room. "When are you coming back?"

"Why?" Maxwell asked, knowing that a favor was going to be asked.

"Coop and I wanted to go to the Lakers game next week and-"

"The Lakers? Jay, when will you get it in your head that you're not going to become a professional basketball player?" Danica interrupted.

"The same day you stop answering for our parents." Jayden replied.

Danica glared at him. "Don't start with me this early. Remember that you have to make it to school in _my_ car."

"And he will." Manny said to her daughter.

"Yeah, but in how many pieces?" Danica stated.

Maxwell looked at Danica, quickly hushing the girl. Though it was Manny who was normally hard on her kids, they all knew that when Maxwell was angry about something, it was best to undo what had been done or else. Which was another reason she loved him. Handling children like Danica was much easier with him around.

"Let me get out of here." Maxwell said. "And if I call and one or all of my children are hurt, for your sake, your mother had better be the reason Danica."

"Yes sir." Danica said.

Maxwell smiled before kissing his eldest daughter on the forehead.

"That's my princess." Maxwell turned and gave Manny a soft kiss on the lips. "I'll call when we land."

"Sure." Manny said as he left the kitchen, heading for the bedroom where he had left his bags. "So, when are your next games?"

"Next Tuesday." Danica answered. "His is at five and mine is at six thirty."

"I'll be there rooting for you both." Manny said as she moved to finish breakfast. "And Jay, if, and only if, you stay out of trouble between now and Saturday, you can go with Marissa to the game."

"Thanks." Jayden said.

"Well," Danica said with a smile. "You might as well tell your little girlfriend that you won't be able to make it. With your kind of luck and attitude, you'll be grounded before you even leave the house."

"Like you are?" Jayden asked with a smirk.

Danica had no response to the comment, something that made Manny mentally pat her son on the back. When one pulled one over Danica, they had achieved something in their life.

"Bye Daddy!" the sound of Katya called, followed by a response and the door closing.

"Well, there goes my chance to see any movies this weekend." Danica muttered before she got up and moved to the dining room.

"Why do you say that?" Manny asked.

"Let's be honest. You're going to say no." Danica said sitting at the table.

Manny was quiet for a moment as she continued her cooking. When she first learned that she was going to be a mother, she decided that there were two things she would never do: Let her daughters grow up like she did and not become her father. However, doing the first on her list meant contradicting the second one. She hated being the bad guy, but she did find Danica in bed with a boy on her sixteenth birthday. That image only reminded her of her and Craig or her and Jay.

Her mind slowly traveled down memory lane for a moment. The birth of Danica gave her a chance to undo her mistake with Craig. She would have a child, whether she was ready for it or not. That, plus Maxwell was a big antagonist of abortion.

And Jay? Well, since the last time he cheated on her resulted in her sleeping with Maxwell in the first place to create Danica, she could care less. He got whatever he deserved and then some. And thankfully the next time someone told her that he loved her, they began a family and got married, something Jay was a little hesitant on doing.

Manny looked over into the next room to see Danica sitting at the table by herself, staring out of the window. She reminded Manny a lot of herself, with bits and pieces of her father in there. She was a beautiful growing woman and it only scared Manny more to think that this was Danica's graduating year. In a month, she would be eighteen and officially a woman. Yet the weird thing was, it seemed like yesterday she was reading bedtime stories to the young girl who had an interest in everything magical or things that seemed highly unlikely like Martians. A smile crept onto Manny's face when she remembered a five-years-old Danica walking around the house saying that she was a long-lost descendant of Atlantis.

"Home by midnight." the words left her mouth before she realized what she was doing.

"Huh?" Jayden said.

"Not you. I was talking to your sister." Manny said. Manny turned back to her cooking. "Did you hear me Danni?" Her answer came when a pair of arms nearly squeezed the air out of her. Though, there was always air left for a small laugh. "I guess you did."

"You are the best mother ever, I swear." Danica said while hugging her mother. "I'll finish cooking. I promise."

"Good." Manny said. "I'm going to get the twins ready."

The time was now seven o'clock. That was good, she had thirty minutes to take Aaron and Katya to school and drop Christian off at pre-school.

As she walked to the twins' bedroom, she stopped to check on the other kids. Katya was combing her hair, though Manny knew that Danica was just going to do it once the girl got downstairs. Danica would never allow her younger sister to leave the house 'half-pretty' as Danica would say. Christian was dressed as was Aaron. Thankfully Aaron was nothing like Jayden, who believed that one warning was enough for everyone. Therefore, if Jayden were to tell someone to get up once and they did not move, he would let them sleep unless he needed something. Aaron, fortunately, did what his parents told him to do.

Finally, Manny made it to the girls' bedroom where both twins were awake and mobile. Renée, the older of the two, was busy playing with some dolls while Jenée was playing with some toy computer. Manny sighed heavily.

This was going to be tough.

"Are you two ready to eat?"

"No."

Yep. Manny knew this was going to happen. Once the two had something to do, everything else seemed unimportant. This meant that the necessities in life such as eating, sleeping, and bathing came second to playing or watching TV.

"Come on," Manny said moving towards Renée first. "Let's go."

"Play!" the girl whined.

"Play later. Eat now." Manny said lifting her up, much to the girl's chagrin.

"Breakfast is done." Danica said at the doorway.

"Danni!" Renée cried, hoping her sister would give her what she wanted.

Danica rolled her eyes before taking her younger sister from her mother.

"You know, I'm old enough to be your mother." Danica said to Renée, gaining a glare from Manny. "But since I'm not, how about we do what she says before you get in trouble?"

"More like it." Manny said cutting the computer game off, causing Jenée to whine as well. "It's time to eat."

"I'll strap this one down." Danica said leaving the room with Renée.

Jenée looked at Manny. "Hung-wee."

"I know you are." Manny said leaving the room with Jenée in her arms. "That's because you're mommy's chubby little girl." Manny poked Jenée in her stomach, causing the girl to giggle childishly. "A.J, Chris come down and get something to eat before we have to go."

"Yes ma'am." Aaron replied.

"Kitty did you hear me?" Manny asked walking by her room.

"I'm coming." Katya said.

Once she was downstairs, she spotted Renée in a highchair, eating dry cereal from a bowl and drinking milk from a sippy cup. The strange thing about Renée was that she could not eat cereal with milk in the bowl. Both Manny and Maxwell seemed confused about Renée's inability to allow anything on her plate to touch, even cereal and milk, but they never said anything out loud. Danica and Jayden, however, took every chance to pick on their baby sister.

"There you go Jenée." Manny said sitting Jenée in the second highchair. Manny put a bowl of cereal, with milk, in front of Jenée. Jenée began to faithfully eat her meal. "That's mommy's girl."

"Hey Mama," Danica said. "Do you think we can go to Italy this summer?"

"No. I was trying to talk your dad into going to see my parents in Toronto." Manny said as she moved to the kitchen to fix her a plate. "But as you know, he does not want to go see my dad."

"What's new?" Danica asked.

"So do you want to go to Toronto?" Manny asked.

Danica shrugged. "I don't know. You know that the Seniors' Party in Tijuana is this summer. I thought about going until I heard that some guy that I shouldn't be around or I'll lose myself will be there."

Manny rolled her eyes. "Danni, don't let a boy control your life or you'll be miserable."

"I know. I'm trying to be more like you." Danica said with a smile.

"You're getting close." Manny said as she moved to an empty seat at the table near the two highchairs.

"So, are you going to do the interview here? Because if you are, I could always come during lunch and help." Danica said.

"I got it Danni. Besides, I need you to stay in school all day today. I can't have your father thinking that I can't control all of you." Manny replied. "Do that for me and I promise I'll lessen your punishment."

"Deal." Danica responded.

Manny smiled as she watched as her family ate. Danica and Jayden talked amongst themselves as they usually do. Aaron sat in silence as always, looking at everyone else. Katya sat and listened to her older brother and older sister talk, her interest in Danica growing every second. Finally, Christian sat content in eating his meal. He hardly paid attention to anyone or anything.

After breakfast, Manny put the dishes in the dishwasher.

"Danni, can you keep the twins busy? I won't be long." Manny said as Christian, Katya, and Aaron got their things.

"I can." Danica said as Manny left with three of her seven children.

Getting Aaron, Katya, and Christian into the car was a lot easier than most days. Usually one of the three would remember that they forgot something and that meant that she would be running later than usual. Fortunately today was not one of those days.

On their way to Newport Elementary, Manny eyed her three children in the backseats. These three were surprisingly her quietest three despite having the energy to tire out everyone in the house, the twins included.

"Mommy, are we going to see Nana?" Katya asked, referring to Manny's mother.

"Hopefully. But that's in the summer." Manny answered. "Did you want to see her?" Manny looked into the mirror to see the small brunette nodding. "Well, you'll have to be extra good and get your father to say yes."

"Okay." Katya said.

When Manny pulled in front of the school, she unlocked the doors.

"Alright, you two have a good day." Manny said turning in her seat to give them both a kiss on the cheek.

"We will. Bye Mommy!" Katya said happily.

"Bye Mama." Aaron said as he got out of the car with his younger sister.

Manny smiled as Katya followed Aaron into the school like a lost, hyper puppy, bouncing every other step. She locked the doors before pulling off.

"You ready for school Chris?" Manny asked.

"I'm sleepy." Christian whined.

Manny sighed. Well, it had been a nearly _perfect_ day and she has learned a long time ago that nothing was perfect.

Ten minutes later, Manny was pulling into Gardner Preschool and went into a parking spot. Getting out of the car, she went to get Christian out as well, the four years old latching on to her. Manny sighed, but carried him anyway. He was getting _way_ too big for this and Maxwell had begun to grow annoyed by it. Though, Manny only thought it was because Maxwell somewhat favored Danica for whatever the reason and Danica _hated_ being carried anywhere after she learned to walk. In fact, the only time one picked up a young Danica is when she was in trouble. And that was quite a lot.

"Hello Mrs. McDuelle," Christian's teacher, Ms. Ryan said as Manny sat Christian down. "I see that he's a bit sleepy today."

"He'll wake up soon." Manny said before handing Christian his bag. The boy instinctively went to put it in his cubby. "I'll be here to pick him up later. And if I don't make it, Danni will."

"Business meeting?" Ms. Ryan said with a smile.

Manny grinned and nodded. "Yeah, he won't be back for a few days, but we'll manage." Manny looked at her son, who was now playing with a few blocks with another boy. "Bye Chris." Christian waved. "Well, time to head on home."

"See you later." Ms. Ryan said.

Manny made it to her car and got in it with a sigh. She debated which job was harder: Actress or Mom. Seeing that being a mom paid more- sentimentally that is- she figured that it was the harder and better job. She just wished that Maxwell was here. Being a wife, or at least his wife, was the easiest job in the world. Having someone to pamper and spoil at all times of the day was probably the best part of her life.

Once Manny returned home, she was met with a brunette known as Marissa Cooper-White, aka, her son's girlfriend.

"Hey Mrs. McDuelle." Marissa said with a smile.

"Hey," Manny said. "Where're Jay and Danni? I know I told them to be ready."

"Danni's out in the back looking for something and Jay's playing with the twins in their room. He said that if he can tire them out, they'll be asleep in no time." Marissa explained. "I was just waiting just incase Danni tried to leave without us."

"Right." Manny said climbing the steps for the umpteenth time today. She swore she lost at least ten pounds doing this daily. "Jay, I'm home. You can go back down…" Manny's voice became a fit of giggles as she watched Renée and Jenée wrestle with their brother and win. "I thought you were some sort of tough guy?"

"Mama these two are demons." Jayden said as he stood up, though the twins were not done with him. "Okay, okay. You win this round. But you're not the champion. You'll have to beat Danni."

Manny smiled. "Seems like they'll be ready to beat you both in a few years."

"Years? Try months. I'm just waiting for their horns to grow in." Jayden said.

"Jay! Come on! We're going to be late!" Danica called from downstairs.

"I have to go." Jayden said before giving Manny a kiss on the cheek. "Bye Mama. See you after practice."

"Okay." Manny said.

"Bye." the twins said before Manny knelt down and picked them both up.

"Guess what. You two get to stay here with Mommy all day and sit during her interview. Are you two going to be good girls?" they nodded. "I'm sure you aren't." The house phone rang. Manny sat the twins down and sighed heavily. "Who in the world could this be?"

There were a few people that called the house phone. One would be Manny's parents. They called every other day to check in. Then there were Manny's neighbors, the Cohens. Yes, her neighbors. Seth and Summer Cohen grew up in Newport along with Maxwell and they all attended the same high school, though Seth and Summer graduated a year before Maxwell. Strangely enough, when the McDuelle family moved to Newport, back to Newport in Manny's husband's case, they moved into Seth's former house that was remodeled after an earthquake. Now, Adam Cohen and Jayden were best friends and Summer usually called to gossip with Manny if Taylor Atwood was unavailable. Which brings Manny to the third person, Taylor. Taylor was talkative and loved gossiping and exchanging tips. In fact, she gave Manny great cooking tips. A few business calls came through the house phone, though Maxwell always told people to call him on his cell. It sounded suspicious, but Manny realized that it was to ignore certain calls but cutting his phone off.

"Hello." Manny answered.

"You sound terrible." And this was the final person to ever call, Maxwell's older twin sister, Regina Mileston, trophy wife of White Sox star pitcher, Darius Mileston. "That twin loser left already?"

"Yeah." Manny said taking the cordless phone into the bathroom to run the twins bath water. Since they were two, it was much easier to bathe them at the same time. It turned two separate battles into one. "He didn't seem very pleased to go though."

"I blame his father." Regina said. What many people found weird about the McDuelle twins were their different fathers. Regina's father, John MacKaine (not the senator), was currently married to their mother while Maxwell's father, Jordan McDuelle, was the rich business owner.

"I'm trying to get the twins dressed for this interview." Manny said. "So how're your kids?"

"Ugh," Manny knew what that meant. Deion was in trouble. "Deion has gotten on my last nerves about going to that PCA place. She said it's 'closer' to her home."

"Well Reggie," Manny said testing the bathwater. "It is in California where she was born."

"So? Are you complaining about going home?" Manny did not reply since she did just have a talk with her husband about going back to Toronto. "See what I mean? Change is good sometimes."

"How's Darius? I heard he pitched a nearly perfect game the other day against the Braves." Manny said.

Regina gave a low giggle. "He had a pre-game good luck ritual, I can say that."

Manny smiled. "You didn't."

"But I did." Regina said. "And I would do it again if I didn't have five kids." There was a pause. "Speaking of which, you wouldn't mind me sending a few of them down there would you? We could trade Deion and Asante for… Kitty and A.J."

"Tch. You're a terrible bargainer." Manny remarked as she took a doll away from Renée, again gaining a whine. "I'd think a sports wife such as yourself would know how to do a fair trade."

"That's what-" Regina was cut off by a loud bang in the background. "Manny, I'll have to call you back. D.J just got into her sisters' room again."

"Alright. Tell Darius I said hi." Manny said.

"I will." Regina said. "Bye."

"Bye." Manny said before hanging up. Manny looked down at her twins. "Why does your aunt call at odd times?" Both girls just stared at their mother with dark brown eyes. Manny smiled. "Let's get you two in the bath."

After nearly an hour of fussing, whining, bathing, and then more fussing and whining, Manny was able to get both twins into the tub, bathed them, and then fought with them to get out of the tub. This sort of thing was nothing new to the mother of seven. While Danica had been something akin to a mermaid- the child loved water- everyone else had a problem with taking a bath. Every single one of them from Jayden down to Jenée. And oddly enough, once they were in the water they had a real problem getting _out_ of it.

Fickle children.

Now that the girls were dressed, Manny allowed them to scurry about as she got in the shower herself. She knew that they were bound to get into something they should not have, but brushed it aside as toddler mentality. They all did it. And once she was done and fully redress, she was not disappointed as Katya's baby dolls were scattered around the girl's bedroom.

"Renée, Jenée," Manny said, gaining their attention. "Whose toys are you playing with?"

"Mine?" Renée said.

"No. Not yours. Kitty's." Manny said.

"Mine." Renée said again.

"No. It's not yours." Manny said picking the unused dolls off of the floor and putting them where Katya stored them. "Your sister is going to be so mad when she gets home."

Manny allowed the girls to play with one doll each and led them into her and Maxwell's office. The couple used this office to do work at home with or without an agent present in Manny's case. They would hardly go in here together though. And Manny never questioned if her husband was committing adultery since he, not only allowed her to go through his calls, but always kept her updated about his grandfather's company.

"Let's see," Manny said using her planner on the laptop. "Today we have an interview from…_ Mother's Weekly_. Wow, I didn't know that." Manny looked at the twins to see them still preoccupied before continuing. "Max's flight goes to Dallas where he'll meet Ginger. I'll call him later then. I hope he makes it there okay." A reminder popped on the screen. "I know Dad. Stop asking."

Manny paused in her work again to see the two girls still playing. She eyed them for a moment, wondering what they were thinking. She had often times wondered if her twin girls behaved during certain times because they knew that she or their father was busy. A smile graced her lips at the thought and she shut down the laptop.

"Renée. Jenée. You want ice cream?"

Bam. And just like that that pent up energy she knew was in their bodies somewhere came out full blast. The two were now on their feet hopping up and down, their hair failing at keeping up with the rest of their body. Manny giggled as she walked out of the office, her daughters hopping behind her excitedly.

Despite her very attractive figure, Manny only worked out on the sets of her movie. In the house, she ate what she wanted to whenever she felt like it, and ice cream was always on that list somewhere. Maxwell had even joined her for ice cream in the bed once. Ice cream seemed to be the answer to a lot of problems. And oddly enough, whenever in trouble, Danica ate ice cream too in her bedroom.

Entering the kitchen, Manny reached into the freeze to pull out her special stash of Cookies n' Cream ice cream. No one except Manny was allowed to touch "Mommy's special ice cream" or else. Even Maxwell settled for vanilla. Manny smiled at the thought of her husband's face whenever Manny became furious over ice cream. It was like a mixture of pure fear, utter confusion, and a slight hint of amazement as well. He often compared her to the Hulk when angered, but she did not believe hm.

Setting the three bowls of ice cream at the table, she handed her daughters a spoon each and they got busy eating the dessert in front of them. Manny however ate slowly, thinking about her busy week without her husband. A day or so without him was not so bad, but a week? It was starting to look harder and harder every second.

After the twins had their share of ice cream, the trio of McDuelle women- well the two girls and their mother- went into Manny's bedroom as she begin to search for anything on _Mother's Weekly_. As she found one of the magazines, she plopped onto her bed where her daughters crawled up to see what she was reading. Manny saw the two actually attempting to read and tickled them, causing both girls to scream in a fit of laughter. She had no earthly idea why she decided to tickle her daughters, but she did anyway. And the two girls did not go down without a fight, no, they began to tickle their mother as well. So, another day of Manny's life began with the ordinary waking of her children, taking them to school, and now a tickling fest. She swore if her life were anymore crazy, she would have her own show.

Unfortunately, the doorbell rang. Manny sat up, her hair no where near as tamed as she had it.

"Uh-oh," Manny whispered to her daughters. "Mommy might be in trouble."

"Ooh." Renée and Jenée said in sync.

Manny left her bedroom with her daughters hot on her heels. She came to the front door and opened it. There stood a woman with notepad in hand. Manny smiled.

"You must be…"

"Michelle Crouse, _Mother's Weekly_."

"So that's the mysterious interviewer." Manny said opening the door wider. "Well come on in. There's no one here but me and the twins." The reporter stepped into the house, eying it carefully. "We can talk in the living room."

"Sure." Michelle said following Manny. "I love your decorations."

"Thank you." Manny said as they entered the living room. "Please, have a seat on the couch." Michelle sat on the couch beside Manny, Jenée and Renée squeezing in-between the two women. "As you can see, my daughters are very protective of me."

"I see." Michelle said. "So, let me start by saying that last year you were Wife of the Year and this month you are Mom of the Month. How do you have time to do all of this?"

"Well," Manny replied as Michelle began scribbling. "I don't always have time to act and parent. If I know that it's an emergency and my children need me, I won't do a job, no matter what, or I'll ask if the taping can be moved back a few days. But if I know that they're safe and Max is going to be home for a while, I act. It's not really a big thing to me."

"But your children just seem to," Michelle looked at the twins. "Adore you as if you're always there all the time."

"Well, it's because I am when they call. Or at least, I try to be." Manny answered.

"You're originally born in the Philippines," Manny nodded. "And then you lived in Toronto where you attended school. Tell me how the moving affected you because I've learned that, you know, you take a child away from their friends and they whine until they make new friends. And as a parent you don't really want them to change but so much, right?"

"That's a good question." Manny said. "I struggled to find myself. I wanted to stand out and it actually backfired in school. I didn't really have confidence in myself until later in my life."

"Is it true that you dated Craig Manning?" Michelle questioned.

Manny smiled. "Yeah, we dated during high school."

"And the abortion?"

Manny sighed. "It was a bad decision, I'll admit. Neither of us was really ready and it was something my mother suggested it."

"Play?" Renée asked pulling on Manny's arm.

"Go ahead." Manny replied pointing to the doorway. "I'll be there later." The twins hopped off the couch and dashed out of the room. Manny looked at Michelle. "Are you a Craig Manning fan?"

"I like his music." the other woman said.

"Oh. That's it." Manny said.

"What's it?" Michelle asked.

"My husband has told me about reporters that don't want to report anything, they just want to find that one old wound that hasn't healed yet." Manny said. "My abortion with Craig's child is a decision that I live with everyday. I have no clue on how differently my life would be, but one thing is for sure. I'm glad I am where I am today."

The two women were quiet, Manny quite pleased that the reporter had seemingly stopped to think about her actions. Clearing her throat, Michelle smiled.

"So," Michelle said. "How has being the wife to one of the richest men in the country being?"

Manny smiled. This interview was becoming better already.

After the interview, Manny went to play with the twins as well as make dinner. She succeeded in making dinner and turned her attention to her youngest daughters, hoping to tire them out and put them down for a nap. The plan worked and backfired at the same time. She and her two daughters fell asleep in her bed after two pillow fights, a tickling fest, and a story.

"…ama. Mama," Manny opened her eyes to see her eldest daughter smiling face. "Did you forget that you had other children?" Manny gave Danica a frown. "If _I'm_ home, don't you think the others are home too?"

Manny quickly sat up. "Oh my-"

"It's okay. I kind of figured you were worn out from yesterday, so I had Sophie pick up A.J and Kitty and I got Chris after school." Danica interrupted.

"Max is going to be so pissed." Manny muttered as she put her head in her hands.

Danica sat beside her. "Dad will never know because I won't tell and I'll kill Jay if he thinks about it." Manny turned and gave Danica a small smile. "It's fine Mama, really. Besides, you do too much anyway. It's the least I could do."

Manny sighed. "I love you so much Danni."

"I know you do." Danica said. "Oh! And today, on my way home, I saw the cutest pair of shoes on display at that store across from Chris's daycare. I thought that, I don't know, Saturday we could kick the little one's out and go get a pair and show up at the next premiere in them?"

Manny laughed a bit. "It's a deal."

Although she was smiling, Manny felt _really_ terrible about oversleeping. She had not overslept since Danica was born. If there was ever a time when she felt like she could not pick up one or more of her children, she had always called Maxwell, Danica, or Summer to give them a heads up.

This had to be the worst day ever.

"The Cohens invited us to dinner." Danica said. "They said to come over whenever we're ready."

"But I-"

"I took it over there already." Danica said. "You did _not_ think that Summer was going to cook for all of us, did you?" Manny did not reply. She would never talk badly about a friend, even if what Danica said was true. "And you might want to talk to your son. He and his girlfriend were connected at the tongue during lunch."

Manny sighed as she stood up.

"I'll go talk to him."

Manny had grown to know that Jayden was very much like his father. He was the down-to-earth, easygoing, athletic, rich playboy who had only one kryptonite, which were women crying. And as much of a gentleman he could be, Manny knew that Jayden had a very mischievous side to him. One that drew girls like Marissa to him.

Going to his room, Manny saw her son actually lying down, reading his Social Studies book.

He must really want those Laker tickers.

"Jay," Manny said gaining her son's attention. "Is there something you want to tell me? Something about lunch?"

"Danni…" the boy muttered before speaking to his mother. "It was nothing."

"Uh-huh?" Manny replied.

"There aren't any grandchildren walking about. Well, not from me of course." Jayden said. Manny smiled. "Seriously Mama, I think you work too much. Maybe you should lie down?"

"I'm fine Jayden, thanks for your concern though." Manny said. "Just like I would rather you _not_ make-out with your girlfriend where anyone could see you. It's bad publicity."

"Coop's a minx." Jayden mumbled a bit too loudly and his mother caught on to it.

"She's a what?" Manny asked, her voice rose in shock of the statement.

Despite obviously being in trouble, Jayden laughed. It was during this time that Manny got to fully see his dimples, the only son of hers that had inherited them.

"I'm playing Mama, though she did kiss me first." Jayden said. "I promise nothing but a few kisses will ever happen between us until we're older. I don't think they could surgically replace my, you know, if you were to rip it off in fear that I could be 'using it prematurely' as you so kindly put it."

Manny sighed. He was so understanding when he wanted to be.

"I trust you Jay. Don't disappoint me." Manny said.

"That's what Danni's for." Jayden responded.

As much as she wished Jayden would stay the little boy he once was, she knew that he was slowly growing, just like his older sister. Despite him only being in the seventh grade, he had learned a lot more thanks to his big sister and Manny and her husband could do nothing but answer questions Jayden had. Of course, Danica was reprimanded for this, but the damage had basically been done.

The week had gone by faster than Manny had expected, but she was glad it had. Yawning, she slipped into her bed. It was unusually cold tonight, the mattress that is. She turned, trying to find a warm spot, but it was useless. Jayden had gotten to go to the Lakers' game, which they won, and Danica had gotten to go to the movies, both children returning home happier than they left.

During the week, several of things had happened. For one, Michelle Crouse had made it her mission to say at least one bad thing about Manny in the article in _Mother's Weekly_. While Manny brushed it aside, Danica and her father, who had read the article online in England, were thoroughly pissed. Manny calmed Maxwell down over the phone, but it was safe to say that Danica was anxious to meet the woman 'in the street' as she put it. Secondly, Manny learned that Summer Cohen was with child. Considering that Summer's oldest child, Adam, was Jayden's age (14), it was sort of like the age difference between Danica and the twins, which was fifteen years. Finally, Manny talked to her mother, who nearly begged Manny to come visit for the summer. She and Maxwell were unable to talk like they wanted to, so the decision was still up for grabs.

She heard her door open before closing quietly, a smile coming onto her face as her husband got into the bed.

"I missed you." he said kissing her neck.

"I missed you too." she replied, turning to kiss him passionately on the lips.

"I have a surprise for you." Maxwell said, getting out of the bed. "One that I'm sure you're going to love."

"A car?" Manny asked.

"Nope. Guess again."

"House?"

"Close."

Manny thought again. "A computer named after me?"

Maxwell laughed. "Yeah, because I love my company and my wife equally. No, seriously, guess."

"I give." Manny said, sitting up in bed now. "Tell me." Her husband gave her a wag of his index finger as he moved into the bathroom. Manny pouted. "Max… Please? You haven't kept a secret from me since…" Manny paused. "Tell me one of your crazy exes haven't found you again."

Maxwell emerged from the bathroom, his suit folded in his arms, now in boxers and a tee shirt.

"You know, there's a funny story behind that." Maxwell said. "But, no, that's not the surprise I have for you."

"I give." Manny said as he crawled into bed. "Tell me."

"Fine," Maxwell said. "How would you like to move back to Toronto?" Manny's eyes widened. "We're moving into Canada and while Montreal and Quebec were clearly the ideal locations, I figured, two birds with one stone, right?"

Manny squealed as she rolled onto her husband, hugging him tightly.

"Oh Max! Thank you!" Manny said. "You are amazing!"

"I kn-" Maxwell was cut off as Manny kissed him deeply. When she finally pulled away, Maxwell raised an eyebrow. "If I knew that that would get you excited, I would have thrown in that car."

"Shut up." Manny said.

"You and I are going to go look at it next weekend. We'll leave Friday afternoon and return Sunday night, Monday morning." Maxwell said. "We should be able to move up there by July. What do you think?"

"I think you're doing this to get on my good side. Why else would you put yourself so close to my father?" Manny asked.

Maxwell rolled over, putting Manny beneath him.

"So he can hear how loud his daughter really is." Maxwell said before attacking Manny's neck.

Manny smiled lightly. "Remember that our children are still here, Max. I can't be _that_ loud."

Maxwell looked at Manny. "Oh don't worry. I can wait for tomorrow when they're in school." Manny saw the look in her husband's eyes. It was one that she saw often that told her to be prepared for a long day tomorrow. "And afterwards, you can tell the kids on how we'll be moving to Toronto."

Manny kissed Maxwell. "Only if you can handle it."

"Let's go-" Maxwell was cut off by a small knock on the door. Rolling off of his wife at lightning speeds the married couple turn to see a pair of brunettes scurry into the room and tackle their father. Maxwell laughed. "Why aren't you two in bed?"

Neither twin said anything as they hugged their father tightly. Manny only smiled at the scene. As said before, if Renée and Jenée wanted to play, everything else was put on hold. That included both sleep and sex. But she would wait because this was nothing new in the McDuelle household.


	27. Webisode: All Girls Counseling

**All Girls Counseling**

The thirteen girls sat in the councilor's office. They were Mary-Jane Del Rossi, Amber Clarke, Kelly Mason, Dakota Nash, Laura Reynolds, Jordan Cameron, Chandra Torres, Vanessa Brooks, Gabrielle Nunez, Scarlett Chessex, Helen Sinclair-Coyne, Jacquelyn Haig, and Nicole Campbell. They sat in Mrs. Hart's office as Mr. Goodwin would not do an all girls counseling session.

On a Saturday, that is.

"So," Mrs. Hart said. "Before the second season, let's start working on our etiquette."

"Our what?" Laura asked.

"Are you serious?" Mary-Jane said. "Our manners, geez. Idiot."

"How about I politely shove my foot down your throat." Laura replied.

"Ladies," Mrs. Hart said, gaining their attention. "I know that this first season, you all acted very un-ladylike."

"Uh, I didn't." Kelly said.

"Me neither." Gabrielle added.

"Regardless, I have to teach you all how to act more maturely for the next season." Mrs. Hart said. "For starters, we're going to work on your language. Especially yours, Miss Reynolds. It has been foul since day one."

Laura rolled her eyes. "Whatever lady. I'm only doing this because I had nothing better to do."

"When we want to say something bad, exchange it for another word." Mrs. Hart said.

"Like Helen when she cries 'frick' all the time?" Scarlett suggested.

"Exactly." Mrs. Hart said with a smile.

"So I have to pretend that I'm a 'fricking' cheerleader? That's stupid." Laura said.

"Come on Laura," Dakota said. "It can't be that bad."

"Oh yeah? Well what happens if I get shot? Do I just shout 'frick' at the top of my lungs? That does nothing." Laura said.

"Next," Mrs. Hart said. "I want us to work on how not to let your emotions for a boy drive you crazy. Nicky, Chandra, this is for you."

Nicole scoffed. "Whatever."

"Jealous." Jacquelyn muttered.

"Why would I be jealous of you? I have Nate, duh." Nicole said. "You can have Shane all you want. That is until a new girl shows up and you grow envious over that friendship as well."

"If I can," Chandra said. "I wasn't 'crazy' over Jayden. I had him until those two," Chandra pointed to Scarlett and Helen who were sitting beside one another. "Plotted to keep him for themselves!"

"Wow. Delusional." Mary-Jane stated.

"Says the girl that stole James away fro me." Amber mumbled.

"What was that?" Mary-Jane asked.

"I said," Amber said speaking louder. "You stole him away from me!"

"Yeah right. He came to me willingly on more than one occasion." Mary-Jane said. "Best sex ever, he says."

Vanessa groaned. "Hearing a sex story about my older brother is not what I wanted to hear after lunch."

"Let's try one thing," Mrs. Hart said. "If you could 'erase' one boy out of your life, who would it be?"

"Jayden 'fricking' McDuelle." Laura responded quickly, though Dakota simply rolled her eyes at the obvious lie.

"Nathan." Helen said.

"Ditto." Scarlett said. "Or Scooter…? Can I say both?"

"Nathan." Gabrielle said.

"Nathan." Kelly added.

"Hey! Why are you all ganging up on him?" Nicole said defensively.

"Hon, let's be honest," Mary-Jane said. "He has more enemies than one can count. I say he gets what's coming to him."

"He's done nothing to you this entire season! You guys weren't even in the same scenes together!" Nicole exclaimed, tossing her hands into the air.

"True…" Mary-Jane said, rethinking of the previous season.

Mrs. Hart sighed. "Okay. Okay. I see that we're going to have more than one of these sessions to prepare you for next season."

"And why is that?" Helen asked.

"Because next season, the already enormous group of characters gets even bigger." Mrs. Hart said. "Because in season two, Lakehurst students will be joining our cast, so we have to learn to better ourselves or else, one of you could lose your boyfriends or yourselves to a Lakehurst student."

The girls sat quietly, their jaws slacked a bit.

"You're kidding me!" Laura shouted.

"Frick!" Helen added.

"Aw man," Jordan said. "I just got used to having one high school in the story!"

"Are the guys cute?" Mary-Jane asked.

The entire group of girls stared at the blonde, who shrugged simply.

"If they're going to be joining us, no point in making a fuss about it." Mary-Jane said. "Besides, what's the worst that any of them can do to us? We're bigger, badder, smarter, faster, and prettier. Right?"

The door opened to reveal a girl with dark hair and light blue eyes. The girl walked into the room with an air of power and arrogance, gaining a sneer from Laura, Mary-Jane, and Helen, while Scarlett just watched the girl with a critical eye.

The girl and Mrs. Hart exchanged a few quiet words before Mrs. Hart nodded and the girl walked back to the door. Before going out, the girl looked over her shoulder at the Degrassi girls.

"Lakehurst's in the house, bitches." she said before walking out.

The door closed.

"Oh hell no!" Laura shouted.

"Forget this," Helen said standing up. "Come on Scar, I think she went to the left."

"We'll find her." Scarlett replied standing up.

"Go left and I'll go right." Laura said storming out of the classroom with Dakota following her. "No one calls me a bitch and gets away with it."

After most of the girls left, Mrs. Hart sat with Amber, Gabrielle, Kelly, Jordan, and Vanessa.

"Well," Mrs. Hart said. "I guess I can trust that you five will tell your classmates to be here same time, next week?"

"Sure Mrs. Hart." Kelly said. "Come on Jordan, let's go see what my dad has whipped up for lunch. I'm starving."

"Me too." Jordan said before looking at Gabrielle and Vanessa. "Are you two coming?"

"Why not?" Vanessa said.

Amber watched the four girls leave before standing up and following after them. Ten minutes later, Mrs. Hart was now looking at the boys of the story.

"Why do I work on Saturdays?" Mrs. Hart asked herself as the boys all stared at her with confused faces.


	28. Season Two Preview

**Season Two Preview**

Six clips from Season Two of _Like a Record_. Enjoy.

-Episode II: I Feel Love-

**Student One: What is that?**

**Student Two: What does it look like? And what are you doing here?**

**Student One: _, come on, let's go.**

**Student Two: (smiling) Now what will your girlfriend think of you touching me like this?**

**Student One: Let's go, now!**

-Episode VI: Hard Habit to Break-

**Student One: Look, I don't have time for your stupid games right now.**

**Student Two: It's not stupid. I'm serious. Are you okay?**

**Student One: Am I okay? Some Lakehurst loser and my girlfriend are close enough to be Siamese twins and you ask if I'm okay?**

**Student Two: Fine. I was just offering a shoulder.**

**Student One: Offer me something else.**

**(The two began to kiss in an alley)**

-Episode VII: Bad Romance-

**Student One: (struggling against restraints) Let me go! You're hurting me!**

**Student Two: I'm doing this for your own good!**

**Student One: No you're not! Let me go _! I said let me go!**

**Student Two: Please _ calm down.**

**Student One: (Crying) Just let me go! No one even cares!**

**Student Two: I will always care.**

-Episode XIII: Never Let Me Down-

**Student: Mom, I'm going on a date with this amazing guy!**

**Mother: Really? What's his name?**

**Student: His name is _. And he's the hottest-**

**Mother: I'm sorry. What was his last name again?**

**Student: _. His dad played hockey for the Canadiens.**

**Mother: Oh my God…**

-Episode XIV: When Doves Cry-

**Student One: _ what's wrong with you?**

**Student Two: (crying) He hit me _!**

**Student One: He hit you?**

**Student Two: Please… Help me!**

-Episode XXIV: Best I Ever Had-

**Student One: So are you saying what I think you're saying?**

**Student Two: (laughing) Yes. Yes I am. Let's go ahead and do this right before the new year.**

**Student One: What about _? I thought you were sprung over her.**

**Student Two: Maybe I am. But I know I want you now, and by the looks of it, you're pretty alone yourself. So, what do you say?**

**Student One: (Giving Student Two a tight hug) Yes!**

**Student Two: (falling into the snow) You know, this is how it all started.**

**Student One: Shut up and kiss me.**

While this is in script format, it won't be in the story. I tried to substitute the names by inserting an "_" wherever a name or nickname is supposed to be to keep the suspense. Next week I should have the first episode up. Be on the look out.


	29. Lakehurst Character List

**Author's Note:** Yes. There are more characters. I told you so.

* * *

(Lakehurst Students)

**Alexander Tomlinson: **Fifteen; Short, spiky brown hair; Greenish-blue eyes; five feet, eleven inches; lean. Alexander, commonly called Alex, takes an immediate interest in Helen. He is easily persuaded to do things by Helen and DeWayne. He plays starting point-guard for Lakehurst as well as running track, making him Jayden's Lakehurst counterpart.

**Angelina De Chaplin:** Fifteen; Curly, dark brown hair; Dark green eyes; five feet, three inches; slender. Angelina is the daughter of supermodel, Mia Jones-Chaplin and lives with her older sister, Isabella Jones in Toronto. She is quite soft-spoken and shy. Her father, Louis De Chaplin, is an international modeling agent. Angelina is secretly and Juvenile Grace fan. She is the only cheerleader on Lakehurst that does not start a feud with Helen or the other Degrassi cheerleaders.

**Deanna Fitzgerald:** Fifteen; Long black hair; light blue eyes; five feet, four inches; thin. Deanna is an artsy girl at Lakehurst as well as a cheerleader. She is best friends with Mercedes Van Zandt, who is Dustin's cousin. She disapproves Scarlett for her brother and continually tries to push DeWayne and Mercedes back together. She and Mercedes attempted to fight Helen, starting a feud between the two.

**DeWayne Fitzgerald: **Fifteen; Black hair; Blue eyes; five feet, six inches; thin. DeWayne is the older twin brother of Deanna Fitzgerald. He dated Deanna's friend, Mercedes Van Zandt and also Stephanie Tucker. He is also lead singer of the band known as the Alternate Zero. He takes an interest of Scarlett while the two are representatives for their respectful school. He seems to have problems with Tyler Walton and Jesse Washington.

**Jesse Washington:** Sixteen; Blond hair in a crew cut; Blue eyes; six feet, two inches; overweight. Jesse to the students in Lakehurst is commonly referred to as "Tank" because of his large size. He is a Lakehurst loyalist, disliking all Degrassi students because of the school rivalry. He has a particular rivalry with Marc. Jesse is also a school bully and has done several things to piss the Fitzgerald twins off. It is known that he is a year behind his graduating class, failing the eighth grade.

**Mercedes Van Zandt:** Fifteen; Thick, curly dark brown hair; Almost black, grey eyes; five feet, seven inches; curvy. Mercedes is a cheerleader at Lakehurst. She attempts to jump Helen with Deanna. She is also an avid Alternate Zero fan and disapproves of Juvenile Grace greatly. She begins a rivalry with Degrassi student, Laura, though no one knows why. She is also the older cousin of Dustin.

**Stephanie Tucker:** Fifteen; Reddish-brown hair usually in braids; Light brown eyes and wears glasses; five feet, two inches; busty. Stephanie is another cheerleader at Lakehurst. She is usually fighting between what Deanna wants her to do and what she feels is right. She is an adapt poet and writes short stories about the people in her life.

**Tevin Sharpe: **Fourteen; Long black dreads usually put in a ponytail; Brown eyes; five feet, three inches; thin. Tevin is a music-loving student. He is also quite smart, in the gifted program at Lakehurst. Tevin is not easily enticed seen from when he completely ignores Chandra's advances at him. Though he is a member of Alternate Zero, he has great respect for the members of Juvenile Grace.

**Tyler Walton:** Seventeen; Shaggy, dark blond hair; Light brown eyes; six feet, four inches; lean. Tyler is a senior at Lakehurst as well as the student body President. He has a crush on Mary-Jane, which seems to be mutual. His feud with DeWayne seems greater than his school pride. He seems to have gained a feud with several Degrassi students including James, Steven, Marc, and Nathan.


	30. Season2 Episode I:Can You Stand The Rain

**Author's Note: **It is finally here! Season Two of Like of a Record starts now! I did several rewrites on this chapter, trying to find the right way to start the season! Enjoy and review!

* * *

**Season Two**

** Episode I: Can You Stand the Rain**

Tying his shoes, Jayden McDuelle stood up straight and headed for the kitchen. Now a lot had changed in the last two weeks. For one thing, he dated the pretty girl-next-door, Scarlett Chessex. The two had been relatively happy with a few awkward moments from both of their parents. Apparently, their crush on each other was well-known between both of their parents. Next, Aaron now dated Jordan Cameron. The two was, as his mother said, adorable. Of course, Helen did her part in making the two feel uncomfortable, but now she just left them alone. Then there was Shane Mason and Jacquelyn Haig. The two of them were great together and Jayden was happy that his friend had someone else to date now. Nicole swore up and down that she and Nathan were not dating, though many suspected that they were. No one really cared anymore. And Helen was still Helen. Even on his birthday, she was still the same old Helen Sinclair-Coyne.

Jayden smiled at the memory of Mary-Jane Del Rossi and Helen arguing over Chandra at cheerleading practice. Apparently, Mary-Jane wanted to put Chandra in the front line, but Helen would never allow the girl have the enjoyment.

"You okay?" Manny asked her son.

"Perfect." Jayden said. "So you ready?"

"Actually," Manny said. "You're going to drive yourself to school." Jayden's jaw dropped. "Your aunt brought Danni's car here and so that's what I'll be driving." Jayden groaned. "You don't think that Danni didn't know that her car was coming here, did you? She would kill your father and me if we let you take her car."

"Well, I'm happy with the decision anyway." Jayden said as Manny tossed him a spare key to her car.

"Feel it up after school too." Manny said.

Jayden grinned. "Figures." Manny laughed with her son for a moment. "Well, I have to go. Scarlett is waiting."

"Go." Manny said as Jayden left the kitchen. "Just like his father."

* * *

James Brooks parked in the students' parking lot and looked at his sister.

"It's not true." Vanessa said once more. "I barely talk to the guy outside of our own tutoring sessions."

"Just incase it is," James said. "I'll be watching you. No sophomore is going to be dating my sister in grade seven, nerd or not."

"We're not dating." Vanessa replied.

"Am I supposed to believe you?" James asked.

"I don't know. Did _I_ creep behind Amber's back?" Vanessa shot back. James sat in silence for a while, knowing his sister had gotten one over him. "Look, I'm not creeping around with Jacob. He's just a tutor. And even if I was, he's actually a nice guy. You should get to know him."

"So you _can_ date him?" James questioned.

Vanessa smiled. "Or at least approve of it."

James sighed. "Whatever V. Just know that I'm going to be watching you _all day long._ One slip-up, one dirty look, or one wrong move and I will hurt him. Do you hear me?"

"Loud and clear Sergeant Dad." Vanessa said while rolling her eyes. "Can we go now?"

"Yeah." James said before the two left his car.

Vanessa began walking away from James, only to see him watching her every step of the way.

"I'm going to my locker than to class." Vanessa said.

"I'll check in, in about ten minutes. I have to go find Mary." James replied.

"Sure." Vanessa said as she nearly scurried away. "Thank God for Mary-Jane." Vanessa found Jacob Isaacs waiting for her like any other day. He smiled at her. "You have to go. Now."

"What? Why?" Jacob asked.

"James found out!" Vanessa answered. Jacob's eyes widened. "Yeah, I know. So, I'll find you, don't come looking for me, okay?" Jacob nodded and Vanessa gave him a swift kiss. "Later!"

Jacob watched the young beauty walk off before sighing. Just when he thought he found a good one, something goes wrong.

* * *

Aaron McDuelle- though he went by Santos- watched as Jordan grabbed her morning books like any other day, though she was happy about something. He could tell because she was practically buzzing in eagerness to either tell him or do whatever it is she was happy about.

"So," Jordan said as she looked at Aaron. "I was helping Mr. Isaacs after school right? And the student council was there and Scarlett Chessex, _the_ Scarlett Chessex, said that this year, she wanted me to run for eighth grade president for next year! And that she'd support me!"

"So you'd be president of the eighth and seventh graders, right?" Aaron asked.

"Yeah! Next in line to Scarlett herself!" Jordan said happily. "That'll make you like First Man of the school."

"Uh, let's not get ahead of ourselves." Aaron said, gaining a smile from Jordan. "But I do hope you get it. You'd make a good president."

"Thanks." Jordan said.

"If I had a dollar for how disgusting this gets, I'd be a millionaire." Chandra Torres said as she walked towards the duo. "But seeing that I always knew that you'd end together, I let it go."

"What did you want Bambi?" Aaron asked.

"Well," Chandra replied. "I have a certain math class for first period that you have for third period. Since I know that we're able to use our notes for class, notes that I didn't take I might want to add, I figured that a friend of mine could lend them to me. Please?"

Aaron sighed. "Come on Bambi."

"Thanks! Jordan, your boyfriend rocks!" Chandra said.

Jordan smiled. "I think I know that."

* * *

"Hey," Shane said coming towards Jayden and Scarlett with Jacquelyn and Kelly. "Where's Dakota? I thought she said we had some sort of meeting today?"

"Yeah. We have some sort of gig Saturday and I don't really want to do it." Jayden said.

"So why are you?" Kelly asked.

"Because I asked him to." Scarlett replied. "And he said he would."

"Yeah, don't get too cocky. I'm not doing this just because you asked me to." Jayden said. "There's actually another reason."

"And that reason is?" Scarlett asked.

"…" Jayden paused. "When I think of one, I'll tell you."

Scarlett smiled. "Don't keep me waiting for it too long. I have to do the announcements."

"Go ahead Madam President. I'll see you in second period." Jayden said.

Scarlett gave him a passionate kiss. "I'll be there."

"You know," Shane said as Scarlett walked off. "I don't remember being kissed like that. In fact, I hardly remember kissing her at all."

"You know, in the face of your current girlfriend, that is a good thing." Jayden said.

Shane shook his head. "Don't try to turn this around. Why is it that _you_ are always the lucky one and I'm just the backup guy?"

"It comes with the face. Dimples actually. Women love them." Jayden said.

"No. We don't." Kelly said. "Now let's get to class. All of us." Kelly said. "Mrs. Taylor will be mad if we don't."

"Lucky us, right?" Jayden said as the group began walking down the hall.

"Not to start anything between Jackie and me," Shane said. "But Mrs. Taylor's kind of hot, eh Jay?"

"Don't even answer that." Kelly said, glaring at her brother.

Jayden shrugged. "I guess. She doesn't look like the cougar-type if you get what I'm saying."

"I know." Shane said. "Well, we have to go this way. See you two later."

"Alright." Jayden said as Shane and Jacquelyn turned down one hallway. "Well Kelly, just you and me for a brief moment."

"Hey," Kelly said. "I know that it appears differently, but I think Shane's really messed up about the Nicky and Nate thing. I think that if this continues, he might just snap on Nate."

"I'll see what I can do." Jayden said. "See you at lunch."

"Alright." Kelly said.

* * *

Laura Reynolds and Damon McBride eyed the giggling blonde with disgust as they made their way to a spot off of campus where Laura had a deal to be made. She had no care on whether or not Damon and Nathan followed her, but Nicole Campbell was becoming too comfortable around them.

"Hey," a boy said in a hooded pull-over. "You got my stuff?"

"Stop sounding like this is something out of the ordinary." Laura said. "Money first as always." The boy revealed the cash as Laura dug into her pocket and pulled out a bottle of pills. The two exchanged before Laura turned on her heels. "You can go now."

The boy nodded and walked off.

"So what now?" Nicole asked.

"I don't know. What do you want to do?" Nathan questioned.

"Whatever you two are going to do," Laura said. "Count me out of it. Period."

"What? Why? Is it because of Nicky?" Nathan asked.

"No. How could you think such a think?" Laura said spitting sarcasm on every word. "That's just a horrible thought Nathan."

Nathan frowned. "I don't know what your problem is with her, but you and everyone else have been acting weird the past week."

"Oh, _we're_ the one's acting weird." Laura said before stepping up to Nathan. "What happened to 'never fall in love', huh? Do you even remember what that means? You're the one that's changed."

"I think you're just jealous 'cause you ain't getting any." Nathan said before Laura punched him in the face hard. "You bitch!"

"Yeah. I am." Laura said before walking away.

Nathan spat a wad of blood on the sidewalk, glaring at the back of Laura. He looked at Damon.

"Well? Aren't you going to say something too?" Nathan asked.

Damon shrugged. "Think she said it all. You've changed."

"Yeah right." Nathan said. "In fact, we're going back to school. I'll show you just how unchanged I am."

"Whatever." Damon said.

* * *

Darcy Taylor sat in her office, looking through a stack of papers before she heard a knock on the door.

"Mrs. Taylor, Mr. Smith is here." Mrs. Hart said.

"Thanks. Let him in." Darcy said as the principal of the restored Lakehurst came into her office. She rose from her seat and shook hands with him. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You too." Mr. Smith said.

"Please, have a seat." Darcy said as he sat in a chair in front of her desk. Darcy sat back in her seat and looked at him. "You know, there has been a history of violence between our two schools. And I don't think that this year will be any difference."

"I'm sure you have a plan. You have quite the résumé, Mrs. Taylor." Mr. Smith said.

"I do." Darcy said. "See when Lakehurst burned down years ago, the students were forced to attend here, making it one big battleground. Now, I never want to experience that again, but there is something I do want to try again."

"And that is?" Mr. Smith asked.

"Every so often, we'll have five students from Degrassi and five students from Lakehurst meet up and act as ambassadors, if you will." Darcy replied. "It will help them learn to resolve things in a formal matter as well as other skills, and hopefully it'll keep the fighting to a minimal."

"That's a good idea." Mr. Smith said. "I'll go back and start my list and then call for the first meeting."

Darcy smiled. "It's a deal."

* * *

The bell rang for second period.

"You know," Dustin Hayes said to Aaron as the two left from their class. "I don't think that Bambi's going to help you back. I mean, when has she?"

Aaron shrugged. "I can't say that I can remember a time. But she might."

"You're too optimistic." Dustin said. "Which is why I need your help." Aaron looked at his friend. "I want to show Jordan that I'm sorry for ditching you guys. How?"

"I don't know." Aaron replied.

"Oh come on! What are you dating her for if you don't know how to make her happy?" Dustin questioned.

Aaron frowned. "You know, just being there makes her happy."

"That-"

"Is exactly what got you in this mess anyway." Aaron said. "And why are you so determined to gain her forgiveness? This is Jordan we're talking about. She's eventually going to either forgive you or forget the whole thing happened."

"Yeah right. Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn." Dustin said.

"All I'm saying is," Aaron said. "Jordan will either soon forgive or forget. Just give her some time. You'll see."

Dustin gave a nod as Aaron walked away. Though he strongly doubted that Jordan would ever forgive him.

* * *

Vanessa sighed as she stepped towards Mr. Chambers' class, James behind her.

"Are you happy? I'm here without anyone but you walking with me." Vanessa said.

"Very." James said. "See you later."

Vanessa walked into her class as plopped down beside Chandra, who gave her a curious stare.

"So, your super-hot yet so-taken brother takes you to class and you're mad. I can't imagine why." Chandra said.

Vanessa sighed. "It's not that Bambi. He's been following me around _all day_. I can't go from one place to another without him there."

"Well that can get embarrassing." Chandra said. "But, what can you do about it?"

"I don't know." Vanessa said as Gabrielle sat behind them. "Hey Brie."

"Hey." Gabrielle Nunez said. "Are you okay? You sound mad."

"I am." Vanessa said. "James has been following me around all day. I can't get any peace or privacy with him."

Gabrielle watched Ashton Manning come into the room and sit beside her.

"Today is taking so long to end." Ashton said. "I just wish it would though."

"Me and you both." Vanessa said.

* * *

Helen smiled as she looked at her cousin and her cousin's boyfriend. During the past two weeks, she had come to grow more and more use to seeing Scarlett and Jayden like they once were. It was both calming and amusing to see Scarlett blush. Plus, there was always the thought that Danica could just walk in at any point and do the same thing to Scarlett that she did to Helen. And that was worth the wait.

"So," Scarlett said. "Do you have practice today?"

"Yep." Jayden said. "Practice today, show Saturday. It's a life, I presume."

"Well," Helen said. "As long as you guys don't suck anytime soon, you'll be alright. Besides, Plain Shane has someone to stop him from being nervous."

"I keep trying to tell him that there's nothing to fear but fear itself." Jayden said.

"Any other day, I would tell you to shut up. But we American-born students do have to stick together." Helen said.

"Well," Scarlett replied. "American-born or not, you're here now and that's all that matters." Scarlett then looked at Jayden. "And _I'm_ Canadian through and through. You going to leave me for Helen?"

"You know," Jayden said. "That would make a real funny twist in our little love triangle, wouldn't it? The guy that wanted the girl instead dated her cousin and when he finally got the girl he wanted he went back to her cousin. Hilarious, don't you think?"

"No." Helen and Scarlett said in unison.

"Huh. I need more male friends then." Jayden said. "But before that, bathroom break."

* * *

"So you're going to pull the fire alarm? That's something that the _old_ Nate would do." Damon said.

"Watch me." Nathan said putting on a pair of gloves.

"Nate, wait," Nicole said. "This is stupid. So what if Laura thinks you've changed? _I_ don't think so. In fact, I think you're better than you ever have."

Nathan paused as he looked at the beauty known as Nicole. He then turned to Damon who was simply shaking his head in shame.

"Look, do it. Then what? We run and you get away. Same old things, right?" Nicole said. "Laura isn't going to think anything differently. You know how dumb she can be, right?"

"No. Tell me." Nicole turned to see Laura standing behind her. "I go to see if Ethan was at the ravine, come back, and this is what you're doing? Talking about me. I tell you, you're going to get yourself killed."

"Hey, leave Nicky alone, alright? Every since Dakota gave you the boot, you've been downing everyone because you can't have your lesbian friend." Nathan said.

"I think you're trying to get punched again." Laura said.

"Well, this was unexpected." Jayden said.

"Oh great. Him." Damon said.

Jayden sighed. "Look, I didn't want to fight today. And I surely wasn't in the mood for your friend here trying to jump me either. But if I must."

"You're not getting jumped. _I_ won't let it happen." Laura said. "Nate is just being Nicky's lapdog. And Scooter… Well, you can guess that he's just as big of a loser as he usually is."

"Oh, so you're not gay. You have a thing for Jayden, huh?" Nathan said.

"Let's get one thing straight. I hate all of you." Jayden said before looking at Nicole. "Even you. And to be honest, I don't care if you're all butt-buddies or soul mates or enemies that you just stay with for some reason. But," Jayden turned towards Nathan. "If one of you are trying to better yourself, then by all means, I say let it happen. Even if it is Laura."

"What do you mean, 'even if it is' me?" Laura asked.

"Let's be honest. There's not a lot of space between you and the bottom of the barrel." Jayden explained. "Doesn't mean that you can't raise your standards."

Laura stood in a mixture of anger and pleasure. She was angry because he had basically called her low-class, but pleased because he basically told her that she could change. She thought that Dakota was right. There was hope for her yet.

"I'm going to go back to class." Jayden said, shoving his slightly wet hands into his pockets. "You guys have fun."

The group watched Jayden walk away with Nathan growing angrier by the seconds.

"Hey! Get back here McDuelle! This ain't over!" Nathan called. Jayden gave a nonchalant wave over his shoulder as he continued to walk. "Coward!"

"Nate, yelling isn't going to make him turn around." Laura simply said.

"Look, you just stay out of my way. _Our_ way." Nathan replied. "Come on Nicky. Let's go."

Damon and Laura eyed the retreating figures of Nathan and Nicole.

"You think it's that L word?" Damon asked Laura.

Laura nodded. "Afraid so."

* * *

Amber looked over to see Steven's empty seat. It did not take the school long to hear about his pill addiction, though no one knew for sure when it started. She thought about the bad feeling she had weeks ago when he asked her out. Seems like it was right. But, like her dad taught her, life goes on with or without you. So she had to quickly brush Steven's problems aside for her own.

Her first, and only, problem was James. Well, James _and_ Mary-Jane. Though it seemed that she and Mary-Jane had somehow built a small but growing friendship again that was not the case. If she had learned anything from Helen, it is that one can only best Mary-Jane if they know Mary-Jane. Though Helen found out most of Mary-Jane's secrets by other people, Amber was going to do the old saying; "keep your friends close and your enemies closer." Once she found out what James saw in Mary-Jane, she would instantly take it away.

But then she would feel bad about it. Curse her righteousness. So here she was, trying to think of a way to break the two up without hurting her conscious at the same time. And that was a lot harder than it sounded.

"Amber," Toby said. "You will be working with James on this project."

"Sure." Amber said with a smile.

Curse her righteousness to hell.

* * *

The bell for lunch rang and Jordan nearly bounced down the hallway with Aaron at her side. He figured that that small speech from Scarlett to Jordan had built Jordan's confidence. He was happy for her in more ways than one and would help anyway possible. Even if that meant using his brother as leeway.

"Hey guys," Dustin said catching up to them. "What's the rush?"

"The rush? Who's rushing other than you?" Jordan replied.

"Jor-"

"Let's go to lunch." Aaron interrupted. Jordan simply rolled her eyes and grabbed Aaron's arm. "All three of us."

"What?" Jordan asked.

"You're not going to stay mad at him forever." Aaron said. "Besides, he's going to _our_ table. We might as well walk like we used to. Okay?"

Jordan gave a heavy sigh. "Fine. But I won't like it."

"I'm not asking you to." Aaron said with a smile.

Dustin mouthed a silent "thank you" to Aaron and walked by Aaron's free side while Jordan occupied the other.

"So," Dustin said. "Seen any good movies lately?"

"Two." Jordan gave the dull answer.

"Really? What were they?" Dustin asked.

"Movies." Jordan said.

Aaron sighed. "Good grief…"

* * *

Inside the cafeteria, Jayden, Kelly, Shane, and Dakota noticed that Jacob was nervous about something. They had given each other a nonverbal cue on who was going to ask him first, but Kelly's eagerness beat them all to the punch.

"What's wrong?" Kelly asked.

Jacob looked up to see four pair of eyes looking at him. He thought about lying to them, but dodging Kelly, Shane, and Jayden's suspicion was a lot harder than most people realized. The three of them could solve the mysteries of the universe if they had the time and patience to do so. And unfortunately, they _did_ when it came to his problems.

"Nothing. Just something about-"

"James hearing something about you and his sister? Yeah. Blame Nicky for that one." Jayden cut Jacob off.

Jacob's eyes widened. "Nicole?"

"Yep. Says she saw you two near the gym or somewhere. Scarlett told me." Jayden said.

Jacob pieced the information together. Scarlett, the school's president, knew almost _everything_ that went on in school. She had a lot of different friends that told her so. And she used the Student Council meetings to exchange said gossip, so it was highly likely that she did hear about him and Vanessa.

"So… You _do_ like the seventh-grader?" Shane asked.

"No! In fact, I don't even know why she said it." Jacob said.

"Come on Jacob, we're your friends. How are you going to lie to us like that?" Jayden asked.

"Is it really that bad for him to like Vanessa?" Dakota asked.

Jayden shook his head. "I don't think so. Love and lust comes in all sizes and shapes."

"What…?" Jacob said to Jayden, his face paling a bit.

"I said, love and-"

"Are you admitting that you _do_ like her?" Kelly questioned with a cheeky smile.

"…" Jacob responded. "No."

"Just admit it. It'll help us all out." Shane said. "Besides, what's the worse that James can do to you?" Jayden and Kelly stared at Shane. "Okay, scratch that thought. But what's worst, you denying it and then being found out or you just telling the truth?"

"I don't see what the big problem is." Dakota said. "My parents are two years apart. So that would be like if I dated a senior or an eighth grader."

"See my point? And no one thinks that that's a bad idea." Jayden added. "So just admit it and go on about your life. Nothing bad will happen outside of an older brother trying to protect his younger sister. I do it all the time." Kelly gave a short snort of laughter. "For Kitty. Renée and Jenée are twins. They can work together."

Jacob sat in silence as he watched his friends leave the subject about him on to how Shane and Jayden acted towards their younger sisters. He then glanced across the cafeteria towards Vanessa and gave a silent breath. He was probably going to hate this decision later, but it was made. Hopefully he will live to see what happens next.

Scarlett, Jacquelyn, and Helen were talking amongst themselves when Nicole joined them, sitting beside Scarlett, across from Jacquelyn. She would never sit beside Helen again.

"Hi guys." Nicole said in a tone that resembled her former bubbly self, though Helen could only see the new Nicole in front of her.

"What are you doing here?" Helen asked, her green eyes narrowing dangerously.

"…Sitting?" Nicole answered.

"Come on Helen," Scarlett said. "She's just sitting here. What harm can come from that?"

"Oh, _I_ won't be harmed at all." Helen retorted, her nails scratching at the table. "I just can't stand being in the presence of-"

"Go talk to J.T." Scarlett cut her cousin off. Helen gave Scarlett a curious look. "Go talk to J.T. He'll understand."

Helen nodded and then stood up. Giving Nicole one final glare that just screamed "Murder", Helen set off for Jayden's table.

"Why'd you tell her to do that?" Jacquelyn asked.

"He told me that she was going to snap sooner or later and that he'd take her anger for Nicky." Scarlett explained. "I tried to reason with him, because that is a stupid idea, but he was in one of those stubborn modes and I didn't feel like arguing."

"Didn't feel like or couldn't?" Jacquelyn responded.

"I… Shut up Jackie." Scarlett said.

Dustin sighed quietly as he watched the normal talking that took part at the table. Gabrielle and Ashton talked mostly between themselves, but it was only because Ashton had to tutor Gabrielle a bit in science. Vanessa and Chandra talked and gossiped about the changes of the school. Finally, there were Jordan and Aaron, doing their normal talking. And like any other day, they just seemed to forget his existence.

"…And then there's this new deal about your grades and how cheerleading _is_ considered an athletic activity so therefore our grades can't drop below this new average." Chandra continued to Vanessa.

"I'm going to hate softball then." Vanessa replied.

Gabrielle frowned in concentration. "So… This would be the answer, right?"

"Close." Ashton said as he pointed to the correct answer on the paper. Gabrielle groaned in misery. "Trust me, it took me a while to understand this stuff too. It's just rocks if you ask me."

"I don't know Jordan. Your mom might worry more about you." Aaron said to his girlfriend. "You might want to stop leaving the house at nights."

Jordan sighed. "A.J, you worry too much. I'm fine."

"Well, if you say so." Aaron said. Aaron looked at Dustin. "Are you okay? You're kind of giving everyone the evil look."

After Aaron said this, the entire table's conversations stopped. Dustin felt the stares of everyone on him.

"I'm fine. Just thinking." Dustin said.

"About what?" Chandra questioned.

"Nothing really." Dustin said. "And honestly, I didn't think that _any _of you would matter since you were all busy in your own conversation."

"Oh, Dustin if you felt left out we-"

"_We_ didn't leave him for better people." Chandra interrupted Vanessa. "He got what he deserves. Besides, I think he's jealous that A.J bagged Jordan."

"Why?" Jordan asked, her face showing her disapproval.

Aaron sighed. "You guys really aren't helping this. I think he wanted to say sorry."

"And just why would I forgive him? Mary-Jane has been nothing but a slave driver for the past weeks and anyone who wants to be _her_ friend is an enemy in my book." Chandra said.

"But you kiss up to her." Vanessa said.

Chandra exhaled. "Nessa, you have a _lot_ to learn. I only do that to win against Helen. We have a common enemy, you know? And I _hate_ Helen."

"Why? She doesn't date Jayden anymore, Scarlett does." Jordan said.

"Yeah," Chandra said. "But don't you see the conspiracy here?" Jordan and Vanessa shook their heads as Aaron slapped his forehead and groaned quietly. "Jay and Helen are dating with everyone knowing that Jay and Scarlett liked one another. So when it sinks in Helen's mind that Jay's no longer interested, Scarlett just so happens to be the first girl on scene to pick him up. They're cousins that live with each other. They've planned this for the jump. It's not good enough to have him as a neighbor, they want him to themselves!"

Aaron was seriously thinking about blowing his cover then and there. Chandra's rants were becoming more and more absurd, as well as obnoxious. Although Helen _did_ break up with Jayden so he could date Scarlett, there was no "conspiracy" or whatever. Just a girl looking out for her cousin.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Jordan said. "_Everyone_ knew they broke up. In fact, I'm sure that _I_ knew about it before Scarlett did."

"How could you? They _live_ with each other." Chandra said. "The Coyne Cousins run this school and you're too stupid to see it."

"Really?" Jordan questioned.

"Yes!" Chandra exclaimed. "Think about it. Scarlett is the president of the entire school. Helen is co-captain of the cheerleading squad. Scarlett plays other sports. There is only one group and one group only that the Coyne Cousins have yet to touch. _My_ group. The gifted program. Think about it."

Now everyone sat quietly for a different reason. Chandra had a _really_ strong point. In fact, Aaron visualized it on how his father said that one ran California; with power and popularity. Scarlett represented the power. She could sway the rules. She sat with the principal to discuss several things. Dances and other events were on her watch. Helen was the popularity. Who did not know the cheerleaders? Other schools knew the cheerleaders. If Helen told them to dance, they danced. If Helen told them to jump, they jumped. And if everyone else, the non cheerleaders, saw the cheerleaders dancing or jumping, they would swarm to see what else they would do like moths to flame.

"See my point?" Chandra asked.

"Yes… And it scares me." Jordan replied.

Scarlett felt two arms come around her waist as she stood at the soda machine.

"Five dollars says that I can make you smile more than a stupid orange soda." Jayden whispered in Scarlett's ear, gaining a smile. "Told you so."

"It's sad that the only time you speak to me is when we do our normal retreat to the soda machine." Scarlett said. "Helen must've been in a worse shape than I thought."

"Don't remind me." Jayden replied. "She told me that she was scratching the table? I can't tell if she's pissed or possessed, but I told her to just sit with us for today."

"Thanks." Scarlett said giving Jayden a soft peck on the cheek. "But I think I can put a leash on my cousin."

"You know," Jayden said with a smile. "Its jokes like that that make people become comedians. You should look into it."

Scarlett gave Jayden a mock pout. "You don't think I can control Helen? I'm hurt." Scarlett then smirked. "Beside, it would be hilarious to see Helen try to rip Nicky apart piece by piece, don't you think?"

"I think I'm seeing your bad side." Jayden said. "And oddly, I like it."

"Well," Scarlett said seductively. "You'll _love_ naughty Scarlett."

"I'm anxious to find out just who she is." Jayden responded.

Scarlett giggled. "Patience is a virtue."

"Well," Jayden said pulling Scarlett against him. "Call me impatient."

* * *

After the bell rang to end lunch, Vanessa had half the mind to go find Jacob somewhere, but a figure to her left caused her to do otherwise.

"Are you going to walk me to all of my classes for the rest of the year?" Vanessa asked her brother.

"No," James said. "Just for today. I have to make sure that you do what you say you do."

Vanessa just nodded, though she thought about responding to the slightly stupid statement. She could clearly change her pattern for one day, like she is now, and then revert back to meeting Jacob as soon as James's guard was down. Sometimes she wondered why she was not a part of the gifted program.

"Hey James," Marc said. "Come here for a sec."

James sighed. "You got off lucky V. Don't let me hear something."

"Whatever." Vanessa said as her brother walked off. Vanessa checked the time on her cell phone. "Great. Not enough time to go meet him." Vanessa sighed. "Oh well. Might as well go straight to class."

* * *

Emma watched her friend pace the floor quietly in thought. It was one thing when she had heard that Jay was coming to town, but it was another when she heard that Maxwell was pretty much okay with the decision of his wife. Who knew their love was that strong?

"So," Emma said. "You're nervous in meeting Jay because what? I thought Max said he was fine with the DNA test thing."

"Do you think I want Jay anywhere near my kids?" Manny asked. "He knows my number Em. He knows where I live. What am I going to do? I'm not moving."

"So face him." Emma said.

"Why don't you face him? He's your ex too you know." Manny replied.

"Because he isn't looking for me." Emma answered. "Look, maybe he just wants to bury the hatchet and let bygones be bygones. He could have changed. You did." Manny gave a small breath. "For the better though. And he could have changed for the better. So no one knows what he's going to say."

"I doubt it." Manny said. "I just hope that Max doesn't hear about this."

"You didn't tell him?" Emma nearly screamed.

"No…" Manny said. "I just told him about the test. Not the fact that I was meeting up with Jay."

Emma shook her head. "Manny… What am I going to do with you?"

"Uh, you can start by _helping_ me." Manny said.

Emma checked her watched. "Actually no. Time to go pick up the kids from school. Ana has dance lessons today."

"Really? Maybe I should put the twins in ballet or something." Manny said. "It'll keep them out of our hairs for a while."

Emma laughed a bit. "Come on Manny."

* * *

After the final bell, Jayden stood at his locker putting his books up. Today had been a good day for a number of reasons. Most importantly, there was not a lot of homework that needed to be done. After gathering the only book needed and a notebook, he closed his locker and turned around, only to see Nathan standing in his way.

"So, you're sticking up for Laura now, huh?" Nathan said.

"I'm not sticking up for anyone. Now get out of my way, I have somewhere to be." Jayden replied.

"Why can't you guys just leave Nicky alone?" Nathan said. "You know, unlike you and Shane, I'm actually _man_ enough to make her happy. You're jealous and you know it."

Jayden blinked in confusion. "Are you high? Why would _I_ want Nicky? You do realize that if I _did_, gaining access to her house would be a lot easier for me than you, right?"

"Then why do you care? Huh? Tell me why her hanging out with me is so bad." Nathan said. "Because, the way I see it, the next time she tells me that you or any of your friends are messing with her, I'm coming to you and I'm not going to be in a good mood."

"Really?" Jayden said, now standing directly in front of Nathan. "So what's stopping you now, Nathan?"

The two glared at one another before Nathan took a step backwards.

"Leave Nicky alone. If you want to take someone away, take that bitch of a slut, Laura." Nathan said.

"Remember who you're talking to." Jayden said. "And the next time Nicky angers _anyone_, friend or foe, and I hear about it, that's your ass."

"We'll see." Nathan said walking off.

Jayden sighed heavily before going the opposite way. Today was such a good day too. He walked to one class with Chandra, he was not tardy to any class, Helen and Scarlett seemed to be on good terms, and his little brother was still dating Jordan. And it all began with Danica's car returning home and he being able to drive his mother's Mercedes.

Brushing the thoughts of Nicole and Nathan aside, Jayden walked towards the parking lot where he saw Mary-Jane and James talking.

"Just leave her alone James. I don't think that she's seeing whatever his name is." Mary-Jane said. "Besides, what about me?"

"You're right." James said with a smile. "I'll focus on you then."

Jayden mentally cringed. Sure, Mary-Jane was as close to the definition as sexy as one could get, but the thoughts that the two of them reminded him of how he, Helen, and Scarlett once was nearly sickened him. James knew that he was hurting Amber in the crossfire and he chose to ignore it, like Jayden did.

"It's about time." Helen said standing by the car in her cheerleading outfit. "Listen, I don't know if Blue is staying after or not so if I call, be ready to pick me up."

"It's good to see you too." Jayden said before looking at Scarlett, who was staring at the sky. "You okay Scarlett?"

"Scar's just being her former self. A blonde." Helen remarked.

Scarlett gave Helen a stiff middle finger without turning her attention away from the sky. She then turned to Jayden with a smile.

"Just looking out for Mr. Simpson, that's all." Scarlett said. The statement made Jayden give her an understanding nod. "So, what's the plan for today?"

"I say we run off and leave your cousin here at school." Jayden said. "What do you say?"

Scarlett smiled. "You drive, I'll ride."

Jayden opened the car door and looked at Helen.

"Call when you get out. If you're still here, I'll pick you up. Promise." Jayden said.

"Remember," Helen said. "I put you two together. I can break you. Both of you."

Helen walked towards the building as Jayden and Scarlett got into the car.

"Ever think that your cousin is just a tad deranged?" Jayden asked.

Scarlett kissed Jayden. "Everyday."

"What was that for?" Jayden questioned.

Scarlett shrugged. "I don't know. I just felt like it." Scarlett smiled. "Now, how about something to eat?"

Jayden started the car up.

"Pick your place." Jayden said with a smile.

* * *

Dakota groaned heavily. Once more, walking from her bedroom to the kitchen back to her room and then to the front door was more exercise than one needed. Kelly always joked about how large Dakota's calf muscles will be in the future if this kept up, but Dakota never thought that it would be true. Now, she began doubting her own words.

"Dash! Thank God you're here!" Laura said walking past Dakota into the house. Dakota, quite used to Laura's lack of manners, just closed the door quietly and began making the long tread back up the steps to her bedroom. "So, today, I went to go get money from some guy that I sell some pills to."

"Like any other day?" Dakota said lifelessly. A little known fact about Laura was that she tended to grow excited over the smallest of things, though she usually bottled this excitement up to keep her 'bad girl' persona.

"Would you shut up and listen?" Laura replied. "Anyway, so Nate gets all bitchy over Nicole again and I finally got tired of it so I punched him in the face."

Dakota stopped and looked at Laura.

"You _punched_ him in the _face_? Are you insane?" Dakota asked.

Laura frowned. "What's so wrong with me punching him in the face?" Dakota gave a shrug and the two walked into her room. "Anyway, I came back to school to see that Nathan was about to pull the fire alarm and we got into another argument."

"Something happened, right?" Dakota questioned.

"Yes! Your friend, Jayden, stood up for me! _Me_!" Laura said throwing her arms in the air. "Can you believe that shit?"

Dakota only began laughing as she lied on her bed to rest her sore legs. Ever since their first talking about Laura's real feelings, Laura had been opened about _everything_ to Dakota. Ironically, Dakota became Laura's tutor in human emotions. And as hard as it was to believe, Laura was actually shy around Jayden if the two were left alone. Dakota's laughter came to a quiet end. Her friend had a crush on her dubbed brother.

"What the hell are you laughing at?" Laura asked, her tone now in her normal angered voice.

"Laura," Dakota said. "What exactly did he say?" Laura scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Hey, I'm not calling you a liar or anything. I just want to make sure that it is what you think. Remember, I'm his best friend and you're just a girl that he goes to school with."

There was a silence as Laura clenched her jaw. As much as she hated to admit it, which she did not do verbally, Dakota had leverage on the knowledge of Jayden.

"Something about how he hates me, Nate, Nicole, and Scooter but he'd help us if we were going to better ourselves, even if it was me. But that's not the best part." Dakota's eyebrow raised in anticipation. "He basically said that there was hope for me yet. Actually he said some stupid shit about me not being that far from the bottom of the bottom and how I can raise my standards, but it's the same thing, right?" Dakota's giggles came back as Laura looked at her desperately. "This isn't funny! Tell me Dash!"

"There's hope Laura." Dakota said through giggles. "Now, what do you want to do?"

Laura gave a smile. "It's your turn to pick a movie."


	31. S2 Episode II: I Feel Love

**Chapter II: I Feel Love**

Aaron stood at the bottom of the steps, waiting for Jordan like any other day. The difference was today, Dustin had joined him. Dustin had not waited outside with him in a while, months even. But it felt like everything was back to normal.

"Hey A.J." Jordan said as she came with Shane and Kelly. "Dustin."

Dustin grinned. "Hi Jordan."

"You keep your lips to yourself." Shane said to Aaron a bit sternly.

Kelly swatted Shane in his arm. "Leave them alone!" Kelly then smiled and looked at Aaron. "Have a nice day."

Aaron and Dustin watched in a mixture of relief and horror as Kelly led Shane away, berating him about stopping Jordan from having her first boyfriend. Jordan on the other hand just shook her head. This kind of thing was the reason she originally wanted to go to Lakehurst or anywhere else that her siblings would not be.

"So," Aaron said. "Shall we?"

"Let's go." Jordan said with a smile.

The three began walking up the steps to the school. Aaron noticed that Jordan was noticeably quiet about Dustin being near her, so he figured that she may have forgiven him to a degree. Then again, he knew she would.

"So, this is weird." Dustin said.

"Tell me about it." Jordan replied.

"Doesn't you brother have a gig Friday?" Aaron asked Jordan.

The blonde nodded. "Saturday, meaning I have to help Kelly at The Dot."

"I'll help too." Aaron said gaining a smile from Jordan.

"Thanks A.J." Jordan said.

* * *

Vanessa got out of the car and waited patiently. If James was going to follow her, no need in trying to run, right? He was faster and knew the school better than she did.

"What are you doing?" James asked Vanessa.

"You're not going to walk me to class?" Vanessa asked.

"Uh, no." James said. "You are old enough to go to class by yourself, right?" Vanessa nodded. "But, remember. If I hear one thing, I'm going to find you and whoever he is. Got it?"

"Got it." Vanessa said. "See you later James."

Vanessa walked off calmly, though she was more than excited to finally have her brother off of her back. And thankfully, Jacob was standing in their meeting spot. She walked towards him, disregarding the few band geeks nearby, and kissed him as passionately as her twelve-years-old body would allow.

"What was that?" Jacob asked.

"James said that he'd leave me alone!" Vanessa said happily. "So, I thought I owed you for lost time, you know?"

Jacob smiled. "Sure Vanessa."

* * *

Shane and Jacquelyn stood at Shane's locker talking when they saw Nicole walk by.

"She looks…" Shane let his words die as he turned to Jacquelyn. "Well, you know."

"Sick." Jacquelyn said. "But, I don't care anymore. She told me to stay out of it and that's exactly what I'm going to do."

"But… I can't help but to think that something is seriously wrong with her." Shane replied. "I mean, Nicky has always been the carefree type and sure seeing her going crazy over some guy isn't out of the ordinary either, but this is freaky to see her like that."

"Shane," Jacquelyn said. "She's fine. She said so."

"Nicky's said a bunch of dumb things before she began hanging with Nathan and his goons." Shane responded. "I don't know Jackie. I have a bad feeling about this."

"She's fine." Jacquelyn told Shane. "Don't worry too much over her or you and Nate will get into another fight and I don't want you to. Not over Nicole."

Shane nodded. "You're right. I'll let it go."

"Good." Jacquelyn said. "Now, I have to run off to class. See you later?"

"Of course." Shane said before Jacquelyn gave him a soft peck on the cheek and walked off. Shane watched Jacquelyn walk away before going the opposite way. "Where are you Scarlett?" Shane found Scarlett walking towards the office with a smile on her face. "Scarlett!"

"Yeah?" Scarlett said stopping for her friend.

"I needed to talk to you." Shane said. "About Nicky." Scarlett frowned. "Okay, so lately I've been thinking that something is seriously wrong with her. Something, I don't know, life-threatening or something. Do you know anything or has Jayden told you anything about that?"

Scarlett sighed. "He told me bits and pieces, but I don't think he knows everything himself. But from what I'm hearing, she's Nate's sex toy in exchange for anything she wants. Money. Food. Clothes. Drugs. She asks for it and he gives it to her."

"For sex?" Shane asked with disgust.

"You know Nicky is one that hates to owe people. She was going to repay him, even at such extremes." Scarlett said. "Look, I have to go do the announcements, but I'll catch up with you later and tell you all that I know, alright?"

Shane nodded. "Yeah. Thanks Scarlett."

"Hey," Scarlett said. "What are friends for?"

Shane watched Scarlett smile and set off for the office. He shoved his hands in his pockets and turned towards his class. Sometimes he thought that choosing Nicole over Jacquelyn would have undid a lot of events. Oh well. There was nothing he could do now but go on.

"Hey Shane!" Shane stopped as he saw Nicole walking towards him. Her hair was not as neat as it once was. Her eyes were unfocused as if she was agitated. Even her legs lost some appeal to him. "Have you seen Nate? I can't find him anywhere and he said that he'd be here. God, I need to find him. I need to find him fast and-"

"No. I haven't." Shane said. "Are you okay, Nicky?"

"I will be when I find him." Nicole said attempting to walk away. Shane grabbed her wrist. "What the hell's your problem? Let go!"

"Nicky, if something is wrong, you can tell me. You know that, right?" Shane said calmly.

Nicole wrenched herself free. "Yeah. And tomorrow it'll rain chocolate raindrops."

Nicole nearly scurried off after the statement causing Shane's worry to grow. Something serious was wrong with her.

* * *

Dustin watched Aaron do his work quietly. This was no different from any other time they were told to do something, but he still wanted to know what Jordan's problem was. One moment, she seemed completely calm and happy and the next, she was throwing death threats everywhere.

"Hey," Dustin whispered. "What was wrong with Jordan earlier?"

Aaron looked at Dustin. "This is what I've been dealing with since Mr. Simpson died. That's why I don't like leaving her alone."

"Oh. I thought you were just that in to her." Dustin said in a low tone.

"It's not that easy." Aaron replied. "Something is deeply wrong with her and if I don't do something, it could get worse." Dustin nodded. He now realized that Aaron was truly worried for Jordan. "And what do you mean that I was 'just that in to her'? Were you?"

"No." Dustin said. "I just thought that that was the reason."

"Well, there's more to it." Aaron said.

Dustin nodded again. "I know that now."

* * *

Jayden sat in class quietly as he continued to glance at Helen who was staring at the empty desk of Nicole. He would have said something to get her mind off of her former friend, but something told him to just keep his mouth shut. And he did.

Scarlett walked into the classroom, her black hair flowing behind her. Jayden watched his girlfriend converse with the teacher before turning towards him.

"Jayden, Mrs. Taylor wants you in her office." Mrs. Carson said.

"Should've kept your tongue in your mouth." Helen muttered to Jayden with a smirk.

"Before or after you returned it to me?" Jayden retorted. This got him the response that he wanted as she glared at him. He followed Scarlett into the hallway. "What have I done now?"

"Like I know. You're _always_ in some sort of trouble. I just want to know how you dragged me down with you." Scarlett said.

"I wish I did drag you down with me." Jayden said, gaining a slap on his arm. "Just think about all the trouble we could get into then."

"I keep telling you to have patience. I have no clue why you won't listen to me." Scarlett replied as the two stepped into the front office. "It's almost like you don't listen."

Jayden and Scarlett stepped into Darcy's office where Mary-Jane, James, and Chandra sat. There were two empty chairs beside one another, which they sat in. Darcy sat behind her desk with a smile.

"Well, I'm glad that everyone is here." Darcy said. "First off, I want to say hello. I've had the opportunity to meet Miss Chessex before this meeting, so meeting the rest of you is quite a pleasure. And now, for why you're here. Yesterday, I talked to Mr. Smith, the principal at Lakehurst. He and I have created a group of students that will serve as ambassadors to the other school to lessen the violence. You are my five."

Chandra looked at the other, older, students and mentally groaned. Just her luck, she would be in a group with the two most famous couples in the school. She felt like a third, or fifth in this case, wheel. She looked at Mary-Jane and James. Those two were the reason that Dustin lost his friends. Though she blamed Dustin for his stupidity, they did play a role in it somehow. Her brown eyes then turned to Jayden and Scarlett, more specifically, Scarlett. If she did not hate Helen as much as she did, she would have deemed Scarlett her number one target in the school. In Chandra's mind, without Scarlett, she and Jayden would be dating right now. But, there was that Coyne Conspiracy.

"So, is that okay with all of you?" Darcy asked.

"It's fine by me." Jayden said.

Darcy looked at the teen. "You're Manny's son, aren't you?" Jayden nodded. "Wow. I finally get to meet you face-to-face. I was a friend of hers until she moved to L.A. When she returned to visit, I was gone for Kenya."

"Oh." Jayden said.

"So, when do we start this little thing?" Mary-Jane asked.

"Um," Darcy said as she rummaged through her head for the correct date. "Friday, I believe. I will keep you five updated on meetings. I just need you to be there."

"Is it a coincidence that you have two couples and Bambi?" Mary-Jane questioned.

"Complete coincidence, I promise." Darcy responded. "I actually had Mrs. Hart and Mr. Goodwin to gather five students up, and the two of them agreed on you five."

"Uh-huh." Mary-Jane said, her two-toned eyes locking onto Chandra. "Strange."

"Hey," Jayden said. "Lay off of Bambi. She's actually a friend of mine."

"Explains why Helen left." Mary-Jane responded. "Just hope Scarlett finds a way to lock you down."

"Lock me down? I don't think that that's possible." Jayden said. "How about you worry about the next guy you're going to steal from Amber?"

James involuntary flinched as the comment seemed to strike a nerve in him.

"How about we learn to keep peace amongst ourselves before we go preaching it?" Darcy said.

"Sorry." Jayden responded, though his eyes cut towards Mary-Jane in an unapologetic fashion.

"I will nee for you guys to stay after today so we can go over a few details. None of you will have a problem with that, right?" Darcy asked.

"We'll be there." Scarlett said. "Won't we Jayden?"

Jayden sighed. "As if I had a choice arguing with my next-door neighbor."

"Just," Chandra said. "I don't have a ride home."

Scarlett elbowed Jayden who gave a silent groan.

"Ride with us. Scarlett's offer." Jayden said. "Problem solved."

"Thanks." Chandra said quietly.

"You're welcome." Scarlett responded.

Darcy looked at the five students that sat in front of her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she felt that this was going to be a mistake down the road. If only she knew what exactly to prevent.

* * *

The bell for third period rang and the students moved about the hallways.

"Ashton!" Ashton waited for Gabrielle to catch up to him. She handed him a paper. "Thanks. I think I understand it now."

"You're welcome." Ashton replied as the two began walking to their separate classes.

"Um, I really appreciate your help." Gabrielle said. "With Vanessa running off at odd moments and Chandra hanging out with other people, you're kind of like my A.J." The statement caused Ashton to choke on his spit. "I m-mean…"

"I know… Just air in the wrong pipe." Ashton said.

Gabrielle did not know what else to say as the two walked in awkward silence. They both knew what she meant by that statement. Jordan had no one but Aaron to rely on when Dustin left them and Jordan and Aaron ended up dating.

"So," Ashton said. "See you after class? For lunch, I mean."

"Yeah…" Gabrielle said before stopping. "Uh, well, this is my class."

"Sure." Ashton said. "See ya." Ashton walked off with a small shake in his head. "No way am I falling for the emo-girl… It's like dating Dakota." Ashton sighed. "I need to stop hanging around Aaron."

* * *

Helen was now walking towards lunch, a bit aggravated with her previous teacher, but she thought it might be best to calm herself before Scarlett and Jayden began to worry. They always did. Just as long as she could make it to the cafeteria in time.

And she was wrong.

"God, watch where you're going!" Helen snapped as Marc Milligan stumbled into her. "Man, if your brain was half the size as your fists, you'd be half as smart as the average idiot."

"My bad Helen." Marc said. "I was actually looking for you."

Helen frowned. "And why would _I_ want to be in the presence of _you_? The last time I checked, you and I weren't exactly on talking terms."

"Yeah," Marc replied. "But I kind of heard about what Jayden did to you. I never liked him anyway and Shane… Shane's a minor weakness to the team. Plus, he's a waiter."

"He works the grill stupid." Helen muttered.

"But, I was just thinking that-"

"I'm going to say this in a way that you can understand." Helen said. "Leave me alone or," Helen pointed to herself. "I'm," Helen then pointed to her foot. "Going to stick my foot," Helen finally pointed towards Marc. "In your ass. Got it?"

Marc nodded. "Whatever Helen. I'm just trying to be a friend because I know how it feels when someone leaves you for a friend."

"Idiot, are you still on Amber and James? Catch up will you? He's dating Mary-Jane." Helen said. "Do us both a favor and use your brain and a shower."

With that, the small girl walked off, twice as annoyed as she was prior lunch. Marc just watched, a smile growing on his face.

"We'll see." Marc said to himself.

* * *

Jayden and Chandra were also walking to lunch like he had agreed to do. Today was odd as the girl hardly said three words to him.

"Are you okay Bambi?" Jayden asked.

"No." Chandra said. "Why do _I_ have to be the fifth wheel?"

Jayden chuckled a bit. "Fifth wheel?"

"You're dating Scarlett and James is dating Mary-Jane. Who do I date that's in our little group therapy session? No one." Chandra said. "And to top it all off, Mary-Jane _hates_ me, Scarlett probably has some problem with me too, James could hardly care for me, and you-"

"I what?" Jayden asked.

"You're…" Chandra paused. "Whatever. I just don't like being left out, that's all."

"Bambi," Jayden said. "Do you know how I hate being pointed out by people? I mean, with the parents I have, I stick out like a soar thumb and that's in a crowded hallway. You being single in our group doesn't make you any less of the youngest cheerleader on our Varsity team today."

"You know I only got that because Helen turned on Nicole for whatever the reason." Chandra said.

Jayden shrugged. "Does it change your status? No." Chandra sighed. "Hey, look at it like this, what harm can come to you? None. Me? If my eyes just so happen to land on another girl, Scarlett would probably rip them out."

Chandra smiled slightly. "You have a point."

"I know I do." Jayden responded. "And no one in Lakehurst knows who I date, so to them, I'm single until someone tells them."

"True." Chandra said. "But that doesn't make me feel any better."

"I tried." Jayden said as the two entered the cafeteria. "Look, don't let whatever Mary-Jane says gets you down. You're the hottest seventh grader in my opinion. Get a guy and make a point."

"S-sure…" Chandra replied as Jayden smiled and walked to his table. Chandra walked to her table with a huge smile. "Guess what?"

"You found a way for the people in Russia to hear your thoughts by shouting?" Jordan responded.

"I'm in such a good mood, I'll let that slide," Chandra said. "Because Jayden just called _me_ the hottest seventh grader!"

Jordan's jaw dropped. "Nuh-uh!"

"Uh-huh!" Chandra replied. "So take that, nyah!"

Aaron sighed heavily as Chandra stuck her tongue out at Jordan. The two of them could be so childish sometimes.

"Well, I don't care." Jordan said. "I don't need to chase a _taken_ guy. I have one all to myself."

Chandra was going to reply until she remembered her depressed and angered feelings from earlier, being the only single person in the five selected students. And it only amplified when she noticed Ashton and Gabrielle talking amongst themselves. They were not studying, she figured. They were flirting in a nerd-to-goth way.

"Whatever." Chandra mumbled. "Where's Vanessa?"

Aaron shrugged. "I don't know. I thought she was with you."

"Well she's not." Chandra said before sighing. "I hate being alone."

* * *

Jacob was slightly astonished at the bravery of the young girl. Her kisses became more and more feverish. But today, she had taken it to a whole new level when her tongue entered his mouth. The wet organ invited his own to enter hers and she gave it a small suck. When the two broke apart, desperate for air, he stared at her grinning face.

"That never gets old." Vanessa said with a satisfied smile.

"I can't believe you aced it." Jacob said. "I'm happy for you."

Vanessa rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you're talking about a science test while we only have," Vanessa checked the time on her cell phone. "Five more minutes together."

"…" Jacob thought about her statement. "I guess you're right."

"You're such a nerd Isaacs, I swear." Vanessa said. "But, I kind of have a thing for nerds."

And with that, they began another serious make-out session, one that would have pissed James off if he were there to see it. Good thing no one goes to the band room for lunch.

* * *

Amber watched as Marc came towards her. Since Steven was still M.I.A, she sat pretty much alone at lunch. Marc came to chat every now and again, but she had become used to eating in silence.

"Hey," Amber said with a smile. "What are you doing over here?"

"I came to talk to you about Helen." Marc replied.

Amber's smile dropped. "Helen?" Marc nodded. "Okay… What did you want to know that I could tell you?"

"She been acting off?" Marc asked.

Amber realized what he was trying to say and shrugged in response. How would she know when Helen's acting weird? Helen was either pissed at the world or pissed at one person.

"I just wanted to talk to her." Marc said. "Trying to see how messed up Jayden's made her."

"Marc, I don't think Helen really cares about Jayden and Scarlett. In fact, I think that she is actually happy for them." Amber said. "But why the sudden interest in Helen?"

"She's hot." Marc answered.

Amber sighed heavily. "That's your excuse for every girl you like, huh? Me included."

Marc shrugged. "Maybe."

"Look," Amber said. "I don't know why you have a sudden interest in Helen, but I can tell you, she is fine. But if you want to talk to her, talk to her. Don't talk to me. Okay?"

"Okay." Marc said before standing up. "Nice talking to you."

"If you say so." Amber replied.

* * *

After lunch, Helen was quite happy to get away from everyone to have a moment of silence. However, that silence was interrupted by not one, but two annoying people. Laura and Damon.

"What do I owe the pleasure?" Helen asked.

"Nicole." Laura said. "It seems that you and I have a common enemy, sort of. You want your idiot back and I want the bitch gone."

"Your point?" Helen replied.

"I can't believe that I'm saying this," Damon said. "But we need your help Helen."

"What he said." Laura replied.

Helen sighed. "As much as I would love to help, she is your problem now. The best thing to do is ignore her."

"Ignore her? Really?" Laura said. "If it was that easy, do you think we'd be here talking to you?"

"Then maybe you should start looking for someone who cares." Helen told the other two. "Because I don't. I don't care for Nicky and I don't care for Nathan. Why, they deserve each other."

"Okay," Laura said. "That was the nice approach. Now comes the-"

"If you want my help," Helen interrupted. "I suggest you hurry up to go find Plain Shane and talk to him. In fact, you don't have to talk to him. Just let it 'slip' where Nicole will be today and I promise he'll be there."

Laura looked at Damon and gave him a nod. The boy walked off and Laura looked at Helen.

"Maybe you're not so bad after all." Laura said.

"Just make sure that _no one_ hears about this. Got it?" Helen replied.

Laura snorted in laughter. "Whatever."

Helen watched Laura walk away with one question in her mind. What will Shane do when he sees what Nicole has become?

* * *

"Hey," Ashton said catching up to Aaron on their way to class. "I have to talk to you about something."

"Okay." Aaron replied. "What is it?"

"Brie." Ashton answered. Aaron raised his eyebrows. "What do you think about her?"

"What do you mean?" Aaron asked.

"I mean, what do you think of her as, I don't know, a person." Ashton responded. "Describe her."

Aaron thought for a moment. "What do you think? Four eleven? Five foot even maybe. Black hair. Blue eyes. Not that-"

"I mean her personality. I know how she looks. Idiot." Ashton said, muttering the last part.

"If you're asking me to play matchmaker with you and my friend," Aaron said. "Then I say go for it. She's not that bad once you get to know her. I mean, when she actually talks, she doesn't just blurt out stupid random things and she's considerate of others. Plus, she can keep secrets."

"Is that all?" Ashton said. "Wow. I thought there was more to her."

"Well I wouldn't know. I date Jordan." Aaron replied. Ashton gave his friend a glance. "All I'm saying is, that's all I can say. If there is more to Brie, then you're going to have to find out yourself."

"Fine. But do you think that we… I don't know, talk a lot? I mean, kind of like how you and Jordan do." Ashton questioned.

"Do you want my honest opinion or what you want to hear?" Aaron responded. "Because honestly, yes, you do. We all see it. Even Dustin."

Ashton groaned. "Great. Now everyone thinks I like emo-girls."

"Hey, Brie is not an 'emo' girl. Just a normal girl." Aaron said. "The sooner you see that the sooner you can get passed this stupid phase."

"What phase?" Ashton asked.

"The phase where you do want to date a girl but afraid to ask her. Been there." Aaron said. "Look, I'm going to be late. But just talk to her. I promise that nothing bad can come out of it."

Ashton nodded. Although he would not rush into it, he would eventually find out whether Gabrielle felt the same or not. And he hoped she did.

* * *

Darcy hung her phone up and sighed. Jeanette, her oldest child, could be such a pain at times. The door to her office opened to reveal the smiling face of one Manny McDuelle.

"Well," Darcy said. "I didn't expect you to come by so soon. What're you up to?"

Manny sighed. "Oh you know, this and that. Acting, parenting, and being a wife. You?" Darcy gave Manny a playful roll of her eyes. "Oh that's right. Running this crazy school."

"So what did you come for?" Darcy asked.

"I actually came to let you in on a little secret. It actually has to do with my son." Manny said.

"Jayden? What's wrong with him? He kind of reminds me of a male version of you." Darcy said.

"I wasn't talking about him, and believe me he is more like his father," Manny replied. "I was talking about my _other_ son, Aaron Santos." Darcy frowned and turned to her computer screen, typing in the name. When she saw the photo she seriously wondered how she never put the two together. "You see, he doesn't like me and Max being famous, so he tries to dodge us in public. No one in the school knows it except for, well obviously Jayden, A.J's friend Gabrielle Nunez, and some girl named Laura Reynolds. I don't know how Laura knows this secret, but Jayden has promised to deal with it, so you don't have to worry."

"Wow. I would have never pictured that you have two sons here. My oldest daughter goes to Bardell." Darcy said.

"Really? Wow." Manny said. "Em would have wanted to come, but she and Spinner have some finances to look over with the Dot. Some people she only be married once."

"Ironically, I always thought you would be the one to get divorced, if any." Darcy said.

"I see that you're still not my biggest fan," Manny said. "But no, Max and I aren't getting divorced in this lifetime."

"I'm happy for you." Darcy said standing up. "Now, if you'd excuse me, there are a few ninth graders who have been aggravating their teacher and seeing a beautiful actress such as yourself does not really count as punishing them."

"I'll leave. All you had to do was ask." Manny replied. "Just make sure that you don't turn into a Shep."

"I'll try not to." Darcy said.

* * *

Shane gave Jacquelyn a kiss as she made her way to her sixth period class. He then turned to Jayden who smirked.

"What?" Shane asked.

"I don't know. Just feeling a bit jealous that you're doing the tongue-tango with my ex in front of me." Jayden replied. "At least Scarlett and I have the consideration to keep it down a bit when we're around you."

"Considerate? Like earlier today when-"

"Other than that." Jayden interrupted. "Well, let's just hope that today is a good day after school. While I have dodged the annoying thirty minutes to two hours wait of the cheerleading practices, you have not. Consider this a checkmate on our game here."

Shane grinned. "Whatever man. See you after school."

"Likewise." Jayden said walking away.

Shane rounded a corner where he saw Laura and Damon talking amongst one another.

"…And take her out at the ravine today." he heard Laura say to Damon. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"No." Damon said. "If Nate hears that you're going to get Mamba to take out Nicky he's-"

"Ssh!" Laura snapped before eying Shane. "You got a problem Shane?"

"Leave Nicky alone. That's my only warning." Shane said.

"Or what Mason?" Damon asked before Shane grabbed his collar and roughly shoved him against the locker.

"I swear to God that if you hurt Nicole I'll kill you myself!" Shane said angrily.

"Alright, alright, it's not like we haven't heard that one before. Let go of him." Laura said. "And as for your little threat, it's no good. Mamba has the word. If he catches Nicole, she's as good as dead."

"You'd better hope not." Shane said releasing Damon. "I'll take this Mamba out myself."

Laura snorted. "Yeah right. Not only is he bigger and faster than you, but we both know that you'll never step foot at the ravine again. And that's the only place Nicky will be. So, the way I see it, you lose."

"We'll see." Shane said walking away.

Laura smirked. "I told you. And now all we have to do is sit back and watch it happen."

"Good." Damon replied. "Because the next time he does that I'm going to knock his eye out of the back of his head."

Laura rolled her eyes and shoved her hands into her coat pockets before walking off. Damon followed her, glancing at Shane as he did so. No matter if Laura's planned worked or not, he would get even with Shane. Or he would burn Shane's house down like his mother attempted a woman rumored to be sleeping with Damon's father.

* * *

After the final bell rang, Jayden stopped at his locker and was joined by Chandra.

"Hey," Jayden said. "You still down about earlier?"

"Yes." Chandra said. "It seems like _everyone_ thinks that I'm the fifth wheel."

Jayden smiled. "Well, everyone also thought that Helen and I had sex, but that's not the case either."

"Is that really a bad thing?" Chandra asked.

"I guess you're right." Jayden said. "Don't worry about it Bambi. I don't see you as a fifth wheel, regardless of what anyone else thinks."

"I knew you two were too close." Scarlett said walking to Jayden. "Choose now J.T, because I don't do threesomes."

"Really? Well, there goes my afternoon." Jayden said with a grin before Scarlett hugged him. "So, are you ready for our first talk about this Lakehurst thing?"

"Not really." Scarlett answered looking at Chandra. "You?"

"…" Chandra's silence caused Jayden to face her. "I guess if I can live with going to couple's therapy without a partner."

"I would share, but then people would talk. Sorry Bambi." Scarlett said.

"No problem." Chandra said as she walked away.

"Did I say something wrong?" Scarlett questioned Jayden.

"It's Bambi we're talking about. Anything reminding her that she and I will probably never be is the wrong thing to say." Jayden said closing his locker. "Thankfully, to me, you can do no wrong."

Scarlett smiled. "Let's go to this thing J.T. Oh, and on the way, I can tell you about this movie that I want to see. Like Friday."

Jayden sighed. "From one hell to another. I can never win when it comes to the Coyne family."

* * *

Kelly watched Shane walk around his room. The two were giving the day off and were resting at their father's home.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Kelly asked.

"Look," Shane said, still pacing. "Laura and Scooter have somehow put a hit out on Nicky and I have to do something about it."

"You?" Kelly said. "Why not let Nate handle this?"

"Nate? The guy that makes life itself worse? Yeah, right." Shane said before walking out of his room.

"Shane, if you do something remarkably stupid, I won't go down with you. Dash was bad enough." Kelly said.

"Look," Shane replied. "When you wanted to save Dakota, twice I might want to add, I was there. I'm not asking you to come with me, just cover me." Kelly sighed. "Come on Kelly. If Mom, Dad, or Jackie asks, I'm just walking around, okay?"

Kelly shrugged with a deep breath. "Fine Shane. But you so owe me."

"Put it on my tab." Shane said before slipping out of the front door.

Kelly shook her head. "I told him to take Nicky to the concert, but no. He had to choose Jackie."

* * *

Laura looked at Dakota. "And you disapprove because…?"

"Shane isn't my biggest friend, but he still is a friend." Dakota said. "Tricking him to go there and fight _Mamba_ is like sending me to stop an atomic bomb with my hands."

"Which is why you would try to get the people to move instead of stopping the bomb, right?" Laura replied.

"That's not the point." Dakota said.

"Look, Dash, everything is cool." Laura said. "Today, Nate restocks on his merchandise. Therefore, Nicky will be rolling up. Or snorting, I'm not really sure what she does by herself. Either way, she will be alone for a while. Nate will leave for the store." Dakota frowned at the concept. "Shane isn't an idiot. Well, he is, but that's not the point. He will not try to fight Mamba, who isn't even there I might want to add."

"But Nicky is?" Dakota questioned. Laura nodded. "Okay, just say that Nate _doesn't_ go to the store like you say. Then what?"

"Uh, Torrie will get Nate away, trust me. She's in on this too." Laura answered.

Dakota sighed. "So, I'm the only friend of yours not in on the plan, huh?"

"Pretty much." Laura deadpanned.

"Well, why didn't you tell me then? I wouldn't be so… So…"

"Prima donna?" Laura questioned.

"Worried." Dakota said. "Look, I get that you've finally thought of the foolproof plan that you were looking for, but you're putting my friends in danger. Mamba is a big dude and I know for a fact that he could take Shane. And Jayden. And Kelly if she tried to jump in."

"Okay, so I didn't think about Shane's stupidity and Jayden's loyalty, but at least I solved the Nicole problem, right?" Dakota simply shook her head. Laura sighed. "Get over it Dash. You act like I'm killing someone."

"You're right." Dakota said. "So, what movie do you want to watch?"

* * *

Jayden, James, Scarlett, Mary-Jane, and Chandra sat at five emptied desks in a small classroom, Darcy standing by the board.

"Okay," Darcy said. "As you all know, I called you for our little committee for Lakehurst. The meeting is Friday, Mary-Jane, and it will most likely take part during lunch or after school."

"So, there will be some times where we will get to skip class for this?" Jayden asked.

"Not skip J.T." Scarlett responded.

"Our first topic will be deciding of an event before homecoming that will involve both schools peacefully." Darcy said.

"Like a party?" Mary-Jane asked.

Darcy shrugged lightly. "I'm up for suggestions."

"Well," Jayden said. "My band is performing at a local club this weekend. Maybe we could invite some Lakehurst students there and have like a inter-school thing."

"That's creative." Darcy said. "Though I doubt you guys would like it if your principals were there monitoring your dancing."

"True." Jayden said.

"But we could do some kind of dance." James said. "It'll be like his dance with your supervision."

"And we can host it there." Mary-Jane said. "No point in getting our school dirty for them."

"Good ideas." Darcy said before looking at Chandra. "Chandra, right?" Chandra nodded. "What do you have to say?"

"Anything is fine." Chandra said in an unusually quiet tone.

"Oh come on Bambi, don't be like that." Jayden said. "I know you have some good ideas. You're smart. Smarter than any of us I'm sure."

"Speak for yourself." Mary-Jane remarked.

"Seriously," Chandra said in a louder tone. "Whatever they decide, I'm okay with it."

"You do know," Darcy said. "That if _they_ decide to do a dance, you _have_ to show. No ifs, ands, or buts about it."

Chandra shrugged. "I'll find a date. No problem."

"You hear that Scarlett? Time to keep your enemies close and your boyfriends closer." Mary-Jane said. "She's on the prowl."

"Shut up." Chandra said.

"You sure you want to-"

"Come on Mary-Jane, let's just leave her alone." James interrupted Mary-Jane. "She's just in grade seven. This is all new to her."

"New or old, she'd better learn her superiors quick, fast, and in a hurry." Mary-Jane replied. "Or I'll show her."

"As much as I would love to see that," Jayden said. "I won't let you hurt a friend of mine. Seventh grade or not."

Mary-Jane smiled. "See what I mean Scarlett? She's already after yours."

"Don't be stupid." Jayden said. "For starters, Bambi and I are friends and she understands the line she can't cross with me and Scarlett. Secondly, she's not a homewrecker like you are. From what I hear, she actually supported her friend Jordan to get the guy she wanted. So in the fields of honesty and loyalty, she _is_ your superior."

Chandra tried not to, but ended up smiling anyway. She originally thought that Jayden was joking when he said that he would not let anything happen to her.

"Well," Darcy said. "Now that that's solved, I think we can-"

"Mom," the group turned to see two girls in Bardell High cheerleading uniforms entering the room. The one speaking had dark brown curls in a ponytail while her friend had dark braids. "I thought you said you were picking us up?"

"Jenny, I'm so sorry." Darcy said. "Um, class, this is my daughter, Jeanette, and her friend, Brooke."

"What is this, detention?" Jeanette asked with sincere curiosity.

"No. This is a group I formed to keep peace with Lakehurst." Darcy said. "It's kind of like-"

"A family meeting. I know." Jeanette said. "Well, we'll be waiting in the car. I took a bus to get here. I will not be riding with a bunch of old perverts who gets a kick off of seeing young girls in cheerleading skirts."

"I'm coming." Darcy said. "We'll have to do this tomorrow when a group of cheerleaders are actually put in more than five minutes of cheerleading."

"Ha, ha Mom." Jeanette said. "Torrie had some stupid thing to get to, so we left. No point in staying, right?"

"I guess so." Darcy said grabbing her handbag and car keys. "You're free to go."

"Alright Bambi, let's go." Jayden said standing up.

"Yeah. Go with them." Mary-Jane said standing up with James. "Sooner or later, you'll be riding shotgun."

Mary-Jane and James left the classroom.

"Like I said," Jayden said to Chandra. "Don't let that get to you."

"Sure." Chandra said as she left with Scarlett and Jayden.

"Jenny," Brooke said to her friend. "I think that that was Jayden. You know, the Juvenile Grace guy?"

"Seriously? I heard their song on the internet the other night, Higher. Love it." Jeanette said.

"You know that they're just cheap imitations of Downtown Sasquatch, right?" Brooke stated. "In my opinion-"

"No one really cares Brooky Bear, remember? That's why we don't pay to hear your opinion." said with a smile.

Brooke rolled her eyes. "And somehow _you're_ the angelic one. Yeah right."

Darcy shook her head. "Let's go girls."

* * *

The ravine was not his favorite place to be, for today he would have to just suffer. He noticed how bad he stood out. Everyone stared at him as he tried to stay as inconspicuous as he possibly could, but he was failing badly. Fortunately he found Damon and if he really needed to make his point clear, he would start with the jerk that helped Nicole get here in the first place.

"Didn't think you'd show." Damon said.

"Cut the crap, where is she?" Shane asked. Damon pointed to a van. "She'd better be there."

Shane walked off with Damon continuing his game of Rummy with Ethan.

"So, he's the boy you were talking about?" Ethan asked.

Damon nodded. "Yep. About as smart as a bag of chipped bricks. Laura suckered him in good."

"Let's hope so." Ethan said. "Tired of the love-sick Nathan. It's becoming annoying."

Shane put his hand on the handle of the back of the van before opening it. There in the center of the floor was Nicole, leaning against the wall of the van. On the floor in front of her was the remaining cocaine that she yet to snort.

"What is that?" Shane asked, his voice cracking with anger.

"What does it look like?" Nicole replied.

"Nicole, come on, let's go." Shane said as he grabbed her wrists and pulled her to her feet.

Nicole smiled. "Now what would your girlfriend think of you touching me like this?"

Shane's face reddened with anger. "Let's go, now!"

Shane began to lead Nicole out of the ravine. Due to her state of mind, she followed him like a kite in the wind. She strayed one way and then another with Shane trying to keep her moving towards the bus stop. Once he was on the bus, on his way home, he would deal with her then.

"Where are you going?" Nathan asked before Shane punched him clear in his face, Nathan falling on impact.

"I don't have time for shit like this!" Shane shouted as he continued to stomp on Nathan. "This is all your fucking fault!"

"Shane… I think Nate's hurt." Nicole said.

Shane paused in his attack and looked at Nicole. Her blue eyes never seemed focus on one thing. He grabbed her hand.

"Let's go Nicole. I'll deal with Nathan later." Shane said pulling her away.

Ethan and Damon came to Nathan, who sat up, holding his sore jaw.

"What the hell was that about?" Ethan asked.

"I don't know." Nathan said. "But one said Mason just signed his fucking death warrant. I swear to God that I'm going to kill him."

"And Nicky?" Damon asked.

"I…" Nathan said before punching the ground. "Fuck!"

* * *

After dropping Chandra off, Jayden and Scarlett lounged in his backyard like they would normally do, even when they were not dating.

"So," Scarlett said. "You've taking to Bambi's defense quickly."

Jayden sighed. "Come on Scarlett, you can't be jealous of her."

"Jealous? She's not dating you, is she?" Scarlett replied. "I'm just saying, she's got to learn how to defend herself, you know? If you keep saving her, then she'll get used to it and think you'll be there no matter what."

"I'm just trying to be a friend to her." Jayden said. "Mary-Jane and Helen gives Bambi such a hard time and she tends to think that it's something she did. And it isn't."

"Well, she did kind of challenge Helen to get you." Scarlett said.

"There's that…" Jayden replied. "But what about Mary-Jane?"

"Uh, evil tyrant of the school? Can you picture anyone _but_ Mary-Jane to fill that position?" Scarlett answered.

"Well, you are supposedly the leader of the school so if there was anyone to be an absolute ruler of cruel intentions, it would be the ruler of the school, right?" Jayden responded, gaining a pair of rolling dark sapphire eyes. "It makes sense."

Jayden's cell phone began vibrating.

"Tell me Helen's not calling." Scarlett said as Jayden checked it.

"Nope. Your ex." Jayden said. "What's going on Shane?"

"Serious problem. Meet me at my dad's ASAP." Shane said. "By the way, it involves me punching Nate in the face."

"Well, there goes the neighborhood." Jayden said. "I'll be down there as soon as I can." Jayden hung up and stood up. "Problem. Nicky problems."

"Go." Scarlett said standing up. "I'm going to make sure that Helen hears nothing about it." Scarlett gave Jayden a kiss. "Call me later, okay?"

"Or, we could stand here and continue off of one innocent kiss." Jayden said before kissing her again.

"Ew!" the sound of Renée and Jenée said in unison.

"Or not." Scarlett said with a smile. "Go."

"Fine." Jayden said. "Bratty evil sisters…"


	32. S2 Episode III: You Can't Always Get

**Episode III: You Can't Always Get What You Want**

Nathan nearly marched down the halls, many students moving out of his way as he did so. Behind him were Laura and Damon, both clearly amused by their 'friends' anger.

"McDuelle!" Nathan called. Jayden paused in whatever he was saying to Scarlett and gave Nathan a bored stare. "Where is he?"

"Dude, are you blind? Your boyfriend is right behind you beside Laura." Jayden said. Nathan stepped towards Jayden, who dropped his books immediately. "Go ahead. I dare you Nathan. Make. My. Day."

"Where is Shane Mason?" Nathan asked through gritted teeth.

"Oh, that guy." Jayden said as he picked his books up. "Can't say that I know. He's not here." Jayden stood up with a smirk. "Between you and me, I think he left with Nicky."

"She would never leave with him!" Nathan shouted. "Now stop messing with me and tell me where he is!"

"You're jealous, aren't you?" Jayden questioned, his eyes narrowed in thought. "That's sad Nate, it really is."

"Nicky isn't some kind of cheating whore like you're making her sound." Nathan said.

"Cheating? But you're not dating. In fact, from what I was told, you just like the sex." Jayden said. "Or, were you just fronting for your friends?" Nathan glared at Jayden. "Which is it Nathan? You have feelings for the girl or not?"

"Forget it. I have to go find Nicky." Nathan said before walking off.

"What are you doing? Shooting for a reason to be suspended? Mrs. Taylor will hang you if you miss this meeting tomorrow." Scarlett said.

"Yeah, well no one is going to walk up on me and think I'm going to let it slide." Jayden said. "I see Shane gave him a pretty good mark too."

"Shane did that?" Scarlett asked. "Wait until I find him. I told him that he can't fight everyone."

"He didn't. It was just Nate." Jayden said. "The way I see it, he was doing the world a favor."

"Okay, interrupting your little love fest," Laura said. "But where is he?"

"Oh, you still think I'm lying, do you?" Jayden replied. "I. Don't. Know."

"Hm… Whatever." Laura said. "Just remember McDuelle, between you and me, it ain't over until I say so."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night." Jayden said. "Come on Scarlett, I have class and you have announcements. Besides, Helen tells me that you're loser-phobic."

Scarlett laughed a bit. "Come on. Let's go."

Laura and Damon watched the couple leave before Damon turned towards Laura.

"Man, I have a bad feeling." Damon said. "What if Nate actually did… You know, love Nicky?"

"Then he's got a twisted way in showing it." Laura said. "Let's go. I'm actually going to be in class today just incase Shane wants to show."

"Smart move." Damon said.

* * *

Shane watched Nicole eat her breakfast at a hasty pace. He thanked Jayden for the spare cash seeing that he was going to be needing it for today. He had planned to skip school just this once for the sake of Nicole and then explain it to Jacquelyn later. No point in keeping her out of the loop.

Seeing Nicole pause in her eating, he made brief eye contact with her and saw a fraction of the giggling girl he had taken out on a date weeks ago. For the majority, he kept picturing Nathan ravishing Nicole's body. It seemed that if Nathan took more than Nicole's virginity away, he took everything. Her laugh, her happiness, even her beauty was leaving her. But Shane knew that somewhere in this shell of the girl he once knew lied the old Nicole Campbell and he would not stop until he saw her again. Even if Scarlett eventually found him and attempted to murder him for sticking his neck out for a friend again.

She had not exactly gotten over the Dakota episode yet.

"Why are you doing this?" Nicole asked.

Shane blinked. Her voice even sounded dead.

"I wanted to help." Shane said.

"Help? Tch, Nate was helping me just fine." Nicole said. "You took my cigarettes. Like what am I going to do with them?"

"Next to smoke them?" Shane replied. "Look, Nicky, everyone's basically pissed at you and I'm the one that's supposed to help. Helen wants to beat you, Scarlett's not too keen of you, and Jackie… Let's not even go there."

"But she's your _girlfriend_." Shane heard the disdain on the last word Nicole said. "You should always care for her."

"This isn't about Jackie. It's about you." Shane said. "You need help Nicky. Serious help fast."

"And you're going to be the one that helps me?" Nicole asked before laughing. "Yeah right. You're the reason I'm where I am now. All that 'you're perfect' bull shit was just to butter me up so you and Jackie could date and I would think that it was fair. Well it's not fair!"

Shane frowned. "What are you talking about? I was going to invite _you_ to the concert but _you_ were out with Nathan!"

"Really?" Nicole asked. Shane nodded. "Yeah right. That's another one of those lies. Nate told me about you and the obvious lies you told. Well I'm not the dumb Nicole anymore Shane. I know what you want."

"And what is that?" Shane asked.

"Look, if you want sex all you have to do is ask." Nicole replied. "At least make it worth my while, okay?"

Shane sat flabbergasted for what seemed like an eternity. Although the comment was _very_ tempting, he was angrier with what was said. It only confirmed the rumors about Nicole and Nathan and that only fueled the fire within Shane. He would kill Nathan with his bare hands. And that was only if he ran out of bullets first.

"I don't want to have sex with you Nicole." Shane said.

"I bet your 'friend' says otherwise." Nicole said. "Come on Shane. What else would you be doing with me? 'Helping me' like you say you are?"

"Yes." Shane replied in a firm voice. "And if all Nathan sees you as is a sex machine, then maybe you should consider getting better friends. Friends that can't give you an STD or get you pregnant."

Nicole giggled. "Boy aren't you stupid. We always use a condom."

Shane fought the urge to punch her in her face. Not because she called him stupid, but because Nathan has been in her. Though he knew it was wrong in more ways than one, he would literally try to knock Nathan out of Nicole's system.

"Are you ready to go?" Shane asked angrily.

"Go where, exactly?" Nicole replied.

"Anywhere but the ravine. Your choice." Shane said.

Nicole hummed in thought. "Hmm… The mall would be a nice place to go. Nate always gives me what I want."

"I bet he does." Shane muttered. "Pick a place other than the mall."

"You pick a place." Nicole replied.

"Fine." Shane said standing up. He laid a few bills on the table. "Let's go."

"Are you going to give me my cigarettes back? Please Shane? I need them." Nicole pleaded.

Shane sighed. "Follow me and we'll see."

"Okay!" Nicole said happily.

Shane swallowed hard as he made his way out of the restaurant. This girl was not Nicole Campbell. She was Nathan Hogart's sex slave. He felt dirty just being around her. He also found it weird that Jayden had hardly gave a second thought when he refused to get involved. Then again, Shane has always known his friend to be stubborn and Jayden did say that he was no longer helping people who do not want it. And this girl did not want it at all.

"Shane, if I asked you to have sex with me, would you?" Nicole asked.

"No." Shane said. "It's bad enough Jackie has no clue where we are. I'm not going to give her another reason to hate me."

"Okay." Nicole said in a defeated tone. "I guess I'll just have to wait until Nate finds us."

"You're not going to bait me into having sex with you so be quiet." Shane said. "Or I'll sell your cigarettes to the first person I see."

Nicole instantly hushed.

Shane sighed. "It's going to be a long day…"

* * *

Scarlett stopped Chandra in the hallways after first period.

"What is it?" Chandra asked. Her day had already started wrong when she had forgotten to do her Algebra homework.

"Look," Scarlett said. "I don't want to come off as the jealous type, but could you give J.T some space? I know you're his friend or whatever, but you're around him more than I am. And not only do I date the guy, but I live next door to him. That's creepy."

"Fine. I'll tell him to walk with you to lunch instead. Is that all?" Chandra replied.

"Yeah. See you around." Scarlett said walking away, dismissing the frustrated face of Chandra.

"Hey Scarlett!" Scarlett now stopped as Jacquelyn walked up to her in a hurry. "Have you seen Shane around?"

"Um, no." Scarlett said. "Did you try asking Kelly?"

"Yes! And he's not answering his phone." Jacquelyn said.

Scarlett frowned. "Maybe he's sleeping-"

"With Nicky? That's what I think." Jacquelyn said. "Because Nate is running around the school looking for both of them."

Scarlett exhaled quietly. "Jackie, Shane would never cheat on you. Trust me. I know what I'm talking about. It's not like Nicky's crush on him is any different now than it was last year when I dated him." Jacquelyn nodded. "If, and this is a big if, he is with Nicky, I think it's safe to say that he's just trying to help her over whatever drug addiction she's gained. Kind of like J.T and Dakota. The only reason Helen was mad was because Dakota interrupted a date."

"You're right. I'm just overreacting." Jacquelyn said. "Well, um, I'm going to go back to class. If you see him or he calls… You know what, forget it. He's just helping, right?"

"Yeah." Scarlett said. Before Scarlett could say something else, Jacquelyn had left just as fast as she came. "Weird, jealous bi-"

"Uh-uh," Jayden said, his arms going around Scarlett. "No profanity."

Scarlett smiled. "Let's go to class."

While it was no secret that Jacquelyn had envy issues, Scarlett brushed them aside momentarily. She had all she wanted right here and nothing was going to ruin it.

* * *

Shane sat across from Nicole, the two at a park away from both of their houses. If his mother found him skipping again, there would be double duty at the Dot and then some.

"Why are we here?" Nicole asked.

"I don't know." Shane responded. "It's the first place that comes to mind when I think of places you would go other than the mall."

"…" Nicole sat silently before glancing towards the swings. "Jackie and I always came to the park after school. The one by your mom's house? Do you remember? Before Jay moved down here."

"Yeah. And no one liked Scarlett or Helen." Shane said. "We were what, ten?"

Nicole nodded. "Yep."

"Those were the days." Shane said. "And then you befriended Helen and eventually you, her, and Jackie became friends."

"Then in the eighth grade Jay came down here and we all became friends." Nicole added. "He was friends with Scarlett and hooked you two up and then he and Jackie dated. We all seemed to be happy then."

Shane momentarily paused as he was having a conversation with Nicole, the one that everyone knew and loved.

"I take it that you miss those days, huh?" Shane asked.

"Oh, no." Nicole said putting an unlit cigarette between her lips. "Every time I think about it, I think how stupid I was."

"What are you talking about?" Shane question as she lit the cigarette.

Nicole exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Think about it. I had a crush on Jay when he first moved here and Jackie took him. When it became clear that Scarlett had a thing for Jayden, she grew jealous and they broke up." Shane frowned. He never knew why Jayden and Jacquelyn broke up. "I had a crush on you, and she took you too. Had I've been smart, I would have gone for Nathan. She would've gone for him and I would've gotten you."

There was no arguing Nicole on that situation. If Jacquelyn was as jealous as Nicole made her out to be, then that would be how things would have played out.

"Nicky," Shane said. "Jackie's worried about you. I don't think she intentionally went after a guy you had a crush on."

Nicole laughed. "You are dumb Shane." Nicole blew out smoke. "Don't you know the phrase? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

"I think that's the drugs talking." Shane said.

"What? You don't think I'm _smart_ enough to see things for what they are?" Nicole asked. "When Jayden first moved down here, I was clearly the second girl in line. Jackie wasn't even thinking about him until we began to talk because Helen hated him. The second Jayden thought of me as more than a friend did she see a threat."

"You're delusional. We all knew she had a crush on Jayden. Maybe not one as big as yours, but she had one." Shane said.

"So what you're saying is," Nicole said. "Since _your_ crush wasn't as big as Jayden's on Scarlett, we should've hooked those two up instead, right?" Shane sat in silence, trying to find a counter. "See my point?"

"You're crazy. That's all there is to it." Shane said.

Nicole took out her cell phone. "Whatever Shane. Say what you want."

"Who are you calling?" Shane asked.

"Uh, Nathan. The only person who gives a damn about what I want." Nicole said before Shane snatched her phone from her hands. "What the hell is your problem?"

"He is!" Shane said, his anger now evident in his voice. "You think he cares for your Nicky? Open your eyes! He's using you for sex and he's giving you drugs because _you_ are dumb enough to believe that it'll help! But it'll never help."

"And you this know because… Oh that's right! Never tried it." Nicole said.

"No. I haven't." Shane said. "But I see what it's doing to you."

"And?" Nicole asked.

"You look horrible." Shane said, not caring for his blunt approach on things any longer. She needed to hear this. "I've see you on your worst days before, but this is beyond that. Hell, I'd choose some of Jordan's friends over you now."

"Whatever." Nicole said.

"I'm not lying." Shane said. "You're smart. Think about it. Before you was with Nate, _every_ guy noticed you. Hell, you even heard Jayden compliment you when he was with Helen. Now. Now, no one wants you _but_ Nate. Coincidence?"

Nicole exhaled another plume of smoke.

"I think it's because Nate scares the shit out of most people honestly. They won't come close to me at all, and that's okay. He's all I need anyway." Nicole replied.

Shane sighed. "No, no, no. That's wrong. No one is afraid of Nathan."

"Which is why you punched him and ran yesterday, right?" Nicole asked.

"I never 'ran' I took you away. There is a difference." Shane answered. "And to be honest with you, if you weren't completely screwed up with drugs and had asked me to have sex with you, I probably would've done it right then and there. No thoughts about it."

Nicole sat quietly as she looked at Shane. He was known for his blunt and honest attitude, only lying to dodge trouble. She knew that he meant what he said and felt a sick feeling in her stomach.

"I just want to finish my cigarette." Nicole said.

Shane shrugged. "Go ahead. But if you die from lung cancer, I told you."

* * *

Helen stopped by her locker before third period, silently cursing her cousin and ex for not telling her what the story behind Shane's absence was. They knew that Helen was not the gossiping type and yet they still refused to tell her. Half of her mind believed Jayden when he said that he did not know, but the other half thought that he did. He and Shane were best friends after all.

"Hey," Marc said walking towards her. "Can I walk you to class?"

"Look," Helen said. "I get it. But you don't. Leave me alone, okay? I'm not interested in some two-ton idiot. So back off."

"Hey, I'm just being nice. With everyone talking about your two friends skipping school-"

"What are you talking about?" Helen interrupted him.

"Haven't you noticed that both Shane _and_ Nicole aren't here?" Marc answered. "I thought your friends would have told you by now."

"No. They didn't." Helen said before slamming her locker door. "But they will. Even if I have to squeeze it out of them."

Marc watched Helen walk off before James came up to him and placed at hand on his shoulder.

"Let it go man. Helen's not the one to get involved with." James said.

"We'll see." Marc said.

* * *

Laura sipped the alcohol slowly as she eyed Nathan pacing in front of her. He was muttering something about killing and Nicole. Due to Laura's lack of caring, she only tuned in on him when she thought she heard something important.

"You know, you never answered Jayden's question." Laura said. Nathan paused momentarily, his blue eyes meeting her brown. "Do you love Nicole?"

"Love is for losers." Nathan replied.

"Then why are you sweating over the fact that she's with Shane? If she's just your little rendezvous, why do you care who she talks to?" Laura asked.

"Are you getting somewhere with this?" Nathan stated. "Because if you're not, I have to think of all the places he could have taken her."

"I will only say this once. Jayden is right." Laura said. "God that left a sick taste in my mouth, but he has a point. If you don't care for her like that, then don't. But I'm beginning to doubt that you have fallen for her."

"I haven't!" Nathan said. "I just hate Mason, that's all."

"Yeah." Laura said skeptically.

"She's nothing to me! Alright? Get over it!" Nathan said, his voice echoing off of the empty locker room walls.

Laura shrugged. "Say what you want. I ain't seen it yet, so I don't believe you."

Nathan sighed. "Fine. You want to see how much I care? Forget Nicky. Forget Shane. Let's go get something."

"Now you're speaking my language." Laura replied.

* * *

The bell rang for lunch and Jayden stood by his locker, confused as to where Chandra was. When he saw her walking down the hall, he walked over to her.

"Something wrong?" Jayden asked the girl.

"I can't walk down the hall with you anymore." Chandra said. "Your girlfriend has a problem. I crossed that line." Jayden opened his mouth. "Don't. She's right. I wouldn't want to be what Mary-Jane thinks of me anyway."

Jayden stopped walking and watched Chandra walk towards the cafeteria. He felt bad for her seeing as she was kind of like Helen. She was attractive, powerful, and confident. But Jayden learned that the few times someone was able to take Chandra's confidence away, she just became just like the other girls. And he was really trying to keep her from becoming like that.

Sighing, Jayden walked towards the cafeteria. He would talk to Scarlett about this later.

"See you later." Vanessa said giving Jacob a soft peck and walking towards the cafeteria.

Jayden smirked. "I always knew you had it in you." Jacob turned to see his friend. "Let's go Jacob. My lips are sealed. But you have to tell me, honestly, do you think it's that bad?"

"How does everyone keep finding me?" Jacob asked.

"I don't know." Jayden said putting a hand on Jacob's shoulder. "But I do know that I've had a long day and deserve a good story. So start talking."

* * *

In the cafeteria, Chandra sat quietly as her friends talked around her. Well, most of her friends. Dustin sat as quietly as usual.

"Something wrong Bambi?" Aaron asked.

"…" Chandra debated on whether she should tell him, but realized that Jordan was paying attention. "Nothing. Just had a bad day."

"Oh." Aaron said, though he was far from believing her.

"So anyway," Jordan said. "Shane goes practically ape on Nathan, grabs Nicky, and went for his dad's."

"Wow," Vanessa said. "So what did you do?"

"Nothing. Kelly told me that I couldn't tell Mom and I didn't." Jordan said. "Of course, we all know that if my mom does find out, she's going to blow a fuse."

Aaron nodded. "I can see that. But, why was Nicole at the ravine?"

"From what Kelly told me last night," Jordan said. "She was there with Nathan."

"Figures." Gabrielle muttered.

"What's wrong?" Ashton asked.

"It's just that," Gabrielle said. "Everything that goes wrong in this school has something to do with Nathan. I just… I just hate him."

"Join the club." Ashton said with a grin. "I'm the president."

"VP." Jordan added.

As the group continued to joke and talk, Aaron kept a critical eye on Chandra. She had a lackluster glow about her. He could not pinpoint the exact problem, but something was seriously troubling her.

Standing at the soda machine, Scarlett grabbed her and Helen's orange sodas and turned to see Jayden staring at her.

"Something wrong?" Scarlett asked.

"What did you say to Bambi?" Jayden said. "And please, don't lie."

"I told her to give you some space. Honestly." Scarlett said. "Why? Did she run to you and tell you that I said-"

"The exact opposite." Jayden interrupted. "As normal, I went to talk to her on the way here and she told me to stay away from her." Scarlett shrugged. "Scarlett, I see where you're going with this. Yeah, she has a childhood crush on me, big whoop. But if you, Helen, and Mary-Jane keep downing her, she's going to be one of those girls who allow the guys to take advantage of her."

"You don't know that for sure." Scarlett said. "Seriously J.T, I think you're worried just too much."

Jayden sighed. "You're right. But the next time you want to place a restraining order on one of my friends, tell me first."

Scarlett smiled. "Are you going to run off to her now?"

"No." Jayden said. "I just wanted to run this by you. There is a _big_ difference between you and Helen. You don't have that look of envy. Or do you and you're not showing me?"

"I get it." Scarlett said. "I'll lay off of Bambi, I promise. Just as long as she's not with you _every second_ of the day."

Jayden smiled. "You're so understanding."

Dakota gave Kelly a smile. "I'm sure he's fine."

"No he isn't." Kelly said. "I told him that getting involved with Nathan and Nicky was just as bad as you getting involved with Laura."

"You know, Laura is not that bad." Dakota replied. "That, plus I wasn't sleeping with Laura."

"There's that." Kelly said. "Hey Jacob, did Shane call you anytime today?"

"No." Jacob said. "I thought he'd call you if anyone."

"His stupid phone is cut off." Kelly replied. "I swear when we get home…"

Jayden sat beside Kelly and opened his Sprite.

"No call?" Dakota asked. Jayden shook his head. "I tried telling Kelly that he's fine."

Jayden shrugged. "I wish I could say. Nate has been pretty wrapped up about…"

Jayden's words died in his mouth as Shane and Nicole came into the cafeteria. Kelly and Dakota followed Jayden's eyes to see the duo walking towards Helen's table.

"This is going to be good." Jayden said sipping his drink.

Kelly stood up. "You bet it is."

Dakota, Jacob, and Jayden said nothing as Kelly stormed off towards her brother.

"So glad that I'm the only child." Dakota muttered, gaining a smile from Jayden.

"Hey." Jacquelyn said to Shane before looking over at Nicole. "What's going on?"

Shane sighed. "Tried to keep her out of the crack house."

"Good luck." Helen murmured.

"So how's it going?" Scarlett asked Shane, trying to cover her cousin's words up.

"She's only had two cigarettes today." Shane informed Scarlett. "It's progress from what I caught her doing."

"So you've been with her-"

"Shane!" Kelly interrupted Jacquelyn. "Where have you been? You've missed half of the day already!"

"I know. I know. And I'm sorry, but someone had to help Nicky." Shane said before turning to Nicole. "And as promised, you can leave if you want. Like I said, I will find you again if necessary."

"Sure Shane." Nicole said quietly. "Scarlett, Jackie…" Nicole nearly shivered as she saw the glaring green eyes of Helen. "H-Helen."

"Glad to know he instilled fear back into you." Helen said. "I'm still going to knock you out."

Nicole nodded a bit before looking at Shane.

"I promise, I'll call later." Nicole said.

Shane gave her a slow nod and Nicole walked off.

"Why is she calling you? And where have you been? Answer me." Kelly said.

"Uh, okay. She's calling me to let me know just how bad her life sucks. And we've been at the park for the past, I don't know how long." Shane answered. "I was trying to keep her in her sober mind for however long I could. She needs serious help, more than I can give."

"How bad is it?" Scarlett asked.

Shane sighed before sitting beside Jacquelyn.

"She's his crack-headed sex-slave." Shane said. "And she believes that none of us cares." Shane looked at Jacquelyn. "Especially you."

"This I have to hear." Helen said leaning on her elbows.

"Me? What did I do?" Jacquelyn asked.

"Do you remember when Jay first came to Toronto and how big of a crush she had on him?" Shane asked. All four girls nodded. "Well, she felt like you only dated him because she liked him. And now, she feels the same with you and me."

"That's ridiculous!" Jacquelyn replied. "Shane, did you tell her how stupid that sounds?"

"Ironically, yes I did." Shane said.

"And she said?" Helen questioned.

"She called me stupid." Shane said and Helen began laughing.

"Helen, this is serious." Scarlett chastised her cousin.

"I know but, you have to admit, _Nicky_ calling _anyone_ stupid is funny. Right?" Helen said.

Scarlett sighed. "Go on Shane."

"But, um, we just sat at a park. She was telling me things she remembered and how she felt. Basically a trip down Nicole's memory lane." Shane concluded.

"Wow." Scarlett said.

"You're a real nice guy Shane." Kelly said. "But it doesn't mean that I'm still not pissed about you. Boy, if Grandpa were alive he'd-"

"Kelly, are you really going to chew me out after _you_ were the one so bent on getting Dakota?" Shane cut his sister off.

"…" Kelly knew he had a point, but was far from showing it. "Yes." Shane sighed. "I'm going to relay the news to Jay and Dash. And next time you want to be Superman, call."

"Will do." Shane said before Kelly walked away. "I am so staying at my mom's tonight."

"Why didn't you call?" Jacquelyn asked.

"For the sake of her somehow calling Nathan, I took her phone. And to prove to her that I wasn't going anywhere, I cut both of them off." Shane responded. "I know it was stupid-"

"Duh." Helen cut in.

"But," Shane said cutting Helen a glance. He then turned back to Jacquelyn. "I had to make sure that she was alright, you know?"

"Yeah…" Jacquelyn replied.

* * *

Nicole was happy to find Nathan where he normally was with Laura, Damon, and the others that were usually there.

"Hey Nate!" Nicole said happily. Nathan glanced at her before taking a drag on his cigarette. "Can I get a hit?"

"Three bucks." Nathan responded, gaining a pair of raised eyebrows from Laura.

"What?" Nicole asked. "Come on Nate, it's me."

"You think I'm stupid or something? I know who you are. Three bucks." Nathan said.

Nicole frowned. "What's your problem? You're acting like Scooter now."

"Hey!" Damon said.

"My problem?" Nathan said. "I don't have a problem. I mean, like I told Laura and Scooter earlier, you and I, we ain't dating or anything. I mean, the sex was good- not great- and you're cute. That's about all."

"Wha… No. No, you're lying. I know so. You've told me so." Nicole said.

"You know," Nathan said. "You always were a bit slower than others." Nicole gaped. "I lied."

Nicole stood with tears in her eyes. It only hurt because Shane was right. Nathan did not care for her, not like she wanted him to. And when he left her, she would realize just how truly alone she was. Jacquelyn and Helen did not want to be around her because what she said to them and Shane had told her that he would not force himself to be around Nathan for the sake of Nicole's health.

"By the way," Nathan said. "That bag is either twenty bucks or twenty minutes. Your choice. And today, I'm in the mood for a little oral. You've been very picky about not doing that earlier, but I'm not really in the mood for hearing it." The tears were clearly seen on Nicole now. "That is your policy right? Money or sex?"

"You know what? Fuck you too!" Nicole shouted before turning around and walking away.

Laura turned to look at Nathan.

"You know," Laura said. "You can always go after her if you want."

"Nah. She'll be there today. All crack-heads come back. They can't help it." Nathan said staring out at the football field.

Laura's eyes narrowed. "You're not going to cry are you?"

"No!" Nathan responded. "She just…." Nathan looked at Laura's smirk and Damon's surprised expression. "Whatever man. I really don't have to listen to you."

"You going to scream and run off too?" Laura teased. Nathan flicked his cigarette butt at Laura. "Asshole!"

"Takes one to know one babe." Nathan said before walking off.

"Well," Damon said. "At least we know he's back to normal."

"Yeah. Lucky us." Laura said sarcastically.

* * *

Helen grumbled to herself as she stepped into the bathroom. It was probably the only place Marc would not follow her to. Hearing a familiar cry and sniffle, Helen went to a stall and knocked on the door.

"Come on out Nicky." Helen said.

"For what? So you can punch me in the face?" Nicole responded.

"I can always kick the door down, so either way, you're going to get punched." Helen said. "But I want to talk to you. Honestly."

There was a moment of silence before Nicole opened the stall and stepped towards the sink.

"Let me guess," Helen said. "Nathan either rejected you or is out of crack."

"God Helen, am I always this stupid?" Nicole asked, staring at her reflection.

"Yes." Helen answered. "Well, not _this_ stupid, but you've always been slightly stupid."

Nicole seemed to cry more at the response and Helen sighed. Punching Nicole was going to get her hand dirtier than she wanted with all the tears, smeared makeup, and mucus on the other girls face.

"Okay, that was a bit harsh, but you wanted my honest answer." Helen said. "So what's wrong, seriously?"

"Nate and I… We were so happy. I mean, things were great." Nicole said. "He gave me everything for free. I didn't _always_ have sex with him for things. Hell, sometimes it was because I was seriously in the mood. I-"

"TMI." Helen interrupted. "Just get to the point."

"He said that he had never had a girl like me before. That I was special." Nicole said before turning to Helen. "And just a few minutes ago, he acted like I was just some call-girl that he can have anytime he wants."

Helen sighed. "Nicky… You set yourself up for that. I mean, what do you want me to do?"

"Help. Please. I'm begging you Helen." Nicole said. "You were my best friend. When you heard about Jackie having a crush on Jay, you were the _only_ person who stood up for me."

Helen exhaled heavily, thinking about the event. She has never told Jayden about Nicole's crush because it seemed obvious. But before Helen could make it clear to him, in a forceful way of course, he had begun dating Jacquelyn. It was around Winter Break, if she remembered correctly. And Nicole had nearly cried her eyes out when she and Helen were alone. The girl always seemed to keep a smile in front of Jacquelyn though, and Helen had to applaud Nicole for her acting. No one ever saw the depressed Nicole. No one.

"If you want my help," Helen said. "I suggest you stay away from Nathan and stay by your buddy Plain Shane. He seems to be the only one that knows how to deal with you for the moment. And be at cheerleading practice today. I can't stand the sight of Bambi in your position." Nicole gave a smile before hugging the shorter girl. "We're touching again."

"Thank you Helen!" Nicole cried.

"Sure…" Helen responded before Nicole released her. "Oh, and Nicky?"

"Hm- Ow!" Nicole shouted as Helen punched her in the arm.

"Don't ever tell anyone that I let you off the hook." Helen said. "I have a reputation to keep up."

Nicole said nothing as she held her sore right arm. She was lucky to have a friend like Helen, despite the smaller girl's aggression. Then again, the punch _could_ have been intended for her face and Nicole was not so much of a fighter and bruised like a banana. That would not have been pretty.

* * *

After lunch, Aaron and Jordan were walking down the halls together closely together.

"So what do you think is wrong with Chandra?" Jordan asked.

"I don't know." Aaron replied. "If she wanted us to know, she would tell us."

"I heard what you said to Dustin yesterday." Jordan said. "And that was sweet. I owe you big."

"No Jordan you don't owe me anything." Aaron replied.

"Fine. Then do something for me then." Jordan said. "I want to see the memorial. And the gravesite."

Aaron's eyes widened. "Are you… Are you serious?"

"Yeah." Jordan replied. "I can't keep dragging you down forever. It's time to put aside my petty feelings and go see him. And I want you to be there with me."

Aaron smiled. "I said I would wait and if you're really ready to see it, then I'll be there. I promise."

"Thanks." Jordan said.

"No problem." Aaron replied.

* * *

Chandra walked down the halls, hearing what some of the other students were saying. They were saying how Jayden must have kicked her to the curb or Scarlett must have put Chandra in check.

"Sucks doesn't it?" Dustin said. Chandra nodded as the boy was now walking side-by-side with her. "They don't even know what really happens. They just make up lies."

"I guess I owe you some kind of apology. I didn't do anything to help and you're here trying to cheer me up." Chandra said. "So, sorry."

"No problem. I mean, it was kind of cool being able to hang out with James and Mary-Jane." Dustin replied.

"Yeah. And Jayden's absolutely the best… But, we're just seventh graders huh?" Chandra asked.

Dustin nodded. "Yep. A pair of lonely seventh graders. Though, doesn't have to be that way." Chandra frowned. "You can't be lonely if I'm walking with you, can you?"

"Any other day, I would down you for how bad of a pathetic attempt that was, but today is different. So, you got off lucky." Chandra said. "Just make sure that you walk with me to sixth period."

"Deal." Dustin replied.

* * *

After the final bell, Kelly walked with her younger sister and her sister's boyfriend to Snake's memorial within the school. She knew that there would be a day where Jordan did view it, but she did not know that it was going to be so soon.

"Here we are." Kelly said quietly. "Granddad's memorial."

As Jordan eyed the site, Aaron looked at her carefully. It was like the day he died. Jordan was completely emotionless and had a blank stare on her face. She seemed to have the exact same posture until Aaron felt her hand in his, shaking. He gave it a comforting squeeze and she released a sigh.

"Take your time." Aaron was so caught up in Jordan that he did not even hear his brother approach them. But he turned to see Jayden with a comforting arm around Scarlett. "We stop here during odd times of the day. Just to say hi."

"Oh." Aaron exhaled quietly.

"Thank you for taking her to the gravesite Jay." Kelly said. "I have to get to work." Jayden nodded. "Are you going to be okay Jordan?"

"Yeah…" Jordan answered. "I just… I want to go by the grave now."

"Okay." Jayden said. "Are you ready Scarlett?"

"Sure." Scarlett replied. "Let's go."

Aaron led Jordan behind Jayden and Scarlett. He noticed that Jordan was crying silently and her hand was squeezing his just a bit uncomfortably now, but he allowed this to continue in hope that she would get it all out of her system.

"Thanks for this A.J." Jordan whispered.

"You're welcome." Aaron replied.

* * *

Shane wiped down the counter and went back towards the deep fryer to take out a fresh batch of fries when the bell on the door rang. He turned to see the familiar trio of Helen, Jacquelyn, and Nicole all in their cheerleading outfits.

"Well this is shocking." Shane said. "What can I get you?"

"You ask that everyday and we order the same thing." Helen said. "I'm going to cut out the middle man and just go sit down at our _usual_ table. Come on Nicky."

Nicole gave Shane a shrug as she moved towards the girls' usual table at the Dot. Shane leaned on the counter and gave Jacquelyn a kiss, surprise when she prolonged it.

"What was that for?" Shane asked.

Jacquelyn shrugged. "Just felt like it I guess. And thanks for Nicky. Helen nearly had kittens putting Chandra back on JV."

"Glad I could help." Shane said moving towards the fries.

Jacquelyn smiled. "You're the greatest."

Shane was going to respond before Kelly came into the establishment.

"I know. I know. Mom has chewed me out already and she'll be down here soon. Jordan went to Granddad's grave." Kelly said walking towards the back room.

"What? That's shocking." Gavin said. "Who took her?"

"Jay!" Kelly called before coming out of the room and walking behind the counter. "He took her with Aaron and Scarlett. You know that Scarlett stops by the memorial everyday. Sometimes she takes Shane and others she takes Jayden." Kelly paused and leaned towards Shane. "What is Nicole doing here?"

"Trying to get her life better." Shane said holding a tray with a plate of fries and three milkshakes towards Kelly. "So go help her."

"Ugh. I think I had a better chance fighting with Mom." Kelly said taking the tray away.

Gavin waited for Jacquelyn to leave before stepping beside his son.

"You're worried about her, aren't you?" Gavin asked.

Shane sighed. "Dad, I don't know what to do. I mean, I got it worse than Jay and Dakota."

"You bet you do. That's a guy looking out for his sister. You don't look at Nicky that way." Gavin replied. "The only thing I'm worried about is Jackie being…"

"Jealous?" Shane finished for his father, who nodded. "You'd be surprise. Nicky said the same thing."

* * *

Jayden and Scarlett could only stare as Jordan was now crying openly above Mr. Simpson's grave, Aaron comforting her the best he could. During the ride, Jordan's manner had been indifferent. Now, there was no denying the grief she had been holding in for weeks now.

"A.J," Jayden said. "We'll be in the car."

"Sure." Aaron said as Jayden led Scarlett away.

Jayden and Scarlett sat in Manny's Mercedes.

"Wow," Scarlett said. "She's a wreck."

Jayden nodded. "I know. And here I thought that she would actually hold off until we left."

"Yeah. Hey, about earlier today, I was wrong. I shouldn't have told Bambi to back-off." Scarlett said. "Though, in all fairness, I did it politely."

"I guess that can count for something." Jayden replied. "That, and the fact that she doesn't seem to be bothering me anymore. So therefore, I guess I should be thanking you to a degree." Scarlett smiled. "However," Scarlett scoffed at this. "Doesn't mean that you don't owe me something for that."

"Oh? And what would you like Mr. McDuelle?" Scarlett asked. Jayden motioned Scarlett to come closer to him before whispering in her ear. "J.T!"

Jayden laughed. "You asked."

"Remind me not to next time." Scarlett said before crawling in Jayden's lap. "Because I know exactly what you want."

Jayden smiled. "Red, you know that A.J and Jordan could walk in at any moment right?"

"I know that." Scarlett said before kissing Jayden lighting on his cheek. "Which makes it worth while."

"As much as I want to," Jayden said. "I'm going to postpone this. At least after I drop them off. Then, you can start repaying me."

"It's a date neighbor." Scarlett whispered in Jayden's ear.

Jayden smiled. "I bet it is."

* * *

Ethan, Torrie, Laura, and Damon watched as Nathan basically drank in sorrow. None of them said anything because they knew what was wrong him.

"You're pathetic." Laura said.

"What?" Nathan asked.

"You're pathetic." Laura repeated louder. "You're over here drinking over Nicky."

"Back off." Nathan said.

"Hey," Torrie said. "If you want to go talk about it-"

"I said back off." Nathan interrupted. "It's not like any of you would know what I'm thinking about."

"How you wish Nicky was here? It's not that hard to figure out." Ethan said.

"Whatever." Nathan said.

Ethan sighed. "Dude, if you want my honest opinion, go find someone else. Why whine over one girl?"

"You know, that's the smartest thing any of you said all day." Nathan said rising. "I'll be back."

Nathan walked away from the group.

"So sprung." Torrie said.

"You said it." Laura replied as Nathan walked into a van with a girl Laura did not know. "And he's going to ruin his life over that. That's actually sad."

"You? Think that's sad? What a shocker." Torrie said.

Laura was going to reply before her cell phone vibrated. She looked at it before standing up.

"Dakota?" Damon asked. Laura only looked at Damon. "You're around her more than you are us. What's the deal?"

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you." Laura said. "And no, we're not dykes, so don't ask."

"I-" was all Damon said before Laura walked off. "Laura and Dakota. Nathan and Nicky. Man, if I've learned anything is to never take someone new to the ravine. They'll mess you up."

Torrie and Ethan only nodded in sync. Their friends were definitely different now.


	33. S2 Episode IV: The First Time

**Episode IV: The First Time**

James allowed Vanessa to walk off like any other normal day, his mind going from his sister to his girlfriend in seconds.

"She's excited about learning." Mary-Jane muttered.

"I hope so." James replied. "But I know that she won't be home later on today. She has tutoring with Jacob. So my place is free if you want to stop by."

Mary-Jane smiled. "I like the way you think."

As the two were about to do their normal make-out in the parking lot, they heard someone clearing their throat rather loudly.

"You two still don't respect people's thoughts?" Steven asked.

Mary-Jane gasped. "Steven! You're back?"

"Yeah," Steven said. "Though my dad was not happy with the news. Seems like everyone talks about the son of Craig and Ashley Manning."

"I bet." James said. "So, are you clean?" Steven nodded. "Good. How about we get to class and I can tell you everything that you've missed."

"But before that," Mary-Jane said. "_I_ have to tell you all the important things that went on. For starters-"

"Oh boy." Steven cut off. "I have a feeling I'm going to be listening for a while."

James grinned. "Yeah. She's a bit hyper today."

* * *

Aaron watched as Jordan quietly grabbed her notebook. He noticed that she had small dark rings under her eyes from lack of sleep and realized why she had stayed awake. She was probably up all night thinking about Snake.

"Jordan," Aaron said softly. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." Jordan replied in a softer tone.

"You don't have to lie to me, you know? I won't judge you at all." Aaron said.

Jordan smiled. "I know A.J. I just… I just miss him, that's all."

"I know that." Aaron said. "But is there anything that I can do?"

"Yeah. Walk with me to class? Please?" Jordan asked with a smile.

"Sure." Aaron replied.

* * *

"You're wrong." Shane said.

"No I'm not." Jacquelyn replied. "It was Tuesday."

"That can't be right," Shane said thinking himself. "Because then that would mean that…" Shane paused. "Wow. When's the last time I was off?"

"Last Tuesday when you took me out. Duh." Jacquelyn answered.

"Okay. Fine, you're right." Shane replied, gaining a triumphant grin from Jacquelyn. "So what? You want me to leave work today and go out with you? Because I will."

"Shane, you don't have to work. Your dad called me ahead of time and told me." Jacquelyn said.

"So much for surprise. Thanks Dad." Shane muttered.

"Hey Shane. Hey Jackie." Nicole said coming towards them.

Jacquelyn's eyes looked at Nicole before turning to Shane who shrugged. He was just as clueless about what Nicole wanted as she was.

"I, um, kind of need a favor." Nicole said. "I wanted to go see a counselor and Dakota said that it was best to go with a friend."

Jacquelyn and Shane exchanged looks. Neither of them really wanted to sit in either counselors' office, especially not with Nicole.

"Please?" Nicole nearly begged.

Shane sighed. "Jackie…"

"Go." Jacquelyn said. "I'm not."

"…" Shane was silent for a moment. He was really going to ask Jacquelyn to go too. "Fine. I'll go. But you owe me _big_ time."

Jacquelyn smiled. "I'll pay you back. I promise." Jacquelyn gave Shane another kiss that seemed to linger. When she pulled away, she gave him another smile. "Later."

"Yeah." Shane said as his girlfriend walked off. "So… When did you want to go to see the counselor?"

"Now if it isn't too much to ask for." Nicole said.

"Sure. Let's go." Shane said as the two began walking down the hall. He noticed Nicole stayed close beside him, making him a bit uncomfortable. She was starting to get that glow again. "So… What did you do after you left yesterday?"

"Smoked two cigarettes and went home." Nicole replied. "I felt so… So empty. Like I needed…" Nicole paused as she saw Shane's eyes narrow. "But I didn't get any, I swear!"

"Uh-huh." Shane muttered.

"Shane, I would never lie to you!" Nicole said. "You're the only one that's giving me the time of day besides Helen! And she only does it to keep Bambi away from her!" Shane looked at the blonde. "I swear Shane! Two cigarettes were all I had. Nothing to drink. Nothing else to smoke. And I ate some sunflower seeds, see?" Nicole removed a rolled up back of sunflower seeds from her pocket. "I'm really trying to be me again."

"I hope so." Shane said.

* * *

"Steven is back." Mary-Jane whispered to Amber.

Amber frowned. "Really? When'd he get back?"

"Today." Mary-Jane said in a low tone. "I think he hasn't forgotten how close you two were so…"

"You think? I mean, with the pills and me rejecting him. I don't think he'll want to talk to me." Amber said. "Not like he was."

Mary-Jane smiled. "Stop thinking so little of yourself. Go get him."

Amber only gave Mary-Jane one of her fake smiles that told Mary-Jane to drop the subject. Steven was not a sore subject, but Amber's love life was. It brought up the reason while Amber and Mary-Jane were not best friends now.

"So you and James are going to be working on that project later on today?" Mary-Jane asked.

"I don't know. I haven't talk to him today." Amber said. "I'll let you know when I do. Or he will."

"Alright." Mary-Jane said.

Amber allowed a small smile to grace her lips. Mary-Jane was envious that Amber and James were stuck together for a project in Media Immersion. And that made Amber all the happier. Soon, the great Mary-Jane Del Rossi will mess up. And she would be right there waiting. Just like Scarlett.

* * *

Jayden eyed Helen again. She looked up at him before he motioned his head towards Nicole's empty seat. Helen shrugged before going back to her work at hand.

"Has anyone heard from Nicole today?" Mrs. Carson asked. No one said anything. "That girl is missing more and more as the day goes by."

"Blame it on-"

"Her cold." Helen interrupted one of the students that knew of Nicole's addiction. Then again, who didn't? "She's been sick lately. That's why I replaced her with Bam- I mean Chandra on the Varsity squad."

The girl frowned. "Really? I thought it was because of something else."

"My fist will show you five reasons you should let it drop." Helen threatened.

Jayden smiled as the other girl immediately hushed. He then looked at Helen, who was back doing her work. He was going to say something before she looked up at him.

"Not a word." Helen said.

"You're the boss." Jayden replied with a grin.

The two went back to doing their work without another word said. Though, they knew each other well enough now to say a million things without voicing it. Helen knew that Jayden had already figured her worry for Nicole's addiction. He could do something to help Nicole, but he wanted Helen to say it out loud. Why?

Helen glared at the back of Jayden as she figured out the answer. Because he was one of the most annoying boys to ever step foot in Degrassi Community School. No matter how hot he was.

* * *

After first period, Scarlett was standing in the restroom, checking herself in the mirror. Unlike her cousin, she did this sort of thing everyday.

"I don't think you can do anymore to your face if you tried." Mary-Jane said as she stepped beside Scarlett, applying some lip gloss to her lips. "Besides, from what I hear, Jayden likes it natural. You know, kind of like Helen. Not a lot of makeup."

"I guess since you and James have been together for months now, you're the couple guru." Scarlett said.

"I wouldn't say that," Mary-Jane said. "But I'll let you in on a secret. A man can only use one 'head' at a time, if you get what I'm saying. If one of those 'heads' begins to lose interest in you, move on to the other one. Trust me. The one between the legs will never lose interest." Mary-Jane thought for a moment. "Well, unless he's gay."

Scarlett frowned. "What are you saying?"

"Honey, let's be honest. Helen was practically dry humping him when they were dating." Mary-Jane said looking at the shorter girl. "And something tells me that if she wanted to, she could go all the way with him. Why? Because you're… Well, let's be honest, it takes a true cheerleader to perform like we do and you're just a boring artsy politician."

"Are you telling me that I can't be as promiscuous as my cousin?" Scarlett asked. "Because if that's what you're saying, then you couldn't be farther from the truth if you tried."

"Believe what you want," Mary-Jane replied. "But there's a reason why James can look at Amber directly in the eyes and nowhere else. It's because _I_ keep him preoccupied. He doesn't care for any of you other girls because _I_ do it best." Mary-Jane smirked. "And to Jayden, well, between you, Jackie and Helen, I think it was your cousin who was the closest to finally giving it up."

"You're crazy." Scarlett said heading for the door.

"Fine. Don't believe me. But look how Nicky has Nathan whipped. And look how those boys look at Laura." Mary-Jane said. "Sex is a powerful weapon and I can tell that you really like Jayden. I mean, there isn't a day that goes by when I _don't_ hear about it." Scarlett scoffed. "All I'm saying is, don't be selfish. Keep him happy as well. Who knows? You might like it."

Scarlett left the restroom and began walking towards her father's classroom, Mary-Jane's words fresh on her mind. Were Jayden and Helen so close because they were always seconds away from ravishing one another? Were they still sexually attracted to one another? Scarlett did not want to think about it, but she did. Jayden's hands were always on Helen and vice versa, and they kissed about every time they saw each other.

"You're going to just walk by me and not speak?" her boyfriend's voice reached her ears. "I'm hurt."

Scarlett turned and gave him the most lustful kiss she could muster causing some students to stop and stare. She pulled away, staring directly into his eyes, seeing him in a semi-dazed state.

"All this because you don't want to speak?" Jayden finally said. "You should speak sign language more often."

Scarlett grabbed his hand. "Let's go J.T. Daddy's probably wondering what's taking us so long."

As Scarlett pulled Jayden behind her, she made sure to basically keep him up against her. For Jayden, he felt really out of place. While Helen was a hand's on type of girl, Scarlett was a bit of a tease. She talked the talk all to well and she tested patience for walking the walk. He was used to Scarlett saying something that got him worked up, but showing or doing it was a whole new plane. Her rear right against his crotch as they walked added with her perfume was definitely a new experience. Again, this was something he expected from Helen, but Scarlett would have her way. And he would let her.

"What are you two supposed to be? Joined at the hip?" Helen asked as the two entered the classroom.

"What? I can't walk close with him?" Scarlett responded.

"Not that close." Coach Blue said before turning to the class. "Now, for today…"

Scarlett felt a bit embarrassed that her father had caught her. She was ashamed to say that she had nearly forgotten that he was there. For a moment… For a moment she lost herself. And she liked it. Almost as if Mary-Jane was right.

"Are you okay?" Jayden whispered.

Scarlett nodded. "Perfect."

* * *

Amber sat beside James as Steven was given an empty seat.

"Welcome back Steven, I hope you're ready to catch up because you have a lot of it to do." Toby said.

"Thanks." Steven said lifelessly.

"Man, it's good to see him alright." James said to Amber. "Don't you think?" Amber nodded. "Now maybe things will go back to normal."

"I doubt that." Amber responded.

James frowned. "Why do you say that?"

"I just do." Amber said. "But what about this project? When do you want to finish this? Lunch? After school? When?"

"We can do it after school," James replied. "But I have one of those meetings today with Mrs. Taylor. We'll have to meet up around five."

Amber shrugged. "That's alright."

Steven did not know what was going on. His uncle was being a bit too nice at the moment and Amber and James were sitting beside each other and talking. If he did not know any better, he would say that he was still numb from the pills. Then he realized he was completely sober.

"What happened here?" Steven questioned quietly.

* * *

Mr. Goodwin stepped out momentarily, leaving Shane and Nicole alone in his office. Shane glanced at Nicole. She was fidgeting a bit in her seat, quite like she did yesterday before he handed her a cigarette.

"Are you okay?" Shane asked.

"I'm fine." Nicole said quickly.

"No you're not. So tell me what's wrong already." Shane said.

"I…" Nicole replied. "I need some of _it_." Shane frowned lightly. "You know… Something to-"

"I get it. You're just going to have to wait it out." Shane interrupted.

"I don't think I can." Nicole said. "I need it _now_."

Shane sighed. "I'm sorry Nicky, but you're going to have to fight it."

"I can't." Nicole said.

"You will." Shane responded before Mr. Goodwin came back into the room.

"Sorry about that," the counselor said. "Mrs. Hart was having trouble with some of the younger kids. You know how difficult they can be." Shane and Nicole grinned at the joke. "Now, where were we?"

* * *

After the bell rang, Jayden stopped Scarlett in the hall before they went their separate ways.

"What was that earlier?" Jayden asked.

"What was what?" Scarlett replied.

"This." Jayden said pulling Scarlett against him. "We were walking like this to your father's class, remember?"

"I, um, don't know what you're talking about, but I think people are staring." Scarlett said looking at Jayden. His arms did not move and she turned away. "I was just thinking about what you said in the car, that's all. Can I go to class now?"

Jayden stared at his girlfriend before giving her a kiss. The kiss quickly deepened due to Scarlett, though the girl pushed away soon.

"I have to go. See you later." Scarlett said before walking off, leaving Jayden standing in the hall.

"Something is definitely up." Jayden said to himself. "I need Shane."

* * *

Shane was beyond happy to leave the counselor's office. He had seen enough of it when he was in trouble and his grandfather wanted him to 'express' his 'anger issues' verbally.

"Thanks for going with me." Shane's attention was pulled towards Nicole, who was now munching away on sunflower seeds.

"Nicky, is sunflower seeds really the remedy for crack addicts? I know it helps people stop smoking but…" Shane paused as her green eyes looked into his brown ones. He realized that she at least put her contacts in today.

"I either do this or chew gum." Nicole said. "I read that it's supposed to help with quitting smoking."

Shane only nodded while he highly doubted that sunflowers were the remedy for cocaine addiction. He did not want to be the pessimistic one at the moment.

"Well, um," Nicole said. "My class is this way."

"Go ahead." Shane replied.

"I'll see you at lunch?" Nicole asked.

Shane nodded. "Like always." Nicole walked away and Shane turned the opposite way. "Jackie owes me big."

* * *

Manny sat in her kitchen, tapping her cell phone screen with a finger. Her phone rang and she answered it.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hey Mama," Danica said. "What was that emergency?"

"I need you to return to Toronto for a while." Manny said. "It's really important."

"I got that, but why is it so important? I originally thought that after that little show in New York, I could return to France with Izzy." Danica said.

"Jay wants a paternity test." Manny said.

"Jay? As in Jayden? My younger, naïve brother?" Danica asked.

"No," Manny answered. "My ex-fiancé, Jay."

"Oh…" Danica replied. "Well, I can get there in like a week's top. Probably next Friday or Saturday. Will that do?"

"That's fine." Manny said.

"Mama," Danica said. "Are you alright? You sound sad."

"I just… I just want this to be put behind me." Manny responded. "I can't believe that I was so stupid not to check when I was younger. When you were younger."

"It's fine. Besides, I was trying to find an excuse to come back home anyway." Danica said. Manny smiled at the obvious lie. Her daughter always tried to make everything alright. "So I'll be there. Does Dad know?"

"Yeah." Manny said quietly.

"Don't think any less of yourself because we both know that you could give Jay a good beating or two if you wanted to." Danica said, gaining a laugh from her mother. "Be strong Mama. You know, like the woman who used to beat me when I acted up."

"I didn't 'beat' you. You're just overreacting." Manny said. "And Danni, thank you."

"I'm just trying to imitate the best woman in the world." Danica replied.

"Okay, now I know you did something." Manny said, though Danica laughed. "Just get down here as soon as you can, okay? The sooner we can prove you're Max's, the sooner Jay can go back to wherever."

"Yeah. Sure." Danica said.

"See you soon then." Manny said.

"Bye Ma- Izzy!" Danica screamed happily.

Manny laughed before hanging up. Her daughter, despite the age, was always a big child inside and loved reuniting with old friends. Isabella Jones, a girl who Manny had met before Danica was even born, had become almost like a sister to Danica who lived in a separate country. The two shared a lot together and both worried Maxwell to great extremities.

He was still conscious of the boys around his little girl.

* * *

Walking to lunch, Scarlett stood strangely closer to Jayden, but he just brushed it off. Her scent, cherry, was very fascinating.

"So are you going to tell me what's wrong with you?" Jayden asked Scarlett.

"What are you talking about J.T?" Scarlett questioned.

"Oh come on Red," Jayden said. "I've never seen you so… So… Aggressive."

"Aggressive?" Scarlett repeated with a smile.

"Yes. Aggressive." Jayden said. "I was about to blow my whistle earlier." Scarlett gave him a frown. "You know, you get raped, they hand you a whistle so you won't be a repeat victim?" Scarlett rolled her eyes and slapped his arm. "It works for those who's been abused too, you know?"

"I'm not being aggressive J.T. Gee, you act like I can't kiss my boyfriend." Scarlett said.

"You can. But I always know when there's something wrong with you Scarlett." Jayden said. "And something is wrong with you. So just go ahead and tell me."

Scarlett stopped. "Promise you won't laugh?" Jayden stopped in front of her and nodded. "I was talking to Mary-Jane earlier and-"

"You were talking to Mary?" Jayden interrupted. "That's not good."

"She said that…" Jayden smiled at the shy tone that Scarlett used. He had never heard her use one before. "She said that I should, um-"

"Have sex with me?" Jayden said. Scarlett nodded. "But that's not what's wrong, is it?"

"No." Scarlett said. "I feel… God this is so embarrassing."

Jayden laughed. "Yes it is!"

"You jerk! You promised you wouldn't laugh!" Scarlett replied.

Jayden continued to laugh, but hugged Scarlett tightly against him. He soon calmed down.

"Red," Jayden said, a smile still on his face. "You are a very, very 'excited' girl and believe me, I'm just as 'excited' to see you too. It's only funny because all that teasing finally caught up to you."

"I really don't want to be talking about this anywhere my dad can hear it." Scarlett said.

"Good idea." Jayden said. "How about instead of going in there, we go get some lunch elsewhere?" Scarlett stared at Jayden as he revealed his set of keys. "Forget that I had this?"

"No." Scarlett said grabbing Jayden's hand. "Let's go to lunch in the cafeteria so no one thinks that something is wrong with me."

"You're hormonal." Jayden said.

"It's your fault!" Scarlett said.

Jayden laughed. "No it's not. But I can fix it whenever you need me to. Just call."

Scarlett smiled. "I will."

* * *

In the cafeteria, Aaron, Gabrielle, Ashton, Vanessa, and Jordan sat in their usual seats while Dustin and Chandra sat at another table, talking amongst themselves.

"You'd think we killed their puppy." Vanessa said.

"Bambi hates dogs." Aaron commented.

"You know what I mean." Vanessa said. "Why are those two sitting with each other and not us? Did we do something?"

"I don't think so." Aaron said.

Ashton shrugged. "It's quieter. And I like quiet girls."

Out of his peripheral, Aaron saw Gabrielle look elsewhere, obviously blushing from the inadvertent compliment. Aaron figured that Gabrielle thought Ashton was referring to her, which he could have been. He then looked at his own girlfriend, who was idly staring at her milk carton.

"Jordan," Aaron said. She looked at him. "Are you okay? Do you need to get some air?"

"No. I'm fine." Jordan said.

Aaron stood up. "Come on Jordan. Come talk to me for a second."

Seeing no point in arguing, Jordan stood up and walked away with Aaron.

At their own table, Chandra and Dustin watched their former friends walk away.

"I hear she finally went by her granddad's grave." Chandra said. "I've always thought that Gabrielle was a little twisted in the head, but Jordan is simply out there."

"Nah. She just has anger issues." Dustin replied.

Chandra shrugged. "Say what you like. I say she has problems."

"Speaking of problems," Dustin said. "Why haven't you talked to Jayden all day? I didn't know Scarlett put a restraining order on you."

"I just thought it'd be weird. Besides, you're a lot easier to talk to." Chandra said.

Dustin grinned. "Yeah… You too."

Shane sighed heavily . "You would not believe my day."

"I can guess." Jayden said. "So, your dad wakes you up and says you don't have to work today. Thinking that it would be a good day, Nicky gave you some bad news. All in all, first part of the day, terrible."

Shane blinked. "Okay… So you can believe my day."

"What happened?" Kelly asked.

"Nicky went to see Mr. Goodwin because a certain redhead suggested it." Shane said eying Dakota who gave him a timid smile. "And she decided to bring a friend. Jackie volunteered me so that's what I did for first and second period." Shane sighed. "It was like those stupid sessions Granddad had me going to with Mrs. Hart. I hate that woman."

"Hate is a strong word." Kelly replied. "One that you're not supposed to throw around like that."

"Whatever. Jackie owes me big." Shane said.

"Your dad said that you were a bit worried for Nicky." Jayden said. "And because Scarlett would rather us both die together than having one left to blame for the other, if you need my help, I'm here to help."

"Good." Shane said. "Because Nate and Laura are starting to-"

"You can leave Laura to me. I already have her on my 'hit list' if you would." Jayden said. "As for Nathan, he's walked up on me twice. The third time is the charm, right?"

"Why can't you two behave?" Kelly asked.

"Uh, because if we didn't, we wouldn't be Jayden and Shane." Jayden said.

"Duh Kelly. You should know that." Shane added.

Kelly looked at Dakota who gave her an sympathetic look.

"Brothers." the two girls said in unison.

* * *

Amber eyed the four other members of the table. They were Mary-Jane, James, Steven, and Marc. For a second, it was as if they had reformed their friendship all over again. But that was so far from the truth.

"…And that's what happened." Steven nodded as Mary-Jane finished her detailed report on what happened since Steven's suspension.

"Seems like a lot." Steven said.

"And now that you're back," Marc said. "Helen Coyne. What's your rating on her?"

"You mean now that she's not dating my annoying sister's even more annoying friend?" Steven replied. Marc nodded. "I don't know. Eight at best."

"If you rank her that high," Mary-Jane said. "Amber and I are clearly twenties."

Amber did not reply, just smiling. Mary-Jane was so trying to kiss up to her right now.

"She's not bad-looking. Just obnoxious at times." Steven said. "You can understand what I'm saying, right Marc?"

"Yeah. She keeps calling me stupid." Marc said.

"Marc, _everyone_ calls you stupid." Mary-Jane said.

"I don't." Amber responded. "I don't think you're stupid. You make stupid decisions, but that's just your normal boy hormones kicking in."

"And what is that suppose to mean?" James asked.

Amber shrugged. "Without them, you guys could think straight instead of making the dumb mistakes you do."

"Oh really?" Steven asked.

"Really." Amber said.

"Well then," James said. "Let's see how my hormones ruins _your_ grade when I just make a 'stupid mistake' on our project."

Amber smiled. "You and I both know that basketball tryouts are coming up. You need the best grades you can possibly have."

"…You have a point." James said.

"Well," Mary-Jane said. "I think that it's good to have all five us together again. We should go out and celebrate this weekend."

"Who knows," Steven said. "Maybe something good might happen?"

"Maybe." Amber replied with a grin.

* * *

Aaron just held Jordan as she cried by Mr. Simpson's memorial.

"I was so stupid!" he heard say through sobs. "God, why couldn't I just do it then and not hold it in like an idiot! Mom probably thinks I'm some kind of…"

"Ssh, your mom doesn't think any lesser of you." Aaron said in a comforting tone. "And you're not stupid. Had it not been for you, I might be failing in Mr. Isaacs's class."

"A.J," Jordan said looking at him. "Do you think he hates me for leaving his funeral and basically blaming him for dying?"

"No one can hate you Jordan. It's impossible to do." Aaron replied

Staring into her light brown eyes, Aaron leaned in and captured her lips, which she returned. The two looked at one another. It was bittersweet that they finally had gotten their first kiss from the other. The circumstances is what ruined the moment.

"A.J…" Jordan said, wiping tears from her face. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Aaron said.

* * *

In the cafeteria, Helen continued to glance at the fidgeting Nicole from time to time while trying to pay attention to whatever it was that Scarlett was telling Jacquelyn. Eventually, her nerves got the better of her.

"Why are you flinching so much?" Helen nearly exploded.

"I… I um," Nicole wondered how she should word this. "I need something really, _really_ badly."

"It is that bad." Scarlett said quietly as she looked at the girl beside her. "Nicky, are you going to be okay?"

"I don't know." Nicole said.

Shane and Jayden neared the table before Shane tossed Nicole a pack of sunflower seeds. The girl quickly opened the bag and began nibbling away.

"What are you two doing?" Helen asked.

"Coming to speak to our girlfriends." Jayden said. "Jealous Helen?"

Helen scoffed. "As if I'm jealous for seeing Plain Shane and the annoying boy next door."

It was odd to Scarlett on how Jayden and Helen referred to one another now. It was as if they did not need to say a lot to either get under each other's skin or understand each other. Scarlett realized that Helen must have actually sat down and talked to Jayden a lot to understand his complex persona.

"Thanks Shane." Nicole said, several of shells on the table already.

"That's disgusting…" Helen commented in a low tone.

"Anyway," Shane said. "We came to make sure that everything was alright."

"And," Jayden said sitting on Scarlett's left side. "To make sure that some people aren't being driven to insanity by their own addictions." Helen frowned. "No Helen, I'm not telling you."

"Frick…" the girl muttered.

"Hey Shane," Jacquelyn said. "You decided what you wanted to do today?"

Shane stood quietly as he exchanged glances with Jayden. Jayden focused on the ground, a smile etched on his face. This caused Scarlett to furrow her brows.

"You forgot, didn't you?" Scarlett said. Shane's silence and Jayden's snickers were enough to answer her question. "Shane, you haven't changed one bit! I keep telling you to remember your dates, but you don't want to listen to me!"

"I… Um…" Shane said trying to come up with an excuse.

"The bands been busy." Jayden answered, though he was still chuckling a bit. "While I can't fully justify Shane's obvious short-term memory, I can say that we will have practice today to prepare for Saturday. Mrs. Lowry's orders."

Scarlett pouted. "But what about _our_ time?"

"It'll have to wait." Jayden said. "But, you can join me at getting a soda. Maybe a little PDA in front of the soda machine to get someone to call your dad down here? It'll be fun, I promise."

"I was going until you said that last part." Scarlett said.

"Come on Red." Jayden said standing up. "I have to tell you something anyway. It's about… Well, let's just say that you and your cousin will have something to talk about tonight."

"Sounds good." Scarlett said before following her boyfriend towards the soda machine.

"Jackie," Shane said. "I am so, so sorry. I will make it up to you, I swear."

"No biggie. Besides, I owe you for sending you into counseling right?" Jacquelyn replied.

"Yeah, but that's not me." Shane said. "Saturday, all day before the performance and all Sunday, just you and me. What do you say?"

Jacquelyn smiled. "It's a deal."

At the soda machine, Scarlett gasped.

"That's why you two broke up?" she asked. Jayden nodded. "Oh my… And Nicky told Shane? So that's what they were talking about."

"Yeah. Seems as if your cousin does have a bit of dirty secrets about Nicky." Jayden said. "I feel bad now. Not bad enough to break up with you and date Nicky, but I do wish that I could help."

"I feel bad because I actually helped Jackie date Shane." Scarlett said. "I mean, I always knew Jackie to be a bit jealous but-"

"We'll talk about it later." Jayden interrupted. "In the meantime, I have to keep an eye on Laura and Damon. I can't let them get near Nicky, even if it does appear that they want her out of their lives. Nathan is their friend and they probably would do anything for him. Even dragging her back."

"I'll help." Scarlett said.

"Thanks," Jayden replied. "But I actually need you to worry about yourself. That little problem of yours is-"

"We're not talking about this here." Scarlett cut him off quickly.

Jayden laughed. "Whatever you say Madame President."

Chandra spotted Vanessa coming towards her and Dustin's table.

"What are you two doing over here?" Vanessa asked.

"We just wanted a new change of scenery." Chandra replied. "I mean, hearing A.J and Jordan talk about their lives is disgusting and seeing Ashton and Gabrielle flirt is beyond old."

"Oh." Vanessa said. "I thought it had to do with all of us."

"Nope. So is that all?" Chandra said.

Vanessa nodded. "I guess so. See you around."

Vanessa walked off and Chandra and Dustin exchanged glances.

"Ignored us when we were there and now that we're gone, it's a problem." Chandra said.

Dustin shrugged. "I just let it go." Dustin eyed the empty seats of Aaron and Jordan. "They're going to go on with or without you, so you might as well get used to traveling alone."

"Good point." Chandra said.

* * *

On the way to his cursed English class, Jayden stopped at a water fountain to delay the inevitable any way possible.

"And what would the day be without the physical representation of all that I hate in the world?" Laura said standing beside the fountain. "Oh that's right. A day worth living to see."

Jayden stood up straight. "Nate send you?"

"Nope. I found you on my own will and accord." Laura said. "How's the little brother? He's been avoiding me for that Cameron chick. Jordan, right?"

"He's fine." Jayden said.

"Oh… You're admitting it now." Laura replied.

Jayden shrugged. "Sometimes, you realize that what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger."

Laura smirked. "Well, _I_ certainly haven't killed anyone yet. Do I make you stronger, Jayden?"

Jayden felt more than nauseous about the close proximity he and Laura were in. Again, no matter how good she looked or smelled, he would never forgive her for what she did to Dakota.

"I'm going to class." Jayden said.

"Oh come on. I don't bite… Much." Laura said. "And what girlfriend don't know won't kill her."

Jayden smirked. "For once, I'm actually worried about your safety. And two people can keep a secret if one of them is dead."

"You're no fun." Laura said. "I thought that with a prude like Scarlett, you'd just be itching to get a good release."

"Patience is a virtue." Jayden said. "So why not go find someone else? I'm sure that there are more guys who are just _dying_ to be with you. I'm just not one of them. And I never will be."

"Never say never." Laura said.

"Why? You just did. Twice I might want to add." Jayden remarked.

Laura narrowed her eyes. She hated guys who rejected her.

"Fine. But like I said, between me and you, it isn't over." Laura said.

Jayden leaned to Laura's ear with a smirk.

"Bring it." Jayden muttered before walking away.

Laura fought the blush that was building up and gave Jayden a stiff middle finger, turning the other way and walking off. Neither teen saw Scarlett observing the entire thing. While she was curious as to what Jayden whispered into Laura's ear that got her so ruffled, she was happy that Jayden had openly rejected Laura to wait on Scarlett.

"Don't worry J.T," Scarlett said to herself. "You won't have to wait but for so long."

* * *

After the final bell, Helen walked with Jacquelyn to the girls' locker room where the rest of the cheerleaders should be.

"If I see Marc one more time before the end of the day, I'm going to rip my hair out of my head, make a rope, and choke him to death and beyond." Helen said.

Jacquelyn smiled. "Wow Helen. That's actually a new one."

"I'm serious." Helen said.

"Well," Jacquelyn said. "It's better than my problems."

"Miss Jackie, Nicky was _your_ best friend. If she is anyone's problem, it's yours." Helen said. "You're just lucky that you are dating Plain Shane and not Jayden. I will not tell you what I had to do to get him to do what I wanted. Sometimes."

"I'm not even going to ask." Jacquelyn said. "But all that 'jealousy' stuff, it's lies, honestly. I _did_ and still do have a crush on Jay. And Shane and I… We just grew closer, you know?"

"Nope. And honestly, I don't care." Helen replied. "Because as much as we hate to admit it, Nicky has a strong point. It isn't mere coincidences that you're two for three for boys Nicky has had a crush on that you've dated. Even I know that."

"Helen, I-"

"I live with the fact that you are a jealous, insecure brat mainly because we only became friends through Nicky." Helen said, now stopping in front o Jacquelyn. "And I never got to tell you this before, but Nicky cried when you took Jay away from here. If she wouldn't have told me not to, I would've killed you then and there."

"I really didn't mean to 'take' him from her." Jacquelyn said.

"Sure Miss Jackie." Helen replied, turning back towards the direction to the gym. "Just know that I know and you know that Nicky isn't speaking complete foolishness. As dumb as she is, her gossip is rarely fiction."

"She's making me look delusional. She's doing the same thing Scarlett did to you." Jacquelyn said, causing Helen to whip her head around to stare at her taller friend. "Make you seem jealous. Get the boy to sing songs for them and go out with them. It's the exact same thing. I'm just trying to keep Shane for however long I can."

Helen shook her head. "You are pitiful. Pathetic even." Jacquelyn gaped. "You would rather keep a guy that you can have any other day than do one selfless act to help a friend. And how many times do I have to remind you _not_ to compare Scar and I to you and Nicky?"

"It's the truth!" Jacquelyn said.

"Get this through your dense skull," Helen said. "My cousin is no where as petty and weak as you are. And if _anyone_ has the right to date Jayden T. McDuelle, it's the girl that befriended him first, got it?" Jacquelyn nodded, noticing Helen's rising anger. "You're a spiteful little girl who can fool a lot of people like Plain Shane, but remember that I know the real you. And had I been Nicky and you would've pulled that stunt and asked Jayden to the dance instead. Well, no hesitation."

The phrase 'no hesitation' was one that Helen used when seconds away from fighting someone. While Jacquelyn was sure that the smaller girl was not going to get into any physical altercation right now, she was unsure about how long Helen could control herself.

"Listen," Helen said. "I'm more pissed at the fact that you have the nerve to even be angry at Shane. While Nicole probably deserves whatever side-effects comes from smoking whatever she is, he's just helping a friend. And while I can't condone her actions, I'll be damned if my idiot doesn't come back to me because of some jealous, insecure bitch like you."

The phrase stung Jacquelyn as the two just glared at one another. Jacquelyn figured that no one would ever understand her though. She had dated two of the more attractive guys in the school who were indeed the 'eye candy' of a lot of other girls. She was just protecting what was rightfully hers.

"Let's go." Helen said. "And Nicky does not hear that I talked to you about this. She would hate me for the rest of her life."

"Why?" Jacquelyn asked.

"Because for some reason," Helen answered. "She hates to see you unhappy. She hates to see any of us unhappy." Helen sighed. "All in all, she was the best friend you could ask for. And I want her back. Period."

Jacquelyn said nothing as Helen turned and walked away.

* * *

Emma walked into her house and was greeted by Anastasia.

"Hi Mommy!" the girl said cheerfully. "Manny called!"

"She did? Well, let me call her back." Emma said.

"Jordan's sad." the girl announced. "She's in her room."

"Thanks Ana." Emma said as she went to check in on her daughter. Manny could wait for five minutes. Knocking on Jordan's closed door, Emma opened the door to see Jordan's head on Aaron's shoulder. Despite the sad atmosphere, this was clearly a Kodak moment. "Jordan? Honey, are you alright?"

Jordan looked at Emma. "Yeah… I just… Miss him more now for some reason."

"Oh. Okay." Emma said. "Well, if you want to talk, I'm here."

"Thanks Mom." Jordan said before Emma walked away. "That was close."

Aaron nodded. "Very." Jordan smiled at Aaron. "What?"

"Nothing." Jordan said with a smile. "Just thinking, I got my first kiss. Ever!"

"Me too." Aaron replied before Jordan kissed him again. "I take it that you like it." Jordan nodded. "Well, more can't hurt, I guess."

"Just as long as we're quiet." Jordan said before kissing Aaron more.

* * *

Jayden looked around Scarlett's bedroom. He was slightly surprised that she had yet to change it around again. He moved and sat on her bed, glad to finally be away from Helen's cursed waterbed.

"So," Jayden said to Scarlett. "You ready to tell me what exactly is your problem? Other than the obvious."

Scarlett, who was standing at her closet, turned to Jayden with a huff.

"It's really embarrassing, still." Scarlett said. "But, Mary-Jane told me that you and I should take it to the next level because that was the only way to secure you to me."

"Uh-huh…? And you believed her because…?" Jayden asked.

"I'm not blind J.T. I saw all the disgusting smitten things you and Helen did." Scarlett replied. "You two couldn't keep your hands off of each other and you looked so happy. I just want you to look at me with that happiness."

"Come here." Jayden said, motioning Scarlett to the sit beside him. Once she did, Jayden put an arm around her shoulders. "Do you know why I think you're an idiot?"

"What?" Scarlett asked angrily.

"Because you allowed Mary-Jane to plant that seed in your head. You're smarter than that." Jayden said. "Having sex with you is on my bucket list," Scarlett giggled at the statement. "But it will come when you are ready and not being forced. Besides, I've learned several ways of pleasuring a woman without going all the way."

"Oh really? Tell me then." Scarlett said.

"Why not show you?" Jayden asked with a positively mischievous smile.

Groaning with muscle soreness, Helen came into her aunt and uncle's home, following behind her uncle.

"Huh. Seems Fi worked a little later." Coach Blue said moving to the kitchen.

"I'm going to take a shower." Helen said moving up the steps.

* * *

Going to the bathroom, Helen paused when she heard a stifled moan and a chuckle. She neared her cousin's closed door.

"Harder?" she heard Jayden whispered.

"Mm… Please… Ah! J.T, not that hard!" Scarlett replied. "Yeah… Just like that. That feels good."

"All for you." Jayden said.

Helen opened the door quickly to see her cousin in her bra and pants while Jayden gave her a massage.

"Really Helen?" Scarlett said in an annoyed tone.

"Sorry." Helen said closing the door.

Scarlett sighed. "I wished I was actually the only child living here."

"I do too." Jayden said before kissing Scarlett's shoulder. "But let's just be happy that we're here, okay?"

Scarlett smiled. "Sure. Just, go a little lower, will you?"

"As you wish Madam President." Jayden said.


	34. S2 Episode V: Bad to the Bone

**Episode V: Bad to the Bone**

Jacquelyn walked down the halls angrily. It was one thing that Shane had reneged on their day off, but it was another thing when their band did not even have practice. She turned at corner to see Shane talking to Jayden and Scarlett.

"And what's worse is that her dad came barging in because he swore he heard his daughter riding off a high-"

"Shane." Jacquelyn said. The group looked at her. "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure. What is it?" Shane asked.

"How's Nicky?" Jacquelyn asked.

Shane shrugged. "Alright I guess. I haven't seen her today."

"But yesterday?" Jacquelyn questioned.

"She called after school. Told me that she didn't go to the ravine. Again." Shane said.

"And practice?" Jacquelyn asked.

"Great. Where were you?" Scarlett replied.

"You can stop. I know that there wasn't any practice." Jacquelyn said.

Shane frowned. "What are you talking about? Jay nearly dragged me out of bed."

"What?" Jacquelyn asked.

"Dash's mother had a meeting so we were pushed back to quarter till six." Shane explained. "You were at practice when I got the news, so I took a nap. I almost overslept and when Jayden came by, Kelly and he decided to slap me with a cold wet rag."

"Which I didn't approve of." Scarlett added.

"It got him up." Jayden said. "I swear he could sleep through a drive-by."

"Are you lying?" Jacquelyn asked.

"What? No." Shane said. "I got up, went to our rehearsals for tomorrow, Nicky called, Dad told me that I had to help him lock up, I went to my mom's and stayed up with Jordan until she fell asleep. She was feeling bad about something and I was the only older sibling there at the time."

Jacquelyn sighed. "I feel so stupid now…"

"What? What am I missing?" Shane asked.

"I don't know," Jayden said. "But because I'm getting a bad vibe here, I'm just going to take my books, take my girlfriend, and get out of dodge. Good luck Shane."

"J.T wait. We can't-"

"This way Red." Jayden said leading Scarlett away.

"Jackie, is there something wrong?" Shane asked.

"Yes!" Jacquelyn said. "Every time I turn my back there's some thought that you are running off with Nicole. She's either with you or calling you and it's… It's just…"

"Jackie," Shane said. "I don't know what's the problem. It's no different between Jay helping Dakota. Helen didn't flip out and Jayden had free access to Dakota's house."

"It's not the same! I'm tired of people using that as an example!" Jacquelyn said.

Shane frowned. "What are you talking about? It is the _exact same thing_!"

"Jayden doesn't look at Dakota the way you look at Nicole." Jacquelyn said.

"How I look at her? I look at her the same way I look at some other girl." Shane said. "Look Jackie, I don't want to think this, but I think you're becoming just like they're trying to make you. Jealous."

"Am I really?" Jacquelyn asked.

"Yes!" Shane said.

Jacquelyn shook her head. "I don't think so. I think that if I hadn't been there, you would've invited Nicky to the concert instead of me." Shane turned away. "I guess it was your original plan, wasn't it?"

"It was…" Shane said. "But that's beyond the point, right?"

"No it's not. You wanted to be with Nicky from the start, didn't you? That's why you're angry about what's happening to her." Jacquelyn said. "Well, I'm not going to stand in your way any longer."

"Jackie wait-"

"See you at lunch." Jacquelyn said walking away.

"Dammit." Shane said punching the nearest locker.

* * *

Scarlett walked down the halls smiling at a few students who waved at her before entering Darcy's office. There, she saw the other four students already waiting on her.

"We have to get a move on. We'll be meeting up at Lakehurst this time." Darcy said.

"We're riding the bus, aren't we?" Scarlett asked.

"Unfortunately." Mary-Jane answered.

"Let's go." Darcy said leading the five children out of her office. "I want to remind you guys that you'll be learning five new students today as they give us a nice tour around the school and give us a very solid foundation of this friendly rivalry."

"Better wear you're vests. Someone might get stabbed." Mary-Jane said.

"That happened once and it won't happen on my watch." Darcy said.

Darcy shook her head, blaming Paige for that outburst from Mary-Jane. Who else would still hold a grudge for the J.T incident?

"How're you doing Bambi?" Jayden asked.

Chandra shrugged. "So-so. Better than normal though."

"Good. I'm glad." Jayden said.

* * *

Manny sighed. "Why can't I ever go to _your_ house every now and again?"

"Because yours is so much better." Emma replied sitting at the kitchen table. "Besides, I thought you like flaunting what you have? Surprised you're not revealing any underwear."

"Can't show what you don't have." Manny said in a sing-song voice. Emma's face scrunched up. "I'm kidding!"

"Uh-huh… So what's going on with Jay?" Emma asked.

Manny shook her head. "Worse. He'll be here Monday."

"This Monday?" Emma asked. Manny nodded. "And you still haven't told Max that you're not meeting up with him?"

"No and I would like to keep it that way." Manny answered. "I want to end this by myself, you know? And you know that Max won't let me out of his sight if he knew that I planned to meet up with Jay."

"Do you need me to come with you?" Emma questioned.

"No. Just me." Manny said. "I have to do this alone."

"You're not thinking of-"

"God no!" Manny interrupted.

"Okay. Just asking." Emma said. "You know, you and Max should come out with me and Sean later on tonight. It'll be good for the four of us to get together."

"I'll ask when he gets home. Depending on the day, I doubt he'll be up to going anywhere later on today." Manny said. "Besides, tomorrow his little protégé has another gig."

Emma laughed. "Is that what you're calling Jayden now?"

"Yes." Manny said. "Yesterday, Fiona comes by and tells me that he was giving Scarlett a massage."

"Aw. That's sweet." Emma said.

"The girl was in her bra and panties." Manny responded. "I think had they not stopped them when they did, I'd be a grandmother."

Emma smiled. "Manny, I don't think Jayden would have taken it that far."

"Have you seen his father?" Manny replied.

"The man that _you_ married? No. I haven't." Emma said. "Besides, what's the harm of him giving his girlfriend a massage? It's sweet. She could've been sore."

"In all the wrong places." Manny said.

"You're really an overprotective mother." Emma said with a smile. "When Danni told me that, I thought she was just joking, but I see that she was right. You can't stand the thought of your children growing up, can you?"

"You want some ice cream?" Manny questioned, obviously trying to change the subject.

Emma grinned. "Sure Manny."

* * *

Lakehurst appeared to be another high school like any ordinary high school, just with a newer look. Of course, the five students did remember that the school was burned down years ago and the reconstruction was halted on two different occasions for two different reasons.

"This way." Darcy said leading the students off of the bus.

"This sucks." Jayden said.

Scarlett frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Skipping school at another school." Jayden said. "I didn't sign up for this."

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "None of us did, J.T. We were volunteered remember?"

Jayden smirked. "Oh what, your muscles feel better so now you're mean to me? Maybe I should leave you tight." The phrase caused Scarlett to sputter on her own spit before slapping Jayden's arm. "I was talking about your muscles!"

"Alright you two. None of that." Darcy said before muttering, "Boy Manny's sons act nothing alike."

Darcy led the five into the cafeteria where Mr. Smith stood with five Lakehurst students, three boys and two girls.

"I'm glad that you're here." Mr. Smith said. "Students, this is Mrs. Taylor, the new principal at Degrassi, and these are your five acquaintances. Introduce yourselves." There was a moment of silence. "Come on. Don't be shy."

"Hi, I'm Tyler Walton." Tyler said extending a hand towards Mary-Jane.

"Um, Mary-Jane Del Rossi and this is my boyfriend, James Brooks." Mary-Jane said accepting the offer.

"Nice to meet you both." Tyler said, now shaking James's hands.

"Uh-oh…" Jayden mumbled before Scarlett elbowed him in the side.

"I'm DeWayne Fitzgerald." DeWayne said standing in front of Jayden.

Jayden shook DeWayne's hand. "Jayden McDuelle."

"Deanna Fitzgerald." Deanna said to Jayden.

"I'm Scarlett Chessex." Scarlett said as the two blue-eyed girls shook hands, glaring at one another.

"Mercedes Van Zandt." Mercedes said to James.

Sighing, Chandra stuck her hand out unenthusiastically towards the last boy.

"Chandra Torres."

"Tevin Sharpe." Tevin replied.

"Now that everyone is properly introduced," Mr. Smith said. "How about a small tour? And then we can get down to business."

"Sure." Darcy said.

"So," DeWayne said to Jayden. "I hear your band has a show tomorrow night."

Jayden shrugged. "Small gig, but we have to start out somewhere, right?"

James glanced at Tyler and then back at Mary-Jane.

"Would you calm down? You're starting to make me agitated." Mary-Jane whispered.

"You're right." James said before Mary-Jane slipped her hand into his.

* * *

Back at Degrassi, the bell had rung and Helen was on her way to second period as normal. That is, until she saw Jacquelyn talking to Amber. Helen was going to just walk by, but something told her to go over and listen. And she did.

"What's going on? Mary try to stop practice today without me knowing?" Helen asked.

"Um… I have to go. See you two later." Amber said walking away.

Helen frowned. "What was that about?"

Jacquelyn sighed. "I broke up with Shane today."

"What? Why?" Helen asked.

"He lied to me Helen. They didn't have-"

"You idiot." Helen interrupted. "They had practiced later. Trust me. I walked into my cousin getting a spa treatment from our neighbor and the _only_ reason Mrs. McDuelle didn't kill Jayden was because he had practice and Dakota's mom reasoned that he was the lead singer."

"I don't know how you did it, but I can't. I won't." Jacquelyn said.

"Are you talking about him helping Nicky?" Helen said. "You are pathetic."

"What?" Jacquelyn asked.

"Nothing." Helen replied. "I guess that I'm going to hate having Bambi on the front lines again."

"What? Nicky's gone back to the ravine again?" Jacquelyn remarked. "Don't worry. Shane will get her."

"Oh. I don't doubt that. But I need _strong_ cheerleaders on my squad and as much as I hate to admit it," Helen said. "Bambi's _way_ stronger than you are. She's the only girl I know that attempted to take the blunt way to separate me and Jayden. I would praise her for her efforts, but I just can't stand her."

"What?" Jacquelyn asked. "Helen, you can't be serious."

"Oh. I'm serious. See you later." Helen said walking away.

Jacquelyn sighed. "Nicole is right. She is a bitch."

* * *

Shane sat in his seat with a heavy sigh.

"What's wrong?" Kelly asked her brother.

"Next to me being single the day before another gig, nothing." Shane said.

Kelly gasped. "What? She broke up with you?"

"Hey," Laura said looking at the two. "If you're going to talk over the teacher, at least say something worth listening to."

Kelly sneered at Laura who turned back around with a scoff.

"What happened?" Kelly asked.

"It's… It's actually my fault." Shane responded. "I knew she hated me going off to help Nicky but… I just can't let anything bad happen to Nicole. You know that."

"Everyone knows that." Kelly said. "So what are you going to do?"

"Well, I guess my main objective is finishing Nicky's rehab and then talk to Jackie." Shane answered.

"And the gig?" Kelly asked.

"I… Great. Thanks for reminding me." Shane replied.

Kelly smiled. "No problem."

* * *

Jayden sat down on the "Degrassi" side of the table, sitting across from Deanna. He looked at Chandra, who was still aimlessly flirting with Tevin, but the boy had little interest in the girl.

"And that's what we planned on being like a tradition. To have fun and whatnot." Tyler concluded.

"Not a bad idea." Mary-Jane said.

"We could get my- our- bands to play." DeWayne said, cutting a glance towards Jayden.

Jayden shrugged. "I guess."

"I think that's a good idea." Scarlett said, disregarding her boyfriend's lackluster attitude about being at the school. "Right J.T?"

Jayden sighed. "My neighbor, the president… Sure. Why not?"

"Mrs. Taylor," Mr. Smith said. "Could I have word with you? Away from the students?"

"Sure." Darcy said as she and the Lakehurst principal walked away.

"You're not one to talk, are you?" Deanna asked Jayden.

"Skipping school to be in school is pretty pointless, don't you think?" Jayden said.

"But he's going to be wide awake for his performance tomorrow night." Mary-Jane said. "Maybe you guys should come?"

"I think I'll pass." Mercedes said.

"Come on Mercedes," Deanna replied. "What else will you be doing? Absolutely nothing. So we'll be going."

"Great…" Mercedes said.

"So, Tyler, you're the student body president?" Mary-Jane asked.

Tyler nodded. "Yep. But I won't be next year, unfortunately."

"Senior?" Mary-Jane said.

"Senior year." Tyler said with a small grin. "But, hey, on the bright side I'm out of school."

Chandra gave Tevin another glance, which he ignored. Sighing angrily, she turned her attention to the other students. She had a better chance with Jayden than this guy and she was not going to waste anymore of her breath trying.

"His loss…" Chandra muttered.

"So are you all friends?" Tyler asked, looking at Mary-Jane.

"No." Mary-Jane said. "James and I are dating. Scarlett and Jayden are together and I don't really like either one of them-"

"Feelings mutual." Jayden inputted.

"And Bambi is just a fifth wheel." Mary-Jane concluded.

Chandra turned away. This day could not get any worse if she were to die right now.

"She looks like a fifth wheel." Mercedes said. "I'd find a place to just throw her aside."

"You know," Jayden said. "We haven't had the pleasure of knowing one another for more than a few hours now, but I don't take too kindly of people ganging up on a friend." Chandra looked at Jayden. "Regardless on what it appears to be, she is just as much of this group as any one of us. Even if she's the only one not dating someone in the group."

"You care that much for a 'friend'? Why?" Mercedes asked.

"Because that's just who I am." Jayden answered. "I can't help it that _your_ friends may allow you to get jumped, by I surely won't. Even if I'm almost certain that Bambi can take care of herself."

DeWayne and Deanna exchanged glances before turning back to the students sitting across from them.

"I," Tyler said. "Am not friends with DeWayne and his loser friends, so please don't base your thoughts of Lakehurst on them. They're just a bunch of lames if you ask me."

"No one did." DeWayne said.

"So, how long have you two been dating?" Deanna asked Jayden.

"A while." Scarlett said. "A _long _while."

Jayden shrugged. "Yeah. About that time."

"You never answered the question." Deanna said.

"Months." Scarlett said, obviously annoyed by the girl's question.

"Weeks actually." Mary-Jane said. "But I swear they've been screwing each other before then. _Everyone _knew they had something for each other."

"Don't confuse us with you and James." Scarlett stated. "Because _everyone_ knows what you two did _before_ you began dating. Disgusting."

"What are you talking about? James and I didn't do anything before we began dating." Mary-Jane said. "That's what you get for listening to Amber and your cousin, who you stole Jayden from."

"Okay. This is getting nowhere. Let's just be quiet." Jayden said. "Because we, as in the five of us, know the truth. And if neither of you are going to tell it, then you might as well be quiet."

Scarlett frowned. "J.T, what are you talking about? You know that I'm right."

"What you, I, Bambi, James, and Mary know to be true doesn't really matter." Jayden said. "Besides, when we have our meeting at Degrassi, you can prove your case then. For now, talking won't get you anywhere."

"Fine…" Scarlett muttered before Jayden leaned towards her. "Wh-what are you doing?"

"Tell me," Jayden whispered in her ear. "What can I do to get you to _not_ be mad at me for that?"

"I'll think of something." Scarlett replied before glancing at Mercedes, Deanna, and DeWayne. "But now's not the time for that."

"Please, I live in a fishbowl. Do you honestly think I care what they think about me being close to you?" Jayden responded.

"Okay," Darcy said walking back towards the group with Mr. Smith. "It's time for us to go back to our school now. I hope you guys were able to talk."

"Sure did Mrs. Taylor." Jayden said. "And it wasn't the best time that I have had, I can say."

"Oh Jayden, you are a character." Darcy said. "Let's go." Darcy looked at the Lakehurst students with a smile. "Thank you for showing us around."

"No problem." Tyler replied. "I'll be at the show tomorrow."

"Good." Mary-Jane said.

"I think he was talking to Jayden." James muttered.

As the five Degrassi students walked back to the bus, Jayden put an arm around Scarlett's shoulder.

"You can't keep picking fights with Mary-Jane just because you don't like her." Jayden said. "It really isn't fair seeing as you won't allow me to do the same to Nate or Damon, which leaves Laura, who is a girl."

"Sorry J.T. I just…" Scarlett paused. "She was so flirting with him that I just got angry."

"Angry or not, you can't do it." Jayden said. "Besides, look at the bright side, we only have three more classes left in school. Then it's the weekend and you may receive another massage if your father allows."

Scarlett smiled. "You're sweet when you want to be."

"Don't tell anybody. I have a reputation of being cruel, cutthroat, and cunning." Jayden replied with a grin.

Chandra watched the two sophomores walking with a small ache in her stomach. She should be the one getting the massage. But, she let it go. She would just have to tell Dustin when she returned.

* * *

Getting back to school, the five students quickly went their own ways. Jayden and Scarlett walked towards the cafeteria, Mary-Jane and James went out for lunch, and Chandra walked ahead of Jayden and Scarlett to the cafeteria.

"I hope we can get to lunch and everything will be better." Jayden said.

"What do you mean?" Scarlett asked.

"The Fitzgerald twins just rubbed me the wrong way." Jayden replied. "I got a bad feeling about both of them."

"That Deanna chick was _so_ irritating. She was basically drooling over you." Scarlett said with a smile.

Jayden frowned. "Why are you smiling?"

"Because I'm waiting on you to do something to make me feel special." Scarlett said. "Like that back rub."

Jayden smirked. "Only if you keep your pants on this time. I don't think I can give your parents another scare like that."

"That's why we're doing it at _your_ house." Scarlett said. "Your mom will probably too busy to check in and your dad… Let's be honest, he'd love to hear that you scored a good lay."

Jayden laughed. "Shows how much you know. They'd both kill me just as fast."

"Please?" Scarlett pleaded with a small pout.

"Sure. I'll see if I can't ask them if it'll be alright." Jayden said. "Plus I think Danni left some of her oil behind, so I can give you a better one."

"Question," Scarlett said. "Just who taught you how to give a massage?"

"My uncle." Jayden answered. "As disgusting as it is, he was giving my Aunt Reggie a massage and I just so happened to walk in. He said he taught my dad how to do it, which my mom has stated was the quote 'best learned thing ever' so I just started to practice on…"

"Your ex?" Scarlett finished. Jayden nodded. He knew that speaking of exes were not the best conversation. "Well, I should go to Newport and thank this Marissa chick because she has trained you well. That, and to rub it in her face that I got you now."

Jayden smiled. "You're mean."

"Now let's go see what Helen has for us." Scarlett said grabbing Jayden's hand.

"Let's." Jayden said.

* * *

Helen looked at Nicole. The girl seemed to be getting worse and worse everyday and it was starting to bug Helen more and more.

"So…" Nicole said as if nothing was wrong. "Where's Jackie?"

"Taking her precious time getting here." Helen said before Scarlett sat down beside her. "Oh great. If it isn't our ambassador."

"What happened Helen?" Scarlett asked.

"Miss Jackie broke up with Shane." Helen answered. "He's not so happy about it either, so I decided to replace her with Bambi for the Lakehurst game next Wednesday."

"Oh… I guess I should go talk to him, huh?" Scarlett said.

Helen shrugged. "I don't care. He's your friend."

"I'll let J.T handle it for now." Scarlett said. "Besides, you would not believe my day."

At their normal table, Aaron, Gabrielle, Vanessa, Ashton, and Jordan talked like any other day.

"So have you talked to Dustin today?" Vanessa asked Aaron.

"A little in first period. I think he and Bambi are mad at us for some reason." Aaron replied.

"Do you even care?" Ashton said. "Chandra has been annoying from day one and Dustin had some sort of deal to become popular. They're both losers if you ask me."

"I don't think so." Gabrielle said. "Chandra's just a little bossy and Dustin just wants to be popular. Everyone has something wrong with them."

Ashton did not reply, though he wanted to. This only prompted Aaron to grin at the scene.

"Shut up Santos. Worry about yourself." Ashton said.

"Hey. No need in getting mad at me." Aaron replied.

Gabrielle looked at Aaron before realizing what was going on. She gave Aaron a quick glare that he understood and turned to Jordan. During the times that Gabrielle did go to Aaron's real house, they worked on a few glances that told the other to back off a sore topic. And Gabrielle's crush on Ashton was definitely one saved for after school.

Sitting at their usual table, Jayden tried to piece the information together.

"So, she just broke up with you?" Jayden asked.

Shane nodded. "Yeah… Punched a locker too."

"You know," Kelly said. "You have a thing about punching inanimate objects whenever you're angry. You should stop before something hits you back."

"Before that," Jayden said. "What are you going to do? I know how you use Jackie to build confidence before a gig. You think you can handle this, Nicky, and the show?"

"Do I have a choice?" Shane asked.

"Yeah. Hey, I can cover you on bass." Jayden said.

"Nah, I got it. Jackie will probably be there anyway." Shane responded.

"You're really hopeful." Kelly said.

Shane shrugged. "What can I say? Things don't get to me like everyone else." Shane smirked. "Besides, my love life is nowhere as interesting as Jacob's."

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Jacob asked, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Dude, you're eying her from here." Shane said. "Even I can see that."

"No I'm not." Jacob said. "I was just thinking."

"You're _always_ thinking." Kelly replied. "Just what are you thinking about?"

"Nothing important." Jacob answered.

Jayden stood up. "Sorry to run on you Jacob, but I have a crush myself who is making her way to the soda machine."

"I'm fine." Jacob said. "Besides, it's not like I have a thing for Vanessa or anything. I'm just her tutor."

"Yeah," Jayden replied. "And I'm just Scarlett's neighbor. No strings attached."

"Whatever." Jacob said as Jayden walked off. "Why is it that everyone believes that _I_ like Vanessa?"

"Because she's around you _every_ second of the day." Kelly responded.

Jacob sighed. "Just my luck…"

* * *

James swallowed the last bit of the burger in his mouth.

"Can't believe we have to do this stupid thing." James said. "It cut into my time in Media Immersion."

"Just do it tomorrow." Mary-Jane said. "I'll meet you at the club Jayden's band's supposed to be."

"Are you sure?" James asked.

"Positive." Mary-Jane said. "So what do you say?"

"Yeah, I guess I can call Amber and set it up." James said. "I just have to check-in with Vanessa first."

"You can't still be on that her and what's-his-name thing, can you?" Mary-Jane asked.

James sighed. "I just have a real bad feeling in my gut, you know?"

"James, for the last time, your sister is fine." Mary-Jane said. "If anything was up, I would know. And since no one is talking about it, I'm guessing there's nothing to talk about. And a sophomore dating a seventh-grader is something everyone wants to talk about."

"I guess you're right." James said.

"I know I am." Mary-Jane said with a smile.

* * *

As the bell rang, Chandra and Dustin stood up, preparing to go to class.

"You know," Chandra said to Dustin. "I used to think you were really annoying. You're not that bad Dustin."

"I never thought that I was." Dustin replied.

"Seriously Bambi?" Jayden said as he and Scarlett neared the pair. "You left me for Dustin? I'm hurt."

"We're not dating." Chandra said.

Jayden smiled. "I know. I'm just happy that you're at least happy. You are happy, right?"

"Perfect." Chandra said.

"Come on." Jayden told her. "You and Dustin can walk with me and Scarlett. That way, I keep my promise with you, you clearly have someone to lean on besides me, and Dustin walks with a popular student." Jayden paused. "Unless, you're too cool for us. I can understand. Cheerleaders are like the celebrities on campus."

Chandra smiled. "Sure Jay. Come on Dustin."

"Yeah…" Dustin replied.

* * *

Shane stood at his locker, eying the small dent in the locker next to his. The guy who owned the dented locker seemed pretty pissed at whoever did it and was now looking around the school. Shane did not doubt that he could beat the other guy, he just chose to dodge the confrontation.

A hand tapped on his shoulder and he turned to see Nicole.

"Are you okay?" Shane asked her.

"I'm sorry." Nicole said. "For the entire break-up. It's all my fault."

"Don't think that. I should've told Jackie what was going on." Shane replied.

Nicole shook her head. "No… It's clearly my fault. I bet Helen and Jayden was my fault too."

"Hey Nicky, are you alright? Everything's not your fault you know." Shane said. "Besides, I'm going to talk to Jackie later on today after work, so it's good."

"If you say so…" Nicole said.

"Hey," Shane said. "Tomorrow, how about we go back to that park? I'll even buy you some sunflower seeds. It'll be you, me, Scarlett, Jay, Helen, Jackie, Dakota, Jacob, and Kelly. It'll be something to get the old gang back together on the same page."

"I, um, I have something else to do." Nicole said. "But what about Sunday? I'm free. And I'll even be at your performance."

"Sure." Shane said. "Nicky. This something else doesn't have to do with drugs, does it?"

"No! My mom has a job picnic tomorrow and I'm stuck watching Harry until they get home." Nicole answered.

"Oh. Well, alright. See you then…" Shane paused as he glanced up to see Jacquelyn. "See you later Nicky." Shane began to walk after Jacquelyn. "Jackie! Jackie wait!"

Jacquelyn stopped. "Why? So you can tell me how delusional I am? Yeah right."

"She's just telling me what she's doing tomorrow." Shane said. "I told you, she needs help. You're not helping her and I doubt Helen helps anyone."

"I don't understand you." Jacquelyn said. "Weeks ago, you didn't even care if she was with Nate or not. Now it's like the only thing that matters."

"Weeks ago, I didn't know she was hooked on crack." Shane responded. "Look, I want to talk. After school. Can you do that?"

"I have to go." Jacquelyn said walking away hastily.

Shane sighed heavily. His dad and Jacquelyn had said the same thing. He doesn't look at Nicole the way Jayden looks at Dakota. But, he still wanted to be with Jacquelyn. Nicole was just… Just… Well, he had no clue on what Nicole was to him anymore. She had gone from a good friend to a ward. She had become his responsibility.

"Mr. Mason," Darcy said walking down the halls. "Don't you have class to attend?"

"I'm going right now." Shane said walking away.

First his grandfather was a principal. Now, his mom's friend was the principal. And that was not including his sisters and his current girl problems. Boy, Lakehurst was looking better and better everyday. And if he was not a football player with extreme Panther Pride, he would have left days ago.

* * *

The final bell rang and Vanessa scurried down the hallways to give Jacob a good-bye kiss. Since she had a test today, Jacob would not tutor her again until Sunday evening. Usually, they would do it Saturday, but the gig with Juvenile Grace interrupted that meeting.

"Hey nerd." Vanessa said.

Jacob grinned at her. Being called a nerd was bad when someone else said it, but for Vanessa it had become something like his pet name to her.

"Hey Nessa." Jacob said before their lips met.

"I knew it!"

Breaking away at the speed of lightning, Jacob and Vanessa turned to see an irate James.

"I knew you had something for my sister!" James shouted marching towards Jacob. "And I told you what would happen if I found out!"

"James calm down! He didn't even want to do it. I did!" Vanessa said stepping in-between James and Jacob. "Please… Calm down."

"Calm down? Vanessa he's three years older than you!" James exclaimed, the band members around them stopping to see the scene.

"I know!" Vanessa said. "But please-"

"Let's go!" James said grabbing Vanessa and nearly dragging her behind him. "We'll talk more later." James glared at Jacob. "And don't you dare come to my house tomorrow trying to 'tutor' her you pedophile!"

Jacob stood still for a second before sighing heavily.

"Bye…" Jacob said quietly.

* * *

Mary-Jane sighed heavily. "Come on girls. You can do better than that."

Helen, who stood beside Mary-Jane, said nothing, her eyes scanning the cheerleaders carefully. Many of the girls looked at the Sinclair-Coyne and knew that she did not approve, thus, they worked that much harder.

"Hey, Helen," Mary-Jane said. "When's your ex's show?"

"Tomorrow." Helen simply replied.

"What time genius." Mary-Jane said in an annoyed tone.

Helen eyed Mary-Jane suspiciously. "Since when did you care about their band?"

"A friend of mine wanted to know about it." Mary-Jane said. "So I said that I'd find out. I missed him and Shane leaving and I will never associate myself with that freak Dakota or Jacob, so I asked you."

"Nine." Helen said.

"Thanks." Mary-Jane replied before looking at the group. "What are you girls doing?"

"Jackie, step back. Bambi. Take her spot." Helen ordered.

Jacquelyn and Chandra froze before switching spots.

"Run it again." Helen said.

Amber eyed the shocked expression on Mary-Jane's face for a moment. No one expected those words to leave Helen's mouth after Helen has done nothing but made Chandra's job harder since joining the squad.

"Follow my lead." Helen said.

* * *

"You're overreacting." Vanessa grumbled as she stomped down the hall towards her room.

"I'm overreacting? V, he's in the tenth grade!" James said as he followed his younger sister. "He's too old!"

"We're not married!" Vanessa called slamming her door in James's face.

James sighed. He hated fighting with his younger sister.

"V, come on, open up." James said knocking on the door. "You're not thinking right."

"Leave me alone!" Vanessa shouted from the other side.

"What's going on?" Jimmy asked as he stepped towards James.

"Nothing. We just had a bad day." James said to his dad.

"Well, I have to go to work later tonight and I don't need a lot of noise, alright?" Jimmy said.

"Yes sir." James said before Jimmy walked into his bedroom, closing the door.

James knocked on Vanessa's door.

"V, open up. I just want to talk. I promise I'll listen." James said. Silence before the door opened. He noticed that she was currently crying. "Vanessa, are you serious?"

"You don't even know him." Vanessa said.

"I know he's three years older than you are." James said. "He's too old for you. I'm sorry, but you can't date him. Ever."

"You'll never understand." Vanessa stated. "You're too busy chasing after Mary-Jane. You hurt Amber. You hurt Jacob. You're hurting me! You're so… So… Selfish!"

"I'm selfish?" James exclaimed.

"Yes!" Vanessa shot back. "Everything is about you!"

"What?" James asked quietly.

"Why'd you first sneak off with Mary-Jane? For your pleasure. Why'd you lie to Amber? To make you look good. Why can't you let me see Jacob? So people want talk about your sister." Vanessa said. "It's always about James Brooks. And it always will be."

With that, Vanessa closed her door again, leaving James standing at her door.

"You're wrong." James said. "I'm only doing this to pro-" The sound of Vanessa's music was heard. "Tect you."

* * *

Dakota looked around.

"So this is where you guys are going to play at tomorrow?" Laura asked.

"Yeah." Dakota said. "It's kind of a popular place."

"You think they'll let us drink?" Laura questioned looking over at the bar.

"I don't know. Go over and find out." Dakota said.

"Hey!" a man said coming to the table where the two girls sat. "It's Dakota Nash folks! You know, Silas Lowry's daughter!"

"Oh yeah! The Juvenile Grace drummer!" a woman said.

"Hey, bartender, drinks over here! On me!" the man called.

Laura grinned. "Dash, you are no doubt my best friend."

"But I don't think I should-"

"Drink!" the man said as he sat two beers in front of the two girls.

"But we're not old enough." Dakota said.

The man shrugged. "Haven't you heard? This bar doesn't really care? Besides, you're famous! What famous teenage doesn't drink?"

"He's got a point." Laura said opening her beer and taking a few gulps.

Dakota sighed as she opened the can.

"Carpe diem." Dakota said before taking a chug.

"Yeah!" the men and women in the bar said in unison.


	35. S2 Episode VI: Hard Habit to Break

**Episode VI: Hard Habit to Break**

"Today is going to be a great day!" Kelly said happily to Shane and Jayden as Jayden sat at the counter and Shane cooked at the grill with Gavin. "You guys are going to rock tonight, I just know it!"

"Well," Jayden said. "I almost didn't make it to today."

"What happened?" Shane asked.

"My mom walked in on me giving Scarlett a massage. So now, we're like two for two on massages given and parents ruining it." Jayden said. "At least she kept her pants on this time."

"At least you got a girl. Jackie hasn't returned my calls and she had her dad tell me that she wasn't home." Shane said.

Jayden whistled. "Sounds like you got it bad."

"Sprung like his mother." Gavin said before Emma walked into the restaurant. "Great."

The three teens laughed as Emma frowned.

"What's so funny?" Emma asked.

"Nothing Mom." Kelly said grabbing a plate and walking towards a table.

"So," Emma said to Jayden and Shane. "You two boys are here before the show when you should be practicing. Practice makes perfect."

"Yeah, well business before pleasure." Gavin said. "And right now, Shane has some hours to put in."

"I guess you're right." Emma said. "Say, are you doing anything tonight?"

"After I close down? No." Gavin said.

"Well, Max told me to invite you out for a guys' night out." Emma replied. "He was kind of in a rush yesterday, so I said I'd pass on the message."

"Of course I'll go." Gavin said. "Maybe he can tell me how his son gives better massages than I do."

Emma giggled. "Manny's not over that yet. She's been worrying about that for the past two days now."

"That's because some people can't keep their hands to themselves." Shane said. "Don't worry about me though Mom. Never going to happen."

"And I agree for two reasons. One, you can't do it as good as I. And two, who're you going to practice on? Your mother?" Jayden replied.

"Dude. Harsh." Shane said.

"Hey, you and your parents are here ganging up on me. I'm just defending myself." Jayden said. "And is it so wrong for me to give her a massage? She had a real stressful day."

Emma put a hand on Jayden's head.

"Dealing with you, I bet." Emma said with a smile.

"You're worse than Danni is sometimes." Jayden replied as Kelly walked behind the counter. "Hey Kelly, give me a hand with your parents and brother?"

"Jay, you know I'm going to side with them." Kelly said.

Jayden sighed. "Sometimes I wonder why I even come back to you guys."

"Because we give you free food." Shane answered.

"No, that's not the reason." Jayden said. "The real reason is because if I stayed in my house, I'd be pulling my hair out."

"You and me both." Emma said.

* * *

James came into his kitchen to find Vanessa eating a bowl of cereal while their mother, Trina, sat next to her reading a few papers.

"Hey son," Trina said. "You slept a bit longer than usual. Is everything alright?"

"I have to go to Amber's later to finish this project or else Mr. Isaacs is going to give us a D at best and Amber will never live with herself with a D."

"Oh," Trina said standing up. "Are you going anywhere today Vanessa? Any tutoring with Jacob?"

"No." Vanessa said glaring at James. "He has a show tonight and practice tomorrow. I won't see him for a while."

"Well I hope you can see him soon. He's helped you so much." Trina replied. "I'm going to go watch TV in my room. Call me if you need me."

Vanessa and James watched their mother leave before James sat at the table.

"So you're still mad at me, huh?" James asked. Vanessa said nothing, just munching on her cereal. "V, I thought about what you said. You're right. I have been selfish." Vanessa still ate in silence. "Can you say something? Please?"

"Leave. Me. Alone." Vanessa said slowly.

James sat quietly now. During the twelve, nearing thirteen, years of Vanessa's life, the two of them have never really gotten into a fight before. They were the best of friends until recently.

"V, I know that you like him, but I don't think it would work." James said. "And not just because of, _that_, problem, but because it's just wrong. You two don't have anything in common. You're just too different."

"Don't worry about it." Vanessa said. "I'll just find a guy who likes me because I'm cute, get pregnant, and name the baby after you. That way, you're credited somehow."

"Vanessa, this is serious." James said.

"I am serious." Vanessa replied before drinking the milk from the bowl. She sat the bowl down on the table and looked at James. "Jacob's a nice guy and pleaded with me to go find someone else so that you wouldn't get angry. But you know what I said? James is an understanding guy. Sure he'll be pissed, but he'll get over because that's just who he is." Vanessa stood up. "I guess I was wrong."

James watched his sister put her bowl in the dishwasher and turned to leave the kitchen.

"I'll talk to him. Later on today." James said. "And if he's as good of a guy as he is a tutor, Dad and Mama never hears a thing about it."

"Thank you!" Vanessa squealed, nearly tackling her brother out of his chair.

James smiled. "Anything for my little sister. But he better not be a pedophile."

"He's not! I swear!" Vanessa said happily.

The two were unaware of their mother who had actually listened to the entire conversation. She smiled lightly as she made her way to her room and slipped in without a sound. James may have been able to understand his sister, but their was no doubt in her mind that Jimmy would have a hard time swallowing this.

Time to use her secret persuasion technique again.

* * *

Scarlett lied in her bed with a smile.

"Helen, you did not switch Bambi and Jackie." Scarlett said.

"Yes I did and I will do it until either Nicky grows a spine and punches Jackie herself or I lose my mind and go on a genocide spree on everyone." Helen replied.

"Well, tonight we can go to J.T's little show and live it up." Scarlett said. "He said that the bar would be closed because minors will be there. Courtesy of Dakota's mother."

"I don't want to ruin a bad thing," Helen said. "But if I see Miss Jackie there and she's in a bad mood, I'm going to burn the place down whether Jayden gets out or not." Scarlett frowned. "Oh I would never leave you behind."

"Good to know that you care." Scarlett replied as she sat up. "But are you that angry over Jackie breaking up with Shane? I mean, you hate Shane and you and Jackie aren't the best of friends. So what is it?"

Helen sighed before sitting on Scarlett's bed.

"Do you remember that one unforgiveable secret I held for Nicky?" Scarlett nodded. No matter what she tried to do, Helen would never tell Nicole's secret. "It's the day when I went to her house and she was 'sick' and wouldn't come out of her room. See, Nicky was going to ask Jayden out the Winter Break that he stayed. Remember? The same one that you gave him that kiss?" Scarlett blushed slightly at the thought. "But when we went back to school, he was dating Jackie. Nicky was so hurt because it seemed that there were only two people Jayden seemed to have interest in. You and Nicky."

"Oh…" Scarlett said understanding the story.

"And I promised Nicky that the next time she really, and I meant _really_, wanted to date someone, I would help. That would be Shane." Helen continued. "But…"

"He dated Jackie. Just like J.T." Scarlett finished. "Wow. I didn't know that. Why didn't Nicky say anything?"

"She just wanted us to get along. Feeling bitter would do the exact opposite." Helen answered.

"You're a real good friend Helen." Scarlett said.

"Yeah I know." Helen replied. "People just misunderstand me."

"Well, I don't." Scarlett said. "And tonight we're not going to forget about everything and party. Besides, some Lakehurst losers will be there, so I'm sure that Jackie will be the least of your worries."

"Today sucks already." Helen muttered.

* * *

Deanna watched her brother come into her room and smiled.

"Something's wrong, isn't it?" Deanna asked.

"You know it." DeWayne said. "How is it that my band has been around for months now and _their_ band gets the shows?"

"Because Jayden and Dakota are children of celebrities." Deanna said. "But, it's cool, right? We can make it to this little performance right?"

"Yeah…" DeWayne replied.

Deanna frowned. "Wayne, what aren't you telling me?" DeWayne gave his sister a knowing stare. "Oh no. You can't be serious."

"She's hot." DeWayne said.

"She's dating Jayden." Deanna said. "Even I had to restrain myself."

DeWayne shrugged. "Your point? Did you see how she was looking at me? I bet she and Jayden aren't 'in love' or anything."

"If you get involve with Scarlett, I'll never forgive you." Deanna said.

"Then I'm apologizing in advance." DeWayne said. "Tonight, I'll see just how strong they are."

Deanna sighed. "I wish you weren't such an idiot."

* * *

Nicole smiled as her parents left before turning to her five years old brother Harry.

"Well Harry, just you and me." Nicole said with a smile. "So what do you want to do?"

"Play!" Harry said happily.

Nicole ruffled his hair. "Sure let's play. And afterwards, big sister has to go run and get some grown-up candy, okay?"

"Candy? Can I have some?" Harry asked.

"Only if you're good." Nicole said with a smile.

* * *

Dakota knocked on the door and waited for a moment. The door opened to reveal John Reynolds, Laura's dad.

"Hey Dakota," Mr. Reynolds said. "You came looking for Laura?"

"Yeah. We were going to go hang out before tonight." Dakota said.

Mr. Reynolds grinned. "I'll see if she's ready. Come in."

"Thanks." Dakota said stepping into the house, closing the door behind her.

"I hear you're trying to be like your mom." Mr. Reynolds said.

Dakota grinned. "I'm trying, but she's still got some moves on the drums. I'll have to try harder."

"I knew it was you." Laura said entering the living room. "What are you doing here Dash?"

"Performance tonight. Thought we'd hang out like the other time." Dakota answered.

Laura shrugged. "I guess."

"You two be safe." Mr. Reynolds said. "With Dakota being a growing rock star, there's no telling what these people will do."

"Dad. No one is going to attack Dash. I doubt they'd even ask for an autograph." Laura responded, though both girls remembered the events of yesterday. "But let's go Dash before my dad has something else to worry about."

"Sure." Dakota said. "See you later Mr. Reynolds."

"Oh, Laura, don't forget that I have to go into the shop today. I have to get this car back on the road by Monday and I'm not working on Sunday." Mr. Reynolds said.

"Sure Dad. I'll make sure to call if the show takes longer than it's supposed to." Laura said before Mr. Reynolds gave her a hug. "See you later."

"Sure." Mr. Reynolds said. "Bye Dakota."

Dakota waved as she slipped out of the door, followed closely by Laura.

"And now the real Laura's here." Laura said, gaining a smile from Dakota. "So, how'd you like your taste yesterday?"

"I barely got into the house without causing a scene. My parents were really suspicious." Dakota said.

Laura shrugged. "You should hide your state of mind like I do."

"I'm not a professional like you are." Dakota replied.

"Well, we have all day to do whatever and I know that you hate drinking before a show," Laura said. "So let's go by the ravine. I got some money to pick up, things to sell. The usual. Oh! And I can rub it in Nate's face that Nicky has yet to return any of his calls."

"Sure." Dakota said.

* * *

Later that day, Nathan sat grumbling about annoying girls such as Laura, who had just recently left with Dakota.

"Hey, she was just playing with you." Damon said. "You know how Laura is when she's around Dakota."

"I hate them both." Nathan said.

"Well, I know someone you don't." Damon replied as he pointed behind Nathan.

Nathan turned his head to see Nicole walking towards a van. He frowned and stood up, making his way to the van. The van opened and a boy handed Nicole a small sack of cocaine while she handed him a few rings. Smiling, Nicole turned, ready to go home.

"Nicky!" Nathan called to her.

Nicole stopped. "Oh. You."

"Yeah, me." Nathan said. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"What does it look like?" Nicole responded. "Look, do you want something? I have to get home to watch my little brother."

"So you got a new supplier." Nathan said. "I thought that you were quitting period."

"I was. I just… Why am I explaining myself to you?" Nicole said. "You're just as bad as Shane said."

Nathan frowned. "Shane?"

"Yes. Shane. My _real_ friend." Nicole answered.

"I see. Does he know you're here?" Nathan questioned. Nicole scoffed and turned around. "I thought so. You can't keep playing yourself Nicky! You're a crack head and Shane hates you for it!"

Nicole stopped and glared at Nathan.

"Shane loves me more than you do! He's not afraid to say it!" Nicole retorted. "So until you grow a pair like him, I suggest you leave him and me alone!"

Nathan stood stunned as Nicole walked off. Days ago, there was no Shane. There was no Harry. It was just him and her. Now, it seemed like everything and everyone got in-between him and Nicole. And what was worse was he was beginning to think that he did have feelings for her. Feelings that he would admit any day.

Too bad she would never listen to him again.

* * *

James sighed. "Man this sucks."

"Yeah, I know." Amber said. "I really wanted to go to that performance tonight too."

"Hey, we should be done by nine." James said before looking at his watch. "We just need to finish this in thirty minutes."

"Good luck." Amber replied with a smile.

James smiled back before turning to his computer. Amber sat on his bed, a book she had checked out from the library beside her. There was nothing different about this day and any other day from the previous years except that he was dating Mary-Jane. And that changed a lot.

"Hey James?" Amber began.

"Yeah?" James replied.

"Do you ever think about what used to be?" Amber asked. "I mean between you and me and Mary-Jane and Steven and Marc? The five of us were such good friends."

"I know." James said. "I wish I knew sometimes."

"Yeah…" Amber said.

James sighed as he looked at his phone. "Mary hasn't answered since earlier. She said she was going to meet me at the show, but I doubt she learned what time it was. I forgot to tell her."

"How did you find out?" Amber asked.

"You tell me how you found out first and I'll tell you my secrets." James replied with a smile.

Amber sighed dramatically. "Fine." Amber then grinned. "I got Jackie to tell me days ago. You know, when she was dating Shane. So, now it's your turn."

"Vanessa told me. Jacob is her tutor." James replied.

"Oh yeah. I forgot." Amber said. "So, are we going to finish this or what?"

"Yeah." James said.

Amber sighed as she looked into the book for information.

"Do you think I'm selfish?" James asked spontaneously.

"What? No. Well, you do have some selfish points about yourself, but you're not selfish all the time." Amber answered. "Why?"

"Oh nothing." James said. "Shall we?"

Amber did not know what to say. Where did that question come from?

"Sure." Amber said skeptically as she turned her attention back to the book.

For some reason, she had a really bad feeling about tonight.

* * *

The club/bar where Juvenile Grace was set to perform, Jimmy Greene's, was packed with teens and adults alike. This night was special as they allowed teens into the bar for the second time, the first being yesterday when Dakota and Laura attended.

"Hey," Jayden said to Scarlett who had just entered with Helen. "What took you so long?"

"Can't I look good for you?" Scarlett asked with a smile.

"That depends on what we're doing _after_ the performance." Jayden responded.

"Come on Scar," Helen said. "Let's get a nonalcoholic drink."

"Sure. I'll be at that table." Scarlett said pointing.

Jayden nodded and watched his girlfriend walk away with her cousin. He smiled before going to the table where Kelly and Shane sat.

"So everyone is accounted for." Shane said. "Now what?"

"We have to get ready." Jayden replied. "You know how Mrs. Lowry gets if we're late."

"Don't remind me. I think I played the guitar for so long my fingers were bleeding." Shane said as he stood up.

"You can join Scarlett and Helen over there." Jayden told Kelly. "I mean, it's either that or sit at a table with Laura and I _know_ you don't want that."

"You're right." Kelly said standing up. "Knock 'em dead."

"You know," Shane said. "When you say that to us we take that so literal."

"No take backs though." Jayden added with a grin.

Kelly rolled her eyes and walked towards Scarlett and Helen's table.

* * *

Meanwhile, standing outside the club, Mary-Jane tapped her foot impatiently. She hated waiting.

"Hey." Mary-Jane turned and grinned.

"Tyler. What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I came to see the show." Tyler replied. "I, uh, take it that you're waiting on James."

Mary-Jane giggled a bit. "You know that I wasn't."

"Yeah I know. So how about we get out of here?" Tyler suggested.

"Lead the way." Mary-Jane said.

* * *

James sighed.

"Still no answer?" Amber asked.

"No." James said. "Say, we can still catch the performance if we left now. What do you say?"

"Sure." Amber replied. "Hey James, I know this isn't my place to talk, but if Mary-"

"I know what you're going to say and she's changed." James interrupted. "I know so."

* * *

Scarlett tapped a finger on the bar counter.

"Hey." DeWayne said walking towards her.

Scarlett grinned. "DeWayne. Didn't think you guys would make it."

"Yeah. My sister's friend wasn't to happy to be here, but we got her here." DeWayne replied. "So where's Jayden?"

"Preparing backstage." Scarlett said. "You're in a band, right? You should know what he's going through."

"Yeah…" DeWayne said. "Hey, I know we kind of got off to a real bad start with the whole Lakehurst versus Degrassi thing, added with you and that other girl going at it, but how about we forget about that tonight? My friends and I are kind of out of place and need to make some new friends. Fast."

"You can sit with my cousin and me." Scarlett said. "I'm sure she won't mind the company. In fact, she's a bit lonely since she and her previous boyfriend broke up."

DeWayne shrugged. "Why not?"

* * *

Maxwell, Sean, and Gavin laughed as they sat at a local bar.

"You'd think that by now, I would be used to it." Maxwell said.

"I guess Manny hasn't completely changed." Gavin replied.

"Not since I've met her." Maxwell said. "I just hope Danni doesn't end up like that. I'm afraid she might break some poor guys pelvis. And then I'll have to shoot him for screwing my daughter anyway."

"So glad Jordan and Ana are so young. I don't really have to think about it." Sean said.

"You two are so lucky." Maxwell said. "Everyday I worry about Danni coming home and saying that I'm a grandparent."

"Dude, I feel your pain. Sort of." Gavin said. "Kelly's not that much younger. Then again, with Shane and Jayden watching her every move, I doubt _any_ boy has a chance."

Maxwell sighed. "Sometimes I wish I had a son first. Life would be so much easier."

"How're you dealing with the Jay thing?" Sean asked.

Gavin turned to his friend, only seeing Maxwell tap the glass with his finger slightly before shaking his head a bit.

"You know," Maxwell said. "I look at Manny and she has so much sorrow and regret that the only thing I can think about is that she comes away unharmed. I mean, the thought of my daughter not being mine is in my mind too, but I just want to make sure that Manny's okay."

"She's yours man." Gavin said. "She and Jayden not only look alike, but they act alike and that's not Manny."

"You sound like my mother." Maxwell said before taking a gulp of the alcohol in his glass.

"Hey, how about some pool?" Gavin said. "Loser pays next round."

"Deal." Maxwell said before eying a couple of guys already at the pool table. "Or, I have a better idea. How about we get some extra money?"

"It's always about gaining money with you, isn't it?" Gavin asked.

"Come on Spin, if you ask for it, I got you." Maxwell replied. "What do you say Sean? Run a couple of guys in pool, then cards, then pool again?"

Sean shrugged. "Sounds fine with me."

Gavin and Maxwell exchanged glances before grinning.

"You may have the honors." Maxwell said.

"Good." Gavin said as he approached the men. "Alright, who's ready to lose some money?"

* * *

Two songs out of three were great and now it was time for the final song. Jayden eyed the people around the stage and at the tables. He eyed Scarlett sitting at a table with DeWayne. Brushing the thoughts aside, he gave Dakota a nod to start the final song. As the beat began to play, Jayden glanced to see that his girlfriend was now dancing near Helen, DeWayne, Deanna, Mercedes, and a boy he did not know.

_All alone in an empty room  
Nothing left but the memories of when  
I had my best friend __I'm still here breathing now  
And I'm still here  
_

And I don't know how we ended up here  
I don't know but it's never been so clear  
We made a mistake, dear

And I see, the broken glass in front of me  
I see, your shadow hanging over me  
And your face, I can see

Through the trees  
I will find you  
I will heal  
The ruins left inside you

Cause I'm still here breathing now  
I'm still here breathing now  
I'm still here breathing now  
Until I'm set free, I'm going quiet through the trees

I remember how we used to talk  
About the places we would go when we were all  
And all that we were gonna find

And I remember watching our seeds grow  
And how you cried when you saw the first leaf show  
The love was pouring from your eyes

So can you see  
The branches hanging over me  
Can you see  
The love you left inside of me  
And my face, can you see

Through the trees  
I will find you  
I will heal  
The ruins left inside you

Cause I'm still here breathing now  
I'm still here breathing now  
I'm still here breathing now  
Until I'm set free, I'm going quiet through the trees

Cause your not coming back  
And your not coming back  
No  
No  
No!  
You're not coming back  
You're not coming back

Take my breath  
As your own  
Take my eyes  
To guide you home

Cause I'm still here breathing now  
I'm still here breathing now

_Cause I'm still here breathing now  
I'm still here breathing now  
__I'm still here breathing now  
And I'm still here, oh_

_Cause I'm still here breathing now  
I'm still here breathing now  
__I'm still here breathing now  
And I'm still here __Cause you're not coming back (I'm still here breathing now)  
Until I'm set free  
I'm going quiet through the trees_

And you're not coming back (I'm still here breathing now)  
Cause you're not coming back (I'm still here breathing now)

The fans cheered for the band as Jayden stared out into the crowd. His eyes narrowed in on Scarlett, who was dancing with DeWayne.

"Dude," Shane whispered to Jayden. "We're so in there."

Jayden grinned. "Yeah. Hey, I have to make a call. I'll be back in after a few minutes. Keep an eye on Scarlett for me."

"Got you." Shane said.

"You're a good dancer." Scarlett said to DeWayne.

"Yeah." DeWayne said. "You're not bad yourself."

"Scar," Helen said pulling her cousin aside. "What the hell are you doing? Jayden has eyes that would send a hawk to Lens Crafters."

"What? No. We're just dancing." Scarlett said, yanking her arm free. "Jayden's alright… Where is he?"

"Uh, I don't know." Helen said. "Just make sure you don't end up doing something stupid with this DeWayne character."

"You don't like him?" Scarlett asked.

"No. Why?" Helen replied.

"I was trying to hook you two up." Scarlett told her cousin. "He's not that bad. Rich. Not bad looking. He's got a band. He's-"

"Nothing but a Jayden copy. And a crappy one at that." Helen interrupted. "I'm going to go ahead and head on to the house. I'll call a cab since Jayden isn't anywhere around and I don't really trust Shane to ride home with him."

"Oh. Alright." Scarlett said. "I'll wait for J.T."

Helen gave Scarlett a nod before walking out of the club. She was completely pissed that her cousin was almost grinding on this new boy during the final song. Helen smirked in her head. That song was like an omen of what was to come.

"Well, well," Mercedes said, now standing in front of Helen with Deanna. "What do we have here? The infamous Helen Sinclair-Coyne."

"One, who are you? Two, how do you know me? And three, ignore one and two and get out of my way." Helen responded.

"I saw your cousin dancing with my brother." Deanna said. "I don't like it. Tell her to step away and go run off with her boyfriend."

"Or what?" Helen asked in a dangerous tone. Two against one was not in her favor, but she would be damned if she cared.

Mercedes shoved Helen roughly. "Go in there and tell her before I get violent. And if I get violent-"

Mercedes was cut off as Marc lifted the girl over his shoulder and sat her down beside Deanna.

"You should remember who you're talking to." he told the two Lakehurst students. "Now run along before I get really angry."

Deanna smirked. "Is this the best the great Helen can do? Wow. After Jayden, you seemed to have fallen. Hard."

"You stupid son of a-"

"Helen, I got this." Marc said. "You two go now. I'm not playing either."

"Tch. Whatever." Mercedes said. "See you around, Helen."

Helen sighed heavily, her hands clenched into tight fists. She looked up at Marc.

"Thank… You…" she said through gritted teeth before walking off.

"So can I take you out-"

"No!" Helen nearly screamed as she pulled out her cell phone to call a cab.

Marc smiled. "At least she spoke to me today."

* * *

In an alley near the club, Jayden leaned against the wall. Half of him wanted to do nothing but go in there and jack DeWayne up, but the more civilized side told him that Scarlett was probably just dancing and the guy came over. No big deal.

"Well look what the cat dragged in." Jayden turned his head to see Laura. "You look like someone kicked your puppy."

"Oh really?" Jayden replied.

"Yeah. Wanna talk about it?" Laura questioned.

Jayden's eyes narrowed. "What angle are you working here?"

"Look," Laura said. "Instead of going to find your brother and screwing him right now, I decided to actually care. Don't take this lightly as it'll never happen again."

"Whatever." Jayden said looking away.

"Are you okay?" Laura asked moving towards him.

"Look," Jayden said glaring at Laura. "I don't have time for your stupid games right now."

"It's not stupid. I'm serious. Are you okay?" Laura repeated.

"Am I okay?" Jayden asked, anger now clearly evident in his voice. "Some Lakehurst loser and my girlfriend are close enough to be Siamese twins and you ask if I'm okay?"

Laura scoffed. "I was just offering you a shoulder."

Jayden stepped in front of Laura, looking directly into her eyes.

"Offer me something else." Jayden said before kissing her.

Laura was beyond shocked that he had kissed her and a whimper actually escaped her. Her heart began pounding a million beats a second! But, she remembered that she was not with Dakota within Dakota's bedroom. There was no time for the 'soft' Laura to appear. So she began to roughly kiss him back, trying to push him against the wall. However, Jayden was far stronger than she was, and she felt brick against her back. She arched her back, pushing her chest into his, and he replied, pinning her body against the wall with his. His hands on her hips and hers, around his head, keeping him from moving.

Finally, the two separated, panting.

"What's with the change of heart?" Laura asked breathing heavily.

"I really don't know." Jayden said.

Laura smirked. "I bet you feel all dirty now. Making out with me in an alley while dating another chick."

"You do think that I have some sort of golden heart, don't you?" Jayden replied. "Congratulations Laura. You get to see my bad side."

"My dad won't be home until later, if you catch my drift." Laura said pushing Jayden away from her. "That is, if you're interested."

Jayden watched her walk away, his conscious starting to battle his lust.

"I knew it." Laura said. "But it was fun, for a beginner." Jayden was going to let her go before she gave him a grin in-between a victorious one and a mocking one. "Pussy."

Jayden's eyes narrowed at her retreating figure. That would get him worked over faster than someone calling Aaron an pansy.

"Hey," Jayden said stopping her. Laura looked at him. "Why are you walking? I'm sure I can get there in half the time."

Laura gave him a genuine smile, though she really was trying not to.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Laura asked.

Jayden pulled out his cell phone. "One thing."

* * *

Inside of the club Scarlett and DeWayne sat a table together, laughing and talking.

"Oh," Scarlett said as her phone rang. "It's Jayden," she answered the phone. "Hey J.T, where are you?"

"I'm on my way to my house. Emergency." Jayden lied.

"Oh." Scarlett said. "That's alright. I wish you would have told me earlier."

"Yeah, well, I didn't want to interrupt." Jayden said. "You and DeWayne seemed to be having a good time."

Scarlett frowned. "Did you leave because of that? Jayden, you're sounding as bad as Jackie."

"No. I didn't leave because of that and I don't sound like some deranged ballet dancer. I at least have proof." Jayden said. "I should be back in about an hour so if you're still there…"

"Um, DeWayne offered to take me home." Scarlett said. "That is, if you weren't able to."

"Uh-huh…" Jayden said. "I'm pulling up right now to my house. Talk to you later?"

"Yeah. Bye." Scarlett said.

"Bye." Jayden replied before hanging up.

"Weird." Scarlett said putting her phone back on the table. "So what were you saying?"

* * *

Nicole lied on her back on the floor, completely stoned. Her little brother was doing God knows what, but she did not care. Her world was slowly spinning and making her happy all at the same time. And all it cost was two of her mom's rings and a bag of gummy bears for Harry. Life was good.

"Nicky! Oh Nic…" Nicole hardly registered her mother coming into her room. She hardly cared that the remains of the white substance was on the floor. She only cared for happiness. "Nicole! What are you doing?"

"Oh. Hi Mommy." Nicole said giggly. "You look willy willy angwy!"

"Tom…" Nicole's mother said as her father came to the door. "Tom! She's doing crack!"

"Nicole! What the hell are you doing?" Nicole's dad shouted.

"I'm lying down and…" Nicole gasped. "Colors…"

Mrs. Campbell left to deal with Harry, who was wondering what all the shouting was about. Meanwhile, Mr. Campbell came and hoisted his daughter onto her bed.

"Where did you get this Nicky? Was it Shane? Was it Jayden? Was it that Nathan boy?" Mr. Campbell shouted.

"You smell like sushi." Nicole said scrunching her face up. "Stinky, stinky fishy smell. And I _hate_ Nathan. He fucks me and leaves me."

Mr. Campbell had the urge to backhand his daughter, but he knew that that would do him more harm than good. He was never one to strike his kids anyway.

"I sold Mommy's rings." Nicole announced.

"You sold…" Mr. Campbell's words died in his mouth before he turned to his wife, who was returning to Nicole's bedroom.

"What do we do? She could be addicted." Mrs. Campbell said.

Mr. Campbell sighed. "There's only one thing I can do."

"Tom… No." Mrs. Campbell said, tears in her eyes. "This is my baby."

"What choice do we have? The items that have been 'mysteriously' disappearing have been supplying her crack. She's gone Diane." Mr. Campbell said. "And until she's back to normal, she's no daughter of mine."

* * *

James came into Jimmy Greene's with Amber.

"She must've left already." James said. "And it looks like we missed the show too."

"Oh well. At least we tried." Amber replied before spotting Scarlett dancing with DeWayne. "That's not Jayden."

James looked to see what Amber was talking about.

"No it's not." James said. "I hope he doesn't see this. Jay hates losing, and I mean _hates_ it."

"Hey…" Amber said. "Do you mind if we… Danced?"

James frowned. "Yeah, we can dance. Why so timid?"

"Oh. No reason. I guess it's kind of like déjà vu, you know?" Amber replied as the two walked towards the dance floor.

"Hey," Kelly told Shane. "I'm going to spend the night at Mom's, alright?"

"Sure." Shane said before putting his cell phone in his pocket. "I'll tell Dad."

Kelly sighed. "Shane, I'm sorry she won't answer your call. Maybe she's just busy."

"What sort of thing would Jackie be doing now?" Shane replied. "But it's fine. I'm going to drop Jacob off and then head on to Dad's. He said that he would be getting in later, so I'll be fine by myself for a while."

Kelly laughed. "No parties." Kelly hugged Shane. "Good show bro. You guys rocked again."

"Always." Shane said as Kelly released him and walked off. "Man, where'd you go Jay?"

* * *

Mary-Jane smiled before kissing Tyler again.

"I had fun." Mary-Jane said.

"Me too." Tyler said. "Maybe we can do this again sometime."

"Sure." Mary-Jane replied as she checked her missed calls. "Shit. I forgot all about James."

Tyler smirked. "I kind of have that effect on girls. But, whenever you're free, you know how to reach me."

"Yeah. Bye Tyler." Mary-Jane said as she left his room.

Tyler grinned before reaching for his cell phone. Jesse would never believe this.

* * *

Laura laughed as she attempted to regain her breath laying beside Jayden. Both teens were halfway under the cover and as naked as the day they came into this world. Jayden looked at the girl next to him, her chest rising and falling at a rapid pace. A smile came onto his face as her laughter was slightly contagious.

"I forgot the joke, so why don't you remind me?" Jayden said.

"Out of all the ways I pictured my Saturday going," Laura replied, still laughing. "This is not the way I pictured it!"

Jayden smiled. "So what's so funny about that?"

Laura calmed down and looked at Jayden, a smile etched on her face.

"You wouldn't understand. Now get dressed before my dad gets here." Laura told him.

"What if I don't want to leave?" Jayden replied. "I tried warning you that the Jayden that you wanted to see, you can't handle."

Laura licked her lips. "I like that Jayden."

"Again?" Jayden said.

"Again." Laura replied.

And despite his growing guilt about cheating on Scarlett, Jayden and Laura commenced another session of their night of lust and passion. This time, however, Jayden knew exactly what Laura liked. And he was going to pleasure her until he was thoroughly tired.

Or her dad walked in one.

* * *

Shane had dropped Jacob off and pulled into his dad's driveway. He noticed that there were no lights on, so his dad was still with Jayden's dad and his stepfather having a guys' night out. Walking towards the door, Shane paused when he saw something on his porch. Actually, this was more of a someone. But his alertness lowered when he heard crying.

"Nicky?" Shane said as he stepped towards her. The girl raised from the porch and wrapped herself around him, crying profusely. "Nicky, what's going on?"

"I'm such an idiot Shane!" Nicole cried.

"What happened?" Shane rephrased.

"I… I got… My parents kicked me out!" Nicole cried. "Shane, I'm so sorry! I'm so… So… Sorry! I knew you said not to! But I needed it so bad!"

"What? Nicky, what are you trying to tell me?" Shane questioned.

"I went back to the ravine!" she announced.

"Oh." Shane exhaled.

This made sense now. She went to the ravine, got some cocaine, got caught, and her parents kicked her out. Now the only question he had was: What was she doing here?

"Please Shane, help me." Nicole said.

Shane sighed heavily. He could already hear his mom now.

"Come on Nicky. I'll get you situated." Shane replied. "But when my dad comes in, you have to be silent, alright?"

"Thanks Shane." Nicole said.

* * *

"I'm still here breathing now! And I'm still here!" Dakota sang drunk as she stumbled into the house.

"Dakota? Is that you?" Ellie asked from atop of the steps.

"No." Dakota said.

"What's wrong with you?" Ellie said as she walked down the steps. "Dakota, are you alright?"

"Mom, I'm fine. Sheesh." Dakota said stumbling towards the kitchen.

"Dakota, come here, now!" Ellie ordered. Dakota rolled her eyes but trudged towards Ellie. Ellie brought her face to Dakota. "Have you been drinking?"

"Just a little." Dakota answered.

"Damn!" Ellie muttered. "Si! I need you for a second!" Ellie put a hand through her hair. "I knew I should've been there tonight to watch you guys. You're not old enough to handle yourself."

"Mom, I can handle myself. It's not even the first time I've been wasted before." Dakota said.

Silas came down the steps.

"What's the problem?" Silas asked.

"I need you to make one of those remedies up." Ellie said.

Silas looked at Dakota. "Dakota, please tell me that you didn't drink any alcohol."

Dakota frowned. "And what if I did? You're not my dad. I can do it anyway. He did."

Silas and Ellie exchanged glances before Ellie grabbed Dakota's arm.

"Come on Dakota. We're going to make you spit that up right now." Ellie said. "Si, get on with that chaser. I want her sober for when I ring her neck."

"Ellie you-"

"Do it." Ellie interrupted. "My daughter is not going to end up like either of her parents."

Silas sighed heavily. And tonight was such a promising night.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Everyone seems to have a problem, but I promise I'll fix them... One day. Tell me what you think. Ciao!


	36. S2 Episode VII: Bad Romance

**Episode VII: Bad Romance**

Saturday surely left a twist on a lot of people. For example, when Kelly called Dakota Sunday, Ellie answered saying that Dakota was in some serious trouble. The same could be said about Shane, who hardly left his room Sunday as well. Jayden seemed to be off too. He seemed to be spaced out or something.

No matter, Kelly and Jordan walked towards the end of the steps where Jayden and Aaron waited.

"Hey." Kelly said to Jayden. He only gave her a nod in acknowledgement. "Something wrong?"

"Not really." Jayden replied. "One of those things that are probably left unsaid. Where's Shane?"

"At home. Sick." Kelly said. "Dr. Mom went in and checked in on him and his story checks out."

Jayden nodded as Aaron and Jordan began walking up the steps.

"Have you talked to Dash?" Kelly asked.

"No. Her mom told me that she was in some kind of trouble." Jayden answered.

"Me too." Kelly said. "I hope she's alright."

"If she isn't," Jayden responded. "I know the first person who I'm going to point a finger at."

"Laura?" Kelly guessed.

Jayden nodded. "Bingo. Her partner in crime."

"Well I'm going to go to get my things for class." Kelly said. "I guess it'll be just you and me today, huh?"

"Looks that way." Jayden said. "I'm going to go find Laura before it's too late."

"And if she tries anything," Kelly replied with a smile. "Remember that she's probably a man in-between the legs."

Jayden laughed. "Now that, I doubt."

* * *

Jacob was heading to class before the bell. Many students congratulated him on the show Saturday and some even jabbed about Vanessa.

"I hear you guys did another good job." James said from behind Jacob. Jacob turned to see James standing with a stern look on his face. "So good job."

"Thanks." Jacob replied. "James, about Nessa-"

"Nessa?" James interrupted.

"Sorry. Vanessa." Jacob said. "I, uh, I really, _really_ didn't want to but she's kind of persistent."

"It's alright. You can call her stubborn because she is." James stated.

"Well… Yeah, she is…" Jacob said in an unsure tone.

James sighed. "For some reason, you make her happy. Happier than she normally is. I can't put my finger on what it is, but I do know what she wants. But," James took a step towards Jacob. "Hurt her in anyway possible Isaacs and I swear on my grandmother's grave that I will kill you. Understood?" Jacob nodded. "Good."

James walked away, brushing against Jacob to add an exclamation mark on his statement. Jacob stood frozen for a moment. Did James just say that he could date Vanessa? Was it okay by everyone now? His mind could not compute this, but he was happy.

Today was a good day.

* * *

He made a checklist. Damon, check. Nathan, check. A few other losers he did not know, check. And finally what he came for, Laura Reynolds, check and check.

"Laura." Jayden said to her. She glared at him and he motioned his head away before taking a few steps away.

Chills ran down Laura's spine. The 'real' Jayden as she liked to refer him to, was the one she had seen beating on Damon the previous year and this year. That was the Jayden who said nothing, like now, and yet people still did what he wanted. And she wanted him badly.

Standing up, Laura walked over to Jayden. He glanced over his shoulder at the other eyes that followed Laura, prompting them to mind their business.

"What is it?" Laura asked.

"You know what happened to Dash?" Jayden questioned.

Laura shook her head. "No. I went by and her mom basically told me to leave because Dash wouldn't be seeing anyone for a while. I figured you'd know since you are her 'brother' border boyfriend." Jayden's eyes narrowed. "S-stop looking at me l-like that!"

Jayden smirked. "Why? Is there a problem? There wasn't one before."

"Look limp-dick-"

"Really?" Jayden cut off. "I do remember you singing an entirely different song Satur-"

"Shut up!" Laura hissed. "You and I both know that if word of that gets out, it'll ruin the both of us. Seems as if Nate thinks I have some nonexistent crush on you and while that is total bullshit, others are starting to believe that."

"I see." Jayden said. "But you have no clue on what happened to Dash?"

"We both know that you barely left in time for my dad to get home and I sure as hell did not leave afterwards." Laura responded. "So whatever happened had to have happened after we left the club."

"I figured as much…" Jayden muttered.

"What?" Laura asked.

"She probably got drunk." Jayden answered. "And as much as I want to blame you for that, I'm not." Laura's eyes widened slightly. "Seeing that you have quite the collection of stuffed animals…"

"Tell _anyone_ and I will-"

"Do absolutely nothing." Jayden interrupted with a grin. "But then again, what is the worst you could do? Screw A.J and be known as a McDuelle slut? No. I don't picture you living with that kind of attention. Tell the world? You'd make Nate look right and you hate that."

"What are you, a stalker now?" Laura asked.

"Nope. Just remember that I'm a regional champion in human chess and this move here is checkmate." Jayden said. "Whatever problems you and I had, it's over. No more stalking me. No more talking bad about me and Scarlett. You and I are no longer enemies."

"Then what are we?" Laura asked, her voice strangely quiet, barely above a whisper.

"Zero." Jayden answered.

Laura frowned. "Zero? What kind of shit is that?"

Jayden chuckled. "Zero can mean a lot of things. It can mean that I find you worthless or…" Jayden leaned towards Laura's ear. "Priceless." Jayden stood up straight. "But it's really up to you, don't you think? What kind of zero am I to you?"

Laura did not respond for two very good reasons. Reason one, she could feel herself blushing and did not want to reddened her face anymore than it already was. Reason two, she knew he was toying with her. Jayden did not have to say it, but Laura knew he was just messing with her mind. Scarlett was not going anywhere.

"I'm going to go to class." Jayden said. "If you hear anything from Dash, cal… Find me."

"Like hell I will." Laura said.

Jayden smirked. "Now you're catching on."

Laura frowned as he walked away. Her former embarrassment replaced with fury.

"Are you two sleeping with one another?" a boy who she hardly knew asked.

She kicked him in the groin. "No."

* * *

Just three minutes before class, Scarlett had never seen Helen so tightlipped before. Well, excluding the thing with Nicole, but Helen eventually told her right?

"Helen, what's wrong?" Scarlett asked. "Come on, tell me. I can help you."

"It's not me that needs the help Scar." Helen replied.

"What are you talking about?" Scarlett questioned.

Helen sighed. "I gave, _gave_, Jayden to you and what do you do? Flirt with his carbon copy. DeWayne's not even an athlete!"

"DeWayne? Is that what you're angry about? Because I tried to hook him up with you?" Scarlett said.

"No." Helen said. "I'm angry because _you're_ falling for him." Scarlett opened her mouth. "Don't lie Scar. I know you better than anyone. I know when you're falling for somebody."

"It's not even like that. We're on that stupid committee thing, remember? We _have_ to talk." Scarlett said.

"With your ass against him?" Helen asked before sighing heavily. "I'm going to class. You think where your head is because honestly, I don't see you and Jayden on the same page."

"How do you know?" Scarlett asked.

"Because he's not here with you. And he was _always_ there for you. Always." Helen said before walking towards her class.

Scarlett was going to shout something, anything, to Helen, but the shorter girl had a strong point. Jayden was not here at the moment.

"Whatever." Scarlett muttered walking towards the office to do the announcements.

* * *

Manny sat down at a booth.

Maxwell would be home by noon. Emma would be at her house by eleven. And she would need to catch up on some much needed sleep. Plus, there was no way that she would meet up with Jay at night. Whether he killed her or she killed him, she needed witnesses. Her husband would want answers.

"You came." Jay said coming towards the table. Manny noticed that not much had changed about him except his hat, which was gone for the moment. "Wow. You look great."

"What do you want Jay?" Manny asked as he sat down.

"I was thinking the Meat-eaters Platter." Jay answered with a smile. Manny only glared at him. "Lighten up Dimples. I'm just messing with you."

"Can we get this over with?" Manny said. "I have a life to live and right now it's on pause."

"Okay. I guess straight to the point it is." Jay said. "Is Danica my daughter?"

"No." Manny said. "And to prove my point I am willing to get a DNA test on her. I just need a sample-" Jay sat a small Ziploc bag on the table with a cotton swab in it. "Okay. I'll get it done then."

"What happened to us?" Jay asked.

"We grew up." Manny answered. "Or at least, I did."

"If I asked you to," Jay said. "What you leave with me? Would you come to my house for one last time?"

"No." Manny replied. "I love Max, far more than I ever loved you. I can't picture myself doing that to him."

"Is it the money?" Jay asked.

"No!" Manny stated. "It's not the money!"

Jay sighed. "Then tell me what he has that I don't?"

"Well," Manny said. "For starters, he has the same last name as me and our kids. Hence the part when I said that I'm _married_." Jay sucked his teeth at that in a disapproving manner. "Unlike you, he listens to me. If I say 'hey, don't go rob a store' he won't rob the store."

"Because he can buy the damn place." Jay said. "I'm not trying to sound bitchy or anything, but what does he know about the real world? He was born in a rich family and only got richer."

"He deserves it. He's a hard worker and a better family man." Manny said. "He does everything for me and our kids and his brothers and sisters. He even helps my parents now and again just because we're a family and he and my dad are not the best of friends."

"Whatever Manny. I've tried just as hard as he has and for what? Nothing." Jay said.

Manny snorted in laughter. "You tried just as hard? Yeah right. While I admit that you've gone out of your ways for me, I've seen this man in cuffs because he was sick of the way my dad was treating me. He didn't just give me things Jay. He did things for me." Jay lifted an eyebrow to ask for a list. "He gives me massages when I need them. He cooks and keeps the house clean if I'm not able to. He even helped me live past my abortion with Craig's baby. You made me feel good. He makes me feel perfect."

"So I guess there's nothing I can say or do to get another chance, huh?" Jay asked.

"See, that's another thing." Manny replied. "You keep thinking that there's always going to be another chance to do something. Max isn't like that. He's always had one chance with me and he has not failed yet."

"Well," Jay said. "I'm happy for you." Manny's eyebrows rose. "Seriously. You deserve to be happy."

"Thanks…" Manny said.

"Besides, I came back in town to see my kids." Jay said, gaining a frown from his ex. "They go to Degrassi. My son, Nathan, and my daughter, Gabrielle."

"Really? What caused this?" Manny asked.

"To say that I _was_ obsessed over you would be the understatement of the year. When you left Vegas, I didn't know what to do really. I… I knew I had screwed up big time." Jay explained. "And when Amy had Nate and then Lexi had Brie, I just felt worse and worse. But I realized something the other day when I was watching Danni on TV. You guys were close, you, Max, and your kids. That's probably why life is so much easier for him. He had a happy family-"

"No. He didn't." Manny said. "Father dead at seven. His mom had nine kids, three with another guy. He was always being tutored when the other kids were playing because he had to be 'smart enough' to run a company with his younger sister, Ginger, because they were his father's oldest two children. His twin sister had a different dad, so people talked about that. If you think about it, his family was nowhere near 'happy' though he forced it that way."

"I should've seen that one coming…" Jay said.

"I'm serious. His dad's kids didn't like his stepdad's kids because in the end, his stepdad got their mom. But he and his twin, Reggie, went through great lengths to remind the other seven that they are still siblings, one way or another." Manny said.

"Anyway," Jay replied. "A happy family makes life easier, so I thought about coming back to make amends. With you. With Emma. With Amy. And with Alex. Especially with Alex. I hate the thought that _I_ turned her gay."

Manny rolled her eyes. "Whatever Jay."

"Seriously though, I did think that I could come back, make it up with my kids and then get back with you." Jay said.

"Well, I can't speak for the children thing, but I'm off the market. Forever." Manny said. "So you can stop trying."

"I know when I can't change your mind. I'll back off. But if you ever need me…" Jay let his words linger as Manny sighed.

"Jay, the only time I will say the words 'Jay I need you,' is if I'm talking to my son, Jayden." Manny replied.

"You named your son-"

"After one of Max's former band members, Jaden, and my friend J.T." Manny cut Jay off. "But it was a nice try."

* * *

The bell for the end of first period rang and the students began to tread towards second period.

"Hey, Jayden," Helen said stopping him before he got out of her sight. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Uh, we're going to the same place so why don't you tell me there?" Jayden said. Helen gave him a knowing glare and he nodded. "It's got something to do with your cousin. I get it."

"I know it's not my place to worry anymore," Helen said. "But this DeWayne character is a bit too close for comfort with Scarlett. Have you spoken to Amber today?"

"No." Jayden answered.

"She… Well, I'll let her tell you." Helen said.

"Why are you telling me this?" Jayden asked.

"Because you're my friend and with Shane and Nicky being on the fritz, Jackie being stupid, and Kelly running to help Dakota, you and I are all that's left." Helen said. "Can't really count Scar because you date her and she's my cousin. It's not like she has much of a choice to _not_ be with you or me."

"You have a point." Jayden said.

Helen sighed. "All I'm saying is Scar's just being Scar. She likes you, then she likes Shane, then she likes you again. Don't hold it against her." Jayden smiled. "Don't smile. You and I both know that you are good for remembering when someone screws you over. Don't hold it against Scarlett that she doesn't really know how good she has it."

"You make me think that you want me back." Jayden said with a grin.

Helen scoffed. "Please. You're cute, but too annoying for my style."

"Liar." Jayden said walking to Coach Blue's class.

"I am not lying!" Helen retorted as she followed him. "You are really annoying."

"Do you know what I think?" Jayden said as he looked at Helen. "I think I'm happy to have you as a neighbor and a friend. And if you never, ever find a guy that likes you for who you are, you might want to think of polygamy. If I could date you and someone else at the same time, I would."

"That is so stupid. Then again, I know it's your way of saying, 'Helen, I'll be there' so I'll take it." Helen replied. "And, thanks."

"You're welcome." Jayden said.

* * *

Shane watched as Nicole fidgeted and squirm in his bed. The two of them had eaten breakfast, he washed the dishes, gave her some of Kelly's clothes to wear after she got cleaned up, and now this. She was trying to sleep off the urge.

"Come on Nicky…" Shane muttered to himself.

Nicole soon sat up in bed, slightly frightening Shane.

"Nicky? What's wrong?" Shane asked.

"I can't do this." Nicole said standing up. "I have to go get some more."

"Nicky, wait." Shane said grabbing her arms. "You can't go back out there, alright? You're going to get better and I'm going to help you."

"Shane please. If you love me, you'll let me go." Nicole pleaded.

"I…" Shane paused. Why were things so complicated? "Nicky, I care for you too much to let you continue to do these sorts of things. So we're going to go back to bed and lie down."

"No!" Nicole shouted as she began to fight against Shane's hold.

Shane sighed heavily as he put Nicole on the bed as gently as he could. Of course, fighting against her kicks and strikes meant that he did not lay her down so softly. Luckily, he put her on the bed and not the floor.

"Come on Nicky, please calm down." Shane said as she continued to fight against his grip.

"Let me go! You're hurting me!" Nicole screamed.

"I'm doing this for your own good!" Shane replied.

"No you're not!" Nicole said, tears now coming down her face. "Let me go Shane! I said let me go!"

Shane began to pin her entire body down with his own, limiting the struggle.

"Please Nicole, calm down." Shane said calmly.

"Just let me go! No one even cares!" Nicole cried, no longer struggling.

Shane got off of Nicole and pulled her into a comforting hug.

"I will always care." Shane said softly as she cried onto his chest.

* * *

Scarlett looked at her easel before looking over at Jayden. He a bit different today. Then again, she figured that with Dakota missing as well as Shane, he would be a little off.

"J.T," Scarlett said. He looked at her, his eyebrows raised. "What do you want to do today?"

Jayden shrugged. "Don't know. My band's a mess right now and that seems to be my top priority."

"Your _top_ priority?" Scarlett asked.

"Yeah. Why?" Jayden replied.

"Oh nothing." Scarlett said. "It's just that, you've been acting weird today."

"Do tell." Jayden said, now focusing on his painting. "I went to find Laura earlier because I thought that Dash would've called her, if anyone, since she seemed to be in trouble Sunday. Of course, I blamed Laura. I went to talk to Kelly because her brother, your ex, my friend, seems to be missing today. He's sick. I went to first period and I came here." Jayden turned to Scarlett. "Anything weird yet?"

"Uh, yeah. Your tone of voice for one." Scarlett responded. "If you're still mad about the DeWayne thing, I'm sorry. Yesterday, you hardly looked at me and today you're doing the same thing."

"I'm looking at you right now Red." Jayden said with a grin. "I think you're looking for something wrong."

Scarlett only stared at him. She did not know what gave her this idea, but she was certain that he was messing with her.

"Look," Jayden said. "While I'm not happy about you dancing with DeWayne during my performance, I trust that nothing else happened. Nothing happened, right?"

"No." Scarlett said. "We danced. Big whoop. Besides, I was trying to be a wingman for Helen."

"Really?" Jayden said, painting again. "I would have never guessed it."

Scarlett frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Jayden shrugged. "I don't know. I never danced with a girl I was trying to hook up with my friend. That seems Mary-Jane-ish, wouldn't you think?"

"Jayden if you're going to be mad about it, at least have the guts to say it." Scarlett said a bit louder than she should have.

"Fine." Jayden said looking at his girlfriend. "I'm pissed. But I made a promise to a friend that I wouldn't hold it against you. I've actually waited so long to date you and now…" Jayden looked at the students and Coach Blue who were listening. "Maybe it's best if we talked at lunch?"

"Deal." Scarlett said.

Helen stepped beside Scarlett.

"I told you." Helen whispered.

"Shut up." Scarlett replied.

* * *

Ellie paced back and forth with Craig sitting beside Dakota on the couch. Silas stood against the doorway leading out of the room, his eyes going from his wife to his stepdaughter and back to his wife.

"Rehab." Ellie finally said, stopping her pace. "That's the only solution I can come up with."

"That sounds good to me." Craig said.

"Are you two sure?" Silas asked. It was not his place to override decisions set by Dakota's parents, but he did look at the girl as his own daughter.

"Silas, she has admitted that this isn't the first time. The fact that she's been to the counselor about it before only justifies it." Ellie replied.

"She's got to go." Craig said. "None of my children will grow up like I did. I have medication for my bipolar and ready if any of them develops it. If alcoholism is the only thing wrong with Dakota, then we'll just get it over with."

Ellie glared at Craig. "Really? Did you put _Steven_ through rehab?"

"That's different." Craig said.

"Really? I don't see-"

"El," Silas interrupted. Ellie was normally cranky when she skipped her coffee like today. "I don't agree with the certain favoritism, but it's done, right? We'll send her to rehab. I'll call around and get her into one in the city. A nice one."

Craig stood up. "Just make sure that I hear about it before you decide to do anything with _my_ daughter."

"You have my word." Silas said before Craig walk past him to leave the room. "I have a fresh pot of coffee on. Why don't you go get it?" Ellie gave Silas a small smile before leaving as well. Silas walked over to Dakota and sat beside her. "How're you feeling?"

"Like crap." Dakota said.

Silas laughed quietly. "Yeah, I remember those hard teenage years." Dakota leaned on Silas's shoulders, crying softly. "Hey, you can beat this Dakota. You're a strong girl and you have all of us here supporting you."

"Mom hates me, doesn't she?" Dakota asked.

"No." Silas said. "No, your mother loves you dearly. That's why she's sending you to rehab. So nothing bad will happen."

"I'm such a mess up." Dakota said.

"Far from it." Silas replied. "You should have seen your mother during our reception. Lit like a candle." Dakota giggled softly at the picture of her mother drunk. "But, you just made a mistake. We all do. Thankfully for you, you have people here to help you fix it when you can't do it alone. Don't forget that."

"I love you Dad." Dakota said hugging Silas.

"I love you too Dakota." Silas said putting an arm around her shoulders.

* * *

Walking into her house, Manny noticed that her best friends and husband were both talking in the kitchen, Sean sitting at the table with Emma while Maxwell leaned on the island cabinets.

"Well, well, look who finally showed up." Maxwell said as Manny walked to him and gave him a kiss. "Where have you been?"

Emma sat quietly as she waited for Manny to come up with some kind of cover story.

"I went to meet Jay." Manny answered.

"What?" Maxwell and Sean said in unison.

Manny sighed. "I met him at a public place just incase something happened. And I know it was stupid not to tell you, but I had to. Please don't be mad at me."

"I'm not." Maxwell said. "Just… Just tell me next time, okay? I mean, he's back in town and you're the only one that know? That's not safe."

"I'm sorry." Manny said. "So what were you three talking about?"

"Your husband had Sean _gambling_ Saturday." Emma said.

"Emma, gambling is doing something that revolves around probability and chances, forcing one to take a risk on losing something." Maxwell replied. "With Spin, Sean, and I, that was a certainty. Therefore, it wasn't gambling."

"Sean's a guard Max. If someone saw him and told his boss, he could be fired." Emma said.

"Em, you worry _too_ much." Manny replied. "Guys will be guys. Get over it."

"Speaking of which," Maxwell said. "Emma, what time did Shane get home Saturday?"

"Uh, I don't know. He stayed at Spin's. But Kelly said that he was leaving soon after her so I'd say around midnight, twelve thirty. Why?" Emma asked.

"Because Jay came in at one." Manny answered. "And I would have fussed at him then, but I was too tired."

"What do you think he did?" Emma asked.

"Emma, do you really have to ask?" Sean questioned.

"I don't think Jayden is that outgoing like you guys say." Emma said. "I mean, he may act like he's ready, but if the opportunity presented himself, he would remember his parents and let it go."

"I hope you're right." Manny said. "Jay and Scarlett seems to be a little too close lately."

"Gee Manny, how close can a couple be?" Emma asked.

"Close enough to make a baby." Manny stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Emma, please don't tempt her." Maxwell said. "She'll go on and on about this and I'll never get to lay my head on my pillow without 'talking' to my wife." Sean grinned. "You know what I mean."

"He'd better not." Emma muttered.

"Anyway," Manny said. "So Jay's back in town and I got his DNA in a bag. We're good to go."

"Good. The sooner he's out of my life the better." Maxwell said.

"Ditto." Manny said.

* * *

Jacob was on his way to lunch when Vanessa caught up to him and gave him a nearly crushing hug.

"What's this for?" Jacob asked.

"Because I can give my _boyfriend_ a hug whenever I want to!" Vanessa said happily.

"B-b-boyfriend?" Jacob stammered.

"James didn't talk to you?" Vanessa questioned and released Jacob, giving him a confused and saddened look.

"Y-yeah, b-but-"

"You don't like me?" Vanessa asked.

"Y-yes, but-"

"What's the problem then?" Vanessa interrupted for the second time.

Jacob sighed. "Nothing I guess. But are you sure you want to… Date… Me?"

Vanessa rolled her eyes. "You are _such_ a nerd." And with that, she planted a kiss on his lips and then smiled. "That answer your question nerd?"

"Y-yeah…" Jacob answered.

"Now," Vanessa said grabbing his hands. "Let's go to lunch. You can tell me about your performance."

"Sure." Jacob said with a smile.

* * *

James and Mary-Jane laughed as they sat at a table outside of the school.

"I don't believe it." James said with a grin.

Mary-Jane nodded. "It's very true. My mom had to wash Angele's hair for about an hour to get the smell out."

"Your brother is a genius for that one." James said. "I'm just glad that Amber and I are finally done with that project. Next time you see something, I'll see it too."

"Yeah…" Mary-Jane replied.

"You alright Mary?" James asked.

"Fine. You?" Mary-Jane said. Oh no, she thought, she was acting jumpy again. "But what about this Saturday? We could go see something together?"

"Saturdays fine, but are you sure you're alright? You're acting a bit… Agitated." James said.

"Positive." Mary-Jane said before sealing the deal with a kiss.

James smiled. "Oh. I get it."

"Yeah…" Mary-Jane said.

Once more, crisis avoided.

* * *

Jayden and Scarlett stood outside of the cafeteria standing in front of one another.

"On the way to third period," Jayden said. "I kind of walked into Amber and she told me that a certain neighbor of mine was dancing with a certain loser from Lakehurst."

Scarlett sighed. "Jayden, if I said sorry, would you be happy?"

"No." Jayden answered. "I just want to know what your deal is. You've known him for approximately a day and some change and you go throw yourself on him during _my_ performance?"

"Well I couldn't just come up on stage and dance with you, now could I?" Scarlett replied. "Besides, like I said, it was just dancing. And besides the dancing, what other reason would you have to hate DeWayne? He's actually not that bad."

"Excuse me while I ignore that last part," Jayden said. "So, what you're telling me is, if you walked in on me and, let's say, Laura dancing you'd be fine?"

"No and that's only because you're a pervert and she's a slut. It would be more like having sex with your clothes on than dancing." Scarlett responded.

Jayden frowned. "You really think that little of me?"

"Don't you think that little of me?" Scarlett asked.

Jayden chuckled as he looked away. "Biggest mistake ever…"

"What was?" Scarlett asked.

"Wishing that you'd find someone in order for me and Helen to be happy without your scorn." Jayden said. "I knew, I just knew that the second I had the chance to be with you, that mystery person would appear."

"What are you saying?" Scarlett said.

"Let's take a break." Jayden said. "You handle you and I'll handle me. When we've cleared all obstacles out of the way, no Jackie, no Helen, no Shane, no DeWayne, we'll find our ways back to each other. But until then, we're better off as friends."

"All this because you're jealous." Scarlett said. "I never pegged you down for that."

"No," Jayden said. "All because I got home at one and Helen told me that you had yet to come home. There aren't many things a girl and a guy can be doing at one in the morning." Scarlett opened her mouth. "I don't believe you slept with the guy. But, the thought that you barely put yourself in that position makes it painfully clear to me that my decision is a good one."

Scarlett nodded. "Alright. We break-up then. Now what? Are you going to go run off to Helen or are you going to finish whatever you started with Laura the other day in the hallway?"

"You mean when she basically handed herself to me and I told her that I'd wait for you? Yeah. How about I finish that?" Jayden said sarcastically. "But like I said. I won't hold it against you when DeWayne does something remarkably stupid and you're left alone. Because with me, you're never really alone Red. Remember that."

Jayden stepped into the cafeteria, leaving Scarlett to stand with one hand on her head and the other on her hip. With a frustrated sigh, she combed her hair with her fingers before dropping her hand and walking into the cafeteria.

* * *

Nicole opened her eyes. Her body felt so cold except for her back. Her back was generating a heat that she had to get more of. Moving her body against the heat source, she heard a tired groan.

"You're awake?" Shane asked groggily as he wiped his eyes.

Nicole turned around to see Shane. He looked as if he had not slept in days.

"Shane… I'm hungry." Nicole said.

"Me too." Shane responded as he sat up. "I'm going to go make lunch. Don't leave the room."

"Sure." Nicole said as Shane moved out of the bed. "Shane, if you want to put me out, I can understand."

Shane looked at Nicole and stretched.

"I'm not putting you out. I won't give up on you like everyone else has." Shane told her before grinning. "Thank my mom for giving me her stubborn ways."

Nicole gave him a weary smile as he left the room. She then sat up and curled her knees into her, her arms around her legs.

"He's the only friend that cares…" Nicole whispered to herself. "I have to do this… For Shane…"

* * *

Jordan, Ashton, Aaron, and Gabrielle sat in complete silence. They each stared at Vanessa, who acted like nothing was new.

"You're _dating_ him now?" Jordan asked.

Vanessa nodded. "Yep. James said it was alright."

"Isn't he in the tenth grade?" Ashton asked.

"So?" Vanessa replied.

"Nothing…" Ashton said.

Jordan then smiled. "That must be awesome! Your boyfriend is part of Juvenile Grace!"

Vanessa smiled. "Yeah… I know."

At his table, Jayden and Kelly nearly ignored Jacob when he told him the news.

"We all knew it was bound to happen." Kelly said. "So tell us something important."

"I just broke up with Scarlett." Jayden announced.

"What?" Kelly nearly shrieked.

"But… Didn't you _really_ want to date her?" Jacob asked.

Jayden sighed. "Sometimes, you realize that what you want and what you need is too different things. It's that lust and love thing I was talking about."

"So what are you going to do?" Kelly asked.

Jayden shrugged. "Don't know. Don't care. Well, there is one thing I'm going to do." Kelly and Jacob saw Jayden's eyes narrow. "I'm going to wait patiently for DeWayne Fitzgerald to make _one_ mistake. Then… Then I'm going to snap his neck."

Helen glared at Scarlett. "You broke up?"

"Yep. I don't even think he cares." Scarlett said.

"Could it have anything to do with your stupid new friend?" Helen asked.

Scarlett sighed. "Helen, he's not that bad. And I mean, yeah I danced with him, but I never did anything else because I was with Jayden."

"Well," Helen said. "While you were having the time of your life, I was nearly being jumped by two Lakehurst sluts."

"Nearly? Isn't that a good thing that you weren't?" Scarlett replied.

"No. Because now I owe it to my personal two-ton idiot stalker for helping me." Helen said.

"Marc, huh? Why has he been following you around?" Scarlett asked.

"Beats me." Helen said. "I just want him to stop. Period. Go find someone else and leave me alone."

"Helen, you should be happy that someone wants to protect you." Scarlett said.

"I have one of those and _you_ just broke up with him." Helen said. "Besides, I hate Marc."

"What has he done to you?" Scarlett asked, trying to avoid the conversation of her and Jayden's recent break-up.

"Your ex is at the soda machine." Helen said.

"I'm not going to go up there." Scarlett said. "He's mad about the DeWayne thing and I don't want to hear him either talk in sarcasm or get it all out now."

"Too late. Laura's got him." Helen said.

"What?" Scarlett asked turning her head to see Jayden talking to Laura at the soda machine.

Jayden frowned. "She's what?"

"Rehab. Mom caught her drinking." Laura said. Jayden sighed heavily. "She's checking in at seven, so we can see her before then."

Jayden nodded. "Thanks."

"You pissed?" Laura asked.

Jayden grabbed his Sprite. "No. Just a rough day. I'll pass on the information and please, don't just walk up to me in school. People might start talking."

Laura rolled her eyes as Jayden walked away from her and headed to his table.

"You got your soda without me?" Scarlett asked before he made it all the way to his seat.

"Uh… Yeah. I didn't think you were going to get it, but it's our normal time." Jayden said.

"What was that?" Scarlett asked.

"Dakota's going to rehab." Jayden informed her. "I guess Laura called her a few minutes ago, but Dash checks in at seven and I wanted to see her before she left."

"Oh." Scarlett said.

Jayden grinned. "There's a twenty-four hour rule when it comes to rebounds, you know? Why do you think you and I went out that Friday and not the Monday it happened?"

"Yeah…" Scarlett said. "Well, I'm going to get my soda now."

"Why are you making this so awkward? Go get your soda. I'll probably come over to your table and talk to you and Helen." Jayden said. "I mean, seriously Scarlett, we've been friends before, haven't we?"

"Yeah… But now it's different because…" Scarlett paused. "Never mind. See you later."

Jayden watched Scarlett walk away before sighing.

"Stupid conscious." Jayden muttered.

* * *

Shane watched Nicole whimper and quiver beneath the sheets, her forehead drenched in sweat. She had somehow grown a fever over the last few minutes and he had no clue on what was going on. She would scream every now and again about her head hurting, but then be silent and go back to whimpering quietly.

And he had tried a lot. Well, what he knew. Soup, didn't work. He did not have any ginger ale, so that was out of the question. He doubted that he should be giving her any medications after his mother explained to him that medical drugs and street drugs did not always mix to well and he did not want Nicole to experience any more pain that she was already in.

"Shane?"

"Crap!" Shane muttered as his father entered the house. Shane walked out of his room to see his dad. "Hey Dad. You're home early."

"I-" Gavin was cut off by one of Nicole's quick outbursts, his brows furrowed. "Who's in there?"

Shane sighed. "Dad, I think you may want to sit down on this one."

"Shane-"

"Dad, I'm serious. This isn't something _I_ took standing up." Shane interrupted as he moved to the couch. Gavin sat in an armchair. "Alright, that's Nicky in there."

"Nicky? What is she doing here?" Gavin asked.

"Her parents caught her with some crack and they kicked her out. She's been here since Sunday morning when I came home from the show." Shane said.

"What is she doing here?" Gavin questioned. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"I was, but Mom came." Shane answered. Gavin nodded. Emma was a bit worrisome at points. "She has nowhere else to go and I didn't want to give her the chance to go back to the ravine or get raped or something. So, I just kept her here because I feel… Well…"

"Like she's safe. Trust me, I know the feeling." Gavin said before sighing heavily. "Does she have any clothes?" Shane shook his head. "Did you bathe her?"

"I gave her some of Kelly's clothes. I doubt she's going to notice because I gave her some of Kelly's _normal_ clothes. You know, tee-shirt and jeans?" Shane said.

"If she stays here," Gavin said. "You can't. I'm not having Emma finding a reason to kill me when she can just kill you instead." Shane grinned. "But I'm sure that Sean'll have our backs on this one."

"What? Really? Why?" Shane asked.

"You think you're the only person to allow a girl to move in with him? At least you have an adult in the house." Gavin replied. Nicole gave another scream.

"Dad, what's wrong with her? She's been doing that since lunch and I know I didn't poison the food." Shane said.

"Withdrawal son. The first step of coming clean." Gavin said. "She'll be fine."

"I hope so." Shane said.

"Now," Gavin said rising. "Time for you to go face the music."

"What?" Shane asked.

Gavin frowned. "You don't think that I'm going to tell your mom that you played hooky twice do you? Added with the fact that you've been in the house all day with a girl, I'm guessing you should do it now while she's happy with friends rather than waiting later when she's not and probably in a bad mood."

"I'll get right on that." Shane replied standing up as well.

"And Shane." Gavin began.

"Yeah Dad?" Shane answered.

"I'm proud of you son." Gavin said.

Shane nodded. "Thanks Dad."

* * *

Ashton stopped at his locker and opened it.

"Another day, no pills." Aaron commented.

Ashton smirked. "That's funny Santos."

"So," Aaron said. "You finally think about dating Brie?"

"Yeah." Ashton replied. "I think I'm going to go for it."

"Really? What made you change your mind?" Aaron asked.

"Are you kidding me? If people can accept some nerdy pedophile of a rock star to date Vanessa, then what's so bad about me dating Brie?" Ashton replied. "Besides, Brie looks _way_ better than Vanessa."

"I think that's just your bias thoughts." Aaron said with a grin.

Ashton shrugged as he closed his locker.

"Call it like you want, but she does. Besides," Ashton said as Gabrielle walked towards them. "Only one of them has that thing…"

"What thing?" Aaron asked.

"What are you two talking about?" Gabrielle asked stepping beside Aaron.

"Nothing." Aaron said. "See you two later at the Dot?"

"Yeah." Ashton replied. "You ready Brie?" Gabrielle nodded. "See you later Santos."

Aaron watched his two friends walk away before grinning. Jordan would love playing matchmaker and he would love to embarrass Ashton. Two birds, one stone.

* * *

Jay looked at the apartment before sighing heavily and knocking on the door. The door opened to reveal Alex.

"J-Jay?" Alex stammered.

Jay grinned. "Hey. Got a minute?"

"What are you doing back here? Here to tell me how I should've gotten an abortion?" Alex replied with hatred in her voice.

"Uh no. I came here to ask for forgiveness and if I could meet Gabrielle soon." Jay stated. "So can I come in?"

Alex hated her want for making Gabrielle happy and stepped aside. Had Gabrielle not wanted to meet her father, Alex would have just slammed the door in his face and went on about her life. Jay stepped inside the apartment and Alex closed the door.

"Pretty nice place." Jay said as he made his way to the small kitchen. He saw a test on the refrigerator. "A ninety-five? I had a genius?"

"No. A friend has been tutoring her." Alex said. "This is what she got on her last test and she was really proud about it."

"Oh." Jay said.

"Jay," Alex said. "I'm not going to stop you from seeing your daughter, but do you honestly believe that she's going to be happy with you missing-"

"Twelve years out of her life? I doubt it." Jay interrupted. "And then there's Nate who… I don't even want to think about that."

"You know," Alex said. "I always pictured me shooting you the next time I saw you. No word. No money. Just up and left. But now that I'm looking at you, I think I'll settle with you being killed by your kids."

"You know, I've actually had one woman talk bad about me today. I really don't need to hear another." Jay said.

"Who?" Alex asked, her eyes narrowed.

"Manny." Jay answered. "I met up with her earlier today and she made it very clear that she didn't like me around her or her family. Thankfully, Amy didn't seem too down in seeing me. In fact, she seemed happy."

"Are you staying? Here in Toronto?" Alex questioned.

"Yeah. I figured that I'd try to connect with my kids." Jay said. "Call it a change of heart or whatever…"

"I'm glad." Alex replied.

"So," Jay said with a sigh. "What's Gabrielle like?"

* * *

At the sound of the final bell, the students crowded the halls to leave school. Dustin walked beside Chandra, going towards the gym.

"So Vanessa dates Jacob? That's weird." Dustin said.

"It was bound to happen." Chandra replied. "Said that he was a pretty good kisser."

"Tch, figures." Dustin stated.

"You know… Jayden and Scarlett broke up and…" Chandra paused after Dustin frowned. "I'm just saying that now that she _and_ Helen are out of the way-"

Before Chandra finished, Dustin kissed her.

"What was that for?" Chandra asked in confusion.

"Because sometimes," Dustin replied. "You just have to reach out and take what you want. See you later."

Chandra could only watch Dustin walk away, her mind playing thousands of scenarios that she would probably never do. All because she was too stunned that he had kissed her in the first place.

* * *

Scarlett moved hesitantly towards Jayden's car. Standing at the car was Laura, talking to Jayden about something.

"You need a ride?" Jayden asked, looking over at Scarlett.

"Uh… Yeah." Scarlett said.

"Great. Riding with Dick and Jane." Laura said as she got into the backseat.

Scarlett frowned. "What is she-"

"Dash? I told you that, right?" Jayden interrupted. "Kelly had to work so, it's just us two. Why?" Scarlett shook her head. "Oh come on Scarlett, Laura? You really think that I have something for her?"

Scarlett smiled. "No. I'm just looking out for a friend."

"Good try." Jayden replied getting into the car. Scarlett sighed heavily before getting into the passenger seat. She would _never_ sit beside Laura. "Alright, drop Scarlett off at home and then head off to see Dash. And everyone is comfortable, right? I don't want to hear any fussing."

"Sure Dad. You going to spank us if we act up too?" Laura commented.

"The thought is beyond tempting. Trust me." Jayden said.

Scarlett did not see it, but Jayden saw the small smile that curled on Laura's face. And while she smiled, Jayden felt that much worse.

Sort of.

* * *

Emma could only stare at Gavin and Shane, both standing in similar positions. She called this their "guilty stance" because they only did it when they were guilty of something. Sean, who sat beside his wife, was prepared to restrain her from snapping. Hearing news that your son had basically homed a girl with a cocaine addiction was not the best news to hear.

"Are you okay Mom?" Shane asked.

"Am I okay? Shane, why didn't you come to us with this _yesterday_?" Emma asked.

"To avoid Maddox and Ana hearing anything about crack?" Shane responded. It was a long shot, but he was going to use his siblings to his advantage anyway possible.

"As big of a lie that was," Emma replied. "I'm happy that you at least thought about someone other than yourself."

"Em," Sean said. "You can't be that mad at him. I mean, _I_ did it for Ellie, remember?"

"Whoa, like Dakota's mom?" Shane asked. Sean nodded. "This is so…" Shane paused. "My stepdad and my friend's mom-"

"Shane. Focus." Emma broke her son out of his mumbling. "This is serious. We can't house Nicole, even if we wanted to."

"You're not." Gavin said. "I am. I'm only telling you this because Kelly will be around Nicky and we promised we'd tell each other whenever someone new joins the dinner table, remember?"

"And Shane?" Emma asked.

"As long as Nicky is a guest in my house," Gavin replied. "Shane can't be unsupervised in the house. Not that I don't trust him, it's just… Well, I don't trust him fully."

"Thanks Dad." Shane muttered.

Emma sighed. "Well, if Manny can talk to Jay then-"

"Whoa! Manny talked to Jay? When?" Gavin asked.

"It doesn't matter." Emma replied. "But since she faced her demons, then I guess I can do this. As long as it is alright with Nicole's parents. I don't want you two to go in for kidnapping."

"Well… The thing is…" Shane began.

"We kind of already did that." Gavin finished. "They agreed." Emma's jaw slacked. "Emma, they looked at her with such disgust. It was worse than Manny's dad looked at her."

Now Emma sat quietly. She had taken in a friend when in need, so it was only right if Shane was allowed to do the same thing. That, and Kelly had always wanted another girl in Gavin's house to give it that feminine touch and Nicole was the one. Well, when she was in her sane mind that is.

"So if you guys did all this," Emma said. "What did you need me to do?"

"Tell Kelly that I loaned some of her clothes to Nicky." Shane said quickly.

"No." Emma said sternly. "Your mess, you clean it up."

Shane sighed. He knew he should have said this earlier.

* * *

Scarlett looked at the Dot before stepping inside. She looked around before sitting at a table near the back. The only Mason working currently was Kelly, which was good. She knew how Shane would blow this up.

DeWayne walked into the establishment and made his way to Scarlett, a smile on his face.

"What did you want to talk about?" DeWayne asked.

Scarlett sighed. "You were right. We broke up."

"Oh," DeWayne said as he sat down. "Need a pick-me-up? The nonalcoholic kind that is."

"Sure." Scarlett said with a smile. "What did you have in mind?"

* * *

Dakota hugged Jayden tightly.

"Hey, you're not going to prison. I'll see you on the weekends." Jayden said.

"Yeah." Dakota said releasing him. She looked over to Laura, who was standing beside Jayden. Directly beside Jayden that is. "Is there something going on between you two?"

"Uh, I did just break-up with Scarlett. Twenty-four hours rule, remember?" Jayden replied.

"And why the hell would I want to be with Jayden?" Laura said angrily. "You really need that rehab because it's fucking with your brain."

Dakota's eyes narrowed as she looked at her two friends.

"Spill it." she nearly hissed.

Jayden's cell phone rang. "Speaking," Jayden walked out of the room. "Uh… No."

Watching him step into the hallway, Dakota's brown eyes connected with Laura's.

"Wh-what?" Laura asked. "Can I have my fucking face back? Damn Dash, you're starting to make me believe that you _are_ a lesbian."

Dakota sighed heavily. "You're not going to tell me, huh?" Laura only glared at Dakota. "Fine. If you want tell me, I'll just get him to tell me. Either way, I'll find out why you two are acting so weird."

"Weird? Who's acting weird? You're just an alcoholic, remember?" Laura stated.

"Normally," Dakota said. "That jibe to get me off of your back would work. But since I'm going to have to hear that later, it hardly bothers me." Laura sighed. "Just tell me. Have I ever told anyone?"

"Fine! I slept with him." Laura said in a low tone. "Saturday?" Dakota's eyes widened. "Yeah. It's not like I planned to. It just happened and now… God, I can't even look at him the same."

"That good huh?" the two girls turned to see Jayden standing. "I'm wanted somewhere else. I'm hoping that that secret stays amongst us three, right? No sharing at group therapy Dash?"

Dakota smiled. "Your secret is safe with me. And you can go. I'll have someone drive Laura home." Jayden gave a nod and left the room. Dakota's smile became a smirk. "So tell me, was it that good?"

Laura rolled her eyes, but the smile gave it away. Dakota only laughed at this. Her friends would be hopeless without her.

* * *

That evening, Gabrielle came in to see her mother sitting down on the small sofa watching TV.

"Hey Mom." Gabrielle said.

"Hey." Alex said. "So what did you learn today?"

Gabrielle shrugged. "This and that. The eras of time." Gabrielle sat beside Alex and leaned against her. "We have to meet up Saturday so he can teach me more about it."

"That's good," Alex said. "But I want you to go to this address whenever you get the chance." Gabrielle frowned as her mother handed her a small slip of paper with an address and a number. "It's your father's place."

Gabrielle's voice died in her throat and her heart rate increased by tenfold. Her dad was in town? After all these years, she was finally going to meet him.

"Brie?" Alex said.

"I'm fine." Gabrielle replied softly. "So… What's for dinner?"

* * *

Aaron knocked on Jayden's door before stepping inside, his older brother looking at the ceiling from his bed.

"Miss Scarlett already?" Aaron asked.

Jayden smirked. "You've grown a spine over the past few weeks, but you're still a pansy." Aaron glared at Jayden who turned his attention towards Aaron. "What're you doing here A.J?"

"I wanted to ask you why you did it." Aaron said. "You were crazy over Scarlett. Why give up on her because of some DeWayne character?" Jayden lifted an eyebrow causing Aaron to sigh. "Vanessa overheard James talking to Mary-Jane Sunday."

"Oh." Jayden said. "Well, to answer your question A.J, sometimes you like someone so much that you let them go. Just so they can be happy."

"But-"

"There's no buts to it." Jayden interrupted. "If Scarlett truly, and I mean _truly_, looks at this guy as a friend, she would've called and said that by now. But since she hasn't…"

"I get it." Aaron said. "Boy, relationships are complicated. I can't see me doing the same for Jordan."

Jayden laughed a bit. "Don't worry about that. Now, tell me what's been going on in the life of A.J Santos and I'll tell you how the lead singer of Juvenile Grace is doing. And one day in the future, we'll introduce them to each other."

Aaron grinned. "Sure bro."


	37. Webisode: To Insure Success

**To Insure Success**

Five students walked into the area early Saturday morning, none of them appearing to have had a good night's sleep. Despite their individual outfits, they each were wearing a special ankle bracelet.

"Why are we doing this again?" Nathan asked.

"Because it'll help our grades _and_ absences." Damon answered. "Plus it makes us have more than thirteen reviews."

"Oh yeah. " Nathan said.

"My bra's too tight." Laura muttered as she fidgeted with her undergarment. Nathan, Damon, and Marc, the three boys in the group, stared at her. "Can I do this without you three drooling over me. Seriously, go get laid."

"Hello." a middle aged man said appearing seemingly out of nowhere. "You the five students from Degrassi?"

"No. We're the Power Rangers." Laura remarked.

The man clicked his tongue. "Okay… My name is Johnson. Simply Johnson. Got it?" The five nodded. "What we're going to do today is shoot five car insurance commercials with you guys, alright?"

"Wait a minute," Damon said. "So we skip school, fail tests, and the _only_ way to make this up is to do a commercial where we will be _paid_ as well?"

"He-" Laura was shocked painfully before she could get the word out, causing her to shriek. "What the f-" She was shocked again by the ankle bracelet. "Stop that!"

"The ankle bracelets that you wear stops you from using _any_ form of swear words." Johnson said looking at Laura, who was now hopping up and down on one leg as she attempted to rip the ankle bracelet off with her bear hands. "It will only come off when all five commercials are shot, Ms. Reynolds."

"That's stupid." Laura said. "So what do we do?"

"Glad you asked." Johnson said. "I'm going to go over there and call out one of your names at random. After I call for action, the commercial will commence and the others need to step past that red line." Johnson pointed to a red line to the group's left. "Got it?" The five nodded. "Good. We'll begin shortly."

"What about our lines?" Nicole asked.

"Oh don't worry about it. I find that your natural responses will be better." Johnson said walking away.

Nathan looked at Nicole, gaining a smirk from Laura.

"Are you done staring at her?" Laura asked.

"I'm not staring at her. Da-" Nathan was shocked. "I was going to say dang!"

"Nathan Hogart. You're up." Johnson called. "Clear the stage." The other four walked to the line Johnson had told them about. "Actors ready? Action!"

Actor, Mike McGlone walked up to a strange background.

"Could switching to GEICO really save you 15 percent or more on car insurance?" Mike McGlone paused before looking back at the camera. "Is Godzilla really big?"

A random Asian man ran to Nathan.

"Is Godzi… What kind of dumb question is that?" Nathan asked.

"It's Godzilla!" the Asian said while pointing before running away.

"Oh…" Laura began.

"My…" Damon added.

"God! Nate! Look out!" Nicole called before a large dinosaur's foot crushed Nathan.

Laura burst into a fit of laughter while the other three looked on. The large Godzilla recreation walked off of the set. Marc, Damon, and Nicole ran to check on Nathan, whose body was shaking violently.

"He's having a seizure!" Nicole said.

"No. He's cussing up a storm." Mike McGlone said. "As soon as he keeps quiet, he'll be fine. Hope you five learn to stay in class and do your work. Oh. And get GEICO."

As the actor walked away, Damon helped Nathan out of the large footprint.

"I hate this." Nathan said as Damon helped Nathan across the red line. Marc and Nicole followed while Laura attempted to stop laughing. "I hate you."

"I… I know! Oh God you should've seen…! 'It's Godzilla!'" Laura laughed.

"Alright. Next is Laura Reynolds." Johnson called. "Give her the car!" A silver BMW convertible was pulled in front of Laura. The woman that was previously driving it, got out of the car and handed Laura the keys. "Action!"

"F…" Laura paused in her language. "Alright! I got a new car!"

"I don't believe it." Nathan said.

"Do we all get a new car?" Nicole asked.

"Who cares? This is awesome!" Laura said before the car was set ablaze. "What the f- Aah!" Laura screamed as she electrocuted. Nathan snickered. "Whatever. I know what to do." Laura stepped across the red line and sighed. "Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there."

A man appeared with a clipboard. "Hey Laura."

"How the 'heck' does she have an agent!" Nathan called.

"That jingle is good." Laura said.

"My turn!" Nicole said. "Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there-"

"With a table of food!" Marc called before a buffet table of breakfast foods appeared. "Yes!"

"No," Nicole said as Marc and Damon went to get something to eat. "With Laura's secret crush."

"What?" Laura shrieked before Jayden appeared in nothing but a towel, a tooth brush in his mouth.

"Really?" Jayden said to himself.

"Didn't see that one coming." Laura's agent said.

"Cut! That was great!" Johnson said. "Someone get the pedestrian off of the set!"

Jayden was led to the others, clutching his towel around his waist.

"Okay," Jayden said to the other five. "Tell me how I got here."

"That's easy." Nicole said with a smile. "I sang the jingle and asked them to-"

Laura elbowed Nicole, causing the girl to immediately hush.

"What jingle did you sing?" Jayden asked.

"The State Farm jingle." Nicole said.

"You guys do know that you can ask for one more thing." Laura's agent said.

"Please. Get him some clothes." Nathan said before Jayden was now fully clothed.

"What? No! Get me back home!" Jayden said before Laura's agent walked away. "Someone sing the jingle again!"

"Sorry. We're onto the next person." Johnson said. "Marc Milligan, it's your turn."

"Great." Marc said before putting his plate down.

Marc walked to the set while everyone else stood behind the read line, Damon and Nicole eating at the table.

"So let me get this straight," Jayden said. "Some guy calls all the failing losers up to do a bunch of commercials for car insurance, which none of you have, and in the midst of this, Nathan gets stomped by Godzilla and Laura's BMW goes into flames where I was wished here."

"That basically covers it." Nicole said as a new Chevrolet Tahoe pulled beside Marc. "He gets a car too?"

"Man, I can't wait for my turn!" Damon said.

"Action!" Johnson called.

Marc got into the driver seat. "This is great."

"Drive it around." Johnson said.

Marc began to drive the truck around. A few minutes later, Dean Winters was standing in-between Laura and Nathan.

"I'm a dear frolicking in the woods. I hear that the grass is greener on the other side, so I'm going to go see." Dean Winters then walked across the painted road in front of them.

Marc, who was looking at the features, looked up to see the man.

"Holy sh- Ah!" Marc shouted in agony as he swerved into a telephone pole that, again, appeared out of nowhere. "Godd- Ah!"

"Don't end up like that guy. Switch to Allstate and protect yourself from mayhem like me." Dean said before walking away, leaving Marc in the car, being electrocuted severely for the string of obscenities he wanted to say.

Jayden chuckled a bit. "So every time you guys swear, you get electrocuted?"

"Yeah. It's not that bad if you ask me." Nicole said.

A few crewmen carried Marc over to the others where he lied on the floor.

"You don't look to good." Laura said looking down at him.

"Where'd that guy come from?" Marc asked.

Laura shrugged. "Beats me. Maybe you should've sung the jingle."

"Shut up Laura." Marc said.

"Next, Damon McBride." Johnson said. "Clear the set. Add prompt. Enter Damon. Action!"

Damon walked onto the set to see a bunch of shelves lined with boxes.

"Really? I get a box?" Damon said picking one box up. "Motorcycle insurance? I don't even ride my bike."

"You need help?" actress Stephanie Courtney, alias Flo, said from behind Damon.

"Uh, yeah. All of my friends got cool cars and insurance and all I get is a few boxes." Damon said.

"Well here." Flo said handing Damon a remote. "You can try out our prices and compare them to your friends and see how much you'd save if you chose Progressive."

Damon pressed the button and watched a few numbers appear on a board on the wall. Grinning, he did it again.

"Wow. This is a cool device." Damon said.

"It's called a remote honey." Flo said.

Damon frowned. "I know that you- Ah!"

"And cut! Great work Damon!" Johnson said as Damon limped towards the others, mumbling about dumb cashiers.

"Uh, Nicole, you're going to have to come with us. We kind of ran out of ideas." Johnson said. "We're going to have to give you a wardrobe change."

"Sure." Nicole said. "Be back Jay."

Jayden frowned. "Why is it that every time something happens, I'm somehow involved?"

"No one invited you." Laura said. "So go back home or whatever gay-den."

Jayden sighed. "It's ten o'clock in the morning and you're calling me names. Great." Jayden looked around. "Am I the only sane person in this room? Why are we here in the morning? Where are the teachers that are supposed to be supervising this? How did Godzilla even fit inside here?"

"Look, asking stupid questions is just stupid so just don't." Marc said.

Jayden looked at him questionably. "How in the hell did you manage to get to the tenth grade saying the dumbest things like that?"

"Wow." Nathan said.

Jayden frowned. "Wow? What are you…" Jayden's words died as he, Nathan, Marc, and Damon saw Nicole walking towards them. "Wow."

Nicole now had on tight leather shorts that stopped mid-thigh and a leather jacket. Hoop earrings and red lipstick were also applied to the girl. She also had black heels on that gave her more a bad-girl appearance than a hooker. Though, in the boys' minds, Nicole could role play either at the moment. She then sat down in a chair.

"Like this?" Nicole questioned.

"Great. Action!" Johnson said.

A car pulled beside Nicole before a woman stepped out.

"D-d-d-Danica Patrick." Damon stammered.

Danica Patrick stepped towards Nicole and grabbed the girls jacket before ripping it open, revealing the tight GoDaddy tee-shirt Nicole wore underneath.

"That's hot." Danica Patrick said before her lips neared Nicole's.

"And cut!" Johnson said as Nicole's lips were centimeters away from the older woman's. "That's a wrap."

"NO!" the boys shouted in unison.

"You did well kid." Danica Patrick said before getting into the car and driving off.

"Aw come on!" Jayden said. "I get wished out of my bathroom in a freaking towel, they eat _all_ the good stuff for breakfast, I'm spending _another_ Saturday morning with Laura, and you cut off the _only freaking good thing_ that this morning has to offer!"

"Yep. Besides, they've earned enough credits to pass this year." Johnson said. "Stay in school kids. And drive safely."

"Hey Jay," Nicole said. "Could you give me a ride home?"

Jayden smiled. "Sure Nicky. Let's go."

The two began walking away as the others watched.

"Well, I'm satisfied knowing one thing." Nathan said.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Laura asked.

"Unquestionably, undoubtedly, and undeniably, you like Jayden McDuelle." Nathan said.

Laura sighed. "Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there with Godzilla."

The large beast appeared again and Nathan took off.

"I hate you Laura!" Nathan shouted/screamed as the monster chased him off.

"No one speaks of this, deal?" Laura said. Damon and Marc nodded. "Good."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Pretty random webisode, I know. All I think about is "Is Godzilla really big?" And what Damon was talking about earlier when he said "Plus it makes us have more than thirteen reviews" comes from two reviews I received from Hey it's me Megan D and mUsIcLoVeRr3 who have both gave the same review and said "only thirteen reviews?" Anyway, I have more reviews now, but more wouldn't hurt. Till next time.


	38. S2 Episode VIII: Hurt

**Episode VIII: Hurt**

Standing at his locker, Shane gave his sister another look.

"You're happier about this than I am." Shane said. "Why is that?"

Kelly shrugged. "I don't know. I guess living with you and Dad all my life, I'm happy to have another girl in the house who knows the difference between a nice house smell and sweaty gym socks."

"My room does not smell like sweaty gym socks." Shane retorted.

"Gym socks, tee-shirts, they all stink." Kelly replied before putting a hand through her hair, which was its natural platinum blonde color today. "I'm starting to warm up to the idea, I guess. She's way easier to deal with than you are." Shane frowned. "Oh come on, you would rather _die_ than to hear me ramble on about the hottest guys in the school."

"I guess you have a point." Shane said as Jayden neared them. "Wow. When is the last time I've seen you walk down these halls alone?"

"You know, I don't even know." Jayden said. "So, what's the plan today?"

"You ask that almost every day, you know?" Kelly responded.

Jayden shrugged. "I like to be prepared for any and all things. Especially the bad things."

"Well," Kelly said. "I'm going to see Dash after school. Do you want to come with me?"

"I saw her off yesterday and talked to her on the phone last night." Jayden said. "I'll probably see her this weekend, though."

"Oh. Okay." Kelly said.

"Despite us going to three different places," Jayden said. "Should we start walking to class?"

Shane's eyebrows rose. "Is this Jayden McDuelle opting to go to class _before_ the bell has even rung?"

"I have a strange feeling. That's all." Jayden said.

"Hey, J.T," Scarlett said coming to them. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"A very bad strange feeling." Jayden said to Kelly and Shane before looking at Scarlett. "Sure." The two stepped aside from the Mason siblings. "What is it Red?"

"I, um, I wanted to run this by you first." Scarlett said. "DeWayne and I… We're friends. Close friends. We're not dating, but that doesn't mean that we're not going to. So if it happens-"

"While I admire your need to tell me such little trivial things," Jayden interrupted. "Whoever you date is none of my business anymore. I don't want to look like the jealous , overprotective ex that I'm not."

"Helen told me to do this. She says that she knows you better than me now and that you would have a problem if I just up and dated the guy right off the bat." Scarlett replied.

Jayden turned to his feet and smirked. "I knew we were a little too close for comfort." Jayden then looked up at Scarlett. "It's fine Scarlett, really. If you want to date this DeWayne character, then by all means, date him."

Scarlett sighed. "You hate me, don't you?"

"No. I don't-"

"Say it." Scarlett cut him off. "I danced a bit too provocatively with a guy I hardly knew, ran off with him, and basically broke up with you so things between me and him didn't seem that awkward. You hate me for doing that. I know you do."

"I will never hate Scarlett Joann Chessex for as long as I live." Jayden stated. "We're friends, you and I. Probably as close as two friends can be without being one."

"Did you really just say my middle name?" Scarlett asked with anger. She hated people knowing her middle name.

"Call it payback for all those times you called me by mine." Jayden replied. "Anyway, date DeWayne if that's what you want. I will not look at you any differently than I do now. It's just my nature _not_ to care about certain situations and this is one of them."

"Why is that?" Scarlett questioned.

Jayden shrugged. "With everything else going on in my life, your affair with some Lakehurst loser doesn't seem that important to me."

"I know what you're thinking." Scarlett said.

"Well, I bet you don't didn't see this one coming then, did you?" Jayden asked before walking away.

Scarlett huffed before nearly stomping towards the direction of the office. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

James, Steven, and Marc had been joking off since the trio arrived at school earlier.

"Man, that's hilarious!" Steven laughed as they walked down the halls. "Oh man, my class is this way and if I'm late, my dad will have one of those 'what were you doing' episodes. See you two later."

"Alright." James replied as he and Marc began walking off. "Say it again."

Steven grinned before turning towards his class before a smaller body collided into his. He looked down to see Chandra on the ground.

"Great." Chandra muttered as she picked up the papers that had fallen out of her hand. "Knocked down by…" Chandra looked up at Steven. "…You…"

"Yeah, me." Steven said. "Weren't you the girl that kept calling Ashton a junkie?"

"Yeah." Chandra answered.

"Oh. Just wanted to know." Steven replied as he extended a hand and helped her up. "You know, you're actually cute."

"Thanks…" Chandra said.

"But, I bet that you're still after Jayden, aren't you?" Steven asked. "It makes sense seeing that he's single now. Oh well."

"Wait. What do you mean, 'oh well'? And I haven't really talked to Jayden in a while now." Chandra replied.

"Oh…" Steven said. "Say, what was your name again?"

"Chandra." Chandra answered.

"Well I hope I'll see you around, Chandra." Steven said before walking away.

Chandra inhaled deeply before exhaling slowly, a smile coming onto her face. Forget Jayden, she was about to score Steven Manning, addict or not.

* * *

"Another day, another missing Nicole Campbell." Helen said to Jayden as she sat in Nicole's former seat.

"Tell me about it." Jayden said.

"What did you say to Scar earlier? She passed me in the hall like she was going to shoot someone." Helen questioned.

Jayden sighed. "I didn't say anything wrong… Per se… I just left."

"You just left?" Helen asked.

"Yeah." Jayden said. "She was telling me some B.S about her and DeWayne and how they could _possibly_ be dating."

"And now you're mad? You poor thing." Helen said, spitting sarcasm on her words with a smile.

Jayden frowned. "No. I'm not mad. I just find it irritating that she's telling me this. What am I going to say? No, don't date DeWayne because he's a loser?"

"Try supporting her decision, nitwit." Helen said. "She thinks that if you two can be like you once were, at least she'll have a safety net just incase this DeWayne character is as big as a loser as we both think."

"Safety net? Does she thinks that she'll break up with him and I'll be there waiting?" Jayden asked.

"Let's be honest. Yes you will." Helen answered. "You will always be there for her if she needs it. Do you want to know why?" Jayden nodded and Helen smirked. "Because you _love_ her."

"Heh. Now I know you're crazy." Jayden said. "While I may put Scarlett above a lot of girls, love is something this playboy does not do. And do you want to know why?" Helen nodded. "Because no one seems to be the right one yet."

"Tch, yeah right. I could have you eating out of the palm of my hands if I wanted to." Helen said.

Jayden lifted an eyebrow. "Really? I do remember a certain-"

"And now it's over." Helen interrupted. "So, help with this worksheet?"

* * *

Manny smiled brightly as she hugged her husband.

"What's the big news?" Maxwell asked.

"Danni's coming back Friday." Manny said.

"And…?" Maxwell questioned. Though he loved his daughter dearly, her return was something that his wife was neither _this_ excited about. Unless… "What have you two done?"

"Nothing." Manny said childishly.

"Dimples?" Maxwell questioned while raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you but you can't tell anyone else and you can't get happier than I am." Manny said. Maxwell's eyebrow had yet to fall as he stared at his giggly spouse with an amused face. "Danni's got an apartment!"

"An apartment? I thought she was staying in your place in L.A?" Maxwell asked.

"Well…" Manny replied. "That was before she decided to move here! Isn't that a good thing?"

"Yes." Maxwell said. "But what else are you excited about?"

"I was thinking that you and I could throw her a house warming party and we can invite some of her friends and your mother and stepdad and-"

"Dimples, Dimples, Dimples," Maxwell cut his wife off. "This isn't Danni's first house…" Manny gave her husband a disbelieving look. "Okay, so technically it _is_ her first home outside of us, but, we don't have to go overboard. Besides, the last time your dad and my mom were in the same place, we almost didn't get married, remember?"

"Well… I already talked to your mom, so…" Manny drifted off.

Maxwell sighed. "Fine. We'll do this house warming, but no one knows about the Jay thing, okay?"

Manny kissed Maxwell. "It's a deal."

* * *

Jacquelyn was currently walking to second period, not really paying attention to anyone or anything.

"Hey, Jackie," Shane said. Jacquelyn stopped and looked at him. "I wanted to talk to you."

"I can't right now." Jacquelyn said.

"Then tomorrow? Before the game?" Shane asked.

Jacquelyn sighed. "Sure Shane."

"Thanks Jackie." Shane said. "Well, uh, my class is this way. See you tomorrow, I guess. I mean, I'll see you later, but I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay Shane. I get it." Jacquelyn said with a small smile. "See you around."

Shane watched Jacquelyn walk away with a smile. Today might be a good day. He still had a day of football practice ahead of him and Nicole waiting for him. If he could make everyone happy, today would end well.

* * *

James sat at his normal seat in Media Immersion and logged onto his computer quickly.

"So what's going on?" Steven said sitting beside James.

"Nothing much. Heard that there was a party going on this weekend. Mary and I thought about going." James said.

"Yeah. Bet she already posted up on her page." Steven said.

James grinned. "Wouldn't hurt to check." James clicked a link to Mary-Jane's page. "Yeah, you were right about that."

"Tyler Walton? Who is that?" Steven asked.

James frowned. "Some guy we met at Lakehurst during that stupid meeting. Wonder why he's on her Friends' List?"

"My guess is that he's a friend." Steven answered.

James clicked on Tyler's page.

"What are you doing?" Steven asked.

"Just trusting my guts on something." James said as Tyler's page came up. "Just trusting my guts…"

"Does that say…?" Steven did not finish his statement as he saw the anger in James's eyes. "Man… I didn't know that…"

Amber walked into the class and sat in her normal seat. James waited for her to log onto her computer before sending her a message.

**KingBrooks1002: Do you know?**

**StellAmber9822: What?**

**KingBrooks1002: About MJ and Tyler.**

**StellAmber9822: ?**

**KingBrooks1002: Saturday…**

**StellAmber9822: OK…**

**KingBrooks1002: That's where she was! She slept with him!**

**StellAmber9822: R u sure?**

**KingBrooks1002: It's on his page!**

**StellAmber9822: Srry. I'll talk to her.**

**KingBrooks1002: Watever.**

Amber looked up to see James and fought the urge to smile. Scarlett Chessex was a genius for this waiting plan.

* * *

Scarlett looked at Jayden, who was painting quietly, his face showed his focus on the picture. Though she hardly cared about what he was doing, she did care that he had said only two words when she entered and they were "Hi Red," and nothing else.

"You know," Helen muttered beside Scarlett. "If you keep staring, you might be able to burn a hole in his clothes for everyone to see."

"I'm just trying to figure out why he's ignoring me." Scarlett said quietly.

Helen shrugged. "I don't know. Why not ask him?"

"Next to him lying?" Scarlett questioned. "Good one Helen."

"Hey, annoying neighbor," Jayden looked at Helen, who called to him. "Why are you ignoring Scar and don't lie to me."

"Sorry. Just really into work today. Seriously." Jayden answered. "What did you want to talk about?"

"See? Problem solved." Helen said stepping to her easel.

"I just wanted to talk." Scarlett said to Jayden. "Like… What are you doing after school?"

"I haven't thought about it." Jayden said. "Shane has work _and_ football practice, Kelly's working and going to see Dash, Dash is busy, and I'm sure you are going to be busy as well. So I guess I'll just sit at home and get double-teamed by Renée and Jenée. You?"

Scarlett frowned. "Yeah right. And why'd you walk off earlier?"

"You mean next to the fact that the bell rang?" Jayden responded.

"Forget it." Scarlett said looking at her painting.

"Okay… Never knew it was such a bad thing for going to class and doing class work in class." Jayden said. "But, whatever. You can't win when it comes to the Coyne Cousins."

"Uh… No part in this." Helen stated.

"Of course Helen. My bad." Jayden said with a smile.

* * *

Nicole smiled. "Thanks Mr. Mason."

"No problem." Gavin said as Nicole began eating her meal at the Dot. "Just remember to be ready in fifteen minutes."

"I will." Nicole said.

Gavin sighed. "Nicky… I talked to your parents the other day and," Nicole looked at him with a slight hint of hope in her eyes. "I'm going to be honest with you, they're still pretty mad at you. Angrier than I originally thought."

"Oh…" Nicole said, her eyes now on the floor.

"Hey, hey, don't do that." Gavin said. "Shane promised he would help you get your life back, right? And if there one thing Emma is good at, it's making determined children who will not stop until they get their way or something with equal value."

"Like Jackie back…" Nicole muttered.

Gavin exhaled quietly. Teenagers got harder and harder to deal with as time changed.

"I'm not getting into Shane's love life, but I know that he really cares for you." Gavin stated. "Why else would he be doing this?"

"Mr. Mason?" Nicole began. "Do you think that… Well, without me-"

"Don't think that. You're important to a lot of people who would rather have you alive and stoned than dead." Gavin interrupted.

"But Mrs. Cameron wasn't so happy when-"

"Ah, that's just Emma for you. Always taking every precaution because, well, she's Emma." Gavin said. "Don't think too hard about that. Besides, between you and me, I think she likes you."

Nicole smiled weakly. "I hope so."

"Hey, like I said, you live with me, not her. So you only have to worry about _my_ rules." Gavin replied. "And my rule says that you have to have a full stomach before helping around the Dot. So eat."

"Sure thing Mr. Mason." Nicole said.

* * *

On the way to lunch, Jayden was surprisingly joined by Chandra, who seemed to be glowing with anticipation. From the small time he would walk with her, he knew that she was excited to tell him something.

"Hey Jay!" Chandra practically squealed.

Jayden chuckled. "Okay Bambi, what is it?"

"Okay, okay, remember when you said that I was the hottest seventh grader and could get any boy that I want to prove a point to Mary-Jane?" Chandra asked quickly. It took Jayden a moment to slow down Chandra's words and then nodded. "So, the other day, Dustin kissed me!"

"Dustin… As in Dustin Hayes?" Jayden asked. Chandra nodded. "But you said that you thought he was-"

"That's not what I wanted to talk about!" Chandra interrupted. "Earlier today, I was walking down the hall, and bumped into someone. Now, while I was in my usual crabby morning mood, he basically told me that he had a crush on me!"

"And this person would be…?" Jayden asked.

"Steven Manning! Can you believe that?" Chandra asked excitedly.

Jayden frowned. "Steven Manning?"

"Yeah!" Chandra said with a smile.

"Hmm… Bambi, I don't know about this one." Jayden said, causing her to pout a bit. "But… I guess if it'll shut Mary-Jane up and make you happy, two birds with one stone. Plus, it'll give me a reason to monitor that pill-popping-"

"Hey! Leave him alone." Chandra said. "No one is talking about Vanessa and Jacob."

"Fine, Bambi. Do what you please. Just don't hurt Dustin in the process." Jayden replied. "And if you ever need me, scream."

"Sure." Chandra said with a smile.

* * *

Mary-Jane stood near James's car waiting for him so the two could go out to lunch like any other day. However, he was strangely later than normal.

"Mary-Jane!" Amber called as she jogged towards the car. "Mary-Jane, James is pissed!"

"Pissed? About what?" Mary-Jane asked.

"You and Tyler? You didn't do it, did you?" Amber asked. Mary-Jane did not answer, her eyes widening. "Mary… Come on… Why?"

"I-"

"Oh there you are." James said coming towards the two girls.

"James, I'm so sorry." Mary-Jane said.

"Sorry?" James repeated. "You go out and have sex with a guy you hardly know and the only thing you can say is _sorry_?"

"It wasn't supposed to happen." Mary-Jane said.

"You know… I don't even care. It's fine by me." James said. "Amber, did you want to come to lunch with me?"

"…" Amber glanced at Mary-Jane. "…Sure…"

"Let's go." James said getting into the car.

"Sorry." Amber whispered to Mary-Jane.

"Don't worry about it." Mary-Jane said as Amber got into the car. James cranked his car up and drove off. Mary-Jane then took out her cell phone and dialed a number, waiting a while. "Well Tyler, looks like I'm free for Saturday."

* * *

Inside the cafeteria, Gabrielle, Ashton, Vanessa, Aaron, and Jordan sat at their normal table talking.

"I can't wait until the game tomorrow!" Jordan said happily.

"Yeah. Your brother seems to be pumped up about it too." Vanessa said.

Jordan nodded. "He loves the Degrassi/Lakehurst game because he gets to hurt people with twice the force."

"I have a feeling that he's not the only one who loves this game." Aaron said.

"Of course I love it!" Jordan replied. "My mom and dad have always came to the homecoming game and Spinner usually has this big feast at home. It's like an unofficial holiday with us. That means that we'll be preparing today after school."

"Sounds like fun."Aaron said.

"I'll say. You can count me in." Vanessa added.

Ashton frowned. "Brie, something wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. Just…" Gabrielle paused. "Well, my dad's in town and he wanted to see me."

"Really?" Aaron asked.

Gabrielle nodded. "Yeah… I just don't know what to do or say."

"I'll come with you." Ashton said. Gabrielle, Aaron, Vanessa, and Jordan looked at Ashton. "It's just a suggesting. Calm down."

"Whatever you say." Aaron responded.

Jayden sat his table with a huge sigh.

"Scarlett's mad at you." Shane said. "Thought I'd tell you that."

Jayden shrugged. "What's new?"

"I'll tell you what's new." Kelly said. "Mr. McCall gave us another one of those pop quizzes that _no one_ passed."

"So what's so new about that?" Shane asked.

"Because he actually told us that this quiz wouldn't count." Kelly answered. "His fiancée is pregnant."

Jayden snapped his fingers. "That'll do it."

"Getting a woman pregnant makes a man happy?" Kelly questioned.

"No. It's the process of getting her pregnant that makes him happy." Jayden answered.

"Ugh! I should've seen that one coming!" Kelly said with disgust as Jayden and Shane laughed. "Jacob, get your friends."

"Well Kelly, you should've seen it coming." Jacob reasoned. Things like this were best left for Dakota. "Even if it wasn't completely-"

"You're no help." Kelly interrupted before sighing. "Where's Dash when I need her? I'd settle for Nicky."

"Really? You're taking a liken into Nicky staying with you." Jayden said.

"I know." Shane said. "It's weird because everyone thought that it was _my_ idea but you wouldn't know it if you spent two minutes with the two of them."

"Sounds like you're jealous because you can't spend time with Nicky." Kelly said.

"Whatever. Loser." Shane mumbled.

"You know what I'm going to do today?" Jayden said. "I think I'm actually going to spend an entire afternoon doing nothing."

Kelly gasped. "Are you sick? Have you been drinking with Dash?"

"No. Neither." Jayden answered.

Shane grinned mischievously. "Are you depressed about Scarlett?"

"You do remember that she lives beside me, plus I dated her cousin first who is as attractive an as single as ever, right?" Jayden responded.

"That's what we all say." Shane said.

"No." Jayden said. "But I'm going to spend today doing nothing because… Well, it's new to me."

"So is speaking German, but I don't want you to try that either." Kelly said. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Jayden frowned. "What's so wrong with me doing nothing?"

"Dude, you're the only person I know that purposely annoy your neighbors just so they can shout at you and give you something to do. You're constantly into something." Shane said.

Jacob nodded. "You do start a lot of trouble when you're bored."

"Which is why it's wrong with you doing nothing." Kelly said. "Why don't you help at the Dot today?"

"Why don't you help at my dad's office today?" Jayden shot back.

Again, both Mason children immediately hushed. They still had flashbacks on the last time they did that.

"Thought so." Jayden said.

Scarlett gave Helen a glare that the shorter girl seemed to brush off.

"Let's be honest Scar," Helen said. "You're about as hopeless as a fish that can't swim."

"And you got to that conclusion based off of…?" Scarlett asked.

Helen shrugged. "I don't know. I just feel it."

"You feel it?" Scarlett repeated.

Helen nodded. "Yeah. I feel it. This DeWayne guy is going to make you realize how stupid you are and in the end, you're going to wish that Jayden stayed, well, Jayden."

"First off, me and J.T aren't really 'friends' at the moment. So I could care less about who he wants to be or be with." Scarlett said. "Secondly, I don't even _date_ DeWayne so why are you and Jayden making a big deal about it?"

"Let's see if I can answer that in order, shall we?" Helen replied. "Okay, you and 'J.T' as you like to call him, are always going to be friends and I'm sure if he turned around and kissed me now you wouldn't speak to me for a week." Scarlett gave a thoughtful look at that statement. "And to answer the second question, you and I both know that you _want_ to date DeWayne and I'm sure Jayden has a pretty good guess that you do. So we have _all_ the reasons to make a 'big deal about it'."

Scarlett stood up. "I'm going to get a soda."

"I wouldn't go up there right now." Helen said pointing to Jayden, who was also at the soda machine.

"Watch me." Scarlett said walking away.

"Stupid, stupid girl." Helen muttered.

Jayden stood up after retrieving his soda and turned around.

"Jackie. Hey." Jayden said.

"Hey." Jacquelyn said before Scarlett stepped beside her.

"And Scarlett." Jayden said before smiling. "Wow. Two exes at one time. I must be in some serious deep trouble."

"Actually, I came to get a soda. Like any other day." Scarlett said.

"Grape, I presume." Jayden replied as he stepped to the side and allowed Scarlett to access the soda machine.

"Hey, Jay," Jacquelyn said. "Has Shane been talking about me? Like, as much as says he does?"

"Depends. If he used the words 'all the time' then, yeah, about that much." Jayden responded. "Seriously Jackie, I don't know what you did to my friend, but I think he's becoming something akin to a sissy. I mean, who cries over spilled milk? All relationships have their good and their bad. Sometimes, you just have to know when to let go."

"Seriously?" Jacquelyn asked.

"No. I don't think he's serious." Scarlett said. "And you know something Jayden, cry me a river, okay?"

"Whatever are you talking about?" Jayden asked.

"'All relationships have their good and their bad'? You're messing with me." Scarlett stated.

"No. Honestly." Jayden said. "For you, I'll do to DeWayne what you did to Helen. And in the end, we can-"

"Save it." Scarlett interrupted. "I've apologized and I've been honest to you. I see that getting the same thing is too much for you."

"Never." Jayden said. "I'm sorry for what I've done…" Jayden paused as he thought about him and Laura. "Whatever I've done is worse. Believe me."

Scarlett looked at Jayden in confusion, trying to think of whatever it is he was talking about. His eyes showed that he was deeply apologetic for the mysterious event, everything else about his composure made her believe that the event had not even occurred in the first place and he was just trying to make her feel better.

"Besides," Jayden said. "You never cheated."

"No. No I didn't." Scarlett said before Jayden hugged her. "Uh… Okay."

"Lighten up Red. People are going to start saying that we hate each other. And we don't." Jayden said before releasing her. "Now, come on Jackie. You and I are going to walk and talk about your problems and I'm going to tune you out to think about something unimportant and you can get mad about how men don't listen. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

Jacquelyn smiled and rolled her eyes. "Not really, but I guess it's better than talking to no one."

"My point exactly." Jayden said.

Dustin had noticed that Chandra continued to glance around the cafeteria every other minute, searching for someone he could not figure out who it was.

"Are you alright?" Dustin asked her.

Chandra nodded. "Oh yeah. Perfectly fine."

"No you're not. You're looking for something or someone." Dustin replied. "So what is it?"

Chandra sighed. "I'm looking for Steven. He said something to me earlier and I just wanted to know what he meant by it. That's all."

"Steven? Ashton's brother?" Chandra nodded. "Oh… Well, what did he say?"

"He said…" Chandra now doubted telling Dustin this. Especially after it was clear that he liked her. "Well, he called me cute and said that he hoped that he'd see me around." Dustin gave a slight nod. "I was thinking that-"

"Maybe he liked you? Enough to date?" Dustin interrupted.

"…Yeah." Chandra answered.

"Even after…" Dustin paused. "Never mind."

"But you know how Steven can be. He's kind of like Jayden. He says things that he doesn't mean." Chandra replied. "So you shouldn't worry."

"I'm not." Dustin lied.

"Okay." Chandra said.

* * *

After lunch, Jayden began to walk to class alone for the simple fact that he was growing a bit frustrated with the day. Between teachers and Scarlett, he really wanted to just go home and take a long nap. Of course, being who he was, there would always be that one person that will never respects his wishes of being left alone.

"So, Mc-fool," Laura said catching up to him. "What are you doing today?"

"Since when did we become friends?" Jayden replied. "You're already throwing nicknames and making plans. Sooner or later Nathan's going to find out that he was right."

"You mean the same guy that's moping around because Nicky isn't there to have sex with him? Yeah. I'm sure he's worried about me." Laura said. "Ass that he will _never_ have."

Jayden lifted an eyebrow. "So sure are you?"

"I don't give it up for _anyone_. You have to be… Someone of importance." Laura replied with a smirk.

"Look," Jayden said stopping. "What do you want from me, hmm? You basically introduce my friend, who I look to as a sister, to the wonderful world of alcohol. Oh, that includes a day working at the Dot and a Saturday of school. Next, you somehow get Nicky off of my back, for whatever reason. Then you blackmail me about my brother. And finally, you try to console me about Scarlett. And did I mention this was all because I didn't punch you in the face?"

"Are you done?" Laura asked boringly.

"And people say that _I'm_ confusing to understand." Jayden muttered.

Laura scoffed. "You might as well stop pretending to be so mad at me because you're not."

"Don't push your luck." Jayden replied.

Laura shoved Jayden lightly. "Fine. I'll just keep pushing you instead."

Jayden looked around the halls for anyone important. Seeing that there were none, he figured he could satisfy Laura, just this once.

And the girl was thoroughly surprised when he had her pinned against a row of lockers behind her.

"Sorry. I don't do encore presentations." Jayden whispered in her ear, stopping her struggles.

"Who says I'm asking for that again?" Laura asked angrily. She hated feeling restrained.

Jayden looked down in-between them and Laura followed his eyes to the opening on her shirt that revealed a bit of her cleavage. Jayden then made eye contact with her with a smirk.

"Despite being a diehard annoyance," Jayden said. "You're still a girl." Jayden released Laura's jacket and stepped back, allowing her to zip her leather jacket up completely. "I guess since Shane is currently working on Nicky and Helen has Scarlett, I can focus solely on you."

"Really?" Laura asked crossing her arms.

"Yep." Jayden said. "Meaning that by this time next week, it will be I that blackmails you."

"What was that thing that you told me? Oh yeah. Bring it." Laura said.

Jayden smirked. "Game on then."

* * *

Emma opened her door to see a grinning Manny.

"What have you done?" Emma asked suspiciously.

"Oh quiet. You sound just like Max." Manny said walking past Emma. "But I need your help."

"My help?" Emma replied. "Manny, I'm starting to think that you're up to something."

"We're going to throw Danni a home warming." Manny stated. "You're going to help me because… Well, I can't get Summer and Taylor up here to do it with me. Well…"

"Well….?" Emma said.

"Nothing. But you're going to help me." Manny paused and smiled. "Please?"

Emma sighed. "Sure. So what did you have planned?"

"Let's see…" Manny said.

* * *

After the final bell, Jacob watched as Vanessa nearly skipped towards him. He had to admit, the act was very cute.

"Hey." Jacob said.

"Hey," Vanessa said before a kiss. "Sorry that I can't go for tutoring today. There's a meeting for track today and I want to give it a try."

"Oh. Go ahead." Jacob said. "I don't think that we're going to have practice until Dakota returns, so I'll be free all afternoon."

"Great!" Vanessa said. "But," Jacob frowned at the sudden change in her voice. "I promised Bambi that I'd hang out with her Saturday so that hampers another day."

"No problem. Seriously." Jacob said.

Vanessa smirked. "You're such a nerd." She kissed him again. "See you later, Isaacs."

"Yeah." Jacob said as Vanessa walked off.

* * *

Chandra was currently grumbling as she walked towards the girls' locker room. If there was one thing she hated, it was being called out in front of the class about a question she did not know. And Toby knew she did not know the answer to that question.

"Hey." Steven said.

"Oh… Hey." Chandra replied.

"The game is tomorrow," Steven said. "I was wondering if you wanted to grab a bite to eat afterwards. Or before if you prefer."

"Sure." Chandra said without thinking. "We can go before because I actually have to study…"

Steven grinned. "Study, yeah. I'll see you then, okay?"

"Okay." Chandra answered. Steven walked off and Chandra slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand. "Study? Now he thinks you're a nerd!"

* * *

Ashton watched as Gabrielle knocked on the door for the third consecutive time.

"I don't think he's here." Ashton said. Gabrielle looked at Ashton with a saddened face. "Hey, look on the bright side. We still have all afternoon-"

The door opened to reveal a groggy looking Jay.

"Dad…?" Gabrielle said.

Jay blinked before looking at Gabrielle.

"Well, you sure get your looks from your mom." Jay said before stepping aside. "Come on in." Gabrielle and Ashton stepped into the apartment. "It's only this neat because I just moved in. Give me some time."

Gabrielle said nothing as she and Aston sat on a small gray sofa, leaving room for Jay who sat beside Gabrielle.

"This is so awkward." Jay muttered.

"I know." Gabrielle said.

"It doesn't make it better that you brought your boyfriend along." Jay teased, though both children noticeably blushed.

"H-he's not my b-boyfriend." Gabrielle replied. "He's my tutor, Ashton."

Jay looked over to Ashton and studied him. The boy was definitely Craig's son on appearance alone, in Jay's opinion, with hair that nearly covered his eyes. From what Alex had told him, Jay would not doubt that there was some relationship, other than the teacher-student one, there. In fact, looking at how close the two sat, he was pretty sure he was right about them dating. His daughter was not bad-looking at all. She was _his_ daughter after all.

For Ashton, he had grown both impatient and irritated about the whole thing. It seemed as if there were only three people who did not look at him and Gabrielle as a couple. They were himself, Gabrielle, and Gabrielle's mother. Ashton nearly gagged at the happy look his own father gave him when he had brought a girl home.

"So…" Jay stated. "I bet you're wondering why I left, huh?"

"Mom says not to worry about it, so I never did." Gabrielle said. "I've always wanted to at least know what you looked like, but I didn't necessarily want to-"

"You are my youngest child and my only daughter." Jay said. "When I had heard about your other two brothers, I always ran. I was not ready to be a father and I really didn't want to think about it." Ashton noticed how angered Gabrielle seemed to have become. "But," Jay continued. "I knew that it was now or never, so I always kept tabs on you and your brother while I dealt with the fact that my oldest son needed a lot of attention. His mother needed my help, after all. That, plus there's rumor that you could be my _second_ daughter had gotten me a little… Confused."

"So you ran?" Gabrielle questioned.

"Actually, I took in your older brother, Randy, and he and I lived in Michigan for a while. When his mother seemed to have gotten her life straightened, I came to find all of my 'alleged' children. You," Jay said before smiling. "You are special because I signed your birth certificate. Of course, your mom has no clue about this, but I did just to make you better."

"Better?" Gabrielle repeated.

"Yeah. To be honest, Brie, I was a loser. I fell in love with this… Woman, who deserved better, I guess. And now…" Jay paused. "Well, it's a lost cause and as a Hogart, I don't cry over spilled milk. So it's better to just leave _her_ alone and focus on you guys."

"You said that I had _two_ older brothers and a possible older sister. Who are they?" Gabrielle said.

"Well, for the sister, it's a surprise." Jay said, gaining a sigh from both preteens. "But for your brothers, one of them you go to school with. Nathan Hogart?"

Ashton nearly fell out of his seat after that one. Nathan was a jerk, a loser, stupid, and anything else that would make a person be deemed the 'worst student in school' award. And Gabrielle… She was so different. She was not perfect, but compared to Nathan, who wasn't?

"No… Way…" Gabrielle and Ashton muttered in unison.

* * *

Kelly was led into a small bedroom where Dakota lied on the bed on her back, her dark red hair sprayed out around her head.

"You have a visitor." the man that led Kelly said as Dakota sat up.

Kelly smiled. "Hi Dash."

"Hey." Dakota said as the man left the room. "What are you doing here? I thought you had to work?"

"I asked for some time off so I could come and see you." Kelly said. "Are you okay?"

Dakota sighed. "Terrible. If I thought I was hated in school, here is worse."

"Why?" Kelly asked.

"There's a rumor that 'normal' addicts just go to hell. Child celebrities get to go to rehab first." Dakota said. "The 'normal' people here believe that I'm only here because of my parents and stepparents. They say that I should've asked for the Ritz or a Hilton Hotel."

"Oh… Dash, I'm really sorry." Kelly said.

"What're you sorry about? You're not the alcoholic, I am." Dakota responded. "And I'm going to stay here until I'm fixed."

Kelly sighed. "Dash, you're not broken. You just have a small problem. And I'll be there to help you. That way-"

"This time." Dakota interrupted. "I mean, what happens if this progresses? What happens if something bad happens to me? What happens-"

"You'll be fine." Kelly cut her friend off with a smile. "And heads up, Jay and Shane said that they would probably come up here on the weekend. You know. Band stuff."

"You guys are really going to support me through this, aren't you?" Dakota asked. "Even if Jayden knows the paparazzi are right outside."

"That's who those people were? Huh. Never knew." Kelly said. "But he's coming. I promise and he promised. He made me promise to tell you that he promises." Dakota giggled a bit. "See? Smile. We're friends till the end."

"Thanks Kelly." Dakota said.

"So…" Kelly said looking around. "What do you do for fun in here?"

* * *

Helen sighed. "Tell me why I agreed to do this with you again."

"Because you didn't like DeWayne so I asked him to invite a friend." Scarlett said. "Please don't cut up."

"I'll try." Helen said.

Scarlett and Helen walked into the McDonald's nearest their home to find DeWayne standing with the boy from Saturday.

"Helen," Scarlett introduced. "This is Alex. Alex, this is Helen."

"Hey." Alexander said.

Helen gave him a slight nod of acknowledgement a move Scarlett figured she picked up from Jayden.

"So," DeWayne said as the two girls sat the table. "What did you two want? On me."

"How about I go help you order?" Scarlett suggested.

"Sure." DeWayne replied and the two left Helen and Alexander at the table.

"Let's not beat around the bush, okay?" Helen said. Alexander nodded. "I'm only here because my cousin asked me to. If you are a loser in any shape or form, I will not only rip your tongue out and use it to wipe myself, but I will also be very, _very_ angry about losing my sleep. Got it?" Again, Alexander nodded. "So, tell me about yourself."

Alexander had heard stories about Helen Sinclair-Coyne and chose not to test to see if any of them were true or not. Plus, on a scale of one through ten, she easily made a ten in his book.

"Well, I play basketball and I run track." Alexander said. "I play drums for Alternate Zero, DeWayne and my band with this guy named Tevin."

Helen nodded, her eyes slightly narrowed. She realized that she had made a mistake. DeWayne was not the Lakehurst Jayden, this guy was.

"You?" Alexander asked.

"Cheerleader. Scarlett's cousin. That's all you need to know." Helen answered.

Alexander nodded.

While he may be attractive, Helen realized the _large_ difference between this guy and her ex-boyfriend. Jayden did things for a reason. Alexander would do things because Helen told him to.

Helen smiled. "This may be the beginning of a great friendship. Or more."

"Hopefully." Alexander responded.

* * *

Shane sighed heavily as he fell face first on his bed at his father's house.

"Hey Shane." Nicole said poking her head into his room. "Are you alright?"

"Tired." Shane moaned through his pillow.

"Oh…" Nicole said as she moved towards his bed. "I, um, I asked your dad if it was alright if I go to school tomorrow and he said yeah."

Shane rolled onto his back and looked at Nicole.

"Seriously? Are you sure? I mean, you've been having those random outbursts and throwing-up for the past two days." Shane said.

"I'm better! Really! I held my lunch down today, jogged with Mr. Cameron, and I even learned how to make your dad's chili." Nicole said. "No cigarettes, but two packs of sunflower seeds."

"Oh." Shane said. "Well, if you are alright and can do it, then sure. Come back to school. A lot of people are worried about you."

"Seriously?" Nicole asked.

Shane nodded. "Seriously."

"Oh… Well, I'll be there to see you guys beat Lakehurst." Nicole said with a smile.

"I'm…" Shane was interrupted by a yawn. "I'm sure you will."

"You're tired. I'll come back later." Nicole said.

"No. Stay." Shane replied. "Just don't get angry if I fall asleep on you. It's been a real long day."

Nicole smile. "Sure."

* * *

Ashton sighed heavily as he stood in front of Gabrielle's apartment.

"Well," Ashton said. "Today has been really weird."

"Nathan's my… My…" Gabrielle had yet to finish that sentence since learning about it.

"Hey," Ashton said. "Don't think about it too hard. You're ten times better than him."

Gabrielle blushed lightly. "S-seriously?"

"Yeah." Ashton said.

"Thanks Ashton." Gabrielle said before spotting Steven's car. "Steven's here."

"Well, I'll call you. Make sure you haven't committed suicide for being related to such a loser." Ashton said. "I wouldn't blame you. My brother tried to send me to jail."

Gabrielle smiled. "See you later."

Ashton walked towards Steven's car and got in.

"Tell me," Steven said to Ashton. "What do you have on your friend, Chandra?"

* * *

Scarlett frowned when she saw Jayden stepping out of his mother's red Mercedes seconds after DeWayne had dropped her and Helen off.

"Hey Jayden." Helen said.

Jayden looked at Helen. "Hey. Where are you two coming from?"

Helen sighed. "Meeting DeWayne and his better-than-him friend at McDonald's. You?"

Jayden groaned. "Work."

"Oh. That does sound bad." Helen said. "Did you get the track information?"

Jayden nodded. "That _and_ basketball _and_ made it into my dad's office in time. Pretty good, huh?"

"I guess." Helen said before glancing at Scarlett. "You okay?"

"Fine." Scarlett said.

"I have to go in here because quite frankly, I'm hungry." Jayden said to the two. "See you two later. Oh, and Red," Scarlett's eyebrows rose. "You owe me a massage."

Scarlett smiled lightly. "Whatever J.T."

With that, Jayden walked towards his house and entered.

"You so _love_ him!" Helen said as she walked towards their front door.

"I do not!" Scarlett protested.

"Yes you do!" Helen said with a smile.

"Shut up Helen." Scarlett said as the two entered their home.

Inside of his house, Jayden was called to the entertainment room where his mother sat.

"Hey, Dad said that you wanted to talk." Jayden said. "What's wrong Mama? You look kind of down."

Manny sighed. "I'm fine. I just want to talk to you about, well, me." Jayden and Aaron gave each other identical confused looks before looking at Manny. "My ex-fiancé came back into town recently and I'm pretty sure he's going to do something that involves me losing my temper."

"Why are you telling us this? Dad'll shoot the guy, I'll cover for him, we all get off and move back to Newport, life is good." Jayden said.

"Despite the numerous friends and 'family' your father has, we're not the mafia Jayden. Well… Anyway," Manny said switching subjects. "I'm telling you both this because I said it'll change your view on two people that you know. Someone whom you, Jayden, hate, and someone who you, Aaron, trust the most. These two people are the son and daughter of this man."

"Who Mama?" Aaron asked. "I don't think Jordan is this guy's daughter."

"She's talking about Brie." Jayden stated. "Gee, and they say that _you're_ the smart one."

"Yes, Jayden, and be nice." Manny said gaining a small sigh from her older son. "Jay Hogart is the father of Nathan Hogart and Gabrielle Nunez."

"Brie's dad is in town…? I bet she's… Confused." Aaron said.

Jayden frowned. "Your ex-fiancé is the father of Nathan? Huh. Doesn't this bring me to a whole new level of anger."

"Why?" Manny asked.

Jayden shrugged. "I don't know. I hate the guy so I guess I'll hate the man that Danni said that I should hate for cheating on you." Manny gaped. "Yeah, Danni called me like two days ago and told me that I should hate this nameless guy. I guess being a jerk is a genetic disorder in their family."

"Now Jayden, you can't hate a guy for who his father is and what his father did." Manny stated.

"Oh, I hate Nathan because, well, he's a jerk. He deserves it." Jayden replied. "I hate this Jay character because Danni basically gave me an in-depth description on how it happened. Her birth, that is. Plus he left his kids. Now if there is one thing I do hate, it's a parent that either adopts or aborts."

"I aborted my first child. Do you hate me?" Manny asked. Jayden and Aaron sat stunned. "Well Jay? Do you?"

"I…" Jayden was unable to respond to the question, his mind replaying his mother's last statement over and over.

"Does Dad know?" Aaron questioned.

Manny nodded. "He does. I guess it was the first lesson he ever taught me."

"You had an abortion? To one of Dad's kids?" Jayden asked.

"No. Craig's." Manny stated.

"Well I'll be…" Jayden said. "I could've been Dash's _real_ half-brother. Weird…"

"You never answered my question." Manny said.

Jayden grinned. "I could never hate you, abortion or not. I guess… It's just weird thinking that a mother as perfect as you would do that. it doesn't make sense."

Aaron idly rolled his eyes. His brother always kissed up to their mother and it normally worked. And judging by the smile on her face, it was working now.

"I wasn't always like this Jay. I had to learn how to be a good mother." Manny said. "And as a good mother, I can't have my boys just running about with their girlfriends to avoid that happening again. Danni is grown, so I'm not as worried as I am you two. Well, you Jayden."

"What?" Jayden said.

Aaron smirked.

"Anyway, I just wanted to tell you guys that, just incase some stupid reporter digs into my history and pulls it out. Be prepared for it." Manny said.

"We'll be ready." Jayden said. "And speaking of ready, shouldn't you be getting a call your wife A.J?"

Aaron glared at Jayden. "She's not my wife."

Jayden stood up. "I've never seen a man reach a mile in one step. Think about it."

Aaron sighed and turned to Manny who gave him an apologetic look as Jayden left the room.

"You know he's only doing to you what Danni did to him." Manny said. "Besides, he's just mad that he and Scarlett no longer dates. You should be proud that you're better than him in almost everything now."

Aaron grinned. "Thanks Mama."

* * *

Walking to get her son, Emma peaked into his room to see that his light was still on. She opened the door wider to see that Shane and Nicole were asleep in his bed. Shane's back was to Nicole, but that did not stop the girl from hugging him.

"Oh my-"

"Ssh." Gavin interrupted. "That's the quietest I have ever heard her sleep."

"With _our_ son?" Emma whispered fiercely before a small flash came beside her. Gavin and Emma looked at Kelly who had her phone out and ready. "Kelly!"

"Payback is… Well, you know the saying." Kelly said walking away.

Emma sighed. "I guess I should just go on home then."

"It might help." Gavin replied. "I'll send him there tomorrow so you can chew him out then."

Emma smiled. "Sure thing Spin." Emma gave her ex-husband a hug. "See you later."

"Bye Mom!" Kelly called from her bedroom.

"Bye." Emma responded turning Shane's lights out and closing his door.

Gavin grinned. "Heh, I guess I should tell Max that my son got a girl in bed first, huh?"

Emma scoffed. "You two and your pride."

Gavin laughed as Emma walked away. As she left the house, she could only think about one thing. The possibility that Shane and Nicole might do something behind her and Gavin's back. She trusted that Shane would either tell her this or not do it at all. But Nicole… Emma had little trust for her.

"I hope you're right Spinner." Emma said starting her car up.

* * *

The Fitzgerald twins were currently in Deanna's room while the girl brushed her hair out.

"So, Jayden and Scarlett _did_ break up. I guess that's a good thing." Deanna said. "Especially since it was pretty pathetic of you to cry over a girl who's taken."

DeWayne smirked. "Give me more credit than that. I know what I can and can't have."

"Speaking of which, Dad called." Deanna said, now looking at her brother. "He gets another hearing tomorrow. Of course, Mom has little to no care, but that's to be expected, right?"

"Yeah. Well," DeWayne said. "I'm going to go shower."

"Hmm." Deanna said before DeWayne left her room. Deanna then took her cell phone and dialed Mercedes' number. When she got her on the other line, she smiled. "Forget about Helen. There's another Coyne on my radar."


	39. S2 Episode IX: Sgt Pepper's Lonely

**Episode IX: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Pt. I**

Jayden stood at the bottom of the steps with Aaron, the two brothers speaking every now and again.

"Can't believe that Brie's dad…" Aaron paused as Jayden gave him an uncaring glance. "She's my friend and he's… Well a jerk."

Jayden shrugged. "I've seen worse."

Gabrielle walked towards Aaron. "Hey A.J. Hey Jayden."

Jayden grinned. "Heard you stopped coming over for the sake of one Little Manning."

"N-no." Gabrielle stated with a blush.

"Your secret's safe with me, Brie." Jayden said. "Remember, you're part of the family now. I'm just looking out for you since you don't tell me or A.J these sorts of things anymore."

"Hey Jay." Kelly said as she, Jordan, Shane, and Nicole walked towards the three.

"Let's see. Kelly in normal clothing with her normal hair color. Shane looking like he's ready to learn. And Nicole is back." Jayden replied. "Yep. Today might be the last day on Earth."

Kelly rolled her eyes. "I only did this because I ran out of dye."

"Come on A.J." Jordan said. "I have to tell you something."

"Sure." Aaron responded as he and Gabrielle followed Jordan up the steps into the building.

"You know," Jayden said looking at Nicole. "With all jokes aside, it's really good to see you again. Like, you and not whatever Nate turned you into."

Nicole smiled. "Thanks Jay."

"Maybe you can restore some sort of order to your friends." Jayden replied. "Scarlett grinding on strangers. Jackie dumping Shane. And-"

"Let's just go to class first." Kelly said. "Then the game where my brother will get four sacks this game."

"Sure." Shane said.

"Oh and Jay." Kelly said.

"Yeah?" Jayden replied.

"I have the _best_ picture of Shane and Nicky sleeping together." Kelly finished with a smirk.

Jayden laughed. "Seriously?"

"I hate sisters." Shane mumbled.

* * *

Scarlett stood beside Helen as the two talked in front of Helen's locker.

"I can't say that I'm falling for the guy, but he's easy to get along with." Helen said. "But I still think DeWayne is a loser."

"Why am I not surprised?" Scarlett replied before looking away from Helen. "Oh… My… God."

"What are you…" Helen paused as the two watched Nicole walking towards them. "Two pigtails. Annoying blue eyes. Chipper appearance." Helen smiled and hugged Nicole. "My idiot's back!"

Nicole laughed. "Helen… We're touching."

"Shut up and hug me." Helen ordered as Nicole hugged her.

"Aw. Helen's got a heart." Jayden said from behind Nicole. Helen released Nicole and glared at Jayden and Shane. "Hey."

"Uh-oh Jayden," Shane replied. "I think she's mad."

"Well as long as we stand behind her quote 'idiot' I think we're safe." Jayden said.

Helen stepped towards Jayden. "And what are you two doing this morning following Nicole?"

"Call us Secret Service." Jayden responded.

"Or the Men in Black." Shane said.

"Shane… We can't be MIB." Jayden said. "Two reasons. One, Will Smith isn't Puerto Rican and Filipino. And two, we're not wearing black."

"Right." Shane stated.

Scarlett sighed. "Well, I guess we should be happy that everything is back to normal." Scarlett then spotted Kelly. "I stand corrected."

"And she's dressing normal? Can this day get any better?" Helen asked.

"Yes it can." Shane said.

"And we'll tell you why." Jayden added.

"Because tonight I'm going to go out there and sack the quarterback." Shane said. "Not once, but at least four times."

"And Degrassi will defeat the losers of Lakehurst like any great day." Jayden stated. "So yes, Helen, today can get better."

"Well, if you guys don't mind," Scarlett said. "I have to announce how 'great' this day really is."

"And I have to go find someone for their homework." Jayden said. "So, see you guys later."

"You'd better be in first period." Helen said.

Jayden smirked as he walked away. "Now why would I miss seeing you _and_ Nicky in one place?"

As the boy walked away Helen put her hands on her hip.

"Yep. Everything must be back to normal if I want to strangle him and kiss him at the same time." Helen said.

"Did you just admit that?" Scarlett asked as Nicole giggled a bit.

Helen smiled. "I do have eyes Scar. Now, don't you have announcements to make?"

* * *

Nathan frowned. "Say what?"

"Nicole Campbell is back in school." Damon restated. "I thought you might like to know that."

"Loser." Laura muttered as she began walking away.

"And where are you going?" Nathan asked.

"To class." Laura said. "Anywhere to get me away from you two." She stopped and grinned. "Maybe I should try the library? You two probably don't even know what that is."

"Ha. That was so funny." Nathan said as Laura walked off. "Slut."

Laura did not hear Nathan as she walked into the building and found Jayden standing near the flight of stairs that led to the second floor.

"So you're some sort of stalking enigma now?" Laura asked.

"Enigma? Is that your SAT word of the day?" Jayden remarked.

The two glared at one another for a brief second, Laura's light brown eyes meeting Jayden's dark brown eyes.

"What did you want?" Jayden asked.

"There's a party this weekend and we need a band to play." Laura answered.

"No can do." Jayden replied.

"What? Why?" Laura said angrily.

"Well, for starters, I hate you." Jayden said casually. "Why would _I_ do _you_ a favor? You don't have anything I want."

Laura smirked. "I'm sure that there is _something_ I have that you want."

"Don't kid yourself." Jayden said. "Like I said, I don't do repeat performances. Well, not for just anyone. You'd have to be… Better."

"Better?" Laura repeated.

"Yep." Jayden said.

"And how do I become 'better'?" Laura asked.

"Well, you can start by taking the stick out of your ass every morning so when people say 'good morning' you don't flip them off." Jayden said. "And next, you can work on your wardrobe."

"I didn't think a perv like you would care." Laura stated.

"What are you talking about? I'm saying _lose_ the leather jacket." Jayden said.

Laura glared. "Wait a second. Are you trying to change me so that if you get caught with me, it'll be alright?"

Jayden raised an eyebrow. "You figured out my plan already? Wow. You are smarter than I thought."

Laura scoffed. "Look, there's plenty of other guys and to be honest, you weren't all that good."

"You sure told Dash a _different_ story." Jayden said.

"Damn her…" Laura muttered before clearing her throat. "Anyway, I'm not going to change for-"

Laura was cut off by Jayden giving her a deep kiss. Again, she was caught completely off guard and a moan slipped from her. Jayden pulled away giving one of his most ill-behaved smiles ever.

"You know that there's a bad side to me, just as much as I know that there is a soft side to you." Jayden said. "Five dollars says that I can crack you before you can crack me."

Laura pushed Jayden. "Stay away from me."

"Sure." Jayden said. "Call me when you change your mind."

Before Jayden could say anything else, Laura shoved him against the wall and gave him a lustful kiss. She pulled away, seeing the look of shock in his eyes.

"Who's the bitch now?" Laura said before walking away.

Jayden grinned before calling to her retreating figure.

"Game on!"

* * *

Aaron watched as Dustin sighed for the third consecutive time. Aaron did not know what to say. The assignment that they had was not hard. Aaron knew that Dustin should be able to do it just as easy as he was.

"You okay?" Aaron asked.

"No." Dustin said. "It's… It's nothing."

"Is it Bambi?" Aaron guessed. Dustin gave him a disbelieving look. "Yeah. It is. So what is it?"

Dustin sighed. "The other day, I kissed her and I knew that she felt something by it. But yesterday-"

"Steven. Trust me. I think she informed me about it like thirty times in one breath." Aaron responded.

"Yeah." Dustin said. "Now it's like… I don't matter."

"I know the feeling." Aaron said.

"Yeah right. The guy who has been dating Jordan for like _years_ now." Dustin remarked.

"It hasn't been years. And that's not what I mean." Aaron stated. "Being in someone's shadow is what I mean. I have been in someone's shadow and overlooked before."

"So what do you do?" Dustin asked.

"I spaced myself. From the person who I wanted to separate myself from, that is." Aaron said. "And if that doesn't work, then Bambi wasn't all that into you in the first place."

Dustin glared at Aaron. "What? You after her too?"

"No. Just looking out for a friend." Aaron said. "Even if you don't want me to."

* * *

Helen watched as Nicole eyed the teacher before looking onto Jayden's paper. She gave a small smile, content to have the childish Nicole back.

"Hey, Jay," Nicole whispered. "What's number eight?"

Jayden glanced at Nicole before looking at the teacher. Like before, his fingers showed the answer. Helen frowned as she had something else and looked over the problem again. Erasing her previous answer, Helen gave a low grunt. Never in a million years would she admit him right.

"Thanks." Nicole whispered to Jayden, who smiled in response. "I missed your dimples."

This caused Jayden to laugh a bit.

"Is there something funny, Mr. McDuelle?" Mrs. Carson asked from her seat.

"Rookie mistake Mrs. C. If you saw it you'd laugh to, being the mathematical genius that you are." Jayden said.

"Uh-huh. Nice try." Mrs. Carson said.

"Thanks." Jayden responded.

"Seems as if your charm only works on girls our age." Helen muttered to Jayden.

"Or single women." Jayden replied.

"What about single women?" Mrs. Carson asked.

Jayden looked at Helen. "Why is it that she only hears me?" Helen shrugged and Jayden turned towards Mrs. Carson. "She thought I was hitting on you and I said that I only strictly date single women."

"Continue with your work before your parents have to come and get you. Again." Mrs. Carson said.

Jayden gave a sigh as a few students snickered. He glanced at Helen and then at Nicole.

"How does your friend gets a lot of people in trouble." Jayden said.

Nicole shrugged. "Gave up a _long_ time ago."

Jayden smiled as he continued his work. Between Nicole's return and learning that Laura was near putty in his hands made this a good day. Now, if only Nicole was cleared completely and he finally breaks Laura for putting Dakota in rehab would this be a perfect day.

* * *

The bell rang and Amber and Mary-Jane began walking out of class.

"So," Mary-Jane said. "What has James said?"

"Next to repeating how bad he hates you? Nothing much." Amber replied.

Mary-Jane sighed. "I knew it. Do you think he'll talk to me anytime soon?"

"No." Amber said. "Look, Mary, what you did was… Well, it was something I'd expect you to do. But to James? We've known him since like elementary."

"I know! But, it was _Tyler Walton_. Have you seen him? Do you know who his dad is?" Mary-Jane responded.

"No I haven't seen him and I honestly don't care about his dad." Amber said.

"We both know what's going to happen." Mary-Jane said. "So don't make this look like a bad thing."

"What are you talking about?" Amber asked.

"You're going to go to James to 'comfort' him and he's going to tell you how big of a mistake he made and you two are going to probably do something clichéd like kiss afterwards and admit your undeniable love for each other." Mary-Jane answered. "Everyone can see that."

"Well maybe I wouldn't have to if you didn't do what you did." Amber said. "Think about it. All this 'let's be friends' stuff was you and James's idea. That put me in this position. _You _put me in this position." Amber grinned slightly. "And you know what, I'm glad you did."

"Really?" Mary-Jane said lifelessly.

"Yeah. Because you proved Scarlett right." Amber stated. "All I had to do was wait and you were bound to make a mistake. And you did."

Mary-Jane scoffed. "Really? Scarlett said that? The girl who just dumped the boy for some Lakehurst guy she's only known for like three days."

"Doesn't have anything to do with the simple fact that she was right." Amber said. "So if you want James again, I suggest you start waiting. I'm not letting him go that quickly."

Amber walked away leaving Mary-Jane to ponder for a second. Mary-Jane then smiled and walked the other way.

"Good luck Amber." Mary-Jane said to herself.

* * *

"Hey, Chandra," Chandra stopped and turned to see Steven. "You think about my offer?"

"Yeah." Chandra answered. "I'll have to tell you at lunch. I had plans but… I think I can turn something around."

"Cool." Steven said. "See you then."

"Right." Chandra said as Steven walked away. Chandra sighed. "I really need to talk to A.J."

* * *

Laura walked into the restroom only to stop directly in front of Scarlett.

"Weird." Laura said walking around Scarlett.

"What's weird?" Scarlett asked, not really in the mood to hear anything from the other girl today.

"I actually go searching for Jayden and guess who I run into. His ex." Laura said. "Then again, with his track record, who hasn't been with him nowadays?"

"I can think of one." Scarlett said.

Laura raised her eyebrows. "Me? Oh that's because I don't want him."

"That's not what I heard." Scarlett said. "In fact, he says that you nearly gave yourself to him last week."

Laura laughed a bit. "Is that what he said? Oh that's original."

"I may not be dating him anymore," Scarlett said. "But I can still make sure that you keep your gritty hands off of him. Today, tomorrow, and for the rest of your life."

Laura smirked. "Do you think so?"

"I know so." Scarlett replied.

"You think you know everything about the boy, don't you?" Laura said. "Well, how about if I told you that you don't? How about if I told you that-"

Before Laura finished, Jordan entered the restroom. Seeing the two older students appearing to be in a angered mood, she instinctively turned around and walked out.

"I'm going to go to class." Scarlett said. "I suggest that you stay away from Jayden."

"Me and your ex… We might just have fun together later on." Laura said. "But don't worry, I'll make sure to keep most of my clothes on."

Scarlett scoffed in disgust and left the bathroom. She walked angrily through the halls until she made it to her father's classroom where Jayden sat, talking to Helen like normal.

"If," Scarlett said sitting across from him. "I hear that you date Laura Reynolds, I will _never_ forgive you. Ever."

Jayden frowned. "Is it too late to say sorry for whatever I didn't do?"

"Yeah Scar. What's got your feathers ruffled?" Helen asked.

"Just, just don't go around Laura." Scarlett said. "I don't know what kind of game she's playing, but she clearly wants you. Or wants to use you. I don't know. Just leave her be."

"Okay… But you do realize that Laura and I aren't really on talking terms and you threatening me not to talk to her is pointless, right?" Jayden replied.

Scarlett sighed. "I just have a bad feeling about her. That's all."

"Whatever." Jayden stated.

* * *

Dakota sat on her bed as the door opened. Silas and Ellie walked into the room, followed by Angela Jeremiah.

"Angie." Dakota said with a grin.

"Hey." Angela said with a smile. "How're you doing?"

Dakota sighed. "Fine I guess. Since they won't let me bring drumsticks into the bedroom," Dakota reached beneath her pillow and retrieved two straws. "I've had to make do."

"Stealing?" Ellie said.

"Mom, it's okay. They have plenty more." Dakota said.

Ellie was going to respond before Silas beat her to it.

"And how's everyone else been treating you?" Silas asked.

"Bad." Dakota said. "I never knew people hated celebrities that much. And I'm just a daughter of one."

"Actually," Angela said sitting beside her niece. "The paper read, 'Juvenile Grace's drummer' was in rehab. Therefore, you are a celebrity."

"Great." Dakota said sarcastically.

Ellie sighed. "Dakota, I don't want you to be miserable, but it's the only thing I can do. You need help. I don't want you to become like me or your father."

"Or a combination of the two." Angela added.

"Or that." Ellie said glaring at her daughter's aunt. Ellie then looked at Dakota. "So do this for me and get out as soon as you can."

"I actually like the silence though." Dakota said. "When I'm eating alone in the cafeteria, it reminds me of the past. Before Jayden moved in and sat with me."

"The new kid. I think that's what you called him for like two weeks." Ellie said.

Dakota nodded. "Yeah. But I remembered that when I was alone, I could think in peace. I didn't have to worry about anything. And that's what I feel now."

"You're lonely." Angela said. "But, because I asked, I'll come in one day and have lunch with you. How does Chinese sound?"

"Perfect." Dakota replied with a smile.

"Well," Ellie said. "Since we have at least twenty minutes left in this visit, how about you show me what you've been working on with your straws?"

Dakota grinned. "Okay. But I warn you, it's pretty bad."

"I dealt with your mom. If that wasn't bad, then I don't know what is." Silas joked, gaining a small hit from Ellie and a laugh from Dakota and Angela.

Dakota sighed and looked at her family. She wondered where she would be without them. Fortunately, she had them and Jayden, Kelly, and Laura. Fortunately, they cared.

* * *

The bell rang for lunch and Ashton was not happy with Gabrielle's newly found boldness.

"You know what he's going to say." Ashton said following her down the hallways.

"I know." Gabrielle said. "But he needs to know."

"Why?" Ashton asked.

"Because." Gabrielle said.

Ashton waited for her to continue, but once she kept walking ahead, he knew that she did not have a respond to begin with. Which was weird, because Gabrielle and him had grown to the point where they did not keep a lot from each other, Aaron being the one she told _everything_ to. Though, after getting to know Aaron, Ashton realized why. The boy was the definition of loyal.

"Hey, Scooter, look here," Nathan said to Damon. "It's our old pal Gabrielle! And look, she's got a boyfriend."

Damon walked to Gabrielle and wrapped his arm tightly around her head, bringing her face to his midsection.

"They grow up so fast!" Damon stated with false pride. "Soon she'll be having kids and on her own!"  
"I," Gabrielle said as she attempted to break free from Damon's grip. "Have to talk to you Nathan."

"Oh really?" Nathan said. "Scooter, let her go. I have to hear this."

Gabrielle was released from Damon's grasp and took in a deep breath. Only one word ran through her mind. Antiperspirant.

"It's about your dad." Gabrielle said.

Nathan glared at her. "What do you know about him?"

"He's in town." Gabrielle answered.

Now Nathan was both angered and confused.

"How does a little shit like you know that?" Nathan nearly growled.

"Because I'm your sister." Gabrielle said quietly.

"What?" Nathan said.

"She said because she's your sister." Ashton said firmly. Nathan went to grab Gabrielle, but Ashton stepped in front of her. "It's true. She went to meet him yesterday and I went with her. Your dad's name is Jay Hogart, right?"

"You stay the hell away from my family stalker." Nathan said.

"I'm not stalking you! Honestly!" Gabrielle replied. "I went to see Dad and… Well, it turns out that you're my older brother."

"Okay, let's see if I get this straight." Nathan said. "You two schemed up some diabolical plan to do exactly what? Freak me the hell out? How could I be related to you? And I mean _if_ I were, you would be my _half_-sister."

"Well, now that she mentions it," Damon said. "You both have the same eyes." Nathan glared at Damon. "I'm just saying."

"Shut up man! This is serious!" Nathan said.

"Hey, dipshit," Nathan turned to Ashton. "Ask yourself this question. What in the hell does Brie have to gain being _your_ sister. A girl that smart would do everything in her power to stay away from you. Honestly, I'm surprised she even told you. I wouldn't if I were her."

"Why not?" Nathan asked.

"Because there is no way that people as good as her can be related to trash like you." Ashton said. "It is as simple as that."

Gabrielle blushed slightly at the sight of the smaller Ashton standing up to Nathan for her.

"You're telling the truth, aren't you?" Nathan asked.

"D-"

"I'm not asking you. Now move." Nathan said. Ashton stood his ground until Nathan roughly shoved him aside. Now Nathan stood in front of Gabrielle. "You're telling the truth, aren't you?" Gabrielle nodded. "Aren't you?"

"Yes." Gabrielle said.

Nathan shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Are you alright, man? You look like someone kicked your nuts." Damon said.

"Go somewhere." Nathan said in a low tone. Damon shrugged before walking away. Nathan looked at Gabrielle. "You don't tell anyone about this, got it?" Gabrielle nodded. "And…" Nathan paused. "If anyone is giving you trouble, tell me."

"Are you-"

"Don't make this worst than it already is." Nathan interrupted her. "I feel sick just thinking that you're my sister. The… Ugh!"

"Brie, maybe we should get some lunch." Ashton said.

"Sure." Gabrielle said before turning to Nathan. The two looked at one another. "Bye."

"Go." Nathan said pointing in front of him.

Gabrielle walked with Ashton in silence for a moment.

"Thanks." Gabrielle said quietly.

"Hey, someone had to dumb it down for him." Ashton said.

"Not just for that. For everything." Gabrielle said. "Tutoring me. Going to see my dad with me. Standing up to Nathan. I just wish there was something I could do for you."

"…" Ashton paused before smiling slightly. "There is _one_ thing you can do."

Gabrielle saw the look on his face and frowned.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I, uh, I want you to be my girlfriend." Ashton said. Gabrielle's eyes widened before she hugged him tightly. "And I guess you've been thinking the same thing."

"Yes!" Gabrielle said happily.

"Well, um, we should be getting to the cafeteria before the others start to worry." Ashton said.

"Oh. Yeah." Gabrielle said releasing him.

The two continued walking beside each other in an awkward, yet blissful, silence. Just like she said last week, he was her Aaron and she was his Jordan. This time, officially.

* * *

"You're disgusting!" Kelly yelled holding her ears as Jayden laughed.

"You know Kelly," Jayden said while laughing. "The next time your brother says that you don't want to know what he was dreaming about, I suggest that you don't continue to ask."

"But they're cousins!" Kelly said.

"It's not like I knew what I was dreaming about. Or at least, I didn't know I was going to have a dream about them." Shane replied. "It just happened. And boy-"

"I don't want to hear anymore!" Kelly said angrily.

Jayden looked over at Scarlett and Helen.

"I don't know. Seeing Helen rubbing oil on- Ow!" Jayden said as Kelly punched his arm. "Okay! Why does everyone want to hit me?"

"Because it's usually _your_ fault." Kelly said before looking at Jacob. "Gee Jacob, if you were going to stare at her from across the cafeteria, why not just go up and talk to her?"

"Huh?" Jacob said.

"Hey Jayden," Shane said. "What was that 'S' word that we said that only losers become?"

Jayden smirked. "I don't know. It was like 'spring' but it wasn't. But I bet Dash would know. She knows a lot."

"It's the, uh, what do you call it? Past participle? Yeah. Past participle of the word 'spring'." Shane said.

"Look who's been paying attention in English." Kelly said with a slight grin. "Mom would be proud."

"I'm not sprung." Jacob finally said. "I just don't want to hurt her or else."

"Oh." Jayden and Shane said in unison.

"What?" Jacob asked.

"The older brother got to you, huh?" Jayden said. "Yeah, it happens."

"How do you know?" Jacob questioned.

"We're older brothers." Shane stated. "Do you think A.J just waltzed into my house and took Jordan out without going through me first? He's lucky he's a family friend to Jayden or I'd seriously be the one driving them everywhere."

"So while we don't know how you feel, per se," Jayden said. "We know exactly what James is feeling. And unlike Shane, I went with it with my older sister. Of course, she never really cared if I approved or not so I guess it can't be considered the same thing."

Jayden stood up, causing Kelly to frown.

"It's a bit early for you daily run to the soda machine." Kelly said.

"Tell that to my bladder." Jayden said before walking away.

"You know," Kelly said. "I can't put my finger on it, but I think that something is off with him."

Shane shrugged. "He seems fine to me. You Jacob?"

"Same old Jayden." Jacob said.

"No. No, I know that look." Kelly said. "It's just like you and Dash." Shane frowned in confusion. "You all had something to hide Saturday and you were all acting weird about it. You hid Nicky in your room. Dash was being shipped to rehab. And Jay… Jay I haven't figured out yet."

"Well, I know one thing." Shane said. "It's got nothing to do with Scarlett."

"Do tell." Kelly said.

* * *

Laura smiled. "Look who's got a pair. You actually came to the girls' locker room."

"Hilarious," Jayden replied. "So how do we do this?"

Laura handed Jayden a deck of cards.

"It's strip poker. Loser owes the other a favor." Laura said. "Oh, and loses their clothes, of course."

"So that's your game huh? Trying to make me embarrassed?" Jayden said shuffling the cards. "Well, let me tell you, I'm not my brother. Getting nude in a girls' locker room would be an honor." Jayden paused in shuffling. "Though, if I'm correct, you do owe me a photo without your shirt on."

Laura smirked. "Well, there are only two ways you're going to get me out of my shirt."

"Two? You mean cheating to win and winning fairly?" Jayden asked.

"Who says you have to win the game?" Laura replied.

Jayden chuckled. "Let's get this over with."

* * *

Chandra looked at Dustin. "Say what?"

"I can't make it to the game today." Dustin said. "I, uh, have to do something at home. Kind of embarrassing."

"No problem." Chandra said. Steven walked into the cafeteria. "Oh no…"

"Oh no what?" Dustin asked.

"I forgot that I promised to answer him by lunch." Chandra said. "He wants to go out to eat before the game."

"Like a date?" Dustin replied.

"No! Yes! I don't know!" Chandra said as Steven neared them. "What should I do?"

Dustin glanced at Steven before standing up and walking towards Aaron's table.

"Dus- Oh never mind." Chandra said.

"Did I do that?" Steven asked.

"No." Chandra answered. "He had to ask A.J something."

Steven shrugged. "His problems. But do you have an answer for me?"

"Yeah." Chandra said. "I'll go today. But it'll have to be-"

"After practice. Believe me, I've known Mary-Jane longer than you have and I know how she gets when one of the girls misses cheerleading practice. Especially for me." Steven said. "So I guess I'll see you then."

"Yeah." Chandra said before Steven walked away. Sighing, Chandra rose from her seat and walked towards the others. "Pretty mature Hayes."

Ashton sighed. "It was so peaceful over here to…"

"Shut it Ashton. I'm not here to start anything." Chandra replied. "Just thought that my _friend_ wouldn't run off because he's jealous."

"I'm not jealous." Dustin said.

"Sure you're not." Chandra retorted.

"Chandra," Ashton said. "Just why would you want to go out with my brother? He's a loser."

"Yeah, I thought you said you didn't want to associate yourself with a junkie?" Jordan added.

"He's not a loser. You are. All of you." Chandra replied before walking away.

"Whatever." Ashton said.

"I hope she doesn't blow me off for Saturday. Not after I told Jacob that I'd be busy." Vanessa said.

Aaron sighed. "Bambi will be Bambi. No doubt about it."

Scarlett walked over to Shane, who sat and laughed with Kelly and Jacob.

"Hey," Scarlett said to Shane, gaining his attention. "Where's your friend?"

"Uh, I don't know. He said he had to use the bathroom and never returned." Shane answered.

"Yeah right." Scarlett said. "Where'd he go. Seriously?"

"I can't tell you what I don't know." Shane replied. "That's where he said he was going. I can't tell you if he's really there or not. Maybe you should go check."

"Yeah. Maybe I will." Scarlett said. "By the way, Jackie said to meet her outside after the bell rings. She wants to 'talk'."

"Really? Thanks for that. That's actually good news." Shane said.

Scarlett smiled. "I do what I can."

* * *

Laura and Jayden now sat on a bench with a deck of cards in-between them. Jayden was clad in everything but his shirt and shoes while Laura was down to her bra and panties.

Laura gritted her teeth. "A pair of fucking fives."

Jayden laughed. "Two kings." Laura glared at Jayden. "Look, since I've seen you naked, you can choose which one you want to take off first."

"How the hell are you so good in poker?" Laura asked.

"I'm not. I'm just good at stripping girls." Jayden said. "So, come on, off with one or the other. That's the game."

"No." Laura said. "I'm quitting. You can get your little favor, but this is it. I'm not playing anymore."

Jayden smiled. "Aw, come on Laura. I just have one more article of clothing to win from you and then I can go on about my merry life." Laura rolled her eyes and threw her shirt at him. "Is that how it is?"

"Yes! How the fuck do you win all the damn time?" Laura said angrily.

Jayden took his cell phone. "I don't know. But one thing I came for was a little retribution. You want to strike a pose?"

"Of course." Laura said standing up. She moved towards Jayden and straddle his lap. "Now take it from the back."

"You saying that about the picture or you?" Jayden responded.

Laura put her lips near his ear. "I know a secret about you. You're a dirty, dirty boy."

Jayden looked at his phone. "We got twenty minutes."

"Before that," Laura said. "Answer me a question. Did I or did I not take Jayden McDuelle's virginity?"

"You know I can't tell you that kind of stuff. We're nothing to each other, remember? Telling you things like that means we're bonding." Jayden said as his hands went around her waist, his fingers pinching her panty line. "And it looks like I got to decide what comes off first."

"Get a condom out my pocket." Laura said.

"You always carry one around?" Jayden asked with a smile.

"Only when I know it'll come in handy." Laura said staring at him. "So are you going to take me up on my offer or are you just going to hold me like some scared virgin?"

Jayden only smiled before the two began kissing feverishly.

* * *

After lunch, Shane walked outside to see Jacquelyn staring somewhere. He cleared his throat, making her snap out of her daze and turn to him.

"Oh. Hey Shane." Jacquelyn said. "I wanted to talk to you."

"Okay. About what?" Shane asked.

"I want to say that I'm sorry." Jacquelyn replied. "I shouldn't have been angry that you wanted to try to help Nicky. After seeing her earlier, I must say that she does look a lot better. "

"Oh. So does that mean that we can pick up where we left off?" Shane asked.

Jacquelyn sighed. "No. It doesn't."

"What? Why?" Shane questioned.

"Because I know you. You're going to keep worrying about Nicky until she can fend for herself. And that can take a while." Jacquelyn said.

"Jackie, right now, my family is all she's got. I can't just not worry about her." Shane said.

"Shane, I know. But that's not why I don't want to go back out with you." Jacquelyn said before smiling. "I want you to date Nicky. She deserves a guy like you."

"Are you serious?" Shane asked.

Jacquelyn nodded. "Yeah. And besides, it's not like I'm moving somewhere anytime soon. When you and her break up, just call me."

"Sure." Shane said.

* * *

Scarlett was currently walking to her fifth period when she ran into Jayden.

"Hey." Scarlett said.

"Hey. Did you need something?" Jayden replied.

"Uh, yeah. Where were you at lunch?" Scarlett asked.

"Funny you should mention that." Jayden said, trying to remember what he told Shane and the others. "I went to the bathroom, like any other normal person who has to go pee, and I ran into a group of people playing cards. Usually, I would walk away because you and Helen told me that gambling was wrong, but since I no longer date either of you-"

"You did it anyway." Scarlett finished. "Typical J.T."

"Did something happen that I'm supposed to know about?" Jayden asked.

"No. I…" Scarlett paused as Jayden's eyebrows rose. "Okay. So I was questioning where you were. Happy?"

Jayden smiled. "You don't have to worry about me, Red. I'm fine." Jayden looked at Scarlett's watch. "Well, I will be fine if I can make it to English on time."

"Yeah. Do that." Scarlett said with a smile.

"So you're bossing me around again? I can deal with that. Just make sure you give me that back massage you owe me. I'll let the second one slide." Jayden said.

"Go to class before you're late." Scarlett replied.

"Sure." Jayden said. "Say, what are you doing Friday?"

"I, um…" Scarlett responded.

"DeWayne. I get it." Jayden said. "Gee Red, you act like I'm going to bite your head off. I'm fine about it. Seriously." Scarlett smiled a bit. "But, Danni's coming back to Toronto and I was supposed to tell you because we're getting all of her friends and that would be you too."

"Danni's coming back? That's great." Scarlett said. "She can tell me all about-"

"You have plans, remember?" Jayden cut her off.

"We can always go on a date on Saturday." Scarlett said before gasping. She seriously did not want Jayden to hear that. "I mean…"

"Like I said. It's cool. Seriously. Just tell him that you have a curfew with your crazy ex-boyfriend who just so happens to be your neighbor and if you don't make it, you're grounded." Jayden said.

Scarlett scoffed. "You sound like my dad."

"I bet I do." Jayden said. "But, uh, call later on today and I'll give you more details."

"I'll stop by." Scarlett said as Jayden walked off.

"Even better!" he called.

Scarlett sighed and continued to her class. She had a bad feeling about Danica's return and it was not the weird, nearly feminine, cologne Jayden was wearing either. Danica was going to be pissed when she learns that Scarlett and Jayden broke up because Scarlett was dancing with another boy during Jayden's performance.

"She's going to kill me." Scarlett mumbled to herself.

* * *

After the final bell, Nicole made her way down the halls towards the girls' locker room. She paused at her locker to get her things for home after practice and the game.

"You sure you can learn these routines in like five minutes?" Nicole turned to see Helen walking towards her. "They are pretty new."

"I can watch a while and then join later." Nicole said as Helen handed her a bag of sunflower seeds. "What's this?"

Helen shrugged. "Consider it as a welcome back present. Besides, I could see you flinching all the way down the hall. You need this."

"Thanks Helen." Nicole said. "Hey, um, is everything alright between Jackie and me? I know I said some pretty mean things but…"

"She'll get over it." Helen said. "Now come on. I'm sure you have _loads_ to tell me what life is like living with Plain Shane."

"Yeah, I do." Nicole said with a smile.

* * *

"Hey Bambi," Aaron said, catching Chandra before she was completely out of sight. He jogged and caught up to her. "I have to talk to you for a second."

"Let me guess, Dustin and/or Steven." Chandra said. "You're too predictable A.J."

Aaron sighed. "I really hate doing this, you know that right?"

"What? Getting into everyone's business so you can help them?" Chandra replied.

"No. Being asked to do something and usually saying yes." Aaron said. "If it were up to me, I'd be with Jordan now, preparing for the game. But Dustin asked if I could ask you a simple, childish question."

"What is it?" Chandra asked.

"Do you really like Steven more than Dustin? And please, spare me the physiques about each of them." Aaron said.

Chandra sighed. "I don't know. I mean… I mean, it's Steven Manning. Do you know who he is?" Aaron opened his mouth. "Of course you know who he is! It's Steven Manning! And he has a crush on _me_!" Aaron closed his mouth. Obviously, Chandra was really into Steven. "I'm sorry A.J, but I can't let this chance past me. Not after…"

"Don't tell me you're doing this because of Jayden." Aaron said.

"You promised me something that you couldn't get done. Now I'm going to…" Chandra paused. "I'm going to just reach out and take what I want."

Aaron and Chandra stared at one another. Aaron then nodded at his crush.

"Alright Bambi. Just don't get hurt." Aaron said.

"Tch. That's the same thing Jayden said." Chandra said before walking away.

Aaron only watched Chandra walk away with a bad feeling in his mind. Sighing heavily, he turned and made his way to the front of the building to head to the Dot and meet Jordan. At least his afternoon was not completely ruined.

* * *

At the Dot, Jayden sat at the counter as Kelly wiped it down.

"We're closing early today to be ready for the game." Kelly told Jayden. "Are you coming to the house later?"

"Free food, party, and my parents there to embarrass me? Sure. I'll be there." Jayden said.

Kelly smiled. "Thanks." Kelly then leaned on the table. "Where were you at lunch?"

"Gambling." Jayden said. "Ran some losers for some money."

"Why?" Kelly asked.

"Because that's what his dad does." Gavin said. "Listen Kelly, stay out of the boy's personal life unless you're trying to be in it."

Kelly sighed. "Dad, you know that I can't date Jay."

"Why not?" Jayden asked.

"Because you're like my brother. Sort of." Kelly said. "Besides, it would be weird."

"True." Jayden replied before Laura and Torrie walked into the Dot. "Oh great…"

"Hey Waiter Girl, we'll have a cheeseburger each with the works. She wants a Diet Coke, but I want a Dr. Pepper. No ice." Laura said as she sat down at an empty table.

"If my dad wasn't here, I'd shoot her." Kelly muttered.

"I got this one." Jayden said with a small grin. "Wouldn't want a wrinkle on that pretty face of yours."

Kelly smiled. "Shut up and go do it."

Jayden took two plates and walked to the other girls' table.

"Well, this is what I call great service." Torrie said with a smile. "Hiya stranger. I'm Torrie. I'm sure you know my cousins though. Helen and Scarlett?"

"Know them? I dated them." Jayden said sitting the plates on the table. He looked at Laura. "And by the way, her name's Kelly."

"I'll call her whatever I want to." Laura responded. "Now go back and get our drinks."

"What's the magic word Laura?" Jayden asked with a smirk.

"Now." Laura said.

Jayden laughed a bit. "That's not it. So I'll be back with your drink, Torrie."

Jayden walked away and Laura grunted.

"You see what I mean?" Laura whispered fiercely towards Torrie. "This guy has been riding my back this entire year!"

"Yeah, but I see what Helen was talking about. This guy is hot!" Torrie replied. "And since I know that he's single…"

Laura glared. "He'd never go for you. Trust me."

"What? Are you in his line of sight?" Torrie questioned as Jayden returned with Torrie's drink.

"Where the hell's my drink?" Laura asked angrily.

"I'm waiting on that magic word." Jayden said before looking at Torrie. "Enjoy your meal."

"Thanks." Torrie said.

Jayden turned around.

"Please." Laura muttered.

Jayden smirked. "What was that?"

"I said 'please' now give me my damn drink or I'm suing this place." Laura said.

"Since you said please." Jayden replied before walking away.

"Oh my God," Torrie said. "You like Jayden McDuelle. Nathan was right."

"I don't. Don't say that again." Laura said. "I think you're spending too much time with Nathan. Only he would say something like-" Laura was cut off as Jayden sat the cup in front of her. "About damn time."

"I don't know who put your panties in a bunch, but I can get it out for you if you want." Jayden said before walking away.

"There is no way I'm missing this game later on today." Torrie said. "If it puts you and Jayden in the same place at the same time, then I'm there."

"Whatever." Laura said as she glanced at Jayden talking to Kelly.

* * *

Chandra walked into the quiet café. She had little under an hour to return back to school for the game, so she had changed out of her cheerleading uniform.

"Chandra." Steven called as she walked towards his table and sat down across from him. "Didn't think you'd show. Thought I intimidated you or something."

"No. It's fine." Chandra said.

"Really? So tell me why did you have to talk it over with your friends first?" Steven asked with a small smile.

"I'm not scared coming out with you." Chandra said. "I mean, I've been on a date before."

"Well that's to be expected." Steven said. "So are you going to ride back to school with me?"

"Sure." Chandra answered.

"You sure I don't make you a little uncomfortable?" Steven asked.

Chandra gave him a casual wave. "Pft. Uncomfortable? That's ridiculous. I'm fine."

"Then kiss me." Steven said. "Unless I'm pushing too fast."

"You want fast?" Chandra replied as she stood up and stepped towards Steven and kissed him deeply. To say that she was shocked by her own actions was a terrible understatement, but she prolonged it for as long as her lungs would allow before pulling away. "That fast enough for you?"

Steven smiled. "Perfect."

* * *

Nathan knocked on the door before taking a small step backwards. In his mind, the next thirty minutes were going to determine his outlook on a lot of things. For starters, no one messed with his family but him, so if Gabrielle was his sister, he would have to limit what Damon and the others say about her. Not completely, since he did not want people to know that they were siblings, but enough to keep her from running into the bathroom crying.

The door opened to reveal Jay. The two stared at one another in awkward silence.

"Come in." Jay said, allowing Nathan to take a hesitant step inside. Jay closed the door. "I spoke to your mom earlier. Says you've been in some kind of trouble."

"Didn't think you cared." Nathan replied. "I just came to ask one question and one question only. Do you know Gabrielle Nunez?"

"She's my daughter. Why wouldn't I?" Nathan gave a frustrated sigh at that answer. He hated sounding like a hypocrite. "Is there a problem with her being my daughter, Nathan?"

"Look, just… Just stay away, okay? You don't do anything for me anyway." Nathan said.

Jay frowned. "What the hell are you talking about? I wanted to see you _and_ Brie at the same time, but you blew me off for who knows. And to top it all off, you just came to my house, son. I expect you to have some respect or get the disrespect knocked out of you."

"You're not so tough if you ran off to be with some kind of slut." Nathan said.

"Is that what you think?" Jay asked.

"It's what I know." Nathan answered.

"Then you are the dumb shit your mother said you were." Jay said, gaining a glare from Nathan. "Do you think you're my only child? Your brother, Randy-"

"I don't have any brother or any sister. I am the only child." Nathan interrupted. "And you are not my damn dad!"

Jay quickly hoisted Nathan against a wall, holding the boy's collar tightly.

"Listen here," Jay said. "I don't care if you hate me. I don't care if you love me. To put it simply, I don't give a rat's ass what you think about me." Nathan stopped struggling, seeing that it was futile. "But you're going to learn one thing. I _am_ your father. Randy and Gabrielle _are_ your siblings. And there's not a damn thing you can do about it. So stop being such a bitch and deal with it already!"

"Let me go." Nathan said.

"You're such a tough guy. Make me." Jay challenged. Nathan remained still before Jay released him. "Know this, you may think you're bad, but I, I ran this place. What you think you are will _never_ amount to what I _know_ I was."

"Since I know you're a dropout, the keyword 'was' means that it was in the past." Nathan replied.

"Do you really want me to show you just who I was? I can say one thing, you won't walk out of here alive if I do." Jay said. "And that would kill me to see."

"Why's that?" Nathan asked.

"No parent wants to live longer than their children." Jay answered solemnly. "So it'll hurt me twice as much knowing that it was _I_ who took you out."

"Yeah." Nathan said. "Just like I'm sure you were 'dying' wondering just how the hell me and Mom were doing while you were out fucking other women and living your own damn life!" Jay was a bit angered by the choice of Nathan's words, but allowed his son to get it all out. "She's here struggling to make rent and you're running around doing absolutely nothing for her! I don't care if you hate me or not, but dammit, you put her in that place! Help her out!"

Jay sighed. "Are you finished?"

"Am I finished? You think that you can-"

"I fucked up. Duh." Jay said. "If I hadn't have figured that out, I wouldn't be here now. I mean, wouldn't it be stupid for a guy who doesn't give a shit about you to invite you to his house to see how you're doing? I think so." Nathan sighed heavily. "I understand. You're nothing like Brie. I could blame Amy for that, or I could blame myself. Either way, it's going to take you some time to get used to the idea that I'm not going anywhere. Ever."

"Ever? Well, while you're here, you can start with some back child support." Nathan said.

"Again, I think I know that." Jay said. "Look, if you're here to cry about how I wasn't in your life, then I suggest you go ahead and run home and do it there. I really don't have time to hear it." Nathan gave a short snort in laughter. He would never shed a tear for this man. "But, if you want to talk, and I mean a man-to-man talk, then sit your ass down and let go of those petty emotions of yours. They'll only get in the way."

"I'm done talking to you." Nathan said walking towards the door.

"Before you leave," Jay said. "I'm giving you this one order." Nathan looked at Jay. "Keep Brie safe."

"Brie? Why would I do that?" Nathan asked.

"You're a lot like me then you know. You _hate_ the thought that you are the one that hurt your family." Jay replied.

"I don't care who I hurt. I-"

"Did I mention that I talked to your mom? I sort of know you." Jay interrupted. "And because of that, you will do as I say. Take care of Brie. Look out for her."

Nathan stood still for a moment.

"Whatever." Nathan said before leaving the apartment.

Jay sighed. "It's always the boys…"

* * *

After the game, the Degrassi students began to celebrate after a victory over Lakehurst. Although, the victory came due to a missed field goal that would have sent it into overtime, they were still happy to win no less.

"You did great!" Nicole said as she hugged Shane.

"Thanks. But I'm a bit tired. Again." Shane said.

"Tired? Yeah right. When you see all the stuff your dad has at home, you're going to wake up really fast." Jayden said.

"That's right." Shane said. "I'll meet you guys at the car. I have to hurry up and get my stuff before Maddox eats the entire thing!"

Shane ran towards the locker room, causing Nicole to giggle a bit.

"What's so funny?" Jayden asked.

"Shane. He always seems to tell Maddox to go away because he thinks Maddox is annoying, but in all actuality, their exactly the same." Nicole answered.

"Oh." Jayden said.

"I'm going to go meet with Mr. Mason," Nicole said. "See you at Shane's!"

"Right." Jayden said as she walked away.

Jayden's eyes turned to Scarlett who was talking to DeWayne about something. For some reason, he grew angry. Not with Scarlett, no, but with himself. And the more he watched Scarlett smile, the angrier he became. That is, until somehow pulled the back of his hair slightly, causing him to turn his Achilles heel away from the attacker and glared at the perpetrator.

"Please? You made me say please?" Laura said.

"I thought we decided no speaking in public?" Jayden replied.

"I also thought we said no dating. We can do whatever we want." Laura said. "And you made me say please."

"Look at them." Jayden said pointing to Scarlett and DeWayne. Laura looked at the two. "It scares me to believe that you look at me the same way she does at him. With hopes that one day in the future, I can truly accept who you are."

Laura frowned. "What the hell are you talking about? I don't look at you like that."

"Maybe. Maybe not." Jayden said. "I'm going to Shane's place for the celebration. Remember that you owe me a favor."

"Not necessarily. We never finished our game." Laura said.

Jayden sighed. "Fine. But in the morning. I'm not doing it any other time than that. And just one game."

"See you there." Laura said turning around and walking away.

Jayden stared at DeWayne and Scarlett walked off, both of them smiling. He knew that jealousy was a bad thing and when one acted out of envy and spite, nothing good came out of it. He then turned and eyed Laura retreating with Torrie and Ethan, her tight jeans giving him a pleasurable view of her.

"I'm falling for the enemy." Jayden muttered to himself.


	40. S2 Episode X: Sgt Pepper's Lonely II

**Episode X: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Pt. II**

Jordan walked in front of Shane, Kelly, and Nicole, her siblings still picking on her from the previous night.

"Oh come on Jordan," Kelly said. "You know we're just picking."

"Well did you have to do that in front of everyone? Sometimes I think you guys do this stuff on purpose." Jordan said.

"I know we do." Shane said.

"Look at the bright side," Kelly added. "Twenty years from now when your kids ask have you ever snuck a boy to your room to make out with them, we have proof."

"Nyah!" Jordan retorted sticking her tongue out sourly at her older sister. It was bad enough that Jayden was in on the prank, as normal, but it was ten times worse when _Nicole_ aided. Somehow, Nicole fitted almost _too_ perfectly with the Cameron/Mason/McDuelle families.

"You do realize that we're going to the same place." Kelly said to Jordan. Jordan did not respond. "We love you Jordan."

"Yeah, yeah." Jordan said as she neared the steps where Aaron stood waiting for her. "Come on A.J. Let's go."

"Okay…" Aaron replied confused as he followed his already irate girlfriend up the steps.

"Hey A.J, where's Jayden?" Kelly asked.

Aaron shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't seen him all day."

And oddly enough, Aaron was telling the truth. When he had gotten up, Jayden's door was closed completely, and although his mother's Mercedes was in the parking lot, there was no sign of his older brother. Aaron only brushed it off because, well, it was Jayden. He was bound to get into some trouble sooner or later.

* * *

Jayden watched as Laura dealt the cards to them. Seeing as he was a "master" in poker, Laura dealt a game of rummy instead, trying to build her chances of winning. However, Jayden just smiled as he picked up the five cards.

"You are so sad." Jayden said. "Changing the game? That's a terrible renege."

"Shut up and pluck." Laura replied.

Jayden plucked a car. "You mad about something?"

"No bonding." Laura said as Jayden placed a card down. "Besides, why would you care?"

"I don't know. I just asked a question. Sorry for prying." Jayden said.

Laura glanced from her hand to the boy across from her.

"What's got you in such a talkative mood today?" Laura asked as she lied a card down.

"Didn't you question me when I was angry?" Jayden replied. "I'm only returning the favor. Well, returning it in a nonsexual way."

"I found out that my mom is still in Toronto." Laura said to Jayden. "She wouldn't respond to any of my e-mails or calls so…" Laura paused. "Why am I telling you this again?"

Jayden plucked before smiling, revealing his hand to Laura.

"Because I win. Again." Jayden said.

Laura gaped. "Damn…"

Jayden stood up. "From what Dash has told me, you and your mom aren't close at all. Sounds like you hate her and vice versa." Laura nodded, although that was the cover story that she told Dakota to tell anyone if they were eavesdropping. In all actuality, Laura really wanted to meet her mom. "I'll do you a favor. Sunday, I don't have anything planned. We'll go find her."

"What? Why the hell would I want to do that?" Laura replied. "Do you take me for a pussy like you?"

Jayden's eyebrow twitched slightly at the comment and his eyes narrowed, two movements that brought a victorious smile to Laura's face.

"I'm doing this," Jayden said, a bit of his anger heard in his words. "Because I know when Dash is lying to me. While I applaud your ability to get her to lie to me, I should've warn you that I know her better and know her body language."

"And?" Laura asked.

"And so, I came with the conclusion that you either _do_ want to meet your mother or she wants to meet you. Either way, pretty good reason to get out of the house Sunday." Jayden answered.

Laura sighed. "Fine. Come pick me up at eleven. We might be driving around for a while because even my dad doesn't know where she stays."

"Fine with me." Jayden said.

Laura frowned. "Why are you doing this?"

"I told you. It gives something to do Sunday." Jayden said. "Besides, can you honestly say that you wanted to meet her by yourself? And since Dash is currently unable to, I figured that I was your only choice. Well, there's Damon and Nathan, but… Yeah, I'm your only choice."

"I guess you're right about that." Laura said. "So… I'll see you then?"

"Or sooner." Jayden replied with a wink before walking .

Because she was sure he was not able to see her, Laura smiled. A genuine smile that would have been said to be out of character if anyone else were there to see it. But she smiled because she got the strange feeling that Jayden was warming up to her and not just to use her for sex like Dakota had suspected.

It might be real.

* * *

Dustin walked into the class, minutes late, but he had a note. After sitting in his seat, Aaron looked at him.

"What happened yesterday? You missed a great party at Jordan's." Aaron said.

"Just didn't want to go." Dustin said.

"Oh." Aaron said, though they both knew that Aaron was trying not to pry.

"Besides," Dustin replied. "I wouldn't want to be in the same place with Chandra."

"She came looking for you." Aaron said.

Dustin frowned. "What? Steven came too?"

"Nope. Just Bambi and Vanessa, along with Jayden, Jacob, Helen, and Nicky. Everyone else were either family or me." Aaron said. "So you could say that she came alone looking for you."

"It's not helping, so stop trying." Dustin said. "She's going to date Steven. You and I both know that."

"Doesn't mean you should stop being a friend." Aaron replied.

Dustin sighed. "You would think that. Just don't worry about it. It's better this way."

"Whatever." Aaron said.

* * *

Nicole was excused to use the restroom, which was good. She really felt sick. After a minute straight of regurgitating breakfast, Nicole flushed and went to wash her hands. She stared at herself in the mirror, her green eyes revealing just how hopeless she felt. In fact, had it not been for Kelly and Shane, she would have opted to wear her glasses today instead of fighting with her contacts.

After drying her hands, Nicole left to go to the water fountain to wash the taste out of her mouth.

"Nicky." Nicole froze as she heard _his_ voice. She turned to see Nathan, glaring as hard as she could. "You look… You look good."

"Is that all?" Nicole asked.

"I wanted to know how you were. You've been ignoring me like crazy." Nathan said.

Nicole scoffed. "Duh. I did tell you to leave me alone."

"I'm sorry Nicky." Nathan said. Nicole's eyes widened. "I know what I said was wrong. I don't think of you as a slut or stupid."

"Thanks. But it doesn't matter any more." Nicole said. "Thanks to you, I got kicked out."

"Kicked out? Where are you staying then?" Nathan asked.

"With Shane's dad." Nicole replied. "Do you want to know why? Because he cares about me."

"No he doesn't!" Nathan said. "He _hates_ what you've become. Do you see how he looks at you? How he talks to you? It's like you've gone from his friend to a chore."

Nicole shook her head. "No. You're wrong."

"And how do you know?" Nathan asked.

"Because unlike you," Nicole answered. "Shane isn't afraid of saying what's on his mind. And he surely doesn't lie like you. And the _only_ time we go to the same bed is when we're talking, not having sex because he's some dirty pig who wants to get his rocks off." Nathan gulped silently. He was going to have to say it. "So leave me-"

"I think I love you Nicky." Nathan interrupted. "I'm serious."

"That's good to know." Nicole said. "But I hate you. And I always will. I mean, we'll never date. That's your policy isn't it? Sex, money, or nothing at all."

Nathan stood stunned as the blonde walked off. That was the closest he had said to those three words and yet she just brushed him off. Today was a bad day.

* * *

At Lakehurst, Mercedes stood by her locker, her arms crossed under her chest.

"So let me get this straight," Mercedes said. "Scarlett broke up with Jayden and moved after your brother?"

Deanna nodded. "That seems to be the story of it."

"And we're going to leave Helen alone and go for Scarlett, even though Alex, your ex, is after Helen?" Mercedes asked.

"Yes." Deanna said. "I think I told you like thirty times, I'm over Alexander. I've moved on to bigger and better things."

Stephanie Tucker walked towards the duo.

"What did you get Steph?" Deanna asked.

"DeWayne says to stay out of his business and he'll talk to you at lunch." Stephanie said. "Sorry Dee. I couldn't get him to tell me more than that."

"No problem." Deanna said. "Besides, I know the Coyne Cousins. All three of them."

"Three?" Mercedes asked.

"Scarlett Chessex, Helen Sinclair-Coyne, and Torrie Coyne." Deanna answered. "And I will get them in that order." Stephanie frowned in question. "Scarlett to get away from DeWayne. Helen just because. And Torrie… Well, if you're going to go through the first two, might as well take out the third one."

"Are you sure this is a good idea? Picking a fight with Degrassi students because-"

"Steph, let me do the thinking and you do the… Whatever it is you do." Deanna said.

"Sure." Stephanie said.

Mercedes smirked. "I say we just go ahead and target the two guys they want. DeWayne and Jayden. Of course, I'll take your brother since you can't."

Deanna gave Mercedes a sweet and innocent smile.

"You read my mind." Deanna said. "And maybe tomorrow, we can seal the deal."

Mercedes and Deanna exchanged hand-fives with a laugh.

* * *

James sighed as he walked down the halls a bit slower than normal. Being who he was, Mary-Jane cheating on him was spread around school almost instantly. What was worse was the simple fact that she hardly cared.

"Hey James." Amber said catching up to him. "You okay? You seem down about something."

"Nothing out of the usual." James replied. "So what are you happy about?"

"Uh, no practice later on." Amber stated with a smile.

"That is something to be happy about." James said.

"Meaning I have a free afternoon." Amber added.

"You're trying to tell me something, aren't you?" James asked.

"Yeah. I'm free. You're free. Let's go do something." Amber said. "Gee James, why are acting like this is something new?"

"Because…" James paused. "I mean, this is new. I mean, it's something we haven't done in a while."

"Well we'll just have to start again." Amber said. "Come one. What do you say? I promise not to backseat drive or passenger-seat driver."

James smiled. "Deal."

* * *

Shane and Kelly glanced at one another before looking back at Laura who was doing her work. Now seeing her work was rare, but hearing her say "good morning" to the teacher was just uncanny and unheard of.

"This is weird." Shane said. "No. Scratch that. This is bizarre."

"You think she found her heart somewhere?" Kelly whispered to Shane.

Shane shrugged. "I don't know. Thought she's always had one, just didn't care for others."

"No." Kelly said in a low tone. "You know. Like someone that isn't a complete loser and makes her, well, girly." Now Shane frowned in confusion. Kelly sighed. "A new guy in a girl's life can change her attitude greatly. I thought you of all people will know that. Nicky is the best example of this. And Jordan."

"Jordan?" Shane asked.

"She spends more time sprucing up and do you see how she just glows when she comes home?" Kelly replied. "Just like Laura. She has that glow."

"Yeah, but who is it?" Shane asked.

"He must be someone with great patience because he can put up with her." Kelly said.

"Either that or someone looking for a quick score." Shane said. "Now how many pervs do we know?"

The two looked at one another with a look of shock on their faces.

"You don't think…" Kelly said.

"That the reason she's happy…" Shane said.

The two laughed. "Nah!"

Sitting in her seat, Laura looked over her shoulder briefly at the two before turning back with a small smile.

If only they knew.

* * *

Helen sneered. "Steven and Bambi? That'll be the most disgusting couple ever."

"I can think of worse." Scarlett said.

"Yeah? Like who?" Helen asked.

"Let's see… Mary-Jane and Dustin would be a disgusting couple." Scarlett replied. "And _anyone_ who's desperate enough to date either Nate or Scooter."

"Point." Helen said before looking at Jayden. "And you?"

"Hey, I always said, love and lust comes in all sizes and shapes. Age is irrelevant." Jayden replied.

"You really think that?" Scarlett asked.

"Look at it," Jayden said. "Jacob and Vanessa, as happy as happy can be. If we looked at their ages now, it's disgusting. But, if they were to end up together ten years from now, a twenty-two years old woman dating a twenty-five years old man is life. It's a double standard."

"Double standard? One of those couples are children." Scarlett said.

"Children make adult decisions everyday." Jayden said.

"Like you?" Scarlett asked.

"I never did tell you that, huh?" Jayden responded. "But I've always chosen my girlfriends carefully just incase I can dodge trouble down the line."

Scarlett furrowed her brows. "What are you talking about?"

"My parents and older sister have a bunch of regrets because they all were… Promiscuous. So I avoid that by trying to find a girl to see how far we can go." Jayden said. "Keeps me out of trouble. Which is why Helen didn't have me 'whipped' as many people thought. She just did what I asked her to do. Keep me out of trouble as much as you can."

"Yep." Helen said.

Scarlett looked back and forth between Helen and Jayden. He had not asked _her_ to keep him out of trouble.

"You okay Scar? You look like you want to go kick someone's puppy off of a cliff." Helen said.

"I'm fine." Scarlett said. "Just thinking."

"Sure." Jayden responded.

Helen looked at her cousin and their ex. This was getting stranger and stranger by the day and Helen was seconds away from just screaming at the top of her lungs that they should go back out. But, she did not want to hear Scarlett's whining. That, plus, Jayden would probably find some way to turn the tables on her too.

* * *

James continued to work on his assignment while Amber continued to stare. She wondered if he was as depressed as he looked or if he was just putting on a front for whatever the reason. Sure, Mary-Jane was pretty and she did cheat on him, but just how long could one mourn over something that small?

Amber decided to work on the assignment before she fell behind. That is when she got a message.

**KingBrooks1002: Lunch?**

Amber looked at her screen before looking at James. The two shared a brief smile before she replied.

**StellAmber9822: Sure.**

**KingBrooks1002: Good.**

Steven leaned over and saw the messages.

"If I didn't know any better," Steven said. "I'd say that you had a consolidation prize."

James grinned. "You know Amber is a consolidation prize."

"She's a prize and you need consoling." Steven replied. "Consolidation prize."

"You worry about Chandra." James said. "The last thing we need to worry about is some young girl crying because you broke her heart."

Steven grinned. "Chandra's not like that. She's a tough girl and can handle her own."

"And you're interested in her because?" James asked.

"When she's grown and super hot, I want to be the one to claim that I saw it first." Steven said. "Jayden was too stupid and blinded by the age difference, but I know potential when I see it. And she has potential."

"Okay. I trust you." James said. "Good luck."

"I'm Steven Manning. I was born lucky." Steven responded.

* * *

Jayden stopped by his locker on the way to lunch. He sighed heavily as he thought about his earlier talk with Laura. He was falling for the girl he swore he would get revenge on.

"Scooter and Nate have something else to do," Laura said coming towards Jayden. "Strip poker?"

"I, uh, can't." Jayden said.

Laura nodded. "Oh yeah. I forgot. Popular playboy with all the right morals and the school slut can't be seen together. Even if they're playing a friendly card game."

"It's not that." Jayden said.

"Then what is it?" Laura asked.

Jayden stood quietly as he saw Chandra leaving with Steven.

"She doesn't listen…" Jayden muttered.

"Look, if you have something better to do, just tell me." Laura said. "But don't change your plans on my account."

"You must have some serious crush on me or something because you've found me more times than Bambi has and its rumored that she has a tracker on me." Jayden said.

Laura rolled her eyes. "Why would _I_ want to follow _you_?"

"Next to lust, I don't know. Or at least, I try not to think about it." Jayden answered.

"You think that-"

"I know it." Jayden interrupted. "The 'secret' Dash can't tell me. You're tone of voice. The slight blush the last two times we've spoken together. I'm not an idiot, Laura."

Laura just stood still as Jayden looked at her. Since she had not studied Jayden like Scarlett or Helen, she could not tell what he was thinking by his body posture. But his eyes resembled hers strangely.

"Like I said," Jayden said. "I can't go with you every time. Because then… Then I'd be right. And you'd hate to admit it."

"Look," Laura said. "What happened last Saturday was a one-time-"

"Stop." Jayden cut her off. "I'm not even going to joke around with you anymore." Jayden reached and brushed some hair out of her face. "Everyone finds someone to be with and I somehow end up with lust and you."

Laura turned her face away. "Whatever. I'll go find someone else to play cards with."

"Before you go," Jayden said. "Shane and I are going to see Dash-"

"Go fuck yourselves." Laura said as she walked away.

Jayden caught up with her and turned her around. He then gave her a kiss that caused her eyes to widen, but she kissed back. Soon Jayden pulled away.

"We're falling for each other." Jayden said. "And we can't. You don't do relationships and I like commitment. Don't you see the problem there?"

"Yeah…" Laura replied.

"I, uh, have to get to my ordinary table. And you? I suggest you do the same." Jayden said.

Laura sighed. "And Sunday?"

"I'll be at your place at eleven sharp. Just make sure I don't have to climb in or out any windows." Jayden said, actually gaining a smile from Laura.

"Whatever." Laura said. "Now I have to find someone to play cards with. I'm completely bored."

"Sixth period? Boiler room?" Jayden offered.

"You'd skip sixth period? After that big fiasco-"

"All you had to say was no." Jayden said with a smirk.

"I'll be there. But stand me up and I tear you a new one." Laura said before walking away, giving Jayden a seducing grin as she did.

"I hate my life." Jayden whispered to himself before walking towards the cafeteria.

* * *

Dustin ate his lunch outside today for the simple fact that he did not want to be with the others and be the only one without a girlfriend.

"Well, well," Damon said nearing Dustin. "If it isn't my old pal Dustin. We haven't spoken to each other in months now."

Dustin sighed. "Go ahead."

Damon frowned. "It's no fun if you're going to just accept it. So get up and start running."

"I'm not in the mood for running." Dustin said. "And unless you're going to magically solve my problems, I really don't want to hear a lot of talking either."

Damon thought for a moment. Dakota had problems with her friends. Nicole had problems with her friends. And here was Dustin, possibly in the same problem.

"Here's a deal," Damon said. "I can't make your problems go away. But I can teach you how."

"I don't know…" Dustin replied.

"You know why no one tries to pull a fast one over me? Because they know that I'll ripped their head off and eat it for breakfast." Damon said. "If you were like that, you wouldn't have any problems. Period."

"So what do I do?" Dustin asked.

* * *

Chandra looked around. It was not like she has not been here before- what kid has not eaten at McDonald's- but it was because she was there with Steven. Together. Alone. Just like the previous evening.

"You know," Steven said looking directly at Chandra. "People have been talking already. Didn't know that many people knew who you were."

"Jayden's reject? Who doesn't know me?" Chandra responded.

"They were actually referring you to as Bambi." Steven said. "And you shouldn't take Jayden's rejections so seriously. He's a loser."

"He's… I mean, he's just really into Scarlett. I knew that from the jump." Chandra said. "I don't hold a grudge against him though. Best friend since he moved here."

"And you…?" Steven began.

"I what?" Chandra asked.

"You just thought that you'd slip in there?" Steven questioned.

Chandra sighed. "I thought that. Maybe it was because I was naïve."

"Don't think that. Jayden's a loser, I just said that. He doesn't know who you are. What you're going to become." Steven said with a smile.

Chandra grinned. "Thanks Steven."

* * *

In the cafeteria, Kelly looked at the dazed expression on Shane's and Jayden's faces. The two had been quieter than Jacob has, which was strange.

"Are you two alright?" Kelly asked.

"Fine." the two murmured in unison before looking at one another.

"What's go you down?" Shane asked Jayden.

"I could ask you the same thing." Jayden replied.

Kelly blinked. "You've been sitting here this entire time and didn't know that your best friend was feeling sad about something? What's going on?"

"You first." Jayden said to Shane.

"What? No. You first." Shane said.

"Paper-rock-scissors?" Jacob suggested.

Jayden sighed. "Fine."

Jayden and Shane held a fist towards each other.

"Paper, rock, scissors." the two said.

"Ha. Paper covers rock." Shane said to Jayden.

"So Jay?" Kelly said.

Jayden sighed. "I'm having a small trouble with a certain someone." Jayden's three friends each had identical puzzled looks on their faces. "This certain someone is someone I can deal with alone, so don't try to dig in further than you have to. I-"

"Is it Scarlett?" Kelly interrupted.

"Partially. But like I said, I got it. Just need time to think about it." Jayden said. "Now your turn Shane."

"Ditto." Shane responded.

"Oh come on. How's that even fair?" Kelly said. "Neither of you are giving me any information."

"…" Jayden and Shane were quiet before Jayden spoke up. "It's nothing to worry about Kelly. Well, at least my problem isn't."

"The same." Shane said.

"Don't worry Kelly, I heard you." Jacob said. "And I can help."

"Thanks Jacob." Kelly said. "Some friends I have."

Sitting at their table, Aaron noticed that neither Dustin nor Chandra were in the cafeteria. He was well aware that Chandra had left with Steven. But Dustin was on campus. Somewhere.

"So," Jordan said to Ashton and Gabrielle, causing Ashton to groan in annoyance. "Do you two want to come with us to the Dot later on? It'll be on my tab."

"I think we might be studying. Or trying to find something else to do." Ashton replied.

"A simple 'no' would have helped." Jordan said.

Aaron smiled. "Jordan, leave them alone. You're making them uncomfortable."

"You're making _me_ uncomfortable." Vanessa responded.

"But-but, everyone wanted them to be together and now they are and they-"

"I know." Aaron stopped Jordan's rant. "And believe me, I'm going to have fun with this as well."

Ashton glared at Aaron. "Watch it Santos."

"Sure Ashton." Aaron responded with a smirk.

"Why don't we talk about Vanessa and her boyfriend?" Ashton asked.

"Uh, because her boyfriend plays the keyboard for the hottest band in the school." Jordan answered blandly.

"I'll leave you two alone." Aaron said. "Only because now I'm questioning where Dustin is."

"Probably crying under a rock." Ashton responded.

"I doubt Dustin is the crying type." Vanessa said.

"Everyone cries. It's life." Ashton said.

"I hope he's okay." Gabrielle said. "It isn't like him to just disappear like that. The last time he did, he left with Nathan and before that James and Mary-Jane."

"He does have a knack for finding trouble." Vanessa stated.

"Which is why it's better to have him here and sulking than out and doing something stupid about it." Aaron said.

"Like dating someone in the eleventh grade like Chandra?" Jordan suggested.

"Ahem." Vanessa cleared her throat out.

"I mean… Dating some loser who popped pills?" Jordan restated.

"You know, he's still my brother." Ashton said.

Jordan sighed. "I give up."

* * *

"Hey Laura," Damon said, gaining Laura's attention. "Look who I ran into."

Laura frowned. "Some pipsqueak. Whoopee."

"Yeah, yeah, but I had the greatest idea." Damon said.

"Scooter, haven't you heard? You're an idiot. You don't have _any_ ideas." Laura commented.

"Whatever." Damon said. "But I've got a new protégé."

"A protégé?" Laura repeated.

"Yeah. We're going to graduate sooner or later, and I need to make sure that certain losers don't run the school. Therefore," Damon pointed to Dustin. "Protégé."

"Aren't you one of A.J's running mates?" Laura asked. Dustin nodded dumbly, causing Laura to smirk. She stepped closer to Dustin. "Let me guess… You see something you like?"

"Hey, hey, none of that yet. If you do that, he won't be able to think straight. And I need him to stay focus." Damon said.

Laura put her lips near Dustin's ear.

"Well when you're done you could…" Laura paused and stood up straight. "Let me be honest kid," Dustin blinked at her change of voice. "If you're going to be around me, get those thoughts out of your head. They say I'm easy, but let me tell you, I'm not that easy."

"Now," Damon said to Dustin. "Lesson one. Never, and I mean never, fall for Laura. She's only going to use you. She's incapable of feeling _anything_ for _anyone_."

Laura stared at Damon for a moment. This was the second time she had heard that statement in less than an hour. First Jayden and now Damon. Was she really that heartless? Was that the reason Jayden wants to hate her so badly because he knows that she would never feel anything for him?

"Hey, you okay? Looks like you've thought of a plan to finally belittle McDuelle." Damon said.

"I… I'll be back." Laura said before walking away.

Damon shrugged and looked at Dustin.

"Alright, first things first. We have to change your nerdy appearance." Damon said.

* * *

After lunch ended, Steven walked with Chandra towards his class. The girl was by all means not shy about anything. He figured she would tell him her life story if either of them had time or the care to hear it all.

"So," Steven said. "Two dates and we're not even a couple."

Chandra frowned. "Dates?"

"What? You thought I just invited you because you're pretty?" Steven replied. "Like I said. Two dates and you won't even ask me out."

"I-I thought the g-guy was supposed to ask the girl out." Chandra said. She was trying her best to mask her excitement, but her smile was a dead giveaway.

"I would," Steven said. "But why waste my breath on a rhetorical question?" Chandra looked up to see the smile on Steven's face. "So I'll see you after school? No practice means that we could hangout somewhere."

"Yeah." Chandra said before Steven leaned in and kissed her.

"See you later Chandra." Steven said before walking off.

Chandra let out a dreamy sigh before nearly floating to class. Forget Jayden. Forget Dustin. Steven was the one.

* * *

Nathan was actually going to class before he ran into the duo of Shane Mason and Jayden McDuelle.

"Great. The married couple." Nathan said.

"What did you say to Nicky?" Shane asked.

"Chill, alright? She chose you." Nathan answered.

"She chose me?" Shane repeated. "What are you talking about?"

"You win. She obviously thinks that you're in love with her." Nathan said. "So just watch out for her. She's clumsy when she's high."

Shane looked at Jayden, who just shrugged. Nathan walked between them, heading for his class.

"Whatever he said," Shane said. "She seems that much depressed. And she won't tell me what it is either."

"Women are strange and delicate creatures." Jayden responded. "Oh well. On to class."

* * *

Standing in her daughter's new apartment, Manny rummage through some pictures that Danica had kept in her room at Manny's house. A smile came on her face as she saw a picture of the five years old Danica McDuelle grinning at the camera, her front tooth missing. Flipping through the pictures, she soon came to a picture of a teenage Danica standing in-between longtime friends Sophie Cohen and Scott Atwood, her arms thrown around their necks. Like the previous picture, Danica's dimples as apparent as ever. Going through the stack some more, Manny stopped again once she saw Danica's graduation picture.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked standing at the doorway to Danica's bedroom.

"I'm old Em." Manny said quietly. "Looking back through this… Twenty years, you know?"

"Yeah. I know." Emma said moving to Danica's bed and sitting beside Manny. "Twenty long years of pleasure and frustration."

"Looking at her as a kid, I guess I should've known she was going to be as headstrong as she is." Manny said. "She always took a nap on her time. She could open any door by one. And those eyes. They could cut through a steak if she just glanced at it the wrong way."

"That's Danica McDuelle for you." Emma said before Sean and Maxwell came to the doorway. "We're in here."

"Doing what exactly?" Maxwell asked.

"Just looking through some of the photos Danni has." Manny said lifting the pictures in her hand slightly so her husband could see what she was talking about. "Max, do you feel old?"

"No older than I am." Maxwell answered.

"Seriously." Manny said. "Have you ever just lined up the kids' lives before and just looked back? Their first step. Their first missing tooth. First bike ride." Maxwell gave a small smile. "What?"

"She'll always be our little girl." Maxwell said. "That goes for all of them. No matter how old they get, they will always be our children."

"I guess you're right." Manny said putting the pictures back in the shoebox Danica kept them in. "I just wish that I could go back in time and do it again. The same thing. Except, this time, I guess I'd take it all in. I wouldn't miss a beat."

"Don't we all?" Emma said standing up. "Are you two done with the furniture?"

"Yeah." Sean said.

"All we're missing is the home owner herself." Maxwell said. "And she'll be here tomorrow."

"Good." Manny said standing up. "This has to be perfect. I don't want anything to go wrong for her day."

"It won't. I promise." Maxwell replied. "Now, let's get out of here and pick up Kitty and the others."

"And we should probably get Maddox and Ana." Emma said to Sean.

"Sure." Sean said. "And afterwards I have to check on things at the shop. John's been getting more problems than he can handle. I might have to hire someone else."

"Later. Now, we have to get the kids." Emma said.

Manny walked towards Maxwell, who put an arm around her in comfort.

"Don't think too much about Danni's age." Maxwell said. "I mean, we can always think about how much trouble the twins are going to put us through."

Manny smiled. "It'll be like Danni all over again."

* * *

The bell rang for sixth period and that caused her heart pace to quicken. Did he forget? Did he purposely leave her there? And why did she care?

"Didn't think you'd be here." Jayden said walking into the boiler room.

"Me? I've been here. Where have you been?" Laura asked.

"Thinking." Jayden stated. "About what I told you earlier. Forget it even came out of my mouth."

"I'm not." Laura said.

"I thought-"

"I can understand why you don't want to 'feel' something for me because I'm the evil girl that got Dash drunk and I tried to blackmail you, but brushing me off like some of those stupid groupies of yours isn't going to cut it either." Laura interrupted.

"This was a mistake." Jayden said.

"Then go. Why the hell would I want to play a game with someone like you anyway?" Laura retorted angrily.

Jayden laughed a bit. "Someone like me? Come on cum bucket, I've heard worse compliments from you."

Laura blinked in surprise at how he referred to her before growing twice as angry.

"Listen here pussy-shit, I'm not one of those other bitches that you can somehow manipulate with your fingers. I will not just bend over and let you fuck me in the ass like you own me, because Laura Reynolds is owned by no one, got it?" Laura said. "And if I want talk to you in the halls, then I will. If I want to piss in a cup and shove it down your throat, then I will. And there's not a damn thing you can do about it!"

"Oh, my precious slut, I think there is." Jayden said.

Laura quickly came at Jayden, but he grabbed her and spun around, slamming her against the locked door behind him.

"Say it." Jayden said.

"Let go of me." Laura ordered without moving.

"Tell me how bad you hate me and I'll let you go. I just want to hear it." Jayden said. Laura's face now showed confusion and uncertainty. "Let me know right now that I mean absolutely nothing to you. That if I walked out of this room right now and made out with Helen or someone that you wouldn't bat an eye. Tell me that right now."

"Go to hell." Laura said before spitting on him.

Laura stiffen as Jayden's grip tightened. He took his face and rubbed it on the shoulder of her jacket before looking at her directly.

"You can't say that anymore, can you?" Jayden said calmly.

"What are you? Deaf? I said. Let. Go. Of. Me!" Laura demanded. Jayden released her and stepped back at a safe distance. "And you want to know something? I accept you as Jayden. I don't give a damn about who your parents are or what you look like. I'm not the coldhearted bitch you think I am."

"…" Jayden just stared at her for a moment. "I know."

"I'm- You know?" Laura asked, her anger now completely gone.

"Why else would I trust you to keep A.J's secret a secret?" Jayden replied. "You're not intimidated by me or anyone else for that matter. So if you wanted to tell someone, you would have done it by now."

"I could. And I should after that comment you made." Laura said.

"Only to prove to you that I can push your buttons just like you can push mine." Jayden responded. "Please, don't take any of that to heart."

Laura stood quietly now. The girly side of her was clearly jumping up and down and squealing. It was doing all the things that she would never be caught dead doing. The darker side of her thought about the chances that he was lying. Scarlett was this boy's love, it was apparent from day one of the eighth grade. He really did see her as a slut.

Jayden stepped towards Laura, the two standing nearly eye-to-eye and nose-to-nose. Laura's breath hitched as she could feel his breathing on her skin.

"If you can't tell me that you hate me," Jayden said. "Then I can't continue this with you. I have to know that I'm not alone in this rivalry between us."

Laura smiled. "I hate you Jayden McDuelle. You'll always be a zero to me."

Jayden grinned. "That's all I wanted to know."

And just like that, he gave her a kiss. An innocent kiss that was unlike the first ones because it lacked lust. It was more passionate than anything. But it did not stay like that for long. For as soon as Laura responded, their tongues intertwine. And from there, it only got more and more feverish.

"Bedroom, locker room, boiler room," Jayden said in-between kisses on her neck. "Next place is a kitchen."

"Shut the hell up and finish the job." Laura ordered before Jayden lifted her up by her hips, her legs going around his waist.

"Game on then." Jayden said.

* * *

The final bell rang and the students left their respective class- for those who were there- to go home.

Jacob, on the other hand, went to go to his father's MI classroom where Kelly should be waiting for him. He had offered to help her with some video she was doing. Of course, had Jayden or Shane paid attention to Kelly at lunch, it would probably be one or both of them doing it instead of Jacob.

As he walked down the halls, he studied the people and how they acted.

His cousin, Steven, was with Jayden's former "stalker" Chandra. Apparently, they were an item now. Jacob would have felt sick about the idea, until he realized that he was dating a seventh grader too.

Walking down further, he saw Damon with the boy who had a crush on Scarlett. The two had just recently tripped a number of students in the hallway and laughing at their handy work. Jacob only shook his head. Vanessa had told him that Dustin was jealous of Steven because of Chandra, but Jacob did not know that Dustin would sink so low.

Next, Jacob walked past Scarlett and Helen. Helen was telling her cousin that she was going straight home to get some rest while Scarlett continued to insist that she go meet up with Alexander and DeWayne at the Dot. Jacob did not know what to think on this one. While he has never met DeWayne formerly, from what Jayden says, this guy was bad news. But then again, Jayden could just be jealous.

Speaking of the devil, Jacob saw Jayden talking to, surprisingly, Laura. The girl had her hands in her leather jacket pockets while Jayden explained something to her. Because of Laura's face, Jacob realized that it had something to do with Dakota. Why else would Laura be that into Jayden's words? She is the only girl in the school that Jacob knew that Jayden could not easily win over. But then, he saw something strange. They laughed. Both of them. They laughed at whatever Jayden said. And then Laura walked away while giving Jayden a strange look. It was only strange to Jacob because it looked like she was teasing him. Taunting Jacob's friend to follow her for God knows what. And Jayden did not break eye contact until Helen called his name.

Jacob walked a bit faster. Standing in front of him now, a few steps away, were Shane and Kelly, with their younger sister Jordan. While Jordan was busy staring off into La-La land, Shane and Kelly were conversing amongst themselves. Jacob assumed it was about Nicole or Jacquelyn. Or both. Lately, they were the only things Shane talked about.

"Oh, there you are Jacob." Kelly said. "It's about time. I was thinking you left for your girlfriend."

"Nessa went home with James." Jacob said.

"Right." Kelly said before looking at Shane. "You need to get going. It isn't going to take Jay long to drop Helen off. Besides, Dad's at work and someone has to be there to watch Nicky."

"I'm going." Shane replied. "Let's go Jordan." Jordan did not respond, still deep in thought. "Mrs. Santos, this way."

That seemed to do it as Jordan's face reddened.

"We're not married Shane!" Jordan snapped at her older brother, though Shane merely shrugged and led the fuming girl away.

Kelly sighed. "Sometimes I wish I was an only child." Kelly then smiled. "Come on, let's get started on this. I promised Mr. McCall that this would be the best visual history report ever."

"Sure." Jacob said.

* * *

Two hours later, Dakota sat on her bed patiently while reading a book. She hated reading and only did it when it was a must. One of the reasons she owned such a vast collection of movies was to avoid reading the book the movie was based on.

The door opened to reveal Shane and Jayden.

"So this is what rehab looks like." Shane said looking around. "It looks like my bedroom strangely."

"How're you doing Dash?" Jayden asked as the redhead moved to hug him.

"I'm fine." Dakota said. "I've been bored out of my mind."

Jayden frowned. "What are you talking about? They're playing games and stuff down there."

"No one wants to talk to the 'celebrity' of the place." Dakota replied. "It's like ninth grade all over again."

"Ouch." Jayden said as he remembered how he, Dakota, and Helen were the target of many rude comments because their parents were celebrities. While Jayden and Helen managed to either ignore the comments or beat the person who said it, Dakota just took it.

"Kelly said you've been practicing with straws." Shane said with a grin. "I want to see how it works."

"Can't. I bent one." Dakota said. "It's really no good now. Which is alright, because I needed a new set anyway."

"I saw your extremely hot aunt yesterday." Jayden said.

Dakota sneered. "Jay, that's sick. Angie's like fifteen years older than you."

"Why do you have to remind me of things I know? Do you like to see me disappointed?" Jayden replied.

"No." Dakota said. "So, have you been working on any new songs?"

"Sit. I think I have one that will explain a lot." Jayden said.

* * *

Kelly sighed. "Thanks Jacob. I don't know what I'd do without you. This is perfect."

"No problem." Jacob said as he handed Kelly a CD in a case. "Just make sure you don't lose it. Shane loses things quickly."

"I know." Kelly said. Jacob stood up and she hugged him. "Thanks Jacob."

Jacob felt real awkward hugging Kelly. She was much more developed than Vanessa was and her skin was that much softer. And as she pulled her head away and blue met dark green, he felt compelled by something.

And they kissed. And one kissed turned into two. And two became five. That is, until Jacob pulled away.

"Vanessa." Jacob said.

"Yeah. Vanessa." Kelly said. "Thanks again."

"Yeah." Jacob said as Kelly walked out of the room in a hurry. "Crap."

* * *

Helen sat up in her bed to see Scarlett's smiling face.

"Let me guess, Jayden and DeWayne signed a contract that allows you to date both of them." Helen said.

"Ew. No." Scarlett said. "But… I know someone who wants to see you Saturday."

"Really? And what did this 'someone' say?" Helen asked.

"Well," Scarlett answered. "He said that since he doesn't want to be a third wheel, he should ask his favorite redhead to come with him. I'm summarizing, but you get the picture."

"Me and Alex with you and DeWayne? Sure." Helen said. "Now go away so I can go back to sleep."

"Okay. I'll tell you the time when DeWayne calls back. His sister is becoming a pain in my… You know." Scarlett said.

"Mm-hmm." Helen said. "Hey Scar, are you sure you want to be doing this? I mean, to Jayden that is."

"He's fine." Scarlett replied. "Go back to sleep. When you wake up, you'll see that I was right."

"Hopefully." Helen said.

* * *

"Hey," Jayden said to Shane. "Let me talk to Dash for a minute alone and I'll catch up."

"Sure." Shane said before leaving the room.

Dakota looked at Jayden. "Laura?" Jayden nodded. "I figured as much. She giving you a hard time?"

"In a disturbing way, yes she is. A very 'hard' time." Jayden remarked. "But, that's not the thing. The thing is, well, I think I'm… You know what I mean."

"Oh." Dakota said. "Well, she's not that bad."

"I know that Dash." Jayden said.

"So what's stopping you?" Dakota asked.

Jayden sighed. "Everything, I guess. Our friends. Our reputation. Ourselves." Dakota's eyebrows raised. "Look, if there is anyone who knows how different she and I are, it's you. And for some reason, right when I think I see someone new, I envision you at the ravine. I can't like the person I'm trying to hate. The girl I swore to get revenge on."

"Then maybe you're the problem." Dakota said. Jayden sighed heavily. "Think about it. Jackie and you aren't that much alike. In fact, the closest girl to you in comparison would be Helen. And when you first moved here, she hated you."

"But she didn't get my friends drunk for no reason." Jayden replied.

"No one is perfect Jay." Dakota said. "Maybe you should stop blaming Laura for everything she's done and try to move from that. Trust me. She's probably one of the best people I know."

"Then that's not saying much about me." Jayden said with a smile. Dakota grinned as Jayden neared the door. "I'll give it some thought and tell you what happens. You'll be okay, right?"

"If I don't go insane with boredom." Dakota answered.

"Good. See you later sis." Jayden said before leaving Dakota's room. Jayden saw Shane standing on the opposite side of the wall, staring at an invisible spot on the wall. "You ready or are you not done picturing Nicky's Playboy issue?"

Shane grinned. "Just on page four." Jayden began walking away. "So are you going to date Laura or not?"

Jayden paused in his step and looked at Shane.

"I…" Jayden could not think of anything else to say at the moment. He sighed, realizing that the truth was the best way. "I have something to tell you. The real reason I broke up with Scarlett." Shane nodded. "See, it started during our performance on Saturday."

And just like that, another person was in on the secret on what happened Saturday night.


	41. S2 Episode XI: Hate It or Love It

**Episode XI: Hate It or Love It**

Aaron stood with his older brother in front of the steps like any normal day. And like any normal day, the Masons, Jordan, and Nicole were running a bit late.

"Danni's plane comes in this afternoon." Jayden said to Aaron. "So I might need you to ride with me after school."

"Sure." Aaron said as Jayden's cell phone gave a beep to alert him that he had a text message. "Shane or Kelly?"

Jayden smiled as he looked at the message. "No. Someone else."

Aaron did not press the subject because Jayden would get angry if anyone pried into his life unwanted. Aaron then caught Dustin.

"Hey Dustin." Aaron said.

"Shut it A.J. I have someone to meet up with." Dustin replied as he continued walking past Aaron.

Jayden eyed Dustin for a moment before laughing. Dustin stopped in his tracks and glared at Jayden.

"Something funny?" Dustin asked.

"Let me be honest," Jayden said. "I've seen more terrifying kittens than you."

"You wait." Dustin said before entering the school.

"Let's see. Vanessa falls in love for my keyboard player. Ashton and Brie go from choking each other, to tutoring each other, to dating each other. Bambi's running around with Steven and now Dustin has become tough." Jayden said to Aaron. "Boy A.J, you sure know how to pick the most normal friends."

"Tell me about it." Aaron said.

"Hey A.J." Jordan said as she, Nicole, and her siblings came near them, Nicole and Shane talking while Kelly in a deep thought.

"Hey." Aaron responded as the two began to go up the steps.

"See you later Shane." Nicole said in an unusually sad tone.

Shane nodded as she walked after Aaron and Jordan.

"I guess it only got worse, huh?" Jayden asked Shane.

"That obvious?" Shane said. "It's not as bad as Kelly completely zoning out on me every five seconds."

"Not now Shane." Kelly said. "I'll see you two later."

Kelly walked up the steps and into the school. Shane and Jayden looked at one another. After their talk yesterday, the two had seen each other in a different light.

"So," Shane said. "You going to go find you-know?"

"Depends. You find out what Nathan said to Nicky?" Jayden responded.

"We're losers for this, you know that right?" Shane said.

"Don't admit it now. Danni hasn't even returned to say it." Jayden said. "But I guess you have a point. Your problems with Nicky and my problems with Laura do make us losers. Chasing after women. What would my dad think?"

"Well, let's look at the bright side." Shane said. "If we fail, we could always pull the 'hey I'm a rock star' gimmick and get someone else."

Jayden grinned. "Good idea."

* * *

Jordan and Aaron were currently walking towards Jordan's first period.

"So I think that if I can sneak into her room, I can delete it from her computer." Jordan concluded.

Aaron smiled. "Jordan, I don't think you have to do all of that. Besides, I don't think Kelly looks at a picture of us kissing."

"One, it was a clip. And two, it's not Kelly I'm worried about. It's Shane. He'll find it and copy it and then I'll have to worry about that." Jordan said. Jordan then glanced at a boy who she had in second period standing up, Dustin and Damon standing behind him, laughing. "That jerk!"

"Jordan what are-"

Jordan marched over to Dustin angrily.

"Is this what you turn to?" she asked angrily. Damon and Dustin exchanged glances before looking at Jordan. "You lose Chandra to Steven so you go bullying other students with Scooter? The same guy that picked on you on your _first day _here?"

"It's none of your damn business." Dustin said. "Now move out of my way."

"I'd like to see you move me." Jordan said defiantly.

Aaron stepped behind Jordan, giving his family glare towards his former friend. Seeing that Dustin actually averted his gaze, he would have to thank Danica for that trick. People really did grow frightened by the McDuelle glare.

"Let's go. More things for you to learn." Damon said before leading Dustin away.

"That just pisses me off." Jordan said turning to Aaron.

"What? Dustin hanging with Scooter? It's happened before." Aaron said.

"No." Jordan replied. "Dustin. Every time something doesn't goes his way, he always runs off to someone and tries to be their friend. Just when will he realize that it was and will always be just the three of us? Even if you and I are dating, we're still the only three that matter."

"It'll get through to him soon." Aaron said. "Come on. You like to be ten minute early, not eight."

Jordan smiled. "Sure. Let's go."

* * *

Chandra walked beside Steven down the halls, several of students looking at them. She felt a bit out of place, seeing as most of the ones that were staring were the same ones that spread the rumor about Jayden kicking her to the curb.

It seems as if everyone was just whispering until Chandra heard someone singing the song _Gold Digger_.

"Don't listen to them. They're single." Steven whispered to Chandra, gaining a smile as the two neared her locker. "So, what do you say that we hang out Saturday? My parents will be recording some duo, so I'll have the place to myself. Well, minus Ashton and Lily, but they're just minor problems."

"Sure." Chandra said. "Just as long as I don't have to hear any of this there."

"Well, they're just jealous." Steven said before kissing Chandra. "Because my girlfriend is the hottest one."

"Yeah." Chandra said with a smile.

* * *

Scarlett and Helen stood at Helen's locker as Scarlett told Helen about the plans for Saturday.

"And we should be home before midnight." Scarlett concluded. "Sounds about right to you?"

Helen sighed. "This isn't my first date, Scar. And besides, it's _you _that has the bad luck on dates."

"I…" Scarlett paused. "I do have some kind of bad luck on first dates."

"Yep." Helen said with a smile. "Hope DeWayne's got insurance. Or a raincoat." Scarlett rolled her eyes after thinking about her first two dates with Shane and Jayden. "But you shouldn't be worried about that now. You should worry about living to see it."

"Living…?" Scarlett asked.

"Uh, Danica McDuelle returns tonight and has specifically stated for you and Jayden to be dating by the time she returns." Helen answered. "And as much as I don't peg Jayden down for a snitch, I doubt he's going to step in-between you and her when she finds out that it was because you were strip teasing someone _during _Jayden's performance."

"I forgot about that." Scarlett said. "And she called last night saying that she wanted to see me. I screwed up Helen."

"No you didn't. Trust me. Give it a week or two and you'll be back at your neighbor's place flirting with no remorse, getting back massages and everything." Helen said.

Scarlett looked away. "I don't know."

"What?" Helen asked.

"Two days ago when I went to talk about Danni's house warming," Scarlett said. "I asked if we were cool and he hesitated."

"So?" Helen questioned.

"J.T _never_ hesitates." Scarlett said. "I think that something is wrong. Something that he isn't telling me."

"Don't worry about it. Just go do the announcements. I'll handle Jayden." Helen said.

"Sure." Scarlett said. "By the way, your mom called-"

"I know." Helen interrupted. "And I'll answer her when I feel like it or she comes down here one. For now, I just want today to end. It's Friday."

Scarlett smiled. "You're right."

* * *

Sitting in his first period class, Aaron watched Dustin out of the corner of his eye. His former friend had once again done the upmost dumbest thing and it was going to end bad. But Aaron did not care about that. In his mind, the true Aaron Jordan McDuelle waited. He waited for Dustin to raise a finger towards Jordan. Aaron was not that much of a fighter, but a defender was a totally different story.

Dustin, on the other hand, was currently thinking who his next target would be. Damon had gave him a basic layout on who made the best receivers for pranks. Of course, Aaron and Jordan were marked off because of Aaron's connection with Jayden and Jordan's older siblings. So that left Gabrielle, with or without Ashton.

Smiling, Dustin gave himself a mental pat on the back. Gabrielle made the best and easiest target only because it was too easy to find something wrong with her. He could make something up and people would believe him.

But then something caused his smile to falter. Aaron.

"What? You going to keep staring at me?" Dustin asked.

"I'm going to wait." Aaron replied.

"Wait?" Dustin repeated.

"Yes. I'm going to wait for you to do something stupid." Aaron said. "And then I'm going to show you-"

"You? Yeah right!" Dustin laughed. "Everyone knows that A.J Santos can't fight! I mean, did you not learn your lesson with Nate and Scooter?"

Aaron gritted his teeth. "It was two against one."

"Regardless, it'll be the same. Always." Dustin said. "You and your friends can sit and talk about all the pointless things in life. As for me? I'm going to live life."

"Without Bambi." Aaron said.

Dustin glared at him. "Who needs the slut anyway?"

Aaron did not respond. This day just keeps getting better and better.

* * *

Amber sighed. "Another test, another B. Hopefully a B. I can't really ask for anything lower or it'll drop my average."

Mary-Jane rolled her eyes. "You worry too much Amber."

"Not nearly as much as my parents." Amber responded. "They want me to get into Yale so bad."

"Yale?" Mary-Jane said. "In that case, you might want to give up the rest of your life studying."

"I know." Amber said. "So, anyway, what are you doing this weekend? Kind of a party that could be the perfect place for you to find someone new." Mary-Jane gave Amber a look that made Amber realize that the question was rhetorical. "Tyler. I get it."

"It's not like I wanted this to happen." Mary-Jane said.

"Right. You just wanted to keep your cake and eat it too." Amber replied.

"No. I wanted to keep my cake and eat someone else's. Duh." Mary-Jane said. "But, it looks like I won't be able to because _someone_ can't keep his mouth shut and posted it on the entire web."

Amber shrugged. "I think it's just bad karma."

"Karma? Yeah, right." Mary-Jane responded. "But if you want me to tell you what you _should_ do, is to stop beating around the bush and go ahead and date James before someone like Helen just comes and takes him."

Amber was going to retort to that, but she did realize that James had a few other female friends that knew he was single.

"You're right." Amber said.

"Aren't I always?" Mary-Jane replied.

* * *

Vanessa and Chandra continued their lab while occasionally looking at Ashton and Gabrielle.

"They're so cute." Chandra said.

"Aren't they?" Vanessa responded. "And speaking of couples, I hear you finally got yourself someone you wanted. Steven?"

Chandra smiled. "Well, it wasn't that hard. I mean, he does have good taste and I'm nearly perfect."

"Well at least you're not shy about it." Vanessa said.

"Hey, this is coming for someone who scored their tutor? I think you have no room to talk." Chandra said.

"Maybe not. But you sure didn't hesitate to forget one and move on to the other." Vanessa said. "I'm just saying Bambi, I think Dustin was really hurt by that."

Chandra shrugged. "So? When I actually went to see the loser, he blows me off. So he got what he deserves, just like I did."

"Okay." Vanessa stated.

* * *

Nicole looked at the problem with a complex expression, one that caused both Helen and Jayden to sigh. This would only be the _fiftieth _time they explained it to her.

"I think I get it." Nicole said unsurely.

"Are you sure? I mean, I can sit here all day just to avoid everyone else." Jayden said.

"No. I think I get it. Thanks." Nicole said going to finish the worksheet.

"Hey neighbor," Helen said, gaining Jayden's attention. "This is just a heads up. I'm going with my cousin and the loser to see a guy Saturday. So if you stop by and feel that I betrayed you in any way possible, remember I told you up front."

Jayden smiled. "Do people really think that I'm that selfish?"

"Yeah." Helen answered.

"It's fine." Jayden said. "Just remember what I told you. That skirt was my look. I will shoot whoever catches you in it that's not me."

"Wish I could wear it, but Scar's called dibs." Helen replied. "So, that's that. Plus, it's going to be a bit colder, so I don't think I would risk freezing my butt off for anyone."

"True." Jayden said.

"Hey," Helen said leaning on her elbows slightly. Both Jayden and Nicole knew what to expect next. "Tell me, what's going between you and Laura? Some people says that you two were talking the other day."

"It's really not something I should be sharing," Jayden began. "But, because Dash is currently unable to do so, she asked me to help Laura find her mom. Sunday."

"Really?" Helen asked.

"Would I do something like this if Dash hadn't have asked me?" Jayden asked.

Helen seemed to ponder his words before sitting back in her seat.

"You have a point." Helen said. "Still, doesn't mean I believe you completely. You are known to lie to people without a care."

"That's true too." Jayden said. "But Sunday, when I go find this woman, I'll make sure to call you on the way there and on the way back. Just to prove a point. If I had to rate Laura on a scale of one through ten on a scale that tells me how important she is to me, she'd be a zero. A flat out zero."

"That's mean." Nicole said.

"Well, she got my sister drunk, so call it payback." Jayden said. "If Dash wasn't so determined for me to do this, I would make Laura do it on her own. But, I love my sister."

"You take that relationship with Dakota to the extreme. She's still a dark and weird child." Helen stated.

Jayden grinned. "Aren't we all?"

* * *

When the bell rang for lunch, the students left their fourth period classes for wherever they were going to get lunch. Jordan and Aaron were walking together, as norm, when they spotted Dustin messing with Gabrielle's locker.

"That's it." Aaron said as he walked towards Dustin. "What's your problem?"

Dustin looked at Aaron. "Oh great. The cavalry."

"Stay away from Brie's locker." Aaron said.

"Or what? You going to hit me?" Dustin asked.

"Dustin, if you keep hanging around Scooter, then _I'll_ hit you." Jordan answered.

Dustin scoffed. "Like I haven't heard that one before."

"What's going on over here?" Damon said. "Oh, Dustin, looks like you've found my old friends, A.J and Jordan. They're dating now."

"Only because no one can put up with them." Dustin stated.

"That's true." Damon said. "Hey, A.J, I'm running short on cash."

"So?" Aaron replied.

"Let me rephrase myself," Damon said. "Give me everything you have in your pocket. Both of you."

"…" Aaron and Jordan glanced at one another before glaring at Dustin.

"Bullying little kids again?" The four turned to see Laura, who was laughing slightly. "Seriously Scooter, I thought we were passed that."

"Heh. Sorry. Old habits die hard. Did you want something from them?" Damon asked.

"No." Laura said. "But I'll give you just ten seconds to leave them alone. Aaron is _my_ target, remember?"

Damon glared at her. "Like hell! I got to him first!"

"Yeah, but we both know that when Jayden hears this, you're going to run off like some scared punk." Laura said. "I can deal with Jayden. And like I said, Aaron is _my_ target. That would include Jordan by association."

"Fine." Damon said. "I'll leave. This time. But the next time _my_ protégé picks a target, he gets it."

"Whatever." Laura said.

"Come on Dustin." Damon said as Dustin followed Damon away.

Jordan sighed. "Great. We keep our money only to give it to her."

Laura snorted. "I don't want your money. Hell, I don't even want to look at you. But," Laura paused. "Let's just say that it was a good thing that I was walking this way."

Aaron stood in silence. A few months ago, Jayden had told him to stay away from Laura at all costs. She was trouble. And now, here Laura was, helping. It did not add up, but Aaron felt that his brother was behind this. Somehow.

"Unless you want to upgrade from her to someone with looks and experience like me," Laura said, breaking Aaron's thoughts. "I suggest you put your eyes back in your head and go."

"She's right." Jordan said. "Let's go A.J."

"Sure." Aaron replied. "Just one question though. Why?"

Laura smirked. "Don't worry about it. Just know that there are some things that are better left unsaid. Now go."

Jordan and Aaron walked off to the cafeteria.

"You owe me Jayden." Laura stated to no one before walking the opposite direction.

* * *

Chandra sat quietly as she stared across the table at James and Amber. She was not sure, but she swore that this could be considered as a double-date, minus the fact that they were eating lunch and James and Amber were not dating.

"So," Steven said to James. "Mary and that Tyler guys seems to be still cozy."

James shrugged. "Not my problem."

"Don't you guys have one of those meetings today?" Amber asked.

"Crap. I forgot about that." James said. "But, we're not meeting the Lakehurst people until… Next Tuesday, right?"

Chandra nodded. "Yeah. And it's our school."

"So what do you guys do?" Amber questioned.

"Talk." James said. "That's all we do. Talk and listen. We wait for Mary-Jane to throw a comment to Scarlett or Chandra and we listen for the Fitzgerald twins to tell us how rich they are."

"It's _really_ annoying." Chandra said.

"I bet." Steven replied. "It's a good thing I didn't get chosen to do that."

"Ditto." Amber said with a smile.

"We should hang-out more often." Steven said. "I guess we all have a common dislike for Mary-Jane."

Chandra frowned slightly. While she could think of the reasons Amber and James had for disliking Mary-Jane, Steven's was a mystery to her and he was her boyfriend.

Seeing to recognize the look, Amber gave Chandra a reassuring smile.

"Steven has had a crush on Mary-Jane since we were like in the sixth grade." Amber explained. "And she has rejected him every single year."

"Oh." Chandra said.

Steven put an arm around her. "But that's in the past."

"Sure it is." Chandra said with a smile.

Amber grinned at the scene before turning to James. Though he did not say it, she could tell what he was thinking. This was the same weird relationship that his sister was in. And no matter what the age difference was, they were happy.

"Well, I know one good thing that came out of this," James said. "Now I have someone to look after V for me."

Chandra smiled. "It's a deal."

* * *

Jayden stood in the cafeteria by the soda machine with Scarlett.

"I don't think you're a jinx." Jayden said.

"But think about it," Scarlett replied. "My first date with Shane, he got hit with a swinging door. My first date with you, it rained. None of your other dates were like that and neither were Shane's with Nicky and Jackie. So it's got to be me."

"Well, since you put it like that, you might have a point." Jayden said. Scarlett glared at him with a small smile. Jayden laughed. "I'm playing, sort of. You're not a jinx. You just have a really weird coincidence following you."

"That makes it all the better." Scarlett said sarcastically.

"Well look at it like this," Jayden said. "I've dated two of the three Coyne Cousins. If I was like you, then I'd be bound to date Torrie. But since she's a hopeless flirt, I doubt that that'll happen."

Scarlett sighed. "You're right. I just wish I knew a way to insure that I don't do something stupid."

"Since we'll see each other later," Jayden said. "I'll help you out at Danni's. Well, I guess it'll be smarter if I waited afterwards."

"Yeah." Scarlett said.

"So afterwards, I'll help you out." Jayden replied. "Sounds like a plan?"

"It's a date." Scarlett responded, putting an awkward silence between them. "I mean…"

"See you there." Jayden said grabbing his Sprite and walking away.

Scarlett sighed before going to her own table. Nicole and Helen gave Scarlett a curious look before Helen smirked.

"You said something stupid, didn't you?" Helen asked.

"It was an honest mistake." Scarlett said. "I really didn't mean to say it."

"What did you say?" Nicole questioned.

"Nothing." Scarlett answered. "Let's just get through with this day."

Gabrielle sighed. "Why does everyone messes with _my_ locker?"

"I don't know." Ashton said. "But I'm not going to wait until he and Scooter finally pranks you."

"It'll be okay Ashton. I promise." Gabrielle said, remembering what Nathan's words were. He did say if _anyone_ was giving her trouble and Dustin clearly was someone.

"I say just let them be." Vanessa said. "They won't be that stupid to mess with any of us. I mean, Jordan has her older siblings, A.J has Jayden, Ashton and Gabrielle have Steven, hopefully, and I have James. Any of them would murder Scooter and Dustin."

"True." Ashton said.

"It's not that I want to beat Dustin," Aaron said. "I just need him to wake up before he walks up to the wrong person."

Ashton sighed. "Santos, you can't save them all."

"I'm not trying to." Aaron replied. "It's just whenever he does something stupid, Jordan and I usually end up having to help him back to normal."

"This is true." Jordan added.

"So it's best if we stop his mistakes before they grow." Aaron concluded.

"Say what you want. If he crosses me the wrong way or Brie, I won't consider him as a 'friend' as you do." Ashton said.

"I'm sure." Aaron said.

* * *

When the bell rang for the end of lunch, Steven and Chandra had just returned with James and Amber.

"Come on Chandra," Steven said. "Let's get you to class on time before you lose that brain of yours."

"Sure." Chandra said before she walked away with Steven, hand-in-hand.

"Well… They are something." Amber said.

"Something doesn't begin to cover it." James said. "Then again, at least they're happy together."

Amber gave James a mock pout. "You're not happy hanging out with me?"

"I… Yeah. I'm happy hanging out with you." James answered. "But that's not what I meant."

"What do you mean?" Amber asked.

"I mean, at least they are happy together. Keyword being together." James said. "You and I aren't together."

"We don't have to stay like that, do we?" Amber replied. "I mean, you're not dating Mary-Jane anymore and I'm single."

James grinned. "Sometimes, it's good that you know me as well as you do."

Amber smiled as well before James kissed her. She would have backed off from the kiss, but she could not. So therefore, she responded. And that one kissed blossomed into something more.

"Mr. Brooks. Ms. Clarke." the two broke away as they saw Darcy. "Class."

"Yes ma'am." the two said in unison before walking away, laughing a bit.

Darcy shook her head. "Kids."

* * *

Jacob walked down the hall to his fifth period class after dropping Vanessa off at her class.

"Jacob!" Jacob turned to see Kelly coming to him. After one of the most uncomfortable lunches ever, he was surprised that she would want to talk to him. "We need to talk about what happened yesterday."

"It didn't." Jacob said.

"It did." Kelly said. "But, we're just friends, got it? That wasn't supposed to happen. None of them."

"Whatever. I have to tell Vanessa this." Jacob said.

"What?" Kelly exclaimed.

"If I don't, and she finds outs, not only will she be mad, but I would have broken a promise." Jacob explained. "She's not going to be but so mad if I tell her the truth."

Kelly sighed. "Fine, fine, whatever. Let's just make sure that that never happens again, okay?"

"Yeah." Jacob said before Kelly gave him a smile and walked away. "Oh brother…"

* * *

Jayden was near his fifth period before Laura caught up to him.

"Hey, come to ask for a rematch?" Jayden asked.

"No. Come to tell you to watch your brother's back." Laura said. Jayden frowned. "Scooter and his new 'protégé' are targeting A.J and his friends. I can only do so much without caring."

Jayden nodded. "Thanks. I'll handle it. Both of them."

"This counts as a favor." Laura said.

"Sure." Jayden said before smirking. "But it doesn't count as the favor I won. And when I can think of what it is I want you to do for me, I'll let you know."

Laura glared at him. "You're really not making this easy for me."

"I know. But you look so sexy when you're mad that I just can't help myself." Jayden said. "See you Sunday."

Laura sighed. She had thought that helping Aaron would count as the favor that Jayden would want. Instead, she ended up doing it for nothing. She gave a small smile. Jayden really was the regional champion of human chess.

* * *

At the sound of the final bell, several of students rushed out to leave for the weekend. Chandra was currently walking down the halls to get to Steven. He was the only person that stopped the whispers.

"Look at her. She's gone from one child celeb to another."

"Sad."

"Doesn't she know that he pops pills?"

"What a groupie."

The last comment made Chandra's face redder than ever before and she marched to the ninth grader who said that and promptly slapped her hard. The slap could be heard across the entire hall, and the students stopped instantly.

"I am _not_ a groupie." Chandra muttered.

The girl who Chandra slapped looked at her with a mixture of pain and anger. She was going to jump for Chandra until an applause stopped them. The two girls turned to see Helen clapping.

"I'm proud of you Bambi. You finally found a backbone." Helen said. "Gail, beat it." The girl who Chandra had just recently slapped walked away. Helen looked at Chandra. "I guess now you feel what I felt when you were after Jayden and _I_ was dating him. All these rumors and comments just get to you, right?"

"Yeah." Chandra said.

"Don't apologize. You actually make a better bitch than I do." Helen said before walking off.

"Did my eyes deceive me or did Helen actually give someone a compliment?" Steven asked coming to Chandra.

Chandra smiled. "Yeah. She did."

"So," Steven said. "You're going to call when you get out?"

"Yeah." Chandra said before Steven leaned to give her a kiss. "See you later."

"Later." Steven said before walking away.

Chandra smiled. This day had to be the best day of her life. Or at least, one of them.

* * *

Vanessa frowned. Jacob told her that he had to tell her something urgent and that slightly startled her.

"So what is it?" Vanessa asked.

Jacob sighed. "Kelly and I kissed."

The answer had come out so straightforward and apologetic that Vanessa had no clue on how to react. So instead, she replayed his response in her head slower, giving her more time to respond.

"What happened?" Vanessa questioned.

"I helped her with her project, like I said, but because I actually pulled it off, she got so happy that she hugged me. And… I guess… I don't know. We kissed." Jacob said. "Sorry."

"You kissed?" Vanessa said. "Jacob, are you serious?"

"I'm really, _really_ sorry. I was waiting for the best time to tell you and-"

"You were going to tell me?" Vanessa asked.

Jacob nodded. "I couldn't lie to you."

The response made Vanessa smile and she hugged him.

"You're such a nerd Isaacs." Jacob was confused by this, but hugged her nonetheless. "But if you _ever_ do that again, I'll kill you, okay?" Jacob looked at Vanessa, who smiled. "Kidding! I know you'd never purposely cheat on me."

"Never." Jacob said.

* * *

Later that evening, Jayden stared at his older sister, who had walked into their parents house with a large smile.

"Mama! Dad!" Danica called.

"Boy, and you somehow made honor roll? I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to know that they're not here." Jayden replied. Danica glared at him. "But I'm here. You know, your favorite little brother who you're going to tell _countless_ of stories to?"

"Where'd they go?" Danica asked.

"I don't know. I had some meeting after school. Gone when I got here." Jayden said. "What did you want?"

"I wanted to show them my new place, but since they're not here," Jayden nearly choked as Danica threw an arm around his neck. "You're coming with me."

"Danni… You do know that I can drive myself." Jayden said.

"That's too bad! Come on." Danica said dragging Jayden out of the house.

* * *

Alexander sighed. "Man, I don't want to mess this up tomorrow."

"Really? I couldn't tell." DeWayne responded.

"Come on. Helen's a tough person to please. She's not like…" Alexander paused.

DeWayne glanced at Alexander. "Who? My sister?"

"Either way," Alexander said. "I don't know her. She's new territory. She could very well be allergic to the one thing I order."

"Alex, you worry too much." DeWayne said. "Besides, do you not see how close Scarlett and I are? If you mess up, we will help you. I promise."

Deanna walked into DeWayne's room.

"Mom says to make sure that you do not wreck her car tomorrow." Deanna said.

"Figures." DeWayne muttered. "I get the stupid thing once a year and she's worried that I might do something stupid with it."

"That's because she knows her son. He's like his dad." Deanna said. "Speaking of which, Winston says that you have been spending quite a lot lately. Stop it."

DeWayne smirked. "Yeah right. I'm just getting started."

"You know what's going to happen if you get in-between Mom and her husband." Deanna said. "But, I guess if you must, go ahead. Just clean yourself up when she's done with you." Deanna was going to leave but turned around. "By the way, do you think you could introduce me to your friend's ex?"

"Jayden McDuelle?" DeWayne asked. Deanna nodded. "Not a chance."

"Fine. I'll do it myself." Deanna said before walking off.

"Your sister has that look again." Alexander said.

"Well, heaven help us." DeWayne said.

* * *

Jayden was once again in a headlock as Danica walked him towards her apartment.

"You're going to have to suffer because no one else is around." Danica said before releasing him to get her key. "And once you see it you'll be-"

"SURPRISE!" the people within the apartment shouted, causing Danica to yelp in shock.

Jayden smirked. "By the way Danni, I've seen it like three times now."

"Welcome home baby." Manny said hugging Danica.

Danica hugged her tightly. "Thank you Mama."

"Hey, what about me? I helped." Maxwell said as Danica released Manny and hugged her father. "That's more like it."

Danica released Maxwell to see the people who were there.

"Sophie!" Danica squealed at her friend.

"Danni!" Sophie replied as the two hugged.

"So hot…" Shane muttered as Kelly elbowed him in his side. "Ow!"

"Well," Jayden said coming to the Shane and Kelly. "Danni's home. That can only mean one thing."

"What?" Kelly asked.

"Someone has to choose to watch after her. It's not like she can be as responsible as I am." Jayden said with a smile.

Kelly sighed. "Whatever Jay."

Danica hugged Scarlett. "You look really good Scar. Must've shopped where I told you." Scarlett nodded. "So… Did you go like I said?"

"Yes." Scarlett said. "And it was great. Thanks."

"Who's this?" Sophie Cohen asked as she looked at Scarlett.

"Sophie, this is my former neighbor Scarlett. Scar, this is Sophie. I told you about her, right?" Scarlett nodded. "Well, now you can put a face with the name. But back to current matters. Tell me, you and Jayden dating?"

"It's… It's complicated." Scarlett said.

Danica frowned. "It's a yes or no answer."

"Danni," Manny called. "Have you seen your room?"

"No." Danica said. "I'm coming."

Joseph Santos looked over to see his daughter and his son-in-law talking.

"That boy still hasn't cut his hair." Mr. Santos said to his wife.

Mrs. Julietta Santos smiled. "He likes to keep it long for some reason. Like Jayden."

"It's unmanly." Mr. Santos said before Danica came to them.

"Grandpa. Nana." Danica said hugging both of them at one time. "This is so cool. I got my own place and everyone's here to see it. I get to be the center of attention, _again_. Do you know how long it's been since I could do this? Sixteen years."

"Mari," Mrs. Santos said, referring to Danica with her middle name as always. "You know that your parents love all of you equally. You are just the oldest."

"Yeah, I've heard that before." Danica said before Jenée and Renée hugged her legs. She looked down at the twins. "Oh great. If it isn't the two gremlins come to take away my grandparents."

Mr. Santos actually smiled. "They are really attached to their big sister. She is a good role model for them."

Danica's eyes widened. "Y-you think that I'm a good role model? After all that I-"

"If I can accept the things your mother did and who she married, I can accept my oldest granddaughter for who she is." Mr. Santos said. "And that is the most determined, hard-working young lady in the world."

Danica hugged him again. "Thanks Grandpa."

Maxwell and Manny were currently speaking to Maxwell's mother and stepfather.

"I tell you," Maxwell said. "I feel old now."

"You are old son." Mrs. MacKaine said. "Your daughter will be twenty-one in May."

"This is true." Maxwell said.

"How are you doing Manny?" Mrs. MacKaine asked. "The last time we talked, I think you had a cold."

"Yeah, but I'm better now." Manny answered.

"She had her midlife crisis the other day." Maxwell said.

"I did not!" Manny protested.

"It's good to see that you two are still children on the inside." Mrs. MacKaine said before looking around. "Where's Jayden? He hasn't come over to speak to me yet."

"Your grandson is a hopeless romantic." Maxwell replied. "He's probably talking to Scarlett."

"Really? Reminds me of a boy I used to know." Mrs. MacKaine said. "He was about the same complexion, nice brown eyes. Hair always done in a variety of cornrow patterns. He thought he was the hottest thing that hit California since the summer time."

"And he was." Maxwell said. "Because he scored the hottest thing that stepped onto the silver screen ever."

"Nice cover." Manny said with a smile.

Maxwell put an arm around her. "You know I try."

Jayden and Scarlett were currently in Danica's guest bedroom.

"I guess it's safe for me to say that you two aren't dating, huh?" Danica said entering the room.

"No we're not." Jayden said. "We were for a while, but something happened." Danica's eyes cut towards Scarlett. "No. It was my fault."

Danica crossed her arms. "I'm dying to hear it."

"I'll tell you later." Jayden said. "Anyway, Scarlett has a date tomorrow and I was giving her some dos and don'ts from our previous dates."

Danica sighed. "Sure. Just don't mess the bed up."

"Whatever." Jayden said as his sister left the room.

"You didn't have to lie for me." Scarlett told him. "I knew she was going to be mad, so I just let it go."

"Yeah, I know, I-"

"Dude!" Shane said coming into the room. "Hottest girl ever just entered!"

"Seriously?" Jayden asked before leaving with Shane.

"Hey Bella." Manny said hugging Isabella.

"Hey." Isabella said. "It's been forever." Isabella released her and looked at Maxwell before hugging him too. "You always give me that look."

"You always have a reason for me to." Maxwell said. "How's your mother?"

"Fine. My sister's coming down here to live with me. She'll be down here Sunday night." Isabella said.

"Great. Another girl who wants to find the cute boys in the area." Maxwell said.

Isabella rolled her eyes playfully. "No Mr. McDuelle, she's not like Danni. She's-"

"_Me_? Weren't you who introduced me to France's nude beaches?" Danica interrupted.

Isabella smiled. "Not now Danni. I'm talking."

Jayden and Shane looked at one another.

"Your sister has the sexiest friends in the world." Shane said.

"You take Sophie and I take Bella?" Jayden suggested.

"Why?" Shane asked.

"Because Sophie is like family." Jayden replied. "So what do you say?"

Shane shrugged. "It's a deal."

"Grow up you two." Scarlett commented before walking towards Isabella and the others.

Isabella looked down. "You are prettier in person." Isabella hugged Scarlett. "Oh man, Danni's told me so much about you. Says you have issues. But don't worry, I'm going to get me a degree in Psychology to help."

"Oh great. That's just what I need. A counselor." Scarlett said with a smile.

"Mari," Mrs. Santos said. "Come tell us of your trip with Isabella."

"Coming Nana." Danica said before grabbing Isabella's and Scarlett's hands. "Come on you two. Story time."

"See you later." Isabella said to Maxwell and Manny as Danica pulled her away.

"You ever get the feeling that something wow is going to happen?" Manny asked her husband.

Maxwell laughed. "Something 'wow'? You're going to have to explain that to me."

"You know what I mean. Something so big that you can't do anything but say wow." Manny said.

"All the time." Maxwell said. "Now, let's go speak to Emma and Sean. I'm sure Danni can entertain the others."

"Right." Manny said. "Oh and Max? I'm so glad to spend these last twenty years with you."

Maxwell smiled. "Ditto Dimples."


	42. S2 Episode XII: Simple and Clean

**Episode XII: Simple and Clean**

Danica sipped the coffee. "Run this by me again."

Jayden sighed. "So, Scarlett was dancing with this DeWayne guy. I left and I ran into Laura. And-"

"Okay. Stop right there." Danica said. "What the hell were you thinking leaving with her?"

"I wasn't." Jayden replied. "I just did."

Danica gave a heavy sigh. "So you broke up with her due to your own guilty conscience? And you haven't told her?"

"I can't." Jayden said. "I mean, she'd be pissed. And then I'd lose whatever chance I'm hanging on."

"Even if you're really into Laura?" Danica questioned. "I mean, I know exactly what you're going to do."

"You do?" Jayden asked.

Danica nodded. "Mm-hmm. I mean, I said it earlier. She's a real pretty girl, just with problems. She's like your Lois Lane."

Jayden laughed. "You've been hanging around Sophie and Scott too much."

"Just think about it. She's going to keep having more and more problems and you're going to keep helping until you're together." Danica said. "I just want to know if you can somehow get over that forsaken guilty conscience of yours. I mean, it's a _great_ thing I didn't develop it or else I would be blabbering on for days the things I've done and haven't told anyone."

"You're really not helping." Jayden said.

"Go for it." Danica said.

"Really?" Jayden asked.

"Mm-hmm." Danica said sipping more of the beverage. "You seem to like her and I doubt that she actually hates you. I mean, if that's her way of saying how she 'hates' someone, I can't wait to see what she'd do if she liked you, let alone love."

"Well, Laura is incapable of loving, so I don't have to worry about that." Jayden said.

Danica smiled. "You are really one dumb person, did you know that? No female, girl, lady, woman, can be incapable of loving."

"You haven't met Laura then." Jayden said.

"I have, remember? Like I said, she just has problems." Danica replied. "My suggestion is that you befriend her."

"Yeah right. Do you know what'll happen then?" Jayden asked.

"Next to you losing your precious reputation, no, I don't." Danica answered.

Jayden sat quietly, only because this was the second time that he had heard that statement. Strange enough, it was Laura who first brought it up.

"If you really want to stay mad at her, do what you have to do tomorrow, and separate." Danica said. "But if you somehow can't muster enough courage or strength to leave her alone, then I suggest it's best to just be her friend. At least a friend. And stop screwing her. It's disgusting to hear about."

"Like I want to hear you with random guys." Jayden replied, gaining a cold stare from his sister. "Like I was saying…"

"I'm going to ignore that, just this once." Danica said. "But I will tell you this once more. Befriend her and see what happens. Sooner or later you're going to have to let your petty pride go."

"Pride?" Jayden asked.

"Yeah. All that swearing to avenge Dakota stuff is really getting annoying. Besides, if Dakota forgives Laura, then why can't you?" Danica responded. Jayden opened his mouth. "You seem to forget who you're talking to. I know you. And from what I'm seeing, the only thing that's killing you now is yourself. You might need to change. Fast."

Jayden nodded. "Thanks Danni." Jayden then stood up. "I'll be back."

"Where are you going?" Danica asked.

"To find my friend." Jayden said with a grin.

Danica smiled. "Remember: Wrap it before you tap it."

Jayden laughed with his older sister as he left her apartment. It was so good to have her back again, despite how annoying she could be.

"Let's see if this works." Jayden said to himself.

* * *

Nicole sat up in her bed, her body drenched in a cold sweat. She was shivering beneath the sheets and her hair went in many unkempt ways. Her natural blue eyes stared at the foot of the bed as she tried to regain her breath.

"Hey Nicky, are you alright? I heard screaming." Shane said opening the door.

Nicole nodded. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? I have to leave for work soon and I didn't want you to be left alone if you weren't feeling well." Shane said.

"…" Nicole was silent. "Shane, have you ever thought about all the mistakes you've made? That… If you hadn't done what you did, everyone would be better off?"

"What are you talking about Nicky?" Shane asked.

"My parents. Harry. You. Nathan." Nicole answered.

"Nathan? What does he have to do with this?" Shane said.

"He said he loved me." Nicole said. "And now…"

Shane sighed as he stepped into Nicole's room. Lately, her depression has seemed to worsen and he was trying his best to make her smile. But that was getting harder and harder as time went by.

"Hey," Shane said. "How about after work, you and I go see Harry or go get some ice cream? Anything to keep you from being all down."

Nicole shook her head. "I don't really feel like doing anything."

"Well, when I get home, we can just lie around. Whatever you want. Just smile. Please." Shane said.

"I'll try Shane. You should get to work before your dad gets angry." Nicole said.

Shane nodded. "Sure. I'll have Sean call or come by. Just to keep you company."

"Thanks." Nicole replied as Shane left her room. She lied back in her bed and stared at the ceiling. "I'm such a mess-up."

* * *

Paige had never seen her daughter move so around so energetic and happily in such a long time that it brought a smile to the former queen bee's face.

"So," Paige said as she moved to her daughter's room. "What is it?"

Mary-Jane smiled. "Mom, I'm going on a date with this amazing guy!"

"Really? What's his name?" Paige asked.

"His name is Tyler Walton. And he's the hottest-"

"I'm sorry," Paige said frowning a bit. "What was his last name again?"

"Walton." Mary-Jane said, seeing the frown on her mother's face. "His dad played hockey for the Canadiens."

Paige's eyes widened. "Oh my God…"

"Mom? Is there something wrong?" Mary-Jane asked.

"No. No, but you can't see this Tyler guy." Paige said. "I… I have to go find your father."

And with that, Paige quickly left Mary-Jane's doorway. Mary-Jane's frown had only deepened at her mother's actions, but she brushed them aside. It would not be the first time her mother told her she could not date someone and she has.

"Her problems." Mary-Jane said to herself.

Meanwhile, Marco was interrupted in grading papers by his wife, who opened the door to their home office with great strength.

"What's wrong?" Marco asked worriedly.

"Mary-Jane is dating Dean's son!" Paige said frantically.

"Hold on," Marco said. "Are you saying Dean as in Dean Walton?" Paige nodded. "Are you sure? I-"

"How many other Waltons do you know that lives in this area and played for Montreal?" Marco frowned in thought. There was only one person that came to mind. "I can't let her date him. I can't let her even _see_ him."

"Paige, honey, you can't put what Dean did on his son. He might be a nice guy. In-"

"I'm not risking that chance." Paige said.

"Are you alright Mommy?" Angele Del-Rossi asked coming behind Paige.

"Mommy's fine. Please go play somewhere Angele." Paige said as her youngest child walked away. "We must do something."

Marco sighed. "Paige, I'll talk to Mary. Just don't flip out over this, okay? We don't need Justin and Angele hearing about this."

"Right." Paige said.

* * *

Jayden knocked on the door once more before Mr. Reynolds opened it.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Uh, I'm looking for Laura." Jayden said. "I'm her friend, Jayden McDuelle."

Mr. Reynolds's eyes narrowed. "So you're this Jayden that I've been hearing about."

"Hearing about?" Jayden repeated in an unsure voice.

"The singer in Juvenile Grace. Dakota's dubbed brother." Mr. Reynolds said. "I was starting to think that there was something going on between you and Laura because of how much she talks about you to Torrie and Dakota."

"Really? I didn't think I left that much of an impression on her." Jayden stated. "She tends to give me the-"

"Dad, who are you talking to?" Laura asked before peering out at Jayden. "Jayden?"

"Hey." Jayden said. "Are you busy?"

"…" Laura stood quietly as she looked at her father and her crush. She knew Jayden was expecting some snappy or witty comeback while her father has known her to be quite composed at times. This was going to be a long day. "No. Come in."

Mr. Reynolds stepped aside and allowed Jayden to enter the house for what he thought was the first time.

"Laura tells me that you've gone to visit Dakota," Mr. Reynolds said. "How is she?"

"She's hanging in there." Jayden answered. "She's practicing her drumming with straws. Quite hilarious actually."

"And how so?" Mr. Reynolds asked.

"Well," Jayden said. He was already getting grilled by Laura's dad and they were hardly friends. "Dash says that they won't allow her to bring a drum set to her room, nor will they let her have drumsticks outside of their little recreational room for whatever the reason, so she took two straws and began to drum on her books. It's only because she only has one pencil in her room."

"Oh." Mr. Reynolds said before looking at Laura. "Laura, I'm going to be in my room. If Mr. Cameron calls, tell him that I'll be in the shop later. And don't miss the bus to go to your dance class."

"Sure Dad." Laura said. Mr. Reynolds left down the hall before Laura marched up to Jayden and grabbed his wrist tightly. She nearly dragged him to her room where she slung him towards her bed and closed her door. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I can't stop by?" Jayden asked.

"No!" Laura whispered fiercely. "This was not part of our agreement!"

Jayden looked at Laura's TV. "You have _August Rush_ on DVD? Isn't that movie like fifty years old?"

"No! And stop switching the subject!" Laura responded.

Jayden plopped on Laura's bed. "I came to establish some sort of friendship with you to see if its all worth it. Obviously, you and your dad thinks it's a bad thing for me to be here, so I'll leave in like five minutes." Jayden smirked. "Enough time for you to go to your dance classes."

"If you tell anyone about that-"

"You know," Jayden interrupted. "You threat me a lot when I learn something about you. And from what I heard, the same thing applies to Dash. Why is that?"

Laura glared at Jayden. "Listen here Jayden. I'm not in a good mood today because of something."

"Like?" Jayden asked.

"That's none of your damn business." Laura answered.

"Oh come on. Who am I going to tell?" Jayden replied. "Just go ahead and tell me and I'll tell you what Danni thinks of you." Laura did not say anything, causing Jayden to sigh. "About what I said in the boiler room. Let me clarify it."

"You and I have to hate each other to be in the other's company. I know." Laura said. "You're going to keep toying with me until someone else comes by. I'm not stupid Jayden."

"Maybe you are." Jayden responded.

"Don't play with me." Laura said.

"Listen," Jayden said. "I'm not really in a rush to get over Scarlett, only because I worked my butt off to date her in the first place. But I like being with you. There's no strings attached. And when I say or do something, it's me that does it. Not the lead singer of JG. Not the son of Max and Manny McDuelle. Not some extremely great looking athlete with the perfect smile." Laura rolled her eyes at the last comment. "But me. You see me as I am. And I appreciate it."

"Well, congratu-freaking-lations. You've finally come to understand what I said in the first place!" Laura said throwing her hands up. "You could've said this over the phone! It would have been much easier to dodge this subject at dinner tonight!"

"Get dressed." Jayden said standing up.

'What?" Laura asked.

"Get dressed. I'm going to take you somewhere." Jayden said again. Laura looked at him confused. "Come on, neither of us have all day."

"Are you going to leave while I get dressed?" Laura asked.

"And miss the chance of seeing your sexy and curvy body? Fat chance." Jayden said. "Come on. Don't tell me you're scared because your dad is here. Didn't think that you were such a pussy."

Laura scowled. "Fine." She took her shirt off and threw it at Jayden before going to her closet to get a change of clothes. "Why do I have to put up with you?"

"Because," Jayden said in her ear. She flinched because she had not heard him stepping behind her. "I give you a challenge and you like it."

"Move so I can get dressed. Pervert." Laura said.

"Say what you like." Jayden said before hitting play on the DVD player. "So I take it that you like this movie for whatever the reason may be. I found it a little too depressing."

"I relate to it." Laura stated. "Sort of."

"Sort of?" Jayden asked.

"Since my mother basically abandoned me, I've always tried to find her." Laura explained, slipping on a pair of jeans. "Unlike the movie, me and her don't have a knack for music. We have it for dancing." Laura grabbed some shoes and moved to her bed. "Plus, I like the song sang at the end."

"Really? I never would have guessed it." Jayden said before eying the girl. "What? No leather jacket?"

"Call it a change of heart. The only time without it." Laura answered as she stood up directly in front of him. "So? Shall we go?"

The two stared at one another, a familiar feeling building up inside.

"Yeah." Jayden said quietly before forcing his eyes to look elsewhere. "Do you have to check in with your dad first?"

Laura scoffed. "What? Like you just leave the house anytime you damn well please?" Laura turned around and looked over her shoulder. "I'll be back. _Don't_ touch _anything_! Understood?"

"You look really sexy angry." Jayden replied, gaining another scoff and Laura walked out. Jayden turned to her bed and had flashes of what occurred a week ago. It was strange how that one event had cause this to happen.

"It's a bed." Laura's voice broke his thoughts and he looked up to see the girl with her arms crossed. "So are we going or what?"

"Yeah." Jayden said walking towards her door. The two came face to face once more and froze. "We should stop meeting like this before we forget that we're supposed to hate each other."

"You're right." Laura replied.

Jayden led Laura to the living room where they were stopped by Mr. Reynolds.

"Don't forget about your class." he told his daughter.

"I'm not. Jayden's going to drop me off." Laura said.

"Hmm…" Mr. Reynolds said as he gave Jayden a critical eye. "Why is he the first boy to come here? And how does he even know our address."

"Dash told him. I told you they were like brother and sister." Laura lied smoothly. She gave Mr. Reynolds a hug. "Don't worry about him Dad. You know that if he were no good, I would've beaten him into the ground by now. It'll be twice as easy since he doesn't hit women."

"Oh really?" Mr. Reynolds asked, directing the statement towards Jayden.

"No. My parents and sister would kill me if I did." Jayden replied.

"By the way," Laura said to her dad. "His mom is best-friends with Mrs. Cameron. Maybe he can help you get that raise that you've been wanting."

"Are you trying to make me like him?" Mr. Reynolds asked, looking down at his daughter.

"Trust him. Big difference." Laura answered.

"Well," Mr. Reynolds said. "If you and Dakota trusts him, then I can at least trust him. But if he hurts you…"

Laura sighed. "Dad, I told you already. He can't hurt women. The last time Dash was hurt, he nearly broke down himself. He's a softie. The money has him sheltered up."

It took all of Jayden not to reply to that. If anything, money in his life has made him see _more_ than the average person and he was nowhere near as sheltered as many people would believe. Plus, no one called him a softie and gets away with it. No one.

"Alright." Mr. Reynolds said. "Call me if you need me."

"I will." Laura said. "Come on Jayden. Let's go."

"Sure." Jayden said. "Nice meeting your Mr. Reynolds."

"Uh-huh." Laura's father replied as Jayden closed the door behind him.

Jayden followed Laura to the red Mercedes.

"Softie? I got your softie." he said.

Laura smirked. "Don't tell me I hurt your feelings."

"Get in the car." Jayden said opening the door.

Laura gave a small laugh before getting into the car as well.

* * *

Danica grumbled to herself as she got out of bed, for the second time this morning, to answer the door. She nearly growled as she opened it before seeing who it was.

"I move away from you two and you come finding me anyway." Danica said to Helen and Scarlett. "What can I do for you?"

"_She's_ looking for Jayden." Helen said thumbing towards her cousin.

"He promised we'd talk today, but he's nowhere to be found. Your dad said that he came here to talk to you earlier and I know how long it takes you two to talk." Scarlett said.

Danica sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"You kids are going to be the death of me." Danica said before removing her hand. "He's gone. I don't know where he is but he isn't here."

"Oh…" Scarlett replied.

"Can we go home now?" Helen asked Scarlett. "I've had to deal with a lot of stupid stuff for the past week and the last thing I need is to be up for more than twenty hours in one day."

"Who are you telling?" Danica questioned. "I just got here and already my sleep has been interrupted. Twice. I don't know if I can take it anymore."

"We'll go." Scarlett said. "Just tell J.T to call."

"Will do." Danica said before closing the door. "I need to change my address. Fast." Danica looked at the time on her cable box. "And now I have to go. Great."

* * *

While walking towards Jordan's house, Aaron spotted Dustin walking in the opposite direction. Figuring that it was best to talk to Dustin now than to have Jordan with him, Aaron crossed the street.

"Dustin," Aaron said, stopping the other boy. "I need to talk to you." Aaron glanced as Dustin now wore an oversized tee-shirt and baggy jean pants that were barely staying on his waist. "What are you wearing?"

"Clothes. Ever heard of 'em?" Dustin replied.

"Yeah. Whatever. You have to stop hanging with Damon." Aaron said.

"Why?" Dustin asked.

"Because Jayden is pissed at him and since I know Jayden, he will just go in a straight line to him. And if you are in-between the two, well, it won't end well." Aaron said.

"Let's get one thing straight," Dustin said. "You're a loser. I don't hang with losers. Not anymore."

"So, what you're saying is, you go your way and I go mine." Aaron stated.

"Exactly." Dustin replied. "Now go find your little prude girlfriend and I'm going to go get some extra cash. See you later, A-gay."

Dustin turned to walk away before Aaron tripped him. Dustin looked up to see Aaron smirking.

"Later." Aaron replied before walking off.

Dustin stood up slowly, not sure what to think. Every since he had met Aaron, the boy has only showed good-nature and peace.

"Loser." Dustin muttered before walking the opposite way.

Jordan came off of her porch, after seeing what had transpired between the former friends with a smile.

"That wasn't nice A.J." Jordan said, still smiling. "But I like it. Someone needs to show that jerk what it feels like to be bullied."

"I guess you're right." Aaron replied. "So, what did you want to do today?"

* * *

Manny walked into the clinic with Maxwell behind her. Sitting in the waiting area was Jay and Amy.

"Well, well, I never thought that this reunion would happen again." Jay said as he stood up. "I see you've been taking care of her."

Maxwell stood silent and glance down at Manny. Manny inhaled deeply before turning towards Amy.

"Amy. It's been forever." Manny said.

"We never really talked." Amy replied.

"Yeah, I know," Manny said. "Just trying to ease the tension."

"I understand." Amy said. "So… How's Emma?"

"You know. Married. Kids. Divorced. Re-married. More kids. The life." Manny responded before Danica walked into the clinic. "About time."

"Your son and his exes have kept me up just about _all_ day! I had to drink coffee to stay up with Jayden and when Helen and Scarlett stopped by, it was thirty minutes before I had to be here." Danica said. Danica looked at her father. "Are you alright Dad?"

"Perfect." Maxwell barely muttered.

"So you guys must be here for Danica's results. Well, I mean, of course you are." a man wearing a lab coat said as he walked to the group with a folder in hand. "So, shall we?"

"Yes." Maxwell said a bit agitated.

"Oh… Alright then." the man opened the folder and read the papers inside of it. The group watched in impatience as he seemed to read every single paper, word by word. Finally he looked up with a grin. "She is yours, Mr. McDuelle."

"I knew I got these good looks somewhere." Danica joked as she hugged her dad with one arm.

Maxwell smiled a bit. "Yeah. Your mother."

"Well, it's good to know." Jay said. "Thanks for the help." The man in the coat walked away and Jay sighed. "Well Max, she's yours. You have a happy family once more and I'll butt out."

Manny gave Maxwell a glanced that caused him to give a heavy sigh.

"Jay… I hear you're trying to get back into the mechanic life. So I'll help. Just to keep you busy and away from my wife." Maxwell said. "Sean's having a bit-"

"Cameron? You think that he'd hire me?" Jay interrupted.

"Not really, but with recommendations from me and Manny, I doubt that he'll say no without seeing what you can do first." Maxwell replied. "Believe me when I say it's the least I can do."

"Thanks." Jay said.

"Well, we should get going. Fiona might charge us this time." Maxwell told his wife.

Manny nodded. "Yeah." Manny looked at her daughter. "What are you going to do?"

"Sleep." Danica said before Manny gave her a hug. "See you later Mama."

Manny released her eldest child and left with her husband. Danica then looked at Jay and then at Amy and finally back at Jay.

"We finally get to meet." Danica said. "I must say, I'm actually impressed."

"Impressed?" Jay asked.

"Yeah. Twenty years of my life I've been living a happy life and it took just one phone call from a guy I don't know to threaten that happiness." Danica replied. "It takes great skill in the art of annoyance to do that. So for that, I am impressed."

"Heh. You are Max's daughter." Jay said.

"Duh. Even he knew that." Danica said. "But, I just want you to know, that now that this is behind us I hold no grudge. I'll help you get that job with Sean by complaining to Emma until she finally gives in."

"And in return?" Jay questioned.

"In return," Danica answered. "The next time you are swarmed with paparazzi you tell them the truth. I am not your daughter. I am a McDuelle."

"It's a deal." Jay said. "Thanks, Danica."

"Please, call me Danni." Danica said walking towards the door. "Oh, and although she's not as pretty as my mom, nice chose in a girlfriend."

Amy smiled. "She's polite."

"Real polite." Jay said. "Now come on. We have to talk about Nathan."

* * *

Laura looked around. "Isn't this the Lakehurst hangout?"

"Don't know. Don't care." Jayden said leading Laura to an empty table. "I just know that this is where Shane and I ran off last year. No one found us here, not even Kelly. We joked that in the future we'd have a double-wedding and throw the bachelor party here, but…" Laura's eyebrows furrowed. "Well, with the way our luck has been going, that day will never happen."

"So why are we here?" Laura asked.

"This is my ravine. This is where I go to relax and just blend in with the background. Well, except now everyone expects me to sing something every now and again." Jayden said. "Anyway, I told you that I talked to Danni and she told me to befriend you. Find out what your problem is and help you any way I can."

Laura looked away. "I don't need your help."

"That's what Dash said when we first met." Jayden replied. "I didn't believe her then and I don't believe you now."

"Can I get you two anything?" a waiter asked coming towards them.

"Cheeseburger with the works, a Dr. Pepper with no ice for her and a Sprite for me." Jayden said as the waiter walked away.

"Stalker." Laura muttered. "This doesn't count as a date, does it?"

"No. We're not dating." Jayden said. "I told you, I just came here to talk. That's all."

Laura looked at Jayden. "It's my mom. I just don't know what to tell her if we can find her tomorrow."

"Must be tough." Jayden said.

"You don't know the half of it." Laura said. "My dad thinks that there's something to save in this woman. Like she's a fucking falling angel." Jayden smiled. "What?"

"Nothing. Just didn't think you'd tell me." Jayden said..

"Well, this is a surprise." Jayden and Laura turned to see Deanna and Mercedes. "I wasn't expecting to run into you, Jayden."

"Me neither." Jayden replied.

"So," Deanna said. "Who's your friend here?"

"I think that's Laura Reynolds. You know the girl that has her name on every bathroom stall in the boys' bathroom?" Mercedes said.

Deanna frowned. "Really? I thought she and Jayden were like enemies?"

"They are." Mercedes stated.

"Oh. So you two won't mind if we sit with you, right?" Deanna asked, looking at Jayden.

"We're talking about a friend of ours who is in some serious trouble," Jayden said. "So unless you can contribute with a solution, which I doubt you could, you're going to have to excuse us for a moment."

"It looks like you two are on a date." Mercedes said.

"It's one thirty in the afternoon. Why would I go on a date with my 'enemy' in broad daylight? I'm smarter than that." Jayden said before the waiter returned with their food. "Thank you."

"Well," Deanna said. "Since it isn't a date, I'd like to talk to you after you're done doing whatever with Laura. Just make sure that you wash your hands."

"Listen bitch, I-"

"Will do." Jayden interrupted Laura. "See you later then."

Deanna gave Jayden a smile before leading Mercedes away.

"What the hell was that about?" Laura asked.

"That's Deanna Fitzgerald of those cursed Fitzgerald twins." Jayden said before sipping some of his drink.

Laura smirked. "DeWayne's twin sister?"

"Bingo." Jayden said.

"So, your ex's new boyfriend's sister likes you and you don't see it as a way of getting even with her?" Laura asked.

"Never thought about it." Jayden said.

"Why?" Laura questioned.

"Well, as Danni would tell me, there's another girl who I have to figure out before I can worry about Scarlett." Jayden said. "Her name's Laura. Have you heard of her? From what I was just told, she's kind of famous within the boys' bathroom."

"Was that supposed to make me feel better about the comment?" Laura asked.

"No. Just direct your anger from the two girls that walked in here together to the boy that brought you here." Jayden said with a smile.

"Shut up Dimples." Laura said, causing Jayden to laugh.

"Touché." Jayden replied.

* * *

Chandra rolled her eyes. "Please. Like I would ever put _Jacob_ over _Steven Manning._"

"Says you." Vanessa said as the two neared the Dot.

"Um…" Chandra said as she glanced into the front window.

"What?" Vanessa asked before turning to see Jacob and Kelly talking at a table. She watched Kelly smiled before walking away, her hand rubbing the back of Jacob's neck affectionately.

"We could go somewhere else if you want to." Chandra said.

"No," Vanessa said with a smile. "It's cool. Let's go."

Vanessa led Chandra into the Dot where they found Jacob wearing an apron.

"Hey," Jacob said to the two girls as they sat at a table. "What can I get you?"

"You work here now?" Vanessa asked.

"No. I lost a bet to Shane and Kelly. Now I'm helping for the rest of the day." Jacob answered.

"Oh." Vanessa said.

Jacob smiled. "So what would you like? On the house."

* * *

Scarlett sighed as she flopped onto Helen's bed. The strawberry blonde eyed her cousin suspiciously.

"I know that sigh so what's wrong?" Helen asked.

"J.T hasn't answered his phone all day." Scarlett replied. "It's not like him. And he knows that we weren't done talking and he just runs off with whoever."

"How do you know he didn't run off by himself?" Helen asked.

Scarlett scoffed. "J.T? Alone? Yeah right."

"Look," Helen said. "You can't have it both ways. You either have to let him go or go tell him how you really feel."

Scarlett sat up. "I don't 'feel' anything for him other than a friendship. Sure he's cute, but nothing to bite my nails over."

"You're impossible." Helen said.

"What?" Scarlett asked.

"I said you're impossible!" Helen repeated a bit louder. "How is it that everyone but _you_ can tell that _you're_ hopelessly in love with your neighbor? To be so smart, you're practically dumber than Marc!"

"Tch. Whatever." Scarlett muttered.

"Listen to you. You're hesitant about dating DeWayne. You're worried about where Jayden is. You're worried about who's he's with! You're hopelessly in love with him!" Helen said.

"I am not. And I'll prove it." Scarlett responded before the doorbell rang. "Watch."

Scarlett stood up and walked out of the room, leaving Helen to sigh alone. There was always a problem when it came to dealing with Scarlett for one good reason. If Scarlett J. Chessex did not want someone to be right, she would do everything in her power to prove them wrong. While that was considered a common Coyne trait by others, Helen had the hardest time dealing with it because she was the _only_ person who dealt with Scarlett.

"Come on Helen!" Scarlett called.

Helen sighed once more. If she could go back in time, she would stop herself from breaking up with Jayden in the first place.

* * *

Jayden watched the girls dance in front of him, dismissing the two guys in the class. Being a celebrity had its perks as he was able to sit through a private lesson, although Laura had _really_ wanted him to leave. But he would never give up a chance to see the real Laura Reynolds, no matter what.

"Alright, that's enough for today." the instructor, whom Jayden had already taken a picture of and sent it to Shane, said to her students. "See you guys again on Wednesday."

Laura walked towards Jayden, her forehead drenched in sweat.

"I'm curious as to why you're not a cheerleader." Jayden said.

"I told you to leave." Laura all but hissed. "Why didn't you?"

"You want to know a secret of mine? Something that'll take your mind off of me being able to watch you dance?" Laura nodded. Jayden rose from his seat and moved to the utility closet. "Everyone wants to know how I learned to play the guitar. And to be honest, it's the third instrument I learned to play."

"Third?" Laura asked as he opened the door. "You can't go in there."

"Please." Jayden said stepping inside. "But yeah. There was an instrument in-between the drums and the guitar that I learned how to play." Jayden stepped out with a violin and bow. He placed the violin under his chin. "Of course, Juvenile Grace would be pretty lame if its lead singer played the violin, right?"

Laura crossed her arms. "I want you to play a song for me."

"Only if you dance to it." Jayden replied.

Seeing no other way, Laura sighed.

"Fine. Play." Laura said.

Jayden began to play a slow song on the violin, one Laura was not familiar with. However, she still danced to it, letting her body sway to the melody. Jayden watched her as she seductively danced around him, every now and again, their bodies pressed against one another.

"Bravo." the instructor said clapping. "You two make quite the team."

Jayden and Laura immediately stopped doing what they were doing. Both of them avoiding eye contact with the woman.

"However, it's time for me to lock up." she said.

"No problem." Jayden said. "I'll just put this back up and we'll get going."

Jayden went back to the closet and the instructor smiled at Laura.

"I'm glad you found someone better than that Ethan character." the woman said. "He was a total jerk."

"We're not dating." Laura said awkwardly, only because this was the _fourth_ person who had thought that today. Jayden returned, closing the door behind him. "Let's go. See you Wednesday Ms. Hernandez."

The woman gave Laura a wave as Laura and Jayden walked out of the dance studio, Laura carrying her bag with her.

"I guess this is the part where you drop me off and we return to our lives until tomorrow, right?" Laura asked.

Jayden laughed a bit. "You wish."

"What do you mean I wish?" Laura asked. "Just what the hell are you trying to do to me?"

"Nothing that I haven't already." Jayden said. "Think about it. I got you to tell me things about yourself. I sat and watched your dancing routines without you neutering me. Hell, I even talked to your dad. I'd say that this rivalry was becoming more and more into a workable friendship."

"Again, things you could've done over the phone." Laura said.

Jayden shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a more up close and personal type of guy."

Laura rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just get something to eat. I'm starving."

"Sure." Jayden said before walking towards the red Mercedes.

"Question," Laura said stopping him. "If I had actually punched you in the face earlier this year when you caught my hand, would you have hit me back?"

Jayden frowned. "No. Why? Do you think that I would?"

"It's just that you've thrown me against a brick wall, a row of lockers, and a door." Laura replied. "I thought you didn't harm girls."

"Correction. I said I'd never _hit_ them." Jayden said. "And for some reason, you're special. You get the all around guy instead of the one that makes sure he has great publicity."

"Oh." Laura said stepping to the passenger side of the car. "I just wanted to know."

Jayden and Laura got into the car and sat in silence for a while. Jayden glanced at the girl to his right and just stared for a moment. She was definitely one of the most beautiful girls he had seen, and that was not the lust talking. There was something about her that made him feel natural.

"Something on my face?" Laura asked.

"Now if I told you what it was, there'd be nothing for me to look at." Jayden responded.

Laura snorted. "Yeah right, you just like staring at my face."

"Now if you knew that," Jayden said. "Then why ask such a stupid question?"

Laura turned away. "Loser."

Jayden laughed as he started the car up. Laura glanced over at Jayden, who was calming down from his laughter, and smiled.

"Shut up Dimples." Laura stated.

* * *

Shane walked into his dad's house, a bit annoyed that Kelly and himself had a deductable for Jacob's "friendliness".

"Hey Nicky!" Shane called. No response. Shane walked to her room and gasped at the scene. Nicole sat on her bed, knife in one hand and crying. "Nicky! What are you doing?"

"It's better this way." Nicole cried.

Shane studied the area. A note on her nightstand was enough to tell him what she was planning.

"Nicky," Shane said. "Don't do this." He stepped closer to her and noticed that she clutched the knife more. "Please. Please don't do this."

"Why?" Nicole continued to sob. "You would be much better of without me! You can date Jackie again! You'll be able to stop worrying about me! I can't hurt you-"

"Yes you can." Shane said calmly. He cursed the fact that Jayden and Kelly were currently busy as they were much better than he was at saying the right thing. "Nicky, if you do this, I will be, uh, very, very sad. Depressed. I will never forgive you or myself if you do this."

"Stop lying." Nicole said.

"No! Honestly. I don't know what I'd do without you. And Helen would be depressed. And Harry." Shane said. "We'd all hurt ten times more."

"Shane I'm such a mess-up! I don't deserve to live!" Nicole shouted.

"Yes you do! Nicole, please. Just hand me the knife and I'll make sure you're alright." Shane said as he neared her again.

"Why?" Nicole asked. "Why do you keep doing things for me even if I know I deserve to die?"

"Because, I care for you a lot and I'll do everything in my power to make sure that you're safe and happy, even at the expense of my own safety and happiness." Shane said.

He was pleased to see that the statement had worked. A bit melodramatic for his taste, but it caused her grip on the knife to loosen. Shane inched to the bed slowly and reached for the kitchen utensil before sitting it on the nightstand. He then hugged her tightly. Her body was so cold, but he knew that it was only going to get colder if he released her. So he just held her.

What a day.

* * *

Kelly continued to wipe down the counter, thanking her father for ending her shift earlier today. Vanessa came back into the Dot and walked towards the counter.

Kelly smiled. "Jacob left about thirty minutes ago."

"I'm not here to talk to him. I wanted to talk to you." Vanessa said. "I need you to pass on a message to Jacob."

Kelly frowned. "Why won't you do it? You're his girlfriend." Vanessa gave a sigh causing Kelly to gasp. "You're not serious are you? Is it because of that stupid kiss? Vanessa I'm so sorry I-"

"No. Don't worry about it." Vanessa interrupted. "Besides, I don't think that Jacob likes you like that. No offense. But at the current moment, we are too different."

"What? No you're not. Vanessa, I don't want to be the one to tell him this." Kelly said.

"It has to be you. He'll believe you." Vanessa responded before smiling. "And tell him that we're still on for tutoring and that we're still friends."

Kelly sighed. "I will. But Vanessa, please, think about this okay? Jacob's a real good guy and he deserves someone like you."

"True." Vanessa said, gaining a small frown from Kelly. Vanessa then laughed. "I'm playing! I know that he's a nice guy and he probably deserves better. But, I think that you should tell him. And we can call it even for you kissing him."

"Sure." Kelly said, not really comfortable with the statement. "Um, is that all you wanted?"

"Yeah. Me and Bambi still have a few dollars left to spend. See you at the next softball meeting Kelly!" Vanessa said waving as she left.

Kelly only waved before sighing heavily. Gavin walked to his daughter and put an arm around her.

"You know," Gavin said. "I once thought that your brother was a loser in love. But now I see that you are _exactly_ like your mom."

"Hey!" Kelly exclaimed, causing Gavin to laugh.

"It's okay. I mean, at least Emma _rejected_ Toby instead of falling for him." Gavin said, gaining a small grunt from Kelly. "But you're prettier than your mom ever was and I believe that there is someone for you, whether or not Shane is ready to watch you do so."

"Thanks Dad. Sort of." Kelly said.

* * *

DeWayne, Scarlett, Helen, and Alexander sat at the theaters watching the movie that was currently being played with great interest. Scarlett flinched in her seat as she saw a man's head literally get blown off of his shoulders. Helen, on the other hand, watched without blinking.

"Hey," DeWayne whispered to her. "If you want, we could go see something else."

"I'm fine." Scarlett replied. "Besides, I know one way to get my mind off of it."

"Really?" DeWayne asked before Scarlett gave him a deep kiss.

Helen, who had finally turned her attention away from the movie, saw this and nearly gagged loudly. She figured that Scarlett was going to live up to her word and make do without Jayden.

Scarlett pulled away from DeWayne with a smile until she saw blue eyes instead of brown. Her smile faltered only by a fraction of a second, not long enough for anyone to catch it. But she was seriously hoping to see those dimples, those brown eyes, that smile, and those braids.

"You okay?" DeWayne asked.

"Perfect." Scarlett answered with a smile.

"Hey, are you two done? There's a movie on." Helen whispered to the two.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Sure Helen."

Helen only sat up straight in her seat before looking at Alexander. She felt bad that he would not be getting a kiss like his friend did, but Helen was not going to changer her ways for a boy, again. Although, he had done practically everything she had asked for, Helen realized that she should take things a bit slowly with Alexander, if anything. Helen then turned to see Scarlett and DeWayne kissing again and thought about the nearest restroom.

She felt the urge to throw-up.

* * *

Jayden and Laura now stood in front of her house, his hands in his pockets while she had her arms crossed.

"So," Jayden said. "I'll go put in your mom's name and see what I can get. I'll let you know what I've got tonight or tomorrow, alright?"

"Yeah…" Laura said. She was feeling a bit awkward because in her head this had all the elements to be considered a date, minus the interruption of her dancing class. "I, uh, I have to call Dash to see if she's alright."

"Go ahead." Jayden replied. "I'll see you tomorrow."

The two stared at one another for a moment, not realizing that they were stepping to each other. Soon they were face-to-face.

"Let's try not to get too attached to each other." Jayden said quietly.

"Right. I wouldn't won't to be tied down to one boy." Laura replied. "Especially one who normally has a million-dollar stick up his ass."

"And I wouldn't want to be around the girl I swore to get even with. Even if dating her to make her soft and then breaking her heart is easy." Jayden stated.

Laura's eyes widened. "W-what?"

Jayden smiled. "It was a thought."

"I should've seen that one coming." Laura muttered, looking away from Jayden now.

"No. You should've seen _this_ coming." Jayden said before turning her head and kissing her. Laura only smiled before kissing him back. "See you tomorrow."

"Sure Dimples." Laura responded.

"Laura." Jayden and Laura saw Mr. Reynolds in the doorway, his face stern and focused on Jayden.

"I'd hate to see what he'd do if we were actually dating." Jayden whispered, gaining a small smile from Laura.

"I'm coming Dad." Laura said before turning to Jayden. "And that's a simple question. He'd castrate you."

"Must be family thing." Jayden replied as he backed towards Manny's car.

Laura watched Jayden back out before driving off. She then turned to see her father's face had unchanged.

"Dad, it was just a kiss. Jesus, you make it sound like I'm going to end up marrying the guy tomorrow." Laura said a bit annoyed by her dad's protectiveness.

"You don't think I know what he wants from you? And as soon as he gets it, he'll leave." Mr. Reynolds said. "I'm just trying to find someone for you who will eventually love you for who you are. Not for what you look like."

Laura nodded quietly now. She had had sex with Jayden three times now and he had come back each time. Not to mention the simple fact that he had told her that he was actually doing everything in his power _not_ to fall for her and was failing at that.

"Laura?" Mr. Reynolds said, breaking her out of her thoughts. "You're not thinking about him are you?"

"…" Laura hated the fact that she could not always lie to her dad. Sometimes she figured it was so much easier when he was working late and she could drink, smoke, or have sex whenever she pleased without feeling guilty. "He's helping me find Mom."

Mr. Reynolds's frowned. "Why?"

"Because he said he would help me. And that's a promise _I'm_ going to make sure he keeps." Laura said. "Besides, even if you did see us kiss, he's actually thinking of someone else…"

"Are you?" Mr. Reynolds asked. Laura gave her dad a small glare. "Okay, okay. I won't ask. Just be careful. I don't want to see you hurt."

"Sure Dad." Laura said.

* * *

DeWayne smiled as he, Alexander, Scarlett, and Helen ate their meals. He and Scarlett had been closer since she kissed him in the theaters.

"So," DeWayne said. "I hear that we have to go to your school Tuesday."

"I know." Scarlett said. "It's kind of good, considering that it'll be you guys out of place instead of us."

DeWayne smiled. "Now how could I be out of place with you?"

"Get a room." Helen remarked.

"So," Scarlett said, casting an angered glance to her cousin. "Today hasn't been all bad, now has it Helen?"

Helen paused in her eating and sighed.

"Well, why I can't say that it was the _best_ date I've been on, I'm happy." Helen said before looking at Alexander. "But next time, we're so going without these two, okay?"

"Sure." Alexander responded.

Scarlett cell phone began ringing. Helen's eyebrows rose as she knew that specific ringtone. Only Scarlett would use Justin Timberlake's _Sexy Back_ for someone she referred to as J.T. Scarlett, however, hit ignore and turned a smile to DeWayne.

"No one important." Scarlett said.

Helen now frowned before shaking her head. She let it go considering the fact that Jayden was probably going to drop it as well. It was probably the final nail in the coffin.

"So," Scarlett said. "What movie should we see next time?"

* * *

Gavin and Kelly came into the house to see Shane staring with a blank look on his face. This look frightened both of them as it appeared that Shane had recently seen a ghost.

"Are you okay?" Gavin asked.

Shane jumped a bit, his eyes shooting to his father and sister. He then calmed down a bit and shook his head.

"No. I came in to find this." Shane said holding up Nicole's letter. Gavin's and Kelly's eyes widened. "She's alright. She's asleep right now. But she was going to do it Dad. Nicky was going to kill herself."

"We have to send her to get some help." Gavin said.

"No." Shane replied hastily.

"What? Shane, if this continues then she _will_ kill herself." Kelly retorted.

"No she won't." Shane said. "Listen, if we send her away, she'll view us like she does her parents. Like we hate her and she's something we don't want. She just needs to know that we're here for her."

Gavin sighed. "You're right."

"He is?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah." Gavin said. "You two make sure she's looked after tomorrow, alright? I don't want her out of either of your sights."

"Sure Dad." Kelly said. "Well, I'm going to go lie down. I have a _very_ hard task ahead of me."

Shane watched his sister walk down the hall before sighing heavily.

"Are you going to be alright?" Gavin asked.

"I… I thought I lost her Dad." Shane said. "I thought that I was going to try and get the knife and she was going to cut herself. It was close to what I felt when Granddad passed."

"Hey, as long as Nicky has you, I don't think she's going anywhere for a while. You just make sure that you don't become stressed by this." Gavin said.

"I won't." Shane replied as Gavin moved to the kitchen. Shane leaned back on the couch and looked at the ceiling. "Hang on Nicky…"


	43. S2 Episode XIII: Never Let Me Down

**Author's Note: **I'm going to try something new with the formatting. Instead of centering it, I'm going to leave it aligned to the left. Tell me which you prefer. And enjoy.

* * *

**Episode XIII: Never Let Me Down**

Nicole woke up and lied still in her bed for a moment. Last night she had one of the best dreams ever since being kicked out. She sat up in her bed only to see Shane sitting at the foot of her bed.

"Hey." Shane said tiresomely.

"Hey." Nicole replied. "Are you mad at me?"

"Mad at you? I was worried." Shane responded. "But… No, I'm not worried." Nicole gave Shane a small smile. "Get dressed, we're going to my mom's for breakfast. Dad's making his fame stuffed omelets."

"Sure." Nicole said. Shane stood up and moved for the door. "Shane," He paused and looked at her. "Thank you."

Shane grinned. "It's what I'm here for Nicky."

With that, Shane left her room to give her some privacy. Nicole stretched a bit before moving to get out of her bed.

"Hurry up Nicky!" Kelly called before coming to her doorway. "Dad's omelets are the best _and…_ He's letting me drive!"

"I'm coming Kelly." Nicole said with a smile before the blonde with green streaks dashed off, her beads clicking together.

Nicole gave a pleased sigh. Today might be a good day.

* * *

Groaning in pain, Jayden attempted to move Renée off of his back without hurting his sister while Jenée held onto his arm.

"Okay. I give." Jayden said. "Get up."

"No." Renée and Jenée said in unison.

"Fine." Jayden replied as he turned around and began tickling his poor sisters. "Now you're going to pay."

"You are a softie." Jayden paused and looked up to see Laura in _his_ house in _his_ room.

"Who is she Jayden?" Jenée asked.

"Is she your _girlfriend_?" Renée teased with a smile.

"This is Laura." Jayden said. "And no, she's not my girlfriend."

"But she's a girl and your friend." Renée said. "Girlfriend."

Laura smiled, though secretly she wanted to punt the little girl out of the window. It was logic like that that made her and Jayden's "friendship" so hard.

"Hey," Jayden said to his sisters as he pulled his hair into a large puff and tied it with a rubber band. "I need you two to go out for a minute while we talk about something important."

"Okay." Jenée said a bit downhearted.

"Don't worry. I'll be back in no time." Jayden said.

"Promise?" Jenée and Renée asked holding their pinkies out.

"On my life." Jayden said locking pinkies with them before they ran out. "Adorable, aren't they?"

"Your mom gave me the evil eye all the way up here. Did I do something?" Laura asked.

"Nah. She always gives the new girl or new guy that look. Should've seen the look she gave Scarlett after it was rumor that we were dating." Jayden said as Laura moved to his computer desk and sat down in the chair. "Just thought I'd tell you that it's ten thirty and _not_ eleven."

"That's funny because you did the same thing to me yesterday." Laura said. "Don't tell me you're scared because your parents are here. Pussy."

Jayden laughed a bit. "Alright, fine. I deserved that one. Doesn't mean that I'm _not_ going to stop by your house again."

"We can keep going back and forth until you admit a truce." Laura said.

"My, my, Laura Reynolds actually made a joke without cursing, threatening, or any provocative phrase. It must be a Sunday." Jayden replied with a smile.

Laura rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Get dressed. We have to get out of here to find my mom."

"I am dressed." Jayden said with a smirk.

"Uh… Yeah, so let's-"

"Did you want to see me change?" Jayden asked.

"No! That's… That's stupid. Let's go." Laura said.

"I think you did." Jayden said. "In fact, I think you came to do the same thing to me that I did to you and I saw you change. That's why your cheeks are getting all red and you're trying to use that glare to stop me from talking."

"God! You're so annoying!" Laura replied as she stood up. "Are you coming or what?"

Jayden laughed as he got out of his bed. He glanced at Laura before walking out of his room, laughing every bit of the way.

"It's not funny!" Laura said as she followed him.

"Oh yes it is." Jayden replied. "You honestly do not listen to me. _I_ play human chess for a reason. I make sure that when I purposely annoy someone that they can't do the _exact_ same thing to me." Jayden sighed. "And here I thought you knew me Laura. I'm actually sad."

"I hope you get hit by a bus." Laura muttered.

"You do remember that you'll be in the car too, right?" Jayden responded as the two descended down the steps and Laura followed him into the kitchen. "You want something before we leave? My dad made apple pie."

"Do I look like an apple pie type of girl?" Laura asked blankly to hide her true desire for it.

Jayden stared at Laura as if he was studying her before reaching for two bowls. Laura hid a smile as she sat at the island in the center of the kitchen. Jayden opened the refrigerator and pulled out the pie before reaching into the freezer to get some ice cream.

"Nothing better. Trust me." Jayden said as he put a slice of pie into a bowl before putting it into the microwave. "Now," Jayden looked at Laura. "Tell me why you're really here. I mean, I had a reason yesterday so what's yours?"

"Hey Jay…" Aaron paused as his eyes landed on Laura. She gave him a knowing smirk before Aaron looked back at Jayden. "Do you know that Laura's in our house? Smiling? In our kitchen?"

"Really? I was trying to imagine a young Alicia Josipovic. I guess I missed." Jayden responded as the microwave chimed.

"Danni's here." Aaron said before their elder sister walked into the kitchen, catching Aaron in a headlock as she did so.

"Hel… Lo…" Laura attempted to show any fear. Jayden had told her some of Danica's past history with girls _and_ guys and Laura did not want to be on the list of Danica's 'beaten past necessary' list. "Are you eating my pie?"

"Uh… Yes and no?" Jayden responded.

Danica frowned. "You're lucky I need your help tomorrow."

"For what?" Jayden asked.

"Izzy's going to need help moving her sister's stuff into their apartment and I thought that since you are young, single, and a guy I'd introduce you to Angie and hard labor." Danica said. "You are single, right?"

"Let's see." Jayden said before spreading his fingers in front of him. "I don't see any ring. Do you?"

"Don't be a smart aleck." Danica said before releasing Aaron. "And you? You didn't even put up a fight that time. Are you having sex with Jordan and are out of stamina? Should I prescribe you to Viagra already?"

Unable to help it, Laura began laughing at the face Aaron gave Danica while the older girl just smiled sweetly and her little brother. The chime of the microwave broke the moment as Jayden then put ice cream on the heated slices of pie before sliding a bowl in front of Laura with a spoon in it.

"You want me to heat you up a slice Danni?" Jayden asked.

"Hmm, yeah. I'll get one." Danica said before moving beside Laura. Jayden slid the slice that would have been his in front of Danica. "Thanks. So you two are going to find this Bianca lady?"

"Yeah." Jayden said. "Oh man, I left that address upstairs. I'll be back. A.J, fix me a slice while I go get this."

"But-"

"Do it." Jayden interrupted his brother before walking past him.

Aaron sighed. "I hate being the little brother."

"So," Danica said to Laura without looking at her. "When'd you grow the pair to show up at my parents' place?"

"This morning when I showed up." Laura responded. Danica glanced at her. "He showed up at my house yesterday and I was getting payback."

"Don't do it again." Danica said.

Aaron could see the anger in his sister's eyes and chose to focus on fixing his brother's slice of apple pie. If Danica was angry, then it was going to be a _long_ Sunday at the McDuelle household.

"I got it." Jayden said coming back into the kitchen. He frowned. "What'd you say Danni?"

"What do you think? I told her to stay away from our house." Danica responded glaring at Jayden. "You don't have a problem with that, do you?"

Laura watched Jayden's face settle into to his famous glare. This made Laura's eyes shift from Jayden to Danica, who had not cracked a smile since sitting down. And from the looks of it, she was far from smiling now.

"Listen," Jayden said. "I'm just doing what you said. If you're really that mad then-"

"What are you two arguing about?" Maxwell asked coming into the kitchen.

"Nothing Daddy." Danica said with a smile. "Did you get my papers?"

"Yes. You'll be starting soon and your mother's agent will be calling you soon. I'm proud of you Princess." Maxwell said before looking at Laura. "Miss Reynolds. I'm sure Jay has told you that we spent _hours_ trying to find your mother right?"

"No he didn't. Thanks, Mr. McDuelle." Laura said.

"No problem." Maxwell said moving to the refrigerator. "Word of warning though. His mother, really protective over her kids and potential daters. And Danni's no better."

"Dad, when have I ever stopped Jayden from dating someone?" Danica asked.

Maxwell pulled out a canned Sprite. "Helen."

Danica sat quietly as Laura's eyebrows rose. So Danica played a roll in Jayden and Helen's break-up? That made sense seeing as Jayden did seem attached to his older sister.

"I'm going back down here with Kitty, Chris, and your mother. You three play nice in front of Laura. I don't want her to think that you three can't get along." Maxwell said before looking at Jayden. "And be sure to be back before four. We're going to Emma's for a cookout."

"I will." Jayden said as Maxwell left. Jayden stood at the island with his bowl. "You know, I think he just appears whenever we're about to argue because he has some weird sixth sense."

"Sometimes." Danica said. "So when's the last time you two slept with each other?"

Aaron, who was drinking some Sprite from a can, sprayed most of it on floor after that statement, causing the other three to stare at him.

"I'm going to clean this up and go." Aaron said.

Jayden frowned. "Is there a problem?"

"You just told me that she was up to no good and slept with _anyone_ like three weeks ago and now _you're_ sleeping with her?" Aaron replied. "Are you even thinking straight? She tried to put my secret out to the entire school and the _world_! All so she could get _you_ mad enough to hit her or date her." Danica and Laura looked to see Jayden's eyes narrowing. "Look, if you want to hang with her that's fine. But if you're really a 'regional champ' in 'human chess', then I suggest you make a move before she beats you. Where I'm standing, she's beating you now."

Danica looked to see that Jayden was attempting to keep himself from getting in trouble, a look she had seen plenty of times when they were younger. Jayden closed his eyes and took in a deep breath before exhaling slow and calmly, his eyes opening and looking directly at Aaron.

"Let's go down a list of why I'm smarting then you in the field of relationships Aaron." Jayden said. Aaron knew that he had struck a cord in his brother, but he did not care. Laura was the enemy. "One, a game of human chess _never_ goes public unless one is too _afraid_ to play the game fairly. So whatever Laura and I are doing or did, it stayed between us until _we_ felt like saying something to someone else. And _she_ told Dash first. Two, and this is a good one, we're _done_ with that. She knows that I trust her to keep your secret safe. And, FYI, if you weren't such a pansy in the first place and just go by your real last name, we wouldn't even be having this conversation in the first place." Aaron frowned now. "And to cut the list short and wrapped this all up, don't talk about her in that tone again. It's very ladylike to talk about someone in their presence and not acknowledge them. And if I want to hang with her, sleep with her, marry her, divorce her, go to the moon with her, or to hell in a hay basket, it has nothing to do with Aaron Jordan Santos. Why? Because Aaron Jordan Santos does not exist in Jayden T. McDuelle's world. He's a fictional character that you thought of to hide from the limelight because you can't handle it. So I suggest you worry about how you're going to keep the lie up and going and I'll worry about my love life, got it?"

Aaron only nodded, cleaning up the mess he made. Jayden gave one final glare at his brother before eating his pie and ice cream. Laura had been staring at the marble counter now. She felt really out of place at the McDuelle household. They all seemed to have some sort of hatred for her, even Jayden, and no one really liked her there.

"Welcome to our messed up family." Danica said finishing her dish.

Laura glanced at Danica as she stood up and put her bowl in the dishwasher and left. Jayden moved and sat on the stool Danica was previous in. Aaron finished cleaning up his spill and looked at Jayden, who was looking out of the glass sliding door to their backyard.

"I'm sorry." Aaron said. Jayden only moved an eyebrow to show Aaron that he heard him but did not care. Aaron then turned to Laura and swallowed hard. "And I'm sorry for saying those things about you."

"No problem." Laura said as Aaron left the kitchen. She looked at Jayden who was still staring into the backyard. "Are you alright? Looks like someone pulled your hair again." He sat still, as if he did not hear her, so she grabbed handful of his hair and tugged lightly. "Hello? Anyone in there?"

"I said some pretty foul things to you before, haven't I?" Jayden asked without looking at her.

"Tch, you think I keep a mental note on everything you say or do to me?" Laura retorted.

"Why else would you be confused about what I told you in the boiler room?" Jayden responded. "Just answer my question."

Laura release his hair and sighed. "I deal with it, alright? It doesn't get to me like you think. I mean, I've heard worse and I've said worse. So get over it and let's go already. My mom isn't going to wait forever."

"You haven't answered my question." Jayden said.

"You have, alright? Geez, what is with you?" Laura replied.

Jayden stood up. "I'll tell you what's wrong with me. I'm close to falling in love with a girl who I spent so much time trying to hate and despise that I couldn't or rather _didn't want _to see that she was doing things because it is where she felt she fit in."

"What are you talking about?" Laura asked.

"You're _way_ too pretty to be with Nate and Damon. You stick out like an angel in hell when you're with them." Jayden replied. "And yet I never, ever thought of you like that until recently."

"Because Scarlett broke up with you. Duh." Laura said. "So how about we go before you tell me something else you're probably going to take back?"

Jayden looked at Laura. "You still think I'm lying?"

"Why else-"

"Laura, I've been dating a part of you this entire time." Jayden said.

"What are you talking about now?" Laura questioned confused. "You've never even tried to date me."

"Think about it. Toughest tenth grader besides you? Helen. Prettiest tenth grader besides you. Scarlett. The only other dancer I know is Jackie. You are a beautiful, tough dancer, aren't you?" Jayden asked.

Laura opened her mouth only to find that she had nothing to comeback with. He was right to a degree. All the boys fawned over Scarlett Chessex and ran from Helen Sinclair-Coyne whenever she was pissed. And it was no secret that Jacquelyn took ballet after her mom. Maybe he was right.

"I think that's it." Jayden told her. "The reason I keep flirting with you is because you just seem so natural to me."

"So now that you've spilled your soul to me, can we go?" Laura asked.

Jayden sighed. "Yeah. And tomorrow, I guess we'll go back to what used to be, huh?"

"Why?" Laura asked.

"If I'm telling you, right here, right now, that there is something that's pulling me to you and you don't take me seriously, then one of us isn't ready for the other." Jayden answered. He then smiled. "But don't worry. I'll wait on you like I did Scarlett."

Laura sat frozen. She had never had a boy say that to her before. No. Usually they would call her some derogatory name before storming off to be with someone else. And for Jayden, doing that in his house with his parents and his looks and talents would be ten times easier and Laura would understand. But instead, he said he would wait on her. That _he_ would wait on _her_ to admit her feelings for him.

"Are you ready?" Jayden asked.

"Yeah." Laura replied as she got up from the stool.

* * *

Nicole gave Shane a pleasing smile as he sat at the picnic table at the park across the street from Emma's house. The Cameron/Mason families had decided on having a cookout later on that day, so while Sean and Gavin went to the store with Emma, Shane and Kelly was charged in watching their three younger siblings and Nicole. Of course, neither Kelly nor Shane admitted to Nicole that they were charged to watch her too. They wanted her to be as calm as normal.

"So, you feeling any better?" Shane asked.

"Yeah. I feel way better than I did yesterday." Nicole said. "Thanks."

"No problem." Shane replied.

"Nicky!" Anastasia called from the swings. "Push me please?"

Nicole giggled a bit. "Sure Ana."

Nicole went to the swings while Kelly sat beside Shane.

"I hate watching them for Mom and Sean." Kelly said. "They don't even pay us." Shane nodded. "Hey, what's with you?"

"Look at her Kelly. She looks like nothing happened." Shane said.

Kelly shrugged. "Maybe that's what's best. To pretend like nothing did happen."

"Maybe you're right." Shane said as he turned to see Anastasia laughing childishly as Nicole pushed her in the swing. Maddox swung beside them talking lively while Jordan just watched with a smile. "I think I might know how to cheer her up more."

"Let her baby-sit more often while we go do what we want?" Kelly asked.

"Her brother." Shane said standing up. "I'll be back. If Mom and/or Dad asks, I went-"

"To find Jay. I know the line all too well." Kelly said before Shane smiled and nearly power walked away. "He's so in love."

* * *

Chandra gasped as she looked around. This was _the_ Craig Manning's house and she was invited by _the_ Steven Manning. She followed her boyfriend up the steps to his room where he closed the door. Steven lied on his bed while Chandra sat on the edge of the bed. She felt so uncomfortable for some reason.

"So," Steven said. "What do you think?"

"It's a lot cleaner than I imagined." Chandra replied.

Steven grinned. "Really? You come all the way to my room, no parents, locked door, and you talk about how clean it is? You're a riot Chandra."

Chandra felt even worse now. Did he bring her up here to have sex with her? She hoped he did not. Her parents and, God forbid if they found out, her grandparents would be _super_ pissed if she did and they found out. And Chandra did not want to mess with Mrs. Audra Torres, let alone she _and_ Mr. and Mrs. Bhandari. That would not end well at all.

"So," Steven said. "What kind of music do you like?"

Chandra shrugged. "All kinds I guess. A.J has Juvenile Grace's performance at The Ridge. He said that he doesn't have the last one, but they're pretty good."

"Are you saying that because Jayden is the lead singer?" Steven asked.

"No. I mean, he's a friend and I support him, but it's actually good." Chandra said. "I like the song they sung at the ending. Higher."

"Not really my style." Steven said as he reached beneath his pillow and pulled out a small clear bag with four pills in it. "You want one?"

"No." Chandra stated.

"Are you sure? It'll help you forget about Jayden completely." Steven said.

"I'm fine." Chandra replied.

Steven frowned. "Do you have a problem with me taking my medication?"

"Those were prescribed?" Chandra asked. Steven sat silently and Chandra stood up. "I think I should go."

"Because you can't be seen with a junkie. I get it." Steven said.

"Steven I…" Chandra was unable to finish her statement for whatever the reason may be. She just froze.

Steven rolled out of his bed and stood up.

"I get it." Steven said. "Go."

"I'm so-"

"Go!" Steven said shoving her towards his door.

Chandra stood silently as she had just hit the door pretty hard. His harsh stare did not change and she quickly and quietly slipped out of the room with a silent "Sorry". Steven just sighed as he took the pills out of his bag and swallowed them without water. He would have to find Nathan again soon.

* * *

Jayden sighed. "Are you ready?"

Laura nodded. "Now or never." Jayden rang the doorbell. "This is so stupid."

"It's not stupid." Jayden reassured her. "And like I said, I'll be right here."

The door opened to reveal a woman the Laura strongly resembled. Jayden's mouth was slightly opened. Laura's mom was gorgeous and beyond.

"What are you doing here?" Laura's mother asked, staring directly at Laura.

Seeing Laura frozen, Jayden cleared his throat, causing all eyes on him.

"Are you Bianca DeSousa?" Jayden asked. Bianca nodded. "I'm-"

"I know who the hell you are. And I know who she is. What are you doing here is my question." Bianca interrupted.

"I wanted to meet you. I mean, I wanted to see you again." Laura answered.

"Your pussy-whipped father know that you're here?" Bianca said. "If not, then turn around. I really don't have time to hear any of his bullshit for the next, how old are you?"

"I'll be sixteen in January." Laura answered.

"For the next two years then." Bianca said. "So if you have nothing better than to sit and stare, I suggest you take your boyfriend and go home."

With that, Bianca closed the door. Laura stood still, her fists clenched. Jayden saw the anger and sadness in her eyes and knocked on the door once more.

"What the hell do you want?" Bianca asked angrily swinging the door opened.

"Mind if we come in? Of course you don't." Jayden said pushing his way inside. "Come on Laura, let's have a seat somewhere. Nice place."

Bianca glared at Jayden. "Just who the hell do you think you are barging into my place?"

"I thought you said you knew that?" Jayden replied as Laura stayed in front of the door. Jayden looked at Laura. "You mean to tell me that you drag me across town to find your mother and you get cold-feet at the doorway. Real brave Laura."

"Shut the hell up!" Laura snapped as she walked inside.

Bianca's eyes widened. "Well you certainly got my taste in vocabulary."

"I only came to know one thing and one thing only." Laura said angrily as she glared up at Bianca. "Why the hell did you leave me in the first place?"

"Oh, well that's pretty obvious. I _really_ didn't want children and I still don't." Bianca said. "You only got in the way. Whining and crying. It just got annoying."

Laura was a bit taken back. While she did not expect this reunion to be all hugs, she really did not expect that either.

"Your dad somehow gets in touch with me every now and again, telling me what you're doing. I honestly don't care." Bianca said.

"What…?" Laura barely murmured.

"All the times I have sex, I had to have _John Reynolds's_ kid. Not Drew Torres's. Thankfully not Mark Fitzgerald's. His." Bianca said. "And you came out so spoiled and needy. We couldn't lie you down for two seconds without you crying to be held. Child services says that I can't smoke what I want or drink what I want anymore. I got rid of you to get my life back."

"And managed to get arrested? Boy, aren't you the genius of the year?" Jayden said.

Bianca looked at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Seeing as you gave up not only your daughter, but an extraordinary person up for the sake of some cheap whine and a few cigarettes, you either have to be a jackass or… Well a bigger jackass." Jayden replied. "I mean, the truth is, she's probably a carbon copy of you. Your hair maybe straighter and she may be a bit more curvier than you are when she's that age, but not much differences from what I'm seeing or hearing."

"I'll say one thing. You sleeping with the McDuelle kid is pretty good. Money will be important." Bianca said.

"…" Laura was silent as she stood in front of a woman that had claimed that she "got rid" of her. Hot tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but she was not going to allow Bianca see them. Never in a million years.

"Let's go Laura. Finding this woman was a mistake. You were looking for a mom." Jayden said.

"And what the hell do you know about raising kids?" Bianca asked.

"None and yet that's still more than you." Jayden replied twice as angry than Laura has ever seen him before. "She takes dance classes and watches that stupid movie _August Rush_ because she feels that dancing is the only way she would connect to you! And what do you do? You basically tell her to go jump off a cliff because you don't care! We just spent that last God knows how long it took me to drive here so she could finally meet you! Dammit, this is your daughter! If you don't want to take care of her, that's fine. I can do that myself. But at least acknowledge her as a human being and your daughter. And I _dare_ you to call her a mistake or imply it again. You'll see what _I'm_ not the sanest person in the world."

Both mother and daughter could only stare for a minute at Jayden. Bianca then smiled before that developed into a full laugh.

"I like you McDuelle! You have balls." Bianca said before looking down at Laura. "And I must say, you did turn out better than I thought. The daughter of a wino who smokes everything and a smoker who drinks everything was bound to have a fucked up child."

"She's better than that." Jayden said.

"I think I know that." Bianca shot back. "So why don't you save that hero gimmick for later, alright?" Jayden glared at Bianca and she looked at Laura once more. "You did all that to find me? For what?"

"Because you're my mom. I just wanted to see you again." Laura said. "But I'll get out of your life for good."

Laura went to move towards the door, but Bianca stopped her, hugging her. Laura was completely frozen before putting her arms around Bianca.

"You are my only living breathing child. Two miscarriages and then you." Bianca told Laura before making eye contact with her daughter. "If you want, you can stop by whenever your dad begins to gripe about something. He can be a little too protective sometimes."

Laura smiled slightly. "Yeah, he can."

"Just don't bring him." Bianca said motioning her head towards Jayden. "He's more emotional that you are."

"Whatever." Jayden muttered.

Bianca slowly released Laura. "Go. I have something to do."

"Sure…" Laura responded.

"I will call you the next time you can visit. Do not come before then. Understood?" Laura nodded. "And you," Jayden raised his eyebrows. "If I hear that you've done anything wrong to her, I will come for you myself."

"Lady, could you make up your mind? You hate her. You love her. You want her out of your life. You want me to save her. It's getting confusing." Jayden said.

Laura frowned. "That's my mom you're talking to."

"I think I speak for all of us when I say, duh." Jayden responded. "I mean, _I_ looked her up, didn't I?"

"Why?" Bianca asked.

"Yeah. Why?" Laura questioned.

Jayden looked at the two. Now that they were on the same page, they looked _more_ alike except for the stances they were in. Bianca had one hand on her hip while Laura chose to cross her arms like normal.

"Let's just say that I have a hard problem seeing a damsel in distress." Jayden said before his cell phone rang. "And I have to take this call. I'll be in the car if you need me."

Jayden stepped past the two and left the house.

"He's cute." Bianca said.

"Whatever." Laura replied.

Bianca smirked. "You like him, don't you?" Laura stood quietly. "Hey, let me tell you something. When I had a crush on one of my high school boyfriends, I took him to the boiler room and-" Laura began coughing on her own spit. "Are you alright?"

"I have to go! See you soon!" Laura said quickly as she left.

Bianca smiled. "You'll do fine Laura."

Jayden hung up and stared as Laura got into the car. He could see her face was flustered and did nothing but start the car up. Before he put the car in drive, Laura reached over and grabbed his head, pulling him into a kiss. After nearly four straight minutes of kissing, she gave him a soft push away from her.

"Okay… That was for…?" Jayden asked.

"Thank you." Laura replied. "Now, take me home. I have to call Dash."

"Do I get to kiss you to say you're welcome?" Jayden questioned.

"Take me home Dimples and we'll see." Laura said.

She hated the fact that he told her that tomorrow they would go back to normal. They would not have those "random" run-ins in the hallway or secret meeting spots. They would probably not even dream about going to the other's house, especially seeing that he lived beside _two_ exes who were also friends of his. Maybe she should tell him how she felt right here and right now? That way, he would not space himself but so far from her. Lately, without Dakota, he had become what she would refer to as her best-friend.

And then his cell phone rang.

* * *

Helen had to sneak past Scarlett just to meet up with Alexander today. It was sort of sad since Scarlett was very excited about she and Helen dating best-friends, which has never happened at the same time.

"Hey." Alexander said as she came into view.

Helen grinned. "Hey yourself. I hear DeWayne went to go pick up Scar."

"Yeah. He said that they were going to go out together somewhere, so he kind of left me and his sister behind today." Alexander replied. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"Us." Helen said.

"Us?" Alexander asked.

"I got off the phone with a friend of mine earlier and he told me to go for it." Helen answered. "So here I am, going for it."

"Going for-" Alexander was cut off when Helen kissed him.

"I'm going for us." Helen said. "Hurt me and I break every attachment you have on your body. And I do mean _every single one of them_."

"Sure." Alexander responded before Helen took his hand into hers.

"Great. Now let's get something to eat." Helen said.

"Yeah." Alexander said with a smile.

Helen had no clue as to why Jayden was so determined for her to date Alexander, but she took it nonetheless. It did give her something to do on the weekends and he was not bad-looking. Still, she could not help but to wonder if Jayden had an ulterior motive behind his hasty decision. If only she knew what it was.

* * *

James had been chosen by his parents to run to the store for some steaks which was to be cook later. Of course, he originally complained about being chosen to do such a simple task, but he did it. And of course he would have to be in the _longest_ check-out line in the store.

"This is weird." James turned around to see Tyler. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"What do you want?" James asked.

"I want to talk about the only thing we have common." Tyler replied. "Mary-Jane."

James frowned. "Your girlfriend?"

"Your ex." Tyler responded. "Look, I'm not going to say I'm sorry for doing what I did. She did call me. But that's not what I want to talk about. I want to know about her."

"She's a cheater." James said.

"What does she likes?" Tyler asked.

"Cheating. Sex. More cheating." James answered. "Look, if you want to know what she likes or wants, ask her. Obviously, I don't know or else I would still be dating her."

"You're real bitter." Tyler said.

"I'm not bitter. I'm better." James said. "Without Mary-Jane and you doing what you did, I wouldn't be dating Amber. So I say thanks."

"Sure. And thanks for Mary-Jane." Tyler replied.

"You're welcome." James said.

* * *

Chandra lied in her bed. She had to talk to someone about Steven's behavior earlier. She thought about Vanessa, but she was probably sulking over Jacob. Aaron was probably with Jordan, so she did not call him. That left Dustin who, she had called twice, but only got his voicemail.

"This sucks." Chandra said to herself. She heard her door opened to see Alli walking in. "Mom? What are you doing?"

"When your oldest daughter comes home with a sigh, you somehow get the notion that she's not having a good day." Alli said. "So what's wrong?"

Chandra had told her mother that she had a boyfriend, she just never told her _who_ he was.

"My boyfriend and I got into an argument." Chandra lied. "I was trying to reach Vanessa or Dustin but, no luck."

"And A.J?" Alli asked.

Chandra sighed. "He's probably still mad me for dating Steven in the first place."

"Steven?" Alli repeated.

Chandra stared at her mother before her eyes lit in realization. It was no secret in who Steven was, he was one of the three child celebrities people recognized at Degrassi, Jayden and Helen being the other two. Dakota and Ashton did not get as much attention as the other three did.

"You've been dating Craig's son this entire time?" Alli asked.

Chandra sighed. "Mom, you don't know-"

"I know _exactly_ what you're going through." Alli interrupted. "Chandra, I'm not going to make the same mistakes my parents made with me. I'm going to listen to you. But I want you to be honest with me. Did something happen between you and Steven? Something more than an argument?"

"He and I got in an argument over the pills that he takes." Chandra said. "I didn't want to stay with him so I came home."

"And why wouldn't A.J want to help? I thought you said he was your go-to guy whenever you had a problem?" Alli asked.

"Because he told me not to date Steven in the first place." Chandra replied. "And since I have, he's been giving me this look. Like disapproval and anger."

"I'm sure A.J isn't mad at you." Alli said. "But how about we go get a manicure?"

"On Sunday?" Chandra asked with a smile.

"Anything to keep you happy." Alli said with a smile.

"Sure Mom." Chandra said with a smile.

* * *

Nicole frowned when she saw Shane return in Gavin's truck. She went to open the front door to see Shane helping Harry out of the vehicle.

"Nicky!" Harry said happily as he ran up the porch to greet his sister.

Nicole hugged her younger brother tightly.

"Oh Harry, I've missed you so much!" Nicole said hugging him. Shane smiled at the scene before Nicole stood up and hugged him twice as tightly. "Thanks Shane!"

"Yeah. Now, we have to help with the groceries." Shane said. "Where's Kelly?"

"In the house talking to Jordan and A.J." Nicole said. "Seriously. Thanks Shane."

"No problem." Shane said. "By the way, Jay said that he's on the way with his enormous family, so you might want to pick a plate as soon as possible. Renée and Jenée eat like there's no tomorrow on a daily basis."

"Shane, _you_ eat like there's no tomorrow on a daily basis." Nicole responded with a giggle.

"So?" Shane asked.

"Hey," Emma said as she got out of Sean's car. "Stop flirting and help us get some of this out of the car."

"Sure Mom." Shane said.

Nicole led Harry into the house as Shane walked towards his parents and stepdad.

"Was that Nicky's brother?" Gavin asked.

Shane nodded. "Yeah. I went to see if he could visit his sister and their dad said it was okay. I tried to get her parents to come, but they said that they didn't. Of course, I'm not going to tell her that."

Emma gave Shane a hug. "You're so sweet."

"I know. Too bad no one else will." Shane replied.

"Unless we tell them." Gavin said.

"And we will." Emma added. "Just as soon as you get the groceries out. "

"Right." Shane said.

* * *

Jayden looked around. "Are you sure you want to be here?"

"Yeah." Laura said getting out of the car. She was surprised that Jayden got out of the car as well. "What do you want?"

"My 'you're welcome' kiss." Jayden responded.

Laura blinked in shock and astonishment before she ducked back into to the car. Jayden smiled before getting into the car to give her one prolong kiss. The two separated and Laura quickly got back out of the car, making sure that no one saw the two.

"You know, this place is pretty boring." Jayden told Laura. "I mean, what's here anyway?"

"Now what do you want?" Laura asked.

"Come with me to Shane's. I'm sure no one is going to say anything." Jayden replied.

"I can't." Laura said. "I have something to do."

"You don't have to lie." Jayden said. "The boss of the ravine and the enemy can't be seen together. Even if it is just a friendly chat. I mean, Nicky lives with Shane and _everyone_ talks about them."

"How about you go live Jayden's life like you said you would?" Laura retorted.

"Wh-"

"You 'hate' me, remember? Don't tell me I'm the only one in this rivalry." Laura interrupted.

Jayden smiled lightly. "Sure Laura. I'll see you later."

Jayden got into his mother's car and drove away from the ravine. Laura fought her smile off before heading to where she knew Nathan and Damon would be. They usually were.

"Well look who decided to finally join us." Nathan said.

"Up yours Hogart. I've had a rough day." Laura retorted hotly.

Torrie frowned. "That time of the month hun?"

"I met my mom." Laura answered. Torrie, Nathan, Damon, and Ethan sat quietly.

"Well?" Damon asked.

"She was a _real_ sweetheart. Gave me everything I want." Laura answered sarcastically.

"Wait, how'd you even learn where she lived? And how'd you get there?" Damon questioned.

"And was that _Jayden's_ car I saw pulling off?" Torrie added with a smile.

Laura stared at the others, her eyes showing how much she hated each one of them at the current moment. In reality, she was deeply and truly embarrassed.

"_I_ took the bus to her place that I got from my dad. He was lying about not knowing where she lived." Laura began her lie. "The loser was coming from seeing Dash and thought he'd update me. Instead of dropping me off at home, like I said, he dropped me off here while he went to Shane's for a cookout or some stupid shit. I really don't care."

"I think someone has a crush on someone else." Damon said.

"Do you even know how stupid you sound right now?" Torrie responded. "Besides, even I know that the two of them can't get alone for more than three seconds, let alone an entire car ride. Makes perfect sense to me that he dropped her off at the first place he could think of."

"Suspicious to me." Nathan said before taking a sip of the alcohol he had in his cup.

"You want to know what I find 'suspicious'? The fact that Nicky has _moved_ into Shane's house and yet they're 'not dating' or anything." Laura said. "That's what I find hard to believe."

Nathan scoffed. "She doesn't know what she wants."

"I'm sure she does." Laura said. "I mean, they practically _live_ together and I strongly doubt that he hasn't slept with her yet. If anyone of us has room to talk, it isn't you."

"Whatever." Nathan said standing up. "I'm going to go get me something to drink. Something stronger than this so I can find that statement funny."

"I'll come with you." Ethan said. "I need something to drink myself."

Laura watched as Ethan and Nathan walked away before she glanced at Torrie.

"What do you want?" Laura asked.

"Nothing. Just thinking." Torrie replied. "You know, if you weren't such a total bitch at times, I'd think Jayden had a crush on you."

"Well, that's too bad for him, isn't it?" Laura said.

"You do like him, right?" Damon asked.

"No. Why would I want to be someone like that. Sans the money of course." Laura responded.

Damon shrugged. "Just a really bad feeling, is all."

"Is it really? Then get it out of you." Laura stated. "I don't like Jayden period."

"If you say so." Torrie said.

"Sure Laura." Damon said at the same time.

"You know what," Laura said rising. "I'm out of here. Tell Nate that I'll send him and Nicky my regards."

Torrie and Damon watched Laura walk away before Torrie turned to Damon.

"You think we broke her?" Torrie asked Damon.

"I don't know. She's been disappearing lately." Damon said. "Oh well. I guess I should just worry about my apprentice."

Torrie rolled her eyes. "You are such an idiot."

* * *

The smell of the grilling food was practically filling up the entire block. When Jayden arrived at the little scene, he saw that his grandparents- Manny's parents that is- and Spike and Jack were all there.

"About time." Manny said to her son. "Did you find her?"

Jayden nodded. "Lovely woman too. A real sweetheart." Jenée quickly latched on Jayden's leg causing him to groan. "I did promise, didn't I?"

"Hey Jay, mind if I braid your hair?" Kelly asked.

"Ask my sister. She gets more ticked at other people doing it than I do." Jayden said as he walked towards the backyard where his father was laughing and talking to Sean and Gavin. Danica sat at a table talking to Snake and Mrs. Santos. "I'm here."

"Good. Wash your hands and grab a spatula." Maxwell said.

"Kelly's about to do my head." Jayden stated. "So, no grilling duties for me tonight. Right?"

"Wrong. Wash your hands and grab a spatula." Maxwell told his son.

Jayden sighed. "I'm going."

When Jayden reentered t he house, Danica stood up and followed Jayden inside.

"You okay?" Danica asked.

"My Monday afternoon is clear." Jayden responded as he washed his hands in the empty kitchen sink, despite his mother's and Emma's preferences.

"She said or did something, huh?" Danica asked.

Jayden sighed. "No. Not really. Only what I did." Jayden cut the water off and reached for a paper towel. "You know something Danni, I don't care what people think anymore. And as soon as she finally admits it to herself, I'm going to go for it."

Danica smiled. "Sure little bro. Just make sure that you don't get yourself into some trouble." Jayden nodded. "And now that we have that out of the way, I have some bad news."

"Oh no. What is it?" Jayden asked.

"Scarlett's seeing DeWayne." Danica said.

Jayden shrugged. "You know what? I don't care. I'm young and single. Bring on the girls."

Danica nodded. "Sure Jay. Even if we both know that you're lying."

Jayden smiled. "If you tell a lie long enough, it soon becomes believable."

"Well, let's hope you never believe that. Now get out there. Dad needs you." Danica said before her brother left the kitchen. "Idiot."


	44. S2 Episode XIV: When Doves Cry

**Episode XIV: When Doves Cry**

Jayden parked in his normal parking space and got out of the car. He took in a deep breath before closing the door.

"Hey." Laura said coming to him. "I need to talk to you."

"What is it?" Jayden asked.

"You said that… You said that we'd go on our separate ways because one of us isn't ready for the other." Laura replied. "And you're right. You're not ready for me."

"I-"

"Seriously. You're not." Laura said. "So instead of giving your family 'bad publicity' I'm going to stay away from you."

"My family? Laura what the hell have you been drinking this morning?" Jayden asked.

"Nothing. I just think that you were right. Besides, I did owe you a favor right? The bet remember? So we should stay away from each other until… Later." Laura said.

"Whatever Laura." Jayden said. "See you around."

"No you-"

"I said," Jayden interrupted her. "I'll see you around. Period."

Jayden walked off causing Laura to sigh. This had to be done because she was afraid of having feelings for someone. The only two people she had ever cared for were her parents and she had just met one of them again since she was five. She hated the feeling of losing and promised herself that she would never go through the feeling of losing someone else again. And something told Laura that as soon as she got comfortable with Jayden, Scarlett would come and take him away. Besides, now that she and Jayden were separated, Nathan and Damon had nothing to talk about.

Besides, it scared Laura that her mother also met a guy she liked in the boiler room.

* * *

Chandra walked down the halls in silence. After her "argument" with Steven yesterday, she really did not want to talk to him in fear that he was still in a bad mood. However, she would not be that lucky at all.

"Chandra," Steven said to her. She stopped and smiled at him. "Hey. Were you going to go on to class with a kiss?"

"Now how could I do that?" Chandra responded before she attempted to give Steven a small kiss, however he deepened it and prolonged it.

She was practically trying her best not to disappoint him, and thankfully, he pulled away.

"That's what I need before first period." Steven said. "I'll see you at lunch?"

"Actually," Chandra began with her lie. "I promised Vanessa I'd sit with her today. She and Jacob broke up."

"Oh." Steven said. "See you later then."

"Yeah." Chandra said before Steven walked away. "I need to find help. Fast."

* * *

Nicole and Shane stood by her locker as she gathered her morning books.

"Yesterday was great." Nicole said. "Thanks for getting Harry for me. It meant a lot."

Shane shrugged. "I'm a nice guy."

"Yeah. You are." Nicole said. "See you at lunch?"

"How about I walk you to class first? Just to make sure that you're truly alright?" Shane suggested.

"Shane, I'm fine. I can go to class by myself and I'm sure Jay will try to do the same thing. And Helen won't take no for an answer." Nicole replied. "I have enough people worrying about me. I just need a friend, alright?"

Shane grinned. "Sure Nicky. Just remember what I said."

"Right." Nicole said as she began to back away. "See you later Shane!"

Shane only smiled and turned to go the opposite way. Today would be a good day.

* * *

Aaron and Jordan were walking towards her first period class when Gabrielle caught up to them.

"Something wrong Brie?" Aaron asked.

"Not really. Just someone tagged my locker earlier." Gabrielle responded. Aaron and Jordan frowned at this. "Don't worry. It's nothing new to me. I just have to clean it. Again."

"Dustin." Aaron muttered.

"That loser!" Jordan said. She looked at Aaron. "What are we going to do?"

Aaron thought hard. This was something Danica or Jayden was good at, plotting to get vengeance. He then snapped his fingers.

"I got an idea. Meet me as soon as first period is over in front of your brother's locker." Aaron said. "We're going to make sure he learns his lesson one way or another."

"Good." Jordan replied.

* * *

Danica was happy when Isabella had arrived at her apartment. It was probably the only company she had asked to show up since moving.

"So," Isabella said. "I ran into this girl who I used to babysit when I was like fourteen and she was seven. Raven Middleton? Says that her sister goes to school with your cousin. Deion."

"You did not come all the way over here to tell me that." Danica said blandly.

"No. I came here because you'd be hopeless without me. Duh." Isabella replied with a smile. "But, I thought she could hang out with us later on. She kind of has a problem with the friends thing."

"You're like a shelter for friendless people Izzy. I hope you don't start adopting cats or dogs or else you'll forget about me." Danica said.

Isabella scoffed. "As if you'd let me do that. But, anyway, how's your brother?"

"Single. And your sister?" Danica asked.

"Quiet and desperate as always." Isabella said. "You sure you should be meddling in Jayden's affairs? While I'm sure Angie is beyond happy to meet her new boy crush, your brother doesn't seem like the one to be set up."

Danica shrugged. "Your point? He knows not to say a thing or die. Kind of my motto."

"What? Do as I say or I'll kill you?" Isabella asked with a smile.

"Exactly." Danica answered. "Besides, after yesterday, I doubt he cares who he dates anymore. I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to hit on you." Danica paused. "Well, that's a given I'm sure."

"Yeah, it happens. Beautiful people like us don't go anywhere without causing attention." Isabella said.

"Why were we cursed with such good looks?" Danica asked with a smile before the two began laughing. "So, this Raven Middleton chick. How old is she?"

* * *

After first period, Jordan met Aaron at Shane's locker, a red brush in Aaron's hand.

"Whose is that?" Jordan asked.

"You remember Dustin's combination right?" Aaron responded. Jordan nodded and the two made their way for their former friend's locker. "Hopefully this will work."

"Yeah. Whose brush is that?" Jordan questioned again.

"The one person I know will kill if anyone touched her stuff." Aaron answered. "Scarlett Chessex."

Jordan stopped completely as Aaron continued to Dustin's locker.

"What?" she whispered. "A.J, do you know what she could do if she ever found out?"

"Nothing if you can put this in Dustin's locker." Aaron said.

Jordan then grabbed Aaron's hand and began to pull him down the hall at a fast pace.

"This is dangerous!" Jordan said. "She's going to kill us if she learns that you broke into her locker! How'd you even break into her locker? How'd you know which-"

"Jordan, I didn't 'break in' alright? I had someone open it for me." Aaron said as the came to Dustin's locker. Jordan quickly put the combination in and opened it. "Thanks."

Once the brush was safely put away, the two began walking away, Jordan looking around them.

"If you'd stop looking so suspicious, this might actually go like we want it to." Aaron said.

"Yeah. And if it goes the opposite way, we can kiss our high school life goodbye and we're not even in the eighth grade yet." Jordan responded.

Aaron gave her a small kiss. "Don't worry. I won't let you go down for this. I promise."

"Sure A.J." Jordan replied with a smile.

* * *

Scarlett sighed. "Helen, I don't know what you're talking about. There's no possible way we're going to lose to Bardell next week."

"I'm telling you. I had a dream that-"

"Where the hell's my brush?" Scarlett interrupted her cousin.

"It's where you always put it." Helen said before looking into the locker. "Or it was."

"Someone had better cough it up soon or I swear that heads will roll." Scarlett said angrily.

"What are you two doing? We've got Art, remember?" Jayden said to the two girls as he walked towards them. Scarlett glared at him. "Whoa, what happened here?"

"My brush J.T. You're the only other person I know with my combination." Scarlett told him. "And don't lie to me."

"I don't have your brush nor do I know where it is." Jayden responded. "You can check any and everything I have on me. The car. My locker. My-"

"I don't care for all the places it's _not_ in!" Scarlett snapped before slamming her door shut. "Just who would be so _stupid_ to touch _my_ brush? And it'd better not have their greasy hair in it or… Ugh! Just the thought of it makes me pissed!"

"Um, okay," Jayden said calmly. "Let's calm down. Who do we know that would want your brush?"

"How should I know?" Scarlett asked through gritted teeth.

"Enemies Red. Who do we know would gain some kind of joy from taking your things?" Jayden asked.

Scarlett sighed. "Let's see. There's you."

"Next." Jayden said.

"Laura. I can't stand her and this is something she'd do." Scarlett said.

"Great. Me and Helen will find Laura and go through her things. Anyone else?" Jayden responded.

"You know," Helen said. "Your stalker might have grown bold and just took something to have. Crazy little bastard."

"Dustin? No. I don't think that he'd…" Scarlett paused. "Scooter!"

"McBride? What does he have to do with this?" Jayden asked.

"Who does Dustin hang out with now that just so happens to know how to pick locks? It's there." Scarlett said grabbing Jayden's and Helen's arms. "Come on, we're going to find one or the either one."

"But what about your dad's class?" Jayden asked.

"I'm not going to _any_ class until I get my brush." Scarlett replied. "And that's final!"

As for Dustin, he was actually doing nothing to anyone, walking to his second period class. That is, until he saw the angered beauty he knew as Scarlett Chessex making a beeline towards him. Her blue eyes did not stray from her target and Helen and Jayden both had the looks of fear on their faces. His first thought was to run, but then he remembered that Scarlett runs track along with Jayden and that Helen was a cheerleader. His second thought was to automatically and instinctively blame Damon. Someone had to take the pain, right?

"Dustin whatever your last name is," Scarlett said to him. "Where is my brush?"

"Your brush?" Dustin asked in confusion.

"My red brush." Scarlett said. "Tell me now and I promise that I'll make it as swift and painless as I possibly can." Scarlett released Jayden and Helen and stepped towards him. "But lie to me and so help me I will remove your flesh with the use of a nail filer."

"Is that even possible?" Jayden whispered to Helen.

"I don't know, but I'm not going to ask her and find out." Helen responded.

Both of them knew that while Scarlett was not normally a fighter, there were sometimes when she was best left alone or else. This was one of those times.

"My sister's rubbed off on her." Jayden told Helen, who just nodded.

"Take me to your locker, _now_!" Scarlett ordered.

Dustin nodded fiercely before turning around and leading the group to his locker. He fumbled with the lock several of times in nervousness before he opened it. And then he froze.

"Did you use it?" Scarlett asked, her eyes closed and fists clenched.

"I don't even know how it even-"

The slap echoed throughout the hallway, causing everyone to stop and stare. Not even the teachers dared to say anything about the event.

Scarlett grabbed her brush, while Dustin held his sore cheek, tears forming in his eyes. While his pride was hurt, the physical pain hurt tenfold. Scarlett grabbed her brush and began walking off, inspecting it as she did.

Jayden whistled. "That looked like it hurt."

"Yeah. But, better him than us right?" Helen replied.

"You drive a strong point, girl with angry cousin." Jayden said. "See you around Dustin. If, you can even use the left side of your face that is."

Helen smiled. "Jay, that's mean."

But as the two walked away, Dustin could hear Helen's laughter. That laughter was accompanied by the laughter of those in the hallways as well. And Dustin just stood there for a minute before closing his locker and storming off towards the football field. Forget second period, he needed to plan something with Damon and fast.

* * *

After fourth period, the students made their way to lunch. Chandra, who had only spoken to Steven once the entire day, was still sneaking around quietly. She went to the one person she knew would always make time for her, whether it be the way she envisioned it or not.

"Well, well, if it isn't Mrs. Bambi Manning." Jayden stated as he eyed her walking to him as he put his books away into his locker. "What can I do for you?"

"Oh, nothing. Just thought it's been a while since we've walked to lunch." Chandra said.

Jayden smiled. "Bambi, come on now. You and I both know that you're dating someone who I hate."

"And?" Chandra asked.

"And I know you better than that." Jayden said. "You'd rather be with someone who looks at you like the treasure of the world instead of someone that will only look at you as just a friend. So what's really going on Bambi?"

"I…" Chandra paused. Would Jayden even care if she told him the truth? Of course he would. They were friends. "Steven and I got into a little dispute and I just wanted to get away." Jayden frowned. "This happened yesterday but I'm sure he's still mad at me."

"Give him some pills. I'm sure that'll make him happy." Jayden said.

"That's what we were arguing about." Chandra replied. "I don't want him to take them but…"

"He does, huh? Sucks." Jayden said.

Chandra sighed. "They're making him into a completely different guy Jay. Someone who I can't stand to be around. Someone that I'm… Afraid of."

"Afraid of? Did he hit you?" Jayden asked. Chandra shook her head. "Oh. Okay."

"Can you help me?" Chandra asked.

"The pills aren't changing him. They're just bringing out the side you haven't seen yet. Everyone has one of those sides." Jayden responded. "But, I'll do you a favor. I'll let you sit at our table today if A.J and Jordan haven't quite forgiven you for ditching them for Steven in the first place. Deal?"

"Yeah." Chandra said. "Just one question: Why are you so nice to everyone?"

Jayden laughed. "You have no clue on how wrong you really are."

* * *

Nicole had stepped out of the restroom, waving her semi-wet hands in the air to get them dryer. She paused as she thought that this was something the old Nicole would do. She smiled slightly as she remembered how Shane smiled at her earlier. It was just like old times.

"Nicky." Nicole glanced at Nathan. "Nicky wait. Hear me out, alright?"

"What?" Nicole asked.

"…" Nathan was not ready for such a hostile response. She had seem so happy earlier today. "I wanted to see how you were doing. You look good."

"Thanks." Nicole replied. "Now I have to go meet Helen in the cafeteria."

"Nicky, please, talk to me." Nathan said. "I said please."

"Why? So you can tell me how stupid I am and how much Shane hates me? Is that what you're going to say?" Nicole asked.

"No. I was going to say how sorry I truly am and how I wish you could forgive me." Nathan said. "See, my dad just came back in town so I've been a little frustrated. I found out that I have siblings and… Well, I've just been not myself."

"Really?" Nicole asked.

Nathan nodded. "Honestly."

"You are pathetic." Nicole said. "I was _kicked out_ of my house by _both_ parents and I didn't take it out on anyone. In fact, I thought about killing myself!" Nathan flinched. He did not know that. "But, I forgive you Nate. I really do."

"Good. How about we go get some lunch then?" Nathan asked.

"I said I forgive you, not that I've forgotten what you did." Nicole said. "You humiliated me in front of your friends. You _used_ me. I don't we'll ever be friends again. And we're definitely not going to be what we used to be."

Nathan sighed. "Is that your final decision? I mean, I can do much more than Shane can."

"No you can't." Nicole replied. "Honestly Nathan, I'm not looking for anyone. I'm looking for someone. And that someone isn't you." Nathan could not believe his luck. Here he was being rejected by one of the flirtiest girls in the school. "See you around."

Nicole walked away with a small smile on her face. Nicole Campbell was back.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Shane said to Jacob. "She told Kelly to break up with you, which she didn't, and you found out through a phone call?"

Jacob nodded. "Yeah. That's what happened."

"Why?" Shane asked.

"I, um, really don't know." Jacob replied.

"You don't know why your ex-girlfriend broke up with you?" Shane asked.

"Uh…" Jacob began.

"Where's Jay?" Kelly asked spontaneously.

As if on cue, Jayden walked to his table with Chandra in tow.

Shane frowned. "What's this? Your new girlfriend?"

"Well she is a girl and she is my friend…" Jayden responded before sitting down. "So what are we talking about? And don't mind Bambi. She's going to be Dash's substitute for the day. Until I can trust to leave her out of my sight."

"What's wrong?" Kelly asked.

"Nothing that Jayden T. McDuelle can't handle. So what's going on?" Jayden responded.

Vanessa's eyes widened. "So that was you two…?"

"Yeah." Jordan said. "It was so… So… Thrilling!"

"Thrilling? You got a guy slapped. It's dirty and unlike you two." Ashton replied.

"I told him to leave Brie alone." Aaron said.

"Thanks A.J, but I can handle myself." Gabrielle said.

She had actually gone to Nathan like he said to do and he told her that he would handle it. She had forgotten to tell Aaron that part earlier when they talked in the hallway.

"So, what's going on this weekend?" Vanessa asked.

"Wow Vanessa, it's only Monday. At least let Wednesday come." Jordan said.

Vanessa sighed. "I'm sorry. Just single. Again."

"Hanging with those two, I wonder how." Ashton said, gaining a glare from Jordan. "Oh come on. Between you and Santos, you guys are in _everyone's_ conversation someway somehow."

"We are not!" Jordan retorted. "You're just saying that."

"Say what you want Jordan. The truth is, if one of us had something to say or do, you and your boyfriend would be the first on scene. End of story." Ashton said. "You're just too nosey. Both of you."

"In my defense," Aaron said. "People _ask_ me to help them. Like you."

"…" Ashton opened his mouth to argue, but Aaron had a point. So he just shrugged. "You have a point Santos. But not Jordan. She just _throws_ herself into the situation."

"Hey, did anyone noticed Bambi sitting at Jayden's table?" Vanessa questioned.

The group looked to see Chandra with a small smile while Shane entertained the others with some joke.

Jordan scoffed. "Just like her. She has Steven and now she tries to take Jayden as well."

"She's not harming anyone." Vanessa replied.

"She could be after Jacob you know." Jordan said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"No. I don't think she's his type." Vanessa said, gaining strange looks from her friends. She sighed. "I'm not in love with the guy, alright? I just know what he likes. And Bambi and I are two totally different people."

"Why did you break up with him?" Jordan asked.

"Again. Nosey people." Ashton muttered, gaining a small elbow from Gabrielle.

"Listen," Vanessa said. "Jacob and I have an understanding and it's not really something that the rest of you should worry about. So don't."

"Fine." Jordan said defeated.

Jayden stood at the soda machine with Scarlett doing their normal meeting.

"So," Jayden said. "Did my tips work?"

"If you would've answered your phone, you would've known that they did." Scarlett replied. "Just what were you doing Saturday, anyway?"

"Moping over losing a perfect girlfriend." Jayden said.

"Seriously." Scarlett said to him.

"Nothing much. Just driving around. Bored." Jayden replied. "I tried calling you back when I got home, but you or someone put me straight to voicemail."

"Sorry. I thought you were avoiding me." Scarlett said.

Jayden smiled. "No problem."

"So," Scarlett said. "We have that meeting tomorrow. Are you ready?"

"To meet up with your boyfriend and his loser friends? Not really but it's not really up to me now, is it Madame President?" Jayden responded with a small grin.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "To think that I actually thought that you'd use your downtime to prepare for such an event."

"To think that I thought you knew me better than that." Jayden said. "But today I have to help my Izzy's sister move in."

"Oh that's right. What's her name? Angelina or something like that." Scarlett replied. "Who knows? She could look almost as good as me."

Jayden faked shock. "Scarlett Chessex being modest? I never thought I'd see the day."

"So why is Bambi with you?" Scarlett asked.

"Trouble in paradise, good friend, you do the math." Jayden answered. "And speaking of which, I should be getting back to my table before something happens. I'll talk to you later."

"As always." Scarlett said with a smile.

Helen rolled her eyes and looked at Nicole.

"Are you that hopelessly in love?" Helen asked.

"Wh-what?" Nicole responded.

"With Plain Shane? Are you that hopelessly in love with the guy?" Helen restated.

"Why would you ask that?" Nicole questioned, a blush coming on her face.

Helen sighed. "Am I the only girl left with her dignity? I guess I am."

"Sure Helen." Nicole said with a smile. "Just like you had your dignity whenever Jayden leaned against you?"

"Wha- I- Shut up Nicky." Helen stammered.

* * *

After lunch, Chandra had separated from Jayden, feeling a bit better about the day. She was going to her class before she saw Steven. Smiling, she walked up towards him.

"Hey." she said with a grin. He stared at her blankly causing her smile to disappear. "Is something wrong?"

"Can I talk to you? In private?" Steven asked.

"Sure." Chandra responded. She followed Steven to a secluded spot. "What's wr-"

Her statement would never get out of her mouth as the back of his right hand met her right cheek, her head jerking violently at the collision.

"So, first you think I'm some junkie and now you think that I'm not as good as _Jayden_." Steven said as Chandra held her sore face. "Let me guess. It's because _he's_ the singer and I'm not, isn't it?"

"Steven no I just-"

"Shut up!" Steven shouted, causing her to whimper. "I thought you were going to see Vanessa? What happened to that huh?" Another slap that caused her to drop to her knees, crying. "You… You think I'm some kind of monster now, don't you?"

"No Steven! No I don't think you're-"

"Say it." Steven hissed. "I dare you." Chandra said nothing as she just sat on her knees, crying. Steven grabbed her hair and pulled her to her feet. "They were right about you. You are a whore."

With that, Steven shoved Chandra against the wall and walked away, never looking back to see the damage he had done as she just fell to her knees, crying.

* * *

Jayden was on his way to his class when he saw Laura walking down the hall with a girl he did not really speak to. Whatever Laura was telling the other girl must have been pretty funny as the two were laughing as they walked down the hall. The two walked past him, Laura's eyes never meeting his. Jayden stopped in the hall and turned around.

"Hey!" he called. Laura eventually stopped and looked at him. "What? No name? No comment? I don't exist anymore?"

Laura frowned. "What are you talking about numb-nuts? Why in the hell would I want _you_ to exist. Heh, I'd be doing you a favor by staying away from you."

"That's not fair. I never said that-"

"This is so going on my loser's list." Laura said to the other girl. "Jayden McDuelle, broken after Scarlett leaves him for some third-string Lakehurst loser and now he can't get any love anywhere."

To say Jayden was shocked would be an understatement.

"By the way McDuelle," Laura said. "I would keep your mouth shut lest you want the school to know about you-know-who and what he has to do with you."

"Sure." Jayden said. "Later."

"In your dreams." Laura retorted before walking away with the other girl.

Jayden sighed heavily before going to class. While he has never been "heartbroken" before, he has felt something akin to it before when he moved and left Marissa in Newport. And somehow, Laura had triggered the feeling all over again.

* * *

After the final bell, Dustin stormed down the halls, angry from the slap he received earlier. He was going to get whoever had the gall to put Scarlett's brush in his locker. He was going to literally beat whoever it was that tricked _him_ senseless.

"A.J!" Dustin called.

Aaron sighed. "What is it?"

"This was your doing, wasn't it?" Dustin asked.

"What was my doing?" Aaron asked.

"Scarlett's brush was in my locker and I didn't put it there." Dustin said. "You put it there, didn't you?"

Aaron blinked. "And why would I do that?"

"Because you're jealous that I'm-"

"I said it once and I'll say it again. You're _nowhere_ near the definition of the word 'cool'." Aaron interrupted. "I didn't put her brush in your locker. Besides, Jordan wouldn't let me do anything to you like you've done to everyone else. She said that two wrongs don't make a right so I let it drop unless you did something to her."

Dustin stood quietly now. That was something he would expect Jordan to say and Aaron did do almost everything the girl asked whether they were dating or not. So that meant that Aaron did not do it and Ashton was also off Dustin's list since he was more of a fighter than a prankster.

Dustin sighed. His list was getting smaller and smaller.

"Hey Dustin, let me talk to you for a second." Nathan said walking towards him.

"That's my cue." Aaron said. "Good luck."

Aaron walked away causing Dustin to frown a bit before he turned to Nathan.

"Hey Nate, what's-"

"I'm going to say this one time and one time only." Nathan said, his fingers tightly around Dustin's collar. "Leave Brie alone. If anyone picks on her, it's going to be me, got it?" Dustin nodded. "Good. Don't let me hear that you've done something else to her again or I'm going to come after you instead."

Nathan released Dustin and walked away.

"Man, Laura's claimed Aaron and Nate's claimed Brie. I guess that leaves me with…" Dustin paused and grinned. "Bambi."

Dustin began walking down the hallway to find his new prey. She was not by her locker and Vanessa had left with James minutes ago. He went near the girls' locker room to see that she was not there either.

"Dustin…" Dustin looked to see a hooded figure moving towards him. On further inspection, he realized it was Chandra. "Dustin, I need your help."

Dustin frowned. "Chandra, what's wrong with you?"

"He hit me!" Chandra cried as she removed her hood, a bruise on the right side of her face.

"He hit you?" Dustin shouted.

"Please Dustin," Chandra said hugging Dustin. "Help me!"

Dustin only stood there. His new target, his new prey, was the target and prey of something much more bigger than he was.

"Don't worry Chandra," Dustin said as she cried on him. "I'll get him."

* * *

Jayden groaned as he lied on the couch.

"Since you're from France, you'll have to excuse this," Jayden said to Isabella, who was sipping tea from a glass. "Why in the hell does your sister have so much clothes? She has like ten outfits for everyday of the year without repeating the same thing!"

Isabella laughed. "Yeah, that's Angie for you. But she's really shy, so please don't startle her."

"Startle her? Yeah. I just helped move her bed, dresser, and clothes. The least she could do is humor me with a few stutters. Maybe a blush." Jayden said.

"You're such a jerk Jay." Danica said to her brother. "We asked you to help because-"

"You don't have to pay me. Duh." Jayden said before Danica sat on his chest. "Okay! I'm sorry!"

Isabella laughed at the antics. "I bet you two got into some fights growing up."

"Thirteen and oh." Danica said proudly as she rose from Jayden, who immediately sat up.

"I'd call you a fat ass but you might take it as some perverted compliment." Jayden said before the door opened.

Isabella smiled. "Angie!"

"Isabella." the girl said as she moved to hug her older sister.

"Ahem." Danica said with one hand on her hip.

Angelina smiled. "Hey Danni."

"More like it." Danica said as she hugged Angelina. "Oh, Angel, this is my little brother and leader of your favorite band, Jayden. Jay, Angel, Angie, Angelina, whatever suits you to call her."

"Hey." Jayden said. "Excuse my short of breath. A two-ton elephant sat on me just a few minutes ago."

"A two-ton _elephant_?" Danica nearly shrieked.

Isabella laughed as she got up to move her friend away from Jayden before the boy was seriously murdered.

"Um," Jayden said to Angelina. "I guess I'll have to be your welcoming committee since you really can't count your sister and my sister is…" Jayden paused as he looked over Angelina to see Danica muttering something incoherent. "Well, let's just say that it's a good thing that you're standing in her line of sight or else I wouldn't be here."

"Yeah…" Angelina said quietly. "Um… I've seen your shows and… You're good."

"Thanks." Jayden replied. "And please, don't be shy around me. I'm sure not going to be shy around you."

Angelina nodded. "I'll try."

"That's all I ask for." Jayden said with a smile. "I'd show you around, but it'll take me _forever_ to show you all the good spots, so how about Thursday, we ditch your ridiculously hot sister and my extremely temperamental sister and go see the town? It's a half day so we should have time."

"Um, sure." Angelina responded. "I'd like that."

"I'm going to go now before Danni breaks free. My sister has my number just incase you need a chaperone. Pretty girls like you shouldn't be wandering the streets alone." Jayden said moving to the door. "See you later Bella."

"Alright." Isabella said, her arm around Danica in a friendly gesture.

"And you'd better be available Thursday or I'm going to find you and drag your sorry ass back here." Danica added.

"I love you too sis." Jayden responded before looking at Angelina. "Later Angel."

"Later." she said as he left. Angelina gave a heavy sigh before her eyes turned to the smiling faces of Danica and Isabella. "What?"

"I smell love!" Isabella squealed.

"Puppy love is always the cutest." Danica said with a smile.

Angelina did not reply as she just moved to her room. She was neither a talker nor a fighter.

"We are so good." Isabella said before exchanging high-fives with Danica.

"Yes we are." Danica said.

* * *

Mary-Jane had just finished her homework that was assigned by her father and tossed her English text book on the floor next to her bed. She was not a sloppy person, but she did not have the energy to put it in her bag at the moment. A knock came on her door and she sat up to see her parents coming into her room. This meant one of two things. Either she was in serious trouble or her mother was pregnant. Hopefully, it was neither.

"Mary, we have to talk to you." Marco said.

"Sure Dad. What is it?" Mary-Jane asked.

"It's about Tyler or Tyler's dad, I should say." Marco began. "You see Mary, when your mom was your age, she met Dean, Tyler's dad, at a party. And, um," Marco paused and looked at Paige, to see that she was fidgeting. "Mary, the truth is, Dean raped your mother and got away with it."

"No way." Mary-Jane said before looking at her mother. "Mom is that true?"

"Yes…" Paige barely said. "Yes it's true."

"How do you guys know that it's Tyler's dad? It could be-"

"Dammit Mary-Jane!" Paige snapped. "Do you think I would forget a man who _raped_ me? I-"

"Paige, calm down. I said I could handle it and I will." Marco interrupted. Paige sighed heavily, a hand going through her blonde hair. "Mary, I'm not telling you that you can't see him because that would be unfair. But, don't expect either of us to let you have the leisure of just hanging out with him whenever."

"So I'm basically on watch because his dad raped Mom? That's not fair. Tyler didn't do anything. _I_ didn't do anything." Mary-Jane responded.

"I know. But we just want you to be safe." Marco said. "It's either that or grounding you."

Mary-Jane sighed. "Fine. Heavy watch. But Tyler's cool. In fact, I'll let you guys meet him."

"Good girl." Marco said before leaving the room.

Mary-Jane looked at her mother and felt her stomach flip. She had never seen her mother this angry and depressed before, not even when she thought that she had miscarried Angele.

"Mom," Mary-Jane said, gaining Paige's attention. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't jump on his side after… That."

Paige sighed. "It's something I'd expect me to do, so I don't hold it against you. Fully." Mary-Jane prepared herself for whatever punishment was sure to come. "Mary… Just be careful with this guy, alright? I don't want you going through the same thing I did."

"I won't Mom. I promise." Mary-Jane said.

Paige smiled sadly. "You're making a promise you can't control."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Poor Bambi. Ironically, she's one of my favorite characters to type. And just when you thought there would be a Jayden/Laura moment, I bring in Angelina. Shame on me. Then there's Mary-Jane and Tyler and Paige and Dean. Oh the possibilities. And I decided to keep it in the center. It was weird. I have also decided to mix _Days of Yesteryear_ with this story, those characters coming in later. Final heads up, there are eleven more episodes left in Season Two and as of now, there will be a season three. Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter. Review and tell me how you feel.


	45. S2 Episode XV: Jesus Take the Wheel

**Episode XV: Jesus Take The Wheel**

His heart pounded against his chest with every step that he took. This was real. He was really going to do it. There was no turning back now. He was really going to go all the way. Turning a corner and finding his mark in broad daylight, he swallowed whatever nervousness that had built up in his chest.

"Steven!" Dustin called.

And this would go down as one of his biggest mistakes ever.

* * *

Laura walked past the steps in front of the school where she spotted Aaron and Jayden talking. The two brothers were obviously in their own world as Jayden did not even glance her way. She was slightly bothered by that. Had he gotten over her that quick? No. It was near impossible. She realized last night that he must have been pretty downed about what she had said since she sent him two texts and received nothing in return.

Stopping, Laura made her way to Jayden with an excuse in mind. Dakota.

"Hey loser, I need to talk to you." Laura said.

Jayden glanced at her. "You're talking to me now."

"It's about your not-really girlfriend Dash. I called her last night." Laura said.

"Sounds like she's _your_ girlfriend more than mine since you check up on her _every single hour_ of the day." Jayden replied. "Besides, wasn't my favor for you to leave me alone? Which is impossible if you're talking to me?"

"What? After all that crying and whining you did yesterday you-"

"I'm leaving you alone so you-know-who doesn't get found out by the school thanks to the school's slut." Jayden said. "Or have you already reneged on that deal too?"

"Fine." Laura responded. "Don't say I didn't try."

"You didn't try." Jayden said before turning back to Aaron. "Now like I was saying. Angel. She's-"

"So that's it. You've found someone knew to screw on the side. Typical Jayden." Laura said. "You know, I actually put the thought to check in on you too last night but you were so damn bitchy that you didn't even answer. So fuck you Jayden McDuelle."

Jayden raised an eyebrow. "If I'm bitchy, what does that make you for the scene you're causing now?"

Laura was going to reply before she looked around her. The other students that were there all stared in confusion and awe. They had never seen Laura upset before. Angry, yes, but upset? This was weird.

"You told me, that it was once me that cared about what others thought." Jayden said. "Tell me, is the thought mutual."

"No." Laura snapped back.

"Really? Then can you tell me what I told you at my house?" Jayden asked.

"His house?" a girl whispered to her friends.

Laura stood still for a moment. She could repeat what he said Sunday and listen to Nathan and Damon all day or she could just walk away.

"Whatever." Laura said turning around.

"It was nice talking to you." Jayden called to her, which got him a stiff middle finger.

Aaron frowned. "What happened between you two?"

"That's what happens when you tell your crush you like them and they're too afraid of feeling the same." Jayden responded. "Now, back to Angel."

* * *

Steven walked down the hallway to the water fountain. He leaned in and took a large gulp of water, swallowing the pills that he hid under his tongue.

"Hey man," Steven stood up and turned to see James and Amber. "You and Chandra going to be with us for lunch?"

"Uh, I don't know. I haven't seen her today." Steven said.

Amber frowned. "What? You two are _always_ together."

"I just haven't seen her, that's all." Steven said. "I'll go find her and tell her."

"Sure." James said before Steven began to walk away.

"You remember when I told you about that day we were in his car and he had this really creepy look on his face?" Amber said quietly to James. James nodded. "That was it."

"You think something happened between them?" James asked.

Amber shrugged. "I don't know. If it did, then I feel sorry for Bambi."

"Nah. Steven's quit with the pills." James said in defense of his friend. "Come on. I'm let's get something from the cafeteria and then head off to class."

"Yeah." Amber said.

* * *

Dustin walked down the halls beaten and pissed. He found who he was looking for before she stepped into her classroom.

"I hope you're happy." Dustin said to Chandra before walking off.

Chandra only stared in disbelief. In just a matter of hours, she had lost her boyfriend, a friend, and her dignity. She would have cried right then and there, but she felt as if she had no more tears to spill. Without any pride left, Chandra relied that she would have to ask for forgiveness to her real friends. Even if they said no.

* * *

Sitting in first period, Nicole turned around to talk to Helen.

"Hey Helen," Nicole said, gaining the redhead's attention. "I was thinking about something."

"Nicky, let's be honest, your thinking process cuts on and off and random moments and can't be trusted without adult supervision." Helen responded.

"Seriously." Nicole said. "I'm going to ask Shane out, but I want to talk to Jackie first." Helen looked up from her work at Nicole. "I know that I'm the reason they broke up and I really don't deserve to ask him out, but I just have to. He makes me feel… Safe."

"I'm tearing up." Jayden said.

"Shut up Jayden." Helen remarked. "And I say go for it Nicky. If Jackie doesn't understand then it's her fault."

"Besides," Jayden said. "If Jackie complains, Shane'll just take your side anyway." Helen and Nicole looked at Jayden. "I say just do it already. I mean, you already live with the guy, sort of, so you have all the right if you ask me."

Helen smirked. "Kind of like how Scarlett's the only girl your mom just let's into the house without you coming out of your room?"

"Exactly like that." Jayden responded. "So talk to Jackie, tell her what you're planning, and go get Shane. And if he says no, don't worry. I'll change his mind."

Nicole smiled. "Thanks Jay. I think."

"Hey, just because I'm done on love doesn't everyone else should be." Jayden replied.

Helen frowned. "Are you talking about Scar?"

"What do you think?' Jayden said before turning back to his work.

Helen only sat quietly. Something told her that Jayden was not mad about Scarlett. It was someone else. Question is, who?

* * *

Amber frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"So," Mary-Jane said. "Yesterday my mom and dad come in my room to talk to me. And I thought I was in trouble, but that's not the case. Instead, it has something to do with Tyler's dad."

"What's wrong with his dad?" Amber asked.

"He… Tyler's dad raped my mom." Mary-Jane said quietly. "I don't know if Tyler knows this or not but that's the truth."

"Oh man, are you sure it's okay to date him?" Amber replied. "I mean, if your parents and his dad meet… That's going to be interesting."

"I know. I'm trying not to think about it." Mary-Jane told her friend before sighing. "What's worst is now I have this bad feeling about the entire thing."

"You think you have problems? Earlier today, I saw a Steven without a Chandra." Amber said.

Mary-Jane shrugged. "Point? Bambi's bound to be with some boy."

"No, no. You don't understand. They are inseparable. A Steven without Chandra is like you with no purse." Amber said.

"You have a point." Mary-Jane replied. "I'm sure she's just sick or they had a little argument. Nothing to sweat over."

"I hope you're right." Amber said. "Steven sometimes creeps me out. And lately, it's just been getting worse."

"Who do you take him for? His creepy little sister?" Mary-Jane asked. "I say that he's fine. Dakota's the mess-up, remember? That's why her mom is Ellie and their mom is Ashley. Only one of them could play a housewife and it isn't the one that cut herself."

"Sure." Amber said, though she seriously doubted Mary-Jane's words.

* * *

After first period, Chandra did not waste time talking to the teacher about the slight purple ring on her face. It was none of his business anyway. It was none of Vanessa's or Ashton's either. So she made her way quickly and briskly down the halls. There he was, talking to Jordan as normal. Aaron J. Santos.

"Aaron," Chandra said coming to him. "Aaron, I need a favor."

Seeing as she referred to him as Aaron instead of A.J like normal, Aaron had already pieced that something was wrong.

"I need to talk to you in private. Please." Chandra pleaded.

Aaron nodded. "Sure." He turned to Jordan. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Sure." Jordan replied before walking away, giving Chandra a curious stare as she did so.

"What is it?" Aaron asked.

"You… You were right." Chandra said, tears already threatening to spill. "I shouldn't… I shouldn't have dated him! He's a monster A.J!" Aaron's eyes showed his concern and curiosity, though the former was seen more. "A.J, when I went to his house Sunday, he shoved me into his door and told me to leave."

"Bambi, I knew-"

"And yesterday he slapped me! Twice!" Chandra cried.

Aaron froze. His father's family was a family of dominating people. His aunt, Courtney, was known throughout Newport as a man-beater. If any guy dare lay a hand on her, there would be hell to pay. His father's twin, Reggie, was also known to fight her own battles whether it be man, woman, or group. And then there was Danica who Aaron had been on the receiving end of some of her rage blackouts that she inherited from their grandmother. So Aaron has always known women to be as tough as men and only in the movies his mother watch has he seen a woman beating physically and emotionally by her spouse. So seeing this now, to a girl he has had a crush on since moving to Toronto no less, was hard for him. He could not beat Steven, that was a given. But he knew who could.

"Bambi," Aaron said comfortably as he hugged her. "It's going to be alright. I promise."

"A.J, I'm so sorry!" Chandra sobbed as she hugged him tightly. "I should've listened to you!"

Aaron smiled lightly. "Yeah you should've…" Feeling her tighten her grip, Aaron mentally cursed his response. That did not help. "Look, I'm going to make sure that Steven learns his lesson. In the meantime, I suggest you to stay away from him. Okay?"

"Okay." Chandra said before they released one another. "Thank you A.J. Even after what I said, you're still a friend."

"I'll always be there for you Bambi." Aaron stated without thinking about the statement. "Um… Let's get to class, alright? I'll walk you to make sure that he doesn't come back."

"Sure." Chandra replied.

* * *

Jacquelyn had been quite quiet during these past few days since she had lost all of her friends by breaking up with one guy. Then again, it was not surprising. Jayden was Shane's best friend and he was dating Scarlett at the time who was Helen's cousin. Right there, three other people gone because she broke up with Shane. Then there was Nicole who Jacquelyn had not talked to since Nicole called her a bitch.

"Hey Jackie," speaking of the devil, here she was. "Can I talk to you?"

"…" Jacquelyn was hesitant. Would this be the old giggly Nicole or the new annoying one? It was hard to tell. "Sure."

"I, um… This is hard." Nicole said. "Well, first I want to say sorry for what I said earlier. I wasn't myself."

"Apology accepted." Jacquelyn replied.

"And, um, forgive me because," Nicole paused and took a deep breath. "I'm going to ask Shane out."

Jacquelyn only stared at Nicole as if the girl had grown a second head.

"That's it?" Jacquelyn said.

Nicole's eyes widened. "You're not mad?"

"No." Jacquelyn said. "Nicky, you and Shane need each other. Didn't he tell you that me and him already talked about this?"

"No. I guess he forgot." Nicole said.

Jacquelyn shrugged. "I don't know. But I told him that the reason he and I won't date again is so you two could. So please, take him. He's all yours."

Nicole smiled brightly. "Thanks Jackie!"

The two girls hugged one another much like they used to whenever Nicole got excited, usually during a shopping spree or a big victory at a game. Jacquelyn smiled only because she missed this Nicole.

"Now," Nicole said as she ended the hug. "I just have to find Shane."

"Well, you do that and I'll get to class." Jacquelyn replied.

"See you at lunch?" Nicole said.

"I don't think Helen-"

"Oh Helen's got a new boyfriend now. She's not going to mind." Nicole interrupted. "Come on Jackie. Pretty, pretty please?"

Jacquelyn sighed. "Fine. If it'll stop you from begging like that."

"Yay!" Nicole said happily. "See you then!"

Nicole walked off with a bounce in her step. Jacquelyn only smiled before going the opposite way. It seemed that all was right in the world. Finally.

* * *

Dakota sat in her room only because she refused to go "socialize" with the others. Her counselors decided to leave her be since she was quite fixed on the idea of just resting alone. The door to her room opened and she was seconds away from ordering whoever to get out before she saw Silas.

She smiled. "Dad. I thought you were another counselor."

"No. I'm here because I hear that you can be released soon. That is, if you do good in your next session." Silas told her.

"That's a relief." Dakota replied.

"I have some more news." Silas said. "My birthday is coming up."

"Okay." Dakota said, already knowing that information.

"And the band and I wanted to do a show at the Air Canada Centre and who better to open for us than my only daughter's band?" Silas responded.

Dakota's eyes immediately shot wide.

"Y-you want us to open for you?" Dakota asked. Silas nodded and Dakota jumped from her bed and hugged her stepfather. "Thanks Dad! Jay and the others are going to be so thrilled!"

"I hope so." Silas said. Silas felt his cell phone vibrating. "Uh-oh. That's your mom."

"Mom? Why would she-"

"It is a show and we do have rehearsals." Silas interrupted. "Rehearsals that started ten minutes ago, I might want to add."

Dakota smiled. "You should go Dad before she gets angry."

"I am." Silas said ruffling Dakota's hair a bit. "See ya later kid. I have to get out of here before she gets even angrier."

"Sure Dad." Dakota said. "Will you or Mom be back?"

"Of course we will. Well, if she doesn't kill me between now and then." Silas said.

"Yeah. You should probably go." Dakota said as Silas neared the door. "See you later Dad."

"As always kiddo." Silas replied as he left.

Dakota smiled happily and sprinted to her bed. She pulled out her drumsticks that Jayden had smuggled in there for her.

"We're back." Dakota said happily.

* * *

"Hey James," Jayden said walking to him. "Hey, have you talked to Coach Hamilton about tryouts? He said he'd post them but I can't find them anywhere."

"Me neither. I thought you of all people would know where they are." James responded. "Maybe Scarlett has gotten around to it yet."

"Maybe." Jayden said.

"Hey, you ready for this meeting tomorrow? I mean, I know that I have to sit and look at Tyler and Mary-Jane, but you have more of a tendency to fight than I do." James said.

Jayden nodded. "I'll be fine. Besides, Thursday I have a little meeting with this extremely sexy girl who moved in from France. Get this, her mom's Mia De Chaplin, the model."

"What? How'd you meet her?" James asked, shocked at the news.

"So my older sister is friends with Isabella Jones, Mia's older daughter. And the two of them both moved to Toronto and needed help doing so." Jayden explained. "Angelina lives with her older sister which means that I have instant access."

"But I'm sure she's known your mind to be in the gutter sometimes." James said. "How'd you dodge that conversation?"

"Izzy isn't that stupid. Angel is super shy and I'm everything but shy. Therefore, when she needed someone to show Angelina around, I was called." Jayden answered. "Plus, Angel is a big Juvenile Grace fan. So I basically scored points with her without knowing her."

"Man, you have got to be one of the luckiest S. I know." James replied with a grin. "But I guess anything is better than moping over Scarlett, right?"

"Exactly." Jayden said.

"Jayden." Aaron said coming to the two. "I have to talk to you about something."

"Make it quick." Jayden responded.

"Steven slapped Bambi. Twice." Aaron said.

Both Jayden and James had identical surprised and angered faces. Aaron could understand why Jayden was so angry, but James, not that much. His brother then closed his eyes, much like he did in the kitchen Sunday, and opened them slowly.

"Do you know where Steven is?" Jayden asked as calmly as he could muster. Aaron nodded. "Where?"

"Bathroom." Aaron said.

Jayden brought his hand up, causing Aaron to flinch slightly before Jayden placed it on his shoulder, a small smile on Jayden's face.

"I'm glad you learned the difference between snitching and helping. Now if you'd excuse me, I have to go do something." Jayden said.

"I'm coming with you." James added.

Jayden nodded and the two began walking down the hall, dismissing third period altogether. As the two walked, they came across Shane.

"Hey," Shane said. "What's going on?"

"Walk and talk." Jayden said as Shane began walking beside his friend. "Steven hit Bambi."

"Really? Man, and here I thought you were just overprotective about her." Shane said.

"I have my hunches for a reason." Jayden replied as the trio made their way to the restroom.

Steven shot a paper towel at a trash bin.

"Missed." Steven said before turning to see the three. "Oh, hey. What's going on?"

Without any words, Jayden charged at Steven, ramming him into nearby wall. Steven and Jayden began exchanging blows as Shane and James attempted to break them up. While Shane had always been physically stronger than his friend, it still surprised him on how Jayden's grip could almost be considered indestructible. And with his left hand clutched around Steven's collar and his right hand still throwing blows, Shane was having a lot of trouble separating the two with James. James also attempted to separate Steven and Jayden, though he was trying to get in-between the wall and Steven and pull back.

The two had gotten the two separated for a matter of two seconds until Jayden broke free from Shane's grip and went at Steven again. James had given up all hope on stopping them and just released Steven. Surprisingly, the smaller Jayden was able to get Steven onto the ground and began stomping him as if his life depended on him. Shane was going to let Jayden continue until he pulled him away.

"Come on man, calm down!" Shane said to his friend.

"You put your fucking hands on Bambi again and I swear I'll kill you!" Jayden shouted at Steven, who was being held up and restrained by James.

"Fuck you McDuelle!" Steven shouted as Shane was able to pull Jayden out of the restroom.

Shane gave Jayden a small shove away from the door.

"Hey, cut it out! You know if you get suspended again your parents are going to be pissed." Shane said. "Chill out!"

Jayden sighed and put a hand on his head.

"Sure, sure, whatever." Jayden said. "It's just that this guy has been pissing me off for years and now he does some stupid shit like this? Oh no. I'm not going to let that slide."

"Yeah, well I think you're trying to avoid your situation with Laura." Shane replied. Jayden scoffed lightly. "Oh don't try to act like you're not. You're sprung over this girl and you know it. You just took out your anger on him." Jayden turned around and began walking away. Shane followed him. "Why just not admit it and get it out the way?"

"Because admitting it is only half the problem. And sadly, it's the _easier_ half." Jayden said.

"Why's it the easier half?" Shane asked.

Jayden paused. "Because I've already told her. Twice." Shane gaped a bit. Jayden telling a girl he liked her was a bit of a shocker seeing as it was usually vice versa, but Jayden repeating himself is near unheard of. Normally the boy would just go to the next girl. "The easiest thing is telling her. The hard part is her accepting it. And she hasn't. So I'm going to go do what I want to do."

"Like beating Steven?" Shane responded. "Come on man, I know you better than that. Is Laura really all that? Sure she's hot, but she's been with almost _everyone_." Jayden's glare told Shane to back off. "I get it. She is."

"Let it go." Jayden said before walking away.

Shane only sighed before looking at the time on his cell phone. Late again for third period. His mom was going to be so pissed.

* * *

The bell for lunch rang and Nicole left her class to find Shane. He had almost disappeared on her. Rounding a corner, she almost bumped into the one person she was trying to find.

"Shane!" Nicole said.

Shane frowned. "That's what they named me. Is something wrong?"

"Huh? Oh! No, I just…" Nicole paused. Doing this seemed so much easier in her mind. "I, um… I talked to Jackie about…"

"About?" Shane asked.

"Well, you know. Girl stuff and all that." Nicole said before playing with a piece of her hair. "Um… She said that she told you to… Uh… Date me?"

Shane blinked once before blinking again. He then laughed a bit.

"Oh, yeah, when I talked to her after lunch about a week ago." Shane said. "I guess it's a bad time to tell you that I originally tried to go back out with her, huh?"

Nicole giggled. "No! She told me that too."

"Oh. Well, this is awkward." Shane said. "I guess now's the best time to ask you-"

Nicole quickly kissed Shane, grabbing his face to keep him in position. She pulled away with a smile on her face.

"Of course I'll be your girlfriend." Nicole said.

"I guess it's settled then." Shane said with a smile. "Though, we might want to skip telling my mom. If she has another reason to worry about you and I in the same house at certain times of the day, she might hire a babysitter."

"Right." Nicole replied.

"Now, girlfriend," Shane said, causing Nicole to smile. "We have to get to the cafeteria. I have a feeling that my friend my do something stupid again."

"Let's go then." Nicole responded as she grabbed Shane's hand.

* * *

Laura and Nathan laughed as Damon shook his head.

"Dustin, you can't attempt to fight bigger and stronger people all the time. Not without backup." Damon said.

"But he slapped Bambi. What was I to do?" Dustin asked.

Damon shrugged. "I don't know. But that wasn't it."

"Laura!" Jayden called.

Laura sighed. "This guy. I swear if he calls my name again I'm going to start a fire."

"Well you might want to get your lighter out then because I think you'll get your wish." Nathan said as Jayden neared them.

"Hey people who I can't stand and girl who I wish to talk to, you guys don't mind if I take her off your hands do you?" Jayden asked. Before anyone had a chance to say anything, Jayden had grabbed Laura's hand, pulling her to her feet. "I didn't think so."

Jayden nearly dragged Laura away from her friends, causing everyone to stare at the scene in utter confusion. Once he was out of earshot of the group, he faced her.

"What the hell are you doing?" Laura hissed as she wrenched her arm free. "I thought you said to leave you alone?"

"No. You said that." Jayden responded. "Laura, I'm not going to lie to you. I only hate being rejected because it rarely happens."

"And?" Laura questioned.

"I don't want you to reject me. I don't want us to walk around thinking about what could have been, you know?" Jayden said. "Look, I've had a really rough day and I could probably sleep better knowing, no, _hearing_ that I'm not crazy. You like me."

Laura glared at him. "Let me see if I get this straight. You embarrass me in front of the school, drag me like some dog, and expect me to say that I have _any_ remotely good feelings about you?"

"This may sound crazy, but yes. That's what I want." Jayden said.

"If you want to know how I truly feel then let me tell you." Laura said before stepping up to Jayden. "Go find Angel, get on a bus, and go straight to hell."

"You know I've been with you long enough to know that you don't mean that." Jayden said.

"But I mean this." Laura said slapping Jayden. She half expected him to strike back, but he just stared at her. "You think I don't know what you're doing? You did the same shit with Scarlett. Dating Jackie and Helen until she was available. All because Jayden McDuelle cries like a bitch when he can't get what he wants."

"I get it. I hurt you someway somehow." Jayden responded.

"Hurt me? Ha! You don't know the _half_ of it." Laura shot back. "I've been waiting for _months_, no, _years_, for this day to come. The day where the boy who I attempted to ask out when he first came asks me out so I can do the same thing to him."

"Laura that was different. I-"

"I. Don't. Care." Laura said slowly through gritted teeth. "Every time I attempted to have a casual conversation you treated me like dirt. And after the fourth time I realized that it was no point. You were a dick." Jayden sighed. "Now look at you. Frustrated because now it's _I_ who doesn't want _you_. Karma is a bitch."

"You're right. I can be a dick. When I first met you, I didn't want to be around you. I knew you were trouble. And I do get frustrated when I can't have something that is clearly in my reach. Something that I know I can do better to get. Something like you." Jayden replied. "Laura, I know we may have our differences but no two people are the same. You and I-"

"There is no you and I. There's me. There's you. And there's a hell of a lot in-between." Laura said.

"No there isn't. There's Scarlett and there's Angelina." Jayden said. "You and I both know that when they go you come in."

"They're not going anywhere." Laura replied. "Meaning I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Fine. Instead of you changing for me, I'll change for you." Jayden said before giving Laura a kiss on the cheek. "Starting with my care for what people think about my feelings for you."

Laura was beyond stunned as Jayden began walking away, her hand slowly going to the spot where he had kissed her. No one in her life, parents included, has ever changed themselves for her. Well, of course her parents changed to be parents- her dad that is- but no one her age has done that for her. Laura felt the urge to call Jayden back and give him another kiss. But instead she just stood there.

"You so like him!" Nathan laughed from his seat on the bleachers.

Laura heard the others joining in on the laugh and turned to them with a fierce glare that shut most of them up alone.

"Who has a problem with it? I swear you'll be going home dickless." Laura stated.

And that statement shut the rest of them up.

* * *

Chandra ate her meal quietly alone. Jayden had yet to come into the cafeteria and Aaron was currently trying to explain to Jordan about the whole ordeal. Chandra understood why Jordan was mad. The two girls were not necessarily friends and Chandra has been known to flirt with a few guys. Plus, the two had competed over Jayden's attention, and while Jordan knew the guy through association, Chandra could always walk up and talk to him.

"Hey," Aaron said sitting beside her. "Why are you over here?"

Chandra sighed. "Where else can I sit? Everyone else either hates me because I said something mean to them or because I flirt with a guy they like."

"Well, I don't." Aaron replied. "And neither does Jordan and Brie and Ashton and Vanessa."

"Yeah right. Ashton and I have hated each other for a while and the same applies for me and Jordan. And all the mean stuff I've said to Brie? I doubt she'd forgive me." Chandra said. "Just leave me here A.J. I have a lot to think about."

"I honestly don't know anyone who has ever been in an abusive relationship," Aaron stated. "Which means that if I can help it, I will prevent it from happening to anyone. You're a friend Bambi. I will always help you."

"Yeah, well quit it before people start making rumors about you and me." Chandra said.

Aaron smiled. "Don't you remember? I'm the quiet person that no one knows. There's no way anyone can start a rumor about me."

"You're a nice guy A.J." Chandra said. "Jordan's lucky to have you."

"It's the other way around, but yeah, I am." Aaron said before standing up. "Now, come to your normal table and sit with your normal friends."

Chandra smiled. "Sure."

Scarlett and Helen stared as Jacquelyn sat beside Nicole. The two cousins stared at the other girl as if she was a stranger.

"Okay. Someone tell me what's going on." Helen said.

"I asked her to sit with us. Like old times." Nicole stated. "Is that such a bad thing?"

Scarlett shrugged. "It's fine with me. You Helen?"

"I guess… Not really sure if this is Nicky's dumbest idea as of date, but I know it's up there somewhere." Helen replied. "I mean, the last few times Jackie and I have spoken, they really weren't one would consider 'words of encouragement.'"

Nicole smiled. "Oh Helen, that's in the past. Besides, our table wouldn't be our table if all of us weren't here. And Jackie is one of us."

"I don't know what planet _you're_ from, but there is only one of me, period." Helen said. "Seriously Nicky, I think Plain Shane has let you watched _too_ much TV."

"Please let her sit her again Helen." Nicole said.

Helen scoffed. "Anything to make you quit with the puppy eyes."

Scarlett smiled. "I think Helen has a little soft spot."

"I'll give you a soft spot…" Helen muttered.

"Look at that," Jayden said as he walked past the table. "My favorite foursome back together again. This calls for a celebration."

"Go away Jayden." Helen and Scarlett said in unison.

Jayden smiled. "As you wish Red and her redhead cousin."

Helen rolled her eyes as Jayden walked away.

"Your neighbor is _so_ annoying." Helen said. "I feel almost stupid for comparing him and Alex together."

"Alex?" Nicole replied.

"Oh that's right. You've been locked up for the past few days." Scarlett said. "Well, turns out that Helen here has a new boyfriend that goes to Lakehurst. His name is Alexander and Helen simply _adores_ him."

"Says the girl whose dating DeWayne because Jayden won't take her back." Helen said, gaining a glare from Scarlett. "But, yes. I do date Alex. Is that a problem Nicky?"

"Can we meet him?" Nicole asked.

"So you can steal him? Yeah right." Helen replied.

Nicole frowned. "I'm dating Shane now. I don't need to steal him."

Scarlett smirked. "Well, well, looks like she told you Helen."

"Like I care." Helen said. "You should've told us earlier Nicky. What was you waiting for?"

Nicole shrugged. "I don't know. But I said it now. Everything's alright, right?"

"Everything is perfect. And I mean that in the most sincere way." Helen said before leaning on her elbows. "So, how'd it happen?"

"So you and Nicky are dating now? That's actually good." Jayden said to Shane. "At least one of us is happy." Jayden glanced at Jacob. "And by the way, I _will_ find out the reason you and Vanessa broke up."  
"Why does it matter?" Kelly asked.

Jayden frowned. "Any other day you'd be all over it. So what's the deal?"

"Just don't care, that's all." Kelly said. "Can I not care about something?"

"I guess. It's your freedom." Jayden told her before sighing. "I just wish everything was that simple for me."

"Is _she_ giving you problems?" Shane asked.

Jayden nodded causing Jacob and Kelly to frown.

"She who?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah. Why is it that you can ask me questions but not tell us anything?" Jacob asked.

"Laura." Jayden said simply.

"Oh. Her." Kelly said. "Seriously Jay, if I were you, I'd just tell Danni that Laura called her a name and just get her killed that way."

Jayden smiled. "Killing her would only further my problems. I'd be lonelier."

"Lonelier?" Kelly and Jacob said in unison.

"Quite lonely." Jayden said. "Look, don't think about it too much, alright? Just know that something _could've_ happened between me and Laura and that it wasn't me that stopped it." Kelly's and Jacob's jaws dropped. "Like I said, don't think about it too much. It'll only confuse you more."

"So you like Laura now? That's a shocker." Kelly said. "The other day you couldn't stand her."

"Don't try to pry into this one Kelly. You'll only hurt your brain." Shane responded to his sister. "Trust me. It took me days to get this straight."

"Sure. Whatever." Kelly said.

Jordan had been staring at Chandra since Aaron had brought her to their table. While Ashton, Gabrielle, and Vanessa seemed to be talking as if nothing was out of the norm, Jordan could not shake the presence of Chandra out of her mind. She had never really liked Chandra, but she knew that something was wrong with her.

"What's going on?" Jordan finally asked, unable to withhold it any longer. "Why is she back over here? And why is she quiet?"

"Jordan… I'll tell you later." Aaron said.

"Tell me now." Jordan replied. "Please?"

"I can't." Aaron said.

"Why not? Is there something going on between you two?" Jordan questioned. "A.J, if there's something going on, I should-"

"Steven slapped me." Chandra said firmly.

The area around the table seemed to grow colder as all eyes were on Chandra.

"Chandra…" Jordan began.

"That's why I'm here." Chandra replied before looking at Aaron. "And I told you this would happen. I should've stayed where I was over there."

"Stay," Aaron said. "She didn't know."

"Why? It'll just make matters worse." Chandra said.

"My brother… Hit you?" Ashton asked. He could hardly believe what was being said. "Wait, are you sure? I mean, I know he's a jerk at points but..."

"Oh, and now I don't know who hits me or not?" Chandra replied. "I was standing in front of him and he backhanded me. Twice!"

"Sorry." Ashton said.

"You're sorry? Why are you sorry? You neither did the hitting or received it." Chandra said.

"I know… But I still feel a bit bad that it was my brother who did it, you know?" Ashton said. "So sorry."

"…" Chandra stared at Ashton, someone who she would probably see as an annoying person. Somehow, hearing him say sorry for Steven made her feel slightly better. "Thanks."

Scarlett stood at the soda machine with Jayden, the two talking about their previous weekend.

"And of course she swears she asked first." Scarlett concluded. "But, that's her belief."

"I have no clue on why you would bet your cousin on who would ask a guy out faster knowing how stubborn she is. Isn't that was caused me to date her?" Jayden responded.

Scarlett shrugged. "So? I still won."

"Or so you hope." Jayden said. "Man, I hate and love the fact that we have this meeting after lunch. Without fifth and sixth period, I'll be able to go straight to the car and then home."

"Didn't you hear? Basketball tryouts are today." Scarlett said. "So you'll be here all afternoon yet again."

Jayden frowned. "You like torturing me for some reason. Stop that."

"No." Scarlett responded with a grin. "Besides, who else will irritate you when your siblings can't?"

"Hopefully not you because then I'll do all in my power to stay away from you, which would leave you completely lonely." Jayden said. "And you don't want that, do you?"

"Whatever. Just remember to be at the little meeting today or else." Scarlett said.

Jayden smirked. "Or else? I'm almost tempted to see what you have up your sleeves. Then again, seeing as you're not single, I wouldn't want to do it where DeWayne could see us."

"Whatever J.T." Scarlett said before walking away.

"You'd better run." Jayden said to her, gaining a smile.

* * *

After lunch was over, Chandra walked quietly down the halls. Many students stopped and stared at her, some knowing the truth and others only gossiping about what they had heard.

"Bambi," Chandra stopped and turned to Jayden who hugged her. "Are you alright?"

Chandra smiled. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Good." Jayden said as he released her. "I guess you heard about what happened to Steven, huh?"

Chandra frowned. "No. What?"

"Oh… Well, he and I had a little 'chat' in the bathroom before third period. He'll think twice about looking at you wrong from now on." Jayden said with a smile. "No thanks necessary."

"But… Why would you do that for me? I put myself in that situation. Even after you, A.J, and Dustin told me not to." Chandra said sadly.

"How many times do I have to tell you that you're my friend Bambi? Whether or not I'll ever see you as dating material is irrelevant to who I let just push you around. And I won't let anyone push you around. Not if I can help it." Jayden responded. "Now come on, we're wanted at this stupid meeting thing."

"Sure." Chandra said as the two began walking down the hallway. "Now, if only I can get these people off of my back."

Jayden smiled. "That's the price you pay for fame Bambi. Privacy, silence, and all things peaceful are gone. I practically sleep in a fishbowl some nights."

"I bet…" Chandra said quietly.

"You know you have to tell your parents right?" Jayden said. Chandra looked at Jayden. "If you need me to come with you, I will. It's up to you when you want to do it, but you're going to have to."

"Why?" Chandra asked. "Can't I just put it behind me?"

"You mean, can't you just run away from it?" Jayden responded. "And the answer to that is no. We all have to face our problems. Take me for example. This is the first time I'm going to look into the eyes of the guy that stole my ex-girlfriend away from me, a girl who I had been crushing on for _years_." Chandra smiled a bit. "The question is: Do I accept what it is and deal with it accordingly or do I do what you're trying to do and just ignore it, even if it's staring me in the face."

"What choice do you have?" Chandra asked.

"Uh, going home maybe." Jayden said. "Listen, I know that you think I'm a jerk for not dating you in the first place, thus you wouldn't have gone out with Steven and put in this situation," Chandra stopped herself from nodding, though she did agree with him. "But, dating me won't solve any of your answers and to be honest with you, it'll only become taxing."

"How?" Chandra said. "You're super rich, you're athletic, everyone knows you, _and_ you're lead in a band. How can that become taxing?"

"It can. Trust me." Jayden said. "You just won't look at it that way because, well, you don't want to see me in that light." Jayden paused. "Back to the subject, you can't run away from your problems. You have to go in there head on and whether you win or lose, you must walk up with your head held up."

"Is that how you handle it? Scarlett dating DeWayne?" Chandra questioned.

"It's a good thing you didn't love Steven or else you'd know what I'm feeling right now." Jayden said to Chandra, causing her to gawk a bit. "The wounds he put on you will physically go away in a few weeks and the mental image should be gone in a year or two. However, I will always remember that song, that dance, that club, that outfit, that smell… You get the picture right?"

Chandra nodded. "Yeah. You are in love with Scarlett and you're sad that she's not dating you."

Jayden chuckled. "Close enough. I wouldn't say that I'm in love with her now."

"Why?" Chandra asked.

"I'll tell you later." Jayden said before the two stepped into the library where the other Degrassi students said to be at the meeting were along with the Lakehurst students.

"You two are late." Darcy said. "Why?"

"Brainstorming." Jayden said as he and Chandra sat at a table together. "I think I have the perfect topic to start with."

"What?" Darcy questioned.

"During this little thing between the two schools, we should have an inter-school king and queen for the dance." Jayden said, causing Scarlett's eyes to widen. "Seeing as relationships nowadays aren't based on what school you go to, we could do it. Mary-Jane and Tyler would probably be up for it, though I doubt that they'd get more votes than Scarlett and DeWayne. Just my opinion though."

"That's interesting." Darcy said. "So, what do you guys think?"

As the others began talking about Jayden's idea, Scarlett shot a small glare at Jayden. She was curious as to what he was planning. And why was he with Chandra again? Scarlett knew that he probably would not tell her anytime soon.

Deanna rose from her previous spot and sat at the table where Chandra and Jayden sat.

"You forgot to find me Saturday." Deanna said.

"Yeah. I was pretty busy." Jayden responded.

"Are you busy today after school?" Deanna asked.

"Tryouts. Basketball. Kind of important." Jayden said. "Why? Was there something you wanted to talk about that you can't say now?"

Deanna smiled. "I have an idea that you're going to love. It involves me, you, and this Saturday at my place. My brother's throwing a party where his band will be playing and I thought that I'd invite you. Unless you and Laura _were_ on a date."

"Like I said, we weren't. And I'll see what I can do, alright?" Jayden said. "As for today, I have something else to do."

"Yeah, I'm sure. One final question though," Deanna said. "Do you know where DeWayne is taking your ex?"

"Why? You want to go?" Jayden asked.

Deanna scoffed. "Duh. Anything to keep her away from him. She's not good for him, you know? Scarlett Chessex is like some kind of disease that seeps into young boys' minds and makes them see her as some sort of goddess."

Jayden smiled. "You have no clue on how wrong you are."

* * *

After school, Nicole joined Shane and Kelly at the Dot. Shane placed the hot fries on a plate and placed it on the counter in front of Nicole, who smiled.

"Thanks." Nicole said.

"No problem." Shane replied.

"Is it just me," Kelly said to Gavin. "Or does something here seem really… I don't know. Right?"

Shane frowned. He knew what Kelly was talking about and the fact that Emma was in earshot did not help at all.

"What are you talking about?" Emma asked her daughter.

"I don't know Mom. Shane and Nicky are just clicking all of a sudden. Like…" Kelly paused. "How should I put this? Like a couple."

Emma looked at Shane. "Shane. Is there something you 'forgot' to tell me?"

"Oh yeah," Shane said while mentally cursing at his sister. "Nicky and I began dating earlier today. Don't worry Mom I've already told her the no-sex policy."

"Mm-hmm." Emma responded.

Kelly grinned victoriously at Shane's glare.

"Don't worry too much about it Em," Gavin said. "Kelly's just strung out over Jacob. Now that he's single, she can kiss him without regret this time."

Kelly gaped. "_Dad_!"

"You kissed Jacob?" Emma and Shane asked in unison, both with shocked tones.

"Wow…" Nicole said silently.

Gavin put an arm around Kelly.

"Don't pick on your brother Kelly and things like this won't happen." Gavin said.

"Fine." Kelly responded in a defeated tone.

Shane smiled. "Wait until I tell Jayden."

* * *

Lying in her bed, Laura took in a big whiff of her pillow. Though it had been a week, his scent was still there. She exhaled slowly and stared at the ceiling. Every fiber in her body was calling her an idiot for what she had done today. Of course, she _had_ planned on hurting Jayden as he did her in the previous years, but she had never expected it to hurt _her_ as well.

"Hey," Mr. Reynolds said coming into her room. "Your mom just called. She said it was alright to come by Thursday."

"Sure." Laura stated.

Mr. Reynolds frowned. "Is something wrong Laura?"

"No." Laura said. Laura looked at her dad. "Dad, I'm serious. Nothing's wrong."

"Laura, tell me. What's wrong?" Mr. Reynolds said. "Does it have to anything to do with Jayden?" Laura did not reply and turned away from her father. "Laura?"

"I slapped him earlier and told him to basically stay away from me." Laura said.

Mr. Reynolds frowned. "But Saturday and Sunday, you two were best friends. What happened?"

Laura sighed as she sat up and looked at her father, who was now sitting on her bed.

"Jayden and I… We weren't best friends. We still aren't." Laura said. "In fact, the only thing we have in common is Dash and a common hate of Mary-Jane." Laura paused. "But, lately, we've been growing… Close. Too close. And we each had a vendetta against the other. I was the girl that pushed him the most and he was the guy that ignored me the most. And today he told me that he'd change for me and he didn't care what people thought anymore. But I can't trust that."

"Why can't you? He kept his promise in finding your mom, didn't he?" Mr. Reynolds asked.

"It's not the same Dad." Laura answered. "I'm calm with him, but we're not supposed to be together. We hate each other."

"Laura, I don't think you hate him. In fact, I think the exact opposite." Mr. Reynolds said with a smile. "And if you want my honest opinion, I think he may have more than just small feelings for you too. Maybe more than just sex."

"What?" Laura replied.

"I'm not oblivious to everything you don't tell me. I know for a fact that you slept with him that Saturday I came home late. After his band's performance, right?" Mr. Reynolds said, causing Laura's eyes to widened. "You losing your virginity to your crush is a big move. And while I was pissed beyond words, I knew you'd tell me one day when you were ready."

"But…" now Laura felt awkward about this entire conversation. Fortunately, she thought, he did not know about the other two times in the locker and boiler rooms. "If you knew this, then why didn't you tell me?"

"When Dakota first brought his name up in conversation, I saw your face turn red. And I knew that my little girl had a crush on some boy who I was probably going to hate." Mr. Reynolds said. "But when I saw you smile Sunday morning… It was like when you first learned to ice skate or ride a bike. You were queen of your own world and nothing could ruin your day. As mad as I was, I was so happy to see you smile like that. A smile you haven't given me since your mother left." Laura smiled slightly. "And the ironic thing is, he's not a complete loser."

"Dad, he _is_ a loser. He's so in love with this Scarlett girl that-"

"I don't think so." Mr. Reynolds said. "From what Bianca told me he really stood up for you and actually tried to comfort you. If this Scarlett girl is on his mind, sure clearly is taking a backseat to you in my opinion."

"Well, not anymore. And I just want to forget about it. All of it." Laura replied.

Mr. Reynolds smiled. "Alright Laura. I'll let you think. But if you really like this guy, I think you should tell him before it's too late."

"Sure." Laura responded.

* * *

After the meeting was over, Jayden was prepared to just take Chandra home and then go home himself. Scarlett and Helen had opted to get a ride with DeWayne. Jayden began walking out with Chandra by his side until Deanna called him again.

"Why do you protect her so much? Is she like a distant relative?" Deanna asked.

Jayden sighed. "No. She's just a friend. One who needs a ride home at that."

"You still like Scarlett, right?" Deanna said. "Then help me get her away from my brother. There's no way that a Fitzgerald will be seen with a _Coyne_. Let alone one who couldn't hold her own without her cousin."

"You underestimate Scarlett." Jayden replied. "And I'm not going to ruin whatever she and your brother has, no matter what my feelings are."

"Why?" Deanna asked. "Are you really that big of a boy scout?"

Jayden paused before smirking. "No. In fact, I'm far from it."

"Really? I can't tell." Deanna said.

"You don't have to see it." Jayden said. "And you can believe me or not when I say that I'm not as clean-cut as I appear. However," Jayden smiled. "If you want to stop your brother and Scarlett from dating, find someone else for one or the other. Nothing distracts a man from a woman better than another woman."

Deanna smirked. "I'll do it. Thanks."

"No problem." Jayden said as he and Chandra continued walking. "Idiot…"

"Why'd you tell her that?" Chandra asked.

"Because finding a girl that looks better than Scarlett and willing to see a taken guy is hard." Jayden replied. "She's got a better chance in _me_ asking her out than that. And trust me, I'm closer to asking Jordan out than Deanna." Chandra smiled at the joke as the two entered his car. "And what have you decided?"

"I'll tell them Thursday. My dad should be at home around twelve and my mom's picking me up from school." Chandra answered softly. "And… I want you to be there. Please?"

"I have something else to do, but I'll try." Jayden responded.

"Thanks Jay." Chandra said.

"No problem." Jayden said with a grin.


	46. Webisode: Student Album

**A Student Album**

The songs that most likely represent the students are:

Steven Manning –

Song: Voices

Artist: Rev Theory

Reason: Serious mood swings when he doesn't take his meds. I'm just saying.

Laura Reynolds –

Song: Heartless

Artist: Kanye West

Reason: In _Jesus Take the Wheel_, it is revealed that she had planned to break Jayden's heart for a while now. Talk about heartless.

Helen Sinclair-Coyne –

Song: Hollaback Girl

Artist: Gwen Stefani

Reason: What other song shows the true toughness of a cheerleader?

Scarlett Chessex –

Song: Can't Be Tamed

Artist: Miley Cyrus

Reason: One of the most attractive and slyest girls in Degrassi. The first verse of this song describes her best.

Dustin Hayes –

Song: Famous

Artist: Puddle of Mudd

Reason: He's been trying to become popular this entire time every backfire is worse than the last one.

Shane Mason –

Song: Superman Tonight

Artist: Bon Jovi

Reason: Two words: Nicole Campbell.

Gabrielle Nunez –

Song: Beautiful

Artist: Christina Aguilera

Reason: This song really portrays Brie in the first few chapters before she and Ashton began dating.

Nicole Campbell –

Song: One Last Breath

Artist: Creed

Reason: This song best describes how Nicky felt while recovering, seconds before Shane stopped her from committing suicide.

Ashton Manning –

Song: The Last Night

Artist: Skillet

Reason: Picture a crying Brie and Ashton playing this to her. You'll see.

Dakota Nash –

Song: Keep Holding On

Artist: Avril Lavigne

Reason: A song that I picture Dakota listening to while picturing her friends and family trying to help her through rehab.

Jordan Cameron –

Song: Leave it all to Me

Artist: Miranda Cosgrove

Reason: A playful song to show Jordan's childish side while showing her helpful side as well, such as letting her friends see her homework.

Deanna Fitzgerald –

Song: Glamorous

Artist: Fergie ft. Ludacris

Reason: Rich girl that gets what she wants all the time? Nothing else needed to be said.

Chandra Torres –

Song: Don't Cha

Artist: Pussycat Dolls

Reason: This is for Chandra of Season One. The one that tried and tried countless of times to flirt with Jayden.

Nathan Hogart –

Song: Good Girl's Go Bad

Artist: Cobra Starship

Reason: Just look what happened to Nicky. Enough said.

James Brooks –

Song: It's Not Over

Artist: Daughtry

Reason: After messing things up with Amber cause of Mary-Jane, this is the perfect song to describe his feelings for Amber.

Jayden McDuelle –

Song: Obsession

Artist: Frankie J ft. Baby Bash

Reason: No matter how hard he seems to try, he just can't hate Laura. You're obsessed Jay.

Mercedes Van Zandt –

Song: Girl Fight

Artist: Brooke Valentine

Reason: Deanna's tough right-hand girl. And the only one who actually steps up to Helen. She's bad.

Aaron McDuelle –

Song: Found A Way

Artist: Drake Bell

Reason: With Jayden and Danica always looking out for him, and him always looking after his friends, this song fits.

Kelly Mason –

Song: Just the Way You Are

Artist: Bruno Mars

Reason: The only girl who won't change her outfits for the sake of any guy, no matter how bizarre. And somehow, it works.

Jacob Isaacs –

Song: Dance Dance

Artist: Fallout Boy

Reason: He got to dance with his crush at the Back-to-School dance. Besides, the song seems to describe the nerd for some reason.

DeWayne Fitzgerald –

Song: Whatever You Like

Artist: T.I

Reason: Another rich boy who is willing to give Scarlett everything she wants.

Alexander Tomlinson –

Song: I'm Sprung

Artist: T-Pain

Reason: He would do anything Helen tells him to. If this song doesn't fit, I don't know what does.

Angelina De Chaplin –

Song: You Don't Know My Name

Artist: Alicia Keys

Reason: Too shy to really hold a conversation with the boy she has a crush on. When Alicia Keys sung this song, she was thinking of someone like Angelina.

Jacquelyn Haig –

Song: Bad Romance

Artist: Lady Gaga

Reason: Jayden was always looking at Scarlett. Shane was looking after Nicole. Jackie's life is just filled with bad romances.

Vanessa Brooks –

Song: Move Along

Artist: All-American Rejects

Reason: Nothing seems to get Vanessa down. Not even breaking up with a cheating boyfriend.

Torrie Coyne –

Song: Naughty Girl

Artist: Beyoncé

Reason: The third member of the famed Coyne Cousins, she has a bit of a flirtatious side and an eye for anyone who can satisfy her.

Mary-Jane Del Rossi –

Song: I'm No Good

Artist: Amy Winehouse

Reason: With a name that sounds like an addictive drug? How can she be any good?

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading and please vote for your favorite female character! See ya!


	47. S2 Episode XVI: Breakaway

**Episode XVI: Breakaway**

Walking to third period, there was nothing on Jayden's mind more than to get home for a decent nap. He hardly got a good sleep last night and it was clearly seen on his face. Rubbing his eyes a bit, he swiftly stepped aside from Laura, who was walking in a direct line the opposite way. He stopped when something reached his ears. It was soft and barely heard, but he had heard it period.

"Did you just say 'hey' to me?" Jayden asked.

Laura only gave him a small smile and continued walking. Smiling, Jayden moved to his third period with new vigor. Maybe today was not so bad after all.

* * *

Jordan stepped out of the stall to wash her hands where she saw Mary-Jane talking to Amber.

"And that's how it's done." Mary-Jane concluded before her hazel-green eyes towards Jordan. "Look. It's Shane's sister."

"We should probably take this conversation elsewhere then." Amber said.

Mary-Jane scoffed. "Why? It's not like she isn't learning about it now." Mary-Jane then smiled. "Aren't you… Whatever your name is."

"It's Jordan." Jordan said.

"Jordan. You're probably learning all about the boring things of sex right now." Mary-Jane said. "However, I'm going to tell you all the things that they don't want you to know."

"O… Okay." Jordan replied, not sure whether or not she should decline the queen bee's proposal.

Amber sighed. "This is going to bite you in the butt later."

"Sure it is." Mary-Jane said. "Anyway…"

* * *

Lunch came quickly and the students went on about their normal routines. Scarlett sat at her table with a heavy sigh, causing Helen, Jacquelyn, and Nicole to glance her.

"Give a guess." Scarlett said, directing the statement to Helen.

"Hmm… Your parents had to sell your clothes to keep the house?" Helen answered jokingly. Scarlett glared at her. "Deanna?"

"Yes!" Scarlett said. "So last night when we were on the phone talking, she tells him that he has to go because she needed help on her homework. Homework? Really?"

Helen shrugged. "Why don't you just realize that she hates you?"

"I have. A long time ago." Scarlett said before sighing again. "I hate that girl with every fiber in my body."

"We should do something." Helen said, now interested in the story.

"…" Scarlett paused. "I can't. I promised DeWayne that I'd let his sister be insane by herself. I won't get into a fight with her unless she pushes me to the edge."

"Sucks to be you then," Helen replied before looking across towards Jacquelyn and Nicole. "_We_ should do something then."

"Like what Helen?" Nicole asked.

Helen shrugged. "Don't know and I don't care. Let's just think of something quickly. Saturday, I can't have anything ruining my night. No Dash. No Scar. Just a party."

"Glad you care." Scarlett said rhetorically.

"Oh come on," Helen retorted. "_Every single date_ that I've been on included one or the other ruining it."

"So?" Scarlett asked.

"You're impossible." Helen said.

"Takes one to know one." Scarlett replied.

Jacquelyn and Nicole only glanced at one another. Another day that Scarlett and Helen were arguing like sisters. Just another day at DCS.

Jayden continued laughing as Kelly glared at Shane and Jacob looked elsewhere in an embarrassed manner.

"W-why d-didn't you t-tell me this earlier? My day would've been _so_ much better if you had!" Jayden laughed.

Shane shrugged. "I just couldn't reach you. Besides, when are Kelly and Jacob at the same place at the same time? Lunch."

"Oh, that is too funny." Jayden said before looking at Kelly. "So, you going to date Jacob or what?"

"No. It was an accident. An _accident_! It will _never_ happen again." Kelly said.

"Sure, sure, whatever you say." Jayden replied. "Question though. If _I_ had been the one to help you, would you had kissed me?"

"Go get your damn soda." was all Kelly said and Jayden moved to do just that.

Like Jordan, Kelly was never really ticked, but when she was, it was best to get our of her way.

Kelly glanced at Shane, who had slid into Jayden's previous seat to space between him and his sister, mouthing the word "sorry" all the while.

* * *

Nathan took another drag on the cigarette and exhaled slowly, glancing at Laura and Damon playing cards. Like normal, Damon was losing, badly. But Laura continued to win money until Damon got the idea to back away.

"So where's your protégé?" Nathan asked Damon.

Damon shrugged. "The hell if I know." Damon then frowned at Laura's hand. "How'd you get so good at poker?"

"Family secret. If I told you, I'd have another reason to kill you." Laura replied.

"Word in Lakehurst is that some new girl and Jayden are getting along pretty well." Nathan said. "You know anything about that Laura?"

"Nope. And I don't care." Laura said.

"You don't?" Nathan asked.

"Nope," Laura replied. "I think the two of us have an…" Laura paused. "Open relationship."

"What?" Damon questioned.

"He can do whatever and whoever he wants and I can do the same." Laura explained. "I stay out of his way and he stays out of mine. We only talk when it's absolutely necessary."

"So… There's really nothing for me to pick on you on, huh?" Nathan asked.

Laura smirked. "Damn straight." Laura then looked at Damon. "Deal out another game. I need a new pair of shoes."

* * *

At Lakehurst, Angelina sat at a table by herself. The only friend she had managed to make on her own was Stephanie, and she usually ate with Mercedes and Deanna. Since attending the school, she had been swarm by both boys and girls that asked her they same questions everyone else ever did: How's your mother; Are you seeing anyone; and the annoying: Are you really their daughter? Strangely, the only person who had not asked these questions was Jayden, but Angelina only brushed it off because he was the son of celebrities himself and must have understood her feelings about the usual and annoying questions.

"Hey Angel," Stephanie said sitting across from her. "Why the long face?"

"Nothing. I just had a really rough day." Angelina replied.

Stephanie smiled. "Those jerks still trying to get your number? Don't worry. They'll leave you alone soon." Stephanie paused. "Say, you wanted to try out for the squad, right?" Angelina nodded. "Well, I got Deanna to let you come to the meeting after school today. You'll just have to get a ride home."

"Oh." Angelina said. "I'm sure Bella won't mind picking me up later."

"Hey, what's the story about you and Jayden McDuelle?" Stephanie asked.

Angelina blushed. "He's just a friend. His sister and Bella are good friends so we see a lot of each other now."

"I don't know. I think you may have a little crush on him." Stephanie said.

"He's cute… And he's pretty funny and isn't, you know, a jerk." Angelina responded.

Stephanie nodded. "I understand. So are you going to ask him out?"

Angelina's face reddened more. "I d-don't know. He seems like a nice guy but…"

"But…?" Stephanie asked with a smile. "Come on Angel, you have to go for it. Word is that he's single and searching."

"I know. He told me. But…" Angelina paused. "I don't know. He doesn't seem to slow down, always here and there. He's… Well, he's everywhere basically."

"I get it." Stephanie said. "Well, do you think you could hook us up?"

Angelina smiled. "I'll try if you want."

* * *

Aaron watched Jordan shift in her seat uncomfortably for the third time since they sat down for lunch. He had ruled out Chandra's presence at the table as well as any "womanly problems" that she could be experiencing. No, whatever was wrong with Jordan was something that either happened to her earlier today or yesterday.

"Are you alright?" Aaron whispered to her.

"Yeah. Fine." Jordan said. "I, uh, just thought about what my dad told me I had to do later."

"Which was…? I could help if you want me to." Aaron replied.

"Sure! I'd like that." Jordan said quickly, gaining attention from everyone else. "What?"

"Are you alright? You're jumpy for some reason." Ashton said.

"I'm fine." Jordan retorted. "I just have something on my mind that's none of your concern."

Ashton frowned. "Isn't it _you_ that gets into _everyone else's_ business? I'm just returning the favor."

"Well don't." Jordan said.

Chandra glanced at Aaron who only shrugged. He had no clue what was Jordan's problem, but he would soon out.

* * *

Danica looked at the younger woman known as Raven Middleton. She appeared to be quite attractive, well-endowed, and blonde, unlike Danica and Isabella.

"Raven, this is my friend Danni that I was telling you about." Isabella introduced. "Danni, this is Raven."

"Hey." Raven said.

"Hi yourself." Danica responded. "So, Izzy tells me that she used to babysit you. Kind of weird hanging out with her now, huh?"

Raven shrugged. "Not really. She never really watched me anyway. Always on the phone and-"

"I am right here." Isabella said.

Danica smiled. "I knew I made a better parent than you Izzy. Now I have proof."

"We'll see." Isabella responded.

"Bella says that you two are trying to hook your younger brother up with her younger sister." Raven said. "How's that working out?"

Isabella sighed. "Hard. Jayden is a total loser."

Danica frowned. "Really? I think it's because your sister is _so_ insecure."

"There's that…" Isabella responded. "But knowing how someone feels about you and simply ignoring the fact is wrong."

"True…" Danica replied.

Raven frowned. "You two put your friendship over your younger siblings?"

"Mostly." the two older women said in unison before laughing at their synchronization.

"But," Isabella said. "I'm a lot nicer to my sister than she is to _any_ of her siblings."

"Yeah? Well at least I don't completely _ignore_ my brother's existence." Danica shot back. "Poor Ethan walks around thinking that his older sister hates him."

"She does." Isabella said. "And I don't ignore his existence. It's kind of hard hating something that's not even there."

Danica rolled her eyes. "Sure. Accept that he lives just so you can hate him properly."

Raven smiled a bit. She had no clue on the full story behind Isabella and Ethan, nor did she want to, but she had a feeling that this duo right here was going to make her life a lot more interesting.

* * *

The bell for the end of lunch rang throughout the building and Aaron had kept up with Jordan as best as he could. For whatever the odd reason may be, she was walking a bit faster than normal today.

"Hey, are you going to tell me what's wrong with you?" Aaron asked.

"A.J… Do you have…" Jordan paused. "Feelings for me?"

Aaron blinked. "Feelings? Like the reason why I'm dating you feelings?"

"No… Like…" Jordan then lowered her voice to a whisper. "Fantasy feelings."

"Oh…" now it was Aaron was uncomfortable. He could lie and say no, but something told him that the truth was better needed for this situation. "Yeah, I have," Aaron gulp silently. "Fantasies about you. Sometimes."

"Do you think that we should…?" Jordan's question sounded more like a suggestion and Aaron really wanted to know where the thought came from.

"Jordan, I like you, a lot, but I don't think we have to go _that_ far just yet. Okay?" Aaron said.

"Sure." Jordan said.

The two stood in an awkward silence before Jordan immediately kissed Aaron. He was surprised for a moment before he eventually began kissing her back. In the back of his mind, he was thinking about what Jayden had said about Scarlett. This was _that_ problem.

Jordan separated from Aaron, her cheeks tinted with red.

"S-see you around, A.J." Jordan said before walking away.

Aaron could not say anything as he watched his girlfriend walk away. When his brother had this problem, he gave Scarlett a massage that seemed to put her in a state of ecstasy. Unfortunately, Aaron did not have the care learn how to give a great massage like that, so that was out of the question.

"Good grief." Aaron said with a sigh.

* * *

Nicole smiled. "No Shane, I'll be fine." Nicole gave Shane a kiss. "See you two later."

"I'm sure." Jayden replied as Nicole stepped into her classroom.

Shane glanced at Jayden. "You happy about something?"

"Not really. I just have this feeling that something is going right." Jayden said as the two began walking down the hallway. "I haven't had this feeling since Deanna told me she was going to do everything in her power to break DeWayne and Scarlett up."

"And you felt good about that because…?" Shane asked.

Jayden shrugged. "I don't know really. I just hate DeWayne. Call it petty or whatever." Shane and Jayden rounded a corner. "Anyway, like I said, I just have a good feeling that's all."

"Speaking of 'good feeling,'" Shane said eying Laura. "Here comes your more than one night stand."

Jayden looked as Laura neared them.

"Hey." he said.

"Hey," Laura said. "Look, I really shouldn't be talking to you seeing as you're still a dick," Jayden gave a small smile. "But I wanted to tell you thanks."

"Thanks? What have I done now?" Jayden asked.

"For my mom. She wants to see me Saturday." Laura answered. "And this time, I'm going by myself, so don't think about showing up."

"Sure." Jayden said. "Um, about yesterday."

Laura sighed. "I thought about that too. And I was right. It's best if we didn't do anything with each other for a while. I haven't really forgiven you and something tells me that you haven't either."

"Whatever you want." Jayden said.

"But before you go home and cry, _again_," Laura replied. "I think we might manage to be… You know… Like-"

Jayden laughed a bit. "The word is 'friends' Laura. It's not that hard to say. In fact-"

"I'll say whatever I damn well please!" Laura snapped before sighing. "God, you have a way of pissing me off like no other."

Jayden shrugged. "What can I say? I was born with a unique blessing. Some people are ambidextrous. Some people are double-jointed. Me? I can make the toughest minds crack with just three words and a smile."

"I wouldn't go celebrating that if I were you, but it's your life." Laura said. "I'm going to class. I _will_ text you tonight and you'd _better_ reply or else." Laura grabbed Jayden's collar and pulled him towards her face. "Remember, Dimples, I know where you sleep. I _will_ stop by if you ignore me again."

"Did you do this just to get a better look at my face? You should really check out my left side. Watch how I can make my eyebrow move." Jayden replied.

Laura scoffed as she pushed him away.

"So annoying." And with that she walked away, hiding the smile that had grown on her face.

Shane put an arm around Jayden.

"You have a knack for trying to castrate yourself." Shane said. "Let's count off, shall we? Helen, Scarlett, and now Laura."

"And just what point are you trying to make?" Jayden asked.

"All three girls in the past year are super hot yet super crazy chicks. And Laura's the cream of the crop." Shane answered. "Seriously dude, I don't think that messing with her mind is a good thing. Who's to say what she will or won't do?"

Jayden smirked. "You can't have make-up sex where there's no break-up."

Shane removed his arm and gaped as Jayden began walking away.

"But you two aren't even dating!" Shane called.

"You can break a friendship." Jayden responded in a matter-of-fact tone. "And who says friends can't have make-up sex?"

Shane sighed before grinning. "You're the man Jay."

"Tell me something new." Jayden said with a grin.

* * *

At the end of the day, Chandra waited at the bottom of the steps where she was soon joined by Aaron and Jordan. The trio began walking with Kelly, Shane, and Nicole.

"So," Jordan said to Aaron quietly. "Have you thought about what I said?"

"Yeah… I still think that we should wait." Aaron replied.

"For what?" Chandra asked.

"None of your business." Jordan retorted.'

Kelly sighed. "One day someone is going to punch you in the face if you keep replying with such… Fever and anger."

Shane smirked as one hand was around Nicole.

"Let's be honest Kelly, Mom would admit that she's stubborn before she allows you to hit Jordan _or_ get someone to do it for you." Shane said.

"I know." Kelly said.

"So," Shane said to Chandra. "Jay said you decided to tell your parents tomorrow. Why the wait?"

"It's the only time that I can get them both together and Jay has tryouts today. I wanted him to be there for support." Chandra said.

"Really?" Jordan asked skeptically.

Chandra nodded. "Yeah, really. Unlike you, he's actually been a friend to me through this. Kind of like how I put our petty differences aside when your granddad passed."

Jordan now looked away from Chandra. That was a low blow and Chandra knew it. Despite this, Jordan knew that Chandra was right. Instead of her normal pestering, Chandra had actually laid off of Jordan until she was near back to normal.

"At least that got her quiet." Kelly muttered.

"Ditto." Shane replied.

* * *

Gabrielle was currently walking from the library near her house. She was only there momentarily until her mom got off of work and she would then return home and meet Alex there. Of course she was old enough to stay at home by herself now, but old habits died hard.

As she walked down the sidewalk, she idly wondered if Ashton had actually confronted his brother like he said he would. She was scared for Ashton only because there was no telling what Steven would do to Ashton.

"Hey," Gabrielle paused in her step and turned her head to see Lakehurst student Tevin Sharpe. Of course, she had no earthly idea who he was and what he wanted, but stopped anyway. "You go to Degrassi right?" Gabrielle nodded. "Great. We need some new people."

"For what?" Gabrielle asked.

"Oh yeah. My name is Tevin, keyboard for Alternate Zero." Tevin said holding out a card. "I'm trying to get people to come to our party Saturday. You think you could come?"

"Um… I guess." Gabrielle said. She felt a bit weird about someone asking her to a party. "Where is it?"

"At this address." Tevin said pointing to the address on the card. "I really wish you were there. You're a lot prettier than the other Degrassi students I've seen."

"I have a boyfriend." Gabrielle stated. "And I'll see if we'll bet there."

Tevin shrugged. "Makes no difference on what you look like. I hope to see you there…?"

"Brie." Gabrielle answered the unasked question.

"Hope to see you there Brie." Tevin said walking away.

Gabrielle only stared at the card in her hand. Not only was she called cute by a complete stranger, but she was also invited to a party where a band was to be playing. Normally her weekend would be pretty quiet, but this weekend, she felt as if there would be a change. If only Ashton said yes, that is.

* * *

"Wow, business is slow today." Kelly said to Shane, who leaned on the counter on his forearms. "Usually you'd be worried about spending time with your girlfriend."

Shane idly glanced to see Nicole smiling as Harry told her about whatever it was the little boy was excited about. A smile graced his lips before turning back to his sister.

"You can be a real loser sometimes." Shane said, still smiling.

Kelly gave Shane a kiss on his forehead. "Duh."

The door opened and Jacob walked into the Dot.

"Hey, what can I get you?" Shane asked.

"That's my line." Kelly said.

"Actually it's mine." Gavin said as Jacob sat at a stool at the counter. "What can we get you Jacob?"

"Nothing. I just needed to get out of the house." Jacob said.

"And you came here? I wonder why." Shane sarcastically replied as he moved out of Kelly's striking range.

Kelly glared at Shane. "One more time Shane… "

"Okay, I'll lay off. Just as soon as you leave me alone." Shane said.

"Deal." Kelly responded. "Just stop talking about it, okay?" Ellie walked into the Dot with a smile on her face. "Mrs. Lowry! What are you doing here? Is Dash okay?"

Ellie laughed. "Yes Kelly, Dakota's fine."

"Well, well, if it isn't the famed drummer who doesn't have time for her old friends." Gavin said with a smile. "What can we get you?"

"Actually, I came to speak to your son and his band members." Ellie said.

"Well, since Jay and Dakota aren't here, I guess that makes me the go-to person." Shane said.

"Silas is beginning his next tour soon and he's going to start it here in Toronto on his birthday, which is Saturday." Ellie began. "He wanted this to be a birthday he's never going to forget, so he's asked if his daughter's band could open for his own."

Shane gasped. "No fooling?"

"That's great!" Kelly squealed. "Oh man! This is going to be the best weekend ever!"

Jordan, who sat with Aaron and Chandra at a table, sighed in embarrassment.

"Boy Kelly has some lungs." Jordan said.

"I don't know. I think something big just happened." Aaron replied. "That's Dakota's mom and she does a lot of their music booking."

"Really? How do you know that? I don't even know that." Jordan said.

"I just do." Aaron said, gaining a small frown from both of his female counterparts.

Shane grinned. "Of course we'll do it. Man, wait until Jay hears this. He's going to flip."

"I'm sure." Ellie said as she neared the door. "Don't forget to tell him and I have to wrangle up another group. Friday, I'll have to take you guys out of school early for rehearsal."

"Please swing this information to Emma before she comes at me with a frying pan." Gavin said.

Ellie laughed a bit. "I will. See you guys Friday."

"You bet." Shane said as Ellie left. "Did you hear that Jacob? We're going to the big leagues!"

"I know. But…" Jacob paused. "What about Dakota?"

"We…" Shane paused.

"Talk about your killjoy." Kelly muttered.

"How did I forget about that?" Shane said. "Man, if we don't have a new drummer by then, then we're going to be in so much trouble. I mean, who else knows all of our songs?"

"Wait a second," Kelly said. "She said that Mr. Lowry wanted this to be a birthday he would never forget. Surely they'll get Dash out before then to make the moment even more special, right?"

"I think so." Gavin said. "We'll have to see."

"Yeah. We'll see." Shane said.

* * *

Jayden groaned. "Thankfully that's over."

Helen smiled. "What's the matter Jayden? Getting tired? Need more stamina?"

"No. I've just been off my game lately but I'm feeling slightly better. Well, except for Coach Hamilton making me do all those godforsaken drills." Jayden said as he and Helen neared Manny's red Mercedes. "So what were you doing in detention, again?"

"Just a teacher giving me some lip. Nothing serious." Helen answered as the two got into the car.

"It's never serious with you Helen." Jayden said before his cell phone rang. "Yeah."

"Hey Jay," Jayden was slightly surprised to hear Angelina's voice, but decided not to show it for Helen's sake. She would talk about it the entire drive home if he did. "I, um, need a ride home."

"A ride home? Sure. Where are you at?" Jayden asked.

"School. My school. Lakehurst." Angelina stammered.

Jayden laughed. "I know what school you go to Angel, no need to give me more details about it than I need." Jayden started his car up. "I should be there in a few minutes."

"Thanks." Angelina said.

"No problem Angel." Jayden said before she hung up. "Shy little girl…"

Helen frowned. "Angel? Who is she? And what do you mean that you're going to pick her up?"

"Correction my fiery-tempered friend, _we're_ going pick her up. You did tell me to take you to the Dot, right?" Jayden said. "I'll just get Angel, drop her off, cop a peak at Izzy, and you and I can go to the Dot where your boyfriend should be waiting."

"Fine. Let's just go." Helen said.

"You know," Jayden said. "You were a lot nicer when we were dating. What happened to that Helen?"

"She broke up with you." Helen stated, causing Jayden to smile.

"Touché." Jayden responded.

* * *

It was the third day in a row that Nathan had walked passed Jay's apartment complex, contemplating whether he should actually have a one-on-one talk with his father or not. Flicking the cigarette butt aside, Nathan exhaled one last cloud of smoke and began walking away. A cold breeze blew, causing Nathan to put his hands in his pockets.

"Aw man." Nathan turned to see Stephanie chasing after a piece of paper. A smirk came on his face as he watched her chase the paper. How pathetic? But, after a moment or two, the joke was gone and he grabbed the paper himself. "Thanks."

"No problem." Nathan said.

"I'm Stephanie." Stephanie said.

"Nathan." Nathan replied.

"So why have you been over here for the past three days?" Stephanie asked. "Girlfriend?"

"No. Don't have one of those. It's… Well it's my dad." Nathan said.

Stephanie frowned. "Your dad?"

"We're not close. Period." Nathan replied.

"But you want to be." Stephanie said. "I kind of understand. Sort of." Nathan gave a simple nod. "So you gonna talk about it or are you going to walk away?"

"Why do you care?" Nathan asked.

"I don't. I just really don't want to go home and my best friend has someone picking her up leaving me with nothing better to do." Stephanie answered. "Plus you look like you need someone to talk to as well."

Nathan sighed. "I guess you're right. Plus, you're hot."

Stephanie smiled. "Thanks. You're not so bad yourself. So, tell me, what's going on with you and your dad."

* * *

Angelina sat in silence as she rode in the backseat, her eyes glancing at Helen every now and again.

"I can't believe I actually came along." Helen muttered.

"So her friends tried to jump you outside of a club? She wasn't even in Canada when that happened." Jayden said. "Man, I'd hate to see what you'd do to me for what Danni did to you."

"Strangle you with shoe string." Helen replied.

Jayden smiled. "Have I ever told you that you have the _funniest_ sense of humor?"

"Now you know why I hate DeWayne so much." Helen said to Jayden. "It was _his_ sister and _her _best friend that tried to jump me. Being near him is like being around his sister. And that pisses me off."

"Well, you shouldn't take it out on Angel. She's innocent in all this. Couldn't harm a fly if she tried." Jayden said.

"Whatever." Helen responded before turning in her seat to face Angelina. "Say, you have like a huge crush on Jayden right?"

"Helen! What are you-"

"Ssh! I'm trying to do some plotting." Helen interrupted Jayden. "Anyway, so, could you do him the favor and keep an eye on this DeWayne character? You see, he's _very_ suspicious of him and, well, you are the only Lakehurst student I don't want to kill. So could you do us the favor?"

"Wow." Jayden said. "First it was my favor and now it's a favor for us. She'll never expect that you want this done."

"Shut up and drive." Helen retorted.

Jayden chuckled. "Anything you want Rihanna."

Helen scoffed and turned in her seat to face forward while Angelina smiled. This was going to be an interesting car ride.

* * *

Isabella squealed as Danica launched another pillow across the room that hit her friend square in the back of the head.

"Jerk!" Danica called as Raven laughed heartily on the sofa.

"I have to get the door." Isabella said before opening it to reveal Angelina, Jayden, and Helen. "You know what Angie, I got you a key made today. But that was before Danni ran into her ex and-" Another pillow hit Isabella. "Okay! Okay! I'll stop!"

Jayden smirked. "Please. Don't. Tell me more about this ex."

"Jayden Tyrone McDuelle I swear on our grandfather's grave that I will kill you if you bring this conversation up again." Danica said sternly.

"Fine, fine. I'll just have Izzy idly bring it up and then I can talk about it and then you can tell me more. Right?" Jayden responded.

"Sneaky little… Why did our parents have to have a son? One daughter, me, was enough, but _no_." Danica said. "Angie, please get your boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Helen asked with a smirk. "They never told me that they were dating…"

"We're not." Jayden and Angelina said in unison.

"I knew there was some reason you went to Lakehurst. You _hate_ that place." Helen said before sighing contently. "Oh… Scar's going to be so… So…" Helen paused. "Pissed."

"We're not dating. They're trying to make one of us flustered and embarrassed, but it's not going to work." Jayden said.

"Why don't you just do it already and stop being difficult?" Danica asked. "I mean, let's face it, Scar has no intention of wanting you and the other girl is just a total bitch. So I say, Angel is your best option."

"You should know me better than that sis. I don't fall for just a pretty face." Jayden said. "I have to go to the Dot to drop you royal highness here off before she gets in a worse mood and Angel I'll see you tomorrow to show you around town. Sounds like a plan?"

"More like a date." Danica muttered, causing Raven to smile.

Angelina nodded. "Sure."

Jayden smiled. "See you girls later then. Come on Helen."

"Yeah, yeah," Helen said following Jayden. "Just admit that you two like each other and I'll be fine."

Angelina looked at her sister, who simply smiled.

"We're only trying to help." Isabella said. "And from the looks of it, it's working."

"Thanks Bella." Angelina said with a smile.

"Don't mention it." Isabella responded.

* * *

Kelly looked at Shane. "That guy's been here for almost half an hour and has yet to say anything but two words."

"I think that's Helen's new boyfriend." Shane responded.

"Her new boyfriend? Who's dumber than Jay to date her?" Kelly asked.

Shane shrugged. "That guy I guess."

"I guess you're right." Kelly said. "But on a more important thing," Kelly smiled. "You guys are opening for Black Mist!"

Shane sighed. "I know. But it's like I said. What if Dakota doesn't make it? We're going to be in some serious trouble."

"You guys will do great." Nicole piped in. "I just know so."

"Well, let's pray you're right." Shane said before Jayden walked into the Dot with Helen, her face with a smile and him laughing. "I knew you two couldn't stay away from each other."

Helen frowned. "What are you talking about Plain Shane? And where's my usual?"

"On it Helen of Troy." Shane responded.

"Better be." Helen said moving towards Alexander's table. "Sorry I'm late. That loser had to pick up a friend from your school. Angelina? You know her?"

"Yeah." Alexander said as Helen sat down. "The new girl."

Helen shrugged. "I don't really know or care. She's using her and Jayden's sisters' friendship to get leeway if you ask me. A pretty face will only get you so far."

"So why did you ride with him?" Alexander asked.

"I had detention for some stupid reason. I swear teachers can't take a joke." Helen answered. "And Jayden had basketball-"

"Are you serious?" Jayden asked the Mason siblings as well as Jacob, Nicole, and Gavin.

"Yeah man. Dakota's mom came in and asked us herself." Shane replied.

"News of the day." Jayden said before turning to Helen. "Hey, Red's redhead cousin."

Helen growled at the way he called her.

"What?" Helen asked angrily.

"You going to be at our next show? It's Saturday and we're opening for Black Mist. Two of your favorite bands in one place." Jayden said.

"Saturday's the party at DeWayne's." Alexander said.

"Right. Sorry Jayden, but Alex is more important than you are and his band is playing Saturday as well." Helen replied.

Jayden shrugged. "It's fine."

"Are you still into Helen?" Alexander asked.

"Next to her being attractive, no, I'm not." Jayden responded.

"You could've fooled me." Alexander said.

"Look, Helen's with you, and I respect that," Jayden said. "Respect the fact that she's still a friend of mine and I just asked her to see a performance of mine, since she is two for two."

"Jayden…" Kelly warned.

"As calm as I should be, I'm not. Steven is still fresh on my mind and having some Lakehurst loser accuse _me_ of being jealous of something I _had_ is annoying." Jayden replied.

"Well could you not mess up my dad's restaurant? Please?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah dude, worry about the show Saturday." Shane stated. "Chill."

Jayden sighed. "Whatever."

Helen looked at Alexander. "What's eating you?"

"Just…" Alexander paused. "Well, everyone is saying that I'm nothing but your Jayden remake. I play drums, I run track, I play basketball. I'm everything that that fag is."

"What was that?" Jayden asked.

"And it's killing me." Alexander said. "I'm _not_ Jayden McDuelle and I don't want to be."

"You _can't_ be me." Jayden said.

"Jayden, I can handle him. Worry about your show." Helen said giving Jayden a glare.

"No hesitation my dear neighbor. No hesitation." Jayden said.

Helen sighed before looking at Alexander.

"You're not Jayden and I'm not dating you because you and have share similarities." Helen said in a calm voice. "Don't let that get to you again, okay?" Alexander sighed heavily, but nodded anyway. "Now, excuse me while I have to drag my friend outside, beat some sense into him, and return."

Helen stood up and walked towards Jayden. Grabbing his arm like she did whenever they were late for class, she pulled him outside.

"So glad I don't live next to her." Jacob commented.

Shane and Kelly both nodded at that.

* * *

Nathan looked at the setting sun.

"I should get going." Nathan said rising from the sidewalk curb. He extended a hand and helped Stephanie to her feet.

"Thanks." Stephanie said. "I'm glad I could help."

"Yeah, you did." Nathan said.

Stephanie smiled. "And you didn't even smoke a single cigarette."

"No. No I didn't." Nathan replied, slightly amazed. "Huh. I guess I'll see you around Stephanie."

"If it's not too much trouble I'll meet you here tomorrow after school." Stephanie said.

Nathan thought for a moment before nodding.

"Yeah. I'll see you after school." Nathan said putting his hands in his pockets. "See you later Stephanie."

"You too Nate." Stephanie said as the two began walking in opposite directions.

A smile came on Nathan's face. What she lacked in giddiness compared to Nicole, she made up with her words of wisdom as Nicole was not known for them. All in all, Stephanie Tucker was probably the closest thing he has had since Nicole chose to be with Shane instead. And Nathan promised himself that his pride would not get in the way of this one. If it came to love, he would not deny it. He would not lose another good one again.


	48. Season Three Preview!

**Author's Note: **I know that there is still a few episodes of Season Two (9) left, but I decided to post the Season Three preview now because I'm doing a disk clean-up and I didn't want to accidentally delete it and have to rethink of a new one. Season Three will also be known as Gone Too Far and I'm thinking whether I should post it as an entirely different story or just keep adding onto the chapters like I did for Season Two. Let me know what you think. Oh well, here goes what will happen in Like a Record: Gone Too Far!

* * *

Season Three Preview: Gone Too Far

This season in _Like a Record_, new faces will appear:

**Student One: So you got partnered with the new girl? How does that feel?**

**Student Two: She's cute, but I'm with _.**

**(Student Two and Mystery Girl seen kissing)**

Old faces will return:

**Kelly: Welcome to the Dot. What can I get you?**

**Jane: (smiling) Your dad available?**

**(Kelly and Shane watches Gavin and Jane kiss)**

People will change for the better:

**Student One: So Steven goes to Lakehurst now, huh?**

**Student Two: (shrugging) Maybe he'll stay out of trouble.**

And for the worse:

**Student One: (smirking) Your ex looks good, eh _?**

**Student Two: …**

Secrets will be revealed:

**Scarlett: (staring at Jayden) Tell me! I just have to know before you leave. Do you still love me?**

**Jayden: (sighs) Before I answer you, let me tell you what I did on that Saturday.**

Secrets that will change the students for the rest of their lives:

**Deanna: (Attempting to grab Mercedes) Mercedes! Stop this! You're drunk! **

**Mercedes: I might be. But one of you cheating sluts is pregnant!**

**The party guests stop their activities.**

And this season,

**Student One: (standing at the microphone in the cafeteria) Excuse me. I have an announcement.**

**Student Two: What is she doing?**

**Student Three: I'm going to kill her.**

**Student Four: Oh no…**

Like a Record has Gone Too Far:

**Student One: How much do you all know about your favorite celebrity? I know a lot. In fact, I know that Aaron Jordan Santos is actually Aaron Jordan McDuelle!**

Coming soon…


	49. S2 Episode XVII: Come Clean

**Author's Note:** I actually got a message yesterday that I didn't ready until today and it has actually made my day. So, in light of said message, this chapter/episode of Like a Record is brought to you by Degrassi: Here We Go Again. If you haven't read it yet, I advise that you do so (it's really awesome). Also, I'm thinking about splitting each chapter into two to shorten the lengths. Would that make reading this easier? Tell me and I'll do it. Anyway, here's Episode Seventeen: Come Clean.

* * *

**Episode XVII: Come Clean**

"No word on Dakota?" Shane asked Jayden as Jayden closed his locker with a sigh.

"No. It's weird. Last time this happened, she left with…" Jayden's words came to a complete stop. "Hide me."

"What?" Shane asked.

"There you are." Shane and Jayden both flinched as the sweet, yet deadly, voice of Laura reached their ears. "You know Dimples, I really pegged you to be smarter than that. But since you're not-"

"Did you do something to your hair? It looks nice." Jayden interrupted.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip your tongue out right now." Laura said.

"Because pleasuring yourself with just my tongue can get boring?" Jayden responded.

Laura stood flabbergasted at the response while Shane tried everything in his control to keep himself from laughing.

"Shane!" Nicole called.

"Got to go." Shane said quickly as he walked with his girlfriend away from his best friend and Laura.

"What kind of sick perverted mind do you have?" Laura finally asked.

"One that you've wanted time and time again." Jayden said. "And I have a very good reason why I didn't answer your call. We, as in my band, is opening for Black Mist and I've been trying to get in touch with Dash's center to see if she could be released, but no word yet."

Laura's eyes narrowed. "Is that it? Seriously? Or are you ignoring me again?"

"I promise." Jayden said. "Why would I want to ignore you? You haven't done anything to me since… Well let's face it, you slapped me in the face and told me that you'd plan on breaking my heart for years now. Oddly, I don't hold it against you."

"Why?" Laura asked. "You hold _everything_ against _everyone_."

Jayden shrugged. "I don't know. Girls who aren't wowed by my looks, money, parents, and fame are just… I don't know. Sexy."

"Well, don't let this happen again." Laura replied. "Like after school for instance."

"Today?" Jayden said. Laura nodded. "Today's not really a good day. I have to talk to Bambi's parents about the Steven thing because she asked for me to be there and her 'friends' aren't really that supportive of her. And after that, I promised to take Angel around the town since when I was new here, someone did the same for me."

"I see." Laura said.

"Laura I was being honest with you the other day. I'm not going to go out and find someone else until you're available, but I promised her I'd do it." Jayden said. "Plus Danni would kill me if I renege."

"You don't have to lie to me Jayden. The rumors _are_ true. You are trying to date the new girl." Laura said. "And here I thought you were actually going to do it."

"Laura I-"

"I'll see you around." Laura interrupted before walking away.

Jayden sighed heavily before looking up at the ceiling.

"Just once can I have a good day? From beginning to end? That's all I ask for. One simple day to go right." Jayden said.

"Hey, neighbor." Helen called, breaking Jayden's thoughts. "First period. Now."

"Coming." Jayden said.

* * *

Kelly walked into Mr. McCall's class and slumped into her seat.

"Bad day?"

"Yeah. I tell you Dash, my brother can be…" Kelly paused before looking beside her at Dakota. "Dash! You're out!"

"Uh, duh." Dakota said with a small smile before Kelly hopped out of her seat and hugged her tightly. "Kelly… You're crushing me."

"Oh I thought you'd _never_ get out." Kelly said, still smothering her friend.

"Yeah. I got to leave for a number of reasons. Surprisingly, good behavior wasn't one of them." Dakota replied. Kelly released Dakota. "So what's going on? Is Shane dating Nicky yet? Has Jay found someone else? Is Jacob still dating Vanessa?"

"Uh… How about we tell you at lunch?" Kelly responded.

"Sure. Is there something wrong though?" Dakota asked.

"Lunch." Kelly said.

* * *

Damon looked at Nathan and then at Laura. It was weird for both of his friends to be in a deep thought. For Laura, Damon figured it had something to do with Jayden, Dakota, or her mom. Those were the only three people he had seen her actually care to think about. As for Nathan, Damon thought that it was Nicole. It had to be Nicole. There was no one else but Nicole.

"So…" Damon said. "Who's got the juice?"

Both Laura and Nathan glanced at Damon. While Nathan's look made Damon realize that now was not the time to talk, Laura's glare told Damon to speak at his own risk.

"You both are lovesick." Damon said. "Pathetic."

"I ain't lovesick dipshit." Laura replied. "Why don't you go find your 'protégé' and show him how to get his ass beat properly."

"Yeah. I'm actually thinking." Nathan said.

"Ever heard of it?" Laura added.

Damon only stared at the two before laughing.

"Yeah right! Look at you two! You're in love!" Damon laughed. "How pathetic!"

Laura rose from her seat and clutched Damon's collar tightly as she shoved him against the wall.

"I'll let you in on a little secret," Laura said angrily. "I was supposed to beat Jayden's ass earlier but missed the opportunity. Do you _really_ want to take it for him?"

"Depends? Are you going to give me a kiss too?" Damon asked.

Laura raised her fist to punch Damon, but Nathan stopped her.

"Now's not the time Laura." Nathan said.

Now Laura frowned. "What the hell are you talking about? You've _never_ stopped me from punching Scooter. Or anyone else for that matter."

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours." Nathan said.

Laura's frown only deepened before she wrenched her hand free and stepped away from Damon.

"Fine. I don't have anything to hide. Least not to you two losers." Laura said. "I wanted to hang out with Jayden today but it seems as if those rumors are true. He and _Angelina_ are going out today."

"I think I found someone better than Nicky." Nathan said.

Both Laura and Damon stood slack-jawed.

"What…?" Damon asked.

Laura shook her head. "You're kidding right? You were basically crying over her."

Nathan shrugged. "Don't really know what to say. It just sort of happened."

"You nailed her yet?" Damon asked.

"Not yet." Nathan said.

Laura stared at Nathan curiously. There was something about that response that did not seem believable. It was almost as if Nathan was happy that he had yet to have sex with whoever. But of course, Damon thought of it as a bad thing.

"Bet I can bag her first." Damon said.

"No. You can't." Nathan replied.

"I promise-"

"No. You can't." Nathan repeated in a firmer voice.

Laura may have not been the girliest girl out there, but she knew when one boy was basically head over heels for a girl and Nathan clearly had that look.

"How about we just forget about it?" Laura said.

"Right." Nathan said.

Damon stared at his two partners in crime. Somewhere he had lost them to the cursed disease known as love. Hopefully, it wasn't contagious.

* * *

After second period, Chandra found herself walking down the halls by herself, no one saying a word towards her general direction. She figured that they must have heard about Steven beating her or some rumor. Either way, it was getting a bit nerve-racking.

"Hey Bambi," Aaron said as he and Jordan stared at her. "Are you alright?"

"Am I alright? I can't even breathe with everyone looking at me." Chandra said. "Kill me now A.J and make it quick. Please?"

"But then I'd go to jail for murder." Aaron responded.

Chandra sighed. "Who cares? I'd give up anything not to be here now."

"We're getting out early Chandra. How fast do you want the day to go by?" Jordan asked.

"Faster than this." Chandra replied. "I just… I just want to take it all back."

"There are a lot of things a lot of people want to take back, and they can't." Aaron said. "Look, don't worry about what people think about you because it's not going to change the way on how Jordan and I and the others think of you."

"You're right. Besides you and Vanessa, everyone hates me. Thanks a lot." Chandra shot back.

Aaron glanced at Jordan who sighed.

"I don't hate you Chandra. I just find you annoying." Jordan said. Aaron shook his head. "What? That's the truth. I don't want anything bad to happen to her, but she _is_ annoying."

"Thanks Jordan." Chandra said. "Seriously."

"All three of us has a class in the same direction. How about you walk with us?" Aaron suggested.

"Sure. Thanks A.J." Chandra responded.

* * *

When lunch came, Dakota was once again put into a tight embrace- though tighter- by Jayden.

"When'd you get out? And why didn't you call?" Jayden asked.

"Jay, I already have _two_ dads. I don't need another." Dakota joked.

"Yeah, I know." Jayden said releasing her. "You wouldn't believe how these last few days have gone."

"Tell me." Dakota said before looking at Kelly. "Someone isn't really telling me anything."

Jayden smiled. "Really? And here I thought that Kelly would tell you _everything._ Especially the part where… Well, I'll let her tell you when she's ready."

"You're such a loser." Kelly said.

"I did give you the chance to tell her yourself, if at all." Jayden said. "Don't let it slip."

"Where's your brother?" Dakota asked Kelly.

"Walking with his girlfriend." Kelly said. "The two of them are worse than Jay and Scarlett. Always under each other and trying to suck out the air of each other."

Jayden frowned. "And why did you use _my_ relationship with Scarlett to illustrate them?"

Kelly smiled. "Because it's payback."

Jayden stood up. "I have to go talk to a certain someone who is avoiding a certain situation. Remind her on what she has to do."

Jayden walked away leaving Kelly and Dakota at the table by themselves.

"So," Dakota said. "What is he talking about?"

Jacob sat down in his normal seat causing Kelly to sigh.

"Nothing." Kelly said.

Jordan glanced over at Chandra, who was once again in her own thoughts. She was going to call out to the girl before Jayden came to their table.

"Bambi," Jayden said breaking Chandra's thoughts. "I need to talk to you for a moment."

"Sure." Chandra said standing up.

Jordan watched the two walk away.

"I wonder what that's about." Vanessa said.

"Probably something to do with Steven." Aaron replied. "I hear that he's supposed to be helping her somehow. Don't really know what it is or why."

"I think that's exactly what she needs." Jordan stated. The others looked at her in confusion. "When my granddad died, I wasn't myself. And I wasn't myself because I never admitted it. If Jayden can get Chandra to face this, then she'd be back to her old annoying self."

"You say that like it's a good thing." Ashton said.

"It is." Aaron replied. "She's weird when she's not herself."

Ashton shrugged. "As long as she isn't digging into my locker again, I guess I'm fine."

"You're heartless, did you know that?" Vanessa stated.

"Hey, both of my older siblings have substance problems. The least I could be is mean to others. I could be the one taking pills and beating on women or drinking because I'm some spoiled celebrity." Ashton said. "It's a silver-lining if you ask me."

"Only Ashton." Aaron said with a sigh.

Scarlett frowned at Helen. "How do you know he won't?"

"He hasn't told you?" Helen asked. Scarlett shook her head. "They have a gig Saturday. There's no way he'd pass it up to go to a party. A Lakehurst party no less." Helen paused. "And with your _new_ boyfriend there t-"

"I get it." Scarlett interrupted. "I wonder why J.T hasn't told me."

Jacquelyn shrugged. "Maybe he's been busy."

"Yeah right. He's never been too busy to tell me something as big as that." Scarlett said.

"And just what would you say if he did?" Helen responded. "Sorry buy I have to go to my _other_ boyfriend's gig? Come on Scar, I think you and I both know the reason he didn't and if you ask me, it was a pretty good one."

Scarlett sighed. "It's happening all over again."

"What?" Helen asked.

"Me and him on different sides." Scarlett said.

Helen frowned. "Does this have anything to do with that dream that you were so pissed at me interrupting this morning?" Scarlett barely nodded. "Okay. What was it?"

"Nothing." Scarlett said.

Helen leaned forwards. "Come on Scar, tell me."

Scarlett sighed. "Alright… Here goes."

* * *

Dustin found Damon, Laura, and Nathan where they normally were and went to join them. Of course, the three stared at him as if he had two heads but he ignored them as normal.

"So, you got your ass handed to you by Steven and now you want to make us all look bad?" Laura said. "Well, you are Scooter's protégé. Only he can get his ass beat and bounce up like nothing happened."

"Look," Damon said addressing Dustin while glaring at Laura. "This isn't working. You're not following my instructions properly. That's how you lost to Steven."

"What instruction?" Dustin asked.

"You fought over a girl. Important rule. Never, _ever_ fight over a girl. Well, unless you're Nate and the girl so happens to be Nicky." Damon said.

"Are you done breaking up with your boyfriend?" Nathan asked. "Some of us want to keep their lunch down."

"And he says that _we're_ in love." Laura commented.

Dustin watched as Laura and Nathan snickered before turning towards Damon.

"Just go." Damon said. "You're really crowding my space man."

"Whatever." Dustin said.

"So," Marc said from behind Dustin. "He actually does something none of you have the pair to do and you treat him like trash?" Seeing the larger and older student, Laura and Nathan hushed and Damon stood quietly. "I should've known that you three would do that."

"Hey, dumbass, what are you doing over here? The special classes is on the _other_ side of the building." Laura said.

"Jayden can't protect you from everything bitch. Especially not me." Marc said. "Let's go Dustin. I want you to meet some of my friends."

"Plug your ass. This one looks strong." Laura said.

The anger in Marc's eyes signaled Damon to move slightly to his left so Marc had a clear shot at Laura. However, Marc simply walked away with Dustin following him.

"Boy, Jayden's given you the heart of a lion." Nathan told Laura.

"Shut the hell up." Laura responded, though she mentally admitted that the boy would run out if anything would happen to her.

Or at least, she hoped.

* * *

The end of the early release day came quickly and Jacquelyn now stood with Helen and Nicole as the shorter girl talked to Mary-Jane.

"What do you mean you canceled practice today without me agreeing?" Helen asked.

"Tyler and I have some alone time and I'm taking advantage of it. So tough luck." Mary-Jane said. "See you three tomorrow."

Mary-Jane walked away from the irate Helen and her two friends.

Jacquelyn sighed. "Well that was pointless."

"Yeah. I missed the best re-run of iCarly." Nicole said causing Jacquelyn to roll her eyes.

"I wasn't talking about practice." Jacquelyn said.

Helen took out her cell phone. "I swear if Jayden doesn't get his ass down here soon I'm going to be angrier than I already am." Helen then paused. "Or maybe I should take advantage of DeWayne? Yeah… Alex will vouch for me."

"I need a ride too." Nicole said leaving with Helen.

Jacquelyn sighed as she looked around the empty gym. Deciding that some exercise was better than none, she began to practice her ballet routine. Although she had become more comfortable with the dancing, she had not really forgotten the day that Jayden had caught her.

Pushing the thoughts aside, she continued to dance to the tempo in her head. Gracefully leaping and spinning without a care in the world. And when she got the momentum she wanted, she closed her eyes, clearly slipping into her own world. A world where her exes did not leave her for her friends. A world where her knight in shining armor was standing in front of her. A world where-

"Whoa." Jacquelyn immediately tripped, the voice messing her up and throwing her off balance. Falling on her backside, she looked to see Damon. "I… Uh…"

Jacquelyn sat still for a moment. Every now and again, Damon and Nathan would come to watch the cheerleaders until Mary-Jane and/or Helen forced them out. She should have known that he would be coming by.

"I, uh, I have to go." Jacquelyn said standing up quickly.

"Where's everyone else?" Damon asked.

"Practice was canceled." Jacquelyn replied. "Sorry you didn't get to see your show."

"Seeing you was more than enough." Damon responded. Jacquelyn felt slightly sick by the comment. "I better get out of here."

"Yeah. Like now." Jacquelyn said.

"Jackie where the- Get out of the Scooter." Helen said pushing Damon aside to reenter the gym. "Come on. DeWayne's taking us all home."

"Right." Jacquelyn said before following Helen out of the gym, Damon's eyes watching her every step of the way.

"Wow." Damon muttered.

* * *

Chandra gave a small sigh as she stared at her own home. Jayden looked at her before giving her a reassuring smile.

"Come on Bambi, it's not that hard. Just a few words and I can take it from there." Jayden said.

Chandra nodded. "Right."

Chandra led Jayden into her house, him being the first person from her school to _ever_ come to her house. She felt as if she had accomplished something with that information, but soon realized why he was there.

"Mom. Dad." Chandra said before Drew and Alli came into the living room. "Can I talk to you guys for a moment?"

Drew frowned. "Jayden McDuelle? What are you doing here? Are you dating Chandra?"

"No I'm just a friend." Jayden answered.

"What is it Chandra?" Alli asked.

"Can we sit down first?" Chandra replied. Drew nodded suspiciously as the four sat down, Jayden, Chandra, and Alli on the couch and Drew in an armchair. "I, um, have to tell you something."

"You're not pregnant are you?" Alli asked.

"No!" Chandra said quickly. "Mom! I'm still…" Chandra paused and spoke quieter. "A virgin."

Jayden stopped the smile that was coming on his face. He found it slightly cute that Chandra had said that in that tone. He then realized that she would have the surprise of her life if she found out that he had recently lost his virginity to Laura Reynolds, despite what people said about him.

"This has something to do with Steven." Chandra said.

Drew frowned. "What is it Chandra?"

"He…" Chandra felt her eyes watering.

Seeing that this was going exactly as he thought, Jayden sighed.

"Sir," Jayden said gaining Drew's attention. "Steven hit your daughter." Drew's eyes nearly turned red at that statement there and Jayden knew that it was best to say all he could before Chandra's dad went on a blind rampage. "I've already fought him for that. Won too. But, that's what we're here for."

"He hit you and you didn't tell us first?" Drew asked Chandra. "Why?"

Chandra flinched. "I knew you'd be mad at me for having a boyfriend and not telling you period. Especially one in grade eleven."

"He's a junior?" Drew shouted. "Alli, did you know this?" Alli shifted her seat as well causing Drew to sigh heavily. "Okay… So I was the only one that didn't know. That's fine… I'll kill him."

"Drew, you can't do that. You're nearly a senior partner at your firm. If you do that then you'd lose it all." Alli said.

"He put his hands on my daughter? What do you expect me to do?" Drew shot back before looking at Jayden. "And when'd you know about this?"

"Two days ago." Jayden answered. Seeing Drew about to explode again, Jayden put a hand up. "When I found out, I went to find Steven and we had our little altercation. Afterwards I told Bam… Chandra to tell you guys because she wasn't. She was going to try to move on like nothing happened. Eventually, she decided that it was best to tell you guys today since she could talk to you both at one time."

Drew seemed to be somewhat okay with the answer and looked at Chandra.

"Where?" Drew asked. Chandra put a hand against her cheek causing Drew to stand up. "I can't take this."

Drew walked into the kitchen.

"Honey, you should have told us earlier." Alli said as she stood up. "I'm going to see if I can't calm your father down." Alli looked at Jayden. "Thank you for your help."

"No problem Mrs. Torres." Jayden said as the woman moved into the kitchen. He put an arm around Chandra. "See Bambi? I told you that you could do it?"

"What are you talking about? _You_ told them." Chandra cried.

"Of course I did. My favorite seventh grader on the verge of tears and you think that I wouldn't help?" Jayden responded. Chandra smiled weakly, though tears were still coming from her eyes. "Come on. The Bambi I know is way tougher than that. She even got an applause from Helen for slapping Gail. So shake this off, shed Chandra, and become Bambi Torres again, okay? I have to run and meet up with Angel before my sister makes _me_ cry."

"Sure." Chandra said as Jayden stood up. "Thanks Jay. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Carry the burden millions of other girls do." Jayden answered. "Remember, I am your friend. Your burden is my burden unless it's that time of the month." Chandra giggled quietly as Jayden walked to the door. "That problem you can keep to yourself."

"Where are you going?" Alli asked.

"I promised a friend that I'd show her around. She's only been in Toronto for a few days and doesn't know much of the place." Jayden answered.

"Thanks again Jayden." Alli said. "I'm glad that Chandra has a friend like you."

Jayden smiled. "Just doing what I can."

With that, Jayden left the house and Alli turned her attention to Chandra. Seeing a younger version of herself, Alli moved beside her daughter and sat down. She took Chandra's hand into her own.

"Chandra," Alli said. "You're right about one thing. I don't know what all goes on in your life. But in order for me to learn it, you have to be willing to tell me, okay?" Chandra nodded and Alli hugged her. "We're going to find a way to make him pay. You just wait and see."

Drew walked towards the door. "I'm going out."

"Where?" Alli asked.

"Clear my head." Drew said before leaving.

Alli sighed. "It's going to be a long night."

* * *

Aaron sat with his girlfriend at the Dot only so Emma could supervise the two. Of course Jordan was embarrassed more than normal, but Aaron did not mind. He preferred it only because it allowed him to be with Jordan period.

"So," Jordan said closing her math book. "I figured we could go see a movie tomorrow. What do you think?"

Aaron shrugged. "Hopefully nothing will come up in-between then." The two were soon joined by Gabrielle and Ashton. "Hey, where've you two been?"

"My dad dropped us off." Gabrielle said.

Jordan's eyes widened. "Your dad? But I thought you said-"

"There you go jumping into someone's business again." Ashton cut her off. Jordan huffed and glared at Ashton, though the Manning did not show any signs of care whatsoever. "You guys done with your homework already? You're quick."

"A.J's a math whiz." Jordan said.

Tevin walked into the café and walked to the counter, ordering a large soda. He paused once he saw Gabrielle and moved towards her table.

"Hey Brie." Tevin said.

"Oh. Hi Tevin." Gabrielle said. "Ashton, this is Tevin. He invited us to a party Saturday and I said that I would ask if you wanted to go."

Tevin revealed some of the cards from his pocket.

"Address is right here. All of you are welcome to come." Tevin said handing a card to Jordan, Aaron, and Ashton each.

"Alternate Zero…?" Jordan said.

Aaron frowned. "Jordan, this is on the same day as your brother's show."

"I know." Jordan replied.

"Oh, if you can't come, don't worry about it. But new faces never hurt anyone." Tevin said. "See you around. I have a band practice to get to."

Tevin walked away.

"Something's up with that guy." Ashton said.

"I know." Aaron replied.

"Really? I don't think so." Gabrielle stated.

"Me neither." Jordan said.

"It's a guy's intuition thing." Ashton stated. "We can naturally tell when another guy is coming onto _our_ turf and trying to make a move to steal something we have."

Jordan frowned. "So women are just prizes to you, huh?"

"He's right, sort of." Aaron said. "We know when a guy likes our girlfriend or not and we do all in our power to make sure that this 'crush' doesn't turn into a mutual thing. You can call it all you want, but it's the same thing."

"And that guy has it in for you Brie." Ashton said. "Bad."

"Oh…" Gabrielle responded. "I really didn't know."

Ashton grinned. "Don't worry about it. Besides, I can get us tickets to Black Mist's concert and we can go there instead. What do you say?"

"…Sure." Gabrielle answered.

* * *

Nathan walked with his hands in his pockets to the same spot where he was yesterday. Stephanie was not there yet and he idly began to wonder what he was doing. Today was Thursday, meaning there would be a lot of betting going on at the ravine, where he belonged. Of course, when Torrie and Laura left to do whatever, he figured staying there with Ethan would not be a favorable thing. Especially when the other choice was hanging out with Stephanie.

He then began to think about their encounter yesterday. While she did not get him to "spill his soul" she did better than a lot of the school counselor's had ever done. In fact, he would go on to say that she did better than Nicole every did.

Then again, she had promised that she would be here first and she clearly was not here. Did she already come and go? Did she change her mind? As much as Nathan hated to admit it, he was becoming like Laura.

"Hey there." Stephanie said walking towards him. She was in her gold and purple cheerleading outfit, making Nathan's eyes to roam more than he intended. "Up here." Nathan's eyes shot from her breasts to her eyes, a smile on her face. "We're going to have to work on our greetings Nate."

"No one told you to come dressed like _that_." Nathan said before sitting on the sidewalk. He turned to see her still standing. "What?"

"Come on. We're going to Little Miss Steaks. They have the best cheese sticks in town." Stephanie said. Nathan only stared at her. "I'll buy if it helps."

"I can pay for it." Nathan said standing up. "I just thought that we were going to talk about your problems and my problems. Like yesterday."

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "You _are_ a terrible romantic. Come on. Let's have a little fun and we can get to the real sappy stuff later."

Nathan was about to agree until a car pulled up along side the road. He and Stephanie saw the driver's window roll down and Jay's face became more apparent.

"…" Nathan was silent. "Dad?"

"I just dropped your sister and her boyfriend off at the Dot." Jay answered. "I was wondering when you were going to come back, but I see you have someone occupying your time."

Nathan frowned. "She's not my girlfriend. And even if she was, what business do you have knowing that?" Stephanie elbowed Nathan. "Ow! What? He doesn't."

Stephanie sighed. "Whatever Nate." Stephanie then looked at Jay. "Stephanie Tucker."

"Greenpeace junior…" Jay mumbled as the girl frowned. "I'll leave you two alone. But Nate, I still want to talk to you soon. With Brie."

"Sure, fine, whatever." Nathan said before Jay rolled his window up and drove on. "Man, that guy's like a-"

"Parent? Because he is." Stephanie interrupted. "And if you hadn't been so pissed at him, we could've gotten a ride there."

Nathan did not know what to say at the moment. While her speech made him think of a pissed mother, she was right. They could have used the ride.

Nathan sighed. "You're going to go make me talk to him, aren't you?"

"No. We could always get my mom to take us." Stephanie said.

Nathan weighed his options. Speak to a woman he hardly knew or his dad…

"Let's go." Nathan said walking.

Stephanie smiled and soon fell into step behind him.

"I knew you'd do it." Stephanie said.

"Yeah, yeah." Nathan replied before he glanced at her smiling face. He would never use this lingo outside of his mind, but it was simply angelic.

"Now," Stephanie said. "Let me tell you what Deanna said about Scarlett earlier."

* * *

Gavin frowned when he saw Dakota and Ellie walk into the Dot. Though Dakota was no stranger to the place, she had never really eaten there with either parent or stepparent.

"Ellie!" Emma said happily. "What are you doing here?"

"Well," Ellie began. "Dakota needs an afterschool activity and she is determined not to join anything at the school, so I settled with a job. It was part of her deal in her release."

Gavin looked at Dakota.

"So you've come to join my trusted group of workers, huh?" Gavin asked.

"Dad, we're your kids." Kelly said.

"Yeah, it's not like we had that much of a choice." Shane replied. "Or else, I'd be managing the place."

"You can help Kelly wait the tables." Gavin said to Dakota. "You do know how to take orders right?"

Dakota nodded. "Yeah."

"Well it's settled." Gavin replied. "Glad I could help you stay out of that place."

"We're both happy to help you out anytime you need to." Emma said.

"Well, I have to go do music things." Ellie said. "Good luck Dakota."

"Thanks Mom." Dakota said as Ellie left.

"Hey," a guy said stepping to the counter. "Could I get two muffins and an espresso?"

"Six ninety." Dakota said. Gavin, Kelly, Shane, and Emma stood amazed at how fast she calculated the price in her head. "Sorry. Numbers just click for me."

"You are so hired." Gavin said with a grin.

"Yeah, welcome to the family." Shane said. "Well, this side of the family Jayden has already inducted you in." Shane paused. "The _working_ side."

Dakota smiled. "Thanks."

* * *

Laura and Torrie walked down the streets laughing and talking about this and that. Of course, the two were generally talking _about_ the people they were passing, making sure to talk just loud enough so the poor passerby heard them.

"Oh look, it's Laura." Deanna said as she and Mercedes walked out of a clothing store. "I wanted to talk to you."

Laura frowned. "What do you want Princess?"

"You hate Scarlett Chessex, right?" Deanna replied. "And I know you hate her cousin Helen. So, I need you to do me a favor. Just a real small one."

"Listening." Laura said with her arms crossed.

"I need you to set me up with their ex, Jayden." Deanna said. "He's actually playing hard-to-get with _me_. Can you believe that?"

"So let me get this straight," Laura said. "You want me to go find that jerk and set you two up so Scarlett and Helen would be jealous?"

"Simple right?" Deanna answered.

"I think I can make it just a little bit easier." Laura said. "No."

Mercedes frowned. "Listen, we're really not in the mood to listen to your pathetic crush on the boy. Just do what she said and let's move on."

"Or what? You going to hit me?" Laura asked.

"If I can stop you two right there," Torrie said. "Did anyone take into account that those are _my_ cousins that you guys are talking about?"

Deanna snapped. "That's right. Torrie. The unknown Coyne." Torrie frowned. "Wait a second… Isn't your dad's last name Stone? Why do you go by Coyne?"

"That's none of your damn business." Torrie said. "And what do you mean the 'unknown Coyne?' You've known me for a while."

"I forget people who aren't important." Deanna said. "E.g., you."

"I'm going to walk away before doing something I don't want to." Laura said. "But I'm going to say this just one time. Leave Jayden alone. While I hate him more than any other boy in the world, I'd hate him more if he _ever _dated one of you two."

"You're really starting to annoy me." Mercedes said.

"Feelings mutual bitch." Laura shot back.

"What did you call me?" Mercedes asked angrily.

"Sades, let's go." Deanna said. "Like I said, I do know more than one way in getting what I want. And if Laura doesn't want to help, then we'll take her down with the rest of them. Simple." Deanna smiled sweetly. "It was nice talking to you two. Have a good day."

Before Laura could reply, a black stretch limousine pulled beside them. A man got out of the driver seat and opened the back door to allow Deanna and Mercedes to get in. Mercedes gave Laura a stiff middle finger before the chauffer closed the door and moved towards the driver's seat.

Laura and Deanna watched the car drive off with anger evident on their faces.

"Unknown Coyne? I'll show her unknown." Torrie said. "Come on Laura. I think Braxton still has her address." Laura did not respond, her eyes still tracking the car that was becoming more and more invisible as it moved along the street. "Laura!"

"I heard you." Laura replied. "And no. I told you, I don't fight people at their houses. That's wrong. But I do know when and where I'll see her again. Lakehurst Community School, tomorrow at lunch."

Torrie smiled. "I'll be there."

* * *

Jayden and Angelina sat at a table with Jayden carrying their tray of food.

"Tell me," Jayden said to Angelina. "What do you look for in a guy?"

Angelina blushed. "W-well… He doesn't have to be gorgeous."

"Okay." Jayden said.

"And I like someone who knows how to hold and just look at the stars." Angelina said.

Jayden smiled. "Come on Angel, you're going to have to give me more than that. Would you like me if I was taller? Maybe shorter? Bigger? Smaller? You like muscles? You like glasses? Blue eyes? What?"

Angelina had no clue where the questions came for, but began answering them anyway.

"I don't mind glasses at all and I kind of like them as you are." Angelina said. "Though… I prefer blue eyes."

"Hater…" Jayden replied with a smile. "Is that it?" Angelina nodded. "Huh. Just seeing how good of a match I was for you, that's all. And to answer your unasked question, I kind of like you the way you are now."

"Y-you do?" Angelina asked.

"Who wouldn't? Besides, I think you and I can both relate to the why we hate the paparazzi thing, so I have to give you bonus points on that. Oh, and you're a JG fan." Jayden said.

Angelina began to play with a fry. "Bella tells me that you only like the powerful kind of girls. Not the real quiet and shy type."

"For you," Jayden responded. "I'll make an exception." Jayden saw her blush deepen. "Well, let's eat and then get out of here. More places to see."

"Right." Angelina said.

Jayden looked at his phone while he thought about what Laura told him earlier. One way or another, Laura was going to accept who he was like she said she did. And he would not stop whatever feelings do or do not develop with Angelina either because in the end, he would get what he wanted. Whether she believed him or not.

* * *

Jacquelyn sat quietly on Nicole's bed in Gavin's house.

"What's wrong? You hardly said anything over the phone." Nicole said.

"Scooter saw me practicing earlier." Jacquelyn said.

Nicole's eyes widened. "You masturbate?"

The statement made Jacquelyn gape at Nicole only to remember that Helen's quote idiot had returned. And what would said idiot be without saying at least one absurd statement a day?

"No! Ballet!" Jacquelyn said. Nicole gave a prolong "oh" and Jacquelyn sighed. "I'm so embarrassed."

"Why? Did he think you did bad?" Nicole asked.

"No. In fact, he said the _exact_ opposite." Jacquelyn said. "I feel so sick now. To think that Scooter was watching me… Ugh!"

"Oh come on Jackie, it's not that bad. It's not like he caught you singing in the shower or something." Nicole said, thinking of her own recent embarrassing moment at the Mason house. "Beside, you're a great dancer. Even I'd watch you dance."

"There's a difference between you and Scooter." Jacquelyn said. "You're not… He's just…"

"I get it. A loser. To a degree, _all_ guys are losers." Nicole replied. "Just don't tell Shane I said that, okay?"

Jacquelyn smiled. "Deal."

* * *

Nathan stared across the table at Stephanie.

"Your dad isn't that bad, you know." Stephanie said. "I think you're just vindictive."

"Vindictive? Yeah right." Nathan replied.

"You can't be mad at him because he wasn't ready to be a father. I mean, you can, but then you're going to have to realize that everyone grows at a different level. Like you." Stephanie said. "I don't expect you to forgive Shane anytime soon for what he did to you at the ravine anytime soon. But you will. Eventually."

"And how do you know?" Nathan asked.

"Because I sort of get you." Stephanie said. "The cliché tough guy who hides his painful past. It's only in every great teen movie."

"Well, I'm not another…" Nathan paused once he saw Stephanie smile. "What now?"

"Not Another Teen Movie? Is that what you're going to say? Because if so, it's a movie." Stephanie said.

Nathan sighed. "What is it with you? You meet me literally on the street and you begin trying to counsel me. It's really annoying."

"Since I've always been an honest girl, I'll tell you." Stephanie said. "I like you, just not your actions. Therefore, change your actions and you get me. And since I've already figured that you'd be too stubborn to do so, I thought I'd help."

"Well it's not working." Nathan said.

Stephanie giggled. "Yes it is."

Nathan frowned. "What the hell are you talking about now?"

"Question," Stephanie responded. "How many cigarettes have you smoked today?" Nathan opened his mouth. "With me."

Nathan closed his mouth as the answer came to mind. None. He had neither smoked nor drank since meeting Stephanie earlier today. Growling slightly he looked at her smiling face, again, seeing the annoying beauty of the gesture.

"I'm winning by the way." Stephanie said.

Seeing no other point in arguing against a clear victory, Nathan only sighed with a faint smile.

"For today." Nathan said.

* * *

"Thanks for the tour." Angelina said as she stood in front of Isabella's apartment. "I had a good time."

"I did too." Jayden replied. "Who knows? Maybe next time you'll ask me all the questions you want to know."

"There is one…" Angelina said. Jayden's eyebrows rose in response and she took a small breath. "When you said that you liked girls like me… Did… Did you mean it?"

Jayden smiled. "Of course I did Angel. Why wouldn't I?"

"Well…" Angelina began.

"Look," Jayden said. "I get it that Scarlett and Helen are both the outgoing type, but a quiet girl is probably something I need. Someone who I can't get in trouble with. But…" Jayden paused. "I'm going to be honest with you. As of this moment, I'm really looking at someone else as well. Although she's being a little unbearable, well more than normal, she's still on my mind for some reason."

"Oh…" Angelina said.

"But, don't think that I don't like you as well, because I do." Jayden said before his cell phone rang. He looked at it and sighed. "That's my dad, probably wanting me to do something for him. I'll talk to you later?"

"Sure." Angelina replied.

"Oh, and Angel," Jayden said. "If you're wondering, you're clearly five steps ahead of this other girl."

Angelina smiled as Jayden walked away, quickly going into the apartment. Isabella, who was busy cooking, paused and looked at Angelina.

"Romeo, oh Romeo, where art thou Romeo?" Isabella said in a mocking Juliet tone. Angelina attempted her best glare towards her older sister but it failed severely. Instead, Isabella only smiled. "I take it that there is a charming side to Danni's little brother."

Angelina nodded. "Yeah. He showed me all the important places and more."

"Did you faint?" Isabella asked, still teasing her sister.

"No!" Angelina responded. "He told me… Some things."

"_Things_? Angie, I've known the guy for about four years now and I know for a fact that the 'things' he says aren't always appropriate. So what did he say?" Isabella asked.

"Um… Just that… Well…" Angelina paused. "He likes me."

Isabella blinked. "He just came out and said it?" Angelina nodded. "Oh. Well I guess it went better than you thought it would. I'm making dinner if you want to help. Though, I suggest you come down from Cloud Nine before you do anything."

"Sure Bella." Angelina said with a smile.

* * *

After picking Aaron up from their grandparents', Jayden and his brother made it home minutes after sunset.

"So how was your date?" Manny asked her son with a smile.

"Mama, it wasn't a date." Jayden replied as he moved towards the stairs. "Dad working late?"

"He should be home any second." Manny responded. "He says you have to get your own car soon because letting me use his is becoming a task." Jayden paused up the steps and looked at his mother's smiling face. "Of course, I told him that you don't deserve one but, I can't argue with the pros of this."

"Jayden's getting a car?" Aaron asked as he stood a few steps blow his brother. "That'll make life easier."

"Who're you telling?" Jayden responded before the two brothers made it up the steps. "Today has been one crazy day."

"Good crazy?" Aaron asked.

"Like hell." Jayden said.

"Ooh!" Renée said as she heard the 'bad' word from her brother.

Jayden sighed and reached into his pocket before pulling out a dollar.

"You see this?" Jayden asked and the young girl nodded. "It's yours if you can keep it a secret." Renée made a motion with her hand over her lips, "zipping" her lips shut. "Good girl."

Jayden handed her the bill and made it to his room with Aaron following him with a grin.

"It's no wonder she's richer than I am." Aaron said.

"Yeah. Danni taught me that trick." Jayden replied. "Whenever Kitty snuck into the pool house and heard Danni or her friends say something wrong, Danni always paid her to be quiet." Jayden began typing a text. "Sadly, bribing works, which means that I am right Aaron. Lying makes the world better."

"Says you." Aaron said before frowning. "Who're you talking to?"

"You know, I have an older sibling that looks over my shoulder. Danica McDuelle? You heard of her?" Jayden responded as he sent the text. "And when she's not looking over my shoulder, I like to breathe in freedom and not be interrogated by anyone else. Especially my kid brother."

Aaron frowned. "You always do that, you know? Call me into your room and get mad when I become curious."

"Curiosity killed the A.J, A.J." Jayden said. "But I did want to talk to you about Saturday." Aaron felt a bit confused. "Like always I'm giving a few tickets to give away for free. Scarlett and Helen are both going to that loser's party and Danni had decided that with her money who needs free. Therefore, I've decided to give you two tickets."

"Really? Why?" Aaron asked.

Jayden shrugged. "I don't know. It could be that I promised you that I would. But, I was giving four, meaning three extras. I'd give you all three if I knew that you could fill them up."

"Well, if Jacob doesn't give Vanessa one…" Aaron paused. "Though I doubt that he wouldn't."

"Me neither." Jayden said before his computer screen lit up. "I send her a text, she sends me an e-mail. Boy Laura, you are one confused soul." Jayden moved to his computer desk and sat down before frowning. "This ain't her."

"Who is it?" Aaron asked.

"Somebody known as Serene Girl." Jayden said. "It's a blog really. About…" Jayden paused. "Son of a bi… Gun!"

Aaron looked over Jayden's shoulder and began reading. His brows slowly burrowing.

"I don't get it. Who wrote this?" Aaron asked.

"Anonymous." Jayden said. "All we know is that she like quiet as her penname is Serene Girl. It would be just _ironic_ if she wasn't."

* * *

Helen frowned as she stared at her phone, reading out loud.

"'The secrets of the heart is one that many have failed to understand,'" Helen began gaining a curious frown from Scarlett. "'There are three stories with three different brothers who fit this bill. Three growing men who I have gotten to see first hand how one confuses what lust is and what is real love. The first guy will be called Philip, a poet who uses words to express his feelings.'" Helen paused. "That's a stupid name."

"Go on." Scarlett said.

"I'm just saying, it's pretty stupid." Helen said. "Anyway, back to this lengthy blog." Helen began to read more. "'Philip was a well-known and well loved poet. His way with words could be both amazing and dreadful, depending on one's viewpoint and was usually characterized by his smile. He was in love with the lovely Velvet. Unlike many, Philip could not come to harm Velvet despite what she did to him. That is, until he found her with his twin, Paul. Paul thought that his brother would never recover from the lost of Velvet, but he was wrong. As it happened once before, lust would surely grow to love again.'"

Scarlett frowned. "Could this be about me and Jayden?"

"I don't know, but there's more." Helen replied.

* * *

Laura sat at the computer in the unused bedroom of her house that she and her dad had transformed into a small entertainment room.

"'The nature of the beast, this lust, can even tame those who are said to be demons themselves. I have seen it first hand as a simple kiss can bring out a whimper, a sign of weakness, from the demon.'" Laura whispered quietly. "'See, Philip ran into a vampire, Sara in the darkest of alleys one night. While he originally believed that everyone had a soul, no matter how tainted, he was clearly proven wrong by Sara. Sara, a well-known vampire who could seduce men and women alike with just a simple gaze of her eyes and a whisper of her sweet, demanding voice. Though Philip was able to overcome her gaze by falling for them. His eyes reflected her gaze, sending her own seduction towards herself, and this once feared demon fell to her knees, only for Philip to take pity in her and take her away. What passion was built between the hunted and his hunter began to defy the barriers of love and lust and Sara's dead heart began to beat once more, turning her mortal. Unable to deal with being human once more, Sara removed herself from Philip to once again regain the fear she once gain from others.'"

"Are you done Laura?" Mr. Reynolds asked.

"Yeah." Laura replied, not caring to read the rest.

* * *

"'And what of Philip's twin?'" Deanna continued with DeWayne listening. "'Paul continued his romance with Velvet, attempting to keep her away from Philip at all cost. His ultimate goal was to destroy his brother, no matter the cost. Paul realized that Philip had been weakened by Sara, not Velvet, and began to plot on a way to destroy Philip altogether. While Velvet, as witty as she is, was oblivious to this.'"

* * *

"'Like I said earlier, there are three brothers in this tragic tale. The third one, Lyle. Unlike his father's older two sons, Lyle resented everything his father was and did everything in his power to be unlike the man he loathed.'" Stephanie read over the phone to Angelina, who was also reading this at home. "'Lyle was unlike both of his brothers because he did not have lust like Paul nor love like Philip. He shut off all emotions from the heart and tended to act only for his best interests. That is, until he met Madeline, a local girl who fell in love with him. And while she knew that Lyle would not feel the same, she attempted to woo and persuade him, using a combination of lust and love to overpower him. Of course, only time will tell whether or not her persuasion worked.'"

* * *

"'And so, the three brothers set off on their own in three different directions and three different experiences. Philip longed to find Sara again, determine to humanize Sara. He, though adapt with the power of lust, uses love to do so. Paul sets out to destroy Philip to keep Velvet forevermore. Though speculated that he may have found love, his main arsenal is her lust and his riches to distract the woman from her former love. And Lyle? Lyle has neither lust nor love, but has the curse of rejection on him. He sets off to find a way to break such curse so that he may be able to accept his siblings, father, and Madeline.'" Kelly concluded.

"Wow. Who had time to type all of this?" Nicole asked.

"I don't know," Shane said. "You think it's just a random story or about someone we know?"

Kelly shrugged. "I don't know. It's so bizarre and strange that it could be about anything."

"Well," Shane said moving towards the door. "I have rehearsals tomorrow so I'm going to take a shower and go to bed."

Kelly nodded. "Yeah, go ahead. Nicky and I will stay up."

"Sure." Shane said before giving Nicole a kiss. "Night."

"Night." Nicole replied as Shane left.

"You two make such a cute couple." Kelly teased.

Nicole smiled. "I know."

* * *

Drew sat in front of the large house. After talking to Adam for a few hours, he had finally come to the Manning house. His first thought was to just kick the door in, find Steven, drag him out, and kill the guy for putting his hands on Chandra. Then Drew remembered the repercussions that would have on his family and decided against it.

His cell phone rang.

"Yeah." Drew answered.

"Are you coming home soon?" Alli asked. "Drew, I know you're still mad, but please don't do anything rash."

Drew sighed. "I'm on my way home."

"You are? Thank God. Don't scare me like that." Alli said.

"Be prepared for something tomorrow though." Drew said as he started his car up. "No one messes with my daughter and gets away with it. No one."

* * *

**Author's Note: **So, Chandra finally told her parents. About time. But what will Drew do now? How will Jayden's day with Angelina affect his thoughts about Laura? And on a side note, just what was that lengthy blog about and by whom? Keep reading to find out.


	50. S2 Episode XVIII: We're Taking Over PtI

**Episode XVIII: We're Taking Over Pt. I**

The blog from last night had made many students wary about their surroundings. After it was announced that Philip was undoubtedly Jayden and Velvet was Scarlett, the other rumors began circulating. However, many people pieced Chandra as Sara, Shane as Lyle, and Nicole as Madeline. Paul was DeWayne, as others have already speculated.

But he did not care. As for Jayden McDuelle, rumors came and went like the wind. Sometimes it blew with you and sometimes it pushed against you. However, he had only one class today and that was first period, meaning he would not have to listen to the rumors at all.

But on to a more important subject, Laura. His reason was not because of the small text she had replied with or the blog. No, his reason in finding her was something much more important. And as if answering his prayers, he found the object of his not-as-secret affection alone.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a second?" Jayden asked.

Laura scoffed. "You can spare a second for me? Must be my birthday."

"Seriously," Jayden said. "I have a ticket for my show tomorrow and I want you to be there."

"And why is that?" Laura asked.

"Must I say it again?" Jayden said. "Look, I just want you to be there. We can go do something before or after. Your choice."

"You're only doing this because you were out with whatever her name is and are trying to make me feel better." Laura said and Jayden smiled meekly. "Like I said, I'm not Helen and I'm Scarlett. I won't fall for the same things they did."

"Whatever happen to the whole 'I accept who you are' crap you were telling me in the boiler room? Don't you know that this _is_ who I am? Always trying to make everyone happy unless I have a problem with them. Always trying to be as fair as fair can be." Jayden said. "I promised Angelina that I'd show her around, and I did. I also promised you that'd I'd call, but I sent a text just incase you were busy. What more do you want from me?"

"I told you that I'm going to break you like you did me earlier. I'm going to watch you be the one that's-"

"Whatever Laura." Jayden interrupted, clearly annoyed. "Look, be a selfish bitch all day long, but I really have more important things to do than to stand here and hear it."

Laura frowned. "And what the hell is eating you now?"

"You are." Jayden responded. "One moment we're friends then we're enemies and when it becomes something too close to romantic feelings, you just push away and we start from scratch again."

"And?" Laura said in an annoyed tone as well. "What are you going to do about it? I can hate whoever the hell I want to, including shit-for-brains like you."

"I'm going to start by saying I'm sorry for what I did when we first met. I mean this in the most honest and truthful form that there could possibly be and then some." Jayden said. "You should hold on to that apology too because it's the only one you'll hear for a _long_ time."

"That's it?" Laura replied. "An _apology_?"

"I'm not changing for you and I don't want you to change _everything_ for me. Just one little thing." Jayden said. "I want- no need- you to change your view of me."

Laura snorted. "Danni tell you that one?"

"No. Dash did." Jayden said, causing Laura's smirk to disappear. "She told me that the only thing that stopped us from dating earlier, like right after Scarlett earlier, was me. I kept looking at you as who you were."

"What are you trying to say?" Laura asked, getting a bit uncomfortable about the closeness between the two.

"You have to stop blaming for what I've done and move on from that. I've forgiven you." Jayden responded.

"Why?" Laura questioned.

"Because you're actually one of the best people I know." Jayden said. "But, you don't want the ticket, I get it. I'll sell it or something."

"Fine by me." Laura stated. "But there is no 'us' and there never will be. What we did… That was then. This is now. And I say that now is the time for you to get out of my face Mc-fool."

"You do know that this will do nothing but make us enemies all over again." Jayden said.

"Let's see if I can shout this through those braids, that head, and that ego," Laura replied. "I _hate_ you."

After the phrase left her mouth, Laura nearly regretted it as Jayden looked as if he was struck. Again, she felt as if he was going to strike her like she had theorized earlier this year. Instead, he just sighed with a sadden look.

"Fine then." Jayden said. "This time, we play this down to the last whim. Jayden McDuelle and Laura Reynolds, enemies again."

"…" Laura stood quiet before regaining her character. "Yeah. That 'human chess' shit or whatever, it's my game to win. Anything you can do, I can do back to you with twice the force and half the effort."

"My move," Jayden said taking out his cell phone. Laura watched him type in a text before giving her a smirk. "Angel will be glad to know that I have a spare ticket to the show. She _is_ a fan and all."

"What'd you do? Stalk her to get that out of her?" Laura asked.

Instead of replying, Jayden just shrugged and began walking away. He stopped before getting out of calling range and smiled at Laura.

"She said yes!" Jayden called.

"Fuck you!" Laura replied.

Jayden only gave Laura another smirk and walked away. Laura, however, did not feel the anger she once did nor did she feel the spite she had for him like earlier. Instead, she felt a feeling that she had sworn she'd never feel again; depression.

Walking briskly down the hall, she found her way out of the building and went towards a direction. She had no clue on where she was going and she did not care. She would not return until her tears stopped falling.

* * *

Heading towards first period, Deanna did her normal routine down the halls, giving a small, yet pleasant, smile to the boys staring at her. While none of them were worth her time, she figured that giving one false hope did wonders when she was too tired to carry her books. Of course, she could be like Mercedes and threat the poor boy into doing whatever she wanted, but Deanna had a motto that she would stick to for the rest of her life. Why break a nail for what someone else can do?

"You're not going to believe what happened earlier." Mercedes said to her friend as Deanna sat in her seat. "Word is that 'Sara' is Angelina."

"Angelina? That makes no sense. She hasn't even been here long enough to do any of that." Deanna replied. "Whoever said that is an idiot."

Mercedes shrugged. "I don't know. Olivia says she saw them yesterday at the mall together and they looked pretty cozy."

"For once, that's not important. The party at my place is." Deanna said. "Tomorrow, both Scarlett and Helen will be at _my_ house, meaning that it will be the perfect time to show them who's HBIC."

Mercedes smiled. "Go for it then. Just make sure your brother doesn't get his feelings hurt."

"Two reasons why it won't matter. One, I just don't care. And two, _you're_ going to preoccupy him." Deanna said. "From our talk yesterday, I've learned that he still likes you. Therefore, _you're_ going to go with your end of the plan and I'm going to change mine just a bit. Forget Jayden. I don't need him anyway." Deanna then smiled. "But I will get Scarlett Chessex away from my brother, and that's the damn truth."

"Let's do it then." Mercedes said. "And then we can go after Laura next. I hate her."

"Your problems." Deanna remarked. "But, I guess we can since you are my best friend."

"Good." Mercedes said.

* * *

Stephanie was a bit late to class and nearly collided into the large boy known as Tank.

"Tank, I'm so sorry." Stephanie said. "I have to get moving."

Jesse Washington snorted. "What? Nathan Hogart changed you too?"

"What? No." Stephanie said. "I overslept. Now, are you going to move or what?"

"Yeah, yeah, just one question." Jesse said. "Why is it that now everyone in Lakehurst is falling for a whack pansy panther? First, Tyler and Mary-Jane. Then, piss-gerald falls in love with Scarlett. Now it's you and Nathan."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Stephanie replied. "And what Nathan and I do on our own is none of your business. You'd best to stay away from us too."

"Or what? You going to get your-"

"Stephanie? Why are you late? You're never late." Mr. Smith said as he scanned the halls.

"I'm sorry Principal Smith, I overslept and tried to slip in before the doors were locked but _someone_ got in my way." Stephanie said.

Mr. Smith nodded. "I see. Come on along, both of you. I'll write you a note Stephanie. As for you, Jesse, I think I need to remind you as to why you're in grade ten and not grade eleven."

"Bite me." Jesse said.

"In a metaphorically way," Mr. Smith said. "I will."

Stephanie smiled a bit. She and Nathan was not talked about during school hours and that was the way she wanted to keep it at all cost.

* * *

Playing sick was something Stephen did with great finesse, only using said ability once or twice a year. He used it this year to avoid the splitting headaches he had been receiving away from his beloved pills. He could not longer keep them in his or Aston's locker and everything on his person was checked by Toby every time the two met. Thus, the only save place for Stephen to be alone was the sanctuary of his bedroom. Even with his mother downstairs, he still took them. She would never know, or at least, he prayed not.

The doorbell rang and Stephen lied in his bed in a blissful manner. His mind soon came to Jayden and a scowl came on his face. Since day one, he hated Jayden. Why? Well, when the McDuelle family moved to Toronto, the media went into an uproar and Steven and his family had to take a backseat to the more media attracting family. And if seeing him at school was not enough, Dakota befriended the boy, giving him access to Craig's house. Steven hated the fact that his father allowed this, but then again, it did keep Dakota out of their hair. She did ruin a perfect family portrait.

Steven then began to think of his outcast of a younger sister. He cursed her birth and would probably celebrate the day she finally passed. Not that he _wished_ death on her, but when Ellie announced to the Mannings and the world that Dakota was Craig's, Steven's life took a turn for the worst. The liveliness and happiness of his childhood was replaced by multiple arguments heard by his parents and Ellie. And when they finally settled on something, it had been he, not Ashton or Lillian, that saw it first hand. Dakota's fifth birthday was also the same day that Steven had finally saw it. His father's rage. Craig had skipped his medications that morning and in turn tore an entire studio up. Steven would never forget that day and would always blame Dakota for their father's anger. It was her birthday after all.

Then Steven thought about Chandra. The girl was definitely beautiful in her own right, but just downright annoying. How dare she judge him? She was the groupie. She was the one that jumped from famous boy to famous boy. She was the girl that both Helen and Scarlett had put in line when she was chasing after Jayden. Steven snorted at the thought of Chandra actually _dating_ Jayden. In his mind, they deserved each other. One annoyance for another.

"You can't go in there!" Steven heard Ashley say before his door was kicked open. Several policemen walked into the room. "Steven, what have you done?"

"Steven Manning," one of the officers said. "You are under arrest for the assault of Chandra Torres, do you understand? You have the right to retain and instruct counsel without delay." Steven began to fight with the three officers as the first one continued. "We will provide… You with a toll-free telephone lawyer referral service… If you do not have your own lawyer."

"I have a lawyer!" Steven called into the pillow as he was cuffed for the second time in his life.

"Anything you say can be used in the court as evidence, do you understand? Would you like to speak to a lawyer?" the first officer said as the other two hoisted him off of the bed.

Steven was spun around to view his doorway which was blocked by Drew.

"I hope you have a great lawyer, because I'm going to take you to hell and back." Drew said.

Ashley gaped. "Drew? After all the years you've helped our family, why now?"

"Because he put his hands on my daughter!" Drew snapped back, causing Ashley to look at Steven with disbelief. "I promised Alli that I wouldn't put my hands on him, but I won't just stand by and do nothing. Your son is going to jail if it's the _last_ thing I do!"

"He's not himself Drew!" Ashley pleaded. "It's those pills he's been taking! They make him act like Craig _without_ medication!"

"I don't care if he was possessed by the devil himself." Drew nearly hissed. "Take this piece of trash down to the station and get the paper work done."

Drew stepped aside and allowed the officers to escort Steven out of his room and down the stairs. Drew went to move after them, but Ashley's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Drew, please, think about this." Ashley said. "He can't handle prison."

"Take your hand off of me." Drew said coldly. "Because as of now, you _aren't_ a client of mine _or_ the firm's. Good luck finding a new one in three weeks."

Drew walked down the hall and down the steps leaving Ashley in shock. Her son had abused a girl? They no longer had a lawyer? This was happening all too fast. Grabbing her cell phone, she called the only _other_ lawyer she knew.

"Hey Jimmy, I need to talk to you." Ashley said.

* * *

After first period, Damon found Nathan actually heading towards class. The sight caused the running back of the DCS Panthers to smile sinisterly.

"So she's even got you going to class? She _is_ better than Nicky." Damon said.

"If you haven't noticed," Nathan responded before pointing to an eleventh grader picking himself up off the hallway floor. "The first guy that said that was immediately knocked to the ground. You can as easily be number two."

"Hey, my bad," Damon said. "I'm just saying, you must've fallen for this girl because you want take me up on my bet." Nathan frowned. "I bet that I could score her before you. Remember?"

"What is it with you and being so damn annoying in the morning?" Nathan said. "Fine. It's a bet. But like I said, you're a loser. She wouldn't fall for you."

Damon shrugged. "Let's find out."

* * *

Preparing to leave, Jayden was stopped by a worried Dakota.

"Hey Jay," Dakota said jogging towards him. "Have you seen Laura? I can't find her anywhere and she's not answering her phone."

"Point? She's probably out selling drugs." Jayden said. "No need to worry. Or care."

"It's _Friday_. She does that on Mondays and Wednesdays." Dakota replied. "And what do you mean you don't care? She's missing."

Jayden shrugged. "What do you want me to do? Reach in my back pocket and pull her out?"

"This is the girl that you-"

"Hate again because _she_ wants me to." Jayden interrupted. "See, I went to give her my ticket, like I told you I would, and she went on this rant about how she was going to quote, 'break my heart,' unquote." Jayden grinned. "And for a second I almost thought she was going to do it."

"Until…?" Dakota asked.

"Until the _real_ Jayden came out of my mind, held his right hand in the air and said, 'Lord, guide this hand across my face so I may forever remember who I am,' and slapped me back into reality." Jayden replied. "The _real_ me doesn't sweat over a girl for too long because it's just that damn stupid. She hates me, therefore I can follow her like some lost puppy or get on with my life. Obviously I chose the second one and she chose whatever she chose."

Dakota stood stunned for a moment. She had heard this tone once in her life and that was when he had first called her to tell her about his and Scarlett's break-up. Though, this one was a bit different.

"Why can't you just forgive her? You know she has a hard time saying what she means." Dakota said.

"No," Jayden said. "_Helen_ has a hard time saying what she means and I dealt with her just fine. Laura is on a whole new level of fickleness. Now, I'm waiting for Shane to get out here with Jacob so we can go. I won't be talking about Laura unless I'm planning on move two… And I just got one."

Dakota shook her head. "I can't believe you."

"I am unbelievable sometimes." Jayden responded.

"You know Jay," Dakota said. "Maybe it's you that needs rehab." Jayden lifted his left eyebrow. "You're drunk on pride. Sure, you may _think_ that this is her fault, but like I said, you're no better. In fact, you make it worse with all these mind games and stupid vendettas."

"So?" Jayden asked.

"My point," Dakota said. "Is that in the end, she's going to wound up with Nathan or Scooter and is going to be completely hurt about it and no matter how much you try not to, you and I both know that you will care. Probably ten-times the care you give Scarlett and Dewayne's relationship." Jayden's eyes narrowed a bit. "And it's going to be too late for you to do anything about it."

"Maybe you're right. But I bet that I'll be seen with Angel first and _she's _going to be the one that wishes she could do something about it." Jayden said. "And before you go on another tangent, remember, I bent first. I yielded first. And what did I get in return? She spat on me, she's slapped me, and she's told me she hates me. You're good in math. See if that equals a positive reaction or a negative."

Dakota just stood there, her mind signaling on the cause of Jayden's anger/pain. It had to be the fact that Laura has admitted to hating him, though all three of them knew she was lying. And sadly, Dakota agreed with Jayden being angry about that. He had gone out of his way- seeing as he probably would have flirted with Helen some more after his breakup with Scarlett- to just be around Laura.

"I'll talk to her." Dakota said.

A ghost of a smile came on Jayden's face.

"Glad you see it my way." Jayden replied.

* * *

As for Laura, she had made it to her mother's apartment. The tears that had ran down her face long gone and now the only thing she felt now was the fear of what her parents would do if they somehow collaborated with her punishment for skipping school. Then again, her mother and father were not the best of friends so hopefully they would argue amongst themselves while she snuck out.

Knocking on the door, Laura crossed her arms insecurely as she looked around. This place looked a lot different for some reason.

The door opened and Bianca stood with a small glare in her eyes.

"Why the hell aren't you in school?" she asked in a motherly tone.

"I… Got into a fight with someone. I had to leave and Dad would… He wouldn't understand." Laura replied.

Since Bianca was both a mother and a troubled teen, she recognized two things right off bat. This "fight" must have been verbal and Laura must have been the loser of this fight and this "someone" must have been someone close to Laura. Putting the two together, Bianca stepped aside with a small sigh.

"I'm going to kill him." Bianca muttered as Laura entered the apartment. "So," Bianca closed the door. "What did you two argue about this time? And don't lie because I'll ship you off to your dad's job so fast…"

Laura did not want to hear the conclusion of that threat so she just sighed.

"I told him I hated him." Laura said.

Bianca laughed a bit. "And he believed you? Boy, rich people _are_ idiots."

Laura sat on the couch. "Yeah, he is."

"But," Bianca said, ending her laughter quickly. "There was something else, wasn't there?" Laura would have asked how her mother knew this, but chose to nod instead. "Tell me."

"I… I can't." Laura said.

Bianca frowned. "And why not?"

"Mom, it's just-" Laura cut herself off and she and Bianca shivered at how quickly Laura became used to calling Bianca "mom" again. For Bianca, she felt old. "It's just that I can't explain it. I can't make…" Laura sighed. "Fuck this is so hard…"

"Just be yourself. Tell me the first thing off of the top of your head." Bianca said.

"I can't tell him I love him." Laura said.

Bianca's eyes grew wide. "L-love him? Are you sure?" Laura nodded. "And how are you so sure?"

"I… I don't know. It just slipped out. This is why I don't even do this shit in the first place. I say things I don't mean and then-"

"Laura, tell me what you feel or I'm going to beat it out of you." Bianca threatened, again in a motherly tone. Laura moved to stand but Bianca pointed to her seat. "Sit. Stay. Talk."

"I'm not a damn dog." Laura said.

"Remember who you're talking to. I am still your mother. Now talk." Bianca said.

Defeated, and pissed, Laura gave a frustrated sigh.

"Butterflies. I get butterflies around him. Are you happy?" Laura retorted.

"No. What did he say when you told him you hated him?" Bianca asked.

Laura noticeably flinched causing Bianca to smile a bit. Bingo.

"He…" Laura paused again. "He called…" Another sigh. "There's this new girl in town and her older sister and Jayden's older sister are friends. So he got asked to show her around."

"And?" Bianca questioned in an uninterested tone.

"She's the damn daughter of Mia De Chaplin. Gorgeous, quiet, virgin, and-"

"So you're _not_ a virgin." Bianca interrupted.

"…" Laura mentally slapped herself. How did she let that slip out? "Anyway, she's all of those things while I'm just the girl from the ravine who got his friend drunk, found out about his brother's secret, and made his life a living hell."

"His brother is gay?" Bianca said. "Wow. Doesn't this sound like déjà vu?"

"What? No. No one knows who his younger brother is but me. His brother's dating some nerd that he has classes with." Laura said.

Bianca shrugged. "Still sounds like déjà vu to me."

Laura frowned. "How?"

"Cute guy who is known to be like the baby-face of the school meets up with local bad girl in the boiler room. Said girl knows a secret about said guy and guy's younger brother. All you're missing between me and Drew is an annoying mom and the ex you broke him up with." Bianca said. Laura's face showed a hint of bewilderment and Bianca smiled. "What aren't you telling me?"

"I…" Laura began. "Scarlett. Her name is Scarlett and his mom gave me the evilest of looks when I went over there Sunday."

Bianca blinked. "She did, huh? To think that you'd become so much alike me despite my efforts to make you your own person."

"Are you going to help me or just pick on me?" Laura said.

"Both because that's what mothers do." Bianca replied before sitting beside her daughter. "Laura, he's going to forgive you… Eventually."

"And how do you know?" Laura asked.

"Because that's what guys like him do. They forgive the people that are closest around them. I honestly find this weak and pathetic, but it makes life easier." Bianca said. "All you have to do is keep a safe distance. Far enough not to get in his way and close enough so you can see each other. Oh, and one more thing. Never _ever_ say you hate him again."

Laura frowned. "And what will that do? He'll just go with whoever throws herself to him."

"No he won't. He cares for you too much to allow that to happen." Bianca said. "I know because he had the gall to talk to _me_ like one of those common whores." Bianca rose from her seat. "Now, let's go."

"Go? Where?" Laura asked.

"You're not really bright, are you?" Bianca replied gaining a glare from her daughter. "You skip school and ran to your _mother's_ apartment? What did you think I was going to do? Let you stay here? Let's get your ass back in school and we'll talk about what punishment I'll tell your father to give you later."

"Fine…" Laura said as she rose slowly.

Now Laura regretted two things as of today. She regretted telling Jayden she hated him and regretted going to Bianca's apartment. Now if only she can make it through the rest of the day without something more annoying, she would be alright.

* * *

The bell rang for the end of second period and the Lakehurst students began to flood the hallway.

"So your dad and her mom have some sort of problem? That's karma for you." Jesse said to Tyler.

Tyler shrugged. "I don't really care. It's their problems. Besides, Mary isn't going anywhere. She and I are like this." Tyler crossed his index and middle fingers. " and the Lakehurst students began to flood the hallway.

"So your dad and her mom have some sort of problem? That's karma for you." Jesse said to Tyler.

Tyler shrugged. "I don't really care. It's their problems. Besides, Mary isn't going anywhere. She and I are like this." Tyler crossed his index and middle fingers. "There isn't anything that can separate us."

"Next to her bitching?" Jesse asked.

"Hey, what can you do? She's a woman." Tyler said before nearly bumping into DeWayne. "Hey, watch where you're going."

"Whatever." DeWayne said.

Tyler paused. "Don't you have a party Saturday? Maybe we should show. Or…" Tyler paused and smirked. "Maybe we'll go to the group that's playing for one of the best bands of the decade."

"They only got the stupid gig because it's their drunk drummer's stepdad. Everyone knows that." DeWayne replied. "I mean think about it. Without Dakota's parents, they would be nothing. Well, more of nothing than they already are."

"Hey Tyler, looks like piss-gerald's pissed about something." Jesse said.

"Yeah, I think you're right. And here I thought stealing Scarlett would be enough." Tyler replied.

"I don't date Scarlett because she was with Jayden." DeWayne said.

"Could've fooled me. Got both of the Coynes away from him by using your lackey fag-ex." Tyler said before shrugging. "But whatever. It's your words, not mine."

"Here's my words. Saturday, at Silas Lowry's little concert, Juvenile Grace is going to bomb because they suck. Meanwhile, my band and I will do better because we _are_ better and Scarlett won't think of Jayden McDuelle period." DeWayne said. "And if you think I'm wrong, bet on it."

Tyler smirked. "I don't have to. _My_ girlfriend and I aren't going to either of you losers' performances because _we're_ better than all of you. Period."

"Whatever." DeWayne said walking away.

* * *

Also heading to third period, Scarlett was having a hard time thinking who wrote the blog from the previous day. While Helen's prediction was pretty good, Scarlett truly doubted that "Lyle" was actually Steven as well as "Madeline" being Mary-Jane, but Helen was determined that Mary-Jane was once again cheating on yet another boyfriend.

"So who do you think 'Madeline' is?" Scarlett heard Amber asked Mary-Jane.

Mary-Jane shrugged. "I don't know. It could be anyone. And since we know that there's Lakehurst in the story, it could be someone from Bardell. It would make sense."

"I guess you're right. Three boys, three girls, three schools." Amber said. "Scarlett and DeWayne. Jayden and Angelina. And a mystery pair."

"Yeah…" Mary-Jane said before eying Scarlett. "Are you going to listen to us talk Velvet?"

Scarlett glared. "That's not my name."

"Sure it's not. Just a shame that the whole world knows that you're some whore now. I've always thought that it was Helen." Mary-Jane said.

"I'm not a whore like you and no one believes that Velvet is me but a few idiots like you." Scarlett said. She was lying terribly, but the thought of her perfect image being tarnished was enough to keep her going. "Besides, there's a _huge_ difference between me and this 'Velvet' character. I'm not 'in love' with either DeWayne or Jayden. I just like them a lot."

"Sure you aren't." Mary-Jane said sarcastically. "And I'm the Queen of England."

"I always knew you to be a royal pain in the ass." Scarlett retorted before walking away.

She was not Velvet, despite their names and romances being alike. There was just no way in hell that she was Velvet. And after she cleared her name, whoever wrote the blog in the first place would pay or her name wasn't Scarlett Joann Chessex.

* * *

"Alright, take a break." Ellie said.

Shane groaned before sitting on the stage.

"Fame is hard work." he said, gaining a laugh from Jayden.

"What? You thought we just woke up famous?" Jayden replied. "Nope. The only thing that you don't have to work for is looks like, well, mine."

"So full of yourself." Shane said.

"My fingers ache." Jacob said. "This is the most I've played in a long time."

"Ditto." Shane said before eying Dakota. "And why aren't you tired?"

Dakota smiled. "I do this on a daily basis when I challenge my mom to a drum-off. Of course, she normally wins, but it's good practice."

"Yeah, like my dad would actually blow the dust off of his fingers to strum a guitar." Jayden said as he sat down as well. "Man, can you guys imagine what this place is going to look like tomorrow?"

"I'm trying not to…" Shane muttered.

"Me neither." Jacob said. "Playing at a small club is one thing, but on a large scale like this? It's frightening."

"Says you." Jayden said taking his phone out. "I'm going to make some space so I can get the best photos and clips because…" Jayden paused once he saw a picture of a bra-and-panties clad Laura on his lap. "Um…"

"Jay? You alright?" Dakota asked.

"Yeah." Jayden said as his phone questioned if he wanted to delete the picture or not. Jayden stared at the screen for a while before pressing "no" clearing all other pictures except that one. "Like I was saying, packed arena, first major show. It's going to be epic."

"As long as Nicky's here." Shane paused. "And not high. I definitely can think better with a sober Nicky. And maybe if she didn't exaggerate on the number of people in attendance. She has a very vivid imagination."

Jayden smirked. "Have you tested that theory yet?"

Shane grinned. "Close but my parents still won't let us be alone in the house together. But, I think my mom is warming up to her. And once that happens, yes I will."

"Shane Mason, you are awesome." Jayden said.

"Yeah, I know. Comes with the name and all." Shane replied.

Dakota rolled her eyes. "Just why did I have to befriend two perverts?" Dakota's phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey Dash, got a minute?"

"Uh, yeah," Dakota said rising from her seat behind her drums. She did not want Jayden to know that she was talking to Laura. "What's up?"

"I fucked up big time." Laura said.

"Yeah, I heard. What came over you?" Dakota replied in a quiet tone.

"I don't know!" Laura replied. "I mean, I've never been _jealous_ in my life and now that this Angelina chick is here…" Laura paused and sighed heavily. "I just want things to go back like they used to. When I secretly liked him and he hated me. I didn't have to say anything to anyone except to you occasionally."

"You're still having problems expressing yourself, but you're doing better." Dakota said.

"If you're trying to make me feel better, you're not." Laura said.

"I'm sorry." Dakota responded with a sigh. "But, what do you want me to do?"

"Help. You're the one that has all of the advice." Laura said.

"I don't know what to do now. I think he's serious about this." Dakota said. "The only thing I can do is talk to him and I don't think that that'll do much of anything."

"I talked to my mom about this. Do you know how desperate I am right now?" Laura said. "I have fallen Dash, hard. I can't tell my parents this. I can't tell _him_ this. I only have you to tell. So please. Help me."

Dakota sighed. "Where are you?"

"School. Skipping as normal." Laura said. "Why?"

"I'll come and get you for lunch. We'll talk more there." Dakota said.

"Dash." Jayden said.

"I have to go back to practice, see you soon. Bye." Dakota said quickly before hanging up.

Jayden gave Dakota a curious look.

"Who was that? You've never been on the phone that long." Shane said.

"No one." Dakota said sitting at her drum set. "So are we ready?"

"…" Jayden said as he strapped his guitar back onto him. His cell phone vibrated and he looked down to see the text message. "I see. It's my move then Laura."

* * *

Craig was not happy to see his son downtown for the second time. This time, however, there was a small difference. Drew Torres, a man who had helped Steven out of the pills on school campus case as well as using un-prescribed prescription medicine, was now on the opposite side. But Drew was not at the police station or his office. So here was Craig, banging on the Torres front door.

"Open up Drew! I know you're in there!" Craig called.

In the house, Alli was doing her best to stop her husband for literally shooting Craig. And once the gun was safely put away, she allowed Drew to confront him, already dialing Adam's number. If there was anyone that could calm Drew down, it was his brother.

Drew opened the door and glared at his former client's face.

"What do you want?" Drew asked coldly.

"What do I want? You just had my son arrested! I want to know for what." Craig said.

"He hit my daughter. What did you _think_ I would do?" Drew replied. "And I thought about a lot of things that Alli would not let me do to him."

"What are you saying?" Craig asked before Drew punched him in the face.

"Get off of my property before I have your ass in there with him! Or worse!" Drew yelled before slamming the door.

Craig put a hand to his lip to see that it was bleeding. Enraged, he marched towards Drew's car and kicked it with all his might before going to his own. The Manning and Torres families would forever be enemies after this.

Sitting in his car and taking a deep breath Craig cursed his son's stupidity. Fortunately, Craig thought, it was Steven hitting Chandra and not another guy hitting Craig's daughter Lillian. Pressing charges would never amount to the physical torture, no matter what in Craig's mind. And for that, Craig could forgive Drew about the case.

But he would _never_ forgive Drew for punching him in the face.

* * *

"Hey Alex," Mercedes said stopping the boy in the halls. She approached him with Deanna beside her. "So DeWayne says that you guys are going to put on a good show Saturday. Nervous?"

Alexander shook his head. "Not really. It's just a party. A Fitzgerald party at that."

"Yeah. A lot of people are talking about Juvey Grace though." Mercedes said.

"Why? Because they get to play Happy Birthday to Silas Lowry? I mean, that's all they're good for in my opinion." Alexander said.

"Or could it be that it's _you_ that hates Jayden and not my brother." Deanna stated. Alexander frowned. "Come on Alex, you and I both know that there's something between Jayden and Helen. More than him and Scarlett. You're jealous. I get it."

"Alex Tomlinson is jealous of no one. I got the girl. I got the band. I win." Alexander replied. "Besides, I don't think that even he cares. Angel and him are secretly dating remember?"

"It wouldn't be 'secretly dating' if anyone _but_ those two knew, right?" Deanna remarked. "Besides, I seem to know differently. Angelina told me differently." Deanna glanced over her shoulder before looking at Alexander once more. "Besides, my attention isn't on him, it's on Scarlett. I don't want her around my brother."

"And I'm only helping out because in the end, I get Laura." Mercedes said. "I'll make sure that she _never_ looks me in the eye again."

"Well, we should be going to meet that brother of mine to go get something to eat. No way am I eating cafeteria food." Deanna said. "Let's go."

"Hey," Mercedes replied. "How's your dad?"

Deanna shrugged. "Didn't get the news on his hearing. My mom says that she'll 'call' later but I doubt it."

Mercedes smirked. "You sure have his care. You care only about yourself."

"My dad loves Wayne and me." Deanna said. "So _never_ say that again."

"Right, sure." Mercedes replied glancing at Alexander.

Alexander just shrugged. He never brought up DeWayne and Deanna's dad whenever he was around them to avoid moments like this. But there was one thing that he did agree with Mercedes about. Deanna only cared about herself and occasionally her brother. Therefore, whatever she had scheming in her head was probably bad for them all.

* * *

Scarlett sat down beside her cousin.

"Got anything?" Scarlett asked.

"Torrie called." Helen stated. "Texted actually. Says that the 'third brother' is none other than Alex and that _I'm_ that other chick."

"Madeline? That makes… Some sense. Considering as he said that his last girlfriend was Deanna and that hasn't been in a while. Plus, he does tend to be a loner outside of his band." Scarlett said. Helen frowned. "What?"

"I don't know why everyone is so worked up about that thing." Jacquelyn said.

"Oh come on Jackie. Don't you want to know who it's about?" Nicole asked.

"How do we even know that it's someone we know?" Jacquelyn replied. "It could be about _anyone anywhere_."

"Then why did only the students in Lakehurst, Degrassi, and Bardell get it?" Helen retorted. "Face it Miss Jackie, someone is writing about us. Questions are who they are and who they are writing about. Well…" Helen paused. "We already know _some_ of the people."

"It's not about me." Scarlett muttered angrily.

"Scar, I love you like a sister… Well, like a sister that I actually care for." Helen replied. "I wouldn't lie to you. That first scenario is about you. Just deal with it."

"You're still one of the prettiest girls in the school." Nicole added. "And DeWayne and you seem to be-"

"The problem." Scarlett said. "Listen, I know that you're just trying to help, but there's nothing that can help me unless you magically find the sleaze who wrote the thing."

Helen smirked. "I hear a plan coming along."

"You know me too well…" Scarlett said with a smiling.

* * *

Kelly followed Laura into the restaurant where the waiter took them to a table where Dakota sat. Dakota smiled as her two friends joined her.

"Where's Shane and the others?" Kelly asked, hating the feeling of spending her lunch with Laura of all people.

Dakota shrugged. "They wanted the boys to 'hangout' so they left with my dad. My mom said she'd be joining us soon… But I think she's still working on the other band that supposed to perform."

"And why is _she_ here?" Kelly questioned.

"You got a problem with me weirdo?" Laura shot back.

"I asked her to come and Laura, you shouldn't take your anger out on Kelly. She's done nothing to you." Dakota said. She swore that sometimes she was a mother to her friends. "So, what's happened in school?"

Kelly groaned. "Everyone was talking about that stupid blog. It's making my head hurt."

Dakota glanced at Laura who was texting someone at the moment.

"What about you?" Dakota asked.

Laura looked up. "Just the normal. Arguing, fighting, skipping, drinking, getting yelled out, and you. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Are you alright?" Dakota said. "You seem… Off."

"Off? Me? Nope. Fine." Laura replied. "Just playing an intense game at the moment. And it's my opponents move."

Despite Laura muttering the last part, Dakota caught onto it and sighed. It seems that they both got what they originally wanted for. They were enemies once more and this time they would go on until one of them cracked.

Dakota then smiled slightly. They were _so_ in love with each other.

* * *

Jordan sighed. "He was just inviting us to a party."

"The guy was trying to make a move on Brie," Ashton said. "He was not just 'inviting us' anywhere."

"I think you're just jealous." Jordan said.

"Of what exactly? His dreads?" Ashton replied.

Gabrielle sighed. "A.J… How do we stop them?"

"I don't even want to know." Aaron said.

"What do you think Vanessa? Jealous or not?" Jordan asked.

Vanessa blinked out of a daze as she stared at Jordan and then at Ashton. She hated being dragged into things like this and glanced at Chandra for help. However, Chandra was also in another world so she would be on her own.

"Not?" Vanessa stated.

"Like I said," Ashton said. "He was doing wrong and A.J and I picked it up. Give it up Jordan. The guy's probably a bigger idiot than he appears."

"I think you're just territorial. Men." Jordan said before looking at Vanessa. "And you should be on _my_ side. This is Ashton. He's a jerk."

"Right. Because I tried to get another guy's girlfriend to see me perform." Ashton said. "Gee Santos, you sure know how to pick them."

"I'm starting to think the same thing about my friends." Aaron mumbled.

"So why are you on another planet?" Jordan asked Vanessa.

"I need tutoring today after school and Jacob has this big practice with your brother." Vanessa replied.

"Ashton can help. He helped me." Gabrielle suggested.

"Brie…" Ashton responded but the look she gave him told him to change his approach. sighing in defeat, Ashton looked at Vanessa. "Sure. We can stay in Mr. Chambers' class."

"Thanks Ashton." Gabrielle said.

Ashton grinned. "No problem."

* * *

Dakota walked Kelly and Laura back to the car they rode in.

"Thanks for lunch." Kelly said.

"Where are you going?" Dakota asked. "Your mom said you could stay with us for the afternoon since it's Friday."

Kelly sighed happily. "Dakota. You are the best sometimes."

"I know." Dakota said. "Um, I have to talk to Laura. You can go wait with my mom if you like."

"I get it." Kelly said. "This is going to be great!"

Dakota smiled as Kelly walked away and then looked at Laura.

"You're going to play that stupid game with him?" Dakota asked as Laura opened the door to the back.

"What can I say? If I love him, I lose. If I hate him, I lose. Therefore," Laura replied. "I'm going to play this stupid game until one of us comes out on top."

"Why? Don't you know that he's just going to keep it up until you admit that he wins?" Dakota said. "It's stupid."

Laura sighed. "I know Dash, I really do. But, if I do this, then two things will happen. One, I get the fear that I used to have back. I mean, who goes against him like this? And two… Well, you have a better idea to have him even bring my name up?"

"Okay Laura." Dakota said with a smile. "Just don't do anything stupid, alright? Jay's a little underhanded and he seems to get away with it a lot. I don't want him to do something to you and it actually gets to you."

"I'm fine Dash." Laura replied.

"I'm serious. This guy is a manipulator to the extreme. How do you think he got people to stop talking about me so much?" Dakota asked.

Laura paused in her response as the question seemed to spark something in her head. A lot of people did lay off of Dakota after Jayden befriended her, a she meant _a lot_. Still, nothing ventured nothing gained.

"He doesn't scare me." Laura said. "I'll see you later."

Dakota could only nod as Laura closed the door and the driver drove off. Despite it's unpopularity, Human Chess was by far the most dangerous game in the world in Dakota's mind. It was what the mafia or mob played with their victims, killing or threatening family members until their target was left wide open for the kill or checkmate. How Jayden learned it was never a question in Dakota's mind. It was how he learned to become so good at it that startled her. His parents did not seem like the mafia type. Then again, who knows what goes on behind closed doors?

* * *

After the final bell, Scarlett watched Helen give orders to Nicole and Jacquelyn like a general and the two girls left to do what they were told in an instant.

"Let her change today's practice. I'd love to see it." Helen said before looking at Scarlett. "You accept reality yet?"

"No." Scarlett shot back. "You accept that your boyfriend's a Jayden-copy?"

Helen shrugged slightly. "Kind of did in the beginning, remember? Just that Alex isn't that annoying and does what I say. I think I said that too."

"Whatever Helen. I'm not Velvet." Scarlett said. "Someone just doesn't know me well enough. That's why my 'character' is such a…"

"Ditz?" Helen finished for her cousin.

"Don't know. Don't care. Student council meeting." Scarlett said. "See you after practice."

Scarlett walked off a bit angrily and Helen smiled.

"See ya at home Velvet!" Helen called.

Scarlett gave Helen a middle finger as she continued to walk, not caring who saw it. Helen just laughed a bit as she made her way to the girls' locker room.

* * *

Sitting at the Dot waiting for Aaron, Jordan sighed as she rested her head in her palm. Sometimes, Aaron's grandparents made him do too many chores and she wished that his mysterious older brother actually helped sometimes. Even if she did not know the guy, she hated Aaron's older brother. He seemed useless.

"Waiting on someone?" Jordan glanced to see Tevin. "I can see it on your face."

"Oh, Tevin right?" Tevin nodded. "Jordan."

"So, have you guys thought about the party tomorrow? It's going to be packed." Tevin stated.

"Yeah… But I think that A.J wants to go see Black Mist perform. My brother and his band will be there and I want to support them." Jordan said.

Tevin nodded. "I get it. Your family. But, you see, my band is a lot like your brother's. We're trying to make it somewhere, but we don't have connections to the famous like he does. Therefore, we try to get everyone we can to see if someone knows someone that can help."

"I wish I could." Jordan responded.

"Your brother is playing for Silas Lowry and you wish you could help?" Tevin asked with a grin.

"I mean… Well, yeah. I see your point." Jordan said. "But I can't just leave A.J and I know he'll never want to go."

"Don't sweat over it." Tevin said. "I know the type. He thinks that I'm trying to make a move on his girl, which is fine. Shallow guys are like that."

Jordan's eyes widened. "That's what I say! But he doesn't want to listen to me!"

"Whatever." Tevin said. "I have to find my glorious ringleader to see what we'll be doing. Hope I see you there."

"I… I'll try." Jordan said. "And thanks for agreeing with me. Maybe all guys aren't the same."

Tevin smiled. "No. We're not."

Jordan gave Tevin a smile back as the boy left, walking pass Aaron who entered the café. Aaron frowned as he neared the table.

"What was that about?" Aaron asked.

"He just wanted to persuade me into going to see them tomorrow." Jordan said. Aaron gave a small shake with his head as he sat down. "Oh come on A.J. Shane's band is pretty much set. And we can always hear them anytime. But…"

"But…?" Aaron repeated as a question.

"I don't know. Tevin's real nice and I have a feeling that his band is trying to become like, well, Juvenile Grace." Jordan said. "We should help them. _You're_ always trying to help people."

"Friends. I always try to help my friends and Tevin and I aren't friends." Aaron said.

"Would you do it for me? Please?" Jordan asked with a small pout.

Aaron sighed. "Sorry. He just rubs me the wrong way. I hope you can understand."

"You're shallow. Yeah, I do." Jordan responded. "Don't worry about it A.J. We'll just see Juvenile Grace and that'll be it."

"Are you mad about-"

"Nope!" Jordan said with a smile. "So, what do you want to do today?"

* * *

Mr. Chambers sat at his desk, looking at his computer, before he glanced at Ashton and Vanessa. He smiled slightly only because Ashton was known to be a little coldhearted, despite the boy always seeming to help those in dire need.

Vanessa sighed. "This isn't how Jacob taught me."

"Well, it's how I taught Brie and I don't see her needing tutoring anymore." Ashton replied. "Besides, you're getting it. You just need to concentrate."

"How do you get this stuff?" Vanessa asked.

"Because science is just one big chain. Everything connects to everything else." Ashton answered. "You start at the beginning and just keep pulling and eventually you'll get to where you need to be on the chain."

"Okay Dr. Phil, I think I get what you're trying to tell me." Vanessa said. Ashton grinned. "What?"

"You're always so calm and easygoing until a quiz is in front of you. Why's that?" Ashton asked.

Vanessa shrugged. "I don't know. My parents are real proud about our grades, except this class, and I'm always trying to do better."

"Better than yourself or better than James?" Ashton stated. Vanessa did not answer and Ashton put a hand o her shoulder. "Stop trying to compete with your older brother. If you stoop to his level, he's always going to win thanks to experience. That's how I view Steven."

"You're right." Vanessa said. "Thanks."

"Hey, you stared down an entire school for dating Jacob. I think you can stare down a quiz without cringing." Ashton responded with a grin. "Now, let's go back to work."

"Sure… Brie's real lucky to have you around." Vanessa said. "She'd be real stupid to go after Tevin."

"I think she knows." Ashton replied.

* * *

Stephanie frowned as she spotted Damon with Nathan. The two boys were talking about something, and from the looks of it, Nathan was not pleased that Damon was there.

"Hey Nate." Stephanie said. The boys looked at her. "Hi. I'm Stephanie."

"Hi. I'm Scooter, Nate's friend. He's told me about you." Damon said.

Nathan glanced at the sky before palming his forehead. If Stephanie fell for _that_ fake tone, then she was _dumber_ than Nicole ever was.

"Well Nate, you could learn a thing or two from Scooter. At least he knows how to greet me." Stephanie said.

"But he's so fake right now." Nathan muttered.

"I know. Still polite." Stephanie replied with a smile. Nathan stared at her for a brief moment. "So, where're we going today?"

"Where do you want to go?" Damon asked.

"I didn't know you were coming with us." Stephanie said. "I'm not really used to be out with _two _guys at once and I'm the only girl. It makes me uncomfortable."

"Oh…" Damon replied.

"Maybe next time? I could bring a friend." Stephanie said.

"Sure." Damon said before glancing at Nathan. "I told you."

"Just go." Nathan replied.

"It was nice meeting you Stephanie." Damon said to the girl with a smile before walking away.

"And that's how you get him to go away." Stephanie told Nathan, who gaped. "What? Did you actually think that I would honestly go out with someone who is obviously trying to get me to sleep with him by playing the gentleman card? At least you're honest about it."

Nathan blinked once and then again. Did she actually just trick Damon to leave? Even after Nathan had tried for _ten minutes_ to get the guy to leave?

"So, shall we get going?" Stephanie asked with a smile.

"You're awesome, you know that right." Nathan stated.

"Hmm… Yep!" Stephanie responded. "Now, let's go get something to eat. My treat this time."

"Sure." Nathan said before following Stephanie down the sidewalk.

* * *

"That's a wrap! Perfect!" Ellie called.

"Finally!" Shane replied. "Refrigerator, here I come!"

Jayden smiled as Dakota laughed at Shane's antics. Kelly, who was sitting near Ellie, smiled as well. Her brother was so overdramatic sometimes.

"That sounded great." Kelly and Ellie turned to see a man walking towards them.

"Jesse!" Ellie said. "What a surprise."

"I heard that a certain ex-employee of mine was conducting a show here and thought I'd get an interview." Mr. Stefanovic said. "If that's alright."

"I've already been interviewed once today." Ellie replied. "And she's sitting right here." Mr. Stefanovic glanced at Kelly. "Jesse, I'd like you to meet Ms. Kelly Mason. Kelly, Jesse Stefanovic, editor of The Core."

"So you beat me here? I guess I should be jealous." Mr. Stefanovic said. "But, how about I buy that little interview off of you? You have it written down, right?"

"Um… I have it recorded on my cell phone." Kelly replied.

"Oh. That's even better." Mr. Stefanovic said. "Come this way Kelly. We have much to talk about." Kelly looked at Ellie who gave her a small nod. "I don't bite. My wife could justify that."

"Sure." Kelly said standing up and following Mr. Stefanovic away from Ellie.

"I'm going home to take a shower, get something to eat, and sleep." Jayden said. "My fingers hurt, my throat's sore, and I can still hear Dash's drums banging in my ears."

"You and me both." Shane said. "Hey, where'd Kelly go?"

"With that guy." Jayden said. "Don't worry. Mrs. Lowry gave her the nod of approval. You know that she'd never do that nod unless it was completely safe. Besides, don't you have to worry about Nicky?"

"You're no better than Kelly is, did you know that?" Shane said before stepping aside with Jayden. "So? How's the game going?"

Jayden smirked. "It's her move."

* * *

Coming in the house with five minutes to spare before dinner, Laura went directly to her bedroom.

She felt good for one reason. Since she knew that Jayden would play this game until she admitted defeat, she decided to play it with him. And the first person she got on her side was Dakota. She knew that Dakota was Jayden's closest friend and that if Dakota chose Laura over Jayden, the boy would be defeated already. Her next move was to piss Scarlett off somehow, someway. Scarlett would tell Jayden and then Laura would reveal that she slept with the boy to Scarlett while Jayden was there. That was going to be her checkmate.

"Laura!" Mr. Reynolds called before coming to her door. "There you are. Where have you been?"

"Out with some friends. Why?" Laura responded. Her dad had never really cared when she came home so long as it was a reasonable time on a school night.

"Jayden stopped by." Laura's breath hitched. That jerk had made his next move. "He dropped a ticket off for his show. Front row."

"Dad… I really didn't want to go." Laura said.

"He didn't drop the tickets off for me and you to go." Mr. Reynolds said. "Your mother has her ticket."

Laura glared. "He did what?"

"He gave the other one to your mom… Laura, is there something wrong?" Mr. Reynolds asked.

"No. I just remembered that I told him that I wanted to be the one to hand it to her." Laura replied.

"Even after you ran to her house this morning?" Mr. Reynolds questioned.

Laura's cell phone gave of a ring and she looked at the screen, gritting her teeth.

**Check. Your move.**


	51. S2 Episode XIX: We're Taking Over Pt II

**Episode XIX: We're Taking Over Pt. II**

"Dash! Get up now!" Dakota groaned before rolling over in her comfortable bed to see the angered eyes of Laura. "Tell your friend to _never_ go near my family again!"

"What are you talking about?" Dakota asked in a hoarse voice.

"He got my mom to go to the show tonight! And she's forcing _me_ to go with her!" Laura called.

"Laura…" Dakota groaned. "Can't you talk to him?" Laura's eyes hardened. "Okay, okay. I'll talk to him. Man, I can't wait until you two kiss and make up."

"He'll be kissing my fist soon." Laura muttered.

After wiping the sleep from her eyes, Dakota actually got a good look at Laura.

"Have you been drinking?" Dakota asked.

"And what if I have?" Laura shot back. "That loser just… He just pisses me off!"

"Laura, sit down. Please." Dakota said, knowing the calmer she spoke, the easier it was to get Laura to do what she wanted. Laura sat on the bed and Dakota moved to sit beside her. "He got you. It's alright to cry about it."

"I won't cry over him." Laura said firmly.

"I know you won't but… I wish you would." Dakota replied. "I wish you'd just tell him that you quit and tell him what you feel."

"Not before he quits first." Laura responded.

Dakota sighed. "I knew you'd say that."

* * *

Vanessa sat at the kitchen table, gaining a stare from her older brother.

"What?" Vanessa asked.

"You look out of it." James said. "What's going on?"

"It's… It's Ashton." Vanessa said.

James sighed. "Tell me he's not like his brother."

"No. And that's the problem." Vanessa replied. "Yesterday, while he was tutoring me, he made me feel… I don't' know. Special. But, that's just him, you know? He makes Brie feel special about herself all the time."

"And the problem is?" James asked.

"Me. I'm the problem." Vanessa said. "I can't have feelings for Ashton. Brie is one of my best friends and he's her boyfriend. Her only boyfriend. Ever."

"So just tell him to stop. That seems like the easiest thing if you ask me." James said. "Just don't pull a Mary-Jane. That'll make everything worse for everyone."

"Sure." Vanessa responded.

* * *

Helen had figured that she could annoy Jayden prior his performance and made her way to his room with Scarlett behind her, in on the joke as well. However, when the two peeped in to look at him, he was lying in bed staring aimlessly at the ceiling.

"Hey neighbor!" Helen said loudly, though Jayden did not move. He glanced at her with a small smile. "Gee. A hello would be nice."

"You rang the doorbell three times before someone answered. I'm sure I knew who it was." Jayden said before sitting up. "What are you two doing over here?"

"To say good luck. Right Scar?" Helen replied as she moved towards Jayden's bed.

"Yeah." Scarlett said as she sat at his computer desk.

"That didn't sound convincing." Jayden responded.

"What were you thinking about?" Scarlett asked, changing the subject.

Jayden sighed. "I wish I could tell you. However, it's one of those things that only my first born son can know. It would anger _any_ female I tell this to and I have to make it to the show tonight or else. Therefore, you'll have to wait."

"Until she has your son?" Helen asked with a smirk.

"Helen!" Scarlett snapped.

Helen laughed. "Oh come on! That was funny."

Jayden smiled. "It's only fun if she does."

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "I liked it better when you two hated each other."

"What's got you in a bad mood?" Jayden asked Scarlett.

"She had another dream that I ruined." Helen explained. "Don't worry. She'll forget it by noon unless I ask her what it is. She'll never tell you though."

Jayden nodded. "I figured." Jayden moved out of his bed towards his closet. "So, DeWayne's band is playing tonight also? Shouldn't you be wishing him good luck or does he not need it?"

"Something bothering you J.T?" Scarlett asked.

Jayden turned to her with a smile.

"No. It's just been a brutal morning so far. Practice yesterday was killer and my voice just came back earlier." Jayden answered.

"You practice all day yesterday. I'm surprise you're even walking." Helen said.

"Wouldn't miss this show for the world." Jayden stated. "Kelly's got this interview with The Core too? It's going to be a good day."

"Then why do you sound so sad about it?" Scarlett asked.

Jayden sighed. "If you must know, I think I did something wrong. To Laura."

"She deserves it." Helen muttered.

Scarlett frowned. "Laura?"

"I kind of forced her into coming with her mom, who we all know she hates." Jayden said. "Of course, I think it's safe to say that I was going to get _some_ kind of payback with her sooner or later, but I think I overdid it. Dash told me that she was… Different yesterday at lunch."

"She's not a woman in trouble, she's a demon from hell." Helen stated. "Don't worry about it. Whatever comes her way, she probably deserves it and more. More than you'll do, I'm sure."

"J.T," Scarlett said. "Laura's her own person and can handle herself. Stop worrying. Besides, Helen's right. She deserves misery."

"…" Jayden only smiled at the statement, though his mind was telling him something entirely different. Never in his life did he ever feel this bad about making a move like that and now Helen and Scarlett were not making it any better.

Scarlett's cell phone rang. "That's DeWayne. I promised I'd help him set up for tonight." Scarlett rose from her seat. "Coming Helen?"

"Just want to talk to Jayden for a second." Helen said. Scarlett nodded before leaving Jayden's room. "You can tell me whenever you want. Just make sure it's in the next two minutes."

Jayden laughed a bit. "That unlimited time just got lowered don't you think?"

"Don't play with me. You _do_ like Laura, don't you? That's why you're moping." Helen stated.

"I can't get anything pass Detective Coyne." Jayden remarked. "But it's just a physical thing. She does have a pretty curvy body."

"Yeah. Tell me another one." Helen said as she rose. "Go for it."

"What?" Jayden asked with a frown, his façade completely dropped.

"You told me to go for Alex even if you hate his friend _and_ you still don't hold it against him that he tried to pick a fight with you at the Dot." Helen said. "Like I said, you and I are normally all we have with Shane and Nicky doing whatever, Jackie now back dancing full-time outside of cheerleading, and Scarlett running off with DeWayne. I'll watch your back if you watch mine. Just don't start calling me your sister because, who knows? I might ask you out again."

"One, it was _I_ who asked you out. Two, you _hate_ Laura. And three," Jayden paused. "You'd better leave before Scarlett returns and she hears this."

"She's going to figure it out sooner or later." Helen said.

Jayden smirked. "No she won't. Like me, she'll only figure out what she believes in, and she'd never believe that I fell for Laura."

"You're right. Just, don't do anything stupid. And tell her that she owes me one." Helen said before walking out of Jayden's room.

Jayden moved to his desk and picked up his cell phone. He stared at the device, his mind telling him to call Laura and apologize. To call a truce and end it all.

"Guess who's here." Jayden looked to see Danica enter with Isabella and Angelina. "And I brought guests."

Jayden smiled. "As always sis."

There was only one word that could summarize this moment.

Damn.

* * *

Jordan sneezed for what could have been the twentieth time in the row. Spike gave Emma a concerned look while Emma just sighed.

"I think she's come down with just a small cold. I keep telling her not to leave without her coat." Emma said.

"But I di-" Jordan was cut off by another sneeze. "I did have my coat on."

"I'm sure you did." Spike said. "I'll be happy to watch her Em. I could use the company."

"Yeah…" Emma replied, now trying to dodge the oncoming subject. "We'll be home until the show tonight so you can call the house if you want. I asked if she wanted to stay with us until then, but Kelly and Shane were determined to get her away from them before Shane's big show."

"They're," Jordan sneezed. "Evil!"

"I know sweetie. It's the older sibling act. Your mom was the same way with Jack." Spike said with a smile.

"I was not." Emma replied before looking at her daughter. "Are you sure you'll be alright?" Jordan sneeze but nodded afterwards. Emma looked at Spike. "If she gains a fever call and I'll come by. I don't want Jordan being sick and whining all day."

"I don't whine." Jordan said.

Emma smiled. "Yes you do." Emma neared the door. "Bye Mom! Bye Jordan!"

"Bye." Spike said before Emma left. "So it's just me and you. What do you want to do?"

"Blow my nose. Get some good sleep. And stop-" Jordan sneezed. "Sneezing."

Spike smiled. "I bet. Come on, let's set up the guest room."

* * *

Chandra lied in her bed, clutching her sheets as tears ran down her face. This was the second time she had that nightmare and it was only getting worse and worse. And no matter who she called for help, no one came. And unlike reality, Steven did not stop. He continued to beat her over and over and over until she was finally unable to move.

"Chandra," Alli said at her door. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Mom." Chandra responded. "Just thinking that I'm going to miss the show."

"You're lying again." Alli said moving towards Chandra's bed. "Chandra, what is wrong with you? Tell me. I won't think any less of you if you do."

"I'm scared." Chandra said as she sat up. "When he gets out… He's just going to be angrier and…"

"Oh baby, don't worry. He'll never hurt you again. I promise." Alli said.

Chandra smiled weakly. "I hope so Mom. I really hope you're right."

* * *

Mary-Jane gave another frustrated sigh as she flicked some of her blonde hair out of her face.

"Mom, I'm not even going to his house. We're going to the movies. It's like, a public place where I can scream rape and someone will hear me." Mary-Jane said.

Paige glared at Mary-Jane. "Are you trying to mock me?"

Knowing better than to argue with Mrs. Paige Del-Rossi, Mary-Jane shook her head for no, the attitude quickly out of her system for the moment.

"Listen to me Mary-Jane," Paige said. "You be careful. Like I said, I'm only giving him a chance because your father said so. But if I find out just one reason, it's over like," Paige snapped her fingers. "That. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am." Mary-Jane responded.

"Good. Go." Paige said.

Mary-Jane left the room her parents used as an in-house office and walked towards the stairs to ascend to her bedroom.

"Hey Mary! Wanna play?" Angele asked.

"Not now. I have something to do." Mary-Jane responded.

Angele pouted. "You always have something to do."

"Go be annoying somewhere else." Mary-Jane said as she marched up the steps.

Angele gave a saddened sigh before trudging away from the stairs.

Mary-Jane entered her bedroom and grabbed her purse and her cell phone. She was really not in the mood for annoying little siblings or overprotective parents. She just wanted to go out and have a great time. That's why they created the weekend right?

On her way back down the steps, Mary-Jane heard Angele laughing and looked to see the girl playing with Marco.

"Glad someone played with her." Mary-Jane muttered before nearing the door. "Mom! Dad! I'm gone!"

"Okay honey! Be safe!" Marco replied.

Mary-Jane did not reply as she left her house, calling to see where Tyler was. She would never walk anywhere, the farthest was to her mailbox and back outside of cheerleading.

"Hey." he answered.

"I'm ready and you're running late." Mary-Jane stated.

"I'm on my way. See you in five. Bye." Tyler said before hanging up.

Mary-Jane scoffed but hung up anyway. Today was a bad day and it was all because her mother was raped.

* * *

Deanna glanced at her mother before turning her attention to the smiling Scarlett and DeWayne.

"She's quite the lovely girl." Delilah Hughes said to her daughter. "I don't see why you don't approve of her."

"Mom, look at her. She's _so_ fake." Deanna replied.

"Well you'd better be on your best behavior." Delilah said. "Winston and I won't be gone long and I would like it to come home and see the house in one piece."

Deanna sighed. "Sure Mom. I'll make sure to dump her body outside."

"I should've known having Mark's children was trouble." Delilah muttered before looking at her only daughter. "Deanna Fitzgerald, listen to me. You will not start anything with your brother's girlfriend during this party do you hear me? If I hear that you so much as to raise your hand to her I will personally ship you off to a boarding school where parties aren't allowed. Understood?" Deanna nodded. "Very well. Remember, a real lady shows composure twenty-four seven. While I'm dearly in love with Winston, I can't stand his mother."

Deanna giggled at the comment, her mind no longer on the Coyne across the floor.

"Your sister hates me." Scarlett whispered to DeWayne.

"Yeah, but my mom likes you so she'll be on her best behavior." DeWayne whispered back. "Dee never does anything she's told not to."

Scarlett smiled. "I thought you were going to save me from your mean sister."

"I will." DeWayne replied with a grin. "But seriously, you just have to be patient with Deanna. She'll come around. Eventually."

"Let's hope so." Scarlett said.

"DeWayne," Delilah stated, catching her son and his girlfriend's attention. "I'm going to check in on Winston. See where he is. The chefs should have the food done in fifteen minutes. Make sure that there isn't anything there that will embarrass me."

"Sure thing Mom." DeWayne said.

Delilah smiled. "Thanks dear. And, it was nice meeting you Scarlett."

"You too Mrs. Hughes." Scarlett said with a polite smile before Delilah left the large room. "I think your mom secretly hates me too."

"No she doesn't." Deanna said as she moved across the room. "Just me. And let me remind you of something. I-"

"Deanna, not now." DeWayne said. "Hey, how about _you_ taste the food while we finish up here? That way you and Scarlett won't be around each other."

Deanna rolled her eyes. "Sure. Protect the girl you hardly know."

"I'm not protecting her. I'm protecting you from doing something stupid. Like picking a fight for no reason." DeWayne said. "The Hughes and Coyne families can get along."

"Well, that may be great. But _I'm_ a Fitzgerald. I thought we made that pact a long time ago, dear brother." Deanna said. "But I guess I was wrong. You are a Hughes after all."

Deanna turned on her heels and left the room with anger and finesse. Scarlett watched as DeWayne sighed heavily before turning to her.

"I'm so sorry about her. She just doesn't want me to date anyone but Mercedes. Thinks it's fate and all of that." DeWayne said.

"No problem. Wait until you come to _my_ house and see Helen on a bad day." Scarlett replied. "Speaking of which, I wonder where she and Alex went."

* * *

Sitting at a table outside of the Dot, Nicole smiled as she watched Helen and Alexander fill her in on their previous dates. She was happy to see her friend smile, even though Nicole really wished it was Jacquelyn smiling instead. No matter how hard she tried, Nicole still felt bad about the entire ordeal between herself, Jacquelyn, and Shane and wished for Jacquelyn to be happy more than she did Helen.

"Could you go get me a refill?" Helen asked.

"Sure." Alexander said standing up. He grabbed her cup. "I'll be back."

Nicole watched Alexander walk back into the Dot.

"You get him to do a lot for you." Nicole said.

Helen shrugged. "I like it and he likes it. No problem here then."

"Come on Helen. You can't keep using him for _everything_." Nicole said.

"Correction. _You_ can't use Plain Shane for everything. I can." Helen replied. "And the reason is, you just don't have the heart."

"But… That's not what a relationship is all about. It's about cooperation and teamwork. What one puts in the other puts in just as much." Nicole stated.

Helen sighed. "Nicky… I really don't need love tips from you. Especially after the whole Nathan thing." Nicole grimaced slightly at that. "Alex likes doing things for me."

"Did he say that?" Nicole asked.

Helen frowned. "No, but if he didn't, he'd tell me to stop right? Seriously Nicky, what kind of life do you have with Plain Shane?"

"Well," Nicole replied. "We talk a lot."

"Sounds like fun." Helen said sarcastically.

"It's to help me." Nicole said and Helen gave a silent "oh" in response. "There are some nights where I'll sneak into his room and he'll just hold me and say things to help me sleep better. He's a great cook and he teaches me things. Whenever it's just me and him, we always find a movie to watch and play rock-paper-scissors to see who gets the remote. I usually win."

"You two do an awful lot together. Then again, you do _live_ with the guy." Helen said.

"It's not just that. We have a bond." Nicole said. "When I'm feeling sad or angry, I know that he'll be right there to help me. And when he's nervous for a game or a show, I'm there as well. So you see, it's a team thing."

"Well, this is Team Helen. Get with the program or get off of it." Helen said before Alexander returned. "See? And he did it with a smile."

"Did what?" Alexander asked as he sat down.

"Nothing." Helen said before glancing at Nicole.

Nicole said nothing as she looked at Helen. Normally, Helen's bossiness would not bother Nicole at all, but today for some reason it did. Maybe it was because Nicole saw how Shane treated her or how Aaron treated Jordan and looked at how Alexander was basically Helen's slave.

Oh well. What could she do about it?

* * *

Inside the Dot, Aaron sat with Ashton, Gabrielle, and Vanessa. While Gabrielle did not verbally say it, she felt something going on between Vanessa and Ashton, at least on Vanessa's part. The girl seemed strangely excited to speak to or about Ashton and it was starting to stir Gabrielle just a bit. But she was going to try her best and not show the jealousy Ashton showed when Tevin arrived.

Speaking of the devil, Tevin appeared in the Dot and looked around. His eyes landed on the group and he moved to them.

Ashton sighed. "This guy again…"

"Be nice." Gabrielle warned.

"So? What did you guys decide?" Tevin asked.

"Look, we're not interested." Ashton stated. "So why don't you go annoy someone else?"

"Ashton!" Gabrielle said.

"Brie, I'm really sorry, but this guy's becoming annoying. I mean, he asked Jordan and you _after_ it was clear that you and I are dating and Jordan's with Santos over there." Ashton said, gaining a small frown from Aaron. "Did he ask Vanessa if she would like to come? She is single. No. He wants you or Jordan."

"I don't think so." Gabrielle said.

"Then you're being like Jordan. Naïve." Ashton stated. He then looked at Tevin. "It's a no, like yesterday."

"I'll go." Gabrielle said.

The table was noticeably quiet as Aaron, Ashton, and Vanessa stared at the other girl in disbelief. Since when was Gabrielle Nunez this bold?

"Brie…" Ashton said.

"You can't be that jealous over a guy we hardly know." Gabrielle said. "It's stupid and you know it."

"If that's what you believe-"

"Ashton don't." Aaron intervene, knowing what was coming next. "Just go to the party."

"I already bought the tickets. What am I going to do now?" Ashton asked.

Aaron sat quietly as he tried to think of an answer. He found that quite hard to do since Jordan was sick at the moment and he had to find someone to fill in for her as well.

"I'm sorry Ashton." Gabrielle stated.

"I guess I'll see you there, Brie." Tevin said before walking away.

Ashton shook his head. "You don't get it, do you? He _wants_ us to argue so we can break up and he can have you himself. It's a mind game Brie."

"Well I don't think so." Gabrielle replied.

"It doesn't matter what you think. It's what _I_ know." Ashton said.

"But _I_ know things too!" Gabrielle protested.

"Really? Did you forget that I'm your first boyfriend?" Ashton said. Aaron and Vanessa both winced slightly at the cheap shot. "You were just a quiet girl who befriended Santos. That's all. And if-"

"Then break up with me." Gabrielle stated. "If you're so smart, break up with me and prove yourself right."

Aaron stared at Ashton for a moment, confused at to what the boy would do. While Ashton did care for Gabrielle, he did have his arrogant persona which made the silence all the more suspenseful.

"…" Vanessa and Aaron both shifted in their seats as Ashton's gaze met Gabrielle's. "Fine."

Gabrielle's eyes widened. She was taking a gamble and lost. Badly.

"Now what?" Ashton asked before Gabrielle stood up and walked out. Aaron sighed as he stood up. "What?"

"You should've said no and just asked Vanessa to go with you instead. Brie would've understood." Aaron said before following his friend. "Brie! Brie wait!"

Gabrielle stopped and Aaron could see redness in her eyes.

"Brie… I'm sorry. I didn't know Ashton would show you his jerk side. Ever. I really did think he liked you." Aaron said.

"It's fine A.J. I'm just going to go see my dad." Gabrielle said.

"Your dad?" Aaron questioned.

Gabrielle nodded. "Yeah. He tells the funniest stories and… He makes me feel safe."

"O… Okay." Aaron replied. "Call me, alright? Don't do anything stupid."

"Sure." Gabrielle said before walking towards the bus stop.

Aaron sighed as he put his hands in his coat pockets to avoid the chilling air, despite it being near two in the afternoon. He felt the two tickets Jayden had given him and remembered that he was still in the same position Ashton was.

"Good grief…" Aaron muttered before going back inside the Dot.

* * *

Dakota watched as Laura slept peacefully in her bed, attempting to sleep off the affects of the alcohol. When Ellie had stopped by earlier, Dakota had stated that Laura had a long night to avoid her friend being busted, hiding the alcohol in her closet. It was risky, seeing that Dakota was being watched carefully by her parents, but she had to protect Laura from Jayden's games. It was technically her fault that Laura was in this predicament in the first place.

Laura stirred in her sleep before opening her eyes.

"Damn…" Laura said. "It's still Saturday."

"Yeah." Dakota replied. "Did you want to sleep until Sunday?"

"More like Tuesday." Laura said as she sat up, her hair sprayed across her back. "Did my mom call?"

"Twice." Dakota answered.

"And Jayden?" Laura asked.

"…" Dakota paused. "He sent a text questioning your next move." Laura nodded. "Laura, please, stop this. It's stupid."

"He's winning and I hate losing. So guess what? We go on." Laura said rolling out of the bed. She stumbled a bit before steadying herself. "To think that I let you talk me into being nice to him. The hell if I'll do that again."

"Look at you. You're almost drunk and it's-"

"I ain't drunk. Like I told you before, I can hold my liquor lightweight." Laura interrupted. "Now, I have to go find that lady who thinks she's my mom."

"She is." Dakota said blandly.

"See you later Dash." Laura said walking towards the door.

"Laura," Dakota said stopping Laura. "Don't do something stupid because of him."

"I already have." Laura responded. "I told my mom that I loved him."

Dakota sat up straighter. "You what?"

"She wouldn't let me leave unless I said something! What was I supposed to do! She's like some hound when it comes to sniffing out the truth!" Laura said. Dakota's eyes did not change. "Or are you talking about me loving Jayden?" Dakota nodded dumbly. "I… Well I… It's complicated."

"How complicated?" Dakota asked.

"Even when he was mad at me, I still felt _it_." Laura replied before putting a hand to her stomach. "Little light feelings… Butterflies…" Dakota smiled lightly. "Like I said, I have to finish this. In the end, I'll tell him myself."

"O-" Dakota did not get to finish as Laura walked out. "Kay."

* * *

Later that day, Dakota arrived at the Air Canada Centre and followed the security backstage. There she found Jacob waiting with Shane and Kelly.

"Dash! You'll never guess what happened!" Kelly squealed. "I got a new job!"

"A new… Job…? But what about-"

"That's where _you_ come in!" Kelly cut her off with excitement. "See, your mom's friend Jesse liked the questions that I asked and asked me to do another interview for Toronto University soon! It's like a free scholarship to the place!"

Dakota smiled. "I'm happy for you." Dakota's smile slowly dropped. "But where's Jayden? Shouldn't he be here? He's usually with you two."

"Haven't spoken to him all day." Shane said. "Think something has happened with him and you-know."

"I hope not." Dakota said.

* * *

Chandra walked slowly towards the door, her day already ruined once Vanessa had told her that she and Ashton were going to see Juvenile Grace perform. Whoever was at her door was probably going to get a really annoyed Torres.

Chandra opened the door to see Jayden and Aaron.

"J-Jayden? A.J? What are you two doing here?" Chandra asked.

Jayden glanced at his younger brother before tapping him lightly with his elbow.

"Um, Jordan got sick so I have an extra ticket to the show and was wondering if you would want to go." Aaron said.

"Are you serious? Of course! Let me go change!" Chandra said as she quickly ran up the steps, forgetting that she had company at the door.

"Told you that it'd make her day." Jayden said holding his hand out.

"Whatever." Aaron replied handing his brother a bill. "You just got lucky that she wasn't thinking about Steven."

"Sure I am." Jayden said pocketing the bill before Alli came to the door. "Hi Mrs. Torres."

"Jayden. It's good to see you again. What are you doing here?" Alli asked.

"Um, I have a show and A.J here is a family friend, here to ask your daughter there. I decided to give them a ride since his grandparents have some sort of will over my parents." Jayden answered. "I hope that's alright. Then again, _he_ should be asking for permission. I'm just driving to a show."

"So you're A.J. Chandra's told me a lot about you." Alli said. "You've been a real friend to her, from what I've heard. So thank you. Both."

"No problem." Jayden said with a grin.

"Mom, can I go with them to the show, please?" Chandra asked now in a pink top and jeans. "Pretty please?"

"Sure. Call when it's over." Alli replied.

"Great! Let's go!" Chandra said running out of the door, grabbing Aaron's hand in the process.

"I'll bring her straight home Mrs. Torres." Jayden said before following the younger children. "Bambi, you can't get into the car without me, you know."

* * *

Mary-Jane walked into the large house with a smug look as she was accompanied by Tyler. The teens around stared and practically worshiped them and she loved the attention.

"Who invited her?" Mercedes asked Deanna.

Deanna shrugged. "I don't know. But I guess the more the merrier." Deanna's eyes turned to see DeWayne and Scarlett dancing. "I need an audience."

"Me too." Mercedes said. "I spy with my little eye, something that looks like a Helen Sinclair-Coyne."

Deanna smiled. "Right."

Deanna and Mercedes began to make their way across the room before they ran into Marc and Dustin.

"Going somewhere?" Marc asked.

"Uh, yeah, this is _my_ house." Deanna stated.

"I thought I told you two to leave Helen alone?" Marc replied. "She isn't even bothering you. So do the world a favor and let her go."

"And just what the hell are you going to do about it?" Mercedes asked stepping in front of Marc.

"Deanna? What's going on?" DeWayne asked.

Deanna looked to see DeWayne standing with Scarlett, Alexander, and Helen. She knew that if she told him about Mercedes idea, the entire plan would fail. And she was not about to give up on that just yet.

"Nothing." Deanna said. "Just talking to our Degrassi friend here and his sidekick." Dustin frowned. No matter who he was with, he was always the sidekick. "Isn't it about time for you band to play?"

"Yeah. Tevin'll be here in about fifteen minutes." DeWayne replied before looking at Marc. "Don't mess with my sister."

"Tell her to stop messing with-"

"Let's go see who's here." Deanna cut in. "Come on Sades."

"Lucky…" Mercedes muttered as she followed Deanna away.

"You have one seriously derange sister." Helen stated.

* * *

Jordan shut the door quietly. The old pollen rub trick worked every time. Take some old pollen or dust, rub it across one's nose, and instant sneezing. Sneaking out of the house was never so easy in her entire life and she would have to thank both of her older siblings for this. Shane could play sick. Kelly could sneak out. Together, they formed Jordan's plan to get to the Fitzgerald's party.

Running down the sidewalk at a moderate pace, Jordan looked at her cell phone. Aaron had called at least ten times in the last four hours. She hated lying to him, but he would not understand. She wanted to go to the Fitzgerald party. It was her first party whereas going to the Black Mist concert would be her third concert. She knew that Aaron would eventually understand if he ever found out, so the only thing she was worried about was Shane and her parents.

"Hey, Jordan right?" Jordan paused and saw Tevin. "Where are you headed to?"

"Um, your party." Jordan answered.

Tevin smiled. "Really? I'm on my way there right now. Let's go."

Jordan smiled. "Sure."

* * *

Laura and Bianca made it to the section where they were supposed to be and showed their tickets to one of the men at the door. The man looked at the ticket and frowned, causing Laura to do the same thing. Not only did Jayden force her to bond with her mom, but he gave her false tickets too? He was so being castrated for this.

"Laura Reynolds right?" the man asked. Laura nodded. "Thought so." The man called for someone on his radio and Laura's face reddened. This was becoming embarrassing. A security guard appeared. "Take Ms. Reynolds and Ms. DeSousa to their VIP seats."

"The guests of the McDuelle. Right this way." the security guard said before leading Laura and Bianca away.

Bianca smirked. "VIP seats? Some boyfriend you don't have, huh Laura?"

"Mom…" Laura said in a semi-embarrassed tone.

"I'm just saying. If this is how he shows he hates you, I think you should try getting him to like you." Bianca said. "Might get a house out of it."

Laura did not respond as her mind attempted to hate Jayden again, but failed. If this was his move, did that mean that she had to do something nice in return? Just what was he playing at? And why did he give her mother a ticket as well?

Laura hated to admit it, but Jayden was a lot sneakier than she originally gave him credit for. Not only was she going to get something expensive to drink later on, but she was going to have to switch up her plans. Telling Scarlett that Jayden slept with her is small. No. She wanted something big. She would announce this to his parents. Yes. That was her next move.

Now, the first thing she had to do was find his parents. And then from there, checkmate. Game over.

* * *

Aaron looked at Chandra, whose smile nearly split her face in half. She was clearly happier than she has ever been before and as much as he hated the thought, he was glad that it was him that made her that way. It seems as if old crushes died hard.

"I can't believe I'm here!" Chandra said happily. "A.J, you are the best friend ever!"

"It really wasn't my idea… But thanks." Aaron replied.

"Don't be modest." Chandra said. "I thought you said Ashton and Vanessa came?"

Aaron nodded. "They did, but their seats are up there somewhere." Chandra looked over her shoulder. "You won't be able to find them Bambi. Try calling them before the show begins."

"Are you kidding? As long as they're here, I'm happy. Now, let's countdown the final minutes." Chandra said.

* * *

Jayden looked at his other band members.

"Alright, this is it. One band before us, one band after us." Jayden said. "We go out there and do the songs like we rehearsed and then we celebrate like there's no tomorrow." Jayden paused and looked at Dakota. "Without the alcohol."

Dakota smiled. "Yeah."

"Man, I can hear them now." Shane said. "This is going to be…" Jayden frowned. "What? I was going to say great."

"Sure you were." Jayden replied. "Remember, this isn't anything but another football game. An exhibition at that. No one is here and no one really cares. But if you slip, you'll be replaced by Marc or someone."

Shane grinned. "Thanks for the pep talk but Nicky's given me something way better than that." Jayden smirked causing Shane's smile to drop. "No! Not like that! I meant her speech was- Shut up Jayden."

"Hey Jayden," Dakota said gaining his attention. "That game. Are you still playing it?"

Jayden smiled. "I'm two moves away from a checkmate. Don't clear the board yet." Dakota sighed. "Don't worry Dash. In the end, I'll make sure it's a draw. Out of the kindness of my heart."

"Hey," Shane said. "No Laura, no Scarlett, and no games. Focus."

"Focused." Jayden remarked.

* * *

Helen smiled as the last chord was played. The party guests clapped.

"They were pretty good, eh cousin?" Torrie asked Helen.

"Yeah. What do you think Scar?" Helen said to Scarlett.

"Great." Scarlett said as DeWayne came to her and gave her a kiss. "What? Was that song for me?"

"Of course it was." DeWayne said. "I have to go talk to Tevin and Alex for a quick second. Stay here. I have a surprise for you."

"Sure Wayne." Scarlett said with a smile.

DeWayne smiled as he walked away.

"Wish there was someone else here to talk to." Helen said.

"Go find J.T." Scarlett said.

Helen frowned. "Scar, are you mad or something? Jayden has a show remember?"

"He… Does." Scarlett said. "I mean, of course he does. I was saying call him or something."

"No, you thought he was here and he isn't." Helen replied. "Are you alright? Is there any alcohol in your system?"

"Helen I'm fine. I know where Jayden is." Scarlett stated. "Why don't you worry about yourself for a while, okay?"

"Someone's touchy. Aunt Fi must've skipped the medication this morning." Torrie said.

Scarlett glared at Torrie. "I don't take medication."

"Well," Torrie said. "If I was you, I'd look good for when Jayden comes back. You do know how he hates to see you disheveled."

"My boyfriend likes me anyway I am." Scarlett shot back.

"That's _DeWayne_ remember?" Torrie said with a knowing smirk. Scarlett went to retort but her words got caught in her throat as she thought about what Torrie said. "I'm going to go say hi to a few new faces. Say hello to your parents for me Scar."

Torrie walked away seconds before Helen grabbed Scarlett's shoulders.

"What is wrong with you?" Helen asked in a quiet yet fierce tone.

"I… I don't know. This just seem like déjà vu." Scarlett said. "One moment I'm sitting with DeWayne and the next, I'm hearing Jayden talk to me."

"Well you need to fix it fast." Helen said before spotting Alexander and DeWayne coming towards them. "That didn't take long."

"No it didn't." DeWayne replied.

"Hey Helen, can I show you something for a second?" Alexander asked.

"Sure." Helen said before cutting Scarlett a quick glare and walking away with Alexander.

"Something wrong?" DeWayne asked.

"No." Scarlett said with a smile. "Now. About that surprise?"

* * *

The crowd cheered mainly for the daughter of two members of their favorite band. But Jayden did not care. He gave Jacob and Shane a nod followed by the start of the song.

_There's something about you_  
_I want to rescue_  
_I don't even know you_  
_So what does that mean_  
_Maybe I'm cynical_  
_I'm painfully logical_  
_You're tragic and beautiful_  
_And that's good enough for me_

You're looking for a hero  
But it's just my old tattoo  
_Tonight I swear I'd sell my soul  
To be a hero for you_

_Who's going to save you_  
_When the stars fall from your sky_  
_And who's going to pull you in_  
_When the tide gets too high_  
_Who's going to hold you_  
_When you turn out the lights_  
_I won't lie I wish that I_  
_Could be your superman tonight_

_If somebody sent you_  
_An angel to save you_  
_What would you tell him to turn him away_  
_That your heart don't break_  
_That your lips don't kiss_  
_That life is just a lie_  
_That heaven don't exist?_

_Who's going to save you_  
_When the stars fall from your sky_  
_And who's going to pull you in_  
_When the tide gets too high_  
_Who's going to hold you_  
_When you turn out the lights_  
_I won't lie I wish that I_  
_Could be your superman tonight_

_Who's going to fix you_  
_The next time you break down_  
_Stranded alone by the side of the road_  
_It's your baggage that's dragging you down_  
_Don't look back_  
_Let it go_

_Oh, oh_

_Who's going to save you_  
_When the stars fall from your sky_  
_And who's going to pull you in_  
_When the tide gets too high_  
_Who's going to hold you_  
_When you turn out the lights_  
_I won't lie I wish that I_  
_Was that superman_

_Who's going to save you_  
_When the stars fall from your sky_  
_And who's going to pull you in_  
_When the tide gets too high_  
_Who's going to hold you_  
_When you turn out the lights_  
_I won't lie I wish that I_  
_Could be your superman tonight_

_woah, woah  
woah oh (Superman tonight)_  
_woah, woah  
woah oh (Was your superman tonight)_  
_woah, woah  
woah oh (tonight)_  
_woah, woah  
woah oh!_

After the first song was finished, Jayden allowed the applause to come in. He moved the microphone slightly to clear his throat and looked at his band members. Each of them had their own reason for the song choice. Jacob had Vanessa, Shane had Nicole, Dakota had Silas, and Jayden thought of Laura during the song. Though none of them actually addressed who this was about, it was pretty clear to Jayden.

Remembering his lines, Jayden addressed the crowd.

"Alright, let's take this up a notch." Jayden said into the microphone. "One, two, three, go!"

As the second beat began to play, many people in the crowd were cheering them on.

_You wanna be a Canadian idiot?  
You want a nation under the new media  
So get up and dance to this hysteria  
As we redo a song from America_

_Welcome to the new generation  
All across the Canadian nation  
Where everything isn't meant to be okay  
Television dreams of tomorrow  
We're not the ones who're meant to follow  
But that's up for us to choose_

_So maybe we're the idiots of Canada  
Cause we like to follow our own agenda  
Now everybody do the propaganda  
A say so long to the old school era_

_Welcome to the new generation  
All across the Canadian nation  
Where everything isn't meant to be okay  
Television dreams of tomorrow  
We're not the ones who're meant to follow  
But that's up for us to choose_

As Jayden strummed he turned to see a grin on Shane's face. He grinned too before finishing the song.

_You wanna be a Canadian idiot?  
Then get in line for a new type agenda  
Or maybe we're the ones in hysteria  
Cause our lead singer's from America_

_Welcome to the new generation  
All across the Canadian nation  
Where everything isn't meant to be okay  
Television dreams of tomorrow  
We're not the ones who're meant to follow  
But that's up for us to choose_

"Thank you." Jayden said to the crowd as they cheered and clapped.

* * *

Laura heard the cheering and clapping and smiled a bit. Bianca did not miss the smile and smirked herself.

"Could you be any more sprung over the boy?" Bianca asked.

Laura frowned. "I ain't sprung. Just… Happy for him."

"Is that what you call it?" Bianca said. "If I'm correct, you said to me, and I'm quoting, that you 'loved' him."

"Why'd he put me up here with you?" Laura mumbled, though Bianca heard it.

"I don't know." Bianca responded. "But I'm glad he did." Laura glanced at her mother. "He was right, you know? You're my daughter, but you're also an extraordinary girl." Laura's eyes were now wide at Bianca's words. "And he's an extraordinary boy. Don't make the same mistakes I did Laura."

"Sure." Laura said.

* * *

After the show, Juvenile Grace stood in the parking lot talking and celebrating along with Kelly, Nicole, Jacquelyn, Ashton, Vanessa, Aaron, and Chandra.

"Did you hear that cheer! It was _really_ loud!" Nicole squealed as she hugged Shane tightly. "I knew you could do it!"

Jayden smiled. "Now isn't that cute?" Nicole broke away from Shane, her cheeks reddened. "But, it was a perfect performance."

"Yeah, your voice didn't crack this time." Shane stated.

"Touché." Jayden said. "Well, I promised their parents and grandparents that I'd have these two little ones back as soon as I can. So I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow as we get off our high."

"Sure." Shane said.

"I'll call you." Kelly said.

Jayden waved as he led Chandra and Aaron away from the group.

"We should be going." Vanessa said. "James is coming to pick us up soon."

"Right." Ashton replied before walking away with Vanessa.

Shane sighed. "This night could not get any better even if it rained gold."

"You do know that that would kill us right?" Kelly responded. "But you're right. Tonight is perfect."

"I'm going to kill your sister." Emma said walking to the group. "She snuck out of the house."

Kelly sighed. "And again, we've spoken too soon."

"Right." Shane said.

Dakota smiled before walking away from the group quietly. She was heading towards her own ride home seeing as her parents went to celebrate Silas's birthday more without her. Dakota did not feel left out for several reasons, one being she was not allowed to be around alcohol and the second being that she really did not want to see just how they would 'celebrate' his birthday.

"Hey Dash," Laura said nearing her. "Great job."

"Thanks." Dakota replied.

"Um, my mom's getting a little antsy so I'll make this short." Laura said. "I figured out what I'm going to do."

Dakota frowned. "What?"

"Not lie." Laura said. "I'm going to just tell him what I think and ignore him. I'll let him play whatever game by himself and when he's ready to talk, then we'll talk." Dakota smiled before hugging Laura. "Get off! What if someone sees me!"

Dakota laughed before releasing Laura.

"I knew you had a heart somewhere." Dakota said. "Hey, if your mom will let you, you can stay over my place tonight. My parents won't be back until the morning and we can turn the volume up in the theater as loud as you want."

Laura grinned. "Sounds like a plan."

* * *

Aaron stood on Chandra's porch with Chandra.

"I'm really happy that you're smiling again and not moping over Steven." Aaron said.

"You don't know how much this means to me." Chandra replied. "Thanks A.J. You're really my best guy friend."

"I guess Vanessa will be your best female friend." Aaron said before turning around. "I have to get going. My grandparents are going to worry."

"Hey A.J," Aaron turned only for Chandra go give him a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks for being a friend." Aaron nodded. "Goodnight."

Chandra disappeared into her house, closing the door behind her as Aaron stood on her porch for moment. He then began to walk back to the car, his face as emotionless as he could keep it. He got into the passenger seat and looked at Jayden's smiling face.

"Don't say a word." Aaron said before Jayden began laughing.

* * *

Jordan had made it back to Spike's house with Tevin tagging along.

"That was a really good performance. You're really good." Jordan said.

"Yeah. I just wish more people showed up." Tevin said. "But I'm glad you did."

Jordan grinned. "I'm glad I went to."

Jordan was about to move to sneak into the window for the basement until Tevin kissed her. She wanted to push off, but she ended up kissing him back. The two soon broke away with a smile on Tevin's face.

"I'll see you around." Tevin said before walking away.

Jordan stood in a daze before remembering that she was supposed to be sneaking back indoors. And after successfully doing so, she slipped under the sheets, unbeknownst that her grandmother had already informed her mother about her departure. While Spike knew that Jordan would return, Jordan did not know how much trouble she was in. Her mind just playing that kiss.

With a smile, Jordan closed her eyes. No. Aaron would never hear this from her. Not in a million years.

* * *

He should blame Kelly for this habit, but he did not. Instead, he just took in the silence and the calmness. Most of the normal people were already in bed, deep asleep, but his mind would not let him drift into his dreams that easily. So, instead, he lied in his backyard, staring at the starry sky. A knock interrupted the peacefulness for a split second. Rising, he went to open his gate to see Scarlett.

"Hey J.T." Scarlett said quietly. "Mind if I join you?"

"No." Jayden said as she entered his backyard.

Scarlett lied on the large blanket and was soon joined by Jayden, both of them staring in silence.

"How'd you do?" Scarlett finally asked.

"Good. DeWayne?" Jayden replied.

"Good." Scarlett said before smiling. "I think Helen was about to snap on Mercedes though."

Jayden grinned as well. "That's Helen for you."

Scarlett now stared at the boy. While they used to do this with no problems, now she felt something inside her twist. She could see almost every detail on his face, even to the reflection of the stars in his dark brown eyes. His breathing was calm and almost soothing. She wished that the held her like he did when they were dating. That would have made the moment perfect.

"Jayden, can you hold me a bit? I'm cold." Scarlett said without thinking.

Jayden blinked out of his thoughts before looking at Scarlett. The two stared at one another before Scarlett rolled away.

"I understand." she said before Jayden pulled her towards him.

"That better?" Jayden asked.

Scarlett nodded. "Yeah."

The two lied in the position in silence until Scarlett moved so her head was on his chest. They had no clue on what they were doing, but they both secretly wanted to continue. They wanted something to happen. But two people stopped them. DeWayne and Laura.

Jayden laughed a bit, gaining Scarlett's attention.

"What?" Scarlett asked.

"It's just funny how two people so close can be so far away." Jayden said with a smile. "I just find it funny."

"Yeah… I guess you're right." Scarlett replied. "Do… Do you mind me lying here?"

"No." Jayden said. "In fact, you're fine where you're at."

"Right…" Scarlett muttered.

Again, neither knew what was coming over them as they closed their eyes. A smile came on Scarlett's face as she slowly drifted off to sleep. As for Jayden, he stayed awake for a few more moments, a tear coming down his face as he remembered what she told him.

She hated him.

And as good as Scarlett felt, he would much rather feel Laura here right now. To feel her skin, smell her perfume, hear her voice… But, his own pride killed that. Closing his own eyes, Jayden took in a deep breath to calm himself down. Laura Reynolds was one of a kind. She did hook-ups, but never really dated. He had the chance and lost it by being his cold-natured self.

He felt Scarlett move a bit as she muttered out his name silently. If only he could go back in time and stop this from ever happening. If only this was Laura lying on him than Scarlett. If only people saw him like Laura did.

"If only…" Jayden muttered before dozing off to sleep.

If only he admitted his love to Laura.

* * *

**A/N:** So what do you think? With the season coming to an end, every chapter more things will happen, I promise. I had to put A.J in a situation like Jayden, since they are brothers and it's fun to do that. And don't think I forgot about Steven, that's coming up soon. And more importantly, Scarlett is beginning to miss Jayden. Will she or Angelina stop Jayden from getting Laura? And will Laura actually admit she loves Jayden to him? Find out Friday in the next episode! See you then!


	52. S2 Episode XX: Kryptonite

**Episode XX: Kryptonite**

The red Mercedes parked in a spot and Helen got out with a smirk on her face. She walked away, leaving the driver and the other passenger in the car alone.

"She's not going to tell anyone," Jayden said to Scarlett. "Besides, it's not the _worst_ thing we've been caught doing."

"No, but what if everyone begins to think that we…" Scarlett paused. "Never mind that. Let's just go out here and get through with this week. Winter Break is coming up, thank God."

"Yeah." Jayden said before opening the car door. "Coming Madame President?"

"Sure." Scarlett said before the two got out of the car. "Say, why'd you let Angelina backstage? You really like her or something?"

"Yes and no. I like her but I brought her backstage because she's a fan of the band. I'm not a one-man band, no matter what it appears." Jayden replied. "Consider it a housewarming gift."

"Oh." Scarlett said. "Well, I'll see you in second period. Have to make sure Helen hasn't found Nicky yet."

Jayden smiled. "Go ahead."

Scarlett smiled before walking away. Jayden's smile slowly fell before he began walking towards the front of the building. Before he got to the steps, Laura step towards him, her face strangely calm.

"I need to tell you something." Laura said. "Privately."

"Is it that important?" Jayden asked. Despite him really wanting to speak with her, he had to stay in character. He had to make her think that he hated her too.

"Come on." Laura said walking away.

Sighing, Jayden followed her until the two were away from the other students.

"What?" he asked.

"I appreciate what you did with me and my mom, though it doesn't make it better that I got grounded for skipping school in the first place." Laura said. "But that's not what I wanted to say."

"What? Found a new way to say how bad you hate me?" Jayden asked.

"I love you Jayden." Laura said.

Jayden felt his heart stop momentarily as well as his throat dry up. He had _never_ had a girl tell him that, let alone a girl like Laura. Someone who he once thought was impossible for her to feel.

Jayden then frowned. "Okay, I get it. I somehow grow soft and you prank me somehow someway and say 'checkmate.' So what did you really want?"

"That's it." Laura said. "I told my mom and I told Dash. I've fallen in love with you. But, you're so caught in your own world that you can't see it." Jayden's frown deepened. "It's the honest-to-God truth. I love you Jayden McDuelle. But," Jayden smirked. He knew that there was a catch. "I don't want you to respond to that until you're ready."

"Tch, until _I'm_ ready? Yeah right." Jayden said. "Nice try Laura, but I'm not falling for this one."

Laura glared. "Why in the hell do you think I'm lying to you, dumbass? I just fucking told you that I fucking love you! What's not to believe?"

"You." Jayden said. "You are what I don't believe. You don't love. Never have and never will. You told me that yourself, remember? No dating was _your_ rule."

"Forget it!" Laura nearly screeched gaining some attention by a few passerby. She took a deep breath. "Forget the stupid rule, Jayden." Jayden now looked confuse, wondering if Laura was being serious. "I give up. You win."

"I win?" Jayden asked. "Now I know this is a trick. The Laura I know doesn't quit."

"I'm not quitting. I'm just changing the game." Laura replied before giving Jayden a deep kiss, despite those who were staring at the two. "Like I said, I love you Jayden and I don't think you're ready to love me back."

Jayden glared. "You have an ulterior motive. And when I find out what it is-"

"You are my ulterior motive." Laura cut him off. "But, you can't handle it, so I'll just leave you alone. Have a nice life."

Laura walked away leaving Jayden slightly baffled. He wanted to believe that she was telling the truth, but love? She hardly liked him before. Sure, Jayden knew that she had some crush and lust for him, but love? That was impossible.

Or was it?

He would have to do some investigation later. And talk to Dakota while he was at it.

* * *

Jordan was slightly confused as to why Aaron was not standing outside like normal, but soon found her answer when she saw him handing Dustin a folder. She was confused as to why the two boys were talking, but brushed it aside as she smiled.

"Hey A.J." Jordan said.

"Um… I'll see you later A.J." Dustin said before glancing at Jordan. "Jordan."

With that, Dustin walked off and Aaron closed his locker. Aaron then looked at Jordan.

"You went to that party. You lied to me to go to that party." Aaron began. "Jordan… I really don't know where to begin with this."

Jordan frowned slightly. "How do you know that?"

"Because Dustin was there. He told me." Aaron answered. "I asked him if Brie went like she said she would, and he told me no, but you were there. With Tevin. All night." Jordan looked towards the ground. "Jordan, is there anything else you want to tell me before someone else does? Anything at all?"

Figuring that it was now or never, Jordan sighed.

"He kissed me." Jordan said, still looking at the floor. "And I kissed him back."

"…" Aaron was quiet for a moment. Out of all the things in the world, Aaron never pictured Jordan being unfaithful. She was his most loyal friend and honest about almost everything. "Did you like it?" Jordan nodded. "Then don't let me stand in your way."

"Aaron I-" was all Jordan got out before Aaron walked away. "I'm sorry…"

* * *

"Winter Break is coming." Shane said to his sister and girlfriend. "That's got to be the best news in the entire world."

Kelly smiled. "Shane, why is it that you get excited when Christmas comes around? Is it because of Santa?"

"What? Santa Claus? No!" Shane responded quickly before Kelly and Nicole laughed. "Whatever. It's just the best holiday of the year, plus no school for weeks, meaning no homework or detention or-"

"Plus there's Santa Claus." Kelly interrupted.

"Whatever Kelly." Shane said, refusing to argue with his sister. "Come on Nicky. Let's go speak to _sane_ people."

"Sure Shane." Nicole said. "See you later Kelly."

"You have to come home." Kelly replied with a smile as she began walking away.

Nicole laced her fingers with Shane's and the two began walking down the hall.

"So," Nicole said. "What are we doing for Winter Break?"

"Well, my dad and mom have these two cabins where we spend the break at." Shane said. "It's to keep the family together or whatever. My mom's a real big family person."

"I know." Nicole replied.

"But," Shane continued. "Kelly and I sometime run up there a bit early to do the decorations since Jordan always whines to put the star up on the tree. She _always_ gets her way too. So, we decorate the tree and put the star up and she comes and whines but there's nothing she can do about it." Shane smirked. "Victory."

"Shane, that's mean." Nicole said. "You should let her put the star up this year."

"And why should I?" Shane asked.

Nicole kissed Shane. "Because there's something more important than putting the star up this year."

"Oh… Yeah, I guess you're right." Shane said, blushing slightly. "So, um, I guess I'll have to sneak you up with me and Kelly." Nicole frowned at the word "sneak". "Oh come on, my mom will not let you and me up there without parental supervision."

"Oh yeah…" Nicole responded. "Well, hopefully she'll get into the holiday spirit and won't be so mad."

"That's the plan." Shane said before stopping in front of Nicole's classroom. "Well, I'll see you in a while. Class and all."

Nicole giggled. "I know Shane." Nicole kissed Shane once more. "See you soon, rock star."

"Yeah." Shane said with a smile before walking off.

Nicole smiled happily before slipping into class. This Winter Break was going to be the best one yet. She just knew it.

* * *

Stephanie sat in her first period class, making sure that she had the report already done and ready to be picked up. She glanced over at Angelina who was doing the same and then at DeWayne who had his already out.

"Hey," Angelina whispered to her. "Where were you Saturday?"

Stephanie smiled. "I gave Nate an intervention. I think he hates me now."

"Oh." Angelina said quietly.

"You get to see your dream boy on stage?" Stephanie asked. Angelina blushed but nodded anyway. "You should be happy you didn't have to waste the day trying to get someone to stop smoking so much."

"I'm sure." Angelina replied. "Did you want to hangout today after school."

"I have something to do. I'm so close Angel, I just know it." Stephanie said. "Please don't think I'm not a real friend. I just…"

"Like him. I know." Angelina said. "Well, we can always go out for lunch, right?" Stephanie smiled and nodded. "Besides, you're my best friend."

"Thanks Angel." Stephanie said.

* * *

Laura handed the bottle towards Nathan who refused the drink.

Laura frowned. "What's up with you?"

"I just don't want anything to drink right now." Nathan answered.

"I think I know why." Damon said, gaining Laura's undivided attention. "Stephanie. She's got him whipped. Like he has to 'greet' her properly before they go off to wherever."

"Ah. How sweet?" Laura mocked. "Little Nathan has a girlfriend."

"We're not dating and back off before you'll be coughing up my toenails." Nathan replied.

Laura smirked. "Did I touch a sore subject?"

"No." Nathan said. "It's just the _second_ time that you and Scooter have done this shit and it's getting annoying. Why don't you two go find someone to be with?" Laura and Damon exchange glances before smirking even more. "Oh that's right… No one likes Scooter and Jayden would rather be single than being with a heartless whore."

"Fuck you." Laura stated before taking a large gulp of the drink.

"Oh don't think I haven't heard about what happened earlier." Nathan said. "You kissed him? I thought you said that it was just a simple crush."

"What are you going to do? Sue me? Were you trying to date him?" Laura shot back. "Jesus Christ. You act like it's so wrong for a _girl_ to kiss a _guy_."

"Since when have you been a-"

Laura's fist met Damon's groan before the sentence was finished and he collapsed onto the floor clutching the injured region. Laura took another gulp of the alcohol before glancing at Nathan.

"Anything else?" Laura asked.

Nathan smiled. "Nope. I'm good."

"That's what I thought." Laura said.

* * *

Judge Arthur Greene sat at the end of the table, Drew sitting on one side across from Jimmy. Steven sat in-between his father and Jimmy while Alli sat beside Drew.

"Mr. Torres," Mr. Greene said. "You do know the potential problem with you representing your daughter, right?"

"Your Honor, I've already taken that into question. I'm going to do it." Drew said.

"And what evidence do you have that this man physically abused her?" Mr. Greene asked.

"She told me as well as another boy, Jayden McDuelle." Drew replied. "It is also known that her friend, Dustin Hayes knows this information as well."

Mr. Greene gave a frown. "No marks?"

"…" Drew paused. "None that I saw."

"And what do you have to say?" Mr. Greene asked Jimmy.

Jimmy sighed. "First off, if Steven did it, then I'm deeply sorry for your daughter, Mr. Torres," Drew's eyes narrowed slightly. "However, I don't see any proof. If Mr. Torres can produce _any_ evidence other than the standard hearsay then I would like to see it."

"There is the absence of any solid proof, Mr. Torres. If you shall find some proof, then you can send in those three named for testimonies." Mr. Greene stated.

"All I ask is for three days." Drew said. "In that time, I shall have my solid proof."

Mr. Greene shrugged. "I don't see anything wrong, Mr. Brooks?" Jimmy shook his head for no. "Then it's settled. You'll have three days to come up with anything solid and then we will see if you have a case or not. Adjourned."

"Good luck." Craig muttered to Drew as he, Ashley, and Steven walked out of the room, followed by two officers.

Jimmy waited for the judge to leave before addressing Drew.

"Hey," Jimmy said to Drew. "I'm really sorry about this, but I have to do my job."

"You didn't even have to accept the damn thing!" Drew retorted.

"Ash is a friend. I didn't know what it was until after I said yes." Jimmy stated. "Listen, Chandra and Vanessa are good friends and it would make me sleep better at night knowing that our daughters are safe. It could have been Vanessa in Chandra's position and it could have been me shouting at you trying to defend your former client." Drew sighed heavily. Jimmy had a strong point there. "While I can't just hand you the case over, I'll see if I can get Steven to take a bargain. Admit he did wrong and put him away a few months. Maybe get him put into another school."

"Thanks Jimmy. I owe you one." Drew said.

"I might be a great defense attorney, but I'm a father first." Jimmy said. "Remember that."

Jimmy left the room and Alli hugged Drew.

"Do you think you can find any evidence in time?" Alli asked.

"I won't sleep until I do." Drew replied.

* * *

After first period, Jayden made a beeline for Dakota or where Dakota should be. He found her after she had separated from Kelly, which was good. He wanted to talk to her alone.

"Dash," Dakota stopped and looked at Jayden. "I have to ask you something."

"What is it?" Dakota asked.

"Earlier today," Jayden said. "Laura told me that she loved me. Do you know anything about that?"

Dakota sighed. "Jay, I'm going to be honest with you. I suspected it a while ago and she only confirmed it to me last night."

"She's good." Jayden muttered.

"This isn't your stupid game Jayden." Dakota said. "She told me that she was going to quit and tell you how she felt before ignoring you."

Jayden sighed. "So she was actually being honest."

"You didn't believe her?" Dakota asked. Jayden shook his head before putting a hand on his head. "Jay I know that you're-"

"Dammit!" Jayden cursed as he punched a locker.

Dakota flinched at the impact before Jayden sighed again.

"I'm okay." Jayden said. "I just… Why didn't I believe her Dakota? All this time I'm sitting here wishing and hoping that she'd say it and then when she does, I don't believe her. Have I always been this blinded by pride?"

"Well," Dakota said with a smile. "There was this one time you made a bet with Shane that you would walk into the girls' bathroom and you did even with a teacher tailing you."

Jayden grinned lightly. "You always know what to say."

"Sometimes." Dakota said. "Jayden, give her some time to calm down, alright? And, when you do say something to her, believe what she's saying. She doesn't know how to express herself like we do so give her time."

Jayden nodded. "Right. Now, I have to go to my neighbors' class. Coach Blue will be angry at me if I'm absent and Helen and Scarlett will be twice as pissed if I'm tardy."

Dakota frowned. "Shouldn't that be-"

"Don't ask." Jayden interrupted. "See you for lunch."

"Right." Dakota said before he walked away. "Good luck Jay."

* * *

"You know Stephanie," Deanna said to the girl as the two walked down the halls. "It's rumored that you've been around some Degrassi guy. Who is it?"

"Who says that?" Stephanie asked.

"I said-" Deanna was cut off when she ran into Tevin. "Watch it."

"Uh, I was, um, just going to class. See you later." the boy said as he walked away.

"I wonder what that was about?" Stephanie said as the two rounded a corner to see Mercedes and DeWayne making out by DeWayne's locker. "Oh…"

"Well, well," Deanna said. "Look who finally got back together." DeWayne quickly broke away from Mercedes. "Don't stop on my account dear brother."

"Deanna don't make a big deal about this, alright? If Scarlett hears-"

"I doubt you were thinking of Scarlett a few minutes ago." Deanna interjected. "Carry on if you'd like. I won't tell. Now."

DeWayne said nothing as his twin walked away with a small smirk on her face. He glanced at Mercedes and Stephanie and their faces said it all. Deanna had a way to break DeWayne and Scarlett up. Now it was just a matter of time before she told the world.

* * *

Chandra and Vanessa watched as Ashton and Gabrielle worked with one another in a very odd fashion. While Ashton appeared to be quite submissive to Gabrielle's suggestion, she seemed to doubt herself on everything, unlike a week ago where if she was wrong or doubted herself he either gave her the correct answer and encouraged her to go on or went along with her idea in the first place giving her his full support.

"Am I the only one that doesn't get all weird around my ex?" Vanessa asked. Chandra shifted a bit and Vanessa immediately spoke up. "Sorry. Didn't mean that."

"No problem." Chandra said. "Saturday night was great, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. I'm only sorry that Brie didn't go." Vanessa stated. "Black Mist is awesome!"

"Yeah!" Chandra replied happily. So long as she thought of anything else, she could subdue her feelings for Steven. And she was going to change the topic until the end of time. "And it was my first time actually seeing Jayden perform. He was great too."

"They all were." Vanessa said.

Chandra smiled. "How could I forget Jacob?"

"Whatever Bambi." Vanessa said. "I still say it was nice of A.J to invite you. I thought he was going to get Brie."

"Yeah. But what's up with him and Jordan? Earlier when I saw her earlier, she said that he was mad at her." Chandra said. "A.J's never mad at Jordan. Think about it. All the annoying things she has said, he's always defended her. She must've done something big."

Vanessa shrugged. "I don't know. And frankly, I don't want to."

"Right." Chandra said.

* * *

Jayden eyed Helen and Scarlett at their own easels suspiciously. The two had been whispering all day and it was starting to bother him. What were they talking about?

"Just tell him." Helen whispered.

"And what? Expect him to say the same thing?" Scarlett replied in a quiet tone. "I just want to forget it."

"You slept with the boy. In his own backyard!" Helen retorted. "You've been thinking about him all weekend and to be honest, I wouldn't put DeWayne over Jayden in the first place." Scarlett scoffed. "But, I'm being serious. The dreams, the crazy déjà vu, and let's be honest, people like him just don't go away."

"But… What about this Angelina girl, huh? Danni's told me that he took her on one of those 'not dates' thing." Scarlett said.

"Oh… The tour of Toronto." Helen said. "But didn't you do that to Jayden?"

Scarlett frowned. "Why do you think I'm trying _not_ to think about him?"

"Scar, you're always…" Helen paused as she saw Jayden coming towards them. "What do you want neighbor?"

"Just looking at your picture." Jayden said. "So what are you two talking about?"

"None of your business." Helen stated. "How about you tell us what's up with Laura kissing you earlier?"

"I asked first." Jayden replied. Helen glared at him. "What? You think your little cheap eye trick is going to get me to say it? Tell me what you're talking about and I'll tell you what that was about."

Scarlett sighed. "Don't tell us then."

"Fine. But I'm sure you _really _want to know." Jayden said.

"You're right. I do. So tell me." Helen said.

"You first." Jayden responded.

Helen and Scarlett looked at one another before Scarlett held up a finger towards Helen. Helen's eyes widened slightly, thinking her cousin was going to tell Jayden.

"I had a dream about you. Your turn." Scarlett said.

"But that-"

"You asked what we were talking about and that's it. That _was_ the deal, right? Now, your turn." Scarlett interrupted.

Jayden sighed. "I should start using better words in deals… Oh well. It was her move." Scarlett and Helen frowned. "You know? Human chess? My favorite game? Well, that's what she did to get back at me."

Helen smirked. "If that was it, I'd say you've lost. Your reputation is wrecked."

"Well that's where most people are wrong. I don't care about the opinions of others anymore." Jayden said. "If that's what she was targeting, then she missed. Badly."

"Well, what are you going to do about it?" Scarlett asked.

Jayden smiled. "Win. Isn't that what I always go for?"

"But wouldn't that just-"

"Uh-uh. You asked a question and I answered. That's your one free question." Jayden stated. "Now, tell me what we did in this dream?"

"Um…" Scarlett said.

"Jayden," Coach Blue said. "Don't you have a picture to finish?"

"I'm going." Jayden said before looking at Scarlett. "Lucky."

Scarlett smiled as Jayden walked towards his easel. She then dropped the smile and gave a breath of relief.

"Too close." Scarlett said.

"Right." Helen said.

* * *

After second period, Jordan caught up to Aaron before anyone else could.

"Will you talk to me?" Jordan asked.

"Sure. What do you want to talk about?" Aaron replied.

"I'm sorry A.J. I'm really, really sorry." Jordan said. "Please, don't be mad at me."

"You _lied_ to me _and_ cheated on me in one night. Just how do you think I feel?" Aaron said. "I… I don't _want_ to look at you now, but I have to." Jordan pouted. "That's not working on me Jordan."

"Oh come on. You took _Chandra_ to the show." Jordan replied.

"And?" Aaron questioned.

"Your crush on her is so obvious that I'm surprised that she hasn't picked up on it." Jordan said. "I bet she was your first choice."

"No. She was my _last_ choice." Aaron informed his ex. "You were my first and Brie was my second. You were 'sick' and Brie wanted to spend time with her dad. If Jayden hadn't suggested the idea-"

"Jayden? Why would he suggest it?" Jordan cut off.

"Because of what Steven did to her, remember? He wanted to give her a good day out and that's what we did." Aaron stated. "Which wouldn't have been possible if _you_ would have came in the first place."

Jordan sighed. "Please forgive me A.J."

"I do." Aaron said. "Doesn't mean that I'll forget what you did though. And I don't think we should see each other anymore. Like, dating."

"Fine." Jordan said. "I'm really sorry though."

"I bet." Aaron replied before walking away.

As Aaron walked off, he idly thought that he was slowly changing into Jayden. That somewhere within himself, he felt bad that Chandra had given him a kiss on the cheek, despite it being a friendly gesture. On a lower scale, it was the same thing between Jayden, Scarlett, and Laura. The girl, the boy, and two outside forces. The girl gets caught cheating while the boy gets away with it.

"No," Aaron said to himself. "I'm not like that. Not at all."

* * *

Emma smiled as Maxwell handed her some coffee.

"Thanks Max." Emma said before looking across the table at Manny. "So you guys are going to California to celebrate Christmas?"

"Yeah. His mom stays in Beverly Hills so we're going to visit her on Christmas Eve and then spend Christmas at our place in Newport." Manny explained. "You know, since we've moved here, the kids have been real patient in us moving back. Snow is like a new discovery to them."

Emma nodded. "I see. But you'll call right? It won't be Christmas without my best friend."

"Of course." Manny said with a smile. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Hey Dimples, I'm going to step out for a second. I'll be back in an hour." Maxwell said.

"Sure babe." Manny stated as he left the kitchen. "So, Sean at the garage?" Emma nodded. "Figures."

"Yeah. He's trying to calm down." Emma said. "I don't know what has gotten into that girl lately. Faking sick and then sneaking out of the house to a party."

"Didn't _you_ sneak off to-"

"That was different." Emma quickly interrupted. Manny only smiled. "Anyway, something is wrong with Jordan. And at first, I almost snapped on A.J too until I realized that he was at the show with another girl."

Manny nodded. "Some girl named Chandra Torres, Jayden's personal stalker. When he was dating Helen, that's all she ever talked about. Killing Bambi." Manny stood up and walked towards the refrigerator. "She got beat by Craig's son and they were trying to make her feel better."

"Really?" Emma asked and Manny nodded once more. "Wow. Ashton right?"

"No. Steven." Manny said retrieving a large bowl of fruit salad from the refrigerator. "Somehow the two were dating and he snapped. Like father like son I guess."

"Manny," Emma began. "How can you say that? Who's to say what could have happened if you _did _end up with Craig and he did that to you?"

"But it didn't." Manny said handing Emma a fork and placing the bowl in front of them. "My husband is a genius with this stuff. Don't eat too much or you might be too drunk to drive home."

Emma frowned. "You spiked the fruit salad?" Manny smiled and nodded. "What if your kids eat this?"

"They won't. Danni might, but the others won't." Manny said taking a forkful of fruit into her mouth. "God I need that."

"Why?" Emma asked.

"My dad." Manny replied. "All of this 'Jayden should be worried about his school stuff and not his band' is really getting on my nerves." Manny paused. "I guess my dad just hates Max that much that Jayden acting like Max pisses him off."

"But that's his son." Emma said before eating some fruit. "You're right. This is good."

"Yeah." Manny said. "I guess… I guess I'm just worried about him." Emma raised her eyebrows. "Jayden that is."

"Why?" Emma asked, still eating the fruit salad.

Manny shrugged. "Yesterday, he seemed lost. Like, Renée would be taunting him and he'd ignore her. I don't think he did it on purpose, but the damage was basically done. And Jayden never ignores the twins. He's give them more attention than himself."

"You think he's in some kind of trouble?" Emma questioned.

"I don't know what to think. I just have a bad feeling." Manny said before removing the bowl from Emma.

"Hey!" Emma protested.

"Share!" Manny said before putting the bowl back and began eating the salad. "Anyway, like I said, I just worry about him. Scarlett's got him messed up, you know?"

"Ain't that the truth? Every time I see Shane and Nicky together, I have a feeling that she's going to get him to do something stupid. Like drugs or sex." Emma said. "Or both. Who knows what she's thinking?"

"Who knows?" Manny repeated as the two continued eating.

* * *

The bell rang for lunch and for the second time today, Jayden was on a search. This time his target was Laura. Many students whispered things as he walked by, but again, he had little to no care about them.

"Laura!" he called once she was in his sight. He was surprised when she actually stopped and looked at him. "Laura… I'm sorry I didn't believe you." Laura did not say anything, just staring at him. "I do believe you. And… I feel the same. I really do." She was still silent. "Say something."

"I don't believe you." Laura said.

"What? You don't believe me? What do I have to do to prove it?" Jayden asked.

Laura shrugged. "I don't know. You think of something."

Jayden sighed. "Come on. Don't make this harder than it already is." Laura frowned. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Then what the hell did you mean?" Laura asked angrily.

"Just be with me. Hit me all day. Call me a loser all day. Just be with me. Period." Jayden said.

Laura laughed a bit. "Are you _begging_ me? Wow. You must be desperate."

"I'm _not_ desperate. I just want you. Period." Jayden replied. "And you love me so why not just-"

"Because I don't believe you. Simple." Laura said. "Like I said, it's _you_ with the problem. Not me. I've already admitted what I feel."

Jayden sighed heavily. "Tell me what I have to do to make it up to you. Anything."

"Well," Laura said. "I want you to find someway to undo what you did to me. And eventually come to terms that what I feel for you is real. Oh, and it wouldn't hurt to return those feelings. Genuinely and not for sex either."

"You're not just going to take an apology, a kiss, and then forgive me?" Jayden asked.

Laura smiled. "You're cute, but not _that_ cute. You owe me big McDuelle and I want you to pay up."

"Fine. I'll do what you said. And then what?" Jayden said. "Do I come to you on my hands and knees begging you to go out with me? Do I let you write on my chest that I'm your property?"

"No." Laura stated. "If you haven't forgotten dumbass, I'm a girl. A _normal_ girl. I don't do that dominatrix shit."

"So then what?" Jayden questioned.

"I don't know." Laura answered. "Look, I'm still having a hard time figuring it out why it is that I want to kiss you instead of kill you. There's got to be some reason."

"Listen," Jayden said. "I'm seconds away from just walking away. You're not giving me much help and you're telling me everything that I don't want to know." Laura glared at him. "Just tell me what you want. A ring? A car? Hell, a house? Just tell me and I will try everything in my power to get it. I just need this to stop. Now."

"I have a better idea." Laura said. "How about you go somewhere else? I told you earlier, I'm not going anywhere with you."

Jayden was going to reply but Laura's finger came to his lips. She shook her head with a smile before walking away. Jayden then turned to the ceiling once more.

"Someone's getting a kick out of this." Jayden muttered to himself. "And when I find out who, I will get even. Someway and somehow."

* * *

The table where Jordan normally sat was beyond quiet today. Ashton sat elsewhere as well as Aaron. Gabrielle sat quietly while Chandra and Vanessa talked quietly. Jordan also sat quietly, half-listening to Chandra's conversation and half-listening to everyone else around her.

"…to A.J. Hello! Jordan!" Jordan blinked before looking at Chandra. "I said what did you do to A.J? He's like super mad at you."

"Why don't you go ask him yourself?" Jordan shot back, not really in the mood for Chandra today.

"Fine. I will." Chandra said standing up. "Coming Vanessa?"

"Uh… I'd rather not." Vanessa stated.

"Brie? He is your best friend." Chandra said.

"Sure Chandra." Gabrielle said. "I'll find out Jordan, alright?"

Jordan nodded. She knew why Aaron was mad at her and really did not want anyone else to know. If Aaron wanted them to know, then it was his right. Though, Jordan doubted that he would tell Chandra anything. Then again…

"Um," Vanessa said to Jordan. "I'm going to see what's up with Ashton. You'll be okay by yourself, right?"

"Sure." Jordan said before Vanessa left.

Jordan sat alone for the first time this year thinking. Was it really worth it?

Yeah. It was.

Dakota and Kelly watched their friend sit down with a tired fashion. Jayden lied his head on the table.

"I hate today." Jayden muttered.

"What's wrong?" Kelly asked.

"If I had the time to go down a list I would." Jayden stated. "Where's Shane?"

"Give a guess." Kelly said thumbing towards Nicole's table.

"Lucky…"Jayden muttered.

"Did you talk to Laura?" Dakota asked.

Jayden sighed. "I don't… Wait a sec. You." Dakota frowned. "You would know what I have to do, wouldn't you?"

"What are you talking about?" Dakota questioned.

"How can I get her to forgive me? You know, right?" Jayden said. Dakota shook her head. "Damn she's good."

"I'm lost." Kelly said.

"Don't worry about it." Jayden said. "Just, don't worry about it."

Nicole smiled. "No Shane, we're not running away to your dad's cabin _before_ school let's out."

"You two are hopeless, you know that?" Helen said. "Why not just wait like _normal_ people?"

"Because my mom hates it when Nicky and I are home alone, therefore, the only time we _can_ be alone is when we sneak off." Shane stated. "Duh."

"I got your duh." Helen shot back with a glare.

"Helen, leave them alone." Scarlett said. "Worry about your problems."

"If you haven't noticed, I don't have problems. That's why I help you all with yours." Helen said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Get with the program Scar."

"Hey Jackie, isn't your dance recital Thursday?" Nicole asked.

Jacquelyn nodded. "Yeah."

"We should go." Nicole said to Shane who gave her an uneasy look. "Oh that's right… You'll be at work." Nicole then smiled at Jacquelyn. "_I'll_ go then. Like always."

"Like always." Jacquelyn said with a grin.

* * *

Aaron sat at a table outside of the building with Dustin. He listened to Dustin's story on how Dustin and Marc became friends. While Aaron had little to no care about how it came to be, he was at least satisfied that Dustin was not trying to bully some kid for their lunch money anymore.

"There you are!" Chandra said in a hysterical voice. "We've been looking _everywhere_ for you!"

Aaron frowned. "For me? Why?"

"Well," Chandra said. "You've been angry with Jordan for the first time in _ever_ all day long and I just wanted to know why."

Dustin frowned as he looked at Aaron. "You didn't tell them?"

"Nope." Aaron said. "But… Jordan went to the Fitzgerald's party Saturday."

"She was sick, wasn't she?" Gabrielle asked.

"That's what I thought too. But she went there and then kissed Tevin." Aaron stated causing Gabrielle's eyes to widen. "Yeah, Ashton had a pretty good reason to hate the guy. I just feel bad that I didn't have as much hate as him."

Chandra scoffed. "You _can't_ hate anyone. You're like emotionally impaired to hate."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment or insult?" Aaron asked.

"Compliment. Boy A.J, to be so smart you're really stupid." Chandra said sitting beside Dustin. "So did you break up with her?"

"…Yeah…" Aaron answered. "Why?"

"No reason." Chandra said.

"I… I have to go." Gabrielle said before walking off.

Aaron sighed. "Good grief. I'll-"

"I'll go talk to her." Dustin said giving Aaron a look. "Just worry about," Dustin motioned his head towards Chandra. "You know."

With that, Dustin stood up and walked away, walking after Gabrielle.

"What was that about?" Chandra asked.

"I don't know. Honestly." Aaron said. "I just want today to be over with. Then again, I don't have really know what I'm going to do this afternoon since…"

Chandra smiled softly. "At least your breakup wasn't as bad as mine."

Aaron smiled sadly. "No. It wasn't. How are you handling it?"

"I… I still have dreams but my dad's going to send him away." Chandra said.

"Does that help?" Aaron asked.

"Sort of but…" Chandra paused. "Let's just worry about your problems first before moving onto that, okay?"

"Sure Bambi." Aaron said.

* * *

Gabrielle found her way to the gym, closely followed by Dustin.

"Why'd you come here?" Dustin asked.

"It's where I go when… How could I be so stupid?" Gabrielle asked.

"I have no clue on what you're talking about," Dustin said. "But A.J would want me to help you so here I am. Trying to redeem myself."

Gabrielle sighed. "Ashton was right about him. Tevin. And I didn't listen and so he broke up with me."

"Oh. Wow, I've always known Ashton to be a little cold but that was ruthless." Dustin responded.

"It's my fault." Gabrielle said. "I knew I shouldn't have tried to stand up to Ashton. What was I thinking trying to become braver?"

"You know, you blame yourself too much too." Dustin said. "Brie, I know how hard it is to be something you're not. And you're not doing that right now. You are brave."

"How would you know?" Gabrielle asked.

"Take it from someone who has had friends with the weirdest of them, okay? I know a fake person when I see one and you're not one of them." Dustin said. Dustin sat down on the bleachers. "Come on. I'll tell you all the fake people in the school and you can see how you compare with them, okay?"

"Um…" Gabrielle replied.

"It'll get your mind off of Ashton. Trust me." Dustin said.

Gabrielle sighed. "Sure."

* * *

After school, Damon followed Nathan once again where Stephanie was waiting as normal. She smiled and waved at Nathan, and Nathan smiled in return.

"Hey." Nathan said.

Stephanie's smile grew. "A greeting eye-to-eye where I didn't have to snap your attention from elsewhere."

"It's been a good day." Nathan said. "So, where to today?"

"Um, I don't know." Stephanie said before she looked at Damon. "Hi Scooter."

"Hey…" Damon said. "Hey, Nate, I'll let you two be you today. I have something to do elsewhere."

"Are you sure?" Nathan asked.

"Positive." Damon said. "Besides, I overheard that… Well, don't worry about it. I just have something else to do."

"Okay. See you later then." Nathan said before Damon nodded and walked away. "Weird."

As Damon walked away, he began to feel sorry for Nathan. Girls somehow brought out the worst of his friend. It was sad to hear that Nathan had actually _greeted_ Stephanie but worse that Nathan did not ogle the busty girl.

Then again, here Damon was thinking about going to Jacquelyn's dance recital. So maybe he Nathan was not the only pathetic person here.

Even if Jacquelyn did look better that Stephanie.

* * *

Helen smiled. "Yeah, every time you come by."

"Well why don't you get a _normal_ mattress like everyone else?" Jayden asked as he sat on Helen's bed. "Seriously Helen, waterbeds are evil."

"Evil?" Helen asked with her eyebrows raised.

"This I have to hear." Scarlett said leaning against Helen's door.

"Think about it. Danni had a waterbed when she was ten and she became evil. You've had one almost all of your life. And you've been mean to _everyone_." Jayden said with a small shrug. "Simple deduction."

"Well it's wrong." Helen said. "And shouldn't you be getting home? It's seven o'clock."

"Right." Jayden said rising before Helen's laptop screen lit up. "You've got mail."

"I wonder what it is. Probably my mom telling me something about those annoying twins of hers." Helen said as she sat on her bed with her laptop. "Or it could be another blog."

"No way." Jayden said sitting beside his ex.

"Scar, you have to read this." Helen stated.

Scarlett moved from the door and climbed onto the bed on the other side of Helen to avoid another moment with Jayden like Saturday night. Helen frowned as she began to read the blog.

"'Not many realize the gift of deception and what it can do. For this blog, I won't use any names as last time it sent the world into chaos. But back to the story.

Deception is the one thing in the entire world that can break the most stubborn people. For example, one couple- or should I say a couple of people- had one night of passion, one night where they were one, and yet the one that wielded deception first was able to let go of her partner in just a snap. She has deceived her partner into loving her just to break him like the cold heartless bitch she is.

And women aren't the only ones that can use deception to its fullness. Why, just today did the worst of deception happen. When one boy, who had given his 'love' his full 'faith', met his old flame and reignited it. And where was his so-called love at? Well, she was at her own school where she belongs. Oh sweet victory.

Finally, there are two people in particular that have been avoiding any and all truth. While one is known to be completely ruthless and rude, the other is known to be kind and loving. Yet, the two have a growing bond as clear as day. Why won't they admit it, I will never know. But one thing is for sure. They like one another.

This message wasn't to tell a story, it was to make the people more aware of who they 'love'. Trust comes with time and rushing into a relationship stops trust from building. Remember, what 'love' you may feel for someone could be lust. Take your time and figure it out.'" Helen concluded. "This chick is annoying! Who is she?"

"I don't know but… I should be getting home. I'll call you guys after I consult with Shane about this." Jayden said standing up. "See you tomorrow."

With that, the boy left Helen's room.

"You think the first part was about him?" Helen asked as Scarlett took out her cell phone.

"I don't know. But I know _one_ person who shouldn't be in this thing at all." Scarlett said.

* * *

DeWayne answered his cell phone. "Yeah?"

"Hey. Have you read that blog?" Scarlett asked.

"Yeah. Poor Mary-Jane." DeWayne said.

"What?" Scarlett replied.

"That guy that's cheating. It's Tyler." DeWayne explained. "I feel bad for her, you know?"

"Oh… Yeah, Tyler." Scarlett said. "Um, I have to go help my mom with something. Call you right back?"

"Sure. Bye." DeWayne said before Scarlett hung up. DeWayne glanced at Mercedes, who was putting her shirt on. "This is the last time."

"Sure it is. See you tomorrow." Mercedes responded as she left his room.

DeWayne gritted his teeth as his eyes became angered and annoyed. There was only one person he could think of that would do this. And that one person was strangely not home at the current time, building more suspicion.

"Deanna." DeWayne muttered.


	53. S2 Episode XXI: Snow White Queen

**Episode XXI: Snow White Queen**

"The dance is tomorrow!" Nicole said cheerfully to Shane as the two walked with Jordan and Kelly towards the school.

Shane smiled. "I know."

"And do you know what we're doing _after_ the dance?" Nicole asked.

"I don't want to hear this!" Jordan called using her mitten-covered hands to cover her ears. "La, la, la, la, la!"

Shane laughed a bit. "Yes Nicky, I do know what we're doing afterwards." Shane then looked at Kelly. "Are you sure you can do it?"

"Pft. You forget who you're talking to Shane." Kelly responded. "I can do _anything_ I say I can."

"Right." Shane said skeptically. Shane then turned towards the sky. "I wish it would just snow already."

"It'll snow when it's ready." Kelly said as the group came to the front steps where Jayden stood. "Hey Jay."

"Hey… Why's Nicky bouncing?" Jayden questioned.

"Because it's almost Christmas!" Nicole said in a sing-song voice. Nicole then frowned a bit. "Aren't you excited Jay? The Winter Dance is tomorrow, Winter Break is coming, _and_-"

"You get to run off with Shane. How did I forget that one?" Jayden asked with a smile. "But seriously, I am happy. We're going back to California."

Kelly and Shane gaped.

"You're not going to be here Christmas?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah man, it's going to be a little strange without you." Shane responded.

Jayden shrugged. "Hey, not my call. Besides, you can't keep this boy out of the golden sun for so long. He'd start to wither and break and girls would take advantage of him."

"I thought they already did." Shane mumbled to Nicole with a smirk, who giggled quietly.

"I heard that." Jayden said. "Anyway, I'm leaving right after the dance so, if there's some love confession Kelly you should tell me now." Jayden smirked. "That goes double for you Nicky."

"Let's go." Shane said. "And stop flirting with my sister. And girlfriend."

"Sure." Jayden replied with a smile.

* * *

Dakota walked towards the area where Laura was normally at with her friends. She came to see Laura pacing alone with a bottle in her hand.

"Laura? Are you okay?" Dakota asked.

"What does it look like Dash?" Laura responded. "I feel terrible!"

"Do you want to talk about it?" Dakota asked.

Laura froze in her step. "I… I thought that he would give up and we'd never have to talk about this again, but he won't quit." Laura glared at Dakota. "Why won't he quit?"

"The power of love?" Dakota said in a question manner. She had no clue on how to handle her friends anymore. "Laura, you said you loved him right? Why not just-"

"It's not me that has anything to prove. It's him." Laura said. "Why is he so stupid?"

"What?" Dakota said.

"I gave him a clue on what I wanted him to do, but he's not getting it." Laura replied.

Dakota shrugged. "I don't know, but he somehow believes that _I_ know what you want him to do." Laura gave a thoughtful hum. "Speaking of which, what _do_ you want him to do?"

"I can't tell you." Laura said quietly.

"What? Why not?" Dakota asked.

"Because if I do, then it won't mean anything." Laura answered before sighing. "Look, he knows me. Sooner or later he'll get what I'm trying to tell him. And until he does," Laura lifted the bottle in front of her. "This is what I'll be doing."

"No you won't." Dakota said grabbing the bottle. "Laura, drinking isn't going to solve your problems."

"Back off Dash." Laura said angrily. "I have some stalker who knows that I slept with Jayden. I have people actually _picking_ on _me_ about my 'heartfelt confession' yesterday. And worst of all, I have a headache. So I'm drinking this damn drink."

Dakota stared into the harsh eyes of Laura before releasing the bottle.

"If you do this," Dakota said. "He's just going to find you drunk and grow angry with you." Laura snorted. "Come on Laura, you're better than this."

"Keep the philosophical stuff for your group therapy." Laura said opening the bottle.

"Fine. Drink yourself into a coma." Dakota said. "But if you want my honest opinion, I don't think that that's going to help. I mean, it put me in rehab." Laura was about to take a gulp before Dakota put a hand on the bottle once more. "My friends and family got me through a lot Laura. My parents, my aunt, Jayden, Kelly, Shane, and you. I'm sure that the same can happen to you."

"Yeah right." Laura said rolling her eyes.

"He worries about you Laura. Please. Give him time to figure it out." Dakota said before walking away.

Laura watched Dakota walk away before staring at the bottle. She grunted before slinging the bottle across the grounds towards the football field.

"Dammit." Laura said before walking away as well.

* * *

_"That's right, come to the Degrassi Winter Break Dance tomorrow at seven. Tickets are still being sold in all three lunches…"_

As Scarlett continued with the morning announcements, Mary-Jane glanced at Amber.

"So are you and James coming to the dance?" Mary-Jane asked.

Amber shrugged. "I don't know. You?"

"One lame dance is enough for one year." Mary-Jane responded. "If you guys don't, you could come with Tyler and me. We're going to have a night out on the town. You can tag along with James."

"Tag along?" Amber repeated.

"You know what I mean. You two can come with." Mary-Jane said. "So what do you say?"

"Hmm… Dance or night out? Let's go with night out." Amber stated, gaining a smile from Mary-Jane. "Besides, we could always do the double hotel room thing."

"Ooh… Frisky aren't we?" Mary-Jane replied. "Well, if it ends out like that then…"

Amber rolled her eyes. "And _I'm_ frisky."

The two girls laughed silently before the teacher began to the lesson.

* * *

Jayden and Helen both groaned as they watched Nicole practically bounce in her seat.

"Nicky," Helen said. "For the millionth time…"

"Calm down!" Jayden and Helen said in unison.

Nicole looked at the two before realizing that the only three reasons that they were in sync were: they were friends, exes, and had younger siblings. Thus, this was probably more annoying to them because it reminded them of said younger siblings.

"I can't help it." Nicole said. "I'm going to be able to spend the _entire_ Winter Break with Shane and his family and his dad makes the _best_ omelets ever!"

Jayden shrugged. "I've been telling people that since I got here. What's the big deal now?"

"Oh I get it." Helen said with a smirk. "A little holiday nightcap, eh Nicky?"

Nicole blushed. "Well… No… I mean, if we do then… Shut up Helen!"

Jayden and Helen laughed.

"Helen, Jayden, Nicky," Mrs. Carson stated. "Is there something you want to share to the class?"

"Yes." Helen said. "Nicky here has finally gotten a boyfriend who she is happy with."

"Helen!" Nicole retorted.

"What? It was no big deal when you told her that I was dating Jayden." Helen replied. "So it's only fair. Ha."

"If I can say something Mrs. C," Jayden said. "I was just laughing at those two bickering."

"Helen, Nicky, pay attention." Mrs. Carson said before turning back to he board.

Helen gaped before glaring at Jayden who smiled at her and gave her a wink.

"Loser…" Helen muttered.

* * *

After first period, Scarlett was on her way to her father's class when she walked past Mary-Jane.

"Hey," Scarlett said stopping the blonde. "I'm sorry about, you know."

Mary-Jane frowned. "I know what?"

"Tyler? He's been cheating on you." Scarlett said.

"When and where did you hear that?" Mary-Jane asked.

"DeWayne told me last night." Scarlett answered. "You know? The blog. He says Tyler's been cheating on you."

Mary-Jane stared at Scarlett with anger before the anger turned to humor and the blonde began laughing.

"You're so stupid." Mary-Jane laughed. "Tyler would _never_ cheat on me! It's probably that boyfriend of yours cheating on you with Mercedes."

"Yeah right." Scarlett said. "Like I said, I'm sorry about your lost."

Scarlett turned around and walked the other way.

DeWayne cheating on her? That was absurd! She was Scarlett J. Chessex, one of the most beautiful and powerful girls in Degrassi, plus ringleader of the Coyne Cousins. Who in their right mind would be stupid enough to cheat on _her_?

* * *

Jayden was also walking towards his class.

"Hey, McDuelle," Jayden frowned and looked at Nathan. "Look, I have something that you might want."

"And what would that be?" Jayden asked.

"A way to get with either Laura or Scarlett. You do like them both right?" Nathan said.

"And why would I take your help?" Jayden replied. "I mean, correct me if I'm wrong but, we hate one another. You and Scooter will always be against me and Shane."

"You're right, but… Let's just say I'm in the same position you are with another girl, alright? Now do you want my message or not?" Nathan questioned. Jayden nodded. "Laura was saying something about Angelina. Something about how you promised to change about Angelina and Scarlett going somewhere… I don't really know."

Jayden frowned as he began thinking about what Nathan was talking about. His mind drew several blanks before letting it go.

"And as for Scarlett," Nathan continued. "I got a call earlier. DeWayne's been cheating on her." Jayden's left eyebrow rose. "Tell her for all I care. Remember that you didn't hear that from me."

"Right…" Jayden said. "And about Stephanie," Nathan's eyes narrowed. "Good choice. I'd be careful though. With the bachelors in this town…" Jayden smirked. "She might find someone who's just a bit better."

"You-"

"Call us even that I'm going for someone else." Jayden interrupted before walking away.

Nathan had no clue on whether he should be happy that Jayden did not have his sights on Stephanie or pissed that the boy knew about them period.

"Stupid holiday spirit." Nathan muttered as he walked the other way.

* * *

Danica walked into her parents' house, not surprised that Manny and Emma had left to do some shopping.

"Daddy," Danica said with a smile. "Your favorite daughter is home."

Maxwell smiled. "And I bet she wants something too." Danica's smile widened. "What is it?"

"Oh nothing." Danica said. "So we're going to Newport for Christmas?"

"Yeah. And I need you to do me a favor." Maxwell said. "Your mom and I wanted to get Jayden a car soon to ease all of our pains." Danica nodded. "When we return, your mom will drive your car back to your place and I want you to drive come with me to pick Jay's car up, alright?"

Danica frowned. "Why me?"

"Because if there's anyone who knows what he wants, it's you. And I need to find him a car that isn't _too_ expensive because he doesn't really deserve it but not _too_ cheap because… Well, it'd hurt my pride." Maxwell answered.

"Fine." Danica said. "Dad, speaking of Jay, has he said anything about Angelina? You know, Izzy's little sister."

Maxwell frowned. "No… Not that I can think of. Why?"

"No reason." Danica said before releasing a sigh.

If Jayden was not completely into Angelina, that meant that there was someone else occupying his attention. And while she hated to admit it, Laura did a pretty good job at it.

* * *

On the way to lunch, Scarlett walked down the hall gracefully as many stopped and stared at her. Again, it was nothing new. She was Scarlett Chessex after all.

"Well, don't you just radiate?" Jayden said gaining a small smile. "I have some bad news to tell you."

"What is it?" Scarlett asked.

"Um, I don't know if I should be the one to tell you but," Jayden said. "I got word that DeWayne has been cheating on you with Mercedes."

Scarlett frowned. "What? Have you been talking to Mary-Jane?"

"Huh? No." Jayden said. "Someone else told me this."

"I bet it was Laura." Scarlett stated rashly.

Jayden frowned. "That wouldn't make much sense if Laura was trying to date me yet gives me a way to get back with you. Kind of contradicting and she's actually smarter than that."

"So, not only are you lying to me about DeWayne but you're defending her. Again." Scarlett said. "Just-"

"Listen here," Jayden said angrily. "I don't give a damn about whatever feelings you have against Laura. Quite frankly, I think its your petty problems that you need to solve." Scarlett's eyes widened. "But I care too much about you to let some loser sleep around while you believe he's honest and trustworthy. Believe me. Doubt me. It's up to you. But I told you that no matter what, I'd always be there. And here I am."

"I think you're trying to break us up." Scarlett said.

"Did I have a dream about my ex while lying with her?" Jayden shot back.

Scarlett looked away. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because it's probably the truth," Jayden answered. "And you deserve better than him."

"Like you?" Scarlett asked quietly as she glanced at her ex.

"…" Jayden stood quietly as well. "Or someone better."

Scarlett watched Jayden turn around before she grabbed his arm and turned him back to face her.

"Angelina. What do you think of her?" Scarlett asked.

"She's a friend. Nothing more and nothing less." Jayden answered. "Why?"

"I just wanted to know." Scarlett said.

"Scarlett," Jayden said. "If, and I do mean if, there comes a time when I truly want to date you again, I will ask. I won't ruin your relationship with DeWayne or anyone else, I'll wait and then ask."

Scarlett nodded. "Right… And Laura? What do you think of her?"

"I…" Jayden paused. Lately, he had been completely lying to Scarlett about his feelings for Laura and was surprised that she had not caught on yet. "I don't know what I think of her. Lust, love, hatred, animosity, calmness… I've felt all that with her in these past few weeks." Scarlett looked away. "Can you really blame me? I mean, you are dating someone else right now."

"But Laura? Come on J.T, even _you're_ not that dumb and desperate." Scarlett replied.

"You sound just like her mom." Jayden said. "So caught up in your own world that you forget that somewhere inside that tough exterior of hers lies someone totally different. And I don't care if you hate me for the rest of my life or eventually forgive me, but I will find that soft side of hers again and I will bring it out."

"Why? Why can't you just let her go?" Scarlett asked.

"Because…" Jayden said before smiling. "Because I made a bet with her and I hate losing. So if you don't mind, I'm going to play this fairly." Jayden began walking backwards away from Scarlett. "By the way, it was someone at Lakehurst who told me about the DeWayne thing. And by the sound of that blog, I doubt it's false."

Scarlett watched Jayden walk towards the cafeteria before leaning against a row of lockers and squatting. Why did this have to happen to her of all people?

* * *

Aaron and Chandra were sitting at a table outside talking casually.

"So…" Chandra began.

"So…?" Aaron repeated.

"The dance is coming and I know that you'd probably want to spend your time crying over Jordan, but it's not like I can go with my ex as well." Chandra said. "So I was wondering if you would want to go with me? Call it repaying you for the Black Mist concert thing. Only cheaper."

Aaron grinned. "Sure Bambi, I'll go with you."

"Great. My parents think that I need to do any and everything to keep Steven off of my mind." Chandra said.

"Hey A.J. Hey Chandra." Gabrielle said sitting beside Chandra.

Aaron frowned. "Something wrong Brie?"

"No…" she replied, though Aaron's gaze did not change. "Well… Vanessa told me something earlier today."

"And it was?" Chandra asked.

"She… She has a crush on Ashton." Gabrielle replied. "And I… I want my friend to be happy but…"

"You still like him." Aaron stated. Gabrielle nodded. "Well Brie, what do you want more? Ashton or Vanessa's happiness?"

"I guess… Vanessa's happiness." Gabrielle said causing Aaron and Chandra to share shocked looks. "Ashton warned me about Tevin and I didn't listen. I really don't deserve him."

"Really? I thought it was the other way around." Chandra muttered.

"If that's what you want Brie." Aaron said. "I won't force you to do something you don't want to."

"Thanks." Gabrielle said.

* * *

Helen looked at Jacquelyn before Nicole and finally the three looked at Scarlett.

"So… Are you going to tell us soon?" Helen asked.

"No." Scarlett stated angrily.

"Can we help?" Nicole questioned.

"No." Scarlett said a bit louder.

Helen frowned. "What is it Scar? Is it Jayden? DeWayne? What?"

"Leave me alone." Scarlett said standing up and walking away.

At his table, Jayden saw Scarlett rise and stood up as well.

"Dude, do you think that's smart? She looks pissed." Shane said.

"Some things are worth it." Jayden said walking away.

"You ever think he has a death wish?" Kelly asked.

"All the time." Dakota and Shane said in unison.

* * *

"Wait," Jayden said stopping Scarlett from escaping into the bathroom. "Let me talk to you."

"Why? You want to tell me how stupid I am for choosing DeWayne in the first place?" Scarlett asked.

"No." Jayden answered. "I want to tell you how strong you are and how little things like this never affects you."

"Tch, yeah right. Look at me Jayden. I'm the laughing stock of the internet now!" Scarlett said. "Everyone knows of the idiot girl who believed that her boyfriend was some saint!"

"You telling me that you care what other people think of you?" Jayden asked. Scarlett stood silently. "Scarlett, if other people's opinion means so much to you, then let me give you mine. You're smart and beautiful, a hard combination to come by. You're a bit stubborn but we'll call it headstrong and determined for the sake of this conversation." Scarlett gave a small smile. "You have the calmest shade of blue for your eye color that reminds me of the ocean back in Cali. The softest skin ever. And truly a goddess among women."

"You're just saying that." Scarlett said.

"So? It worked right?" Jayden asked with a smile that caused Scarlett to giggle a bit. "No, I'm serious. You're a real special person and deserve better than DeWayne and me. But until better comes along, you're stuck with us."

Scarlett smiled sadly. "You mean him because you're not interested in me anymore."

"Scarlett… I will always have feelings for you. Some days stronger than others. But," Jayden said. "I was serious about what I said. You clear out your side of the table and I'll clear out mine. Then maybe we'll give it another shot."

"But until then, we're only friends." Scarlett replied.

"Isn't that the good part?" Jayden asked with a smile.

"So… Do you think I should forgive him?" Scarlett questioned.

"Of course I'm going to say no." Jayden said. "I'm the ex, remember?" Scarlett playfully rolled her eyes. "But, it's really up to you. Do whatever it is you feel."

Scarlett smiled. "Thanks J.T. I really needed that."

"Duh. That's why I said it." Jayden responded with a grin. Scarlett then hugged him. Unable to do much of anything else, he hugged her as well.

"You're the best friend I could ask for." Scarlett said.

Jayden laughed a bit. "Because I'm really your _only_ friend."

"Just my first." Scarlett said.

Jayden smiled before his eyes widened in realization.

"I know what it is…" Jayden whispered silently.

"You know what?" Scarlett asked releasing him.

"Nothing." Jayden said with a grin.

He had finally realized what Laura wanted him to do. And he would do it as soon as school let out.

* * *

After lunch, Aaron began making his way to his class before Jordan caught up to him.

"Hey, A.J," Jordan said. "What was that about?"

"That? That what?" Aaron asked.

"You and Chandra spending lunch _alone_. What was that about?" Jordan questioned.

"Just having lunch with a friend," Aaron said. "And why does it matter to you?"

"It doesn't." Jordan said.

"It does." Aaron said. "Come on Jordan, tell me what's wrong with you?"

Jordan smiled. "Nothing. I just…" Jordan paused. "I was just wondering if you were going to the dance."

Aaron nodded. "Yeah. Bambi just asked me to go with her since she really can't take Steven and-"

"Bambi, Bambi, Bambi. Is that all you're going to say?" Jordan interrupted. "Just say it A.J. _You_ want to be with her. This has nothing to do with Steven."

"I see…" Aaron muttered.

"You see what?" Jordan asked.

"You're jealous." Aaron answered. "I'm not dating Bambi, I've never dated Bambi, and to be honest, I wouldn't cheat on you with Bambi. Why? Because that's just who I am. But she did ask me to go with her and I said yes."

"Fine." Jordan said turning around and walking away.

Aaron only shook his head before going to class. He would have said "good grief" like normal, but he recently made a bet with his older sister. So long as she does not use profanity, he would not say that line.

Sadly, Danica was about to win.

* * *

Nicole gave Shane a kiss as they stopped at her class.

"See you later." Nicole said as Shane began walking away.

Nicole waited for Shane to go around a corner before going towards her class.

"Nicky, wait," Nicole frowned and glanced at Damon. "I need to ask you something."

"If this has anything to do with me and Nate, it's over. Completely over and I'm with Shane now." Nicole stated.

"No. It has nothing to do with that. In fact," Damon said. "I'm happy that you're dating Shane because what I'm going to ask you has something to do with Jackie."

"Who is still one of my best friends." Nicole said.

"Her dance recital is tonight, right?" Damon questioned.

"Yeah? Wh- Oh…" Nicole said with a smile. "You _do_ like her."

"What? No. She's just hot." Damon said.

"Uh-huh? You forget that I've been with Nate. I know that look _anywhere_." Nicole responded. "Well, if you want my honest help, then I'll tell you where it is. But," Damon almost cursed at the statement. "No drugs, no alcohol, and no games. If you want her, then tell her. Don't just act it like Nate did to me."

"Fine. Just give me the information." Damon said.

"One more thing," Nicole replied. "If you do _anything_ wrong with her, I'm not going to be happy and then… Well, you'll be sorry, let's just say that."

Damon counted the number of options Nicole had. Shane, Jayden, Helen, Scarlett, Jacquelyn, and possibly Nathan. Not that many. Then he realized that she did befriend Ethan as well as her numerous cheerleaders. All in all, she had quite a few people on her side while he had no one.

"Fine, I'll be gentle." Damon said. "Er, thanks."

Nicole smiled. "No problem. Now, about the time and place."

* * *

Before sixth period, Jayden stopped by locker, still a bit happy about what Laura was trying to tell him or at least what he thought she was trying to tell him. Either way, today had been a good day so far.

Feeling someone's eyes on him, he inhaled deeply. There was no mistaking that perfume. Turning his eyes he saw Laura looking at him, the two standing in a tense, yet awkward silence.

"I just ran into Scarlett," Laura said. Already, Jayden was prepared for the worst. "She says that I should be lucky and watch my back. What the hell is she talking about?"

Jayden shrugged. "I don't know. Don't really care either."

"Oh, my bad. I forgot that you still don't believe me." Laura replied.

"No. I believe you. I'm just caught up in a lot at the moment. Surprising you and getting your forgiveness is right behind me going back home for Christmas." Jayden said.

Laura frowned. "You're going to Cali for Christmas?" Jayden nodded. "Oh… Well, I guess tomorrow is your last day here for the year."

"No. I don't think we're going to spend New Years there. Shane's mom and mine won't separate _that_ long." Jayden said. "But there is a dance tomorrow if you catch my drift."

Laura snorted. "No way in hell would I be caught going to a school dance. Especially with you."

"I'm hurt. You don't love me anymore?" Jayden asked with mock pain.

"Oh shut up." Laura said. "I just wanted to know what your girlfriend's problem was."

"Depends on which one are you talking about." Jayden replied. "Because my younger twin sisters believe that _you're_ my girlfriend and right now I don't know what your problem is. That's why I'm still searching for whatever it is to make you forgive me."

"I hate kids…" Laura mumbled towards the ground before looking back at Jayden. "I'm talking about Scarlett. What's her problem."

"It's really not my place and I'm sure you don't want to know about DeWayne cheating on her. And even if I _did_ tell you her problem, you didn't hear it from me." Jayden said gaining a smile from Laura. "But, like I said, it's not my place to tell you."

"Well… I guess this will be one of the last times we talk before Winter Break, huh?" Laura stated.

"It's not the end of the school year. We'll see each other in January." Jayden said.

Laura thumped him in the forehead. "That's not the point!" Jayden rubbed the point of impact with his palm. "Point is, half of the school year is almost over and a quarter of it was spent playing stupid love games with you."

Jayden smiled. "Let's be honest Laura, you've been playing these games with me from day one. I just never cared to play them back."

"And why's that?" Laura asked.

"Never stoop to an idiot's level. They'll just beat you with experience." Jayden said.

"I'll let that one slide." Laura said. "Um, I have class with Dash and we both know that she can be a real whiny little bitch when either of us steps out of line, so let me go before she has more reasons to 'counsel' me."

"Right." Jayden replied. "By the way Laura, I've figured out what it is you wanted me to do."

Laura smiled. "It's nothing you need to tell me. I already know what it is. And I doubt you do yet." Laura turned around. "See you around Dimples."

Jayden smiled. "See you at home!" Laura gave him a middle finger over her shoulder as she walked off. "I love this game…"

* * *

Also on her way to sixth period was Chandra, who was running a bit later than normal.

"So you're after A.J now?" Jordan asked stepping in front of Chandra.

"What the hell are you talking about? Can't you see that I'm late?" Chandra replied.

"Leave A.J alone!" Jordan said angrily. "I know I made a mistake, but I'm trying to fix it and I can't with you lingering around. So go bother someone else."

"Okay, now that I'm officially late, let me run this by you." Chandra said. "You're _deranged_. A.J is a guy. I'm a girl. There's a dance. Guy's usually go with girl's to dances. What aren't you getting?"

"No. _You're_ missing the 'leave him alone' part." Jordan said.

Chandra glared. "You can't have A.J _and_ Tevin, Jordan. Not only is that selfish, but it'll never happen."

"Why is that?" Jordan asked.

"Because A.J's done _too_ many good things for you to treat him like crap!" Chandra shot back. "I won't let you do it."

Jordan glared at Chandra. "I knew you were-"

"Jordan? Chandra? Shouldn't you be in class?" Toby asked.

"Coming Mr. Isaacs." Jordan said before shooting Chandra another glare.

* * *

After the final bell, Jordan caught Aaron before he left the class.

"So, tomorrow before the dance, do you want to hang out at the Dot?" Jordan suggested.

"I heard what you and Bambi were talking about." Aaron said. "And she's right Jordan. You can't have me and Tevin."

"And I want…" Jordan paused and Aaron sighed.

"I know who you want. And it isn't me." Aaron said. "Go. Find him. Be with him. Just know that I won't think any less of you. Well, not more than I do already."

Aaron went to move out again before Jordan grabbed his hand.

"Please? Don't do this." Jordan said.

"See you tomorrow Jordan." Aaron said getting his hand free and leaving the class.

"Pathetic." Chandra said walking out of the class as well, going to catch up with Aaron.

Jordan sighed as she slowly made her way out of the class. While she originally had no regrets about Saturday, she was starting to now. Either that, or she really missed her friend already.

* * *

Jacob could count the number of times he and Jayden had 'hung out' together without anyone else on one hand and still have five fingers left to spare. While the two were good friends, Jayden's idea of 'fun' and Jacob's were two totally different things. Jayden liked breaking rules, flirting, and partying while Jacob was more of a stay at home and play video games kind of guy. Then again, it was a jock and nerd he was comparing. That was a given.

"So," Jayden said. "You and Vanessa seem to be alright. Tutoring again tomorrow, right?" Jacob shook his head. "No? Why?"

"I don't know. She said she had something to do." Jacob answered.

"Oh." Jayden said pulling into a parking spot. "Jacob, have I ever showed you that we're friends?"

"Next to sticking up to me to Steven and Marc?" Jacob asked.

"Yeah. Anything else?" Jayden questioned. Jacob shook his head. "Well, let me make it up to you. I've always been with Shane and Kelly or Dash that I sometimes forget that you're there."

"What are you talking about?" Jacob asked.

Jayden sighed. "You're going to be the first person I openly admit this to, so don't go running off telling the world or believing anything other than what I'm about to say." Jacob nodded. This must be serious. "I think I'm in love with Laura. Like, seriously more-than-Scarlett kind of stuff. And I can't be with her until Scarlett and Angelina are away from me."

"Why?" Jacob said.

Jayden shrugged. "I don't know. Her rule. I'm just playing by it." Jayden then looked out of the window. "Scarlett is clearly away from me because of DeWayne, so that only left Angelina." Jayden turned to Jacob. "And that's where you come in."

"M-me?" Jacob stammered. "I can't date her! She's like…"

"Hot? I know." Jayden said. "But she and I… We don't really get along. Well, I mean we do, but she wants someone quiet. Someone smart. And someone who isn't going to get into a lot of trouble every other day. And that someone ain't me." Jacob grinned. "Plus, she's a huge fan of Juvenile Grace. So that'll be the ace in your sleeve."

"But… She likes you." Jacob said. "I mean, I can't do that. You're like, the best at getting girls and keeping them to yourself and I'm-"

"Stop looking at me like some god or something. I bleed just like you, so I'm not." Jayden interrupted. "Do you know what your problem is?"

"Problem?" Jacob repeated.

"No confidence." Jayden said. "Jacob, I'm giving you an opportunity at Angelina De Chaplin, possibly one of the hottest girls in the entire city. The _only_ thing you have to do is get out of the car. That's it."

"What?" Jacob asked.

"I called her before I left the school and she said it was alright. She'd at least talk to you." Jayden stated. "Jacob, I'm almost _begging_ you to do this. Laura won't talk to me until then."

"So this is about-"

"All of us." Jayden interrupted. "Look at it like this, okay? I date Angelina, but I don't really like her, thus she gets hurt in the end. Laura gets frustrated with me because I dated Angelina and in turn I get pissed at you for not dating her in the first place. All four of us torn because you didn't have the balls to get out of the car and talk to her."

"But…" Jacob began. "What about Scarlett and Helen? Don't you like them too?"

"Are you listening to me? They're dating someone. I need someone to occupy Angelina's attention so Laura will date me." Jayden said. "Oh, and in turn, you go from nerd to hero."

Jacob sighed before gripping the door handle.

"What if she laughs at me?" Jacob asked.

"And how many times has Vanessa called you a nerd while you were dating?" Jayden responded blandly.

Damn, Jacob thought, he had a point. Opening the car door Jacob move his legs out of the vehicle, but remained sitting.

"What if this doesn't work and Laura still hates you?" Jacob asked.

"Then I'll be happy knowing that my friend still got a girl he deserved." Jayden said. "And if I can't be happy, then at least you should." Jayden smirked. "Unless you _were_ trying to date Kelly then-"

"I'll go." Jacob said getting out of the car.

Jayden laughed quietly. While Jacob and Kelly did not harbor any emotional feelings for each other, it was still fun to pick on them about their kiss. And if using that to anger Jacob out of the car was going to help, then by all means Jayden was going to do it.

Now, he just had to talk to Laura.

Jacob felt his palms sweaty as he approached Angelina, who was leaning against the wall beside the entry door to her apartment. She gave Jacob a polite smile that made him blush slightly.

"Um…" Jacob began. "H-hi. Jayden p-pulled one over b-both of us, huh?"

Angelina frowned slightly. "He didn't tell you what I said?"

"N-no…" Jacob answered.

"Oh…" Angelina stated.

The two stood in silence before Jacob cleared his throat.

"Um, what did you say?" Jacob asked.

"Oh, uh, I…" Angelina said blushing a bit. "I told him that I thought you were cute."

"Really?" Angelina giggled at the excitement from Jacob before he composed himself. "Uh, I mean, really?" Angelina nodded. "I… I think you're cute too…"

"Do you want to come in?" Angelina asked.

"S-sure." Jacob said.

As Jacob followed Angelina into the apartment had made a mental note to do something for Jayden later on.

* * *

Marc was currently walking down the street drinking a nice hot cup of chocolate that he had received from the Dot. He was heading home since James and Amber were together and Steven was currently MIA.

He would have made it home with little interruptions too, if one Deanna Fitzgerald had not stepped in his path.

"Uh, hi." Marc said.

"Hi? You think I want to hold a casual conversation with you?" Deanna replied. "Just who in the hell do you think you are stopping Mercedes and me from fighting another girl? One who already has a boyfriend, I might want to add."

"I think I'm Marc Milligan and I told you and your little friend to leave Helen alone." Marc said.

"Well, you'd live longer if you stay out of my business." Deanna said.

Marc sighed. "Look, little girl-"

"Deanna!" Deanna said angrily.

"Right… _Deanna_, I don't have anything against you. Well, yes I do. You're annoying." Marc replied. "But I said to leave Helen alone and I meant it. So just stay away from her and we'll have no problems."

"She doesn't even like you." Deanna stated.

Marc shrugged. "Now. But that's not important. Stop jumping people. It's annoying."

Marc began walking off before Deanna stepped in front of him again, this time close enough to put her finger on his chest.

"Listen here," Deanna said. "If I catch you in my house again going against _my_ plans, I will personally take you out myself. Okay?"

"I don't know who pissed in your cereal earlier," Marc said. "But you do realize that if I were the type, I could easily sling your little ass into traffic, right?" Deanna glared harder as Marc grabbed her hand and put it at her side. "Keep that to yourself. I'll see you around little girl."

Marc began walking away causing Deanna to grunt.

"It's Deanna!"

"Whatever." he replied nonchalantly.

Deanna sighed. "Calm down Deanna. He'll get his sooner or later. Remember, Scarlett first, Helen second, Torrie third, and then the grand finale. Marc Milligan."

* * *

Jordan sat alone at the Dot, aimlessly stirring a fry in ketchup. As she stared off into space, Tevin sat down at her table with a smile.

"Hey." Tevin said. Jordan nearly jumped out of her seat as she had not even seen him come in, let alone sit at her table. This caused Tevin to smile. "Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you."

"Oh, it's alright. I'm just thinking." Jordan replied.

"Really? I couldn't tell." Tevin stated with a grin. "Are you going to tell me what?"

Jordan sighed. "A loser named Dustin told A.J that I was at your party Saturday and I told him that we kissed and he broke up with me."

"Did you expect him not to after hearing that?" Tevin said. "But, he didn't seem like the kind to just let you go. So what else happened?"

"Get this. This…" Jordan paused. _"Slut,_ pounced on him the first chance she got and now they're going to the dance together!" Tevin frowned. "I think you know her. Chandra Torres."

"Yeah I know her. She was trying to flirt with me the first day we had that little meeting thing." Tevin said. "Wow… He sunk that low?"

"Yes! And now _I'm_ made the bad guy!" Jordan replied.

"Well… What are you going to do about it?" Tevin asked.

"I… I don't know." Jordan said. "I just wish there was someway I could make A.J… I don't know. Jealous like he's doing me."

Tevin smiled. "You could be my girlfriend."

Jordan blinked. "W-what? Are you serious?"

"If it'll help, yeah." Tevin said. "I mean, you don't have to. It's just a suggestion."

"Right…" Jordan said. "But, it was a good suggestion. In fact, the perfect suggestion. I'll do it."

"Well, that's settled then." Tevin replied. "So how about we go somewhere, girlfriend?"

Jordan rose. "Sure, boyfriend."

* * *

DeWayne was surprised to see Scarlett at his house, but was happy to see her nonetheless.

"Hey ba-" Scarlett put her hand in front of her, stopping DeWayne from kissing her. "What's wrong?"

"It was you, wasn't it?" Scarlett said. DeWayne frowned. "The blog. The cheater. It's you, isn't it?"

DeWayne sighed. "Yes."

"DeWayne, why couldn't you just tell me this yesterday? No. Scratch that. Why did you let it happen in the first place?" Scarlett asked angrily.

"It was just a simple kiss. That's all." DeWayne said. "Scarlett, I'm sorry. I really am."

"Jayden was right about you." Scarlett said.

DeWayne frowned. "Jayden? You're listening to him now?"

"When did I stop?" Scarlett asked defiantly. "And of course I'd listen to him. He keeps me from doing something that would make Helen proud like blowing your stepdad's mansion up." DeWayne blinked in shock. "I didn't only because I know he has two more houses elsewhere and it wouldn't really be a point in burning them all."

"I understand why you're mad at me, and you have every right to be," DeWayne said. "I just hope that you forgive me sooner or later." Scarlett scoffed. "Scarlett, I'm serious. I want you to forgive me. In fact," DeWayne stood with his hands behind his back. "Slap me."

"Slap you?" Scarlett nearly choked out.

DeWayne nodded. "I deserve it. Go ahead."

Scarlett stared at him in disbelief before backing towards the door.

"I'm going to go home. Slap yourself." Scarlett said.

"Okay." DeWayne stated. "And Scarlett, I'm sorry. Like I said, it was just one kiss and I was going to tell you about it sooner or later."

"Whatever." Scarlett said leaving the house, closing the door behind her. Scarlett began walking towards her cab before she got a text message. "DeWayne…"

She paused when she saw the message. It read: **I love you.** Scarlett looked at the house once more before getting into her taxi.

"Take me home." Scarlett said to the driver who had picked her up at her house earlier.

* * *

Later that night, Jacquelyn had finished her dance recital, gaining a standing ovation. While she was nervous from the start, she was now comfortable as the curtains had dropped. She walked backstage to see Shane and Nicole.

"You were great!" Nicole said excitedly. "One day, you're going to have to teach me some of those moves!"

"Let's just stick with cheerleading." Jacquelyn said before looking at Shane. "You actually came."

"Well, I got off like thirty minutes ago and I decided that it'd be best if I showed up late than not at all." Shane said. "Plus, Nicky called me like forty times, so I just figured I'd give my cell phone a rest."

"Right." Jacquelyn stated.

"Um, we have to go home and pack. Going to my dad's cabin and all." Shane said. "I'll let you two talk for a while. I'll be waiting in the truck Nicky."

Nicole nodded as Shane walked away. Nicole looked at Jacquelyn with a smile.

"Someone is waiting on you." Nicole said still smiling.

"Me? Who?" Jacquelyn asked.

"Scooter." Nicole said pointing.

Jacquelyn glanced at the boy leaning against the wall before turning towards Nicole.

"What is he doing here?" Jacquelyn whispered.

"Give him a chance Jackie." Nicole said. "He may be a jerk at times, but I told him that if he stepped out of line, I'd get him." Jacquelyn looked at Nicole with shock. Since when did Nicole become so dangerous? "Listen, just talk to him for five minutes. He really likes you. He told me so."

"Fine." Jacquelyn said, only because she really did not like the feeling of seeing Nicole a bit _too_ smitten with her ex. "You'd better be right about this Nicky."

Nicole gave her a playful wink. "Don't knock it until you try it."

Jacquelyn gave a small sigh before making her way towards Damon. His eyes immediately landed on her, though they did not roam. They stayed directly on her eyes.

"Um… Thanks for coming." Jacquelyn said awkwardly.

"No problem." Damon said. "You're actually good."

Jacquelyn raised her eyebrows. "Are you admitting that you like ballet?"

"Girls dancing in tights on stage? Kind of hard not to." Damon said. "Besides, um, I like you."

"Yeah. Well, that's good." Jacquelyn said. "I have to get going. Thanks for coming again."

"Hey Jackie," Damon said. "I was hoping that… Well, could you forget about all that stuff I've done in the past?" Jacquelyn looked at the boy as if he had grown two heads. "Come on. Stephanie somehow likes Nathan and Laura's even giving admitted to liking Jayden all of a sudden. You're better than both of them, so I know you can forgive people. Even if it is me."

"…" Jacquelyn was silent for a moment. "Uh, thanks, but… It doesn't really change anything though."

"Right." Damon said. "Well, like I said, you were great. Goodnight Jackie."

With that, Damon walked away leaving Jacquelyn stunned. Did she just hold a decent conversation with Damon McBride? And more importantly, did he admit into liking her? Jacquelyn looked over her shoulder at his retreating figure. He was kind of… No. This was still Damon. Or so that was what she told herself.

* * *

Almost sleep, Jayden felt his cell phone vibrate and moved to grab it from beneath his pillow. The cell-phone-under-the-pillow trick was actually something his aunt did and passed it off to Jayden and his cousin Deion.

"Yeah." Jayden said answering.

"Hey…" Jayden frowned a bit. It was Scarlett. "I couldn't sleep."

"So you called me? I think you were looking for the sandman." Jayden replied, gaining a quiet laugh. "What're you doing?"

"DeWayne told me that he loved me and I'm thinking." Scarlett said.

Jayden sat up slowly. "He said that?"

"In a text." Scarlett answered.

"Oh…" Jayden said. "I guess you're thinking about the Mercedes thing then, huh?"

"Yeah…" Scarlett said.

Jayden sighed. "Red, I don't know what to tell you. My mind isn't even fully awake now and even if it was, I'd still be thinking about everything else but that. Mainly because I hate both DeWayne and Mercedes, but a part of me _does_ want you two to break up."

"And the other half?" Scarlett questioned.

"Wants you to be happy no matter with who." Jayden said. "And that's the part I'm going to listen to."

The two sat in silence for a moment before Jayden heard Scarlett sigh silently.

"I talked to Laura today." Scarlett stated. "I basically told her that you were in to her and how you were trying to find some way to impress her. I don't think she listened to me very well because she just had this glare on her face like I shot her dad or something."

"What was the 'watch her back' part about?" Jayden asked.

"Uh, well, I told her that in the end…" Scarlett paused. "I think you know what I'm going to say."

"No. I don't. Enlighten me." Jayden said.

"Jerk… I told her that you and I were probably going to go back out. And if she did anything wrong to you before then, well, I'd take her out. Like I should have a long time ago." Scarlett said.

Jayden laughed silently. "I don't know if I'm talking to Scarlett or Helen now."

"I've just been having a rough day since you told me that thing about DeWayne." Scarlett announced. "And then you told me that you had feelings for Laura and I…"

"You what?" Jayden asked.

"I don't know. It's kind of like you. A part of me wants to just end it with DeWayne and stop anyone else from having you. And then a part of me wants you to be with someone you're happy with. Even if it isn't me." Scarlett answered.

"…" The two sat in silence again until Jayden spoke up. "Thanks. But, how about we change the subject?"

"Yeah." Scarlett said. "Going to the dance tomorrow?"

"By myself, but yeah, I am." Jayden answered.

"Well, you won't be going along anymore. I'll go with you. As friends." Scarlett said.

Jayden grinned. "Sure, but it doesn't make up for when you rejected me earlier this year."

"Whatever J.T." Scarlett said with a small laugh.


	54. S2 Episode XXII: Find The Real

**Episode XXII: Find The Real**

During lunch the following day, Jordan was more than annoyed that everyone had ditched her again. Ashton and Vanessa sat with one another at a table inside the cafeteria while Aaron, Chandra, Gabrielle, and Dustin sat outside. So she had actually gotten up and went outside to sit with her ex and his friends.

This proved to be a terrible mistake.

"What are you doing here?" Chandra asked.

"Sitting and eating my lunch. What are _you_ doing here? Making sure no one gets Dustin too?" Jordan replied.

"Jordan if you're going to come out here and start trouble, then maybe it's best that you go back into the cafeteria." Aaron stated.

"I came out here to tell you something." Jordan said. "I'm dating Tevin."

Chandra, Dustin, and Gabrielle glanced at Aaron as the normally calm boy shot a glare towards Jordan that made them all shiver. Aaron closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, calming down. Again, he was not Jayden.

"Fine." Aaron said.

"Fine?" Jordan repeated.

"Yes. Fine." Aaron replied. "I don't really care who you date, Jordan. And I honestly hope that you're happy with him. Just don't make the same mistake twice."

"It's going to be hard for her to cheat on Tevin with Tevin…" Dustin began before Aaron's glare turned towards him. "Right… I'm just going to go. See you guys later."

Dustin stood up and walked off followed by a long sigh from Aaron.

"Friends I have." Aaron muttered before turning towards Jordan. "You don't need my permission or approval to date Tevin, Jordan. Do what you want."

"I will. Thanks." Jordan said before glaring at Chandra. "You should be more like him."

"You mean I should lie more? Fine. I hope you _don't_ get hit by a bus on your way home." Chandra retorted.

"No wonder Steven slapped you. You're annoying." Jordan said.

Aaron gave Chandra a worried look as she glanced at Jordan with an angered and hurt expression.

"Go to hell Jordan!" Chandra called before storming off.

Aaron stood up. "Thanks a lot."

"Why do you even care?" Jordan asked.

"Because when you were going through your emotional withdrawals after the death of your granddad, I was there and Bambi said nothing to anger you about it." Aaron said. "All we ask is that you give us the same treatment in return."

"We?" Jordan said.

"Yeah. As in your faithful ex-boyfriend wanted you to be true as well. But I guess Shane and Kelly are right. You are spoiled and selfish." Aaron stated before walking after Chandra.

Jordan sighed heavily before glancing at Gabrielle.

"Are you going to say something wrong about me and walk away too?" Jordan asked.

Gabrielle shook her head. "No. I think they said everything."

* * *

Walking into Isabella's apartment, Danica was not surprised to see Raven lying on the couch, nearly sleep. Since Raven's father was hardly around, Raven learned to be independent growing up and worked like a dog. Still, Danica could not resist the urge to scare the crap out of her.

"WAKE UP!" Danica shouted in Raven's ear, causing the younger woman to flail on the couch. Danica laughed. "That was priceless!"

Raven groaned. "Why do you have to do that?"

"You mean wake you up so we can go hangout? I think it's because you can't hangout with us asleep." Danica replied before pillow met the back of her head. She turned to see Isabella's stern face. "What? She deserved it."

"Danni, why is it that on your last day here before leaving for California, you're at your worst?" Isabella asked.

"Gee I'm sorry. I thought _you_ called _me_ over." Danica said. "So what's so important that it stops me from hanging out with my parents?"

"Your brother pulled one over us." Isabella said.

Danica frowned. "What? How?"

"Do you remember when Angie told us that he asked her all those questions and he really seemed into her?" Isabella said and Danica nodded. "It was to set her up with his band member, Jacob."

Danica smiled. "I figured as much."

"You did?" Isabella asked.

"Yeah," Danica answered. "He's sprung over another girl, which is something I was trying my best to stop. Oh well. You win some, you lose some."

"To think we could've been in-laws." Isabella said.

"I know." Danica said. "Oh well. I guess we're just going to have to be stuck being friends." Danica turned to see Raven had dozed off once more. "She does this quite often, huh?"

"Doze off? Yeah. Should've seen her as a kid. Fell off a bike one time because she was so tired." Isabella responded with a smile.

"And what were you doing when she did that?" Danica asked, now looking at Isabella.

"Not a boy if that's what you were thinking." Isabella said. "I was sitting back watching it happen. I was off duty when that happened." Danica sniggered quietly before she looked down at Raven. "Don't scare her up this time. She's had a rough night."

"Sure." Danica said. "So. Ready to do one last shopping spree before I go?"

"Let's." Isabella said.

* * *

Back in the Degrassi cafeteria, Helen and Scarlett had both conspired to strangle the hyper Nicole if said blonde did not stop bouncing in her seat. Obviously, Nicole and Shane's plans were going along as smoothly as could be as she did not even respond to Scarlett and Jayden coming to the dance together.

Yet.

"So," Helen said. "Another night where I'll have to be by myself."

"Why not come to the dance?" Jacquelyn asked.

"Because I have something more important to do like see my boyfriend. Duh." Helen retorted. "And why are you coming to the dance? Haven't you danced enough this week?"

Jacquelyn shrugged. "I don't know. I just want to see who'll be there."

"Maybe she's waiting on- Ow!" Nicole said as Jacquelyn openly elbowed her in her arm. "That hurt!"

"Then be quiet." Jacquelyn nearly hissed before turning towards Helen and Scarlett. "It's nothing, really."

"Oh really?" Helen asked leaning on her elbows.

"Well, well," Jayden said sitting beside Helen. "If it isn't my favorite table of cheerleaders and an extra." Scarlett rolled her eyes at being referred to as an "extra". "So, anyone want to sing a farewell song for me before leaving? It'll be the best Christmas present ever."

"No because you'll be back and that means you'll be even _more_ annoying." Helen replied.

Jayden smiled. "I think that was sarcasm."

"It wasn't." Helen muttered before glancing at her silent cousin and then back at Jayden. "Say, when did you two decide you were going to the dance together again?"

"Uh, yesterday." Jayden said.

"Two days ago." Scarlett stated.

Helen smirked. "I think someone was up late again with a certain ex. Naughty, naughty."

"Helen," Jayden said. "I thought we weren't going to tell people what we did anymore."

Helen blushed slightly. "Shut up and go get your damn drink."

"I'll do it later." Jayden said with a smile. Helen's flustered face caused Nicole to giggle and Jacquelyn to smile. No one got under Helen's skin like Jayden did. "But, we are going to the dance and that's that. It's Scarlett's present to me."

"And what are you giving her?" Helen asked.

"Next to my awesome presence? I don't know." Jayden said.

"I think you should get her some earrings." Nicole said. "Nothing says 'I love you' more than jewelry. More specifically a ring but…"

"Someday, Scarlett's going to say that she's dating DeWayne and you all are going to take her seriously." Jayden said. "She has a boyfriend Nicky. Why would I want to tell her that I love her when he'll just get mad and I'll be put into _another_ Coyne love battle. The first one was enough for me."

Nicole smiled. "I'm just saying…" Shane sat down beside Nicole. "Hey Shane!"

"Hey…" Shane said before looking at Jayden. "Has she been like this all day?"

"You should know. You live with her." Helen replied. "So, tell me Plain Shane, what non-romantic plan have you concocted with your girlfriend."

"And what prank have you and J.T made for the holiday. Tell me now so I won't be angry about it later." Scarlett said.

"Well," Shane said. "Nicky and I are going to leave like twenty minutes after the dance begins to get a head start for my dad's cabin. Of course, we have to pick up Kelly who says she'll be able to sneak out, but that's her problem if she doesn't. And we're first going to put up the decorations."

"Except the star. The star is for Jordan." Nicole added.

"Right… Anyway, and then we're going to wait until my mom and dad and Sean gets up there tomorrow." Shane said.

"Wow. Sounds like an awful lot for Plain Shane." Helen said.

"And the prank?" Scarlett asked, casting a dangerous glance towards Jayden.

"No holiday prank." Jayden said. "Halloween was it for the year. I promise."

Shane nodded. "I swear. He's leaving for Cali and I'm leaving for the cabin. No time for pranks."

"Besides," Jayden said. "Who would we get? You and Helen are a little… How should I put this?"

"Scary." Shane said.

"Let's go with that," Jayden replied. "Nicky has boyfriend immunity and there's really no reason to prank Jackie. She's our favorite shared ex."

"Oh really?" Scarlett asked glaring at Jayden.

"You know you get this cute little wrinkle on your forehead when you do that?" Jayden asked with a smile.

"Go easy on him Scarlett, he's just happy it's Winter Break." Jacquelyn said.

"Of course I am. I'm going home." Jayden said before sighing happily. "As if I needed another reason to love my parents, they do something like this."

Scarlett frowned. "You don't like it here anymore?"

"It's not that. It's just… Well, you and Helen have had each other from the start right? Best of friends." Jayden said. "My neighbor was sort of like that. Actually, our street was like that. And while I truly like being in your company, I do miss my old friends."

"Aw," Helen said pinching Jayden's cheek. "He's sensitive."

"Yeah, yeah," Jayden said rising. "Come on Red. It's time we get our daily drinks and leave these losers behind."

Scarlett smiled. "I'm coming J.T." Scarlett glanced at Helen's smirking face. "Don't say a word Helen or you'll miss Christmas and then some."

"Go ahead." Helen said as Scarlett stood up and walked away with Jayden. "Lovebirds."

* * *

On her way to sixth period, Laura felt a bit insecure for some reason. She had heard of the rumors that Jayden and Scarlett had reconciled and were going to the dance together, but she had not confronted either of the two. In fact, she was trying to avoid both of them just in case the allegations were true.

Unfortunately, she did not make it all the way to her class before Jayden had caught up with her, walking alongside Dakota.

"Hey." Jayden said.

"…" Laura paused in her response. If she gave him a nasty response like she wanted to, he would just get angered and nothing would have been gained. But if she sounded too depressed, he would soon target in on what it was that was causing her sadness, thus another heartfelt confession.

"Are you alright Laura?" Dakota asked.

"Of course I am." Laura replied. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Hmm… Let's see…" Jayden began.

"I'm fine, alright? Damn, you act like I can't walk down the hall quietly for once." Laura said.

"Uh-oh. It's her defensive anger." Jayden said. "Yep. So what did I do now Laura? Tell me so I can put this on my 'Reasons I don't date Laura now' list."

"You have a list of- Never mind. There's nothing on my mind. Seriously." Laura said, though Jayden and Dakota gave her disbelieving looks. "I'm serious."

"Well, if everything's alright, then I'll let it go." Jayden said. "I have to get to class. See you two later before I leave?"

"Like hell you will." Laura muttered.

Jayden frowned. "What is it now?"

"I… You…" Laura paused. "Just one question Jayden." Jayden nodded. "Are you taking Scarlett to the dance?"

"Yeah, but it's just as friends. It's my understanding that she still dates DeWayne." Jayden said. "I would've asked Dash, but she doesn't do dances and you've already rejected my offer."

"Mm-hmm. I just wanted to know." Laura said. "Come on Dash. We're going to be late."

"Right. I'll call before you leave." Dakota said to Jayden.

"Right, but before then," Jayden said turning Laura and kissing her. "Since I won't see you until after Christmas, I thought I'd get my present from you early. See you later."

Laura stood completely frozen as the boy walked off while Dakota allowed her friend to come off of her high. After Laura sighed, Dakota then spoke.

"Come on Laura," Dakota said. "You can tell me just why you're jealous now."

"Right." Laura said quietly.

* * *

Steven sat at the table in a gray jumpsuit before Jimmy sat down across from him. The officer closed the door to the small room, leaving the two to talk in privacy.

"I just got word from Drew, and they have you on camera." Jimmy began. "It doesn't look well, but if you take the bargain I made, then you'll be fine."

"Bargain? What's the bargain?" Steven asked.

"You must take a therapy session class after school everyday of the school week for fifteen weeks. If you miss a class or slip up, you will be sent to either a prison or a rehabilitation center." Jimmy explained. "As well as you being transferred to another school. You are not allowed to come into contact with Chandra without any adult supervision and it must be school-related."

"…" Steven thought about his options before sighing. "Fine. I'll take the bargain." Jimmy gave a small grin before placing the small packet and pen in front of Steven. "So what now?"

"You sign this and the next hearing we have will be the final one. Your therapy and transfer will happy as soon as you're back in school." Jimmy said. "However, you'll probably have to stay in here for another day or two. Just to appease Drew."

"Right." Steven said before Jimmy showed him the two lines that he had to sign. "Why aren't my parents with you now?"

"Ash and I talked and it was best if I talked to you alone." Jimmy said before Steven handed Jimmy the signed documents. "If your dad were to hear this, he would probably get you to go through with the case and you'd be here until your re-sentencing at eighteen."

Steven had no clue on whether the judge could do that or not, but he was happy that Jimmy had gotten him to take the bargain. Jimmy rose from his seat.

"Thank you for this Steven. I'll make sure Judge Greene sees this before Drew submits his new evidence." Jimmy said.

"Thanks." Steven said to Jimmy who knocked on the door three times.

"No problem." Jimmy said leaving the room. Walking down the dark, gray halls, Jimmy took out his cell phone and speed-dialed a number. "Hey, Drew, it's Jimmy. I got the bargain."

* * *

Jordan watched her older siblings leave their mom's house before sighing heavily. Emma gave Jordan a curious glance.

"You're not going to the dance?" Emma asked. It was out of the kindness of her heart that she even allowed Jordan to venture out of the house for the event.

"…" Jordan had half the heart to lie to her mom again, but decided against it. "No. Tevin and I wanted to go to the movies."

"And this movie is ending…?" Emma asked.

"At ten." Jordan answered before she saw a taxi pull in front of the house. "That's my ride Mom."

"Jordan, come here." Emma said before Jordan walked towards her mother. Emma gave her a hug. "Don't get into any trouble, understand? I don't want to ground you on Christmas."

"Sure Mom." Jordan said before Emma released her. "See you later!"

"Yeah." Emma said with a smile as her daughter left.

* * *

Jayden had no idea on how he got put into this situation before the dance, but here he was, at the Fitzgeralds' home, watching Scarlett talking to DeWayne.

"So," DeWayne said. "You're going to the dance with Jayden?"

Scarlett nodded. "Yes I am."

"And that'll make up for me kissing Mercedes?" DeWayne questioned.

"That's what I plan." Scarlett said. "Unless you have a problem with J.T taking me to the dance and we can call it quits right here."

"No, no, go ahead." DeWayne replied before smiling. "I'm glad you forgive me."

"Don't thank me. Thank him." Scarlett said pointing towards the car.

"Why him?" DeWayne asked.

"Because… Let's just say if he wasn't into another girl right now, I would've sent you a text breaking up with you." Scarlett said before giving DeWayne a chaste kiss on the cheek. "Call you later."

"Sure." DeWayne said as he watched Scarlett walk towards the red Mercedes. "I'm so lucky…"

Scarlett got into the car and looked at Jayden.

"What?" Jayden asked.

"…" Scarlett sat quietly before sighing. "Nothing. Let's just go to the dance. As friends."

"Sure." Jayden replied, understanding what her problem was. "Like I said, this doesn't fix what you did to me at the Back-to-School dance."

Scarlett smiled. "If you weren't driving, I'd slap you now. I'll just wait."

Jayden grinned. "I'll be waiting."

* * *

At the dance, Vanessa danced with Ashton to the upbeat song. It was kind of weird for her to see him smile so much, but it only made her smile more. Then again, James had always told Vanessa that her smiles were contagious.

When the song ended Vanessa and Ashton joined Aaron and Chandra for some punch.

"Having fun without your ex, Santos?" Ashton asked.

"Are you?" Aaron retorted his eyes going towards Dustin and Gabrielle talking and laughing.

"Figures. You don't like Tevin and I never liked Dustin, yet they stole our girls." Ashton said.

"Karma." Aaron stated.

"Ahem," Chandra said with a hand on her hip. "And just what are we?"

"…" Neither Aaron nor Ashton had a response before Ashton held a finger up. "Two really attractive girls who are helping us in times of need."

"Wrong answer." Vanessa said.

"Two better-than-our-exes girls who we are thankful for coming with us to the dance." Aaron stated.

"Hmm, that's better." Chandra said. "Now come on. Let's go dance."

"Right." Aaron said before giving Ashton a victorious smirk and walking away with Chandra.

"That sly son of a…" Ashton paused before looking at Vanessa. "Hey, I'm sorry about worrying over Brie."

"No problem." Vanessa said.

Jacob walked hesitantly into the gym and immediately felt all eyes on him. He realized that it was not him who they were staring at, no, it was Angelina walking beside him that had gained everyone's attention.

"Hot damn…" Shane muttered beneath his breath.

Jacob made his way towards Shane and Nicole.

"Hey." Jacob said. "Angel, this is Shane's girlfriend Nicky. You didn't meet her Saturday."

"Please to meet you." Angelina said.

"Same." Nicole said before looking at Shane. "Where's Jay and Scarlett? We have to leave soon."

"I know." Shane said before spotting the said duo entering the gym. "There they are."

"Hey," Jayden said coming towards them. "You would not believe the traffic out there." Shane gave a small nod. Jayden then looked at Angelina. "Hey Angel. How's your night been?"

"Great." Angelina said. "Jacob, do you want to dance?"

"Sure." Jacob said before looking at his friends. "I'll talk to you guys later."

"Take your time." Shane said as he watched Jacob walk away with Angelina. "So you hooked him up with one of the sexiest girls in the country for what reason again?"

"You know," Jayden responded. "You wouldn't believe me when I tell you that _she_ thought he was cute."

"Ouch." Shane said.

"Right," Jayden said. "But for tonight, I'm going to take a step backwards just this once." Jayden grabbed Scarlett's hand gently. "This way, Madame President."

"Lead the way, Mr. McDuelle." Scarlett said with a smile as she as Jayden walked away.

"You ever think that they still like each other?" Nicole asked Shane.

"All the time." Shane responded.

* * *

Despite having to leave in less than an hour, Maxwell and Manny lied in their bed, dressed, while Maxwell held his wife.

"Your birthday is tomorrow." Manny said.

"I know." Maxwell replied. "And all I want is to lie in bed with you all day. No kids. No parents. No problems."

Manny smiled. "I can do that."

"Guess who?" Danica said opening their door. Her parents gave her an annoyed stare, but she ignored them. She had been used to this for almost fifteen years now. "I thought you guys were leaving soon? I drove all the way down here for nothing."

"You drove down here because you're somehow attached to your parents." Maxwell stated.

Danica pouted. "Are you calling me annoying?"

"In a nice way." Maxwell said with a smile. He motioned Danica to come towards him and she instantly kicked her shoes off and lied in the bed with her parents. "Now, when's the last time this has happened? Before Jay?"

"I think so." Manny said as Danica lied her head on her mother's shoulder. "And she didn't have all this hair either."

"Well that's a given. Her parents have long hair." Maxwell said before Renée and Jenée darted into the room. "No. Please don't-"

"Come on. There's plenty of space for everyone." Danica interrupted as the twins got into the bed.

Manny sighed. "That birthday wish of yours should turn into a prayer, quick."

"I know." Maxwell said. "Oh well, might as well call the others."

Manny sat up. "Chris! Kitty! Come here please!"

Danica scoffed. "Gee Mama, why don't you just get up and go find them?"

"Because I'm off duty right now. I'm no one's mother." Manny said as she repositioned herself on her husband.

"Uh-huh! You're our mommy!" Jenée said, crawling onto Manny and Maxwell.

"You're getting too heavy to be doing that." Maxwell muttered before his youngest son and second eldest daughter appeared in the doorway. "Come lie in the bed. We're going to lie here until it's time to go."

"Sure Daddy." Katya said moving towards the bed, soon followed by Christian.

"Who's bright idea was it to have seven kids?" Danica asked.

"It better not be yours." Manny muttered before Maxwell pointed towards his wife. "What? It was not my idea."

"Let me see. 'Max, I want three girls and three boys.' That was you, right?" Maxwell said. "It's not _my_ fault that you had twins. I mean, we had the three boys."

"You know Dad, it kind of is your fault that she had twins, but for the sake of the underage audience in the room, I'll keep it to myself." Danica said.

Maxwell smiled. "Good."

"Daddy when is Jay and A.J coming home?" Renée asked.

"After their dance is over." Maxwell answered. "They deserve a break too, you know."

"Will I get to go to the dance?" Katya asked.

"Nope." Danica answered. "Pretty girls like you and me have to stay back because your father doesn't want any boy putting his nasty hands on you."

"Yes, Kitty, you will." Manny stated. "All of you will or have."

"Mommy why did you give Laura the 'evil eye?'" Jenée asked.

"What's the 'evil eye?'" Renée added.

"And is she his girlfriend? Renée thinks so." Jenée said.

There was silence within the room before Danica broke into a fit of laughter. Her parents were always the type to answer all questions that came their way, save for a few. And this was one of the few that the McDuelle couple tried to stir away from.

"Uh, I gave her a mean look because…" Manny began to think of something to say.

"Because Laura hurt Jayden's feelings." Maxwell finished. The twins gave a collective "oh" and Danica grunted at how easy they fell for that lie. "But they're friends again so don't worry about it."

"And, no, she isn't his girlfriend." Manny inputted.

"Well…"

"No, she isn't." Manny said, cutting her husband off.

"Whatever you say Dimples." Maxwell said giving his wife a kiss.

"Ew!"

"Oh come on."

Maxwell and Manny laughed as all of their present children had a problem with seeing their parents kiss. Danica included.

* * *

Jayden and Scarlett danced to the slow song, her head resting on his shoulder.

"I hate the fact that I have to leave soon." Jayden told her.

"I know." Scarlett said. "It doesn't help that I'm seeing DeWayne either."

Jayden laughed a bit. "If you're seeing him right now, you're good because he's at home and you're at school." Scarlett smiled. "So for the moment, you're seeing me and I'm seeing you. Nothing more and nothing less."

"If only life were that simple." Scarlett said before Jayden's cell phone began ringing.

"You have got to be kidding me…" Jayden said before reaching into his pocket and answering it. "Hello?"

"Jay, it's Dakota," Dakota said. "I, um, need you to go find Laura."

"And why won't you?" Jayden asked.

"Because she doesn't want to see me." Dakota answered. Jayden sighed. "Look, I've done my part in helping you two out, but I can't do everything. So go find her Jayden before she makes a mistake."

"You're right. I'm on my way out now." Jayden said. "Bye."

"Bye." Dakota said before hanging up.

Jayden put his cell phone back into his pocket and looked at Scarlett. Her saddened smile told him everything that he did not want to know.

"Go find her." Scarlett said. "I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Jayden asked.

"Yeah. Just drop me off first." Scarlett responded before kissing Jayden's cheek. "And merry Christmas J.T."

Jayden only smiled before heading out with Scarlett behind him.

* * *

Chandra was a little down that Aaron was returning to New York to spend Christmas, but she was still happy that she had a pretty good night.

"Thanks for the dance A.J." Chandra said.

"I thought _you_ took _me_ to the dance since I took you to the concert." Aaron said.

Chandra blinked before smiling. "Yeah, you're right." Aaron smiled before looking at the taxi behind him. "Are you still bummed out about Jordan and Tevin?"

"…" Aaron froze before looking at Chandra. "A little."

"Oh. I thought I could help with that." Chandra said.

Aaron gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"You have." Aaron said with a smile before backing towards the car. "See you next year."

"Yeah." Chandra said with a smile.

As Aaron got into the back of the taxi and it drove off, Chandra realized that this had been the third boy to kiss her this year that completely surprised her. The first had been Jayden, then Dustin, and now Aaron.

"Chandra, come in honey." Alli said, breaking Chandra's thoughts.

"Coming Mom." Chandra said before heading for her front door.

* * *

Shane looked next to him as Nicole slept peacefully in the passenger seat as he drove up to his father's cabin. He was happy that they had decided to do this, but a bit disappointed that Nicole had fallen asleep.

"Mom's not happy." Kelly said hanging up. "But she can't leave until Jordan returns. We should be there with everything set up by then."

"I figured." Shane said before eying Kelly in the backseat. "Thanks Kelly."

"No problem." Kelly said. "Just remember to get me something real nice, okay?"

"Deal." Shane responded. "I just hope that her parents will forgive her soon."

"Me too. But then again, I like having her in the house. She's like the sister I've always asked for." Kelly stated.

Shane smiled. "You mean the sister-in-law, right? If she was _your_ sister, she'd be _my_ sister too and I couldn't date _my_ sister."

"True." Kelly said. "You know, I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks." Shane said. "Just don't put this in your first article at the Core."

Kelly laughed. "Deal bro."

* * *

Ashton and Vanessa had had a great night at the dance and were currently outside of Vanessa's apartment complex, though Ashton swore they were condos.

"Well, see you after Winter Break." Ashton said moving towards Ashley's car.

"Would you go out with me?" Vanessa quickly said. Ashton stopped and looked at her. "I know that you just broke up with Brie but I talked to her and she said it was alright with her."

"What?" Ashton asked.

"I talked to her yesterday about it…" Vanessa said. "I like you Ashton."

Ashton frowned in confusion. "Since when?"

"Does it matter? I do, alright? And I just wanted to tell you and ask you out." Vanessa said. "It's cool if you don't, I mean, we're still friends… Hopefully."

Ashton shrugged. "Why not?"

"Seriously?" Vanessa asked with a smile.

"Tis the season, right?" Ashton replied before Vanessa wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a deep kiss. The kiss was soon interrupted by a car horn. "Uh, my mom is sitting right over there, but that was good."

Vanessa smiled. "See you later Ashton."

"Right." Ashton said moving towards his mother's car, a smile growing on his face. Ashton got into Ashley's car to see her amused face. "For the record, she kissed me."

Ashley smiled. "I didn't say anything."

* * *

Mr. Reynolds opened the door to see Jayden standing with three wrapped gifts in his hands.

"Uh, hey Jayden, Laura's-"

"Here and doesn't want to speak to me." Jayden interrupted. "Her mom told me." Mr. Reynolds frowned slightly. "Um, these are for her. May you please make sure she gets these?"

"Yeah." Mr. Reynolds said taking the gifts. "Where are you going?"

"I have to get to the airport. Going back to California for Christmas to visit friends and family." Jayden answered. "I really wanted to talk to Laura before I left but…"

"She's in her room if you want to speak to her that badly." Mr. Reynolds said.

"No. I'm not going to force myself onto her." Jayden replied with a small smile. "Just tell her that I said Merry Christmas and that I'm sorry for being so slow. I should've seen it from the start."

Mr. Reynolds frowned. "Is there something going on between you two? Something that's stopping her from coming to the door?"

"I was an idiot, that's all and she was trying to beat it into me that I was an idiot." Jayden said. "You have a real special daughter Mr. Reynolds. I can only hope that one day, she'll forgive me."

"Forgive you for what, exactly?" Mr. Reynolds asked.

"I'm not going to lie to you sir, your daughter and I were really on the verge of dating, but every time we got too close for her comfort, another female friend of mine would divert my attention." Jayden said. "At first, I always pinned this on Laura because she always got mad and walked away. But I actually see why she does it. She doesn't like to relive the feeling of someone leaving her and she knew that if Scarlett or Angelina called me, I would run off to help them." Jayden paused. "Plus, when I first met her, I wasn't all that nice to her. She deserves better than what I was and what I am. That's why I'm apologizing."

Mr. Reynolds stared at Jayden in mild disbelief. While he may have thought or believed that Jayden was in love was his daughter, there was no denying it now.

"You know, you won't hear this from me a lot," Mr. Reynolds said. "But I like you Jayden. While I doubt that you're this respectful twenty-four seven, you at least know how to make a man's daughter feel good about herself."

Jayden smiled. "Thanks Mr. Reynolds. But I have to go now. Hopefully, I'll be back over here when I return from California. Like I said, it's really up to Laura if she wants to see me again." Jayden paused. "Oh, and Merry Christmas yourself."

"Merry Christmas." Mr. Reynolds said as Jayden walked towards his mother's car where Aaron sat in the passenger seat.

"So this is where she lives." Aaron stated.

"Back off twerp, this one is mine." Jayden said as he backed out of the driveway.

Mr. Reynolds sat the presents under the tree in his living room before Laura poked her head out of her bedroom.

"These are from Jayden." Mr. Reynolds said. "He says Merry Christmas and that he's sorry for being so slow. Said that he now understands that you hate the feeling of losing someone close and he's sorry for not being 'nice' to you when you met." Laura frowned before coming out of her room completely. "Laura, is there something you're not telling me?"

"There's a card." Laura stated.

Mr. Reynolds frowned before looking at the card by his feet. Jayden must have slipped it in-between the boxes. Walking towards it, Laura bent down and picked it up. She was seconds away from opening the envelope before her father stopped her.

"Wait for Christmas. At least Christmas Eve." Mr. Reynolds said.

"Dad, that's like a week away." Laura said. "What if it's something important?"

Mr. Reynolds sighed. "Teenagers… Go ahead. But only the card."

Laura wasted little time opening the envelope and then staring at the card. It was a bear standing with its arms cross, eyes closed, and nose in the air. The words "I don't miss you" on the top of the card. Angered, Laura opened the card to see the bear in the same position, except in a desert somewhere in a river, an alligator staring at the bear with curiosity. Now the words "But I'm in De Nile" was on the other half of the inside, bringing a smile to her face. She stared at Jayden's written words.

_Hey, I know you're probably still pissed about the whole Scarlett and Angelina thing, so here's what I did. I told Scarlett to stay with DeWayne. I mean, I cheated on her too right? No need in judging him. As for Angelina, she's probably off with Jacob somewhere. Yeah, Jacob Isaacs, the boy who I stopped you from picking on in ninth grade. For the new year, I'm going to try my best to change to your liking, I swear. Just do me a favor and stay safe and sober until then, okay? Oh, and by the way, I do love you too. I probably loved you first but you're too stubborn to admit it._

Laura laughed a bit before reading the rest.

_I hope you'll forgive me soon. I can't stand Dash telling me how stupid I am. You're right. She can be a bit whiny. Well, here's my heartfelt confession to you. I hope it helps. _

_ Again, I love you._

_ Jayden T. McDuelle_

Laura stared at the card for a second before turning around quietly and going to her room. She closed her door quietly and lied in her bed. She reached for her cell phone and dialed Jayden's number, only for it to go straight to voicemail. She chose not to leave a message.

She would have to wait until he returns to tell him that she forgave him.


	55. S2 Episode XXIII: Bells Will Be Ringing

**Episode XXIII: Bells Will Be Ringing**

Shane groaned again. Christmas or not, it was still a day of the week where he did not have school and wanted to sleep at least until noon. But his sister Anastasia was not having any of that. She nor his girlfriend.

"Get up Shane!" Anastasia called.

"Ana, go away." Shane said. The sun was not even up and here she was jumping on his bed. He felt someone get in bed with him. "Ana-"

"I'm not your sister." Nicole said.

Shane groaned. "Nicky… Please let me sleep?"

"Uh, no. Your mom told me to wake you up and use any force necessary." Nicole said. "Meaning the ski plans we made."

Shane's eyes opened. He and Nicole had actually had sex for the first time two days before Christmas while his parents and grandmother went skiing. They decided to call their sexual activities the 'ski plans' from now on to remind them of the first time. And today, Emma, Sean, Gavin, and Jack were taking the others sledding giving Shane and Nicole the perfect time to go again.

"That's not fair." Shane said before sitting up, only for Anastasia to tackle him. He swore sometimes she was more rough than he was. "Ana, I'm up, okay? Don't put me back down."

"But it's Christmas!" the little girl said happily before Jordan was at Shane's doorway. "Hey Jordan!"

"Shane, Mom says to hurry up or Jack and Maddox are going to split your presents amongst themselves." Jordan said.

"I'm coming." Shane said sitting up for a second time.

Anastasia jumped off of Shane's bed and ran out of the room. Nicole then rose with a smile on her face.

"Come on Shane," Nicole said extending her hand. "I don't think your mom likes it when we're in a room by ourselves."

Shane took Nicole's hand. "You're right but," Shane pulled Nicole onto the bed on top of him. "I do."

Nicole giggled before Shane kissed her.

"Merry Christmas." Shane said.

"Merry Christmas." Nicole replied.

* * *

Laura had woken up with a slight tingling sensation in her stomach. She had no clue on why it was there, Christmas was never really a big deal since her mother left, but today she felt extra… Happy. Getting out of her bed she moved to her window and looked out. Snow on the ground and gray skies signaling more to come.

Perfect ice skating weather.

Moving away from her window she slipped on her bedroom shoes and slipped out of her bedroom, only to meet a surprising sight. Her mother and father talking. Not shouting. Not arguing. Talking.

"Well, look who finally decided to join us." Bianca said.

Laura tried to say something, anything, but her jaws would not move nor would her voice come out of her throat.

"I think you've stunned her." Mr. Reynolds said. "She's not used to having you here for Christmas."

Bianca rolled her eyes. "You think I _don't_ know that? Jesus John, you haven't changed a bit."

"Neither have you." Mr. Reynolds said with a small smile.

Laura's eyes went from her parents to the presents in the room. There were more than there were yesterday.

"Where'd they come from?" Laura asked her dad.

"Let's just say you have great friends." Bianca answered. "They really care for you."

"Right." Laura said moving towards three presents in particular. The ones from Jayden. "Let me guess, Jayden called you down here?"

Bianca frowned. "What? No. I came because I can. You got a problem with that?"

Laura shook her head. "No. I just… I guess I'm just really happy."

Bianca snorted. "Is that what you're calling it? I thought you'd have an orga-"

"We're happy." Mr. Reynolds said, cutting Bianca off.

"Orgasm." Bianca finished, shooting a glare at her ex.

Mr. Reynolds sighed. "Thanks for not saying it Bee."

Laura sat on the floor, her legs folded, and opened the smallest of gifts Jayden had given her first. She eyed the small white box before opening it. Her eyes widened as she pulled out golden necklace, with a small diamond heart pendant.

"Holy sh… Crap." Bianca said sitting up. "Let me see that." Laura hesitantly gave the necklace to her mother. Bianca whistled. "Yeah, he's got it bad for you."

"Real?" Mr. Reynolds asked.

"Real deal." Bianca answered before handing it back to Laura. "If you're still playing hard-to-get with him, now is the time to quit and give yourself up."

Laura smiled. "Sure Mom. And next you'll tell me to marry him."

"You would make me some cute, rich, talented grandbabies." Bianca stated. Mr. Reynolds frowned fiercely. "I'm just playing. Sort of."

* * *

"We got a car!" Helen and Scarlett squealed in unison.

"Your parents are awesome!" Scarlett said.

"I know!" Helen replied before stopping. "Wait, _my_ parents got _me_ a car."

"No. The note clearly says to _share_ it. Besides, it came to _my_ house." Scarlett responded.

Helen crossed her arms. "My parents, my car."

Scarlett scoffed. "Leave it to Princess Helen to ruin a good thing."

Fiona merely rolled her eyes. Sometimes Helen and Scarlett acted more like sisters than cousins.

"Share the car or lose it." Fiona said to the two girls.

Helen sighed. "Fine…" Helen's smile then returned. "We got a car!"

"I know!" Scarlett said smiling as well. "I can't wait…" Helen frowned as she saw Scarlett's smile slowly disappear. "Uh, nothing. I just had a thought."

Helen's eyes looked into Scarlett's blue ones before tracing them to whatever it was Scarlett was looking at. When they landed on Jayden's dark house, she sighed quietly. Sometimes she wished Scarlett would just tell him how she felt.

"Let's go back in." Helen said. "I'm freezing!"

"Good idea." Fiona said. "Come on Scarlett."

"Coming." Scarlett said before following her mother and cousin into her house.

Coach Blue got off the phone with a small smile.

"That was your cousin, Victoria," he said to his wife. "Looks like we're going to have visitors."

Helen and Scarlett groaned in sync causing Fiona to smile.

"Girls, go upstairs and prepare for your cousins." Fiona said. "And don't give Torrie a hard time. You normally do."

"Maybe we should hit her with our car." Helen suggested as she and Scarlett walked up the steps.

"No. Getting off for murder _and_ cleaning her off of the hood would be too much work." Scarlett replied.

"Right." Helen said.

* * *

Gabrielle listened to the snow crunching beneath her boots as she made her way to her father's house. When she left, her mother was talking to her grandmother which meant that she was going to be on the phone for a while.

"What are you doing walking alone?" Gabrielle stopped to see Nathan with his hands in his pockets.

"Um… I'm going to Dad's house." Gabrielle answered.

"So was I." Nathan said. "Come on. Let's go."

"O… Okay." Gabrielle said before catching up to Nathan. "Uh, Merry Christmas Nate."

Nathan looked down at Gabrielle.

"Merry Christmas Brie." Nathan replied.

Gabrielle was shocked to hear him say this, but smiled anyway. The two walked down the sidewalk with Gabrielle having to put effort in her steps to keep up with her brother.

"Has Dustin stopped picking on you yet?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah. In fact, he's helping me get over Ashton." Gabrielle answered.

"Hmm…" Nathan hummed in thought. "Oh well. Can't say I'm a Steven Manning fan."

Gabrielle frowned. "Why? Did he do something to you?"

"He tried. I just don't take shit from anyone, you know?" Nathan stated. He then remembered what Stephanie had told him and looked at Gabrielle. "I meant, I don't take 'crap' from anyone."

"It's okay if you cuss. I don't mind." Gabrielle said.

"Good," Nathan said. "Because that's the only way I know how to say something at times."

Gabrielle smiled. "Kind of like Dad."

"I'm… Sure you're right." Nathan said, swallowing his pride for the sake of this one day. What he really wanted to say was that he was nothing like Jay. "So, how is it that you just took a liken to the guy so fast?"

Gabrielle shrugged. "I don't know. I just went to see him and I just did. Like he understood me and wanted to make everything up."

Nathan nodded. "Right. When I went to see him he just yells and jacks me up. You must be his favorite."

"You're still mad at him, aren't you?" Gabrielle asked. Nathan looked at his sister, wondering if she really was the smart one between the two. "I was mad too when I first found out but… But now… I don't know. I'm just happy to know him."

"Happy? Happy for what?" Nathan asked.

"That I got to meet him." Gabrielle answered quietly.

Nathan frowned before remembering that Gabrielle had probably never really known much of their dad since he had left almost instantly after her birth. Nathan idly wondered which one of them had it worse. For him, it was to know that your dad was alive and did not care. For Gabrielle, it was not knowing anything and being left in the dark. Nathan sighed, figuring he had the better deal.

It was better to have love and lost than never loved at all, right?

"You don't like me being your sister, do you?" Gabrielle asked in a low tone, her dark blue eyes looking at the ground.

"I don't like a lot of things," Nathan responded. "But you being my sister isn't one of them." Gabrielle looked up at Nathan. "Hey, now I can pick on you and you can't get upset because that's what brothers do. So get used to it squirt."

Gabrielle blinked before smiling. It truly was a holiday miracle.

* * *

Shane saw Nicole sitting on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. He paused in his advance to her bed, trying to read her face and understand what it was she was thinking about. While he was not as 'emotionally in tuned' as Kelly was, Shane was smart enough to guess right half of the time.

But this time was not one of those times.

"You okay?" he asked. Nicole looked at him with a small smile. "What were you thinking about?"

Nicole sat up. "I was just thinking about your family. They're all so close and nice. Ana constantly smiles and your grandma is always nice to me. And Jack is like the big brother to you and Kelly instead of an uncle."

"But you miss your own." Shane suggested. Nicole gave a nod before Shane sat down beside her. "Well, it may not make you feel _that_ much better, but my family is your family I guess. I mean, I do have a dad _and_ a stepdad. I could loan you a father and still have a spare."

Nicole laughed a bit. "Thanks Shane."

"Listen," Shane said. "I don't want you to think about your parents anymore today if its just going to make you sad, alright? This is supposed to be the best Winter Break ever, remember?" Nicole nodded with a smile. "So let's make it the best Winter Break ever and let go of the sad thoughts. Well, you can think about me falling on the ski slopes because it's only sad to _me_ and not you."

Nicole began laughing as she thought about Shane attempting to ski. While Jordan and Kelly were naturals on the slope, Shane had a bit of a way to go before he could get off of the bunny slopes. Seeing her laugh, Shane began tickling her, making Nicole laugh even louder. While she attempted to fight him off, it was pretty futile. He played defensive end for a reason.

"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry!" Nicole laughed/shrieked. "Please Shane! My stomach hurts!"

Shane slowed his assault down and stared at her red face. He looked in her blue eyes, wondering if she had been walking around without her contacts all week long.

His thoughts were broken when she leaned up and kissed him.

"Speaking of a 'ski plans', I think we're alone again." Nicole said seductively.

"All you had to do was ask." Shane said, leaning down to capture her lips once more.

* * *

Laura was only mildly shocked that Dakota would go through all the trouble to get her so many gifts. Then again, it was Dakota, the only person who genuinely cared about Laura's well-being. The doorbell rang and Laura went to answer it while her parents talked in the kitchen. Again, they were not arguing, which was a good thing.

Laura opened the door and gaped.

"Dash… Your hair…" Laura said.

"I got the idea from Jayden." Dakota said with a smile, her red hair in cornrows. "May I come in?"

"Sure." Laura said stepping aside, her eyes not leaving Dakota's hair. "It actually looks alright. Who'd think that _you_ could pull that look off."

"I come all the way over here and you begin to pick on me about my hair?" Dakota asked.

"Oh, it's you Dakota. Merry Christmas." Mr. Reynolds said.

"Merry Christmas to you too." Dakota responded.

"I need you to see something." Laura said moving towards her room. "Come on."

Dakota followed. Christmas or not, Laura would be Laura. And in Laura's house, one did what she said or left. And depending on how angry she was determined how one left Laura's house.

Stepping into her room, Dakota was surprised that Laura had already put her new clothes on hangers and in her closet.

"Look at this." Laura said holding a music box towards Dakota.

Dakota frowned. "It's a music box…"

"No shi… Crap Dash." Laura said. "I meant open it."

Dakota opened the box to see the ballerina spin, the song _Something Inside You_ by Jonathan Rys Meyers playing. Laura closed it and stared at Dakota.

"I'm lost." Dakota said.

"What's my all-time favorite movie?" Laura asked.

"August Rush." Dakota answered.

Laura nodded. "Right. And just _how_ many people know that?"

"Someone other than me knows?" Dakota replied before her eyes widened. "Jayden got you a music box with that song?"

"_And_ a stuffed bear for my collection _and_ this!" Laura said holding a new white box towards Dakota. Dakota opened the box and stared at the necklace. "Can you believe this?"

"It's… Beautiful." Dakota said eying the jewelry. "This must've cost a fortune." Dakota looked at Laura. "When'd he give you this?"

"Before he left." Laura said before Dakota handed her the necklace back. Laura safely stored it in a drawer before handing Dakota the card Jayden sent. "Read."

Dakota looked at the card and began reading the words on the front. She frowned before opening it, reading the card and Jayden's message, a smile on her face. After reading the card, Dakota handed it back to Laura who only stood with an indifferent look on her face.

"Can you believe this?" Laura asked.

"So he likes- no _loves_- you? I could've told you that." Dakota said.

Laura sighed. "Do you pay attention Dash or are you really stranded on your 'It's good to be an only child' world?" Dakota smiled at the statement. "He _loves_ me and for the past few weeks I've been making his life _miserable_. How is he going to forgive me now?"

"Laura, it's fine. He's going to forgive you." Dakota said.

"Oh really? I do remember you saying something about him getting Nicky off of my back and in the end, it was Shane who did it." Laura shot back.

"Like I said, I thought you were trying to get him to-"

"_And_ there was that time you told me that-"

"Okay Laura, I get it." Dakota cut her friend off. "I came by to invite you and your dad for dinner. My mom said that it'll be alright and I have a new collection of unseen movies."

"How could I say no to that?" Laura stated before smiling. "Sure Dash. I'll be over there." Laura's smile dropped. "But let it slip in front of my parents about that card or my feelings and I'll make sure that you have a very _short_ Christmas."

"Understood Laura." Dakota said.

* * *

Scarlett sighed as she sat down on her bed. Helen knocked on her door before stepping in.

"Miss your neighbor?" Helen asked with a sly grin.

"What? No!" Scarlett said. Helen's smirk only grew. "Stop that."

"Come on Scar, you _so_ miss him. It's written over your face." Helen teased. "Why not just call him? I'm sure he'd just _love_ to hear your voice."

"Helen stop it. I don't miss him. I mean, it's quiet without him, but I'm not-" Scarlett was interrupted by the doorbell. "Great. Torrie's here."

"Scarlett! Something's came for you!" Fiona called.

Scarlett and Helen exchanged confused glances before Scarlett stood up and moved out of her room, Helen right on her heels. She came down the steps to see Fiona holding a diamond tiara on a pillow. Scarlett's eyes widened as she slowly moved to the tiara, seeing elegant earrings on the pillow as well.

"Here's the card." Fiona said handing Scarlett a card that she held beneath the pillow.

Scarlett look at the card.

_Please forgive me, Princess Scarlett. DeWayne._

"Wow." Scarlett said before gently taking the pillow away from Fiona. "This is… This is so beautiful."

Helen crossed her arms. "What idiot thinks _Scarlett_ is royalty?"

Scarlett smirked. "Is Helen jealous?"

"No. _I_ got a car, remember?" Helen responded. "Besides, he's just trying to kiss up to you after-"

"Nothing." Scarlett quickly cut Helen off. "How about you go make sure that _our_ car runs properly?"

"Yeah, yeah. Brat." Helen said.

* * *

Deanna walked down the sidewalk with sharp eyes glancing at the addresses on the doors of the houses. She had only an hour to find her target before getting on a plane to head back to Montreal.

"There you are." Deanna said before moving towards a house. "Bingo."

Deanna rang the doorbell to the small house before a young man opened the door.

"Well hello there. You must be one of my presents." he said.

"Sorry Junior, she's here for me." another young man, probably a year or two younger than the first said appearing behind him. "What's your name?"

Marc poked his head between the two and sighed.

"Nah guys, that's that annoying little girl I was telling you about. Deanna Fitzgerald." Marc said.

"Hey Bryan, you hear that? Little Marc had a girlfriend!" the one called Junior said before putting Marc in a headlock. "I knew you had that Milligan blood in you somewhere."

Bryan frowned. "I don't know. She looks annoyed."

"That's because she's _annoying_." Marc said. "I don't even know how she found my house anyway."

"Is that so?" Junior asked before eying Deanna. "Alright little girl, what are you doing here and how'd you find us?"

Deanna blinked. All of Marc's brothers were idiots just like he was. She had half the mind of just letting them all have it, but decided to do this with more pose than that.

"I'm here to talk to, Marc was it?" Deanna replied. "He's done something very stupid and I wanted to make sure that he's learned his lesson."

Junior released Marc. "What the heck is she talking about?"

"I stopped her from jumping Helen. Nothing big." Marc said.

"Ah." Junior and Bryan said in unison.

"So," Marc said. "Nice seeing you again little girl and stay away from my house."

"That's rude bro. You're at least supposed to say Happy Holidays because she could be into the Kwanza or Hanukah stuff." Bryan said.

"Yeah Marc, show the little girl some courtesy and manners." Junior added.

"Right… Happy Holidays or whatever." And with that Marc closed the door in Deanna's face.

Deanna grunted. "My name's Deanna!"

* * *

Jay was surprised when Nathan had showed up with Gabrielle, but he was even more shocked at the fact that the two were talking casually. He had stopped to wonder if his children even realized that he was in the room, but let them talk. Like himself, the two had years to catch up on.

A knock came from the front door and Jay went to open it while Gabrielle and Nathan eyed the door suspiciously. When Jay opened the door, he immediately stepped aside so Nathan could see Stephanie.

"Stephanie? What are you doing here?" Nathan asked as he stood up.

"I was wondering if you wanted to hang out but I see you're with your dad and sister." Stephanie replied.

"Brie could come with us." Nathan said before looking at his sister. "Right?"

"Um, I'll stay here." Gabrielle said. "You go ahead."

Nathan grinned. "Sure squirt. See you later Dad."

"Don't do anything stupid." Jay said as Nathan left with Stephanie.

Stephanie gave Nathan a smile.

"What?" Nathan asked.

"I think you're starting to become nicer." Stephanie said still smiling.

Nathan shrugged. "It's Christmas. Who isn't nicer on Christmas?"

"Whatever Nate." Stephanie said.

* * *

Torrie gasped. "Scar… DeWayne got you this?" Scarlett nodded. "It's beautiful! You don't mind if I-"

"Touch and die." Scarlett interrupted.

"Give it up Torrie. I've already asked." Helen stated as she sat on Scarlett's bed. "Where's your brother at?"

Torrie shrugged. "Downstairs. Why?"

"She has a problem when younger kids are in the house. It reminds her of her own siblings." Scarlett said.

"Who called earlier to annoy me." Helen added.

"Lauren isn't that bad." Torrie said. "Mike and Mark… They're a different story."

"I can't stand any of them." Helen said. "So let's talk Bardell."

Torrie sighed. "Same old, same old. Hakim and I aren't dating and Ethan is still annoying. Plus I have to put up with Saint Jeanette every other day. Swear she's such a hypocrite."

Scarlett smiled. "Why do you call her that?"

"How are you supposed to be 'holier than thou' when you've dated Ethan, the local bad boy?" Torrie said. "Hip. O. Crit." Helen rolled her eyes at her cousin's antics. "What about you two? Anything going on at Degrassi?" Torrie smirked at Scarlett. "Lakehurst maybe?"

"Nothing next to those stupid blogs." Scarlett said. "I swear Deanna's doing them."

"Oh my God I hate her so badly." Torrie suddenly said.

"Really? We can't tell." Helen said sarcastically.

"No, you don't understand," Torrie said. "Like two weeks ago, Thursday I think, Laura and I were just walking down the street-"

"Laura? As in Laura Reynolds?" Scarlett asked.

"Yeah. Why?" Torrie questioned.

Helen snickered a bit. "Scar's just mad because that's who Jayden wants."

"Oh… I knew it." Torrie said. "Anyway, back to what I was saying. So we're walking down the street talking and here comes Deanna and her lackey Mercedes."

"I hate her." Helen said.

"Yeah, well, they ask Laura to do them a favor. Hook Jayden up with Deanna." Torrie continued. "And when Laura said no, they go on this bitch fit about how they were going to take Laura down with the rest of them." Torrie scoffed. "She called me the 'unknown Coyne.' Can you believe that?"

"That's pretty funny." Helen said with a small laugh. Torrie and Scarlett gave Helen a glance. "What? It is."

"So not the point." Torrie said.

"She's right Helen. Deanna's becoming a thorn in all our sides." Scarlett said.

Helen shrugged. "Says you. I just can't stand her because… Well, I can't stand half the people I come in contact with and the other half I don't really care to hate them."

"It's sad that I believe you." Scarlett said. Scarlett's cell phone rang and she quickly went to answer it. "Hello?"

Helen and Torrie both looked at Scarlett strangely as she attempted to ignore their very presence.

"You're hilarious J.T. But no, I'm not going through your house." Scarlett said. "I'm here with Helen and my cousin Torrie." Helen and Torrie exchange glances. "Torrie, J.T says hi."

Helen frowned. "Well screw him too. It's not like I dated him or anything."

"Helen, J.T says hi and Merry Christmas." Scarlett said.

"Oh. Tell him I said hey." Helen said with a smile.

Torrie smirked. "And people say that _I'm_ fickle."

"Oh. Alright. I'll talk to you later than. Bye." Scarlett said before hanging up. "His house sounds _really_ loud."

"His parents only have a billion kids." Helen stated. "I bet they're all just running around." Helen shivered. "I hate kids."

"Tell us something new." Scarlett said.

Helen smiled. "You loving Jayden. That's pretty new."

Torrie gasped. "No way. I thought you were dating DeWayne. I mean, he got you that crown!"

"One, it's a tiara. Two, I _am_ dating DeWayne. And three, I don't love Jayden!" Scarlett replied.

"Ooh, someone's a bit touchy about the subject. I think we should go before she blows a gasket." Torrie said.

"I think you're right." Helen said with a smile. "Come on. Let's give Scar some time to cool down."

"Just get out." Scarlett said as her two cousins left her room. Scarlett sighed heavily before putting a hand on one of the earrings she had received from DeWayne. "I don't love J.T."

* * *

Liberty stood at J.T's memorial within Degrassi with a small smile on her face. Despite the depression she was currently feeling, she knew that J.T would not want her to cry, especially on Christmas of all days.

"I see we're not the only ones." Liberty looked to see Emma and her family with Nicole. "Merry Christmas Liberty."

"You too." Liberty said as she looked at Emma's children. "So these are your five?" Emma nodded with a smile. "They all have that piece of you in them."

Emma smiled as she put an arm around Kelly.

"Yeah, I know. Especially this one." Emma said. "As stubborn as they come, yet so helpful around the house."

Kelly frowned. "I'm not 'stubborn' Mom. Just headstrong."

"Same thing." Jordan said.

"No it isn't." Kelly replied.

"Anyway," Emma said, stopping her daughters from progressing with the debate. "We came here because… It's the first Christmas…"

"I know how it feels." Liberty said. "It gets easier with time. Trust me."

"I hope so." Emma said quietly.

The group stood quietly at the two memorials. Nicole gave Shane a small hug as he stared at the memorial. He smiled at her before kissing her forehead.

"Is it still the best Winter Break ever?" Nicole whispered to Shane.

"Yeah. It is." Shane replied.

* * *

"Thanks for inviting us for dinner," Mr. Reynolds said as he shrugged his coat off and handed it to Dakota's butler. "We really appreciate it."

"It was no problem." Ellie said. "Come on. Kitchen's this way." Ellie paused before smiling at Laura. "But you already knew that, didn't you?"

"Yeah Mrs. Lowry, I kind of did." Laura responded as she and her parents followed Ellie.

Once they got to the kitchen, Laura saw Dakota standing over a pie before her brown eyes shot towards her mother's.

"Dakota, you're such a big kid, I swear." Ellie said. "Where is your father?" Dakota gave Ellie a look. "Your _birth_ father. I called him and Ash about an hour ago."

"They'll be here soon." Dakota said. "You know how long it takes Steven to…" Dakota paused as Ellie gave her a hardened stare. "I mean, Ashton takes to get ready."

The doorbell rang and Ellie sighed.

"Finally." Ellie said leaving the kitchen.

"Um," Dakota said looking at Laura and her parents. "Come to the dining room. We'll be eating shortly. I hope."

"Hey Dash," Laura said as Dakota began to lead the trio towards the dining room. "Two things. One, this is my mom."

"Jay was right. You two do look alike." Dakota said.

"Jay? Is she talking about your boyfriend Laura?" Bianca asked.

"He's not my boyfriend." Laura said for the umpteenth time that day before sitting beside her father at the large dining table. "Anyway Dash, the second thing is, have you heard from Jayden today?"

"I called him but you should know that his family is like really close and crazy." Dakota said. "So he couldn't talk for long. He did ask if you liked your gifts and I said yes. He said he'd try to talk to you as soon as he could but, I doubt it."

"Oh…" Laura said.

"'Mom, he's not my boyfriend.' Yeah right." Bianca mocked with a smile.

Dakota grinned. "Yep. She's definitely your mom."

"Don't remind me." Laura and Bianca stated in unison, causing Mr. Reynolds to sigh.

Dealing with one of them at a time was tough as it is.

"Dakota!" Lillian said with a huge smile.

Dakota only sighed as she allowed her younger sister to hug her tightly. While Dakota did not despise Lillian, sometimes Dakota felt like she was Lillian's _only_ older sibling because Dakota was always watching the little girl, despite Lillian living with both Steven and Ashton.

Angela walked into the room causing Dakota to smile.

"I heard about your last show." Angela said as Dakota hugged her. "You guys must've done great."

"Better than last time." Dakota said releasing Angela. "Um, Angie, this is Laura and her parents, John and Bianca."

"Nice to meet you." Angela said.

"Okay," Ellie said moving into the dining room. "Let's sit down and have dinner. I have two days off and I'd like to enjoy them."

Angela smiled. "El, you're always working."

"I know." Ellie said before smiling. "But, it keeps a roof over my head."

"_I_ do that." Silas said coming into the dining room. "How's my biggest fan?"

"Great." Laura answered, knowing how Silas referred to her.

Silas nodded. "Good. Let's keep it that way."

"Right." Laura said.

* * *

Shane and Nicole lied in Nicole's bed at one of Gavin and Emma's cabins.

"Shane?" Nicole began.

"Hm?" he responded.

"I know I've said this once," Nicole said. "But thanks. For everything you've done."

Shane smiled. "Nicky, you've told me that more than once and like I said, it was no problem. I'm a nice guy."

"Like when you punched Nate in the face?" Nicole asked with a small giggle.

Shane shrugged. "He had it coming." Nicole gave a quiet snort of laughter before snuggling into Shane some more. "Hey, do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Nicole asked.

"Exactly. My mom knows I'm here, and yet she's gone to bed." Shane said. "I think she's starting to warm up to us being together."

Nicole smiled. "I like that idea." Nicole then closed her eyes and yawned. "Just make sure you're here when I wake up."

Shane held Nicole tighter. "I will Nicky." Nicole moved her head to kiss Shane. "Merry Christmas Nicky."

"Merry Christmas Shane." Nicole replied laying her head on Shane's chest before the two dozed off.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Out of all the "episodes" that I have typed, this one had to be the hardest because neither Aaron nor Jayden were in it as well as Chandra, three characters that are usually involved in one plot or another. Anyway, there's only three more episodes left and all three will be posted this week. Stay tuned!


	56. S2 Episode XXIV: Best I Ever Had

**Episode XXIV: Best I Ever Had**

Five days after Christmas, Jayden carried a sleeping Jenée towards his father's white Cadillac Escalade.

"I got her son." Maxwell said taking his daughter away from Jayden. "You'll be riding with your mom?"

Jayden nodded. "Yeah. Says she had something to show me. Hope I'm not in trouble."

"Looking at your track record with your mother," Maxwell said. "You probably are." Jayden sighed. "Just let her do all the talking and speak when necessary. You'll get through it just fine."

"Sure Dad." Jayden said as Maxwell put Jenée into the backseat of his SUV. "I'm going now." Jayden gave Renée a small wave as the tired girl waved at him. "See you guys at home."

"Go ahead." Maxwell said as he watched Jayden walk away.

Jayden began walking towards his mother's car with his hands in his pockets. While jetlag did not get him as much as it did the twins or Aaron, the temperature change from Newport Beach, California to Toronto, Ontario, Canada was quite the difference.

"Are you ready?" Manny asked Jayden as he came to the passenger side of the card.

"Yeah." Jayden said opening the door. He got into the car with his mother. "Does this have to do with me and Coop?"

Manny laughed quietly. "No Jay, it doesn't. Just ride with me for a while, alright? I promise you're not in any real trouble."

Jayden smiled. "Sure Mama."

* * *

Eating breakfast beside Shane, Nicole realized that this would be her last day in, what she deemed as, her Winter Wonderland. Here, she was away from everyone who still viewed her as Nathan's sex-toy instead of who she really was. But most importantly, Nicole knew that once they left the two cabins, Emma's maternal instincts would kick in again and Shane and Nicole would be under surveillance again.

"We need to hurry up," Emma said. "We're running behind schedule. Manny said she'd be back at around noon and it's already eleven thirty."

"Mom, you see her like everyday." Kelly said.

"Yeah. Spend time with us." Shane said.

"I do. That's why I'm starting to gray in areas." Emma responded with a small smile.

Gavin smirked. "You're graying?"

"No." Emma said.

"That's not what you just said." Gavin replied. "I think you're getting old Em."

"Spinner, let's be nice." Spike said.

"Thank you Mom." Emma said, giving her ex-husband a glare.

Jack laughed a bit. "Yeah sis, I'm starting to see them too. You _are_ getting old."

Shane laughed with his uncle until his mother gave him a look that made him stop instantly, though he still smiled.

"You'd still look good even with gray hair." Sean finally piped in.

Gavin raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying that she _is_ graying?"

"Yeah. Are you?" Emma asked looking at Sean before her cell phone rang. "Saved by the bell Mr. Cameron." Sean only smiled as Emma excused herself from the table to answer her phone. "Hello?"

"Hey Em," Manny said. "I'm going to be a little late. I have to talk to my son."

Emma laughed. "Manny, there is no way that Jayden could have gotten into trouble yet. He's only been here for what, ten minutes?"

"You'd be surprised… But he's not in any trouble." Manny said. "I just want to talk to him. That's all."

"Oh, alright. I'll be down there around two, two thirty at the latest. That is, if I don't murder my brother, ex, and husband before then." Emma said.

"I can't bail you out if you do." Manny said. "See you then."

"Alright. Bye." Emma said.

"Bye." Manny said hanging up.

Emma returned to the table and sat down.

"Manny's running a little late. She's going to talk to Jayden about something." Emma said.

"Really? He couldn't have gotten into trouble that soon." Spike said.

"You'd be surprised." Shane and Kelly said in unison.

Emma frowned. "That's the same thing she said…"

* * *

Vanessa went to open the door before either of her parents could. When she did, she was a little down to see Amber on the opposite side instead of Ashton.

"Oh, hey Amber," Vanessa said stepping to the side. "James is in his room."

"Okay." Amber said with a small frown. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I just thought you were Ashton." Vanessa said as Amber stepped into their apartment, closing the door behind her brother's girlfriend. "We're kind of dating now and he said he's stop by today."

Amber smiled. "Little Manning? That's great Vanessa."

"I know. But, he's not here and I thought you were him." Vanessa said.

"I'm sure he's on his way right now." Amber said. "Now, what has your brother been doing? He said he'd be ready when I got here."

Vanessa shrugged. "You know James. He can be easily sidetracked by a good game on TV or something else."

Amber grinned. "How about we sneak in and see just what he's doing?"

"Yeah." Vanessa said as the two began to creep down the hall.

"Ssh…" Amber hushed as she put a finger to her lips.

Vanessa nodded as Amber slowly opened James's door. A frown came on her face when she saw the room empty.

"Looking for me?" James asked.

"Ah!" Vanessa and Amber screamed.

"Where were you?" Vanessa said.

"Uh talking to Dad. What were you two doing?" James asked.

"…Nothing…" Vanessa responded.

"I thought you said we'd go do something today." Amber said. Vanessa's face twisted into a sick look. "No. Not that. Just do something. Like the movies or lunch or something."

"Sorry. My dad's just a big Toronto Raptors fan." James said before smirking. "And you still haven't answered my question. What were you two doing?"

"I said-" Vanessa cut off by a knock on the door. "Be right back."

Amber watched Vanessa walk away before looking at her boyfriend.

"So we were trying to sneak up on you. Sue me." Amber said.

"Speaking of suing someone," James responded. "I heard Steven's parents got fined quite a lot and then some." Amber frowned. James led Amber into his room before continuing. "So, my dad got Steven to take a plea bargain. The bargain had like a ten thousand dollar fine," Amber's eyes widened. "Wait, there's more. Plus, he had to go to group sessions after school _and_ he can't make any contact with Chandra whatsoever."

"But what if they bump into each other at school?" Amber asked.

"Impossible. He has to transfer." James said. "And the worst part is, he's still being held downtown. They won't release him until the second I think."

"Oh my… Well, I guess I can't be too shocked. Bambi's dad is one of the best lawyers in Ontario." Amber stated. "I just can't believe that he did that to her."

James shrugged. "It was those pills. Nothing could've been done about that."

"James, that's your best-friend you're talking about. I mean, your sister dates his brother." Amber said. "You out of anyone should be able to help him."

"I've tried." James responded. "He doesn't want my help and frankly, I'm tired of always trying. It's kind of like you trying to stop Mary-Jane from flirting with random guys. It ain't going to happen." Amber gave a small smile. "So let's just leave it at that."

"Hey James," Vanessa said poking her head into his room. "Do you mind if Ashton and I tag along with you and Amber? We're kind of bored and Dad's asking him for personal information."

James grinned. "No problem V. Just go get your shoes on."

"On it." Vanessa said leaving his room.

"You ever think that she gets _too_ hyper sometimes?" Amber asked.

"A day she doesn't smile is a bad day." James said. "And I'm saying that from experience."

"Oh. Okay." Amber said. "Well, let's get a move on. It's probably going to snow again and I don't want to be stuck somewhere."

"As soon as she gets her shoes on, we'll go." James said. "And later we can go to dinner. Just you and me. No little siblings."

"Sounds like a plan-"

"Ready!" Vanessa called.

"She's ready." Amber said.

James laughed. "So I hear."

* * *

Jayden stood beside his mother in front of J.T's memorial.

"So," Jayden said. "What did I do now? Please just let me know now so I'll prepare myself for how hard you're probably going to slap me."

"Jay, when have I ever slapped you?" Manny questioned with a smile.

Jayden shrugged. "I don't know. Probably because you knocked the memory out of me." Manny laughed a bit at his statement before he leaned onto her and she put an arm around him. "Seriously. What is it?"

"Do you know how unlike you and J.T are?" Manny questioned. Jayden frowned at the randomness of the statement but allowed his mother to go on. "I purposely gave you a middle name with the letter 'T' so people would refer to you as J.T and yet, you're nothing like him. Even your sense of humor is different. While he was a pervert at moments, he was _nowhere_ near your levels."

"That hurt." Jayden said.

"But," Manny replied. "You two could always make me smile. And you were undeniably loyal to your friends." Jayden lifted an eyebrow. "But when it came down to women, you were about as thick as they come."

"I knew something had to be educational." Jayden muttered.

"Your sister told me about you and Laura." Manny said. Jayden almost jumped away from his mother, thinking that she heard about Jayden sleeping with Laura. "She says that you really care for her, probably more than you did Scarlett or Marissa. I just hope you two don't move too fast. Like I said, I want you to stay a virgin for as long as you can."

"I'll try to keep the ladies off of me as much as I can." Jayden said, thanking God and Danica for not telling Manny that he slept with Laura.

"Which is why your father and I decided to do something differently with you this year." Manny said. "You see, when Danni became sixteen, we gave her a sweet sixteen which ended up being the worst birthday of her life." Jayden smirked thinking about his sister's sixteenth birthday. "But since yours is only three weeks before Christmas, we thought about just doing it all at once. The talk, the present, the party. Everything."

Jayden frowned. "I'm missing something."

"No one wanted to go back to Newport more than you did Jay. Why else would we have gone?" Manny asked.

"So that… Was for me?" Jayden said. "Huh. I guess I should be that much happier."

"Oh, there's more." Manny said with a smile.

"What? You're going to make me relive another bitter ex like Coop?" Jayden asked.

"Follow me." Manny said walking away.

Jayden sighed before following his mother. Despite being brought up in a wealthy household, Christmas and his birthday was not about the presents, only because he was more adventurous and hardly stayed at home to play with anything, even as a kid. So when he received mostly clothing this year, he was okay with it. In fact, he was happier seeing what his other siblings got. However, his parents acting strange nearly ruined his holiday spirit. He wondered if they did know about him and Laura and just did not say anything.

"Here you go." Manny said pointing to a silver Mercedes AGM.

Jayden blinked in surprised. "That's mine?" Manny nodded and Jayden hugged her tightly. "Thank you! This is so great!"

Danica got out of the car.

"Yeah, thank her and _I _picked it out for you." Danica said before Jayden smirked.

"I would thank you, but you have a big head as it is. Wouldn't want your ego to grow any more than it is sis." Jayden responded. Danica rolled her eyes before Jayden hugged her. "But thanks anyway."

"Better say thank you." Danica said before Jayden released her. "Now go off and find whats-her-face. I'm going to go home, listen to my music, and take a nice long nap. No. A nice long bubble bath and then a nice long nap."

Danica handed Jayden the keys before moving towards Manny's Mercedes.

"Just remember two things Jay," Manny said. "One, this is _your_ responsibility. Gas is on you. Two, if a girl says she loves you, _never_ say she's lying without solid proof."

"I'll go fix that right now." Jayden said opening the driver door of his car. "See you later."

Manny and Danica watched Jayden start his new car up before driving off.

"So, you're cool with him dating Laura even if you know he's screwed her?" Danica asked.

"He'll tell me when he's ready." Manny said moving towards her car. "Let's get you home so you can enjoy your bath and nap."

"Right." Danica said.

* * *

Scarlett gave a sigh as she looked around her room. She had changed her entire room around for the new year. Placing her hands on her hips, she admired her handiwork. Of course, she would rather ask Helen for her opinion, but her redhead cousin was off in _their_ new car going to see Alexander. Scarlett had the notion to go see DeWayne, but he told her that his family had yet to return from one from one of his stepfather's many houses, this one in Montreal.

Scarlett's cell phone rang and she went to answer it.

"Hello?" Scarlett said.

"Scar, I just talked to your annoying neighbor," Helen said. "He's back in town if you want to speak to him."

"Thanks but I don't really want to speak to him. I have finish with my room and DeWayne's coming back later on today." Scarlett lied.

"Okay, one, your boyfriend is in Montreal until _after_ New Year's. Even I know that." Helen said. "And two, you've been _dying_ to talk to him all break long. Go talk to him."

"Must I remind you on our last face-to-face conversation?" Scarlett asked.

"So he went to go find Laura? Dakota told him to, right?" Helen replied. "Listen, if you want my advice, I say talk to him or leave him alone. You're not going to get it both ways. Not with him you're not."

Scarlett frowned. "And since when did you become an expert on Jayden McDuelle?"

"You forget," Helen said. "I dated him first." Scarlett gave a scoff at that statement. "Look, I have to go. I think Alex's parents hate me or something. Oh well. See you later."

"Yeah, sure. Bye." Scarlett said before Helen hung up. Scarlett tossed her phone onto her bed before moving towards her window. Sure enough, she saw Maxwell's Escalade in the driveway. "Maybe I should…"

"Scarlett," Scarlett turned to see Fiona at her door. "Wow. You do work fast." Scarlett smiled at the praise. "I have to do a little after-Christmas shopping. Do you want to come with me?"

"Sure." Scarlett answered. "Let me get ready."

"Okay." Fiona said walking away.

Scarlett looked out her window again and sighed.

"Maybe later." she said to herself.

* * *

Dakota smiled as Jayden hugged her.

"It's been too long Dash." Jayden said releasing her. He eyed her hair. "What are you, my twin?"

Dakota rolled her eyes. "You're only the second person to say that."

"May I ask who the first one is?" Jayden asked.

"Your girlfriend." Dakota said. Jayden gave a nod. "When you called, you said that you had to speak to your ex. How'd that go?"

Jayden sighed. "Coop and I… I don't know. It was weird seeing her after three years. She's died her hair blonde for starters." Dakota frowned. "Don't get me wrong, she pulls it off, but it was still weird."

"Isn't she like the ex you're trying to outdo or something?" Dakota asked.

"Yeah, she is." Jayden said. "And that's why I'm looking for Laura. Her dad said that she came by here earlier."

Dakota nodded. "Yeah, but she left for her mom's."

"Oh. That's cool." Jayden said. "Well, I should be heading over there soon."

"Jayden are you going to finally put an end to this or are you just going to make it worse?" Dakota asked.

"Both." Jayden answered.

"Both?" Dakota repeated.

"Yeah. Being single rocks. You get to flirt who you want to flirt with, talk who you want to talk to, and hangout who you want to hangout with." Jayden said. "Dating… Not so much. Depending on the girl, everything gets limited." Dakota smiled. "I know that she's probably going to give me some mean words, but that's Laura for you. I'd be disappointed if she didn't degrade my manhood."

"Go." Dakota said. "And please, don't make it awkward for."

Jayden smiled. "If I didn't make it awkward, I can't call checkmate."

Before Dakota had a chance to reply, Jayden had slipped out of her room. She just smiled before sitting on her bed.

"About damn time." she said quietly.

* * *

Emma sighed as she sat down on her couch at her and Sean's house.

"What a long day." Emma said. Emma spotted Nicole helping Anastasia carrying some bags down the hall. "Nicky, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure Mrs. Cameron." Nicole said as she returned to the living room.

Unlike every other day, Nicole opted to wear her glasses instead of her contacts. Emma thought it made the girl look more professional, especially with the bun Nicole's hair was in, but did not voice her opinion out loud. Obviously, Shane preferred the green-eyed pigtailed Nicole.

"I'm not going to lie to you. I was not a supporter of you staying in my ex-husband's house." Emma said. "Your previous drug addiction and closeness with Shane made the decision hard for me. But," Nicole actually felt hope after Emma said 'but'. "That was then. I see that you were just going through a phase and needed someone to help you. And now, I trust you to be around Shane, as well as everyone else, unsupervised. Just as long as you and Shane either doesn't have sex or tell me when you do. Deal?"

Nicole shifted. "Um, Mrs. Cameron…"

"Yes?" Emma asked.

Nicole sighed heavily. "We did have sex Mrs. Cameron. When he and I stayed back from the first skiing trip… That's what we did." Emma gave Nicole a fixed glare. Nicole looked towards the ground. "I'm sorry. I can understand if you-"

"I'm happy you told me." Emma said. Nicole looked up to see Emma with a small smile. "Besides, it's not like we couldn't guess what you two were up to."

"R-really?" Nicole asked.

Emma nodded. "Yeah, Shane's dad saved you on that one." Emma's smile dropped. "Just don't make it a daily routine, understood?"

"Yes ma'am." Nicole said.

"Good." Emma said opening her arms up. Nicole bent to give Emma a hug. "Whether you and Shane are dating or not, you're always welcomed here Nicky. Kelly could use the company some days."

Nicole smiled. "Thanks Mrs. Cameron."

"Now," Emma said as the two separated. "I'm going to go take a nap. You'll be here to watch Ana and Maddox right?" Nicole nodded. "Great. Call me when Manny comes."

"Sure thing." Nicole said as Emma rose and left for her bedroom. Nicole smiled brightly. "Definitely, best Winter Break ever!"

* * *

James, Amber, and Ashton watched Vanessa lick the ice cream off of the cone. Vanessa gave them all a curious stare before sighing.

"I like ice cream, okay?" Vanessa said.

"We didn't say anything." James responded with a smile.

"Verbally. But your eyes said a lot. Losers." Vanessa said as she went back to her ice cream.

"So, Ashton," Amber said. "How's your brother?"

Ashton shrugged. "I don't know. My parents keep me in the dark about that stuff. Can't really say I care either."

"Why's that?" Amber asked.

"Well, while I don't wish her suffering, Bambi's annoying. I'm not her biggest fan." Ashton said. "And as for Steven, I've been calling him cracked for years and everyone thought it was out of jealousy. _I'm_ the smart one. I don't have any reason to be jealous."

"Didn't that sound heartwarming?" James stated sarcastically.

"I don't mean to sound mean," Ashton said. "But it is what it is. Bambi and I aren't real good friends and neither are me and Steven."

"Boy Vanessa, you sure know how to pick them." Amber said.

Instead of responding, Vanessa continued to eat her ice cream contently. Amber sighed before leaning against James.

"It's going to be a long afternoon isn't it?" Amber asked.

"Whatever." Vanessa said finishing her cone. "So what do you guys want to do now?"

"We're sitting on a snow-covered bench freezing." Ashton said. "I say we go find somewhere warm."

Vanessa kissed Ashton's cheek. "Forgive me."

"For wh-" Ashton's words were cut off when his face was met by cold soft snow. James and Amber burst into laughter as Ashton looked at his giggling girlfriend. "Alright. Two can play that game."

Vanessa squealed as she got up and ran off, Ashton pursuing her with a snowball in his hand.

"Kids." James said before looking at Amber's gleaming eyes. "Amber… What are you thi-"

James, too, was also ambushed by a snowball. But Amber, knowing that James could outrun her, did not sit and wait. She took off as soon as she could, leaving James on the bench by himself.

"It's going to be a long afternoon indeed." James said as he got up to pursue Amber.

* * *

Bianca opened the door to see Jayden.

"What? Come to propose to Laura?" Bianca stated. "Or, are you here for me?"

"I never pinned you down for a cougar… But I came to find Laura." Jayden said. "Is she here? Her dad sent me to Dash's and Dash sent me here so…"

"Gone skating. Ice skating." Bianca said.

Jayden frowned. "Since when did she-"

"Looks like you don't know _everything_ about her, now do you?" Bianca interrupted. "If you want to find her go ahead. I won't stop you."

"Thanks," Jayden said turning around. "By the way, was she wearing-"

"Yes she was. I don't think she's ever going to take that necklace off." Bianca cut him off.

Jayden smiled. "Good."

* * *

Scarlett took in a deep breath before ringing the doorbell and standing quietly, alone, on the porch. This never bothered her before, but now… Now everything was different.

The door opened to reveal Maxwell. Scarlett gave him a polite smile.

"Hey Mr. McDuelle. Is J.T home?" she asked.

Maxwell shook his head. "No. Sorry. He's with his mom and I believe that went to stop by Emma's." Scarlett nodded. Manny and Emma would not be separated for long and neither would Jayden and Shane. "He should be back shortly though."

"Oh. Well, may you tell him to call or stop by?" Scarlett said.

"Will do." Maxwell said before Scarlett gave him another smile and stepped off of the porch.

Scarlett heard the door close behind her as she trudged across the small snow-filled lawn between her driveway and Jayden's. She began to wonder if this was karma for what she did to him during her and DeWayne's double-date with Helen and Alexander. She ignored his call, purposely, and now he was not calling.

Now she wished she could take it back and just cuddle up with Jayden in his backyard again, staring at the stars.

Her cell phone rang.

"Hey." she said.

"Hey." DeWayne replied. "So, did you like your tiara?"

"Yeah." Scarlett said with a small smile.

At least she had a consolidation prize.

* * *

Emma gave a stifled yawn as she eyed her brunette best-friend.

"What took you so long?" Emma asked.

"Danni. She and I found the cutest pair of shoes and… Well, I'm here now." Manny replied. "So, how was your trip?"

"Tiresome." Emma said. "Ana and Maddox was ripping and running around the entire place, not to say that Shane, Kelly, Jordan, or Nicky were any better. Especially Jordan and Nicky."

"There goes your biased opinions again." Manny said with a smile.

"Oh, no," Emma responded. "I've talked to Nicky and we fully understand and trust each other. But when she gets excited… It's almost scary."

"What? You? The overbearing mother has come to trust her son's girlfriend who he lives with?" Manny said with fake shock. "What will you do when the finally have sex?"

"Already happened, so ha." Emma said sticking her tongue out at Manny. The two shared a brief laugh before Emma continued with a smile. "No I'm serious, they have." Now Manny's eyes widened. "Nicky told me herself because it's part of our deal. She can't hide anything for me and in return, my home is her home."

"You'll never believe this," Manny said. "But the other day when we were all lounging around the house in Newport, Danni told me that Jay slept with Laura." Emma frowned. "You don't think that they conspired to do this, do you?"

"No. Nicky would never get in Shane's and Jay's competition." Emma replied.

"I hope not." Manny said. "Because if they did think about this, I'm going to kill my son."

Emma smiled. "And _I'm_ the overbearing mother."

* * *

No one seemed to care that she was there, and that was alright by her. She did not care about them anyway, so long as they got out of her way.

A hand tapped her on her shoulder and she had to stop the urge to spin around and punch the poor fool who did so. However, upon turning around, she was met by a pair of familiar brown eyes.

Laura smiled. "Since when did you skate?"

"Years now. You?" Jayden responded as the two began skating beside one another.

"Since I was six." Laura answered. "What are you doing here?" Jayden gave her a look. "How'd you know I was here?"

"Well," Jayden said. "I went by your dad's and he sent me to Dash. I talked to her and she sent me to your mom's. And all your mom said was that you went ice skating. I guessed here first and, here you are." Jayden spotted the necklace he had given her. "I see you like it."

"Yeah…" Laura said.

Jayden took her hand. "I have to show you something. And tell you something." Laura raised her eyebrows. "I can't really show you that something here."

"Well tell me what you have to say here." Laura said.

"I can't do that either." Jayden replied with a smile. "So come on. Unless you're scared."

"Yeah right." Laura stated.

"Then what're you doing here? Come on. Let's go." Jayden said. "It's actually the best part of Christmas. I promise."

Laura only rolled her eyes, taking his hand. She refused to let the smile on her face grow into that of a blush or a girlish squeal. But she knew that once Jayden said the words "I promise" he usually meant it and kept up his side of the bargain.

"By the way," Jayden said as the two went to get their shoes. "I never heard a thank you for those gifts. They weren't cheap. Any of them."

Laura scoffed. "Yeah right. You pull that million-dollar stick out of your ass and sell it, you'd get your money back."

"If I still had it, I would." Jayden said. "Like I said, these two 'things' are really important. Like, _really_ important."

"I believe you. Just don't do nothing stupid and ruin my week or else the next time you cough you'll be coughing up my toenails." Laura said.

Jayden smiled. "You know, you and your mom has this thing with trying to pick on me while I'm trying to be honest and sincere."

"Maybe we know you." Laura said with a small smile.

"Maybe you'd like to know me better." Jayden replied. "And there's only one way to find out. So let's go."

"Whatever." Laura said.

* * *

"Oh Scar! Where are you?" Helen said in a lighthearted voice as she made her way for Scarlett's bedroom. "Oh Scar… Wow. You do work fast."

Scarlett, who was currently looking at herself in her closet mirror, turned over her shoulder to look at Helen.

"You like?" Scarlett asked. Helen nodded. "Good. Of course, I think something is missing but-"

"Did you go find him?" Helen interrupted.

"No. You had the car remember?" Scarlett responded.

"And you didn't call him because…?" Helen asked.

Scarlett shrugged. "I don't know. I just didn't." Scarlett then frowned. "And why does it matter? I'm dating DeWayne and J.T will probably be dating someone pretty soon."

"That 'someone' just so happens to be a girl who both of us hate." Helen said. "Can you live with that?"

"Yes, I can." Scarlett said. "Gee Helen, you'd think that _you_ were the one that wants him."

"I did, remember? Every moment we had was ruined by you, of all people. Imagine that?" Helen said.

Scarlett glared at her cousin. "So what? I'm happy with DeWayne so just back off already."

"Fine," Helen said holding her hands in the air in a surrender fashion. "I'll leave you alone. But when you finally admit it, all I want is an apology. And no, I won't help you get back with Jayden. You don't deserve my help."

"Go jump off the nearest bridge." Scarlett stated.

"You first, _princess_." Helen said, nearly spitting on the last word before walking away.

Scarlett truly hated it when Helen was in this kind of mood, but did not press the matter on any further. If Helen was so stuck on Scarlett being with Jayden, then Scarlett would do everything in her power to prove Helen wrong.

* * *

Jimmy and Trina stared as their children trudged into the house, their bodies drenched in snow.

"I'm not even going to ask." Jimmy said walking down the hall.

Trina sighed. "You two are going to make a mess."

"I'll clean it up." James said to his mother.

"Just don't mess up the carpet." Trina said before moving after her husband.

"I'm freezing!" Vanessa said.

James smiled. "I bet. Oh," Vanessa looked at James. "Ashton wanted me to tell you something." Vanessa frowned before James smashed her head with the remaining snowball in his hand. "Something about payback and yadda yadda."

Vanessa only laughed. "You're such a loser!"

"I know." James said before putting an arm around his sister. "Today was fun, right?"

"Yeah. We should definitely start making this a tradition." Vanessa said.

"You mean, next to mountain-climbing and surfing?" James said, and Vanessa nodded. "Sure V. This can be our little tradition. Just make sure you learn how _not_ to hit me when I'm trying to help you."

Vanessa giggled. "Sure big bro."

* * *

Laura looked at the park.

"Okay, why the hell did you take me here?" Laura asked.

"Because," Jayden said. "This is where Shane took Nicky so he could clear her head." Laura frowned. "This is also the same place where you came up to me after school and I called you… Well, let's skip that part."

"And you still remember that?" Laura responded.

Jayden smiled. "You do too." Jayden sighed. "I wanted to tell you that I meant everything in that card. Even the part where I said that I loved you. I do."

Laura frowned. "But…"

"After I met my ex, Marissa, she reminded me of a few things. Most noticeably, I can't change." Jayden said. "And no matter how hard I wanted to prove her wrong, she was right. I can't."

"So you lied. I knew it." Laura said.

Jayden smiled. "Then I remembered that I don't want to change. I've been changing all my life for people. All except you." Laura scoffed. "Seriously, you are true to your word. You like me the way I am. And I love that about you."

"Jayden, let me be honest with you-"

"No, I'm not finish. Wait your turn." Jayden said childishly.

"Fine." Laura said with a sigh.

"I also thought about our game, and I must say, the 'I love you' bomb really was a great move. I never saw it coming." Jayden said. "But here is where I call checkmate." Laura frowned. "Let's see if you get this. I'm single. You're single. I love you. You love me. And I have a favor that you must do for me." Laura's frown deepened. "What favor would I ask for from a _single_ girl who I have deep feelings for?"

Laura gaped a bit. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Jayden laughed at the slight blush on her cheeks.

"Yes." Jayden said while laughing. "Yes I am. Let's go ahead and do this right before the new year."

"What about Scarlett?" Laura asked. "I thought you were sprung over her."

Jayden shrugged. "Maybe I am. But I know what I want," Jayden looked over Laura's shoulder. "And from the looks of it, you're pretty alone yourself." Jayden looked at Laura squarely in her eyes. "So, what do you say?"

Laura stood in front of Jayden, a smile coming onto her face. Before either knew what happened, she latched onto him with a tight hug, throwing them both into the snowy ground.

"Yes!" Laura said hugging him.

Jayden laughed. "You know, this is how it all started."

Laura rolled her eyes. "Shut up and kiss me."

Jayden smiled before kissing Laura, the two disregarding the freezing snow. After the two broke apart, Jayden moved a strand of hair from Laura's face.

"You know," Jayden said. "There's this song by this Tyler something something," Laura's eyes once more rolled at Jayden's lack of memory. "Anyway, the song was called 'Watch Out'. It reminds me of us so much."

"You mean, it reminds you of a million-dollar prick and his slutty girlfriend?" Laura asked with a smile.

"No," Jayden said. "I was thinking more on the lines of two extremely stubborn people who won't admit that they loved each other… But… Your way is artistic." Laura smiled. "Laura, not that I'm not used to your weight on me, because I am, but it is cold on the ground."

Laura smirked. "I think you're just soft." Laura then jumped once she felt Jayden's cold hands on her bare back. Her reaction caused the boy on the ground to laugh. "You think that's funny Dimples?"

"Oh, it's _hilarious._" Jayden laughed as Laura held two handfuls of snow above him. Jayden's laughter stopped. "You wouldn't dare."

Laura released the snow that was in her hands on top of Jayden, who just lied there. Laura looked down with a smile at her handiwork until Jayden wiped his face off him. She quickly got off of him and moved away only to see him rise of slowly, a smirk on his face.

"What're you smiling at?" Laura asked. Jayden motioned Laura to come towards him. "Hell no. I'm not getting any of this in my hair… Or in any _other_ spot that your perverted mind might be thinking of."

Jayden held his hands in the air.

"No tricks." he said. Seeing his hands in the air, Laura hesitantly moved towards Jayden who slowly put his arms around her. "Tell me, does this feel weird to you?"

"You holding me? You forget that I've rocked your world three times now." Laura stated.

Jayden smirked. "No my dear, it was _I_ who rocked _your_ world." Jayden's smirk slowly disappeared. "But I'm being honest. Does this feel weird to you? Us being together."

"…" Laura was silent for a moment. "I've never really had a boyfriend. I mean, sex is one thing. But this…"

"Well I'll tell you how this works." Jayden said. "The only thing that changes is that now, whenever you feel like coming up to me and kissing me, you can do so without the care of what anyone else says."

Laura smiled. "Is that what you tell every girl you date?"

"No." Jayden said. "Now, let's go somewhere warm. Preferably a bed in a locked room miles away from prying eyes."

"I think I have a better idea." Laura said.

Jayden frowned. "What are you thinking about?"

"Follow me." Laura said grabbing Jayden's hand. Jayden allowed Laura to lead him towards his car. "Do you remember what you told me in the boiler room?"

"Hmm… That I'm not alone in a now defunct rivalry of ours?" Jayden replied.

"No." Laura said pushing him against his car. "It had something to do with a bedroom, a boiler room, and a locker room."

"In my _new_ car?" Jayden asked. Laura smiled and nodded. "Laura, are you kidding? It's new. I haven't had it for a full day."

"Me neither." Laura replied before kissing Jayden.

"You're so paying me back for this later." Jayden said once she broke away from him.

"I think the words you're looking for are," Laura paused. "Game on."

"Actually, the words I'm thinking of are," Jayden moved a strand of hair from her face again. "I love you, Laura Reynolds."

"Then show me and I'll reply later." Laura said.

Jayden laughed. "Fine."

* * *

**Author's Note: **So there is only one more episode left in the season. I was going to start the third season with Jayden and Laura getting together, but I figured I'd just put it here instead. Tell me what you think! BTW, Season Two Season Finale is Friday. Later.


	57. S2 Episode XXV: Saving All My Love For U

**Episode XXV: Saving All My Love for You**

Waking up felt strange to her. She was officially dating Jayden McDuelle. It seemed as if nothing else mattered because she had what she wanted.

Finally.

Rolling out of bed, Laura made her way to the kitchen to get a bowl of cereal. Her dad was probably still asleep and she doubted that Dakota was awake too. Unfortunately, she had a lot of built up excitement that she had to get out.

After fixing her cereal, Laura brought the bowl back to her bedroom and sat down on her bed. While Jayden was quite angered about the thought of having sex in his car, he was more than subjective to the idea once Laura finally got him into the car.

A small curious frown made settled on her face as she remembered Jayden telling her that he had another surprise for her, one that he would not be able to tell her for a while now.

The vibrating of her cell phone nearly startled her, but she regained herself and grabbed her phone.

"Hello?" Laura said.

"Morning beautiful," Laura smiled at his voice. "You got anything planned with either parent or Dash today?"

"No. Why?" Laura asked.

"It's traditional that Shane and I get in trouble come the new year. And we do so by breaking curfew, though our parents hardly care anymore." Jayden said. "And I thought, 'Who better to get into trouble with than my more than dangerous girlfriend?' And well, here I am calling."

"…" Laura was silent for a moment. "You want me to hangout with you and Shane all day?"

"And Nicky." Jayden added.

"But…"

"Laura," Jayden stated, causing her to sigh silently. "If hanging out with my friends will make you uncomfortable, tell me now and we'll go somewhere together. Just you and me."

"No, it's fine. I mean, what the hell can Shane and Nicky do to me, right?" Laura replied. "I'll be ready whenever you decide to bring your car by and pick me up."

"It won't be for an hour or two. Between my parents, my siblings, and my more than nosey neighbors, I'll be busy for a while." Jayden said.

Laura frowned. "Helen and Scarlett? What do they want?"

"Well," Jayden said. "I'm sure Helen would be more than please to know that you and I do date now. She did tell me to go for it with you."

"Helen? As in your ex, your neighbor, one of the people I hate most in the world, Helen?" Laura responded.

Jayden laughed. "Kind of hard to imagine huh?"

"Yes!" Laura replied.

"She said that she owed me for telling her to go out with Alex. Oh, and that you owe her one for this too." Jayden said.

"Like hell I do." Laura stated, gaining another laugh from Jayden. "But I'll be ready in an hour, so take your precious time explaining to her why I _won't_ pay her back. I hate her."

"I will." Jayden said. "I'll be there around eleven, twelve maybe."

"Don't be late or I'll-"

"Uh-uh. No threatening the boyfriend. It's bad for our relationship." Jayden said. Laura smiled at the comment. "But, I'll be on time. Promise."

"Better." Laura said. "Bye." Jayden only laughed as he hung up. Laura sighed before smiling. "I so have to wake Dash up."

* * *

Aaron watched Jayden stare directly at the twins, the two brunettes giving their older brother a fixed glare back. Aaron frowned, wondering why it was taking so long for Jayden to send the two troublemakers out of his room.

And then Jenée blinked, causing Jayden to smirk.

"Ha. I told you I could beat at least one of you." Jayden said.

"Do it again." Jenée challenged.

"Nope. I have a date." Jayden replied before looking at Aaron. "What do you want A.J?"

"I was wondering if you could drop me off at Bambi's." Aaron answered. "Dad said that the Steven's case had its ruling already and I wanted to check and see if she was alright."

Jayden raised his left eyebrow. "Or are you curious to what happened to Steven?"

"No. I'm seriously just going over there to make sure that she's alright." Aaron said.

"Which, you'd need to know exactly what happened to Steven to know whether she is or isn't alright with the decision." Jayden said. "Seriously A.J, since when have you known _me_ to not know an ulterior motive?"

Aaron sighed. "Are you going to take me or what?"

"Yeah, sure." Jayden said. "By the way, if you, you know with Bambi, don't tell Danni. She'll only tell our parents in attempt to get you in trouble. Trust me."

"I'm not going to…" Aaron paused as he glanced at his younger sisters. He then turned to see Jayden's smirking face. "I'm not doing _that_ with Bambi. I'm just seeing if she's alright."

"If that's what we're calling it nowadays, so be it." Jayden said.

"I…" Aaron paused and then grinned. "Oh I get it. You and Laura are finally going out."

Jayden snapped his fingers. "Now you're using your head. One of them at least."

"A.J are you leaving too?" Renée asked.

"Unfortunately, yes." Jayden answered his younger sister. "A.J has a very sick friend who he's going to visit. She needs him there."

"Are you going to give her flowers?" Jenée asked.

"Probably." Aaron replied only to get his sisters to stop answering questions. "Um, I'm going to my room. Just knock when you're ready."

"Like always." Jayden said before Aaron left. Jayden looked at his sisters. "Alright you two, out while I get ready."

"Okay." Jenée said.

"Let's go play with Kitty!" Renée suggested before the two girls ran out.

Jayden only smiled to himself before grabbing a pair of boots from his closet. He slipped them on before grabbing his keys, phone, and coat and left his room. He came to Aaron's bedroom door and knocked on it.

"Hey A.J, I'm going to go see Helen and Scarlett. I'll be back in a few minutes." Jayden said before walking away.

Despite his good mood, he still cared less about the response. And as he walked down the steps, that good feeling he felt only got better. For some reason, he knew that today would be great, no matter what.

"You going out?" Maxwell caught his son before he could slip out of the door.

"Not really. Just next door." Jayden responded.

Maxwell nodded. "Alright."

Jayden gave his father a nod before leaving his house into the cold outdoors. He put his coat on, despite the short distance he had to travel, and made his way off of his porch to his neighbor's house. He actually got a better look at Helen and Scarlett's Infiniti IPL G Coupe. It was a nice car.

Brushing the thoughts aside, he stepped onto the porch and rang the doorbell before cupping his hands and blowing into them. He hated having cold hands.

The door opened to reveal Helen in a wife-beater and black shorts.

"Is it still wrong for me to call you sexy? This is sexy, right?" Jayden said as Helen only scoffed and walked away from the door, giving him a nonverbal command to enter. "So where's your cousin?"

"Oh, you mean 'Princess Scarlett'? She's upstairs." Helen answered going towards the steps. "She's been looking at that stupid thing for hours now."

"Oh." Jayden said following Helen. "Well I won't stay long. I wouldn't want to intrude on her intimate time with the tiara. Though I am jealous."

Helen smiled slightly. "I bet you are. That thing is getting more action that you did."

The two laughed as Helen opened Scarlett's door, not bothering to knock. Scarlett turned a glare towards her cousin before seeing Jayden behind her.

"J.T? What are you doing here?" Scarlett asked.

"Just to talk for a while." Jayden answered. "DeWayne got you a tiara. That must've been expensive."

"Were you going to give me a tiara?" Scarlett asked.

"Now there are two things that would go wrong if I did." Jayden said. "One, DeWayne would have yet another reason to envy me. And two, Laura would have another reason to come to my house and drag me out of bed by my hair."

Scarlett frowned. "Why's that? You two dating now?"

"Since yesterday." Jayden answered.

"Oh…" Scarlett said. "I'm happy for you."

"We can't tell." Helen muttered causing Jayden to snicker a bit.

"I'm serious." Scarlett said.

Helen rolled her eyes. "_Sure you are._" Helen then glanced at Jayden. "Didn't she tell you that if you _ever_ date Laura that she'd _never_ forgive you?"

"I… I think you're right." Jayden said to Helen. "Wonder if that's why she's so 'happy' for me."

Helen sighed. "Sad…"

"When you two are done," Scarlett said. "I'd like for you to remember that you're in _my_ house standing in _my_ room talking about _me_." Helen crossed her arms as Jayden gave a small shrug. "You two are impossible sometimes, I swear. J.T, I'm happy that you date Laura. You two deserve each other."

"Really? How so?" Jayden asked.

Scarlett shrugged. "I don't know. She's happy with you and you're happy with her. It's kind of like me and DeWayne."

"Sans the tiara and cheating." Helen inputted.

"Oh, I'm sure Laura's going to cheat on J.T sooner or later. I just don't want to be there because he is known to flip the switch sometimes." Scarlett said. "Of course, that's _if_ he finds out about it."

Jayden nodded. "You have a point. _If_ Laura was as bad as you think, then yeah, sooner or later she would cheat on me. But I know I differently."

"How? You've only been dating her for a day." Scarlett said.

"Scarlett, the difference between you and I, is that I got to know Laura prior jumping into anything." Jayden said. Helen saw the slight glare in Scarlett's eyes and chose to stay to see where this would go. "Of course, there is the bad girl that you see. And from experience, I can say that some of those rumors hold truth. She has one mean right hook. But the _other_ side of Laura is the one that is a lot softer than that. And she's a lot more loyal than a lot of people give her credit for. Again, I can vouch for that."

"Jayden, this is the girl that got your 'sister' drunk. Do you _really_ think that highly of her?" Scarlett asked.

"Do you think that highly of a guy that cheated on you with his ex?" Jayden retorted.

Helen looked back and forth between Jayden and Scarlett as neither said anything after that statement.

"If you want the local slut, then I can't stop you." Scarlett said. "I've always known you to see the best in people. Even if there isn't much to see."

"Call me crazy in love then." Jayden responded. "Speaking of loves and such, I have to meet up with Laura soon. Shane and I are going to induct Nicky and Laura into our New Years ritual."

"Have fun." Scarlett said sarcastically.

Jayden frowned. "But before that, let's get one thing straight," Both Coyne cousins were thoroughly shocked by Jayden's change of tone. "I let go of my stupid pride when you began dating DeWayne. Why? Because the _only_ time that I was forced to see you two together was in a professional area. School."

"I never asked you to." Scarlett said.

"No. You didn't. I did it because you seemed happy. In fact, the only reason I had for not telling you to break up with DeWayne is because I didn't want you to expect me to get back with you while I was trying to date Laura. You'd be hurt if I left you hanging like that." Jayden replied. "Now, I personally couldn't give a rat's ass about DeWayne, Deanna, their mom, dad, stepdad, whatever. But as long as he makes you happy, I won't intrude. The only thing I ask from you is to do the same."

Scarlett blinked before sighing. "Fine. I hope she makes you happy then. But I'm going to warn you, she's going to hurt you sooner or later. People like her don't change and too many guys say the same thing. A good lay and that's just about it. She'll probably run your pockets dry as well."

Jayden snorted. "Yeah right. She actually had the guts to walk up to me, give me a kiss in front of half the school, and told me she loved me. That's a lot more than you ever did."

"Why don't you just go find your girlfriend." Scarlett said.

"Gladly." Jayden said. "And if you're wondering, yes, I do feel the same for her." Scarlett looked away from Jayden. "I'll talk to you later Helen."

"Uh-huh." Helen said as Jayden left Scarlett's room. "So… Are you…" Helen paused as she saw tears running down Scarlett's face. "Scar…"

"Go." Scarlett said. "And close my door."

"Sure." Helen said doing as she was told. "Wow."

* * *

Shane stared at Nicole.

"What?" Nicole asked.

"That's it? She didn't flip out or anything?" Shane questioned.

"Nope." Nicole said before smiling. "Shouldn't you be happy?"

"I am… But something seems… Off." Shane said. "My mom is-"

"Shane, she's okay with us so we're going to let it drop." Nicole interrupted. "If you press the matter then something bad might happen." Nicole pouted. "We might be supervised again."

"I guess you're right." Shane replied. "Man, where's Jay at? He said he'd be here after he checked in with Scarlett and Helen, but that shouldn't have taken that long."

"Maybe he's just running late." Nicole stated. "I'm going to go call Jackie. I'm sure she needs to hear a friendly voice."

"Go ahead." Shane said. "I'm going to call and see what's taking him so long." Nicole nodded before leaving Shane's bedroom. "Better make sure that he's in one piece and that Scarlett's okay."

* * *

DeWayne answered his phone.

"Hey," Scarlett said. "I've missed you."

"Me too." DeWayne said before lying on his bed. "I wish I was down there with you right now. Deanna's walking around in a bad mood about something."

"I'm sure." Scarlett said.

DeWayne frowned. "Why does it sound like you've been crying?"

"What? No!" Scarlett said quickly. "I'm fine. A little cold, but fine." DeWayne only frowned further at her quick response. "I just had a little talk with my annoying neighbor though. He dates Laura now."

"Isn't she like your school's local prostitute or something?" DeWayne asked.

"I tried to tell him that but, oh well. He'll learn sooner or later." Scarlett replied.

"Hey," DeWayne said. "When I return, how about you and I just go off somewhere? You choose."

"I'd like that." Scarlett said. "With Helen and Jayden… I just don't know how I'll survive living with them. Well, living next to one and with the other."

"If he's giving you trouble, all you have to do is say the word." DeWayne said.

"I can handle him by myself." Scarlett responded. "He won't do anything but talk and walk away."

"I knew he was a-"

"To me." Scarlett finished. "He wouldn't raise a hand to me. You, I'm sure he'd love to have a legit reason to fight."

"The feeling is mutual." DeWayne said.

"Don't." Scarlett said.

"Don't what?" DeWayne asked.

"Don't start anything with him. Again." Scarlett answered. "Let him and Laura be them. I don't want to think about them."

"One loser deserves another." DeWayne remarked.

"I said that I didn't want to think about them." Scarlett said.

"Sure. Then answer me this question," DeWayne said. "Have you forgiven me for the Mercedes thing?"

Scarlett sighed. "As much as I ever am, I suppose."

"Please. Take your-"

"DeWayne," Deanna interrupted her brother. "I need to talk to you."

"I'm on the phone." DeWayne said.

"Right. And your girlfriend who you care _so much for_ is _way_ more important than your _only living sibling_!" Deanna said. "Get off of the phone. I think this is important."

"How important?" DeWayne asked.

"I think I like someone." Deanna said. "Like a crush or whatever."

DeWayne sighed. "Scarlett, I have to go talk to Deanna for a few minutes. She just gave me a sign of the apocalypse."

"Sure. Call back as soon as you can." Scarlett said.

"I will. Bye." DeWayne said.

"Bye." Scarlett responded.

After hanging up, DeWayne gave his sister a curious glance. Unlike himself, Deanna never really had a crush on anyone. While she would admit to have physical attraction towards someone or liking someone because of their talent or money, she has never really had a crush on anyone.

"Okay. Who is he?" DeWayne asked.

"Don't judge me." Deanna said. DeWayne gave a nod. "Marc Milligan."

DeWayne frowned. "The large idiot from Degrassi? Are you sure?"

"I said not to judge me." Deanna said. "But… I think so. Wayne, you know how unusual this is. This has never happened before."

"Why?" DeWayne asked.

"Why what?" Deanna asked.

"Why do you like him?" DeWayne restated.

"I don't know." Deanna said. "I guess… I guess I just admire the way he stands up for Helen. You know, like a gentleman or whatever."

DeWayne smiled. "Dee, I think you just like one thing about him. After you get to know him, he'll probably be one of the biggest losers you've met in your life."

"I hope you're right." Deanna said.

* * *

Chandra sighed as she made her way up the steps towards her bedroom. Vanessa and Ashton were out together and Aaron was probably still out of town. In other words, she was lonely and had to live with the fact that Steven had dodged the punishment she wanted him to have by herself.

The doorbell rang and she buried her face into her pillow with a groan. She did not want to see neither her uncle Sav nor Adam or their children.

Chandra heard a knock on her door.

"Go away." Chandra said into her pillow but loud enough for whoever to hear it.

"I thought you could use a friend," Chandra quickly whipped her head around to see Aaron. "But since you don't…"

"A.J!" Chandra said happily as she quickly got from her bed to hug him. "When'd you get back? Never mind that! What do you want to do? I'm _dying_ of boredom!"

Aaron laughed. "I see. " Chandra released Aaron to see his smiling face. "How was your Christmas?"

Chandra shrugged. "The same as always really. Saw my dad's family and then my mom's. Of course, we only celebrated Christmas with my dad's family. Muslim on my mom side and all."

"Really? Well, I celebrated Christmakkuh." Aaron said. Chandra gave a small frown. "Basically Christmas and Hanukkah put together."

"You have Jewish in your family?" Chandra asked.

"Sort of. Friends of the family for like centuries and we've always celebrated it with them." Aaron answered. Chandra gave a small nod. Aaron did seem like he came from a friendly home, so celebrating another holiday with a family friend did not seem like something out of character for Aaron. "I heard about Steven's case…"

"All he gets is a few weeks locked up, a transfer, and some stupid therapy." Chandra said angrily. "Oh, and his parents have to pay like ten thousand dollars. But that's it!"

"Bambi what else did you want him to do?" Aaron asked.

"Suffer!" Chandra responded before sighing. "I'm sorry A.J. I didn't mean to shout, I just…"

"Hey, I understand. He hurt you badly and you want proper payback." Aaron said.

Chandra moved towards her bed. "It's not even fair. Why am I the only one that thinks about it all the time? _Dream_ about it is what I should say."

"Still having nightmares?" Aaron asked.

Chandra nodded. "Yeah. And they're only getting worse."

Aaron sighed. "I wish I could help." Chandra looked at Aaron and smiled. "What?"

"You. You're always trying to help someone." Chandra stated while smiling. "When's the last time you actually worried about _your_ wellbeing?"

Aaron stood quietly for a moment as he thought. Sans the times where Danica, and a few times with Jayden, had actually threatening to kill him, he has not really worried about his own health and happiness for the past few weeks. Those thoughts left with Jordan.

"So," Chandra said sitting near the middle of her bed with her legs folded towards her. "Tell me how New York was. I've always wanted to go but my mom thinks that it'll somehow destroy my brain or something. Influence is the word she said."

Aaron grinned before sitting on Chandra's bed.

"Well, it was cold I can say that." Aaron began.

* * *

Helen sighed as she got out of her car and made her way towards the Dot. She hated to do what she was about to do, but it had to be done.

However, before she could do so, she nearly ran into Tyler who was leaving the establishment.

"Whoa, sorry about that." Tyler said. "Hey… You're that girl that Deanna and Mercedes tried to jump."

"Also the girl who hates your girlfriend the most." Helen replied. "So could you move so I can go in here? I have to meet with someone."

"He's not there." Tyler said. Helen frowned. "Alex. That is who you're looking for, right?" Helen nodded. "He's not in there."

"Then I'll wait." Helen responded.

"Sure." Tyler said. "I just have a question because it's been bouncing around at Lakehurst for a while now and no one seems to know the truth or not."

"Out with it then." Helen said.

"Did you ever sleep with Jayden?" Tyler asked.

Helen stood with a confused look on her face. She knew the answer, no. But she did not know why Tyler asked it or why the rumor was being spread around Lakehurst. The two had broken up for months now.

"No I didn't." Helen answered. "Is that all?"

"Sure. Nice talking to you… Helen?" Tyler stated.

"Yeah. Helen." Helen replied before going inside the Dot.

"Hi Helen," Kelly said. "What can I get you?"

"Nothing now. Just waiting on someone." Helen said before she eyed Tyler walking away through the window. "Say, what was he in here for?"

Kelly stepped beside Helen.

"Who? Tyler?" Kelly asked and Helen nodded. "I don't know. He was talking to some big guy. Tank I think is what he called him. Anyway, they were talking about how bad of a girlfriend Mary-Jane was and what he should do about it." Helen nodded once more. "Why?"

"No reason." Helen said moving to an empty table.

A few minutes later, Alexander walked into the Dot with a smile. He made his way over towards Helen and sat down across from her.

"I heard what you said about Scar," Helen said to Alexander, who frowned. "It's on your stupid page idiot."

"I was only kidding." Alexander said.

"Well, let me remind you that the _only_ one of the 'Coyne Cousins' that is born with the last name Coyne is me." Helen snapped back. "And none of us are 'as dumb' as we are 'pretty' got that?"

Alexander nodded. "Yeah…"

"Secondly, Jayden is our friend. _Our_ friend. My friend _and_ Scar's friend. We're not just going to forget him because our boyfriends and he aren't on the same page nor are we 'screwing him on the side' as you so kindly put it." Helen said.

"I was just joking around Helen. I didn't mean anything." Alexander replied. "I'm sorry if you're angry about it but-"

"Angry? No. I'm not angry. I don't even care anymore." Helen said. "Nicky was right about one thing. We don't have a bond."

"Are you breaking up with me because of a stupid post?" Alexander asked.

"Yes I am. Are you going to try and stop me?" Helen dared.

Alexander sat quietly before sighing.

"After I did everything you asked me for this is-"

"Wrong." Helen interrupted. "The first thing I told you that you needed to know were: A, I was a cheerleader and B, Scarlett was my cousin. You disrespect one of them and you lose. And you did."

"Sure Helen." Alexander said as the girl stood up. "So. That's it? Nothing else can be said or done about that?"

Helen shrugged. "Life. What can you do about it?"

Without another word, Helen left Alexander sitting at the table. He sighed heavily before putting his head in his hands. And here he thought about introducing her to his parents.

* * *

Shane and Nicole stood in quietness as Jayden leaned against his car, Laura securely in his arms.

"Problem?" Jayden asked his friend.

"Not if you're counting a thirty-minute tardy and a hickey on your neck." Shane responded.

"Oh. How'd that get there?" Jayden said. "Well, are you two ready…" Jayden paused. "Shane. What's that on _your_ neck?"

"We were going, right?" Shane responded causing Jayden to laugh.

"Sure." Jayden said. "By the way, yes, we are." Shane gave Jayden a small nod as his eyes landed back on Laura. "And yes, she does know already."

"What kind of creepy mind-reading jumbo are you doing?" Laura asked Jayden.

"It's called being friends. You should try it for a while." Jayden said, gaining a swat on the arm. "You're worst than Helen was, I swear."

"Going." Shane said before Jayden moved to the driver side.

After the four got into the car, Shane and Nicole in the backseats while Laura took the passenger seat, Jayden started up his car before driving off.

"How was your Christmas?" Jayden asked Shane and Nicole without looking at them.

"Best Winter Break ever." Shane responded.

Jayden lifted an eyebrow. "Oh really? Tested that 'vivid imagination' have you?"

"Look who's talking." Shane retorted. "Bet you two 'celebrated' yesterday, didn't you?"

"Nope." Jayden lied.

Laura smiled slightly before glancing at Jayden. He gave her a glance out of the corner of his eyes before turning his attention back to the road.

"You know what I just found out?" Nicole stated.

"What?" Shane asked.

"That Laura wanted to use Jayden to get me away from Nate and now the only reason we're in the same car is Jayden." Nicole answered.

There was silence before Jayden began laughing, followed by Laura slapping and palming her forehead. Shane also laughed at the purely innocent look on Nicole's face. Obviously, she was not trying to make this a joke.

"Oh the irony." Jayden said.

"Shut the hell up." Laura replied.

* * *

Aaron and Chandra were laughing and talking at the Dot when Jordan arrived. She froze momentarily seeing Aaron's smile. He seem genuinely happy.

"Hey," Kelly said to her sister. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh… I was just coming to get something to eat. To get out of the house." Jordan answered.

"To get something to eat or to get out of the house?" Kelly responded. She knew that Jordan would not walk all the way to the Dot just to get a bite to eat. Especially not alone.

"Both." Jordan said.

"Fine." Kelly said leading Jordan to the counter. Dakota came from the backroom with an apron on. "Just work the cash register Dash. I can handle the serving."

"Like always." Dakota said. "Hey Jordan."

"Hi." Jordan said lifelessly.

Dakota gave Kelly a frown before Kelly pointed over to Aaron and Chandra.

"This kind of thing always happens here." Kelly said. "Sometimes I wonder if people just use this place to rub it in their exes face that they've moved on."

"You know what," Jordan said hopping out of the stool. "Forget the fries. I'll just go somewhere else."

"Jordan it's not going to help -"

"Leave me alone Kelly." Jordan said before walking out of the door.

Jordan walked angrily down the sidewalk before bumping against someone. Normally, she would take the time to apologize to the person, but since she was currently fighting back tears of sadness and anger.

"Excuse you." Jordan stopped once she heard the voice of Mary-Jane.

"Sorry." Jordan said.

"Don't be." Mary-Jane said. Jordan frowned. "That's your problem. You're always sorry. That's why Helen walks all over you."

"Oh." Jordan replied.

"And wipe that stupid look off of your face." Mary-Jane said. "Boys come and go. Get used to it." Jordan nodded. "You know what, I don't normally do this, but I'm in a good mood today. So come with me. I'll show you how to forget about one boy while you have another one."

"Uh… Okay." Jordan said. "Thanks."

"We're not done yet. Save your gratitude then." Mary-Jane said. "Come. This way."

"Right." Jordan said falling into step behind the glamorous Mary-Jane Del Rossi.

* * *

Helen found it slightly odd that Scarlett had yet to leave her room, but then remembered the conversation her cousin had with their ex.

"Hey Scar," Helen said knocking on Scarlett's door. "You okay?" No response. "It's your turn to drive the car." Still no response. "Open the door before I kick it down."

"It's open." Scarlett replied.

Helen smiled victoriously as she opened the door and made her way inside. Scarlett lied on her bed, her hair done in a single plait.

"You going to tell me or are we just going to jump into the fight scene?" Helen asked.

Scarlett sat up. "Why doesn't he hate you?"

"Next to the fact that we started as enemies? I doubt that Jayden and I could build up a larger rivalry if we tried." Helen answered. "Seriously, don't sweat it though."

"But I do!" Scarlett said. "I just… I don't know. I'm so freaking jealous right now. Laura? Laura! He could have dated _anyone_ but her!"

"Whoa… Angry much?" Helen responded.

"Helen I'm being serious. Why did this happen to me?" Scarlett said.

"What, exactly?" Helen asked.

"I had Jayden and I let him get away." Scarlett said.

"I thought you both agreed to-"

"The dance, Helen." Scarlett interrupted. "I could've been and probably _should've been_ the girl that went with him earlier. But I was so damn stubborn and stupid." Helen's eyes went wide. "He took you and you two would probably still be together if it wasn't for me. And I'm sorry."

"No problem. Why the revelation?" Helen asked.

"Because I believe him. Somehow, someway he's in love with Laura." Scarlett said. "But… I don't want him to love her. I want him to love _me_." Scarlett sighed. "And this had to happen at the same time I found out DeWayne was cheating on me. Could my life get any worse?"

"Your parents could introduce you to a new baby brother or sister. Or go bankrupt." Helen said. Scarlett scoffed as Helen sat on the edge of the bed. "Hey, Jayden doesn't hate you and if you want to point fingers, it's partially my fault. I told him to give Laura a chance.

Scarlett glared at Helen. "Why?"

"To open those snooty eyes of yours." Helen responded. "Everything in your life is yours, no matter what. The house is yours. The clothes are yours. You even staked a claim in our annoying neighbor." Scarlett sighed. "In real life, you can lose things. Take it from the girl who had to beat most people up for trying to take her things in Manhattan. I take nothing for granted."

"And I do?" Scarlett asked.

"Uh yeah, you do." Helen said. "I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true."

"Then what do you suggest I do?" Scarlett said.

"I suggest you apologize and stop being such a wimp." Helen said. "It's degrading to be your cousin with you crying over a boy."

Scarlett laughed. "Sure Helen. I'll be as strong as you are." Helen smiled at the statement. "But, in the meantime, I just want to beat myself up some more."

"One day," Helen said. "You'll believe me when I say that you're in love with someone. And… If you want something to shout at _me_ for, I broke up with Alex."

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "I didn't see that one coming."

"Glad to know that your sarcasm's back." Helen said. Helen then lied in the bed and Scarlett lied beside her. "You know Scar, if I had to have a sibling, you'd probably be who I chose."

"Probably?" Scarlett asked.

"Well, I was debating on whether or not I could put up with myself." Helen said.

Scarlett smiled. "I'd choose you for a sister too Helen if I had to. Fortunately, I'm an only child."

"Brat." Helen said.

* * *

Aaron and Chandra walked down the sidewalk towards Chandra's house.

"So," Chandra said. "Do you have any New Year's resolution?"

"Not really. How about you?" Aaron responded.

"Next to finding someone who either doesn't beat me or thinks of me as just a friend?" Chandra replied.

"Well, there's that," Aaron said. "But maybe you should go for something…"

"Believable?" Chandra finished.

"Harder." Aaron said. "I doubt that it'll take you long to find someone new." Chandra frowned a bit. "I'm not calling you a slut or anything. I'm just saying that… Well, it's not hard for you to attract guys."

"That can be taken as an insult you know?" Chandra said. "But… Since it's _you_ I'm talking about, I'll take it as a compliment."

"I can insult someone if I wanted to. Or if I _had_ to." Aaron said.

"Sure you could." Chandra replied with a small smile.

"I have." Aaron stated.

"I'll admit," Chandra said. "That look you gave Jordan before school let out was near on point. It was kind of like the one I saw Jayden give DeWayne one day at the little meetings…" Aaron froze a bit as Chandra paused. "You know, you two have similar glares."

"I didn't know that." Aaron said.

Chandra shrugged. "I guess he's rubbing off on you."

"Let's hope not." Aaron muttered as he looked up at the sky.

"Right. I couldn't bare it if _you_ left me for some random girl." Again, Aaron nearly stopped walking until Chandra continued. "I mean, who else will I go to the movies with? Ashton's taken by Vanessa, not like I'd claim him anyway and Dustin is still a loser."

"Right. Use me." Aaron joked.

The two laughed a bit before stopping in front of Chandra's house.

"Thanks A.J. I hardly thought about Steven all day." Chandra said.

"But you still did." Aaron replied. "I tried to make you forget him."

Chandra smiled. "I'll never forget him or what he did. And I'm fine with that. Sort of."

"Why?" Aaron asked.

"Jayden told me that I can't run away from my problems. I had to face them head on." Chandra answered. "And that's what I'm going to do. Until I'm completely over it, I'll face it."

"Well, you won't have to face it alone." Aaron said. "You can always call me."

"I'm sure." Chandra said. "Um, I have to go inside. I'm sure my _dear sweet_ grandmother has called like _five hundred times_ wondering why we haven't joined at her house yet."

Aaron smiled. "Right. I'm going to head home too."

Chandra nodded as Aaron began walking off. She smiled before walking up her driveway.

Meanwhile, Aaron was deep in thoughts. It seemed that Jayden told a lot of people to face their problems head on, despite him not telling Scarlett the real reason he broke up with her. Aaron brushed it aside as he had already came to accept that his brother had deep feelings for their neighbor. Deeper than his ex, that's for sure.

Aaron's thoughts were broken by the ringing of his cell phone.

"Hello?" Aaron answered.

"Just seeing if you were telling the truth about that 'just call' thing." Chandra replied. Aaron laughed. "And to give you company on your walk home."

"Thanks." Aaron said.

* * *

Nicole smiled. "So this is where you guys run off to?"

"Yep." Shane answered. "This is our destined bachelor party location."

"Heh. And here I thought you were joking." Laura said eying Jayden as he drunk some of his soda.

"Now why would I lie to such a pretty face?" Jayden replied.

"Because it's your nature Dimples." Laura said. "You lie to _every_ face just to get your way."

Shane smirked. "You know, this 'Dimples' business gets funnier and funnier as time goes by."

"Better that than being slapped for no reason." Jayden responded.

"You two make a cute couple." Nicole chimed in.

Jayden and Laura glanced at one another before looking at Nicole. While they might be two completely different people, Nicole recognized that both of their gazes said the exact same thing.

Duh.

"So how did telling Scarlett go?" Shane asked Jayden.

Jayden sighed. "Not good at all." Now Laura paid more attention to Jayden than previously, as well as Nicole. "She basically said that I was stupid, Laura's a slut, and in the end, she'd be right and I would be wrong. Laura would do something and 'hurt me.'"

"And you undoubtedly defended her, creating an argument. Right?" Shane responded.

"That's pretty much how it goes, right?" Jayden said. "I mean, sure Laura's mean, cruel, rude, crude, never prude, foulmouthed, short-tempered, and could be seen as promiscuous," Jayden spotted Laura's fist balling and chose to get on with his point or else. "But, that's just _half_ of who she is. The other half is the half that I _won't_ share with the world because I can be selfish and I want that side all to myself. End of story."

Shane shrugged. "It was bound to happen if you ask me."

"Oh really?" Laura said. "And what makes _you_ think that _I'd_ want to date Jayden?"

"Next to Jayden taken his frustrations with you out on Steven? I don't know." Shane said.

"Was that sarcasm?" Laura asked.

"Anyway," Jayden said, attempting to save his friend. "So she gets mad after I explained to her Laura's national performance at school and-"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Laura interrupted.

"You know. The whole kiss me and admit your love thing?" Jayden responded. "She got mad after I told her that the feeling between you and I is mutual and she told me to go."

Laura frowned. "So, you told _your ex_ the very thing that I told you _not_ to tell her?" Jayden nodded. "Give me two good reasons why I shouldn't kick your ass right now."

"One, we're in a public facility and you'd be shipped off downtown," Jayden answered. "And two, it was to show her how serious I am."

"Sure Dimples. Just remember that I owe you one later on." Laura stated.

"After that _favor_ I did for you yesterday, you owe me more than just 'one' Laura." Jayden responded.

Laura smiled. Evidently, Jayden was still a bit sore about having sex in his new car. She did not know what the big deal was, but then realized that it must be Jayden trying to show her just who he really was. And despite his clear and apparent anger, Laura still had thoughts of doing it again. One, for her pleasure and two just to piss him off further.

"Do you know the one thing I hate about Winter Break?" Shane stated.

"What?" Jayden asked.

"Going back to school." Shane said. "We should start a new tradition. Skipping school the first day after Winter Break."

"Sounds like my kind of tradition." Laura said glancing at Jayden.

Jayden sighed. "My best friend and girlfriend attempting to get me into more trouble."

"Don't worry Jay. I don't think it's such a good idea either." Nicole said.

"Maybe we should trade dates then." Shane responded with a smile.

"No!" Jayden and Laura said quickly causing Shane and Nicole to frown.

Jayden laughed while Laura only sighed.

"It's going to be one hell of a night." Laura mumbled.

* * *

Helen sat at the desktop in Fiona's office and began to check her e-mails. Her brows furrowed when she saw that someone was trying to IM her.

**TWall185: So is it true?**

**PricelessCoyne1: Who is this? And is what true?**

**TWall185: Tyler. You broke up with Alex?**

Now Helen frowned. How did Tyler get her e-mail address and why was he talking to her? Helen stared at the screen for a moment thinking. While she did not think that Tyler was the best-looking guy she had seen, he was not ugly. And plus, there was that one thing that made him more attractive than anyone else at the moment.

He was dating Mary-Jane which meant Helen had someway to mess with the older girl.

**PricelessCoyne1: Yea. It's true.**

**TWall185: Guys a loser.**

**PricelessCoyne1: What about Mary-Jane?**

**TWall185:** **What are we doing wrong?**

**PricelessCoyne1: I'm doing nothing wrong. You're flirting with me.**

**TWall185: Is that so wrong?**

Helen smiled.

**PricelessCoyne1: Yes.**

**TWall185: Sorry.**

Helen idly wondered if she could continue with this. If she really would stoop so low as to steal Mary-Jane's boyfriend just because she hated the blonde.

**TWall185: Helen?**

**PricelessCoyne1: Let's meet up tomorrow.**

**TWall185: Tomorrow?**

**PricelessCoyne1: What better way to kick off the new year then with a girl like me?**

**TWall185: Sure.**

"Bingo." Helen muttered.

* * *

Laura leaned back against Jayden as the two sat on a roof with a Shane, Nicole, and a few others they did not know.

"Why are you and Shane such good friends?" Laura asked.

Jayden shrugged. "I don't know. He's like my first non-rich friend." Laura scoffed. "I'm serious. All my friends in Newport were wealthy and the first people I met here in Toronto were Helen and Scarlett. Rich people."

"Well don't be looking at me for any money." Laura replied.

Jayden chuckled. "Really? After all the deals I and Dash have seen you make, you really believe that you're _not_ as rich as I am?"

Laura smiled. "You have a point." Laura's smile slowly dropped. "You're not going to make me stop, are you?"

"No, because that would be changing you." Jayden answered. "I love you just the way you are. Bad attitude and all."

Laura rolled her eyes before thumping Jayden in his forehead.

"I love you too, Dimples." Laura said.

Jayden smiled. "You're going to laugh at this," Laura frowned. "But 'Dimples' is the nickname my dad calls my mom."

Laura paled a bit. "She's not going to be mad about-"

"She's the reason I found you." Jayden interrupted.

"Really? Who knew?" Laura said.

"When we go back to school," Jayden said. "I don't want you to feel like anything is different. We are who we are no matter where we are, got it?"

Laura glanced at Jayden. "Is that what you tell your brother?"

"I've tried to get him to stop being stupid but he won't listen." Jayden said. "You. You're smarter than that."

Laura grinned. "So if I walk up to you in front of Scarlett…"

"Make her jealous, if it pleases you." Jayden finished with a smirk.

"Good answer." Laura said before attempting to kiss Jayden. He put a finger towards her lips. "What the hell?"

Jayden pointed to the crowd counting down.

"Ten… Nine… Eight… Seven… Six… Five… Four… Three… Two… One… Happy New Year!"

Fireworks lit the sky before Jayden moved his hand and kissed Laura.

"Congratulations. You're my first kiss of the year." Jayden said.

"And your second." Laura said before kissing Jayden again.

Nicole smiled as she looked at Shane.

"I'm glad someone other than me thinks that Laura has a heart." Nicole said.

"I'm glad he's not whining over her again." Shane said before pulling Nicole towards him. "Oh, and how my girlfriend is _way_ hotter."

Nicole giggled. "Better believe it."

* * *

Aaron got off of the phone.

"Are you done talking to Chandra?" Manny asked. Aaron nodded. "Is she alright?"

"Yeah." Aaron said. "She's been trying to forget about the Steven thing, but it's going to take some time."

"Well, as long as she has friends like you, I'm sure she'll be alright." Manny said with a smile.

Aaron grinned. "Thanks Mama."

Helen yawned. "Well, it's the new year and yadda yadda. I'm going to bed."

"Goodnight Helen." Fiona said.

"Night." Helen said leaving the entertainment room.

Fiona looked at Scarlett. "So, got any plans for the new year?"

Scarlett sighed. "One thing."

"What is it?" Coach Blue asked.

"I want happiness. So, my plan is to make everything right." Scarlett said. "Starting with DeWayne and then Jayden and then everyone else."

Fiona frowned. "Is something wrong with you and Jayden?"

"I…" Scarlett paused. "Yes. But it's nothing we haven't experienced before. We'll manage."

"You're still dating Jayden?" Coach Blue asked.

"No! No, we… We're just having a disagreement about something. More like someone." Scarlett said. "But, it's alright. I'll handle it."

Fiona smiled. "That's because you're a Coyne and we always do what we put our mind to."

"Always." Scarlett said with a smile.

* * *

Jordan looked at the makeup that she and Mary-Jane had purchased earlier that day.

"A new year," Jordan said. "A new me." Jordan looked at her reflection in the mirror. "Look out Degrassi. It's time for the new and improved Jordan Cameron."

* * *

Jayden and Laura stood in front of her house.

"Well," Jayden said. "See you later on today?"

"Yeah." Laura said. "I, um, I'm glad that… Well…"

Jayden smiled. "You're happy that Shane and Nicky accepted us, right?"

Laura frowned. "I told you that I'll say whatever I damn well please." Laura sighed before smiling. "You're so lucky you're cute."

"Like I haven't heard that one before." Jayden said before kissing her. The kiss was shortened by the sound of someone clearing their throat. "Oh. Hey Mr. Reynolds. Lovely night, right?"

"It's almost two in the morning, Jayden." Mr. Reynolds said.

"Right…" Jayden said before clapping his hands. "Well, I'm going to go. Good look with your dad Laura. I love you but I'd rather get in trouble with my parents first. See you later."

Laura gaped as Jayden walked towards his car. He gave her a smile and a wink before getting into his car and starting it up. She watched in awe as he pulled off before looking at her irate father's face.

"Uh… Hi Dad." Laura said.

Mr. Reynolds sighed. "Just get in the house."

"Yes sir." Laura said before smiling to herself.

It was going to be a great year.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So here it is, the season finale. Whew! It took forever to type these chapters! Oh well, time to work on the new season. Anyway, now is the time I'd like to just go through with the disclaimer. In Hard Habit to Break, Juvenile Grace performed _Through the Trees_ by Ryan Levine. In We're Taking Over Pt. II they sung the songs _Superman Tonight_ which is owned by U2 and then a re-edition of _American Idiot_ by Green Day. Also, the idea for Jayden to think of him and Laura to the song _Watch Out_ by Tyler Van Den Berg was actually WaitCait705. Thanks for that! (sighs) I think that is all. Season Three will begin probably in two weeks or so, just a head's up. Thanks for reading Like a Record Seasons 1 and 2 and I'll be back later! Ciao!


	58. Webisode: Daddy's Little Girl

**Author's Note:** While Season Three is coming along just fine, I thought I'd put in a small chapter about a random meeting with Deanna and Fitz. Takes place after Come Clean.

* * *

**Daddy's Little Girl**

A prison was no place for an innocent child, especially an innocent little girl. But she had done this so many times that other prisoners and guards greeted her as she made her way to the table where he sat. One of the only people she had actually cared about in her life.

Her father, Mark Fitzgerald.

He smiled at her. "You're on time."

Deanna grinned. "I had spare time today."

"Where's your brother?" Fitz questioned.

Deanna shrugged. "Probably out with his friends or band. You know how he gets when he has 'something' else to occupy his weekends."

Fitz nodded. Not that he could blame DeWayne for not visiting as often as Deanna did. Despite Deanna's natural cold nature, it was DeWayne who had a hard time forgiving certain people for certain things. And while Fitz never did anything to his son, being out of his life for a while certainly took its toll on their once growing father-son relationship. Deanna, however, stayed faithful even with a richer-than-life stepfather.

"So, what's happened? I know you have a lot to tell me." Fitz said.

"Where to begin?" Deanna said. "Wayne dates Scarlett now." Fitz frowned. His daughter seemed to hate the idea for some reason. "She has got to be one of the most annoying people I have ever met. Always proper and fake around adults. It's sickening."

"Dee, leave them alone." Fitz said. "Your brother deserves to be happy with whoever."

Deanna fought not to roll her eyes. She would never be that disrespectful to her dad.

"Yeah. Sure. And worse of all, I can't date Jayden because Laura has his attention." Deanna stated.

Fitz laughed. "Laura? As in John's daughter, Laura Reynolds?" Deanna nodded. "Wow. I did not see that one coming."

Deanna smiled. "You never did finish telling me your story."

"About me and Bee?" Deanna nodded. "Okay. I can finish if you want. Where was I?"

"You guys were sitting at the ravine talking about Owen." Deanna answered.

"Right," Fitz said as he recollected his thoughts. "So, Owen had run off and had like two sons with a girl named Felicia. Our little clique was growing smaller and smaller by the seconds as we grew older. Worst of all, your mom was still seeing Winston, who did not want her anywhere near the ravine."

"But she was dating you, right?" Deanna asked.

"But she was engaged to him." Fitz answered. "Either way, about the same time, Bianca started to disappear for no apparent reason. At first we thought she contracted something, but it turns out she was pregnant. It was about May when we found out and she said that it was John's." Fitz grinned. "He fainted like four times before being able to hear those words."

Deanna giggled a bit. "So what did you guys do?"

"Well, we figured it was time to move on. So, your mom came to me and asked to sleep with me for one final time. And I said yes." Fitz said.

"Gee Daddy, you were a frisky little boy." Deanna said.

Fitz grinned. "I wasn't the holiest person in my youth." Fitz's grin slowly dropped. "And then, sometime in July, I got a call from Delilah saying that she wants to talk to me. So I meet up with her and she tells me that in a year, she's going to be married. But before that, she was going to have my kids."

Deanna now sat in her seat a bit straighter. She had always wondered how her dad dealt with his children living with another man for the majority of the time.

"Winston, of course, was a bit angry that I had gotten Delilah pregnant, but he wouldn't step to my face about it. Not after Bee gave him a nice mouse when he came banging on the door one day." Fitz continued. "So we made a deal. So long as I got my time with my kids, they could stay in his mansion, your house."

"That doesn't seem like a fair trade." Deanna said. "What if we wanted to stay with you?"

Fitz gave Deanna a sympathetic look.

"I understand what you're saying, but I wanted the best for you guys." Fitz said. "We would be cramped living in that small apartment. Besides, it worked out for the best of everyone. Well… Mostly everyone."

"But now you're locked up and Mom isn't even worried." Deanna said.

"Your mom will always worry. It's called love Dee. It's why I allowed you guys to stay with your mom. It's why you visit me every chance you get. It's why Winston married your mom." Fitz said. "Sooner or later you'll understand what I mean."

"Tch, yeah right. I can do without love." Deanna replied.

"No you can't. No one can." Fitz said.

"But I don't want to end up like this." Deanna said. "Having to let things go. Having to live knowing what should be. That's for idiots, no offense. Love makes people stupid and I don't want to be stupid."

Fitz smiled. "You won't be able to stop it dear. Just let it happen." Deanna sighed. "Come on Dee. There's got to be some guy you dream about."

"Well…" Deanna began. "I do dream of _some_ boy. I don't know his name, but I know how he feels."

"Feels?" Fitz asked.

Deanna nodded. "I never see his face, but we're lying in bed and he's just holding me. He's strong, yet warm and soft. And when he says my name… It's just so calming and yet…" Deanna paused, not trying to share her intimate thoughts about a mysterious guy to her father. "Anyway, every time he's about to roll me over so I can see him, I wake up."

"Sounds like fun." Fitz said.

Deanna frowned. "What does?"

"Going looking for this guy." Fitz said. "It sounds like it'll be quite the adventure for you." Deanna's frown only deepened. "Dee, this is just another part of growing up. Like your first step. It won't always be a successful attempt, but keep at it and you'll have it down. You'll have this mysterious guy."

"What if he's a jerk?" Deanna asked.

Fitz laughed. "You mean bigger than I am? I doubt that."

"You're not a jerk." Deanna stated.

"To you," Fitz responded. "Ask any of those guys back there. They'll tell you." Deanna smiled. "The sooner you find this guy, the quicker you'll be happy. And that's all I want from you. To be happy."

"Sure Daddy. But… What if I never find him?" Deanna asked.

"Then you haven't looked." Fitz said before the guard motioned to his arm as if he was wearing a watch. "Dammit."

Deanna knew what that meant. It was time for her to leave. Rising from her seat, Deanna gave Fitz a hug.

"Thanks Daddy. I'll wait for your call." Deanna said.

"I know you will Dee. Tell your mother and brother I said hi." Fitz said as Deanna neared the door. "And Deanna," Deanna looked at her father. "Don't be afraid to love someone. Someone outside of your family that is."

"Sure Daddy." Deanna said before slipping out of the room.

As she walked down the hall, she placed a hand on her neck where she felt his kisses. The guy in her dream had placed several of kisses on her neck while muttering sweet nothings in her ear. And right when he turns her around, she wakes. Every time she wakes up before she can see his face. It was truly annoying, but she was not going to sweat over it. Sweat ruined her makeup after all.

Heading towards the parked limousine, she allowed the chauffer to open the door and allow her to get in before retrieving her cell phone and called Mercedes.

"Hey Mercedes," Deanna said. "What are you doing today?"

"I was going to lie around. After the other day, I'm tired." Mercedes said.

"Get up. I'll be over there soon. Bye." Deanna said before hanging up and smiling.

No one dared to argue against Deanna. She was Mark Fitzgerald's daughter after all.


	59. Bardell Character List

**A/N: **So here is the new characters, but most of them won't make an appearance until later. I just didn't feel like posting this up later.

* * *

(Bardell Students)

**Braxton Turner: **Fifteen; Black, neatly cut hair; Dark brown eyes; six foot even; thin. Braxton is the cousin of Mercedes (his father, David Turner, is Mercedes' mother, Chantay's, cousin). He plays both basketball and football. It is known that he once dated Deanna prior the start of the series. Though he has denied it, many of his friends suspect that he has a crush on Jeanette.

**Brooke Johansson:** Fifteen; Dark brown hair usually worn in braids; Green eyes; five feet, two inches; lean. She is a cheerleader who tends to gossip a lot. She is also at the Fitzgerald's party and comments on how "pathetic" Scarlett is for "not knowing" DeWayne's infidelity. Brooke seems to be an Alternate Zero fan and wants to date either DeWayne or Alexander because of it.

**Chandler MacGregor:** Twelve; Wavy red hair; Sea-green eyes; five feet, one inch; chubby. Chandler is the adopted daughter of plus-size model Terri MacGregor and lives rather wealthy. She is friends with Farah and Nigel. She is known to be self-conscious about her weight, something Torrie Stone jabs about from time to time. Despite this, Chandler still wants to become a cheerleader.

**Ethan Valieri:** Fifteen; Black hair usually worn gelled up in spikes; Dark blue eyes; five feet, ten inches; toned. Ethan is described as the "relaxed bully" by Brooke. He is also the ex of Jeanette and Torrie. He is another regular at the ravine and is quite fond of Laura, Nathan, Nicole, Damon, Jesse, and Tyler. He does not publicly claim Isabella Jones as his sister, a feeling that is mutual between the two.

**Farah Bhandari:** Twelve; Long, reddish-brown hair; Dark green eyes; five feet, two inches; thin. Farah is the conservative younger sister of Hakim. She transfers to Degrassi at the end of the school year. She is friends with Chandler MacGregor and Nigel Betenkamp. She formerly has a crush on Oliver Ashoona and eventually grows one on Aaron. Like her cousin, Chandra, Farah is also in the gifted program and keeps in contact with her friends even after she transfers.

**Hakim Bhandari**: Fifteen; Short, curly black hair; Dark brown eyes; five feet, eight inches; thin. Hakim is the older, partying cousin of Chandra and the older brother of Farah. He tends to hang out with Jeanette Taylor, Braxton Turner, and Brooke Johansson. He is the Bardell High quarterback and is quite prideful about his school. He is known to bet against Laura at the fights at the ravine and lose often.

**Jeanette Taylor:** Fifteen; Brown, curly hair usually worn in a ponytail; Dark reddish-brown eyes; five feet, six inches; shapely. Jeanette is the prim cheerleader at Bardell. Despite not having an accent or resembling a typical resident, Jeanette is Kenyan where her parents Charles and Darcy Taylor met. She openly criticizes Mercedes actions to get DeWayne's attention and detests the ravine. She is best friends with Brooke.

**Leona Parker:** Twelve; Dark brown, wavy hair that stops near the bottom of her back; Brown eyes; four feet eleven inches; slender. Leona is a carefree and unbiased girl at Bardell. She loves playing sports and currently plays four: Basketball, softball, track, and volleyball. She lives with her mother, Jenna Parker, baby brother, Kyle Parker, and older sister, Raven Middleton after her father died in a plane crash a year ago. She is a Juvenile Grace fan and looks up to Dakota.

**Nigel Betenkamp:** Twelve; Black curly afro; Brown eyes and wears glasses; five feet, six inches; lanky. Nigel is a student interested in technology. He has a crush on Torrie as well as Jeanette. Despite his nerdy tendencies, he also plays basketball for Bardell. He is a usual target for bullies such as Oliver Ashoona and Ethan Valieri.

**Oliver Ashoona:** Twelve; Dirty blond hair in a swoop; Light brown eyes; five feet, three inches; thin. Oliver is known for being one of the "cooler" kids despite his young age. He takes an interest in Chandra, despite her being with Aaron at the time. He makes it a habit to pick on other people flaws, such as Chandler's weight and Nigel's nerdy qualities. Oliver has also stated that he would like to date Jordan.

**Torrie Stone (Coyne):** Fifteen; Long, straight blonde hair; Light blue eyes; five feet, three inches; slender. Torrie is the distant cousin of Helen and Scarlett (her mother, Victoria, is the cousin of Helen's father, Declan, and Scarlett's mother, Fiona) and older sister of Victor. She tends to battle with the two whenever they are around, even going as far as flirting with Jayden to make Scarlett jealous. She is well-known at the ravine and shares a strange mutual respect with Laura. Like Helen, Torrie is the captain of her school's cheerleading team.

**Victor Stone:** Twelve; Short, dark blond hair; Blue eyes; five feet, three inches; lean. Victor is the younger brother of Torrie and friend of Oliver. He tends to be at parties or the ravine and knows a lot of others even though they don't know him. He has shown interest in music as well as Leona. It is known that he does not like his Coyne parentage, unlike his sister, Helen, and Scarlett.


	60. Season3 Episode I: This is the End

**Author's Note:** Here it is! Season Three of Like a Record is finally here! My goal for this season is to reach at least 100 reviews. If not, oh well. Anyway, here we go with Season Three: Gone Too Far!

* * *

**Season Three: Gone Too Far  
**

**Episode I: This is The End**

Today is supposed to be a good day. Somewhere in her heart and mind, that was what she told herself. No matter what happened, what occurred, what will go on, today will be a good day. It was the first day of the second semester and she had promised herself that nothing bad would ruin it. The semester, that is.

Yeah, for one Scarlett J. Chessex, today was going to be a great day.

"Hey Scar," Helen said appearing in her doorway. "Are you ready?"

Scarlett smiled. "What's wrong Helen? Mad that I get to drive it to school first?"

"Just remember who's parent bought it." Helen remarked.

"I will." Scarlett said. "Say, where were you yesterday? DeWayne wanted me to come over by his place and I had to tell him to come pick me up instead of just driving over there like I should have."

"I was out minding my business." Helen said. "Gee, you act like you haven't run off when I needed you."

"I haven't." Scarlett replied with a frown. "So where exactly were you?"

"Again, my business." Helen stated. "So are you ready? I don't want to be late."

"Right. Late." Scarlett said before grabbing her jacket. "Let's go."

* * *

Jayden smiled at his mother before stepping out of the house. He turned his attention to his car before smiling again.

"Going back to school seems so…" Jayden paused before he spotted his two neighbors leaving their house. "Isn't this awkward?"

Helen rolled her eyes. "I swear you're stalking us."

"Right. That's how I got out here first." Jayden said walking towards his car. "So, any words before we start our last semester of the tenth grade?"

"Yeah. Let's get this over with." Helen said.

Jayden nodded. "Right… But you do know what's before summer, right?" Helen and Scarlett frowned. "Spring Break? Party at Wasaga Beach. You know."

"Wasaga? I don't know…" Helen said. "We'll see when it gets here."

"Deal." Jayden said opening his door. "Well, I have to pick up Laura before she becomes completely hard to deal with. Or worse."

"What can be worse than that?" Helen asked.

Jayden shivered. "You _don't_ want to know."

With that, Jayden waved at the two and got into his car before starting it up and driving off. Helen frowned and looked at Scarlett.

"You didn't even say anything." Helen said.

"It wasn't the right time." Scarlett replied. "Come on. It's time for school."

"Right." Helen said.

* * *

Aaron stood with Dustin at the bottom of the steps, looking up at the school.

"Half the year gone and what have we accomplished? Nothing." Dustin said.

"Are you talking about your fame thing?" Aaron asked.

"Sort of…" Dustin said. "Say, have you spoken to Jordan over the break?"

"No. Why?" Aaron asked.

Dustin shrugged. "Just thought that you…" Aaron frowned before turning to see what Dustin was looking at. "Have."

Jordan walked towards the school in tight jean pants, a brown jacket with fur around her hood worn open to reveal her pink top beneath. Her normally curly hair was straightened and a large hoop earring in each ear. As she neared the two, they saw that she wore the right amount of blush on her cheeks as well as pink lip gloss.

"Boys." she said in a different tone as she walked up the steps.

"Hot damn…" Dustin muttered.

"Good grief…" Aaron stated.

* * *

Laura got out of the car and took in a deep breath.

"I hate school." Laura said.

Jayden frowned. "Don't you have some deal today?"

"I'm surprise that you'd let me go do so." Laura said. "I wouldn't want you to complain and whine about having a drug-dealing girlfriend."

Jayden smiled. "Better a drug-dealing one than an imaginary one."

"Look, I'll go do it right now so I'll be back in time for lunch." Laura said. "That way you can treat me to something good. Nothing _too_ fancy because I ain't that kind of girl." Jayden laughed a bit before walking away. "Hey! Where are you going?"

Jayden paused and motioned her to follow with a hand. Laura glared at him, but followed anyway, only to arrive at the front steps.

"Ahem," Jayden said gaining the attention of the few students that were sitting on the cold steps. "Hey. I'm Jayden and this here is Laura. I'm sure many of you know me and a handful of you hate her," Laura grunted. "But we're dating now. So therefore all your problems with her become problems with me. Got it?" A few heads nodded and Jayden smiled. "Thanks. Have a nice day."

Laura blinked. "You were serious."

Jayden turned to her and kissed her. "I told you I was. Now go make some money." Laura rolled her eyes. "Keep that up and I won't tell you that surprise."

"You _will_ tell me by the end of the day, Dimples." Laura said grabbing Jayden's collar forcibly. "Or else."

"Or else, _what_?" Jayden dared.

Laura smirked. "You're so lucky…" Laura kissed him once more before releasing him. "Don't do anything stupid."

"You know I am." Jayden said as she released him. Laura began walking towards her normal destination. "See you at home honey!"

Laura gave him a smile over her shoulder as she continued to walk off. Jayden smiled until he turned towards those sitting on the steps.

"You know," Jayden said to one guy in particular before walking up the steps. "Nothing good ever comes from envy. I'd lose it if I were you."

* * *

"…and then we returned home." Nicole concluded to Jacquelyn and Helen. "It was the _best_ Winter Break ever!"

"Tch. I knew you two couldn't be left alone." Helen stated. "And you're no better than he is."

"You would've done it if it were you and Alex." Nicole said.

"You mean my _ex_ boyfriend? I doubt it." Helen responded gaining two confuse looks from her friends. "We broke up New Year's Eve." Nicole gasped. "Oh come on. There is no superstitious thing about breaking up with a guy on New Year's Eve. I could've done it _Christmas_ Eve, but I didn't."

"I guess you read that post he put up then." Jacquelyn said. Helen nodded. "I knew it was bound to happen."

"Now what? You can't go back out with Jayden because he's dating Laura." Nicole said.

Jacquelyn frowned. "He's dating _Laura_?"

Nicole nodded. "Yep. But it's not as bad as it sounds. They're actually… I don't know. Happy together. Like they just click."

"They just click?" Jacquelyn questioned.

"Give it up Miss Jackie. You had and you lost. Let him go." Helen replied. "You're almost as bad as Scar is."

"At what?" the voice of Scarlett caused Helen to immediately turn to see her taller cousin. "What is she 'almost as bad as' me at?"

"Oh you know… Stuff." Helen said with a meek smile.

"Whatever Helen." Scarlett said. "I'm looking for Shane," Scarlett looked at Nicole. "Where is he?"

"Talking to Kelly. Jordan's been hanging out with Mary-Jane and they're worried about their sister." Nicole explained.

"Really? Didn't see that coming." Scarlett said. "Well, I'll be back. I have to ask him for a favor." Helen went to open her mouth but Scarlett raised a hand, stopping her. "We'll talk about that later."

With that, the apparently serene Scarlett walked down the hall.

"What is your cousin up to?" Jacquelyn asked.

"I have no idea." Helen said. "But I'm going to find out."

* * *

Emma smiled as she leaned against Sean, who was sitting on the couch.

"No kids. No exes. Just you and me." Emma said.

Sean looked at his wife. "Are you trying to tell me something?"

"You know-" Emma was cut off by the doorbell. "See? Now Manny's here to ruin a good thing." Sean smiled as Emma rose from the couch. "You're going to pay for this later."

Emma made her way to the door and opened it, seeing a thin blonde woman standing there. The woman's green eyes met Emma's brown ones.

"Can I help you?" Emma asked.

"You are Mrs. Mason, yes?" the woman replied.

"The former Mrs. Mason, but yes I am." Emma said. "Is there something wrong with my ex-husband?"

The woman sighed. "No… I am Hilary Parot, Lola's mother."

"Who?" Emma asked.

The woman retrieved a paper from her pocket and unfolded it. She scanned the words before looking back at Emma.

"Kelly's mother." Hilary corrected. Emma's eyes narrowed. "I kn-"

"Abandoning a child at birth is the most despicable thing I've ever heard in my life." Emma interrupted angrily. "I'm surprised that Kelly doesn't hold any grudge with you."

"She knows?" Hilary asked.

"I don't lie to my children." Emma answered. "Plus, she's smart. An overachiever in some people's view."

Hilary smiled lightly. "Then she's had a good life…" Hilary's smile disappeared. "I just wanted to speak to her before we moved to Ireland."

Emma's eyebrows furrowed. "_Ireland_?"

Hilary nodded. "Yes. Dublin. It's where I was born." Emma gave a small nod. "Is there a way that I can speak to her before I leave?"

Emma sighed. "I'll ask. Do you have a number or an address we can reach you at?"

"Oh yes!" Hilary said handing Emma a card. "My number and address." Emma looked at the card before looking back at the woman who gave Emma a small bow. "Thank you for taking care of my Lo… Kelly."

"You're welcome." Emma said as Hilary rose from her position. "Hurt my daughter and I won't be happy."

"Right." Hilary said. "Have a lovely day Mrs. Mason."

Emma let the woman leave her porch and enter the cab without correcting her. She looked at the card in her hand and stared. The darker side of Emma told her to rip it up. This woman did not deserve to meet Kelly. But, Emma then remembered her own search to find her real father.

Sighing, Emma closed the door and trudged towards the closet.

"Leaving?" Sean asked.

"I need to speak to Spin about Kelly's biological mother." Emma said grabbing her coat. "I'll be back in an hour."

"An hour?" Sean repeated.

"After I meet Spin, I'm going to have a friend of mine use her husband resources to do a background check on a certain woman." Emma answered. "I don't like that woman and I have a very good reason not to."

Sean knew better than to argue against his wife, so he just merely nodded. It was going to be a while before he went to sleep without hearing her talk about this.

* * *

Helen smiled before putting her cell phone in her pocket, something Scarlett did not miss as the two walked down the hall towards Coach Blue's class.

"Who was that?" Scarlett asked.

"Huh? Oh just a friend." Helen said. "She told me a joke. One that I'm sure wasn't meant to be funny, but you know my sense of humor."

"As evil as they come." Scarlett said before spotting Jayden nearing them. "Here comes your best friend."

Helen rolled her eyes. "Your husband." Helen looked at Jayden. "Where's the wife?"

"Didn't know I was married." Jayden replied. "When'd that happen?"

Helen shrugged. "I don't know. I guess since you two are throwing around that 'L' word around, I figured a wedding was next."

"Oh… Not a bad idea." Jayden said. "Anyway, so what's been happening around the school? I know you two walked around to find people for Helen to pick on, so out with it."

"Bossy aren't we?" Helen replied.

"No. Impatient." Jayden said.

"Well since you're so impatient," Helen said. "I hear that your friends' sister has grown a spine and then some."

"Jordan. I heard she and Mary-Jane dabbled into a make-up kit. Nothing serious though. She's still the tough little girl I know." Jayden said.

"If she somehow becomes annoying, she'll be a _dead_ tough little girl." Helen stated.

Jayden nodded before glancing at Scarlett.

"So we're still enemies?" Jayden asked.

"I don't know." Scarlett answered.

"You don't?" Jayden replied.

Scarlett paused in her step. "Go on to class Helen. I have to talk to J.T. Now."

Helen shrugged. "No need in getting bossy."

Helen walked down the hall leaving Scarlett and Jayden to talk in private.

"So what's on your mind now?" Jayden asked.

Scarlett sighed. "Us." Jayden lifted his left eyebrow. "Look, I know you and Laura click. I get that. And if you say it's love, then I believe you. But it doesn't make it easier on me at all."

"Please. Humor me where you come into play." Jayden said, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"You know damn well what this has to do with me." Scarlett replied. "For the last three days, I've been thinking about how I should say this and now I know how, so listen." Jayden frowned. "I don't know whether or not I do love you and I'd never say it just to get my way with you. But I do feel something, something that I'm sure you feel too."

"Oh really?" Jayden asked.

"Really. I felt it when you were holding me that night." Scarlett said. "You may have been thinking about Laura, but I know you saw me. You knew who I was and I knew who you were. Therefore, maybe there is something still here."

"Scarlett," Jayden began. "What you're telling me is too little too late. I'm with Laura now and I'm not going to break up with her for you."

"I don't want you to." Scarlett responded. "Just tell me now that if anything should happen between you and Laura, that I'd be the first one to know."

"Why?" Jayden questioned.

"Because you said it. You handle you and I'll handle me. And after that, we'll find our way back." Scarlett answered. "That's what you said. And I know that's what you meant."

Jayden shook his head. "Not now. Not while-"

"I knew you'd run off with her sooner or later." Jayden and Scarlett watched Laura walk towards them. "So what little excuse are you going to give me now Dimples?"

Jayden shrugged. "Can't think of one."

"Good," Laura said before kissing him. "Because I didn't want to hear one." Jayden smiled a bit. "I got it, by the way. If you were worried."

Jayden feigned shock. "Moi? Worried about you? No."

"I'm going to class." Laura said. "Don't forget that you owe me lunch. And no excuses." Laura glanced at Scarlett. "None."

"Right." Jayden said before Laura began walking away, giving Scarlett one final glare as she did so. "Like I said, too little too late Scarlett. Friends?"

Scarlett only walked away leaving Jayden standing in the hallway by himself. Jayden exhaled heavily before following Scarlett towards their class.

* * *

After the bell rang for lunch, Aaron and Dustin were walking towards lunch with Dustin telling Aaron about a party.

"Yeah, a friend of mine's just told me." Dustin said. "And if you haven't been to the Fitzgerald's house, you don't know what you're missing. It's got to be the largest house I've been to."

"I don't know," Aaron replied. "Going to a party where I know _they'll_ be… It's not really my thing."

"Right, right. Jordan and Tevin." Dustin said.

"Hey A.J. Hey Dustin." Chandra said joining them. "What are you talking about?"

"Uh, nothing," Dustin said. "I'm going to get more info on that party. Just think about your decision A.J. You haven't lived until you've been to a Fitzgerald party."

Aaron nodded as Dustin walked off leaving Aaron and Chandra to walk to their table outside together.

"Party?" Chandra asked looking at Aaron.

"Uh, there's supposedly another Fitzgerald party going on sometime this weekend. He was asking if I wanted to go to check it out." Aaron answered. "But… I'm really not a Fitzgerald fan. No offense to either of them, but…"

"Jordan. I get it." Chandra said. Although Aaron was actually thinking about the rivalry between Jayden and DeWayne, he allowed Chandra to believe she was right for the moment. "Well if you _did_ want to go, I'd go with you. I know I'm no 'Jordan Cameron' but I don't think that I'm that big of a downgrade."

Aaron smiled. "Thanks Bambi."

"You know," Chandra said. "The other day, I was thinking about what I told you on New Year's Eve, and I've realized that you and Jay have the same eyes." Aaron frowned. "I mean, sure your eye color is a bit lighter, but everything else is basically the same."

"Our eyes…? I never thought about that." Aaron said. "I guess it's because I don't really look him in the eyes."

"Well you do." Chandra said. "In fact, you two share a lot of similarities."

"We do?" Aaron asked.

Chandra nodded. "Yeah. You're both always trying to make me feel better even if I don't deserve it. You're both loyal and honest. And you both have this, I don't know, warm glow about you. It's in your smiles."

"I never knew that." Aaron said.

"Gee A.J, for a family friend, you know very little about Jayden." Chandra said. "But, let's talk about that party."

"Sure." Aaron said.

* * *

Scarlett sat at her normal table with her fingernail tapping away on the tabletop. Helen, who looked like she would blow at any second, only watched.

"I can't believe this." Scarlett said.

"You can't believe what?" Helen asked.

Scarlett did not respond to her cousin, just giving her a hardened stare. Recognizing another argument coming, Nicole decided to pipe in.

"Is it true that DeWayne is throwing a party?" Nicole asked.

"I don't know. I haven't talked to him today." Scarlett replied.

"Oh." Nicole said quietly.

Helen sighed. "This is so stupid." Scarlett frowned. "Come on Scar. Let's go get a soda."

"And why would I want to go with you to do that?" Scarlett asked.

"Because your friend ditched you for his girlfriend." Helen said standing up. "So let's go."

Scarlett did not argue, only following her shorter temperamental cousin.

"I wonder where Jayden went." Nicole said to Jacquelyn who merely shrugged.

* * *

"Treating me to McDonald's. I must be the luckiest guy on earth." Jayden said with a small smile.

Laura shrugged. "Call us even for not bitching about me doing what I want." Jayden nodded slightly. "So what did she want?"

"And there it is." Jayden said.

Laura frowned. "There is what?"

"Couple Life 101," Jayden responded. "You _always_ butter your partner up before asking a troubling question. It's in the manual." Laura scoffed at the statement. "But, she wanted to tell me… Well, basically the same thing _you_ wanted to tell me?"

"And that was…?" Laura stated.

"How I _can't_ be mad at her forever." Jayden said. "Nothing to worry about."

"Is it?" Laura replied. "Because, a part of me hears that same bullshit you pulled on Helen with Scarlett. And now here I am. In that same position."

Jayden sighed. "Laura… A part me _can't_ forget Scarlett. I'd question myself if I did." Laura glared at her boyfriend. "However, I know who I'm with. You. And I'm not going to do anything that can ruin it."

Laura smirked. "Oh really? I do know a certain someone who cheated on his ex-girlfriend and she has yet to hear about it."

"Well," Jayden said. "Since I _know_ that the girl I slept with is currently _single_ on the weekends, I'll just find her while you're too busy and can't catch me."

Laura lifted her eyebrows. "Before or after I find that hot guy from the club?"

"Hmm… Before." Jayden answered with a smile.

"You know Dimples," Laura said. "I'm actually glad I never choked you like I wanted to. You're probably less annoying alive than dead."

"And you should probably tell Helen how wrong she was." Jayden said. "Because I don't fear you. I love and respect you."

Laura grinned. "And I'm guessing this is the part you tell me that big secret right?"

"No." Jayden said causing her to frown. "Later. I promise."

"You'd better." Laura said.

* * *

Back at school, Ashton made his way towards Chandra and Aaron's table.

"Your ex looks good, eh Santos?" Ashton questioned with a smirk.

"…" Aaron sat quietly contemplating on what to respond with.

"And where's yours?" Chandra piped in.

Ashton shrugged. "I wouldn't know. Too busy with my current."

"Dog." Chandra muttered.

"You came all the way out here to say that?" Aaron asked.

"Not really," Ashton said. "I came to see what you two were doing." Aaron and Chandra frowned. "Vanessa."

"Oh." the other two said in unison.

"It's not like I'm whipped or anything. She just asked for a favor and I said yes." Ashton said.

"Yeah right." Chandra said. "Why don't you go get Vanessa and join us?"

"Because this table is for the _lonely_ and _single_ people." Ashton replied before shrugging. "Sorry. But I have another table to return to with more than one other person."

"Dustin joined you two?" Aaron asked.

Ashton nodded. "He and Brie. Of course your royal ex doesn't want to sit with us. She's too busy with some new 'friends.'"

"Let her be." Aaron said. "But, we'll join you. Right Bambi?"

"Why not?" Chandra replied standing up.

* * *

Danica smiled at her mother.

"No Mama, no guy has been over here sans my brothers and father." Danica said. "Why do you think that I can't handle myself?"

"I do and I don't." Manny answered. Manny looked at her cell phone that was charging on a table to her left. "Stupid thing had to die on me when I needed it the most."

"I doubt that it died on you on purpose. You just forgot to charge it." Danica responded. Manny glanced at her. "But… How about we talk about something else? Something like… Your next movie offer?"

"It's in February." Manny replied before hearing a knock at Danica's front door. "Visitors?"

"I don't know who it is. Raven and Izzy are both working now." Danica said as she went to answer the door. "Hi Emma!"

"Hey," Emma said. "Is your mom here?"

"Yeah, come in." Danica said stepping to the side to allow Emma to enter her apartment. "What did you come all the way over here for?"

Emma sighed. "Kelly's mom showed up at my doorsteps earlier." Manny gasped. "I've been trying to call you."

"My phone died." Manny said.

"Yeah. Movie Mama forgot to charge it. Again." Danica added. "You should've called me. I'm reliable."

"Danni." Manny said gaining a humble smile from her daughter.

"Manny," Emma said moving to the couch. "What do I do?"

"I don't know." Manny answered. "But if I had to think of something, I'd say you let Kelly decide. I mean, it is her choice to meet her real parents or not."

"…I guess you're right." Emma said. "Why does this has to happen to me?"

"Because you adopted a crack-head's daughter." Danica muttered, though both of the other women heard her. "I'll just be quiet now."

"Good idea." Manny replied.

* * *

After the final bell, Aaron, Dustin, and Chandra were preparing to leave Toby's class.

"Another day, another headache." Dustin said.

"You'll get back to the school schedule. Soon." Aaron replied.

"Oh, A.J," Jordan said. "Can you do me a favor hon?"

"Hon…?" Aaron repeated.

"If you see my brother or sister, tell them that I went to meet up of Tevin okay? Thanks babe!" and with that, the blonde left the room.

"You think she still she has it in for you?" Dustin asked.

"I'm not even sure. And you know something? I don't even care anymore." Aaron said. "So, how about we go to the Dot, get something to eat, and go hang out somewhere?"

"I'm there." Chandra said.

"Sure." Dustin said. "Let's go."

"Yeah." Aaron replied.

* * *

Laura watched as Jayden and Helen talk, the shorter girl composed in her cheerleading outfit. The two smiled before Jayden waved and Helen walked off. Laura then made her way towards Jayden with a curious stare.

"She's seeing someone." Jayden said to Laura.

"Really? Who?" Laura asked.

Jayden shrugged. "I don't know. I just have that feeling." Laura frowned. "She didn't tell me, but she just gives me that feeling."

"Right, feeling, don't care." Laura said. "Surprise. Now."

Jayden laughed. "Impatient aren't we?"

"You're damn right! I've been thinking about this all day." Laura replied. "I want it now."

"Define 'it' and I'll see what I can do." Jayden said with a smirk.

"You're so damn annoying." Laura said walking to the passenger door. "You'd better give me that stupid surprise in the next ten minutes or my foot will be up your ass, Dimples."

"Harsh words." Jayden said opening the driver's door to his car. "I thought you promised to be nicer?"

"Nicer my ass. You've been withholding this 'surprise' from me for days now. I just want to know what it is."

Jayden started his car up with a smile.

"Well, let's go to my house and find out, shall we?" Jayden said.

Laura's eyes narrowed. "You're not fucking with me."

"I really wish I were at the moment." Jayden replied. "Though, I'm sure we're thinking of two _totally_ different things right now."

Laura blushed slightly. "You're such an ass."

"Takes one to know one." Jayden said as he began to drive off.

* * *

Kelly walked out of Mr. Stefanovic's office with her assignment in hand. She felt happy until she left the building and saw her mother's face.

"Hey Mom. What's wrong?" Kelly asked.

Emma sighed. "Your _other_ mother stopped by today." Kelly gave a curious stare. "She wanted to see you." Emma handed Kelly the card Hilary gave her earlier. "Here's the address if you wanted to go."

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" Kelly asked.

"I… I'm sorry Kelly. But if you want to go, we still can." Emma responded.

Kelly looked at the address and number on the card before glancing back up at Emma. One simple nod caused Emma to smile slightly and get into her car. Kelly soon followed, her mind now doing several loops.

"Kelly," Emma said. "I remember how it felt when I first met my dad. I can understand how angry you are with me and how confused you're feeling." Kelly gave a small shrug. "Remember that I'm not forcing you to do anything. This is your family we're going to see and I have no right to stop you from seeing them."

Kelly snorted in laughter. "Yeah right Mom. You'd stop me if you really felt like it."

Emma smiled. "True…"

"But," Kelly said. "I guess I can see my birth mother. Though, I doubt she could compare to you."

"It is kind of hard to do." Emma joked, laughing with Kelly.

"Hey Mom," Kelly said. "What do you know about Winston Fitzgerald? I have to an article on him?"

Emma gave a small sigh. "He's really, _really_ rich."

* * *

James and Amber stared at Mary-Jane, who was currently on the phone with her boyfriend.

"Well, when you're done, how about meeting us at Studio One?" Mary-Jane said. "Right. Okay, see you soon. Bye." Mary-Jane sighed. "He's been busier than normal lately."

"Really?" Amber stated.

"Yes." Mary-Jane said before reading her friends' faces. "Are you two really that skeptical of him?"

"I mean, let's be honest Mary," Amber said. "The last two times we've met up after New Year's, he's been a bit… Fishy."

"Yeah. I'm not trying to agree with Amber solely because we're dating," James added. "But something seems up."

"Yeah right. Nothing is wrong with Tyler because I have just like I had you. Strung on me." Mary-Jane replied. "Now just drop it, okay?"

"If you say so." Amber said.

* * *

Helen gave a small smirk.

"Leaving me for the wife? I'm not happy about that." Helen said. Tyler smiled and gave her a kiss. "You should be lucky that you're at least attractive."

"I'm sorry, but you know the rules." Tyler responded. "Mary can't know about this until-"

"I know. You break up with her." Helen said. "I'm not an idiot, idiot."

Tyler grinned. "Why is it that you continue to call me names?"

"Because, you are an idiot." Helen said as she moved towards Tyler's door. "You're _my_ idiot."

"And what are you to me?" Tyler asked.

Helen shrugged. "You think of something."

Tyler was going to reply before the redhead left his bedroom. He began to compare Helen to Mary-Jane. While they both were bossy girls, Mary-Jane would be submissive behind closed doors. He could have his way with her. Helen, on the other hand, would probably never be submissive to anyone or anything. She did as she pleased and took control of any and every situation.

Tyler smiled as he grabbed his coat to leave his room.

Helen was so much better than Mary-Jane.

* * *

Laura sat at the small kitchen table impatiently as Jayden just hummed as he walked about. Laura's eyes followed her boyfriend as if she was ready to pounce, and truthfully, she was. This 'surprise' of his was beginning to stress her because he was refusing to show her what it was.

Maxwell walked into the kitchen with a letter in his hand.

"Was this what you were waiting for?" the man asked his son.

"Yeah. Thanks Dad." Jayden said taking the letter from his dad. Maxwell nodded before stepping out of the kitchen. "Here you go."

Laura frowned. "A letter in the mail? You had me-"

"Open it." Jayden interrupted.

Laura nearly snatched it from his hands before ripping the envelope open to read the actual message. Her eyes widened when she saw a brochure to an arts school in London, more specifically one that she had wanted to go to when she was a younger girl.

"H-how… How'd you get this?" Laura called.

Jayden sighed. "Let's see… My dad's best-friend's wife's ex-boyfriend's sister… Yeah, I think that's how it goes."

"Serious Jayden. How'd you get this?" Laura asked.

"I just said how. I asked my dad, who sent me to his best friend, whose wife sent me to her ex, who sent me to his sister. She works on the acceptance committee up there or whatever it's called. Admissions, I believe." Jayden answered. "Why? Is it so hard to believe that _I_ would know the difference between the dance classes you have now and a highly prestigious arts academy?"

"No it's just…" Laura paused. "Why do you do things like this to me?" Jayden smiled. "It's not funny! I'm all… Soft and weak…"

"That's a good thing." Jayden said. "But… You do know the one downside of this, right?"

"No." Laura said.

"It's in _London_. That's in _England_." Jayden replied. "It's easy for me to find a school up there but… Your parents will be here along with your closest associates."

"You'd go to London for me?" Laura questioned. Jayden gave a small shrug. "…Thanks, but don't. Stay here."

"If you're serious about that, then you might want to start on your application." Jayden said. "Don't worry about the fee or anything. I can cover that for you."

Laura smiled. "You make me sick doing these nice things, did you know that?"

"Yep. That's why I do it." Jayden said before leaning to Laura and giving her a kiss. "But most importantly, because I do actually love you."

Laura smirked. "We _have_ to go show my dad this. So let's go to my house, _now_."

"As tempting as that is," Jayden said. "We're going to celebrate a little bit differently this time." Laura frowned in question. "Don't worry your pretty little head. I have it all covered."

"Fine…" Laura replied. "Say, doesn't your neighbors come over about now?"

"They do… But I think they're both busy or something." Jayden said. "So let's forget about them and worry about us, alright?"

"Whatever Dimples." Laura said, causing Jayden to smile.

* * *

Kelly stepped into the house to see boxes everywhere. Most of the furniture was gone as well, safe for one couch and a few wooden chairs. Her eyes then landed on Hilary who smiled at her.

"You turned out beautiful, Lola." Hilary said.

Kelly frowned. "Lola…?"

"Forgive me, it's the name that I always intended on giving you." Hilary replied. "I'm Hilary Parot. Your, um, birth mother."

Kelly's eyes hardened. Two years ago she had asked Emma about her adoption and two years ago she learned how she was cast away. She stepped near the woman, her blue eyes meeting the green one's of Hilary.

Hilary waited for a slap or some sort of outburst, but it never came. Instead, Kelly hugged her tightly. Instinctively, Hilary hugged her eldest child.

"Mom? Who's this?" Kelly whipped her head to see a girl with the same platinum blonde hair that she had, only with green eyes.

"Jeanne, this is your older sister, L… Kelly." Hilary introduced.

"Wow… I have another sister." Kelly said with a smile.

Jeanne raised an eyebrow. "I have an _older_ sister? That's just great."

"What's with all the boxes?" Kelly asked.

"…" Hilary stood quietly for a moment.

"We're moving to Ireland." Jeanne said.

"_Ireland_?" Kelly repeated as she looked at Hilary.

As much as it pained Hilary to think this, there was no doubt that Kelly had much of Emma's personality in her as her response was nearly dead-on with her adoptive mother's.

"Yes. We're moving to Dublin." Hilary said.

"Oh…" Kelly replied. "I guess this is hello and goodbye then."

"Unless you chose to go with us." Hilary suggested.

Kelly smiled. "I couldn't leave my family behind like that. My older brother would hate me for life if I did." Hilary nodded. "But… We can always chat online? Webcam does help."

"I'd like that." Hilary said. "Kelly… I want to tell you how sorry I am."

"I should be thanking you." Kelly responded. "If you hadn't done what you did, I wouldn't have had the opportunity of meeting the people I do. Thanks to them, I have _two_ jobs _and_ my god-mother is _the_ Manny McDuelle."

"The actress?" Jeanne asked. Kelly nodded. "No way!"

"Yeah… Her son, Jayden, and I are real good friends. He doesn't tell me everything like he does my brother Shane, but we're still good friends." Kelly said.

"Could you… I don't know… Introduce me to him?" Jeanne questioned.

Kelly sighed. "Sure. Just remember to take a number." Jeanne frowned. "You're not the only girl I know that goes crazy for seeing him. Plus, he's already dating someone."

"Oh…" Jeanne said, a bit crushed.

"But, during the summer, if they have a gig and you can come down to visit, I'll introduce you to the entire band." Kelly said.

"Deal." Jeanne said.

Kelly looked at the time on her cell phone.

"I, um, I have to go. Story for The Core and then homework. I'm swamped with work." Kelly said. "But, I'll give you call later, alright?"

Hilary smiled. "We'd like that."

Kelly gave her birth mother one final hug before hugging her younger sister. She gave them a warm smile before heading out of the door. Once she reached Emma's car, she got into the passenger seat and sighed.

"They wanted me to go with them to Ireland." Kelly said.

"Oh…" Emma replied. "Are you going?"

"Would you let me go?" Kelly questioned.

"Kelly, I won't stop you from living with your real family if that's what you want." Emma said.

"Even if Shane snores, Nicky can't have sugar before bed, and Jordan complains about every other thing?" Kelly said. Emma glanced at Kelly. "You guys are my real family, Mom."

Emma smiled. "Right. Now, we have to get home before Shane and Nicky has _any_ alone time to themselves."

"Right." Kelly said with a smile.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So, here is chapter one of season three. It's actually a two-part episode but instead of using part one and part two at the end of the title, I thought about using the extended title of the song as the second part, _This is the End (For You My Friend)_ by Anti-Flag. Hope you like it! Till next time!


	61. S3 Episode II: For You My Friend

**Episode II: For You My Friend**

It was early Friday morning and Jayden was attempting to get his girlfriend to school. However, he now saw how impossible that was at the moment.

"You should've told me your house was quarantined." Jayden said as he stood at Laura's doorway, the sick girl lying in bed. Despite coughing and sneezing, Laura still sent Jayden a glare. "Hey, no point in being mad at me. _You_ didn't drive all the way over here to be sneezed on by his girlfriend and her father."

"Shut up Dimples. My head hurts." Laura said.

Jayden smiled. "I'll go."

"What? No-" Laura was interrupted by a sneeze. "Kiss."

"Uh… Let's not and say we did, alright?" Jayden said. "I hope you and your dad feel better when I return." Jayden sighed. "And here I was going to go to the Fitzgerald's party after the game. Oh well."

Laura smiled. "Yeah right. You hate them."

"I know." Jayden said. "See later beautiful."

"Whatever-" Laura coughed. "Dimples."

* * *

Chandra stood beside Aaron as he gave her a disbelieving look.

"Please?" Chandra asked.

"You need my notes that fast?" Aaron stated. "What did you do during the class?"

"Tried to catch up on some sleep." Chandra said.

Aaron sighed. "Sure Bambi." Aaron opened his locker. "Sometimes I think you do this on purpose."

"Sorry." Chandra said with a small smile.

"Hey, here she comes."

"She looks better than yesterday."

Aaron looked over his shoulder at a few seventh graders fawning over Jordan as she walked down the hall. Chandra saw the brief eye contact made between exes before Jordan turned her head and continued walking by. She then looked to see Aaron was holding his notes out to her.

"Here you go." Aaron said.

"Thanks," Chandra replied. "And seriously A.J, you might want to do something about that. There're rumors about you. Bad ones."

Aaron smiled. "Bambi, I'm over Jordan. I promise. Besides, I've got you and…"

As Aaron listed his small list of friends, Chandra blanked the others out. He had her. That is all she needed to hear. And for the first time since meeting him last year, she actually got a good look at Aaron.

"…ambi, is there something wrong?" Chandra shook out of her thoughts at Aaron's voice. "You just spaced out on me."

"Uh, no. Everything's fine." Chandra said. "So, coming over today?"

"You mean after the game?" Aaron replied.

Chandra blinked. "Oh the game! That's right…"

"Yeah, it'll be a bit late then." Aaron said. "But I'll see you at the game."

"Tch. Cheering a cheerleader. You're a loser A.J." Chandra said as Aaron closed his locker. "But… I guess you can be _my_ loser."

"Sure." Aaron said.

* * *

"Irish?" Jayden repeated confused. Kelly nodded. "You're Irish? That doesn't make any sense."

"Says the boy who's half-Asian." Kelly muttered, causing Shane to smirk.

"I'm not 'half-Asian', alright? My mom's _clearly_ Filipino." Jayden stated.

"Which is a part of _Asia_." Kelly said.

"So? We don't call Indians, Asians. Or Middle Eastern, Asians." Jayden said. "Gee Kelly, you're so… Stereotypical."

Kelly crossed her arms. "All because you can't believe that I'm _Irish_? I think having Laura at home sick has got you crazier than normal Jay."

"Alright you two, that's enough." Shane said with a small smile. "Besides Jay, she has a point there. If you're Filipino, you're Asian. It's like being a rectangle."

"Please explain to me how." Jayden said.

"If you're a rectangle, you're a square automatically. But if you're a square, it doesn't mean you're a rectangle." Shane said.

"Jerks… I think you two just like teaming up against me when your parents can't." Jayden said. "But, it's okay. I know what I am and I am what I know."

"A half-Asian pervert?" Kelly muttered with a smile.

"I'm going to class." Jayden said. "By the way Kelly," Jayden grinned. "I'm glad you stayed. It might've gotten hard to flirt with you in front of Shane if you were in Ireland."

Shane frowned. "Stop flirting with my sister."

Jayden only laughed as he walked away.

"You don't think he's serious when he says that, do you Shane?" Kelly asked her brother.

"All the damn time." Shane responded.

* * *

Helen sat in her normal seat in her first period class with a satisfied sigh, one that did not go unnoticed by Nicole.

"You seem happy this morning Helen." Nicole said.

"Do I?" Helen asked. Nicole nodded. "Oh."

"Something good must've happened." Nicole said.

Helen frowned. "Stop beating around the bush and ask already."

"What is it?" Nicole quickly asked.

"None of your business. Ha." Helen said before Jayden walked into the class. "Tell me how it is that you seem to come here later and later everyday."

"You just got here too." Nicole said quietly.

Jayden sat in his seat beside Nicole and glanced at Helen.

"Where were you yesterday?" Jayden asked.

Helen shrugged. "Out and about. Didn't think we had to check in on each other anymore since, you know, I broke up with you, you dated my cousin, and now you date one of the girls I hate most in life."

"Hmm…" Jayden hummed thoughtfully as he turned around.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Helen said. Jayden gave her a nonchalant wave with his hand. "Tell me!"

Jayden looked at Helen. "You've been disappearing and you don't even throw our early morning jibes at me anymore. Either your siblings permanently moved onto the moon or you've found someone new in your life."

Helen scoffed. "Is that the only two things that makes me happy? Seeing my younger brothers and sister miserable and a new guy in my life?"

"Well," Nicole added. "There is the chance that Mary-Jane got hurt somehow, but she looks fine to me."

"So, yes, those are the only things to make Helen smile." Jayden said.

"And how would you know, huh?" Helen asked.

Jayden smirked. "Do I have to answer that question? I'm sure it's not really school appropriate."

"Tell me again on how we got stuck in the same class again." Helen said with a small groan.

"I don't know and some days I don't even care. So long as I get to see your lovely smiling face." Jayden responded.

"So annoying…" Helen muttered.

* * *

After the announcements, Scarlett was making her way to her first period class when she saw Jacquelyn.

"Oh, hey Jackie." Scarlett said. "Skipping class?"

Jacquelyn shook her head. "That's for Jay and Shane."

"True." Scarlett said as she thought about her exes. "So, when are you going to tell me and Helen this 'mysterious' boy that you've been talking to?"

"Uh… Well, you see… He goes to Bardell." Jacquelyn lied. "And like I said, we're not dating. Just talking now."

"Bardell? My cousin goes there. Torrie?" Scarlett said. "Maybe she can point him out for me."

"I'd rather she not." Jacquelyn said.

Scarlett shrugged. "Suit yourself. Doesn't really matter to me."

"Say," Jacquelyn replied. "What's going on between you and Jay? You two have hardly said two words to each other since Winter Break." Scarlett sighed. "Is it Laura?"

"No… Yes… It's complicated." Scarlett answered.

"Jayden's complicated. So what's going on?" Jacquelyn asked.

"I, um," Scarlett paused. "I really need to get to class. Talk to you later, okay?"

"Yeah but-"

"And tell that mystery guy I said reveal himself or else!" Scarlett called as she made her way down the hall.

Jacquelyn frowned. Something was definitely up between Jayden and Scarlett and she really wanted to know what it was. There was no doubt in her mind that Jayden liked Scarlett more than Laura. In fact, she was still a bit confused and unsure about that entire relationship, even if Nicole and Helen seem fine by it. Scarlett was the epitome of everything Jayden wanted and Laura was just… Laura was just…

Jacquelyn sighed. Again, she had no real clue on what Laura was to Jayden. Her ex had done an excellent job to keep whatever he and Laura said when they were alone secret. Even Shane would not tell Nicole whatever it was Jayden had told him when they had visited Dakota.

"Yeah, something is up." Jacquelyn muttered to herself before walking back to her class.

* * *

Dakota blinked. "Half-Asian…? I thought his mom was Filipino?"

Kelly scoffed. "You're just like him. So specific." Kelly smiled. "But yeah, I met my real mom yesterday and she wasn't as bad as I thought she was. Then again, she doesn't seem like the type that could put up with me either."

"You're not that hard to put up with." Dakota said.

"Thanks Dash, but even I know when I get a bit testy and bossy." Kelly replied. "It's just who I am."

"You are your mom's daughter." Dakota said before pausing. "Mrs. Cameron's daughter I should say."

Kelly smiled. "That's what they tell me."

"Do you know what I constantly keep telling you two?" Mr. McCall said to the two girls. "Stop talking and pay attention."

"Sorry." the girls said in unison to their History teacher.

* * *

Mercedes looked over at her best friend, Deanna, who was currently checking her nails.

"So," Mercedes said in a low tone. "How long is this party for?"

Deanna shrugged. "Don't know. Don't really care either."

"Why?" Mercedes asked.

"I just don't feel like it." Deanna said. "This is really just some lame excuse for Wayne to have Scarlett in the house without our mom being there."

Mercedes frowned. "You don't feel like going to a party? A party at _your_ house I might want to add? What's wrong with you?"

"I just… I have a lot on my mind. Don't worry about it." Deanna said. Mercedes opened her mouth before her shorter friend continued. "I said _don't_ worry about it."

"Sure Dee." Mercedes said.

* * *

Sitting in their first period class, Helen glanced at Jayden with a small frown.

"What?" the boy questioned.

"You're not nearly as annoying as you are any other day. Trouble in paradise?" Helen responded.

"I wouldn't know. I've never been to Paradise." Jayden said. "It's in Nevada, right?"

"You know what I'm talking about. What's going on with you and your girlfriend?" Helen said.

"What's going on with you and this mystery guy?" Jayden replied.

Helen smiled. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm sure you do." Jayden said with a grin.

"Hey," Nicole said. "Could you give me a hand with this Jay? It's kind of hard."

"Help your friend's girlfriend." Helen stated.

"You can run Helen," Jayden said. "But you can't keep a secret from me."

"It's run but can't hide, genius. And I can keep anything away from you if I want to." Helen said.

"Fine. Game on." Jayden said.

* * *

Mary-Jane shrugged. "I don't know what his problem was, but he'll get over it."

"Mary-Jane," Amber said. "Maybe it's not my place to say, but I'm starting to think that something is going on with Tyler. He's hiding something from you."

"I doubt it. Like I said, he's not stupid. He knows he has a treasure now. Who could top me?" Mary-Jane asked.

"One day that 'confidence' is going to bite you in the butt." Amber responded.

"Until then," Mary-Jane said. "Mind your own business. He isn't cheating on me. I'd know."

"Whatever." Amber said.

* * *

The bell rang for the end of first period, the students once again crowding the halls. Chandra was grumbling as she made her way towards her second period class. Today was starting off bad. Her teacher had given them a pop quiz instead of doing a study guide with their notes. So in other words, she had failed her first quiz for the new semester.

"That's sad."

"How do you feel about it Jordan?"

Chandra looked to see Jordan surrounded by a group of girls that Chandra had once acquainted herself with. Jordan's eyes were solely on Chandra as Chandra walked by.

"That's Chandra Torres for you. She's never wanted a man that's single, I can say that." Jordan said with scorn.

Chandra stopped directly in her tracks and turned on her heels. No matter how great her day was going, she would _never_ let Jordan talk to her like that.

"I'm getting sick of you!" Chandra said as she made a move for Jordan, only for Jayden to put an arm around her. "What… Jayden…?"

"Let's go Bambi. I can't let you kill my best friend's sister, even if she deserves it." Jayden said.

Jordan frowned. Here was her crush defending her enemy. Again. And unlike any ordinary time, he was defending Chandra from her. Therefore, Chandra had turned both Aaron and Jayden on Jordan.

This meant war.

"Let's get you to class." Jayden said to Chandra. "Come on."

"Sure." Chandra said before glaring at Jordan and walking away with Jayden.

"The little bitch…" Jordan muttered.

* * *

Helen walked into Coach Blue's classroom and sat beside Scarlett with a sigh.

"I'm so tired." Helen said.

Scarlett frowned. "And why is that?"

"I don't know. I just am." Helen said. "Hey, I have to ask you a slightly personal question about your… _Our_ ex." Scarlett rolled her eyes but signaled Helen to continue anyway. "If he would have asked you to go all the way with him, would you?"

Scarlett blinked. "S-say what?"

"No need in shouting. I'm trying to be quiet." Helen said. "And you heard what I said. So just answer the question already."

"I don't know… I guess I would have. Why?" Scarlett asked.

"It was just a question." Helen said. "Seriously Scar, why'd you get so agitated by that one measly question?"

"You just surprised me by it, that's all." Scarlett said as Jayden sat down across from her. "Where have you been?"

Jayden blinked. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Yes." both cousin said causing Jayden to sigh.

"What a life." Jayden muttered.

* * *

Vanessa looked at Chandra.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Vanessa asked.

"Huh? Oh I was just thinking." Chandra replied.

Vanessa smiled. "Let's see all the times you've had _that_ face on. There was the time that Jayden called you the cutest seventh grader. There was the time when a certain ex asked you out."

Chandra frowned. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm just saying that whoever he is, he's got your number." Vanessa said with a smile.

"Whatever." Chandra said. "I'm not thinking of some boy, I promise you that."

"Uh-huh? And the moon turns green on Thursdays." Vanessa replied. "Who is it? I won't tell. Promise."

"It's no one. Seriously." Chandra said.

"Of course Bambi." Vanessa said. "Just don't let A.J hear you say that. He might get angry."

"What? You don't think that he'd…" Chandra paused as she saw Vanessa's victorious smile. "I hate you."

"Hey, it's not like you're watching one of your best friends, who also is your boyfriend's ex, work with said boyfriend during a lab." Vanessa said. "Anything could be worse than having a crush on someone. Besides, we all know that you like him."

Chandra's eyes widened. "Wh-what? You do? Who? And who told?"

"Uh, yes, we do, as in Brie and I, and no one told. It's just girl's intuition." Vanessa answered. "Seriously Bambi, you're taking this too far."

"Too far? Why would A.J want to be with me? I mean, sure as a friend, but dating?" Chandra said. "I just don't see it."

"And why not?" Vanessa asked.

"Next to the fact that he knows almost _every_ single bad thing that I've done." Chandra said. "I mean, I remember the look he gave me when I was dating Steven. It wasn't friendly. And when I and Jordan used to go back and forth… Plus, I used him to talk to Jayden for me. Do you really believe that he's forgotten that?"

Vanessa shrugged. "I don't know, but to be so smart, you're really dumb."

"What?" Chandra responded.

"A.J might've seen you during your ultimate lows and failures," Vanessa said. "But he's seen _all _of us like that. Well… Most of us. Just, don't make another mistake Bambi."

"Right." Chandra said.

* * *

The bell rang for lunch and the students made their way out of their previous class.

"Dude, major problem." Shane said to Jayden as he caught up to him. "Nicky wants to see her parents."

"And the problem is?" Jayden asked.

"The last time I went to see her parents… Let's just say that I hate the poor guy that knocks Nicky up." Shane said.

"That bad?" Jayden replied.

Shane sighed. "They yelled about her moving in with me and my dad. They yelled about her being addicted to crack. They yelled about everything to be honest with you."

"Sucks to be you." Jayden said as the two entered the cafeteria. "Look on the bright side. If they tell you two to leave, you can always go home with your girlfriend and neither parent can stop you. In fact, they're _encouraging _you to come home with her."

Shane grinned. "Yeah. That's always a plus." Shane's grin slowly died. "Though, not all the time."

"I understand." Jayden said. "If you need anyone to put a gun to the back of your head so that you do go through with it, I'm your guy."

"Thanks. I think." Shane replied.

* * *

Aaron gave his teacher a grin before walking out, his grin slowly dying each step. While he was a normally good-natured and helpful person, he hated it when people took advantage of it and made him do extra things that they were either too lazy to do or could have asked someone else to do it. But he did not complain. Sorting through _five_ trays of papers and putting them in the correct class period's tray was not the most tedious thing he has done in his life.

"Hey A.J, I need to speak to you." Jordan said catching up to him. Aaron glanced at his ex with a bored expression. "So, rumor has it that you and Chandra are an item now. Is it true?"

"No." Aaron answered. "And again, why do you care?"

"I'm trying to help you out. She's going to use you to get to Jayden." Jordan said.

Aaron frowned. "That's not true. And even if it was, I'm not trying to date her. She couldn't necessarily 'use' me anyway."

Jordan shrugged. "Suit yourself. Just remember that when it happens, I told you so."

"No. You're jealous." Aaron said causing Jordan to glare at him. "I don't know what of, since _you're_ the one with a new boyfriend, but you are."

"Why would _I_ be jealous of some whore of a cheerleader and my unpopular, unheard of, ex-boyfriend?" Jordan replied. "I have it all and you have… Nothing. Look at you and look at me."

"Sure Jordan. Can I go to lunch now or do you have something else to say?" Aaron asked.

"Go find Chandra. Just ask Dustin what happened when _he_ told her he liked her." Jordan said. "Dropped him for Steven."

"You're lucky I don't tell who _you_ really are." Aaron said. "Because the only real 'whore' I see is you."

Jordan scoffed. "Whatever loser."

And with that, the blonde walked off, her blonde hair flowing behind her flawlessly. Aaron only sighed before going towards the cafeteria.

* * *

In the cafeteria, Jayden had attempted to get a soda without running into Scarlett. However, he had no such luck. The look she had given him showed her want for a conversation, but at the same time showed her despise for Laura.

"Hey." Jayden said after an awkward moment of silence.

"Hey…" Scarlett replied. "J.T, listen, about Monday…"

"I understand. And you're right, I did say those things." Jayden finished. "But…"

Scarlett frowned. "But…?"

Sighing, Jayden rubbed his temples.

"Headache…" Jayden said before removing his hands from his head. "We're friends Scarlett. Let's just leave it at that. I mean, when we were just friends, everyone was happy or at least content."

"Whatever Jayden." Scarlett said.

"Why is it that when _I_ have a girlfriend it's wrong but you being with DeWayne is the epitome of right?" Jayden asked.

"Because _I_ don't say things I don't mean!" Scarlett said angrily. "You're not looking to breakup with Laura anytime soon, so why should I even care?"

"I did mean what I said. To both of you." Jayden said. "I'm _not_ breaking up with her just to be with you. Something has to happen first. Something that drives Laura and me apart. And I _will_ be there when you need me unless you tell me otherwise."

"It's just like when you were dating Helen. You say one thing one moment and then you're acting totally different." Scarlett said. "Well, I want you to prove what you say for now on."

Jayden sighed. "Sure Scarlett."

"And-" Scarlett began.

"See you at the game." Jayden interrupted before walking away.

Scarlett sighed. "Loser…"

* * *

After the final bell, Aaron made his way out of the front doors knowing that his parents were probably going to be at the game later on. So, instead he began making his way to his grandparents' apartment. It was a pretty good walk, but once there he could just rest.

"Hey A.J, wait up!" Aaron paused and waited for Chandra to catch up with him. "Where are you going? You're not going to stay for the game?"

"I really want to just go home and rest." Aaron replied.

"No you don't. Come on," Chandra said taking Aaron's hand and pulling him into the building. "You're just trying to run from your problems."

Aaron stopped himself from groaning. It was bad enough Jayden was going to give him the same speech tonight about facing one's problems head-on. He did not want to hear the same thing from Chandra.

"Besides, you'll never guess what just happened." Chandra said.

"Wha-"

"So," Chandra said before Aaron could get the question out. "I was on my way to the locker room, like any other day, and I ran into Jordan. And she was all grumpy and annoying, like normal, and then _Helen_ told her to either leave or meet the end of her fist."

"So what's-" Chandra stopped walking, causing Aaron to bump into her. She turned and gave Aaron a disbelieving stare. "What?"

"Helen Sinclair-Coyne, sticking up for _me_?" Chandra said.

"Well… You got a point there." Aaron said thinking about the rivalry between the two girls. "But maybe-" Aaron did not finish his sentence as Chandra began to pull him down the hall again. "Why are you dragging me to the game Bambi?"

"Because if you're not there to cheer me on, I might screw up." Chandra answered. "So shut up and keep walking."

Aaron sighed heavily. "Good grief…"

* * *

Deanna sighed as she walked through her house, obviously ignoring all the party preparations her brother was doing. She trudged up the spiral steps, heading towards her bedroom, despite her growing hunger.

"I hate school." the girl muttered as she continued to walk down the maze of hallways to her bedroom. "I hate this house too."

Deanna finally made it to her room and placed her handbag on her closet doorknob before moving to her bed and getting into it, kicking her shoes off in the process.

"Something wrong?" DeWayne asked from her doorway.

"Tired." was Deanna's response. "Go away."

"Why not just tell me what's really going on?" DeWayne said. "I'll only go away when you tell me." Deanna did not reply. "Is it Dad? Winston? Mom? Me? Scarlett? Mer-"

"God, no! Go away!" Deanna snapped.

DeWayne only smiled. His sister was always the one that refused to express her emotions except when they were visiting their father. Of course, sooner or later Deanna would eventually tell him to leave before throwing a pillow to emphasize her point.

"Dee, what is it?" DeWayne asked.

"I'm tired! Go!" Deanna ordered.

DeWayne sighed. "I told you I'm…" DeWayne paused once he saw Deanna sit up. She got out of bed, moving towards him at in an angered manner. "So are you going to-" DeWayne was cut off by Deanna's door slamming inches away from his nose. "I guess not."

* * *

Tucking his jersey into his shorts, Jayden gave a heavy sigh. He had to brush Scarlett's comments out of his head to focus on the game or else he would not play as well as he should.

"Hey, you ready?" James asked.

"Yeah, give me a sec." Jayden said sitting down to tighten his shoe laces. "Why don't you go out there and spend some time with your precious girlfriend?"

James laughed a bit. "Jealous because yours is at home with some sort of flu?"

"Very." Jayden said with a small smile. "Go. Let lonely people live up to their name."

"Alright man." James said walking away.

Jayden continued to tie re-lace his shoes, a pregame ritual he did for inexplicable reasons.

"Wouldn't want you to bust your ass out there, now would we?" Jayden smiled as he finished his second shoe and looked up at Laura. While she was looking better, he could still tell that she was sick.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Jayden asked.

Laura shrugged. "Could you really picture me lying in bed all day?" Jayden opened his mouth. "No. Not even with you." Jayden closed his mouth with a smile and Laura sneezed. "You'd better win too."

Jayden stood up and moved towards Laura.

"I'll show off just because I know you're watching." Jayden said before giving her a chaste kiss. "Watch me."

"Not afraid of getting-" Laura turned her head before sneezed. "My cold are you?"

Jayden laughed a bit. "Not unless catching the common cold as an STD is incurable."

Laura punched Jayden in the arm. "Asshole."

Jayden just smiled as he hugged her.

"You know," Jayden said in her ear. "This is the first time I've had you in the _boys'_ locker room, right."

"Go play your little game before… Before…" Jayden took a step backwards but Laura stopped her sneeze. "Just go."

"Right." Jayden said before moving past Laura. "And later, I can go by your place and put you back to bed."

"I'm not a kid." Laura said following Jayden, coughing a bit.

"Sure you're not." Jayden said.

* * *

Deanna left the comfort of her bed for something to drink. As she headed for the steps, she thought about what she had heard in school earlier, something that irritated her greatly. She, Deanna Fitzgerald, was pathetic. Now, being called pathetic was nothing new to Deanna because there were several people who, in her eyes, were jealous of her. But it was the reason that said that she was pathetic that angered Deanna. Because she did not have someone to date. Actually, the girl said that Deanna could not _find_ anyone to date because money could not buy it. That is what irritated Deanna. She did not need money for everything.

Still, she was still single…

"Look who finally decided to wake up," DeWayne said in their kitchen, their personal chef finishing the snacks for the party that was to take place later. "You still angry about whatever?"

"Yes." Deanna said reaching into the large refrigerator and scanning for a preferable beverage. "Where's your girlfriend?"

"Their game doesn't end for another thirty minutes." DeWayne answered.

"Hmm…" Deanna responded grabbing a bottle of water. DeWayne frowned at this. "What?"

"Out of all the things you could have chosen, all the things you _normally_ choose, you chose water?" DeWayne asked.

Deanna only turned around. "I thought about trying something different."

DeWayne was going to respond, but his sister walked away before he could get a chance.

As for Deanna, she had dreamt of _him_ again. A mysterious person who held her in her bed and whispered everything she wanted to hear. His voice was as smooth as ever and his sturdy arms that embraced her kept her body against his and she could literally feel his warmth.

"Ah, Deanna," Deanna snapped out of her reverie and looked at her stepfather. "Your mother and I was getting worried about you. You haven't come out of your room all day."

"I went to sleep." Deanna responded. "Where is Mom?"

"Preparing for the dinner we have to attend tonight." Mr. Hughes said. "Tell me, why aren't you running the party preparations? You're usually telling DeWayne how to do it right."

"I… I just don't feel like a party today." Deanna said. "I'm going back to my room."

"Sure." Mr. Hughes said.

Deanna walked away with a small sigh. Her stepdad was not as annoying as others, but he could pry when he wanted to. She figured she should get to her room before her mother came. While Mr. Hughes would let Deanna walk away, even when he knew that there was something wrong, Mrs. Hughes would not.

"Why do I even care? I'm Deanna Fitzgerald." Deanna said walking towards the steps. "I'll just go to this party and take the attention, like normal. Yeah. We'll see who can't get a boyfriend."

* * *

"Good game," Laura said walking towards Jayden with a smile. "Sixteen points?"

Jayden shrugged. "What can I say? I'm awesome." Laura smiled as she went to kiss Jayden, but abruptly turned her head to the side to sneeze. "Share the love, not the germs."

"Shut up." Laura said before kissing Jayden.

"Ahem." Laura broke away at the sound of Manny's voice. "Jay, are you coming home or are you going to that party Scarlett was telling your sister about?"

"Um… I'm going to go to the party. See what all the fuss is about." Jayden said before looking at Laura. "After I take _someone_ home because she's sick."

Manny pursed her lips. "Okay…"

"Don't be like that Dimples." Maxwell said to his wife before addressing his son and his son's girlfriend. "Don't stay out too late Jayden."

"Yes sir." Jayden said as his parents led his younger siblings, sans Aaron who rode with Danica, away. "So, Ms. Reynolds, is there something you want from me before I drop you off?"

"Not if you can make your mother any less pissed at me." Laura replied. "Seriously, was she _really_ like this with Scarlett or Helen?"

"Scarlett, no. Helen, yes." Jayden said as he began walking towards his car, Laura beside him. "You know, you should feel honored that she hates you. She sees you as a threat of taking her precious son away."

Laura sneezed. "Just my luck."

"Hey, it's better than Scarlett giving me the evil eye all day long." Jayden said unlocking his car doors. "I mean, you'd think that I committed adultery or something with her."

"You did." Laura said through a small fit of coughs. "Remember?"

Jayden looked at his girlfriend in the passenger seat before shaking his head.

"You're really never going to be on my side are you?" Jayden asked starting his car up.

"Nope. Get used to it Dimples." Laura replied.

Jayden sighed. "Just my luck."

* * *

Shane could see Nicole's eyebrows furrow in heavy thought while she muttered quietly. Should she use her key or should she ring the doorbell? That was the question she was repeating. Shane wanted to just decide for her and kick the door down but eventually Nicole rang the doorbell.

The door opened to reveal Mr. Campbell.

"Nicole." Shane saw Nicole's shoulders flinch as her father's voice reached her ears in a cold, stern fashion. "What are you doing here?"

"…" Nicole stood frozen, prompting Shane to clear his throat.

"She wanted to talk to you." Shane answered.

"Huh? Oh yeah. Talk to you and Mom." Nicole said. "If it's okay."

Mr. Campbell gave Nicole a fixed look before opening the door wider to allow her and Shane to enter. As the couple entered, Shane felt Nicole's father's eyes following him to the couch where Nicole and Shane sat side-by-side. The look hardened further before Nicole's dad sat across from the on the opposing couch.

"Who was at the door?" Mrs. Campbell asked before coming into the room. "Oh… Nicky…"

"H-hi Mom." Nicole said.

Mrs. Campbell made her way to her husband's side and sat down.

"Is Harry asleep?" Mr. Campbell asked his wife.

She nodded. "Yes. Tom, what's going here?"

"She said that she wanted to 'talk' to us." Mr. Campbell answered. "Though, I thought we made it very clear that-"

"I've been clean for weeks now." Nicole blurted out. "And I've been helping out at the Dot and I'm back on the cheerleading squad."

"Why are you telling us this?" Mr. Campbell questioned.

"I think what Nicky is trying to say," Shane stated. "Is that she's become as close to her former self as possible. Of course, you can't really erase her addiction out of history or anything but…" Shane saw Nicole shift in her seat and cursed his bluntness once more. "I'll let her tell you."

"Mom, Dad," Nicole began. "I'm sorry. I'll repay you for what I took, I promise. And… Well… That's it. I'm really sorry and I'm getting better each day."

"You could never replace our daughter, no matter what accolades you've gained." Mr. Campbell said causing Nicole's mouth to drop.

"But-but-but… I've done so much! I've-"

"My daughter was never addicted to crack! She was a perfect normal little girl!" Mr. Campbell interrupted furiously. "And then _you_ came!"

"Tomas! I don't-"

"You don't know how hard it is for me to look at a younger picture of you, do you?" Mr. Campbell continued, completely ignoring his wife. "Do you Nicole? Do you know what I must-"

"Shut up." Shane said with a bored tone. "Come on Nicky, let's go."

"Who the hell are you?" Mr. Campbell asked.

"Shane Mason. Her boyfriend. The guy that gave her a home when _you_ kicked her out." Shane replied. "Normally, I'd be up to listen to you complain about this and that, but I've had a _real_ long day. My sister just found her real mother, my other sister is going through a metamorphosis, my two best friends hate each other, and now my girlfriend's parents are bashing her like she doesn't exist. _Plus_, I had to work and we had a large crowd today. So I really don't want to hear about your troubles."

"Shane…" Nicole said quietly as she wiped some tears from her eyes.

"Nicky, look, I'm sorry, but I can't listen to him talk about you like that. I did the first time and I'm not going to do it another time." Shane said rising from his seat. "This was a mistake to begin with."

"Mistake? The only mistake was-"

"You. You made the mistake." Shane interrupted Nicole's parents. "You made the mistake by kicking her out. You're only lucky that she still loves you."

Nicole watched Shane shove his hands in his pockets before heading towards the door. He opened the door before stepping out, not bothering to close it behind him.

"So this is your boyfriend?" Mr. Campbell stated. "I've seen better."

"Dad, Shane is just a little…" Nicole paused.

"A little what?" Mr. Campbell asked.

"He's Mr. Simpson's grandson so he doesn't like losing people or seeing someone else lose family." Nicole attempted to explain the best way she knew how. "That's why he's so mad. Because…" Nicole paused once more before standing up. "Because he cares for me a lot and he doesn't want me to go through this. I'm sorry for what I've done, and I'm trying to make it up to you. Please, except my apology soon."

"Nic-" was all her father got out as Nicole quickly made her way out the house.

Shane was leaning against Gavin's truck and was staring at the star-filled sky above him. He heard Nicole's footsteps and only had a moment to look towards her before she latched her lips onto his. Shane was confused for a moment before he actually kissed back.

"Let's go to Fitzgerald's party." Nicole said.

"How about," Shane said. "We go to the movies instead?" Nicole frowned. "You did say that you wanted to see that stup… Movie. That girly movie."

Nicole giggled. "Come on Shane. You can treat me to the movies. Just as long as we're home before your dad starts to wonder."

"Deal." Shane said.

* * *

Jayden walked into the mansion for the first time in his life and was greeted by many stares and a few smiles.

"You came!" Jayden smiled at the unusual happiness shown by Helen as she walked towards him with Torrie. "I thought you were playing."

Jayden's smile grew into a smirk. "Are you saying that you were _wishing_ I was with you again Helen? Let me tell you, just because Laura's sick it doesn't mean she couldn't find me if she knew."

"And kick your ass." Torrie inputted.

"Right." Jayden said. "So why'd you two come?"

"Helen came to 'scout for boys' and I came because she dragged me here." Torrie said before flipping a piece of her blonde hair out of her face. "But… Now that _you're_ here, I can keep a _personal_ eye on you so you don't cheat on my best friend."

Jayden grinned. "That's good to know. Too bad Laura doesn't view you as her 'best friend.' She doesn't have one of those."

"Hey man," James said coming to the trio with Amber on his arm. "Good game out there tonight."

"I should be telling you the same thing." Jayden replied. "But, I came here to have a good time for me and Laura, so if you don't mind, I'm going to go find some trouble to get into."

"You're not going to cheat on her, are you?" Amber asked.

"Cheat? No. Annoy the hell out of either/or Fitzgerald twin because that's just my nature." Jayden said. Helen rolled her eyes at the statement. "See you soon Red's redhead cousin."

As Jayden walked towards the other party guests, Amber giggled.

"'Red's redhead cousin?' That must be an annoying nickname." Amber said.

"It is." Helen said moving towards the spiral steps. "And I hate him dearly for it."

Torrie shrugged and made her way towards the refreshments.

"Isn't this a surprise. Jayden McDuelle in my house." DeWayne said with an arm around Scarlett. "Didn't think my house passed your standards."

Jayden looked around. "I have a house. This is a mansion." Jayden then looked at DeWayne. "Besides, my girlfriend's sick and I have to celebrate a victory somehow. It kind of plays out to my advantage."

"Tell me how." DeWayne said.

"Word travels fast. You are here." Deanna said coming to the trio. "Why am I not surprised?"

Jayden smiled. "Deanna without Mercedes. It _is_ a good night after all." Jayden's smile slowly dropped. "Can't say that I have many nice things to say about you either. You have conspired against _three_ of my girlfriends, one who dates your brother."

"I'm not here to talk to you." Deanna said before glancing at DeWayne. "Dad's on the phone and he wants to talk to you."

DeWayne frowned. "Tell him-"

"Now DeWayne." Deanna said.

"You might want to go before she grows horns and a tail." Jayden said, causing both Fitzgeralds to glare at him.

"I'll be back." DeWayne said before giving Scarlett a prolonged kiss and walking off with his sister.

Scarlett attempted to walk away before Jayden stepped in front of her.

"I damn sure didn't come here to see their house." Jayden said.

"What? You actually want to talk to me?" Scarlett said, her blue eyes nearly cutting into Jayden's own brown ones.

"I'm sorry." Jayden said. "I someone hurt you more than I should've and I'm sorry."

"Hurt me? Jayden please. That's the dumbest thing you've said to me since you've moved here." Scarlett said. "Look me in the eye and tell me just what you really want to say."

"…" Jayden stared at her. "I can't."

Scarlett gave a short laugh. "I knew it."

"She loves me Scarlett and I could never do anything to hurt her for that." Jayden said.

"She doesn't know what the damn word mean!" Scarlett said, her voice rising and her hands going in the air in frustration. "This is _Laura_ we're talking about! How in the hell could you even consider taking her words seriously?"

"I-"

"And you _dare_ tell me that you're _sorry_? You don't even know what you're sorry for! You're just trying to make things better between us Jayden and it isn't! It's just getting worse!" Scarlett interrupted. "All because you can't admit that you love me more than you do that slutty girlfriend of yours!"

By now, several of people were staring at the pair, though neither Jayden nor Scarlett paid the spectators any attention at all.

"Is that how you really feel?" Jayden asked, his eyes narrow in question.

"Yes!" Scarlett replied. "That night that you held me, were you _really_ thinking about holding her? Were you really caring about whether or not I was with DeWayne? Or were you expecting me to turn around and kiss you?"

Jayden looked at the ground momentarily, afraid to tell Scarlett that he _had_ thought about Laura as well as wishing Scarlett _did_ kiss him.

"Scarlett… I'm sorry." Jayden said connecting his eyes with hers. "That's all I can say."

Scarlett glared at him. "If that's all, then get the hell out of my face."

"Alright. Just remember that whether or not Laura does love me is irrelevant. She at least had the nerve to say it out loud." Jayden said before walking away.

"Wow," Mary-Jane said to Tyler as the two sat on the couch in the next room together. "They sounded happy."

"Mm…" Tyler replied as he spotted Helen walking by to go talk to Scarlett.

"Hey," Mary-Jane said. "Why don't you come by like normal? You've been busy almost all week!"

"Not that it matters, but I'm _graduating_ this year." Tyler said. "Besides, do I complain when you run off to the mall to get some unneeded purse or whatever?"

"A handbag is _always_ needed." Mary-Jane sad.

"No it's not. Spending time with me is what's needed." Tyler replied. "And you fail at doing that. Mostly."

Mary-Jane rolled her eyes. "Here we go… You know Tyler, _I_ have things to do after school too. Besides, it's not like _my_ dad raped _your_ mom. If that were the case, then maybe things would be different."

"Don't bring that up again. It's behind him and it's behind me." Tyler said.

"Hey," James said to Mary-Jane with Amber and Marc. "We're about to go get something to eat. Coming with us?"

"Yeah," Mary-Jane said standing up. "Some people need to take a chill pill."

"What are you talking about? You just brought up our parents' past again." Tyler said sitting up straight. "Why? I don't even know, but you did."

"I'll see you tomorrow." Mary-Jane said.

"You're really becoming irritating." Tyler stated, his voice rising slightly.

"Hey," Marc said. "She wants to go. Let her go." Tyler narrowed his eyes at Marc. "Seriously man, what do you think you can do to me?"

Tyler smirked. "Fine. Go."

Mary-Jane walked away with Amber followed by James.

"Warning." Marc told Tyler before leaving as well.

Jayden stared at the night sky in the Fitzgerald's backyard. His mind replaying the night where he held Scarlett under similar skies. He saw someone step beside him and glance momentarily before turning back towards the stars.

"If you and Scarlett shouted any louder," Deanna said. "My dad would've heard you."

"What do you want?" Jayden asked, not really in the mood to hear the girl's voice at the moment.

"You love her, don't you?" Deanna said. Jayden frowned and glanced at Deanna. "Laura, I mean. I can tell." Jayden shrugged and looked back at the sky. "Earlier today, someone told me that I would never find someone to date because money can't buy love. And yet, here you are."

"You think Laura's with me because of the money?" Jayden asked.

"It's a plus, right? I'm sure she's thought about it once or twice." Deanna said. "Either way, I find it hard to believe that you and I, rich and famous one way or another, _can't_ buy love like they say."

Jayden laughed a bit. "You can't."

"Why can't I?" Deanna questioned.

"Because… Because…" Jayden paused. "I don't know really. You just can't. Love is… Well, I really don't know how to define it honestly. But I can give an example on how you're supposed to feel." Deanna tilted her head with curiosity. "When I'm with Laura, I can lean back and close my eyes and the world stops. There's absolutely no noise at all. And when she leans against me, and I wrap my arms around her, I'm not thinking about sex. I'm thinking about never letting go. It's like the warmest thing I've ever felt in my life to hold her sometimes, despite my body growing numb by the coldness of the weather."

Deanna processed this information before her mind went back to her dream. The warm feeling she felt when she was up against her 'mysterious lover' sounded a lot like what Jayden was describing. There were very little thoughts of sex in Deanna's mind when she thought of the guy, just the fact that he held her so nicely. She felt safe in his arms. She felt warm.

"If you really want to find someone to be with that badly," Jayden said. "Try smiling once and a while. It's what drew me to Laura."

Deanna nodded as she mentally put the advice on a notepad. Smiling was a sign of amusement or pleasure. How that small gesture would get someone to find her less of the controlling princess that she was, was a question she would have to answer as she went along.

"Nice party. Hopefully you'll throw another one where there'll be more partying and less fighting." Jayden said before walking towards the door.

"Hey," Deanna said stopping him. "If you are really over Scarlett like it seems, then why did you tell me of a way to breaking her up with Wayne earlier?"

Jayden gave her a smile. "Because I despise him more than I like her."

Deanna said nothing else as Jayden left. Her mind began to analyze who this mystery guy in her dreams could be. She crossed Jayden out because of his voice. Although it was smooth when he spoke one-on-one with someone, it was not as deep as the voice in her dream. And she doubted that his arms were the same size. So her first logical chose would be Marc. If he was that guy, then her "crush" as Dewayne put it was a bit more than that. It would be the real deal.

* * *

Scarlett and Helen had returned home with Helen tailing her angry cousin. For once, Helen felt bad for DeWayne for not even getting a goodbye kiss since it was really Jayden's fault that Scarlett was mad. Again.

"Hey Scar, going out tomorrow. Doing a little shopping. Do you want to-"

"No." Scarlett said slamming her door behind her.

Helen sighed. "Of course you didn't."

Scarlett lied in her bed, her back against the window so she couldn't see _his_ bedroom. She forced her eyes closed as she began to think of anything but Jayden T. McDuelle, although his last words echoed in her head.

Did she love him?

She did not love DeWayne.

She felt safer in Jayden's arms…

So did she really love him?

Scarlett placed a pillow over her face and let out a cry of frustration.

She did love him.


	62. S3 Episode III: The Pretender

**Episode III: The Pretender**

Shane, Nicole, Kelly, and Jordan were walking towards the school as the youngest of the group told them about the Fitzgerald's party.

"…And then he left. Swear he was out there making out with her." Jordan said.

Kelly frowned. "Since when did you think your _precious Jayden_ could do any wrong?"

"Since he chose his 'best friend' _Bambi_ over someone he's known since he's moved here." Jordan replied a bit angrily.

"Maybe if you _acted_ like the girl he's known since moving here he might help you once and a while." Kelly said.

"Whatever." Jordan said as the group neared the steps where Jayden talked to Laura and, oddly, Aaron.

"What's this?" Shane asked spotting Aaron.

"Random fan asking random questions. You know how that's like." Jayden said causing Shane to grin a bit. "So, how was your weekend?"

"Well," Nicole began. "First we went to talk to my parents and that ended in _disaster_! Next we went to the movies to see-"

"It was good." Shane interrupted. "Yours?"

Jayden and Laura glanced at one another before looking at Aaron. Aaron's face scrunch into a disgusted one before he walked away quite angrily. Confused, Shane turned to see Jayden's smirk and Laura's victorious smile.

"It was quite eventful." Jayden said. "So, to class?"

"Let's go." Laura said grabbing Jayden's collar. "I have makeup work to do."

Shane watched his friend follow his girlfriend up the steps.

"I wonder what that was about." Nicole said.

"Me too." Kelly said.

Shane sighed. "You two have been spending way too much time together."

* * *

Walking down the hall, Nathan watched how everyone steered away from his path. And he liked that. However, because of Stephanie, Nathan felt a bit more considerate for his fellow colleagues. Not enough to move out of _their_ way when he was walking, but enough to pity them for fearing him. His eyes then landed on something that made him stop altogether. Dustin standing a bit _too_ close to his baby sister.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Nathan asked stepping to the two. "My dear pal Dustin talking to Gabrielle."

Gabrielle uncharacteristically rolled her eyes and continued to grab her books out of her locker. While she was quite pleased in getting to no her older brother more, she could do without the nicknames and the fear he put in her friends, even if only Ashton and Aaron knew that Nathan was her older brother.

"Uh… Hi Nate…" Dustin replied. "I wasn't picking on her if that's what you were thinking. I was just talking to her."

"Talking to her?" Nathan responded.

Dustin nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Talking."

Nathan had no intention on harming the boy, at least not in front of Gabrielle. She would complain to their dad, who would tell Nathan's mother, who would give Nathan hell at home. But he did want Dustin to stand a bit farther away from Gabrielle. Arm's length at the least.

"So you're talking to her _that_ close?" Nathan asked.

Dustin, who was oblivious to how close he was to Gabrielle, took a step backwards. Gabrielle glanced at Nathan, trying her best to stay within their own guidelines about how they would interact in school. But it was getting harder and harder by the seconds.

"That's better." Nathan said before walking away.

"Man, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Dustin murmured to Gabrielle.

"I doubt it." Gabrielle said, her eyes never leaving Nathan's retreating body.

* * *

After her morning announcements, Scarlett began walking to her first period class with a small headache. She felt bad for snapping on DeWayne Sunday, as well as Friday, but a part of her said that he deserved it. They all deserved it.

Deciding to prolong her education as much as possible, Scarlett stepped into the restroom to check herself in the mirror. Much to her dismay, Laura was already doing the exact same thing in front of the large mirror.

"Great. You." Scarlett muttered stepping beside Laura.

Laura rolled her eyes. "Jealous."

"Don't start with me today, alright? I'm really not in the talking mood." Scarlett said.

"I couldn't tell since _you_ walked in here and said something to _me_." Laura replied, now looking directly at Scarlett. "And if I didn't make a stupid promise to my half-ass boyfriend, I'd-"

"'_Half-ass_?' Is that what you called him?" Scarlett said in disbelief. "I told him you didn't know what you were saying! He thinks-"

"I call him that to his face." Laura interrupted. "So why don't you just run along and go play with DeWayne or whatever while I make sure that _my_ boyfriend is alright, okay?"

"You don't deserve him." Scarlett hissed.

Laura raised her eyebrows. "And you do? Tell me how."

"Because _I_ know every damn thing about the guy!" Scarlett shouted. "And _you're_ just some common whore who probably wants his fortune or fame or whatever!"

"Fortune? I make my own money. Fame? I'm Laura Reynolds, who doesn't know about me? And as for 'knowing' him," Laura said, her eyes narrowing. "I _know_ that he was pissed about you dancing with DeWayne. I _know_ that his sister is the _only_ reason you even got to their _first_ performance in order to break him up with Helen."

Scarlett snorted. "You think that's what broke them up? Helen's just a good cousin and a better friend. But you wouldn't know what either of those are because you don't have many friends and your mom is-"

"Finish that sentence and I swear to you I'll knock you through that fucking door." Laura said angrily. "Let's get one thing straight. Jayden likes you. Duh. If your brain was _half_ as fucking smart as your mouth was, you'd know that. Hell, you wouldn't have dated _Shane Mason_ in the first place!"

"Then why do you manipul-"

"But he _loves_ me." Laura interrupted, causing Scarlett's face to grow red in anger. "And trust me. I know the difference between Jayden showing like, showing love, and showing lust. He's showed me."

Scarlett's eyes widened. "You… And Jayden…"

"Had sex? Of course." Laura said before smirking. "Did you _really_ think he was going to save himself for _you_?"

"You just seduced him. That's what's going on. You're no better than Mary-Jane." Scarlett said before laughing a bit. "And here I was actually worried that he might know what he was talking about. That _you_ could've changed that much."

Laura glared at Scarlett. "Listen bitch," That caused Scarlett's laughter to abruptly end. "Don't ever confuse me with that snob princess. I didn't just lay down and let Jayden have his way with me in exchange for dating him. Besides, someone as stubborn as him wouldn't change his opinion about a girl before, during, or after sex. Trust me."

The two only stared at one another, Scarlett unable to say anything. Laura figured it was best if Jayden told Scarlett that the real reason he and Scarlett broke up was because he cheated on Scarlett with Laura. While Laura would love nothing more than to shut Scarlett up once and for all, she did not want to somehow get Jayden angry at her too.

Scarlett turned around to leave, but Laura's voice stopped her.

"I was all willing to let whatever it was between us go," Laura said. "But you made it personal by not only calling me a whore and a liar, but bringing my mom into this. I'll let you leave with a warning this time, but make no mistake about it, I will hurt you. I won't get descriptive, but know that I will do it. Period."

"Whatever." Scarlett said leaving the restroom.

* * *

After the bell rang for the end of first period, Stephanie met Angelina at Angelina's locker.

"So, how was your weekend?" Stephanie asked.

Angelina shrugged. "Good I guess. Bella and her friends went out Saturday, so I was home alone for the most part of the day."

"Or did you call Jacob over?" Stephanie said with a sly smile. "Come on Angel! Tell me!"

"N-no!" Angelina said, her face turning redder by the seconds. "H-he was busy with something else."

Stephanie pouted. "You really would lie to your best friend?"

"I'm serious! He didn't come over! I didn't even call him." Angelina said. "Since Jayden put us in that awkward position… I don't know. He seems so nice but…"

"But…?" Stephanie said.

"He's afraid of Bella and Danni." Angelina answered quietly.

"Oh. Well, that might be a problem." Stephanie said as Angelina closed her locker and began walking down the hall with Stephanie. "Why don't you two just meet up somewhere? You could come with Nate and I."

"I don't know. Jacob and I probably would make an awkward silence and I wouldn't want to ruin your date." Angelina said.

"It's fi- Who said it was a date?" Stephanie quickly responded. Angelina smiled. "I see Angel, you were making a joke."

"Sorry Stephanie. I just think that you and Nate are-"

"Pathetic." a voice said behind them. The two turned to see Jesse.

Stephanie frowned. "Why do you hate Nate so badly? What has he done to you?"

"That's none of your business." Jesse said before walking away.

Angelina glanced at Stephanie. "How does he know?"

Stephanie shrugged. "I don't know and I don't care. But whatever you do, you can't tell Nate and all. He'll get all angry and try to start something with Tank and I don't want that."

"Okay." Angelina said.

* * *

When the bell rang for lunch, Aaron sighed heavily and left his classroom. Due to one simple sound, his phone was confiscated by the teacher and he would get it at the end of the day. It was just another sign that today was going to be a bad day.

Aaron stopped at his locker to grab his afternoon books when he felt a soft hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Chandra.

"You okay? You look pissed." Chandra said as Aaron went back to his task.

"Do I? I just got my phone taken." Aaron said, gaining a dramatic gasp from Chandra. "What?"

"Aaron Santos in trouble? Without me?" Chandra mocked.

Aaron smiled. "Funny Bambi. But now I have to stop by and pick it up before I go home."

"Still better than Jordan making lies about you." Chandra said as Aaron closed his locker and made sure that it locked. "So do you know what you're doing later on? We could go to the movies or something."

"Actually," Aaron replied. "I have something I have to do at home. But I'm free tomorrow if you want to hangout. My older brother and I have something planned for our grandparents so-"

"When do I get o meet this 'mysterious' brother of yours?" Chandra asked.

"Trust me," Aaron answered. "You don't want to."

"Why? Is he a jerk or something?" Chandra questioned.

"Some days…" Aaron said.

Chandra frowned. "He got an annoying friend or girlfriend?" Aaron only laughed at the statement as the two walked on. "What? Come on! Tell me!"

* * *

Shane sat at his normal table where his sister, Dakota, and Jacob were already at.

"Why is it that your friend disappears every _other_ day?" Kelly asked Shane.

Shane shrugged. "I don't know."

"He and Laura probably went out to lunch together." Dakota said.

"Ugh. I'll be so glad when he's finally done with her." Kelly said.

"Laura's not that bad." Dakota said.

"Speak for yourself, right Jacob?" Kelly replied.

Shane smirked. "Take her side. You know you want to."

"What are we talking about here?" Jayden asked sitting down with Laura beside him. The table grew noticeably quiet for a second before Jayden snapped his fingers. "Hello. Question. Answer. What's going on?"

"We were talking about where you had mysteriously ran off with but now that you're here…" Kelly's words dragged as she glanced at Laura. "With her, I guess we can drop it."

Dakota saw Laura's eyes narrow and decided to stop the inevitable rampage that Laura was sure to do.

"So," Dakota said to Jayden. "How was the Fitzgerald's party?"

"Eventful." Jayden answered. "Kind of hard to walk through since half the people wants to be your friend and the other half hates you."

"What's wrong?" Dakota asked Laura.

"I ran into one pissed off Scarlett earlier." Laura said, causing Jayden to glance at her. "And what _almost_ happened and _should've_ happened didn't."

"Why is it that you can tell Dash these things but not me?" Jayden asked.

"Because you'd go on a tangent and try to stay as neutral as possible when in reality, she started it." Laura said.

"What happened?" Jayden said.

Laura sighed. "I was in the bathroom, clearly minded my own business, when in comes Miss Popularity herself. First she goes berserk because I called him half-ass."

"You called Jay half-ass?" Kelly replied.

"Is that really such a bad thing?" Laura asked looking at Jayden, who only smiled.

"I told you your vocabulary needed some tweaking." Jayden said with a grin.

"_Anyway_," Laura said. "So then she goes on an entire fucking rage talking about how I don't _deserve_ him and how I'm _manipulating_ him with sex. I swear that bitch is out to get me or something. She's worse than his mom."

Shane glanced at his best friend to see if it were possible to read what he was thinking. From the looks of it, Jayden appeared to be alright with this information. Almost as if he was satisfied with what had happened. But Shane knew that Jayden was only thinking of something to keep himself calm.

Then Jayden rose.

"Where're you going?" Laura asked.

"Stay here. I'll be back." Jayden said.

Laura glared at him. "I'm not your child."

"I know." Jayden responded before walking away.

"Uh-oh." Shane and Kelly said in unison as they saw where Jayden was heading.

Helen eyed as Scarlett sat with an extremely pissed look on her face. Normally, Helen would pester Scarlett into telling her what was wrong, but seeing Scarlett like this told Helen to back off. it even caused Nicole and Jacquelyn to keep their questions unheard.

And then Helen saw Jayden coming towards their table and things began to make sense.

"Nicky, Miss Jackie, let's go," Helen said rising from her seat. "We do _not_ want to be around for this."

Nicole and Jacquelyn glanced at Jayden's face, Scarlett, Helen, each other, and finally stood up and followed Helen with nothing else needed to be said.

Scarlett did not look behind her to see Jayden approaching her, but she did see him once he moved to sit directly across for her.

"What?" she nearly spat.

"I thought you said everything at the party?" Jayden asked. "I thought that maybe, just _maybe_, you'd gotten all your anger and envy out and would let things go. But I was _obviously_ wrong."

"Tch, look at Laura, running off to tell Jayden. And she says that she doesn't snitch." Scarlett replied. "How about you get out of here Jayden? I really don't want to be bothered by you or anyone else."

"Well that's too damn bad because I want to talk to you, so listen." Jayden said. "I said that I'm sorry. What else do you want?"

Scarlett smiled. "Do you really want to know what I want?" Scarlett's smile dropped. "You to get out of my face, _Tyrone_."

Jayden's eyebrow twitched slightly at the sound of his middle name, but sat back in the chair.

"Listen Scarlett," Jayden began. "I don't know what to do with you anymore. You hate it when I'm with someone else. You find it awkward when I'm with you. I'm starting to think that _you_ don't know what you want."

"I know what I want." Scarlett snapped.

"Really? I can't tell since you've never answered my or Helen's question when we ask." Jayden said. "But, hey, a lot of people don't know what they want."

"You!" Scarlett nearly shouted at the top of her lungs, the majority of the cafeteria staring at the exes.

Jayden smiled. "Now that wasn't so hard, was it? Finally getting that off of your chest." Scarlett scoffed. "Listen to me Scarlett because I hate repeating myself. I am not leaving Laura for you. Not unless she gives me a reason to."

"Listen to me," Scarlett said. "She will prove to you that I was right. Why don't you just save yourself the embarrassment and leave her now?"

"Because I love her Scarlett. Get that through your head." Jayden said.

"Why?" Scarlett asked in a pleading tone.

"I just do." Jayden said. "And like I told her when I was dating you, I'd appreciate it if you left her alone."

Scarlett stared at Jayden for a moment before looking away from him.

"Whatever. Just go." Scarlett said.

Jayden sighed. "Right… And Red," Scarlett glanced at Jayden in a way that did not show how happy she was to hear him say her nickname. "Whatever you said to Laura that has her ready to kill _me_, I forgive you. I just wish you'd forgive me."

"Go." Scarlett replied quietly before Jayden stood up to move back to his seat.

Sitting at his table, Aaron gave a quiet sigh. If Jayden was frustrated now, that means the kinder and more playful Jayden would be long gone before they reached home. And he really could use some advice right now.

"Anyway," Chandra said gaining the others' attention. "I've been dealing with this for _days_ now. Weeks really."

Ashton shrugged. "Jordan's just going through one of those 'Dustin phases' or whatever." Dustin frowned. "Oh come on. Befriending a more popular student and then becoming extremely obnoxious? That's the _exact _same thing you did."

"We're not talking about Dustin, Ashton," Vanessa reprimanded. "We're talking about Jordan."

"I know. At least Dustin posed some sort of threat." Ashton said. "Just what could Jordan do to any of us? Absolutely, positively, entirely nothing."

"She's spread rumors about me and A.J! That's more than nothing!" Chandra retorted.

"Well they are partially true." Ashton said gaining a glare from Chandra. "You _did_ go to the movies with him first, remember? You called dibs on him. And he _did_ take you Juvey Grace's concert… Plus, you ran to him first, like always, so some of what she's saying is quite accurate."

"Who asked you?" Chandra said. "Boy, if you weren't my best friend's boyfriend…"

"Don't think too much about it Bambi. She'll snap back to reality sooner or later." Aaron said.

"Or so you hope so." Chandra said. "If I hear just _one_ more rumor about me, I'm going to snap A.J. Literally snap on her."

"Okay Bambi…" Aaron said.

"But besides that," Chandra said. "You never finished telling me about your brother."

"Your brother?" Gabrielle stated in confusion.

"You were telling Chandra about your older brother?" Dustin said. "You don't even tell _me_ about your older brother."

"Who is…?" Vanessa asked.

"Let's just say that when you meet him," Aaron said. "You'll wish that you hadn't, trust me. He can be a jerk sometimes. And his girlfriend isn't any better… At all. Plus, he has _tons_ of ways of calling one annoying or simple-minded. So you might want to wait out on meeting him."

"I won't. So tell me his name, please?" Chandra asked.

"Before that," Gabrielle said. "Wasn't there something you were saying earlier Chandra? Something about Mary-Jane's new cheerleading techniques?"

"Oh yeah. So…"

As Chandra began to complain about Mary-Jane's new workout, Aaron gave Gabrielle a silent thank you, which she replied. He smiled knowing that it was always nice to have someone who was in the same predicament as he was. He then idly thought about which was harder to believe, him being Jayden's younger brother or Gabrielle being Nathan's younger sister.

* * *

After lunch, Jordan walked down the hallway with her new "friends" that practically kissed the ground the Mary-Jane carbon copy walked on. Of course, this irritated Shane to no end. He wanted his sister to have friends, but not worshippers.

"Jordan," he said, gaining his sister's attention. "I need to speak to you." Jordan looked like she was going to protest, but Shane beat her to it. "Now."

Sighing, Jordan gave a nonchalant wave to the four other students that were behind her and they walked off, leaving brother and sister alone to talk.

"What is it?" Jordan asked.

"You have to cut this out." Shane replied. "First, if Mom or Sean saw you in _that_ they'd have a cow. Second, A.J is the only real friend you have. Or should I say had? Doesn't matter. You're digging yourself into a grave."

Jordan snorted. "Really? I couldn't tell. I've been having the time of my life."

"Jordan…" Shane began.

"Look," Jordan said. "_Chandra and Aaron_ aren't complaining, so why should you? Besides, they have all the friends they want. They don't need me."

"Jordan I'm not-"

"I have class. See ya!" Jordan said as she walked away.

Shane stood with mixed emotions as he watched his younger sister walk away. He wondered just what Mary-Jane said to Jordan to make her believe that she was, well, Mary-Jane. He shoved his hands in his pockets before walking away. He would deal with Jordan later.

* * *

Minutes after the final bell, Jayden leaned against a row of lockers with a bored expression. He gave a heavy sigh before looking across the hall at Laura, who was standing the exact same way. Both teenagers were quite annoyed that they were here instead anywhere else.

"I thought you said that he was the _good_ child?" Laura stated as she slid down the lockers and sat on the floor.

"He is," Jayden said before smiling. "Which means that I'm not half as bad as my parents think!"

Laura scoffed. "Yeah right. I bet A.J couldn't do _half_ the things you do."

"Is that supposed to be a bad thing?" Jayden asked with a smirk. Laura rolled her eyes. "Hey, no need in being like that. You set yourself up for that joke."

"Whatever." Laura said. "So what was up with Princess Scarlett at lunch?"

Jayden shrugged. "I don't know. You know she's kicked me out of her inner circle now that you and I are together." Laura gave Jayden a knowing stare. "Honestly. We've gone our separate ways this time. It's like when I was dating Helen only ten-times worse."

"Glad you see me that highly." Laura said. Jayden moved across the hall and stood in front of her. "What do you want?"

Jayden held out his hands. Laura slowly put her hands in his and Jayden pulled Laura onto her feet.

"Saturday, I'll make it up to you. I promise." Jayden said. "But in the meantime, I guess we go to my place and finish looking over that school's brochure. Call around and ask some questions, alright?"

Laura nodded. "Yeah… And stop making me feel like, you know. Weak."

Jayden smiled. "Might as well tell me not to breathe." Jayden went to give Laura a kiss, but the sound of Aaron clearing his throat caused him to look at his brother. "Well, well, look who finally decided to return. You'd better have a pretty good reason why I'm standing here."

"It's not like I was texting or anything," Aaron replied. "My low-battery alarm went off. It just chimed once and that was it."

"Just like his mom, I swear." Jayden said. "Let's go."

"That would be your mom too." Laura piped in as she followed Jayden, Aaron walking beside her.

"No it's not."Jayden said.

"And how are you going to get out of this one?" Laura asked.

"I want to know too." Aaron said.

"Because my mother's name is Manny _McDuelle_ and Aaron's mother is named _Manuella Santos_. _Big_ difference." Jayden replied.

"Really?" Laura questioned.

"Yes. One's more famous." Jayden said with a grin.

Despite himself, Aaron actually laughed with his older brother while Laura smiled.

"Me and the McDuelle brothers… I swear we should get our own show." Laura said.

"Yeah, yeah," Jayden said. "But before that, A.J, about what happened Saturday… We can skip telling our parents about that, right?"

"Like I want to remember that." Aaron said.

Laura glanced at Aaron and studied his face. Due to Aaron's lighter complexion it was easier to see his blush compared to Jayden, who Laura realized did not blush at all. So when she saw Aaron's face redden, she rolled her eyes.

"Maybe you two _are_ related. You're both pervs." Laura said.

Jayden turned to face Laura, now walking backwards.

"Come on Laura," Jayden said. "Seeing a sexy girl as yourself in nothing but her bra and panties would be enough for a grown man, let alone some pre-teen closet pervert."

"I'm not a closet pervert." Aaron replied.

"Sure you're not. And I'll just ignore that my little brother is blushing at the thought of my girlfriend in her lingerie." Jayden said before turning around to walk out the door.

Laura threw an arm around Aaron as they followed Jayden, pulling him towards her.

"I don't know Dimples, I kind of like your brother better. He's more sensitive." Laura said before looking at Aaron. "Besides, I _love_ virgins."

Aaron's blush deepened as Jayden and Laura laughed. Aaron also smiled a bit. This kind of thing was becoming normal in the McDuelle household whenever Laura stopped by. Jayden would pick on Aaron and Laura would throw jibes at both brothers because, well, she was Laura.

"Let's get home. I'm sure our dear older sister is there going through our things." Jayden said to Aaron.

"Probably." Aaron said.

Unbeknownst to the trio, they were indeed being watched and heard. In fact, said person who heard this quickly scurried off. Tomorrow was going to be the best day ever.

* * *

Scarlett stepped out of her and Helen's shared car and looked at the large mansion. She sighed quietly before making her way towards the front doors. She pressed the doorbell and stood patiently, waiting for someone to open the Hughes Mansion doors.

The door opened and Scarlett stood directly in front of Deanna.

"What?" the Fitzgerald twin said.

"I need to speak to your brother. Is he home?" Scarlett asked.

Deanna scoffed. "After your temper-tantrum, I wouldn't be surprised if Wayne kicked you out but," Deanna stepped aside. "His in the back with Alex. You know how to get there, right?"

Scarlett did not respond as she stepped into the house and past Deanna, dismissing the "bitch" comment Deanna said under her breath. Scarlett began walking through the maze of hallways until she finally reached the backyard where the tennis and basketball courts were. However, DeWayne was lounging in a chair near the pool, Alexander in the chair beside him and Mercedes sitting at the edge of the pool, allowing her feet and legs to soak.

"DeWayne." Scarlett said getting his attention.

DeWayne looked at her. "Scarlett? What are you doing here?"

"I came…" Scarlett paused as she looked at Alexander and Mercedes. "Do you mind if we talked alone?"

"Sure. Guys?" DeWayne said.

"Sure." Alexander said getting out of his seat and moving towards the house.

"Whatever." Mercedes said following suit.

"So, what is it?" DeWayne asked.

"I, uh, I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry." Scarlett said looking at her feet. "I was mad at Jayden, not you. I shouldn't have taken that out on you."

"It's fine. I get that he's annoying sometimes." DeWayne said. "So are you free tonight? We could go get some dinner somewhere."

"I… I'd love that." Scarlett replied with a smile as she looked at him.

"Good. We can put this all behind us." DeWayne said.

"Sure." Scarlett said before backing away. "Uh, I have to get back to the house. I'll talk to you later, right?"

"Right." DeWayne said before Deanna and Mercedes left the large house.

"Oh goody. You two are together again." Deanna said lifelessly.

"We never broke up." DeWayne replied to his sister. "And where's Alex?"

"He's coming." Deanna said moving past Scarlett to her brother. "I have to talk to you for a second."

Scarlett watched Deanna lead DeWayne farther away from Scarlett and Mercedes before whispering something into his ear. The twins began talking quietly back and forth as Mercedes stepped beside Scarlett.

"I'm only going to tell you this once," Scarlett said to Mercedes. "Lay off of my boyfriend."

"Lay off, lay on, same thing." Mercedes responded.

"I'm serious." Scarlett said.

"So am I. You're some prude who thinks looks can get you everywhere. I'm someone with skills. Certain skills that DeWayne comes to see over and over and-"

"You sound a bit like I did earlier. Jealous." Scarlett interrupted. "I get that you want DeWayne, but he's with me. So back the hell off."

"What? Mad because Laura's got Jayden around her pretty little fingers and DeWayne's already proven to be more interested in me?" Mercedes mocked.

Before Scarlett knew it, her hand was moving across Mercedes' face and the sound of her slap caught the Fitzgerald twins' attention. Mercedes gave a grunt before tackling Scarlett onto the small patch of grass, the two now wrestling and pulling each other's hair while throwing blows at one another.

"Mercedes! Get off of her!" DeWayne called as he moved to break the two up.

Alexander came out and saw the scene, immediately helping his friend out. Meanwhile, Deanna stood with an amused look on her face. While Scarlett was no brawler like Helen was, she could catfight pretty well.

It took DeWayne and Alexander several of minutes before pulling the two girls apart.

"Get out of my house Mercedes!" DeWayne ordered as he nearly slung the girl towards the backdoor, Alexander doing his best to keep Scarlett at bay.

"You know what? Fuck you DeWayne! You know you want me more!" Mercedes spat before angrily walking towards the glass doors.

Deanna sighed. "I'd better go calm her down." Deanna looked at Scarlett and smiled sweetly. "It was nice seeing you again Scarlett. And I just _love_ what you've done to your hair."

DeWayne shot his sister a glare as she casually walked after Mercedes. After Mercedes was out of seeing and hearing range, Alexander released Scarlett, who smoothed her hair back. She looked at DeWayne who gave her a reassuring smile.

"It's fine. She was annoying anyway." DeWayne said.

"I, I have to go." Scarlett said moving towards the door.

DeWayne and Alexander was left outside with Alexander giving DeWayne a sigh.

"To think you were about to do something with Mercedes." Alexander said.

"I know." DeWayne replied. "Scarlett doesn't hear about this. Deal?"

"Deal." Alexander said.

* * *

Mary-Jane answered her door to see Tyler there. She stepped onto the porch before closing the door slightly behind her.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Mary-Jane asked.

"I want to talk about us." Tyler said. He hated cliché breakups, but it was they were the only ones he knew. "I think we should split. You know, give us time to cool down and whatever."

"You're breaking up with me?" Mary-Jane said.

"Mary, please don't-"

"You could've done this over the phone!" Mary-Jane exclaimed.

"I didn't want to. I wanted to tell you face-to-face." Tyler said. "Look, you're a great girl and all but-"

"Whatever Tyler." Mary-Jane said opening the door. "Don't even bother."

"Mary-" Tyler was interrupted with the door slamming in his face. "Whatever."

Mary-Jane stormed up the steps and into her room where she lied in her bed. Never in her life has anyone broken up with her. _Never_. She was more pissed than anything for the simple fact that Tyler had tarnished her record.

"Mary-Jane," Angele began.

"What?" Mary-Jane asked.

"Do you want to play?" Angele asked shyly.

Mary-Jane sat up and stared at her sister for a moment.

"Go get the Uno cards." Mary-Jane said as her younger sister ran off.

Mary-Jane smiled a bit. Angele always looked up to her, even when she was at her meanest to the little girl. Mary-Jane never knew why, but Angele never really grew tired of her older sister. Mary-Jane on the other hand was quite irritated when she had younger siblings to take her parents' attention away from her. But Angele more than made up for that attention. In fact, having someone who wanted to be with her was exactly what Mary-Jane needed after being dumped.

"I got them!" Angele said as she came back into the room.

"Good." Mary-Jane said taking the cards from her sister. "And later, I'll paint your toes the way you like them."

"Thanks Mary!" Angele said happily.

* * *

Nathan looked at Stephanie as the two walked in silence. There was something terribly wrong with her since she did not mind him ogling her when they met up today. In fact, she hardly corrected any of his 'bad mannerism' today.

Sensing urgency, Nathan abruptly stopped and then sat on the curb.

"Sit." Nathan said.

Stephanie frowned at him. "Are you _ordering_ me to sit?"

"More like a strong suggestion." Nathan said. "Tell me what's on your mind."

Stephanie blinked in confusion before smiling.

"Are you trying to console me?" Stephanie asked, her smile still on her face.

"Whatever. Just sit and talk like you do me." Nathan responded. Stephanie sat down beside him and he glanced at her. "So, what's on your mind?"

"I… I've done a terrible thing." Stephanie said.

Nathan frowned. "That's really not telling me anything. I mean, I've done hundreds of terrible things today and I feel fine."

"It's not the same. I mean, this is really, _really_ bad." Stephanie said.

"Well get it off your chest. You'll feel better." Nathan said. "I'll even share a cigarette if you need it."

"I don't smoke Nate. You know that." Stephanie told him.

"I also know that you tell me to 'explain myself' to you." Nathan replied. "So talk Steph. I can help somehow."

"I… I like to write poetry… Or at least I did." Stephanie said. "Anyway, my poetry grew into small stories and so on. But lately… I've been writing things…"

"Essays?" Nathan asked mockingly.

"No! I…" Stephanie paused and sighed. "Nathan, I'm the one that writes those blogs." Nathan frowned in curiosity. "The blogs that everyone's been talking about?"

"Oh…" Nathan said after he realized what Stephanie was talking about. "So why are you so mad-"

"Because many people are mad and blaming each other because of me." Stephanie said. "They're even targeting Deanna because they think that she wrote them."

"Steph, really, that's not that-"

"And you're the third brother." Stephanie cut Nathan off for the second time quickly. "Lyle is you…"

"I'm Lyle." Nathan corrected. Stephanie glared at him, but he only smiled. "Come on. You've done your first prank. So what?"

"You're not mad that I've basically told the entire world about you and your dad?" Stephanie asked.

"Hell no. Besides, they don't even know it's me." Nathan answered. "Plus…" Nathan smirked. "Now I know you like me."

Stephanie blushed. "Shut up Nate."

"Seriously, it's not a big deal… Well, it's a _huge_ deal to everyone else, but not to me. You should know that." Nathan said. "But, I do have one question." Stephanie raised her eyebrows. "Who are the other people you were talking about? I won't tell, I swear."

Stephanie looked at Nathan before giving a sigh.

"Promise?" Stephanie said. Nathan nodded. "Alright. I'll tell you what I know. The _real_ version."

Nathan smiled lightly at her as she began to tell him her story from the beginning. If this is what Laura was talking about when she was with Jayden, then he would have to secretly apologize for picking at her as much. No matter how much he had changed, he would _never_ apologize to Laura out loud.

* * *

Scarlett walked up the steps to hear Helen talking to someone. She entered her cousin's bedroom to see Jayden sitting on Helen's bed like any other day. The three glanced at one another in silence before Jayden stood up.

"I'll talk to you later Helen." Jayden said.

"Jayden…" Scarlett said. Jayden stopped directly in front of Scarlett, the two eye-to-eye. Scarlett then stepped aside. "Bye."

"Yeah. Bye." Jayden said walking past his ex out of Helen's room.

Helen frowned. "Next time DeWayne's here, I'm kicking him out."

"Why?" Scarlett asked. "I'm dating DeWayne."

"Who else comes to see you Scar? Jesus, you've been off your game lately." Helen said.

"I _wanted_ to say that I'm sorry. If you haven't noticed by my lip, but I've been in a _physical_ fight with your friend Mercedes." Scarlett said. "I mean, I think I've had the worst day ever today. Jayden's pissed at me because Laura's pissed at me. DeWayne and I have 'rekindled' but I think I was lying through my teeth. No. Scratch that. I _know_ I was. I got into a fight with Mercedes. And to top of a real crappy day, that slut keyed the side of our car!"

"Calm thoughts. Calm thoughts. Calm thoughts." Helen repeated as she rubbed her temples. "No one has to die Helen. She's just a kid who was angry. Understand her. Calm down."

"Helen I'm sorry that I got our car keyed." Scarlett said.

Helen's eyes narrowed. "I bet you are. And do you know _why my_ car got keyed?" Scarlett opened her mouth but Helen continued. "Because you and Jayden just couldn't have stuck together in the first fricking place! No, my bad. It started _way_ before that! It started when you didn't want _me_ to be happy with him! Now you're running around here trying to be mad at him when in reality, you're crying because he hates you!"

"Helen I'm really sorry but-"

"And have you even asked how _I_ felt about you two dating or did you 'assume' that I was okay with it completely?" Helen continued. "You know Scar, I envied you. Did you hear that? I, Helen Sinclair-Coyne, _envied_ someone and it was you! Do you know why? Because while I had all the friends in the world from cheerleading, you had _no one_ until he came and oddly, he made up for _every single friend_ that I had! You were so fricking happy that you befriended someone who actually didn't see you as a snobby, spoiled, inconsiderate brat, and do you know what you did to him? You treated him like crap! You made sure that no other girl got close to him but you! And worst of all," Scarlett nearly flinched at the nearly sadistic chuckle Helen gave. "Worst of all, you love him and told him to stay out of your life! Can you believe that? You told Jayden T. McDuelle, the only guy I can even _picture_ putting up with the _real obnoxious you_ to stay away from you because he's dating Laura! Isn't that fricking hilarious?"

Scarlett blinked, tears now running down her face. She had originally came to Helen for some support about the whole ordeal with Mercedes, not Jayden.

"You want to blame someone Scarlett," Helen said moving to her door. "Blame yourself for being such a whore!"

And with that, Helen slammed the door in her cousin's face, leaving Scarlett crying in the hallway. Scarlett slid to her knees.

"Helen… Please open up…" Helen heard Scarlett say. Helen stopped her pacing in her room and moved to the door to open it. She looked down at Scarlett's form, anger still on the redhead's face. "You're right Helen! I love him so much! I just…"

Helen understood Scarlett more than Coach Blue and Fiona did, so she just got onto her knees and hugged her crying cousin. If this kept up, this would be a long year before Helen went back to New York.

* * *

**A/N: **So another chapter is up. These chapters will start coming out quicker as soon as I A) get more free time and B) post another story someone asked me to do for them. But, I won't forget this story. BTW, sans the webisodes and A/Ns, this story has just passed the 1,000 page mark! Just thought I should say that! Till next time! And please review!


	63. S3 Episode IV: Back Like That

**Episode IV: Back Like That**

Mary-Jane walked towards her locker with less glamour than the day before. Then again, who could blame her? Her perfect record had been destroyed by one guy. Ironically, the _only_ guy she did not think would do so. She did not count James since she did cheat on James with Tyler, henceforth, their relationship ended on _her_ account.

"Hey MJ, why the long face?" Amber asked as she neared her friend.

"Tyler and I broke up." Mary-Jane said.

Amber instantly picked up on the statement. Normally Mary-Jane would say that she broke up with some guy, but this was different.

"Oh… I'm sorry." Amber said.

Mary-Jane rolled her eyes. "I can live without the sarcasm Amber. I know you're happy about that."

"Not that he broke up with you." Amber responded. "It's not going to change my thoughts of him being an inconsiderate loser."

"Well, make room in the club because I'm officially joining." Mary-Jane said, causing Amber to smile. "So, what are we doing today?"

Amber shrugged. "I don't know. James said that he was going to the gym with Marc so I'm free."

"Marc…" Mary-Jane said before smiling a bit. "Of course."

"Of course what?" Amber asked.

"Nothing hon. Just changing up our, and their, schedule for the weekend." Mary-Jane answered. "See you in first period!"

"Right…" Amber said as Mary-Jane walked away. "Weirdest child ever."

* * *

Laura smiled as Jayden kissed her neck slightly in front of Jayden's locker.

"We're going to get detention for PDA…" Laura said.

"I don't mind if you don't." Jayden said as he kissed another spot.

Laura stifled a small laughter. "Dimples… I think you should stop before she has another reason to hate me."

Jayden paused and looked to see who Laura was talking about. Unsurprisingly, Scarlett was making her way towards them. However, something was off about her. She seemed… Jayden's mind drew blanks as he tried to find the right word to describe the downcast-appearing girl.

"Scarlett." Jayden said.

"Hey, um," Scarlett began. "I want to talk to you."

"We're talking…" Jayden replied.

"After school at your place." Scarlett said before looking at Laura. "Alone if you don't mind."

"Oh I mind." Laura muttered.

"You have my word Laura. I don't want to do anything but to talk to him. I just got into a fight with _another girl_ over _another_ boy." Scarlett said with a small smile. "My boyfriend to be exact."

Jayden glanced at Laura who sighed.

"Fine. You two can spend the day talking or whatever. Wouldn't want to be around that sensitive crap anyway." Laura said before grabbing Jayden's collar and pulling his face near hers. "But I get you before and afterwards, you hear me?"

Jayden smirked. "Now you know I'm a little hard of hearing in the presence of pure beauty."

Laura rolled her eyes and kissed him gently before walking away. Jayden sighed heavily before looking at Scarlett.

"Tell me something Scarlett," Jayden said. "Am I going to regret doing this? Lately talking to you hasn't been one of my favorite things."

"J.T, you won't, I promise." Scarlett said. "See you later."

"Right." Jayden said as she walked away. "Something is so wrong with the force. I can feel it."

* * *

Nathan sat on a bench outside of a local café, Damon sitting across from him.

"Where have you been lately? Things have gotten boring at the ravine without you and Laura." Damon said.

Nathan shrugged as he retrieved a cigarette from his pocket.

"Busy." Nathan said putting the unlit cigarette between his lips. "And where have _you_ been? Your dad says that you've been spending some time going to… Ballet?"

"Ballet? That's stupid!" Damon quickly replied.

"Sure it is." Nathan said lighting his cigarette.

Damon idly wondered how his dad knew where he was sneaking off to, but did not question for long.

"So how's Stephanie?" Damon said. "She miss me yet?"

Nathan exhaled a cloud of smoke before glancing at Damon.

"Do you think she misses you? She did give you the boot from day one." Nathan said before taking another drag on his cigarette. "By the way, it's a good thing you didn't make that bet."

Damon's eyes widened. "You nailed her?"

"Not yet but I am a lot closer than you will ever be." Nathan responded. "Trust me. I know."

"Whatever." Damon said standing up. "I'm going back to school. Maybe pick on Laura a bit for falling in love with that loser. Coming?"

"Go ahead Scooter, and watch out. I doubt you could take on both of them at the same time." Nathan replied.

Damon snorted. "Yeah right."

Nathan watched Damon walk off before he finished off his cigarette. He flicked the butt away from him before standing as well, a smirk etched across his face. After the very detailed account Stephanie had given him about Jayden and Laura, he actually felt sorry for the poor idiot that tried to get in their way. In other words, he was not going to miss the beating Damon was about to receive from the couple.

* * *

The bell rang for lunch and Laura walked out of her class with a small scowl. Between her stomach virus that had not completely cleared, deciding whether or not she wanted to go to school in England or not, and homework, she was becoming quite stressed. Plus, there was the thought of Scarlett trying to hook-up with Jayden that also plagued her mind.

"Hey Beautiful." Laura smiled as Jayden neared her and kissed her. "Going my way?"

"I don't know why. Your friends hate me." Laura stated as they began to walk to the cafeteria.

Jayden shrugged. "Point? Your friends hate me."

"Yeah right. Besides Dash, who you befriended _first_, there's Torrie and Torrie would _die_ to sleep with you, the little slut." Laura replied. "And speaking of sluts and Coynes, how was second period? She didn't try to do anything, did she?"

"The weird thing is she didn't even look my way. I felt… Unattractive." Jayden said before Laura thumped his forehead. "Hey, you can' t hit me because that's how I felt."

"Sure it was." Laura said with a smile. "Have I ever told you that you have a weird ability to make the worst days seem better?"

"No. Normally you call me obnoxious, annoying, a dick, or an ass." Jayden responded. "I normally mute you out and just stare at you, but I could use a compliment like that every once and a while."

"I take it back then." Laura said. "And now you're _half_-ass."

"Great." Jayden muttered lifelessly.

* * *

As Amber stood with James, waiting for their food, Mary-Jane and Marc sat at a table in Burger King.

"Tyler and I broke up." Mary-Jane said.

"Oh." Marc replied, clearly not really interested.

"I wanted to say thank you for the other night." Mary-Jane said. "I should've known from that that he would be a loser."

Marc shrugged. "I've kind of changed since the whole Steven thing."

"I know." Mary-Jane said. "That's why-"

"Here we go." Amber said as she and James returned with a tray of food and four drinks. "Let's eat."

"Nice timing…" Mary-Jane muttered, loud enough for Amber and only Amber to hear.

Amber looked at Mary-Jane and then at Marc before smiling.

"Sorry MJ." Amber said.

"Whatever." Mary-Jane said.

* * *

At lunch, Aaron glanced at Chandra's grinning face. Though her smile was directed towards Vanessa as the two girls were talking, he still liked to see her smile.

"Santos," Aaron looked at Ashton's smirking face. "It only proves Jordan right that you're-"

"Excuse me," Jordan said stepping up to the microphone in the cafeteria. "I have an announcement."

Shane frowned as he looked at his sister.

"What is she doing?" he asked while Jayden shrugged.

"I'm going to kill her…" Kelly muttered.

Jordan glanced at Aaron who sighed.

"Oh no…" Aaron said.

"How much do you all know about your favorite celebrity?" Jordan said as she turned her attention to the other students. "I know a lot. In fact, I know that Aaron Jordan Santos is really…" Jordan paused and glared at Aaron. "Aaron Jordan McDuelle!"

Silence. Aaron heard nothing but silence as his friends stared at him. His eyes were not focused on them, they were focused on Jayden, who shared the same confused look. He then looked at Gabrielle who gave him a worried look and a shrug.

"They're brothers." Jordan concluded.

Helen and Scarlett exchanged glances before looking at Jayden. This would make some sense, in fact, a lot of sense that the two were actually related. But brothers? That did not sit well with either cousin.

Shane, Kelly, Dakota, and Jacob all stared slack-jawed. Jayden's eyes were solely focused on Aaron before he looked at Laura. It seemed like the two were having a silent conversation as they said nothing, but their facial expressions showed that they understood the other completely.

"That's all. And have a good day." Jordan said moving away from the microphone and out of the cafeteria.

Several students moved towards Aaron's table, causing the boy to stand up and briskly walk out of the cafeteria. Chandra immediately followed, hoping to help him as he did her.

"I'll be back." Jayden said standing up.

"Is it true?" Kelly asked.

Jayden's eyes nearly cut into Kelly's blue ones.

"Yes." he said before walking away, obviously angered about the entire ordeal.

"Jayden and Aaron are brothers?" Kelly said as she looked at Shane.

"No shit. Didn't you just hear your sister say it?" Laura responded.

"I wasn't talking to you!" Kelly snapped back. "And it's not like _you_ knew!"

"I've known this since their performance at The Ridge." Laura said causing Dakota's eyes to widen. "I just haven't told anyone because it's not my business to tell you or anyone else. Besides, I've been to the guy's house. You would _think_ that I would've met A.J there once or twice."

"You called him A.J." Dakota said.

"Of course I did. Like I said, I've been in the little loop for a while. People just seem to grow on you." Laura replied.

Kelly frowned. "How do we know that you didn't put Jordan up to that?"

"Two reasons. One, I hate Mary-Jane. That means I hate your sister just for trying to _imitate_ Mary-Jane." Laura said. "Two, and this one is probably the most important, I don't betray the people close to me. Not my dad. Not Dash. And definitely not Jayden."

The answer seemed to be undisputable and Kelly sat back in her seat. Shane, on the other hand, found it weird that Jayden would tell _Laura_ about their secret but not him.

"I don't even know why I'm still sitting here." Laura said standing up.

"Laura-"

"See you later Dash." Laura interrupted before walking away.

Dakota sighed. "What a day."

"Yeah." Shane replied.

* * *

Aaron heard them. All of them. It was like Newport all over again. Questions that he could not answer. Fake smiling faces. Yes, the only thing that was different now was that Danica had yet to come and threatened the group to get away from her brother.

"A.J!" Chandra said moving through the crowd. "Get off of my foot!" Aaron smiled a bit as Chandra shoved a random boy away before sitting beside Aaron on the bleachers. "So that's how you two know each other, huh?"

Aaron nodded. "Yeah…"

"Sucks. I guess that means you were right all along." Chandra said before smiling. "Fame and fortune won't change Aaron J. Santos, huh?"

Aaron blinked. "You're not going to ask me to hook you up with Jayden are you? Or for our number or address or-"

"I'm over Jayden. Sort of." Chandra said.

"Alright people, move aside! Get away from him!"

"Get your asses away before I start swinging!"

Aaron sighed. His brother and his brother's girlfriend could substitute for Danica. And as the group left the gym, Jayden locked the doors, leaving the four inside alone.

"Tell me A.J," Jayden said as he walked towards his brother. "What on God's green and blue Earth did you do to piss Jordan off and how does she even know?"

"I don't know. Either of them." Aaron said. "I mean, I haven't even _talked_ to Jordan since… A week or so ago?"

Jayden sighed as he sat on the bleachers, a row above Aaron and Chandra.

"Well it's out there now." Jayden said. "I'm guessing that you'll want to change schools now, huh? Maybe move to Chicago with Aunt Reggie or Dallas with Aunt Ginger?"

"You're going to leave?" Chandra piped in.

"Well…" Aaron began.

"You can't. I mean, who will I talk to when things happen?" Chandra said. "You can't leave A.J. People depend on you here."

"As right as you are Bambi," Jayden said. "It's never really stopped him before."

Aaron glanced up at Laura and Jayden before looking at Chandra. He then stared at his hands in his lap and thought.

"I say we stuff the little twerp in a locker and-"

"As much as I want to," Jayden cut Laura off. "I can't hurt my best-friend's little sister. Besides, I'm sure my parents have some sort of escape plan for this kind of event so just relax. As soon as Danni gets whiff of this, she'll promptly beat a few people and no one will talk about it again, leaving you and I to do whatever we want, whenever."

"I'm going to stay, Jay." Aaron said.

Jayden looked at Aaron. "Are you sure?"

"I can't keep running away from my problems, right?" Aaron replied, meeting his brother's gaze. "Besides, who will you have to talk to if Danni leaves town again?"

"You drive a really hard bargain A.J." Jayden said. "I guess if you did cut out the other _four_ siblings of ours, our parents, cousins, neighbors, my friends, my _girlfriend_, and Dash, you would be the only person I could talk to."

"I knew you two were related." Chandra finally said. "You two look alike and you act alike."

"You think we look alike?" Jayden asked.

"You think we _act_ alike?" Aaron questioned at the same time.

Chandra nodded. "Yeah. I mean, you both have that glare as well as that smile. And then, you're both real kind to people who need you. And then there was A.J's older brother that we never saw and his strange connection to you."

"Smart and pretty. Boy Bambi, you are the total package, huh?" Jayden remarked.

"Pedophile." Laura mumbled.

"No better than what you were saying yesterday." Jayden said to Laura. "You know, how you _love_ virgins and how much better A.J is to me."

Laura smiled. "You know that I was only kidding."

Aaron stood up from his spot.

"Where are you going?" Jayden asked.

"Out there to face them so I don't have to listen to you two." Aaron said walking towards the door.

Jayden smiled as Aaron left the gym, but then his eyes landed on Chandra.

"You like him, don't you Bambi?" Jayden asked.

Chandra jumped. "L-like him? I mean, he's just my friend! And crushes are so first grade! Ha ha!"

Jayden sighed. "Kids…" Laura nodded at the statement. "Bambi, let me be honest. A.J doesn't have friends that knows _all_ of him. Not in Toronto. Once they learn that he and I are brothers, they all look at him differently. Don't change the way you look at him."

"I won't." Chandra said.

"Good. Because if you did, then you know that I won't be happy with you." Jayden said with a smile. "Because not only do I know that you like him, I also know that he likes you."

"R-really? Even after-"

"After it all. You were his first crush." Jayden interrupted.

"I was?" Chandra asked in a high-pitched voice.

Jayden shrugged. "Go ask him and find out."

Chandra stood up and walked away at a reasonable fast pace. Laura sighed before leaning her head on Jayden's shoulder.

"Now that you've gotten that out of the way," Laura said. "How in the hell are you going to get those losers off of your brother?"

Jayden smirked. "Violence is never the answer… But it is always an option."

"Ditto." Laura said.

* * *

Going to sixth period, Jordan felt quite good. Why? Because while she had failed to fluster, anger, annoy, or depress Aaron for the past few days, just thirty seconds in the cafeteria had changed that. The boy was now moving quickly from one class to the next to avoid the other students with questions. As Mary-Jane would say; "One sweet victory."

"Hey!" Chandra called towards Jordan. Jordan just rolled her eyes and turned towards Chandra, only to be shoved a bit. "Where do you get off telling the entire school their secret?"

"Oh please." Jordan muttered.

"You know something Jordan," Chandra said angrily. "I _was_ going to beat you because I found you that annoying! But now, I'm going to do it because you just deserve it!"

"Bambi, don't." Chandra turned to meet Jayden's gaze. "It wouldn't prove anything to anyone. Well, not while you're at school."

"Listen to your boyfriend. Back-off." Jordan said to Chandra, who lunged for Jordan, only to be caught by Jayden.

"No, no," Jayden said. "Suspension is bad and then Helen will give you a harder time on the squad once you return." Chandra stopped fighting against Jayden's grip. "Besides, I know where she lives. I know where she sleeps. I know nearly every flaw that this young child has."

"What?" Jordan said.

"You made a mistake Jordan." Jayden said sternly. "You not only told A.J's secret to the school, you told _my_ secret to the school. And now I have to make sure that my brother is alright _and_ his friend doesn't do something stupid to get suspended."

"You're just-"

"You're a loser Jordan." Jayden said, causing the blonde to gape. "Get that through your head. If you weren't Shane and Kelly's little sister, I'd let Bambi, and Laura for that matter, beat the cockiness out of you and record it for future entertainment."

"Whatever Jayden. You've never even noticed me from start so I don't care what you or anyone else thinks. _I'm_ the famous one here." Jordan said.

Jayden laughed. "I've always noticed you. You hate being embarrassed, Christine." At the sound of her middle name, Jordan looked around to see if anyone else heard him. "And you're not famous. You're popular. You have a small popularity. Fame is something you couldn't handle. Ever."

"Tch. Yeah right…" Jordan said.

Jayden released Chandra. "If you want to hit her, do it now. There're no more teachers in the hall."

Chandra looked as Jayden walked away, easily catching up to Dakota and turning a corner. She then looked at the shorter girl and stepped directly into her face.

"You're a real bitch Jordan Cameron." Chandra said with spite. "A.J has done nothing to you and this is what you pull? For what? Revenge?"

"How about you deal with _your_ ex and I'll deal with mine?" Jordan said. "Oh yeah, that's right. Because he'd slap you senseless again."

Chandra's eyes narrowed. "I don't even understand what this is about, but I'm seconds away from ending it right here, right now."

"No one's here to protect you. Go for it." Jordan retorted.

Chandra and Jordan glared at one another before Chandra stepped away.

"I knew you were all bark. Most dogs are." Jordan said.

"No. I _will_ beat you if I ever catch you outside of school." Chandra replied. "But I realized that you're no one. Popularity? Uh, hello. Been there. In fact, the only thing that you could have ever possessed that I couldn't was one great guy…" Chandra paused and smiled. "And now that you've let him go for Tevin, I have a chance to get him for my own."

"I knew you wanted him!" Jordan exclaimed.

"Not jealous are you?" Chandra said in a teasing manner.

"No because Tevin is way better than Aaron is!" Jordan replied.

"Really? Are you talking about A.J Santos or A.J _McDuelle_." Chandra said. "I'm sure there are _tons_ of things A.J can do that he's never showed you to keep his cover. And his brother is the _lead singer_ of a _better_ band than Tevin's. Plus he's hot."

"You're only saying that because he's _Jayden's_ brother." Jordan said. "You don't care about him!"

"Even if that were true," Chandra said. "What are you going to do to stop me? He's never going to listen to you again, let alone look at you in the eye. I'll have him all to myself." While Chandra _did_ want Aaron, it was not for any of the reasons she had just said. But taunting Jordan was too hard to pass up. "I'll see you later. Tell Tevin I said hi. I've got a hot millionaire to go find."

"I won't let you-"

"You're taken remember?" Chandra interrupted. "Besides, it's not like _you_ care. You have everything you want!"

Jordan only gritted her teeth as she watched Chandra walk away. While she did not care who Aaron had a crush on, she did not want Chandra anywhere near Aaron. Sighing heavily, Jordan made a mental note to find Tevin immediately after school. He would know how to cheer her up.

* * *

After the final bell, Scarlett quietly closed her locker and began walking towards the parking lot. She was glad that there was nothing she had to do after school, but at the same time, Helen was free as well. The two had hardly said anything to each other all day, much to Scarlett's pleasure because she knew that Helen still had something else to say.

"Scarlett," Scarlett paused and looked at Laura. Half of her mind told her to just walk away, but the other half said to stay and listen, so she did. This time. "I want to talk to you for a second."

"Sure." Scarlett said. "What is it?"

Laura gave Scarlett a look over before staring directly into Scarlett's eyes.

"I'm going to pick up some medicine from my doctor, Dash is taking me." Laura said. "I won't be going to Jayden's house and I don't expect him to come to mine. But, if I hear that you tried to make a pass on him, I _will_ do what I promised in the bathroom. Got me?"

"I got you Laura. Anything else?" Scarlett asked.

"Yeah," Laura replied. "Don't hurt him. For some reason, when it comes to people like you and I, we tend to get our way with Dimples."

"Dimples…?" Scarlett repeated before shaking her head. "I won't hurt him or anything. I just wanted to talk. Calmly. Peacefully."

"Right. See you later." Laura said walking away.

Scarlett smiled lightly before walking towards the parking lot. She saw that Jayden and Helen were parked beside each other before remembering that she and Helen had arrived at school first, Jayden having to pick Laura up in the morning. Jayden and Helen was talking to one another, obviously too deep in their conversation to hear Scarlett approaching them.

"And that's why I think that Bardell will _never_ beat us in a game." Jayden concluded before his eyes saw Scarlett opening the passenger door to Helen's car. "Uh, I guess it's about time to split."

"Yeah." Helen said. "Race you home?"

"Racing is against the law," Jayden said. "Besides, I'd so beat you anyway. So you're on."

Scarlett smiled as she watched Jayden hurry into his car, starting it up. She got into the passenger seat and hooked her seat belt.

"Scar," Helen said. "About yesterday, I'm _partially_ sorry. You did deserve most of that, but not all at one time while having a bad day."

"It's okay Helen." Scarlett replied.

Helen shrugged. "Suit yourself." Before backing out, Helen glanced at Scarlett. "And before I forget," Helen smirked. "I told you so. You so love him."

"Whatever Helen." Scarlett said with a sigh.

* * *

Jordan sat outside the Dot, afraid that her siblings might attempt to kill her if she stepped in while Gavin and Emma were talking in the back. She smiled sweetly as she spotted Tevin coming towards her.

"Hi!" Jordan said. "Took you a while."

Tevin smiled. "Try telling DeWayne that you have to see your girlfriend after his gives him the slip for the day." Tevin sat across from Jordan. "So how was your day?"

"Nothing important happened. Well, minus the part that I told the school that A.J and Jayden are brothers, but nothing too important." Jordan said casually.

Tevin blinked. "Your ex is Jayden's brother? Talk about a small world."

"Yeah I-"

"There you are!" Jordan rolled her eyes and sighed heavily as Chandra nearly marched towards her table. "Now, let's finish what we started in school!"

"Chandra, why don't you go jump off an extremely high cliff? And if you need help, I'll give you a push." Jordan replied.

"What are you doing Chandra?" Tevin asked in a genuine confused manner.

"You mean next to stopping your slutty girlfriend form ruining another person's life?" Chandra said.

"_Puh-lease_. The least that I've done was spread some very important news around the school. We have a right to know." Jordan said standing up. "And now, _I'm_ going to go have some fun with my _boyfriend_ without him popping pills or slapping me. Something _you_ wouldn't understand."

"That-" Chandra stopped once Aaron and Shane walked out of the Dot, laughing a bit. "A.J? I thought you were going home."

"I was until Shane said that he had to tell me something. What's going on out here?" Aaron replied, looking at the scene.

"I'm leaving." Jordan said.

"No you're not." Shane said tossing an apron towards Jordan. "Mom says for your actions, you're going to work with us for the next month. So get in there and don't make me embarrass you in front of your little boyfriend."

Jordan huffed before storming past her brother and Aaron into the café.

"So," Aaron said to Chandra. "I was heading to my house. Do you want to come?"

"Your house? As in the house that you and Jayden and Manny and Max McDuelle live in?" Chandra asked excitedly, completely forgetting about her grudge with Jordan.

Aaron laughed a bit at her excitement. "Yeah. That house."

"Of course!" Chandra said. "What're we waiting for?"

"Uh, a ride." Aaron said causing Chandra to blush in embarrassment.

"Right… I knew that." Chandra replied.

Shane smiled. "Well, I guess everything is alright in the world. My best-friend's little brother has a not-really-girlfriend, my little sister is being punished, and tomorrow I'll have practice with my band." Shane inhaled deeply before exhaling with content. "Yep. All is right in the world."

Aaron nodded. "I guess you're right."

"Just remember. One call is all I need." Shane said before going back inside the Dot.

"Hey A.J," Chandra said. "I just have to ask you one little question." Aaron shrugged. "Is Jayden a boxers or briefs kind of guy?"

"Good grief." Aaron mumbled before smiling.

* * *

Scarlett sat beside Jayden on the large blanket in his backyard while he chose to lie down and stare at the passing clouds.

"You can start when you're ready." Jayden said without looking at her.

"Right…" Scarlett said. "Um, I want to say that I'm sorry. Deeply and truly sorry. Lately, I've been feeling… Well…"

"Jealous?" Jayden inputted.

"No!" Scarlett shot back before sighing. "I mean, a bit, but not a lot. Well, maybe…" Scarlett paused as she saw his lips curl into a smile. "Shut up J.T. I'm trying to be apologetic."

"Sorry. Go ahead." Jayden said.

"It's not that I hate Laura. Although I do hate her." Scarlett said. "It's just that you said that you loved her and… I don't know. I just feel like what we had or _could've_ had was stronger. And if it was easy for you to let go of me, then you're barely holding on to Laura."

"Huh… That makes sense in a way." Jayden said before sitting up. He turned his body so that he was sitting directly in front of Scarlett. "Do you remember the first time we spoke to each other?" Scarlett nodded. "Good. This won't be weird at all." Jayden paused and cleared his throat, holding his hand out. "Hi. I'm Jayden McDuelle, your neighbor. What's your name?"

"What are you doing?" Scarlett asked looking at his hand.

"Introducing myself to a person I've never met so therefore she could have _never_ done anything to annoy or anger me." Jayden responded.

Scarlett smiled, getting the picture. "Jayden? I knew a guy named Jayden once. But I called him J.T."

"Are you going to play along or what?" Jayden asked.

"Not until you forgive me." Scarlett said seriously. "Jayden, I don't know what I feel for you anymore. It's almost painful sometimes. And when you're mad at me I just… I can't do it. So before we start all over, I want to know that you forgive me. For everything."

"Only if you do the same for me." Jayden said.

"Fine." Scarlett said.

"Then I forgive you Red." Jayden said. "Now," Jayden smiled. "What's your name again?"

"You know it took you about a week to get my name out of me, right?" Scarlett responded with a smile.

"You're right… Boy you were stuck-up." Jayden said. Scarlett playfully slapped his arm. "Kidding! Sort of…"

"Do you remember when we lied in your backyard all day, eating Doritos?" Scarlett asked.

"The smell of your breath was _so_ heavenly." Jayden joked.

"As if yours was any better!" Scarlett retorted.

"I kind of miss our lazy days." Jayden said. "With the band and school and of course our little hatred, we haven't done that all year." Jayden then paused. "Maybe one day in the future when Laura and DeWayne are okay with it, we'll do it. Just you and me."

"I'd like that." Scarlett said. "I'd also like to see you attempt to fly a kite again."

"I hated that stupid thing." Jayden muttered, causing Scarlett to giggle a bit. "No better than you being chased by a bee."

"It was after me!" Scarlett protested.

"You swatted it. Twice. I'd be after you too." Jayden said.

Scarlett smiled. "Hard to believe that you befriended me first."

"Not really." Jayden said, gaining a small frown from Scarlett. "I can be _very_ persistent when I want to be and getting to know you was one of those things."

"Even if I am snobby, spoiled, obnoxious, and an inconsiderate brat?" Scarlett asked.

"I was agreeing with you up until you said 'snobby.'" Jayden answered with a smile. "Red, although you can act every word you just said, I don't really see you as any of those."

"Then how do you see me?" Scarlett questioned.

"The pretty girl next door." Jayden responded. "One of my closest friend and the only person that gets Helen off my back." Scarlett smiled at the statement. "So how about we continue going down memory lane a bit?"

"Sure." Scarlett said.

* * *

Mercedes sighed as she fixed her shirt. She hated getting check-ups because her parents made sure that _everything_ was right about her, both physically and mentally. Of course, she only did so because she got a new, younger doctor whom she had a small school-girl crush on. Unfortunately, he was married, but that did not stop her from looking.

A knock came on the door.

"I'm dressed." Mercedes said. Dr. Brody Smith came into the room and gave her a smile. "That's good, right?"

"You're fine Mercedes." Dr. Smith said. Mercedes smiled at the statement, replaying it in her mind. "I hope you have a wonderful day."

"Oh, you too Dr. Smith." Mercedes said walking towards the door. "Tell the wife I said hello."

"Sure thing." Dr. Smith replied as Mercedes left.

"Lucky bitch…" Mercedes muttered beneath her breath before she stepped towards a restroom. "Gets the hot doctor and leaves nothing for anyone else, namely me!"

The door to the restroom swung open and Laura walked past Mercedes, bumping shoulders. Mercedes whipped her head to turn to the brunette.

"Watch where you're going!" Mercedes shouted, only for Laura to give her a middle finger and continue walking. "Why do people like her have to be born? Just for once I'd like to go throughout the day without one annoying person!"

Mercedes went to walk after Laura, but the other girl had slipped into a room and closed the door behind her. So Mercedes waited. She would get Laura one way or another. But as she stood outside of the door, she put her ear against it to hear what was going on inside. Angry or not, Mercedes Van Zandt was still the Gossip Queen of Toronto.

"I'm sorry Laura, but that's what it is." she heard a female doctor say.

"But-but-but-"

"No buts Laura. If you don't start taking better care of yourself, who knows what else can happen?" Mercedes was seconds away from walking away before the doctor continued. "Do you know who the father is?"

Mercedes gasped before running off. Wait until Deanna heard this.

* * *

DeWayne sighed heavily. "This sucks…"

"Your girlfriend spending a day with her ex? I bet." Alexander said.

"I wish she'd just stay away from him." DeWayne said. "Or better yet, he stay away from her. Every five seconds he's either at their house or calling or something. It's really annoying."

Alexander shrugged. "No better with Helen."

"Maybe…" DeWayne paused before smirking. "Maybe we should play a little joke on Jayden. Something that'll get the message through but not kill him, if you get what I'm saying."

"What do you suggest?" Alexander asked.

* * *

Scarlett gave Jayden a smile as they walked into her house.

"Your parents leave just as much as mine do." Scarlett said before the two heard giggling upstairs. "Did you hear that?"

"I sure as hell didn't do the giggling." Jayden said moving to the steps.

"What are you doing?" Scarlett whispered fiercely.

"I'm going to find out who it is. Duh." Jayden whispered back. "Come on."

Scarlett rolled her eyes, but followed anyway. Sneaking up one people was more of Helen's forte while Scarlett chose to respect people's privacy, most of the time.

The two crept up the steps and made it to Helen's bedroom door without a peep. The giggling could be heard from inside the room, causing Jayden to smirk at Scarlett with evil intention. Scarlett reached above the door to retrieve the lock pick. Jayden took it and poked inside the lock until he heard a small pop. His hand gripped Helen's door before opening abruptly.

"Hi Helen!"

Tyler jumped and fell onto the floor with Helen shooting a glare at the wrongdoers at her door. While neither Tyler nor Helen was undressed, sans their shoes, they both looked extremely guilty of something.

"So this is him, huh? Mary-Jane's ex?" Jayden asked before striking a thinking pose. "But… That wouldn't make sense since they _just broke up_ and this has been going on for a while now. Unless…"

"Get out of my room Jayden." Helen said before looking at Scarlett's amused face. "Oh shut up. What were you two doing in here anyway?"

"Well, I was planning on having sex with her, but you know the whole, 'you're with Laura' thing came out of her mouth so we stopped." Jayden said. Helen scoffed as she reached for a stuffed animal to launch at her neighbor. "Hey, hey, we're leaving. Geez, you act like _you_ were having sex."

Helen's face blushed a bit before she threw a stuffed rabbit at Jayden, who ducked out of the room.

Scarlett sighed. "What did my mom say?"

"They'll be back soon." Helen said. "Like two hours soon."

"And you two…" Scarlett said before shaking her head. "Whatever. I'll just stay at J.T's house until then. Call me when you're finished _and_ have sterilized the house."

"Go." Helen said as Scarlett tossed Helen her rabbit back and closed her door.

Scarlett looked to see Jayden smiling a bit as he headed for the steps.

"Hey," she said following him. "Helen asked me a question the other day and I just wanted to know your answer."

"Shoot." Jayden replied.

"Do you remember when I was… You know, in that mood?" Jayden frowned a bit. "You know. You gave me a massage." Jayden then nodded. "Would you have gone all the way with me if I had asked."

"Only if you truly desired it. Why?" Jayden responded.

"Oh nothing!" Scarlett said quickly.

"Right… Does this have anything to do with Laura?" Jayden asked.

"Maybe…" Scarlett said.

Jayden sighed. "Red, stop comparing yourself with Laura, okay? You're perfect the way you are. Well, except your knack for changing your room around _every five seconds_ because it makes it hard for me and Helen to find your diary."

"I knew you guys read it!" Scarlett said pointing a finger at Jayden.

Jayden smiled. "There's more." The two left Scarlett's house and began heading towards Jayden's. "I know a certain someone who shops in the grown-up section with their mother's credit card." Scarlett blushed in embarrassment. "Nothing like a panty raid to find out what a girl likes."

"I hate you so much right now." Scarlett said.

Jayden opened the door to his house.

"After you Madame President." Jayden said with a mock bow and a smile.

Scarlett scoffed. "One of these days I'll get even with you."

"We'll see." Jayden said closing the door behind them.

* * *

Marc wiped the sweat from his forehead before he and James began walking out of the gym together.

"You're an animal, did you know that?" James said.

Marc grinned. "That's what your mom said."

"Really?" James said with a small laugh. "Kind of hard to imagine you _smart enough_ to know where to put it."

"Whatever." Marc said.

James paused as someone put their hands around his eyes.

"Guess who?" Amber said.

"What're you two doing here?" Marc asked as he saw Mary-Jane and Amber behind James.

"Marc, you're supposed to let him guess first." Amber said dropping her hands. "Thanks for ruining it for me."

"We're here because we can." Mary-Jane replied. "And besides, I want to talk to you."

"Can I shower first?" Marc asked.

"It's just one simple question genius." Mary-Jane said.

Marc shrugged. "Fine. What is it?"

"You wanna go out some time?" Mary-Jane asked. "Dinner? Movies? Club?"

James smiled. "This is so wrong."

"Ssh! Let them talk." Amber said.

Marc shrugged again. "Whatever. I'll call later and we can talk about it. After a shower of course."

"It's not like I'm going to smell you through the phone." Mary-Jane said.

"Still. Shower." Marc said.

"Well, I have to take the five-hundred pound of musk home." James said before giving Amber a kiss. "And I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sure thing." Amber said as the two boys walked away. "I think earlier this year, you said something about Marc being 'ew' or something like that."

"That was then this is now. Get with the program Amber." Mary-Jane replied, gaining a smile from her friend. "Besides, it's not like you had any intentions of dating him again."

"I might've…" Amber said. "But, after the whole James ordeal, I'll let you have him."

"Gee, what a friend." Mary-Jane said.

"I know I am." Amber responded as the two laughed.

* * *

Laura paced in her bedroom with the note from her doctor in her hand. She was pregnant. This had to be the worst news that she has ever heard in her life. Fortunately, or unfortunately, she knew who the father of the child was.

"How could I be so stupid?" Laura asked herself quietly as she continued pace around. "Jayden's going to be so pissed…" Laura paused and looked upwards. "You must have something against me! We always use protection!"

Realizing that shouting would do no justice, Laura moved to her bed and slumped onto it.

"I have to tell him soon…" Laura said before putting her hands on her face, crying softly. "I'm such a screw-up!"

* * *

Chandra lied in her bed with a huge smile.

"You have a good day?" Alli asked her daughter.

"You'll never believe my day!" Chandra exclaimed as she sat up. "So first, Vanessa was making this big drag about my crush on A.J and-"

"Your dad owes me five dollars…" Alli interrupted.

Chandra gaped. "You had a bet about- Oh never mind! So anyway, skipping to lunch, Jordan gets up and announces to the school that A.J and Jayden are brothers!" Alli only smiled. "So then while we were sitting in the gym, Jayden kind of picked on me about me having a crush on A.J too, but then he basically told me to date his brother! And then A.J invited me to his house!"

"So that's where you were all day." Alli said.

"His parents are awesome and… And…" Chandra paused. "It was the best day ever!"

Alli laughed. "I bet." Alli moved to Chandra's bed and brushed some of Chandra's hair back with a hand. "But, I've already known that they were brothers. They resembled each other, don't you think?" Chandra nodded. "And Chandra, your crush on A.J is pretty obvious. I'm sure that he even knows."

"Mom!" Chandra whined.

"Hey, besides him being the son of your favorite actress," Alli said. "He's kind of cute."

Chandra blushed slightly. "S-sort of. B-b-but, do you think that he likes me?"

Alli smiled. "Only one way to find out."

"Right. I'll ask as soon as I get the chance." Chandra said with confidence.


	64. Webisode: Now or Never

**Author's Note:** This is based on the Now or Never promo (hence the name), but based on the Like a Record characters (duh) with a different song. Enjoy!

* * *

**Now or Never**

Eli Goldsworthy walked to put the small campfire out before leaving to go to Montreal for college. He spotted a jean jacket on a log and lifted it up.

"Clare's…" Eli mumbled before turning around to see the girl of his affection. The two seemed to stare for eternity before he held her jacket out. "Here."

"Thanks." Clare said reaching for her coat.

Their hands brushed one another, causing the two to shiver quite a bit. Eli, realizing that this was his last chance to make amends, moved in for a final kiss. Clare stood frozen before his lips were practically centimeters away from hers. Once then, she put a hand on Eli's chest, stopping his progression.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered before turning around and running to catch Alli.

Eli stood for a moment before grabbing a bucket of water that he had retrieved from the lake.

"Yeah. Sorry." he said before throwing the water onto the fire.

* * *

Years later, the new group of children pulled into the same location at Wasaga Beach.

"Let's go!" Chandra said happily hopping out of Jayden's car, pulling Aaron behind her.

Jayden and Laura smiled at one another before following the duo.

_Do you ever feel  
Like a plastic bag  
Drifting through the wind  
Wanting to feel again?_

Mary-Jane sat beside Marc around the campfire, gazing across at Helen sitting with Tyler. She excused herself away from Marc, seconds before Tyler left Helen's side.

_Do you ever feel  
Feel so paper thin  
Like a house of cards  
One blow from caving in?_

Jordan smiled as she twirled with Tevin. Once the two stopped, she saw Chandra running with sparklers in each hand, Aaron, Dustin, and Gabrielle behind her. Jordan's smile slowly disappeared as she watched her former friends play without her.

_Do you ever feel  
Already buried deep  
Six feet under screams  
But no one seems to hear a thing_

Nicole taps Ethan on the shoulder before handing him a sparkler and running off to join Shane once more. Ethan looks up to see Nicole's smiling face and blushes a bit.

_Do you know that there's  
Still a chance for you  
Cause there's a spark you_

Kelly's sees Hakim in a red and white Bardell shirt approach her. She glances at Shane who gives her a nod before she extends her hand towards him and the two walks off to dance, Kelly smiling all the way.

_You just gotta ignite  
The light  
And let it shine_

Chandra pauses in fear as she stops directly in front of Steven. Steven gives her a cold glance before turning away.

_Just own  
The night  
Like the 4__th__ of July_

Ashton watches Vanessa shed her shirt and shorts before plunging into the waters. He smiles before following her.

_Cause baby you're a firework  
Come a show them what you're worth  
Make 'em go oh, oh, oh  
As you shoot across the sky-i-i_

Scarlett moves away from DeWayne and spots Jayden kissing Laura, his hand on her stomach as Laura smiled.

_Baby you're a firework  
Come on, let your colors burst  
Make 'em go oh, oh, oh  
You're gonna leave 'em falling down_

Mary-Jane kisses Tyler against a tree, away from the others to see them.

_You don't have to feel  
Like a waste of space  
You're original  
Cannot be replaced_

As Dakota watched her friends while sitting around the campfire, a boy sits beside her, one that she has never seen before. He smiles at her and she notices that on his blue shirt were the initials PCA.

_If you only knew  
What the future holds  
After a hurricane  
Comes a rainbow_

Aaron touches a girl's shoulder that he believes is Chandra. The girl turns around to reveal Farah Bhandari. Aaron frowns in confusion, before Farah points into the direction that her cousin went.

_Maybe your reason why  
All the doors are closed  
So you could open one  
That leads you to the perfect road_

Jacquelyn twirled around before she spun into Damon's arms. The two smiled before Damon leaned in to kiss her.

_Like a lightning bolt  
Your heart will blow  
And when it's time, you'll know_

Ethan moved a hand around Nicole's shoulder, seconds before Shane shoved him away.

_You just gotta ignite  
The light  
And let it shine_

Nicole looks at Shane angrily before storming off. Shane glares at Ethan but moves after his girlfriend seconds later.

_Just own  
The night  
Like the 4__th__ of July_

Chandra turns after a hand is on her shoulder, believing it to be Aaron. She turned to see Tevin and pushed him away, only for him to step closer to her, dismissing Aaron walking towards them. Aaron grabs Chandra's hand gently before leading her away.

_Cause baby you're a firework  
Come a show them what you're worth  
Make 'em go oh, oh, oh  
As you shoot across the sky-i-i_

DeWayne tosses an alcoholic beverage onto Laura, who glanced at Jayden. Jayden's eyes cut towards DeWayne before he punched him directly in his face.

_Baby you're a firework  
Come on, let your colors burst  
Make 'em go oh, oh, oh  
You're gonna leave 'em falling down_

Jordan was currently standing alone after Tevin walked away from her. Dustin called her attention and waved her over towards him, Gabrielle, Ashton, and Vanessa. Jordan smiled a bit before jogging towards them.

_Boom, boom, boom  
Even brighter than  
The moon, moon, moon_

Tyler returned to Helen, who was standing with Scarlett and Torrie before hugging her tightly, lifting her off of the ground and spinning.

_It's always been  
Inside of you, you, you  
And now it's time  
To let it through_

Mary-Jane sat down beside Marc, the two sharing a kiss before Amber came and pointed towards the sky.

_Cause baby you're a firework  
Come a show them what you're worth  
Make 'em go oh, oh, oh  
As you shoot across the sky-i-i_

Deanna bumped into someone as she was staring at the fireworks being ignited in the night sky. The person muttered an apology causing her eyes to widen. It was him! She knew that voice anywhere! The boy from her dreams! She turned around and froze.

_Baby you're a firework  
Come on, let your colors burst  
Make 'em go oh, oh, oh  
You're gonna leave 'em falling down_

Gabrielle smiled as she stood with Dustin and Nathan. Nathan gave Dustin a stern glance before looking at Stephanie leaning against him. He smiled and kissed her, which she responded as the fireworks continued to burst over them.

_Boom, boom, boom  
Even brighter than  
The moon, moon, moon_

As the group began to leave, Dakota told the boy, Emmanuel, goodbye before he kissed her, causing her cheeks to redden deeply. Once he pulled away, Laura tapped Dakota on the shoulder with a knowing smirk, the two soon walking towards Dakota's car.

_Boom, boom, boom  
Even brighter than  
The moon, moon, moon_

Jacob leaves with Angelina, following behind Shane, Nicole, Kelly, and Jordan. He glances at Angelina as she laces their hands.

Jayden sighed as he went to put the fire out. He was about to extinguish the flames with a bucket of water before a hand was placed on his shoulder. He turned around and saw the blue eyes of Scarlett before she kissed him. She pulled away with a smile.

"Sorry." Scarlett said before catching up with Torrie and Helen.

"Yeah," Jayden said pouring the water on the flames. "Sorry…"

* * *

**A/N:** I do not own _Fireworks_ by Katy Perry, though that should be obvious. And this would be akin to a promo for season 3. Review!


	65. S3 Episode V: You Rock My World Pt I

**Episode V: You Rock My World Pt. I**

"TGIF!" Nicole said as she walked beside Shane as they neared the school. "I'm so ready for the weekend!"

"Me too." Kelly said before smiling. "Seeing as I will have a special helper with me Saturday morning…"

Jordan scoffed. "Whatever loser."

"Did she just call me the 'B' word? I think she did. What about you Shane?" Kelly asked.

"Gee, I was too busy with Nicky that I can't really say. I hope Mom believes Jordan though." Shane replied. "Jordan is just the perfect child."

Jordan ignored them both as she saw the school in view. She walked faster to get away from her siblings and Nicole, only to run into Aaron.

"What?" Jordan asked angrily.

"Thank you." Aaron said calmly.

Jordan frowned. "What? That's stupid. Yesterday you said-"

"Jay and I can act like brothers doing school and I've actually met some interesting people." Aaron interrupted. "None of this couldn't have been possible if you hadn't have said anything. So, thank you for that Jordan."

"You're mocking me." Jordan nearly hissed.

Aaron smiled. "Partially."

"Hey A.J!" Chandra called standing at the top of the steps with Dustin and Gabrielle.

"See you around." Aaron said moving up the steps.

Jordan sighed heavily before following Aaron into the school. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

Jayden frowned as he glanced at Dakota and then back at Laura.

"You sure you're all up for Jayden and Scarlett being friends again?" Jayden asked his girlfriend.

"I said it's fine!" Laura snapped. "Seriously Jayden, sometimes you just… You just…"

"And what about your decision? Have you decided?" Jayden asked.

"…" Laura stared at him before sighing. "No. I've been kind of busy."

"Not with me, that's for sure." Jayden muttered, gaining an elbow from Laura. "Ow! I was just throwing out suggestions for the weekend!"

"It's because of that that…" Laura's words became silent as Jayden and Dakota gave her confused stares once more. Laura thought of a lie quickly before continuing in a calmer voice. "It's because of that that I haven't finished in the first place."

Jayden frowned. "You blaming me for not doing your application."

"Yes." Laura said.

"Fine. I'll just tag along and watch you read and study and write." Jayden said.

Laura smiled and gave Jayden a kiss.

"I'll need help." Laura said.

"I'm sure you do." Jayden replied before looking at Dakota. "I'll see you later Dash. We have to plan the next practice, alright?"

"Yeah." Dakota said before Jayden walked away from the two girls. "What's up with you Laura? You're acting weird?"

"Let it go Dash." Laura said. "I'm going to get some money. See you later."

Dakota watched her friend walk away with a frown. Something was clearly wrong with Laura, but Laura was not going to tell anyone. Dakota sighed as she already knew how this was going to go. Dakota would ask and Laura would eventually grow mad and storm away. Or snap one. Dakota really hoped it was the first one.

* * *

After first period, Chandra began walking towards Mr. Chamber's class. She spotted Aaron walking towards his second period class as well. Smiling, she moved towards him.

"Hey A.J." Chandra said. He gave her a tired smile. "Oh. They still harassing you?"

"I can deal with harassment. This is torture." Aaron replied. "Sometimes I wonder why Jay and Danni never moved somewhere quiet and went under another name like I did. It was so much better than this."

"You're not-"

"No. Wednesday, my dad basically told me to suck it up with one of his weird lessons." Aaron interrupted. "And then Danni and Jay thought it would be fun to rub it in on how easy they have it since they've been dealing with this for years."

"As long as you're staying," Chandra said throwing an arm around his shoulders with a smile. "Everything will be alright! Because now I have to tell you about _my_ problems!"

Aaron grinned. "How could you have a bad day so fast? You've only been to one class."

"That's one too many!" Chandra joked. "Besides, it's Friday. That means I can go home and get some well deserve sleep before going to your house and listen to some of your parents' stories again."

"Laura's probably going to stop by today so you might want to put a pause on that." Aaron said.

"Are you kidding?" Chandra said. "Your parents are super famous and super rich. Your older sister is like my hero. Jay is the lead singer of one of the best teen bands of the decade. You know Mia de Chaplin's daughters. Your neighbor is Holly J. Coyne's daughter. A.J, your life is too awesome to let go."

"Well, I enjoy just having a normal family with my normal friends and-"

"But you don't, so stop whining about it." Chandra said removing her arm from Aaron. "I've heard a lot of girls say that they want to date you."

"For the fame and fortune, no doubt." Aaron said. "They see that last name and the person in front of them becomes completely invisible. It's just how things are."

"I don't." Chandra said quietly.

Aaron looked at her. "You're my friend Bambi. You've gotten to know me before any of this."

"I'm also a girl that would like to date you." Chandra said before giving Aaron a kiss on his cheek. "Think about it and give me an answer after school, okay?" Aaron nodded before Chandra smiled. "Now, you might want to get to class."

"Right." Aaron said. "I'll see you at lunch."

"But not a word until after school." Chandra said before walking away.

Aaron sighed as he continued the walk to his class alone. He would have to talk to his brother or his brother's girlfriend about this later. While Laura was not the best person to go to for favors, she did know some good words of advice. Hopefully she was in a good mood.

* * *

Manny sighed as she sat in her husband's lap while Sean and Emma gave the couple an uncaring glance. Manny was known for this kind of affection and Maxwell was one to let it happen, so neither Cameron bothered to care anymore. Besides, they were at McDuelle household.

"I, _we_, want to apologize for Jordan's behavior again." Emma said. "I just don't know what's gotten into her lately."

"Water under the bridge." Maxwell said. "Besides, I think A.J needed the wake-up call."

"Still, it doesn't change the fact that Jordan should not have said that to the entire school." Sean said.

Maxwell shrugged. "He'll live."

"Max and I have spoken to A.J." Manny told her friends. "He'll be fine. I think Jay's girlfriend kind of beat it into him to stop being such a crybaby." Emma saw Manny's eyes narrow. "I still don't like that girl."

"Why?" Emma asked with an amused grin.

"I don't know. Something about her doesn't sit right with me." Manny answered.

"_Everything_ about her doesn't sit right with you." Maxwell responded. "Her clothes, her attitude, her voice. You have a hard time liking her for whatever the reason is."

"Well if _someone_ cared more about who their son was dating rather than letting it go, then he would too!" Manny retorted, sticking her tongue out at the end.

"Amazing on how your arguments end." Emma said. "It's only amazing because you're supposed to be the adults."

"Yeah, yeah," Maxwell said. "Tell that to this never-aging teenager in my lap."

Manny only smiled. "You're so mean to me."

"Anyway," Emma said changing the subject. "I still wish there was something we could do to make up for this."

"Anything." Sean added.

Maxwell sighed. "Well, I'm going to be busy Sunday in the office. You can drop her off and that'll make up for it, right Dimples?"

Manny blanched. "You're going to have her work for you for a day? Do you know how Jay comes back when he 'helps' you?"

"Yeah but-"

"And Danni and Shane and Kelly and A.J and Bella." Manny interrupted.

"Look," Maxwell said, getting the picture of how taxing it must be working for himself. "They're looking for some kind of punishment and unless you can think of one better, this is it. Besides, Jay worked at the Dot when they skipped school, so this works out nicely."

"Okay…" Manny said.

"So how's Kelly handling her two mothers crisis?" Maxwell asked Emma.

Emma shrugged. "Okay I guess. She's always running back-and-forth between the Dot and the Core that it's hard to keep up with her anymore. She's busier than _I_ am."

"Welcome to our life." Manny said. "Danni did the same thing." Manny frowned in thought. "Come to think of it, she _still_ does it. But you'll get over it soon. You'll miss her and she'll miss you and it'll be that much easier to put up with her."

"Uh-huh? You two are evil parents." Emma said with a smile.

"Takes one to know one." Manny replied, the two women giggling.

"The women we love…" Maxwell muttered.

"Tell me about it." Sean said before both men were thoroughly hit in their arms.

"Jerks!" Emma and Manny said in unison.

* * *

Dakota walked into the principal's office, a bit confused as to why she was called there. She saw Darcy speaking to the resource officer and decided to let them finish before announcing her arrival.

"Dakota," Darcy said as she looked at the girl. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

Dakota frowned. "No. Why?"

"We found this in your locker." Darcy said revealing a bottle of Vodka. "Are you sure you don't want to tell us anything?"

"That's not mine." Dakota said. "I don't know who's it is but it's not mine."

Darcy sighed. "Are you sure Dakota? I've talked to your parents and Mr. Goodwin about your… Problem." Dakota shifted on her feet a bit. "So I'm going to ask one more time. Is this yours?"

"No." Dakota answered. "Honestly. I don't know how it got into my locker, but it's not mine."

"Dakota, I want you to know that I believe you," Darcy responded. "But the terms of your release from rehab were-"

"But it's not mine!" Dakota interrupted.

"I know. I know. Please, I'll see what I can do, but in the meantime, I have to assume it's yours unless you tell me everyone who has your locker combination and we test them for alcohol levels instead." Darcy responded.

Dakota paused before speaking again. She knew that the chances of Laura having alcohol in her system were pretty high and did not want her friend to get arrested for bringing Vodka on campus and Laura was the only other person who knew Dakota's combination.

"It's not hers," Dakota said. "But it's not mine."

"Well to be safe, you know what I must do." Darcy said. "Dakota, please don't take this personal. I'm trying to help you by-"

"I'm being framed!" Dakota exclaimed.

"You're not being prosecuted or arrested. You're-"

"Just going back to that place!" Dakota said angrily. "Do you know hard it was for me to make friends in school? People in that place hate me and they make me feel like I'm a mess up! Well I'm not a mess up, no matter what my parents did when they were younger!"

Darcy smiled. "I know that, believe me. I'm trying to help you."

"Bye sending me into hell? Thanks." Dakota retorted.

Darcy sighed. "I'm trying to get you as far away from this as possible. When we do find who is responsible, you won't be a possible suspect. Not anymore." Dakota huffed in anger. "Dakota, when I was your age, I attempted suicide, right here in this very school. I know what hell feels like. I will personally sign you out with your parents after this is over."

Dakota sat down in a chair, tears already running down her face. She hated the feeling of being in the rehabilitation center. It made her feel useless and a failure. The other patients there compared her to the other teenage celebrities that were out of hand. They made her feel worse than she originally did. Even with the visits of her friends and family, just sleeping alone in that place could drive her crazy.

"Dakota…" Darcy began.

"This isn't fair." Dakota said quietly. "Why does this happen to me?"

"I don't know. But I promise you, I will find out, okay?" Darcy asked.

Dakota looked at Darcy and nodded, though she secretly doubted the principal's words.

* * *

Heading to lunch, Laura continued to play every scenario she possible in her head. And for some odd reason, all of them ended with Jayden getting angry and the two of them breaking up. Unfortunately, or fortunately, she _did_ want the child. Whether Jayden left her or not, she would never make the same mistake her mother did. But she also wanted Jayden and she felt that there was no possible way to keep them both.

"Hey Laura," Laura looked at Aaron. "Can I talk to you?" Laura nodded. The two had grown a small, but stable, bond over the weeks. "Um… I know this girl that likes me… And I like her… But I'm afraid that it'll-"

"Bambi?" Laura cut off. Aaron sighed, but nodded anyway. "I can't answer for that. That's Jayden's forte."

"What's my forte?" Aaron's older brother said coming towards them.

"You know, the lovey-dovey mushy stuff." Laura said. Jayden gave her a frown in response. "Your brother wants to know if he should date Bambi or not."

"Yes and no." Jayden answered.

"What?" Aaron asked.

"Yes because you really like her and she really likes you." Jayden said. "No because that would be the _second_ girl you took away from my fan club and I can't do the same to you."

"So, that's a yes?" Aaron said.

"Yeah. Now get out of here before someone realizes that we're actually siblings." Jayden said. Aaron smiled at the joke but walked away nonetheless. "So what's on your mind?"

Laura shrugged. "London."

"Really?" Jayden said putting an arm around her shoulders. "Well, earlier today, Helen made a not-so-funny joke about what if Scarlett had my first born child. Of course, neither of us were laughing."

"Right…" Laura said as the two walked towards the cafeteria. "And how did you feel about that?"

"About Scarlett having my kid?" Jayden asked.

"Kids period." Laura stated.

Jayden shrugged. "I don't know. I'd like some, with a girl I love. In the future of course." Laura stiffened as she felt him pull her closer to her. "Maybe with you? Who knows?"

Laura snorted. "Picture me as a mother."

"You'd be like your mom." Jayden said only for Laura to break away from him angrily. "What?"

"You think that fucking low of me? That I'd abandon my kids to live my life?" Laura said angrily.

Jayden was a bit shocked at the burst of anger and was unable to form a proper response.

"I…" he began in vain.

"Don't bother Jayden." Laura said. "Go have lunch with your friends. I'll see you later."

Jayden could only watch his girlfriend storm down the hallways angrily. He honestly and sincerely did not mean that in a bad way. In fact, Bianca was actually a good mother when she attempted to be.

"What have you done Jayden?" Jayden asked himself before going to the cafeteria alone.

* * *

Aaron attempted not to glance at Chandra, but that was easier said than done. Since this morning, his mind had been on their conversation and almost nothing else.

"And they're throwing _another_ party." Dustin said to the others. "I'm telling you, the Fitzgerald twins have it made."

"I doubt it." Ashton said. "What do you think Santos?"

"Huh?" Aaron asked as he snapped out of his own thoughts.

"Nothing. Just thought I'd break you out of your wet dream." Ashton said. Vanessa sighed. "Sorry. I meant your daydream of a girl."

"Whatever." Aaron muttered.

"So…" Vanessa began looking at Aaron. "Since you're Jayden's brother and all and they have a few shows coming up, do you think you could give us all tickets there?"

Aaron shook his head. "No. I didn't even go to their first two, remember?"

"That sucks." Vanessa said.

"But you could always come by and hear them play." Aaron suggested.

"Really? That's awesome A.J!" Vanessa said happily.

"Hey, Santos, get your own girl." Ashton said with a small smirk.

"Deal." Aaron replied.

While it was no secret that Ashton and Aaron still had their differences, they both understood each other better now. They had both lived in their older siblings' shadows while being completely overlooked by most people. Ashton even joked about going by Kerwin since it would be much easier living out of his parents' and Steven's shadow. Still, Ashton refused to call Aaron anything but Santos.

"So, what are you guys doing after school?" Dustin asked.

"I'm going back to speak to Mrs. McDuelle." Chandra said, glancing at Aaron. "That is if someone remembered."

"I remember…" Aaron said.

Vanessa and Ashton exchanged glances before Vanessa smirked.

"What are you two doing?" Vanessa asked.

"I just said-"

"You're going to see his _mom_?" Ashton interrupted. "Yeah right. You're going to his house to hook up, aren't you?"

"Right. With his parents _and_ siblings_ and_ Scarlett and/or Helen might show up _and_ Laura." Chandra retorted. "They'd all know what we were doing then."

"So," Vanessa said. "You're saying that you _do_ want to hook up with A.J, just not at his house because people will hear you? Just what would you two be doing anyway?"

"Oh shut up Vanessa." Chandra said, looking elsewhere with a small blush.

Vanessa smiled in triumph as she had defeated Chandra in yet another debate about Chandra's obvious crush on Aaron. Of course, she gave Ashton a small kiss on the cheek for playing along.

"Honestly," Aaron said. "She is going to hear my mom tell her another story about whatever. And you two know that I wouldn't lie to you about that."

"Hmm… You might have a small point." Vanessa said. "Still, it was nice to poke fun at you."

Aaron shrugged. "I bet."

* * *

Laura sat outside on a bench, her mind already crossing out the bitter coldness as a problem. No. The only problem she had now was her, Jayden, and her unborn child. _Their_ unborn child she should say. Closing her eyes, she let out a small sigh of desperation. While she was not one to pray often, she did pray for something- anything- that would help her in this situation.

"Laura?" Laura looked up to see Nicole.

"What are you doing out here? Aren't you supposed to be in there with your friends and boyfriend?" Laura asked.

"I was but I forgot something in my last class and wanted to take the long way back." Nicole answered. "What are you doing out here? And are you okay?"

"I'm… I'm fine." Laura said.

"You sound sad to me." Nicole stated knowingly before sitting beside Laura, much to Laura's chagrin. "So tell me what's wrong. It'll be our little secret."

Laura berated herself for even showing emotion in the first place, but began speaking anyway. Nicole would never piece this together.

"My mom's pregnant." Laura said. Nicole's eyes lit with excitement before Laura continued speaking. "I don't want Jayden or anyone else to know, so don't tell, got it?" Nicole nodded. "Anyway, she's pregnant and she wants _me_ to help her raise the little br… Kid."

Nicole frowned. "Why?"

"Like hell if I know!" Laura retorted. "She just does, alright?"

"And you're wondering if you'll do alright?" Laura nodded. "I think you will. Besides, Jay'll be there with you no matter what." Nicole stood up. "Still don't see what the big deal is. You'd probably make a better mom than yours anyway."

"Right…" Laura said. "Remember, don't tell Jay. I want to tell him myself."

"Suit yourself. See ya later!" Nicole said as she walked away.

Laura sighed, content that _someone_ believed that she would be a good mother, even if that someone was Nicole. Now her only problem was breaking the news to her boyfriend… And her father… And her mother… And Jayden's parents…

Yeah. Her day just got that much worse.

* * *

After lunch, Jayden walked with Shane and Nicole since Laura was apparently still mad at him. He would not know considering that he did not find her during lunch like he wanted. Still, Jayden knew that she would eventually forgive him.

Or so he hoped.

"Yeah Jay," Nicole added onto Shane's statement. "You and Laura should come with us."

"I hate the Fitzgerald twins…" Jayden muttered.

"Hate them or not, it'll be fun!" Nicole said happily.

Jayden glanced at Shane who shrugged.

"Her liveliness cancels out my normal blunt demeanor. Just go with it." Shane said, causing Jayden to smile a bit.

"So I see." Jayden said.

"Dimples," Jayden paused to look at Laura. "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure." Jayden said waving Shane and Nicole away. "What is it?"

Laura gave Jayden a kiss. "I'm sorry."

"Well if this is how you say you're sorry over a small thing," Jayden said. "I'm going to love our serious break-up and make-up sessions."

Laura gave him a smile. "Who said we had to go through the break-ups first?" Jayden laughed a bit as she gave him a hug that, again, confused him. "Just don't _ever_ compare my future mothering skills to my mom's ever again, alright?"

"Sure, but I don't think you have a bad mom." Jayden responded.

"Just don't." Laura said before placing another kiss on his lips. "Now, let's get you to class."

"Right…" Jayden said.

* * *

After the final bell, Scarlett glanced at Helen, who was busy smiling to herself as she put her books into her locker.

"Someone's in a good mood." Scarlett said with a smile.

Helen looked at Scarlett. "You don't sound so angry yourself."

"I had a good day. You?" Scarlett asked.

"Nothing serious." Helen answered as she closed her locker and locked it. "Just glad that today is Friday and tomorrow is Saturday. No school and a well-deserve rest."

Scarlett smirked. "Or are you spending some time with Tyler?"

"Nope. This weekend, I'm all yours." Helen said before smiling. "Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Definitely." Scarlett said putting an arm around Helen's shoulders.

"Scar, as much as I love you, but we're touching." Helen said removing Scarlett's arm. "Please… Never again."

"So you're the new girl." Mary-Jane said stepping in front of Helen.

Helen frowned. "What are you talking about bimbo? We've known each other since middle school."

"Tyler." Mary-Jane said. "He tends to put every girl that he's had on his wall." Helen's frown deepened. "Didn't he tell you? He always does things like this. This is how James found out about us."

"Well, don't confuse me or us with you and what you two used to be." Helen said. "We're strictly friends with benefits."

"Slut is a more like it." Mary-Jane said. "But, hey, he's your problem now."

"Get out of my face before I do something I don't want to." Helen replied.

The two glared at one another before Scarlett began pulling Helen away.

"Let's go." Scarlett said. "Weekend remember? We can even go shopping."

"Yeah…" Helen replied as she glared at Mary-Jane being pulled away by Scarlett. "I hate her with every breath that I draw."

"I know." Scarlett said.

Helen sighed. "I just-"

"You're not a hooker or a slut, Helen." Scarlett interrupted. "So you and Tyler did _that_. No one thinks that about J.T and he's slept with Laura on multiple occasions." Helen frowned at her cousin. "He told me Monday when we were talking. And don't worry, I've already shouted in my pillow and I've gotten over it. Mostly."

"Not to sound like a friend of mine," Helen said. "But they make a cute couple." Scarlett snorted in laughter. "I'm serious. Laura keeps him in line and plus out of our hair."

"I guess you're right." Scarlett said before she felt he phone vibrating. She took it out of her pocket and glanced at the screen. "DeWayne…"

Helen took Scarlett's phone and hit ignore before smiling.

"Let's go be us." Helen said.

"Ditto." Scarlett replied.

* * *

Jayden and Laura made quick work of getting up the steps before they walked into Dakota's room. The redhead was lying on her bed, her back towards the door.

"They're so cute when they're sleeping." Jayden to Laura, who just sighed and slapped his arm. "Hey Dash, where were you at lunch and afterwards?"

Dakota turned to Jayden and sat up, revealing her tear-stained face.

"Someone set me up Jay." Dakota said.

"Set you up?" Laura replied. "Do you need us to-"

"I don't even know who it is!" Dakota interrupted. Jayden and Laura glanced at one another before looking back at Dakota. "Whoever it is knows my locker combination."

Jayden shrugged. "Takes me out of the equation."

"What did they do?" Laura asked.

"They stashed some alcohol into my locker and now I'm under this big surveillance." Dakota said crossing her arms.

Jayden cast a small glance towards Laura who looked at him with disbelief.

"You think that _I_ would hide my stuff in Dash's locker?" Laura nearly screeched. "I don't even _have_ anything to drink and I normally drink it before first period is done with!" Jayden gave a nod and turned to Dakota. "I can't believe that you would even consider that it would be me!"

"I'm sorry." Jayden said.

"Like hell you are! I can't believe that you-"

"Laura, I'm sorry." Jayden interrupted. "It's just that you drink and you are the only other person to know Dash's lock combination. I mean, even if it was yours, I wouldn't have blamed you."

"I can't drink because I…" Laura paused, trying to think of a quick lie under the curious stares of her best friend and boyfriend. "Because I'm trying to quit. For the school and all."

"Oh… I'm glad." Jayden said.

Dakota just stared at Laura for another moment. Something wasn't quite adding up. This was the second time today that Laura's words sounded unbelievable. Something was going on and Dakota was only mad that she could not figure out what it was. She wanted her two best friends to be happy with one another without any secrets between them.

"So," Jayden said to Dakota. "Let's go down a list of everyone we know. I promise you that by the end of this, we'll know who it was."

"Damn straight." Laura added.

Dakota smiled. "Thanks guys."

* * *

Chandra smiled as Manny left the backyard, heading back into the house, leaving Aaron and Chandra alone.

"So, about earlier," Chandra began. Aaron attempted to avoid her gaze, but for some reason, he ended up meeting her brown eyes with his own. "I want you to know, that I really don't know when I started looking at you like this but…" Chandra paused and thought. "I think it started the day you took me to Black Mist's show."

"Oh." Aaron replied.

"Yeah… It's been a while." Chandra said. "And when I heard that you were Jayden's brother… I guess I just so angry at Jordan that he never really sunk in until we came here."

"And then?" Aaron asked.

"Seeing you at home makes me happy, because you're happiest here." Chandra said with a smile. "You're always helping me and now I know the one thing to make you smile. Being able to drop your act and relax makes you happy."

"I-"

"I know that you hate when people compare you to Jay, but there's really not much different." Chandra continued. Aaron frowned. "He has to put up an act so that his- your- parents look good. Everything he does we like to record just incase he does something outrageous. You had to put up an act so that no one could piece you two together."

"It wasn't an act really." Aaron said.

Chandra shrugged. "Mostly. But I know that you and Jay are closer than you lead on in school."

"True…" Aaron said. "Listen, Bambi, it's not that I don't believe you or anything. It's just the timing."

"I don't care what they see you as." Chandra announced. "You'll always be A.J Santos to me."

Aaron sat quietly thinking about what Jayden told him about Laura. She made him feel natural, calm. He did not have to pretend to be anything for Laura to like him. Aaron looked at Chandra and wonder if she actually saw him in the same light. He then wondered if he felt the same for her.

"I get it." Chandra said. "A simply 'no' would have suffice."

Aaron blinked. "N-no! No, that's not what I was thinking!"

"A.J, you don't have to lie to me." Chandra replied. "I understand if my reputation isn't the best or if I don't look the part. I just…"

"You just…?" Aaron replied.

"I like you, okay? A lot." Chandra said. "I didn't really have friends that listens to my every problem. In fact, you're still the only one because Vanessa sometimes tunes me out." Chandra sighed. "You just make me smile. And I promised Jayden that I wouldn't look at you different."

"Do you?" Aaron asked.

Chandra shook her head. "No."

Aaron gave Chandra a confused stare before smiling.

"I like you too Bambi." Aaron said, gaining a smile from Chandra. "And you don't look bad at all Chandra. Besides, if you think that we McDuelles care about reputation, you obviously forgot who my brother is dating."

Chandra giggled. "That's mean A.J."

"Right. Sorry." Aaron said with a smile. "But, I would like it if we dated."

"Only if you promise me that you won't look at me any differently." Chandra said. "People with my reputation tend to get hazed quite a bit."

"Deal." Aaron said before the two shared a kiss which was interrupted by Manny clearing her throat.

"Aw! Puppy love!" Danica said before stepping out and putting Aaron in a headlock. "They grow up so fast!"

"Danica, release your brother." Manny said and Danica immediately let him go. Their mother had just gone from "friendly" Manny to "mother" Manuella. "And to think I just got on Jayden about doing the exact same thing where the twins can see him."

"Sorry." Aaron and Chandra said while blushing quite a bit.

* * *

Marc answered his door to see Deanna standing on his porch, again. He frowned at her, already annoyed by her presence.

"What?" he asked.

Deanna scoffed. "Rude much? Anyway, I've come to extend an olive branch. Sort of." Marc's frown deepened. "I want you to come to my party Saturday."

"Didn't you guys just have a party?" Marc asked.

"No. _DeWayne_ had a party. This is mine." Deanna said. "So, be there?"

"Sure… Can you leave now? My brothers are thinking the _wrong_ thing about you and me, little girl." Marc said. Deanna frowned as he continued to call her that. "So go."

"Ugh! Why do I even bother!" Deanna said dramatically as she turned and walked away.

Marc sighed before closing the door. He would have to talk to his parents about moving somewhere else so that Deanna would not have their address. This was starting to become irritating.

* * *

Laura smiled as Jayden slid into her bed behind her, her back curling up against his chest.

"Dash has some terrible luck, I tell you." Jayden said.

"That is my best friend, asshole." Laura replied. "And _your_ sister."

"Your point? This kind of thing never happens to you or me or anyone else for that matter." Jayden said. "Someone is really out to get her."

"I say we just go down a list on people we hate." Laura replied. "Bash a few heads whether they're guilty or not. Eventually we'll find the person who did it."

"What a lovely plan." Jayden said sarcastically, an elbow hitting him seconds later. "You have some hard elbows."

"Stop being such a crybaby." Laura said before Jayden's cell phone began ringing. "That better be a family member because I sure ain't calling."

Jayden smiled before reaching into his pocket and grabbing his phone.

"Talk to me Red." Jayden answered.

"Hey," Scarlett said. "I just got off the phone with DeWayne."

"And you're telling me this because…?" Jayden asked.

"If you'd let me finish, you'd know." Scarlett said. "He wanted your band to play at his party tomorrow. I said that I'd call and ask if you could." Jayden sighed. "Oh come on J.T it's not like I'm asking you to be the best man at our wedding."

"So you've already decided that you're marrying him?" Jayden said in an amuse tone.

"You know that's probably never going to happen." Scarlett replied. "So will you do it?"

"I'll think about it. I'll tell you after Laura's dad comes in and kicks me out. He normally does when we're just lying in bed." Jayden said.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Scarlett muttered. "Call me later."

"Sure. Bye." Jayden said.

"Bye." Scarlett said hanging up.

Laura rolled to looked Jayden squarely in the eye. While she was pretty confident that Jayden would never cheat on her, she hated it when _anyone_ outside of family interrupted their time, especially one Scarlett J. Chessex.

"DeWayne wants the band to play at his party tomorrow." Jayden said.

"And the reason she called you and not her _other_ ex is?" Laura questioned.

"Because my name comes up first in her phone." Jayden said. Laura's eyes narrowed, though she was smiling quite a bit. "If you're going to threat me, at least have the audacity not to smile with it. It makes me think other things about you."

"Like what?" Laura replied.

"Oh I don't know," Jayden said. "Things that start with this one finger." Laura stared at Jayden's index finger, already knowing what he had planned. "And what this one little finger could do to the school's local bad girl."

"Yeah right. It takes more than one finger to-" Laura's response was cut off by Jayden poking her in her side, tickling her quite a bit. "Quit that!"

"And if one finger can do that," Jayden continued as he poked her some more. "I wonder what the _other_ fingers can do?"

"Jayden! Stop it!" Laura laughed as he continued to tickle her senseless. "You're so annoying!"

"Calling me annoying is not going to make me stop Laura." Jayden said as he continued his assault.

In her fit of laughter, Laura brought her hands up and grip the back of Jayden's head, pulling his face to hers for a passionate kiss. She learned that if she kept this up, he would not continue to tickle her, one of her known weakness. And while she was smiling and twitching into each kiss she gave him, his tickling began to lessen.

"You cheated." Jayden said after the two separated.

"No. I won. Big difference." Laura replied. Jayden smiled at her before checking the time on his phone. "Leaving?"

"Yeah… But, tomorrow we'll have all day together, right?" Laura nodded. "Good. And you can tell me what's really been bugging you all day."

Laura frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't kid yourself Laura. I know you better than that." Jayden said before kissing her forehead and moving out of her bed. "And if I have to get you drunk at the Fitzgerald's party for you to tell me, don't think that the thought won't cross my mind. It will."

"And just how in the hell do you _assume_ that something's wrong with me? I could be perfectly fine you know?" Laura retorted.

"Because I know when there's something wrong with my better half." Jayden said. Laura smiled at the statement, feeling quite good about being called his better half. "I won't push or nag, but please just tell me."

Laura sighed. "Fine. When I went to get my medicine Monday, I-"

"Laura," Mr. Reynolds said opening her door. "Your mom is on the phone."

"Right." Laura said before her dad left. "Great…"

"Don't worry about it. Tell me tomorrow." Jayden said as Laura moved out of her bed. The two shared another kiss before Jayden smiled. "See you tomorrow Beautiful."

"Yeah." Laura said before Jayden walked out of her room.

Laura sighed before making up her mind. She would tell Jayden tomorrow whenever the two would be alone. He would not leave her, she figured, and if he got mad he would get over it. She prayed to God that if anything should go wrong that Jayden would not completely turn his back on her. The last thing she needed was for her son or daughter to not know who his or her dad is.

* * *

Damon raised his eyebrows. "Look who finally decided to show."

"I only came by to get a few things." Nathan said as he walked towards the area Damon, Torrie, and Ethan sat.

"Right." Damon said.

"You got a cigarette on you?" Ethan asked. Nathan reached into his pocket and threw a pack towards Ethan. The boy frowned. "You're giving me a new pack?"

"You want it?" Nathan retorted. Ethan shrugged, grabbing one cigarette and placing it between his lips. "Seriously, what do you guys do all day?"

"Next to what we normally do? Nothing." Damon said.

Torrie smirked. "Don't tell me that you've forgotten about me Nate. You must be with a new girl." Nathan only turned around, ready to do his sells and leave. "She's that virgin Scooter's been talking about, isn't she?"

Nathan paused and looked at Torrie.

"Listen bitch," Torrie frowned at his choice of words and tone. "Don't go finding her so you can do to her what you did with Nicky. In fact, _all of you_ better leave Stephanie alone or _I'll_ handle you personally. Got it?"

"Whatever. Just bang her already." Damon said.

"Sure Mr. Ballerina." Nathan said walking away.

Torrie snickered. "_Ballerina_? What is he talking about Scooter?"

"I have no idea." Damon replied.

* * *

Like every other night, the Mason/Cameron family ate dinner together at the Mason residence. Currently, Shane sat on Nicole's bed while Nicole lied her head in his lap. Kelly also lied in Nicole's bed behind her brother and Jordan, who was forced to talk to her older siblings by her parents, stood near the door.

"So you guys are going to the Fitzgerald party?" Kelly asked.

"Yep." Nicole said.

"Not like I want to go." Shane said. "But Scarlett has us playing at the party."

Kelly frowned. "Does Dash know? She wasn't there at lunch so…"

Shane shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't spoken to her. But Scarlett said she called Jayden so I'm sure he's told her. He tells her _everything_."

"Jealous." Kelly said with a smile.

"Anyway," Shane replied. "We're going to go to their stupid party for no real reason. DeWayne's loser band could play there for all I care."

"They're not losers." Jordan said. "Well, at least not Tevin."

"The guy with dreads? He's a loser too." Shane said. Jordan only glared at her brother. "Trust me Jordan. That little stunt you pull at school does not work at _my_ house."

Jordan scoffed. "Whatever Shane. I'm only here because Mom says that I have to 'bond' with you two."

"Believe me when I say that I'm twice as annoyed of the idea as you are." Kelly said.

"Shane, be nice," Nicole said looking up at him. "She's just going through a phase."

"Right. And soon she'll be having several boys sneaking in and out and before you know it, she's pregnant." Shane said.

"I'm not pregnant." Nicole stated.

"Now…" Jordan muttered.

"Besides," Nicole said, completely ignoring Jordan. "She's still a virgin."

"Well if she keeps trying to be Mary-Jane, that won't last long." Shane responded. "She'll end up being another-"

"That's enough." Kelly interrupted. "I doubt Jordan, even after this strange change in her, believes that she's ready for that yet."

Shane looked at Jordan before shrugging.

"You're probably right. That little dork of ours is in there somewhere." Shane said.

Jordan rolled her eyes before Emma opened the door.

"Let's go Jordan." Emma said. Jordan immediately walked past her mother out of the room. Kelly got out of Nicole's bed to hug Emma, causing the woman to laugh. "Bye Kelly."

"Bye Mom." Kelly said.

"Shane, Nicky," the two looked at Emma. "Don't stay up _too_ late, okay? I know it's a Friday, but you two are sluggish getting out of bed. Well, you are Shane."

"Gee. Thanks Mom." Shane said as Nicole giggled.

Emma smiled before leaving Nicole's room.

Meanwhile, Jordan sat in her father's car with her two younger siblings, thinking about what her siblings and Nicole were talking about. Sure, sex was a frightening subject to think about, but she had to prove to them that she was older, more mature, and better than she once was. Plus, she had to stop them from calling her "their little dork" in public.

Jordan sighed remembering the day she had walked in on Scarlett and Mary-Jane in the bathroom talking. Aaron was the real chicken. He was not ready. Tevin? Tevin probably was. She was sure of it.

Smiling, she sent him a text.

"Jordan," Emma said getting into the car. "Remember that you have to be at the Dot early in the morning."

"I will Mom." Jordan answered, not really paying attention.

"Good. I wouldn't want you to be in any more trouble." Emma said.

Jordan only smiled. If she didn't get caught, she wouldn't be in any more trouble. But she had already put her plan in motion.


	66. S3 Episode VI: You Rock My World Pt II

**Episode VI: You Rock My World Pt. II**

Aaron woke up to the evil smirks of his older siblings. He had half the mind to just go ahead and shout for either parent, but the looks that Jayden and Danica gave him told him that they had already thought ahead.

"Sssoooo…" Jayden began as he looked down at Aaron. "Word from a bird says that _you're_ dating Bambi."

Aaron looked at Danica and then back at Jayden.

"Which means that _I_ won a certain bet. There is nothing wrong with dating your best friend." Jayden said. "And if _I_ won the bet, then a certain _someone_ lost it."

"Really Jay? Who could it be?" Danica asked, feigning shock.

"Hmm… Who could it be…?" Jayden asked, tapping his chin in a thoughtful manner.

Aaron silently gulped. After his break-up with Jordan, Aaron had argued wholeheartedly that dating friends was bad. It was best to stay friends in order to save at least a good friendship, while Jayden debated that being friends with the person only made them more datable.

"You know A.J," Danica said. "When Jay said that you would allow us to embarrass you the next time you dated one of your friends, I didn't believe him. But after a small payment, I'm down for whatever."

Aaron sighed. "So what are you two going to do? Please make it quick and painless."

"Already have." Jayden said walking towards his door, Danica following with a giggle.

"What?" Aaron asked.

"Bambi's downstairs, looking at your baby pictures." Danica answered as the two older McDuelle children left.

Aaron groaned as he lied back on his bed.

"Good grief." Aaron said.

Downstairs, Chandra looked the large photo album, Manny watching the girl with interest. While she hated playing favorites with her children, she was so glad that Aaron found someone like Chandra instead of one liked Laura. She preferred Scarlett over Laura, but her husband obviously did not care. Though she wished he did.

"He's coming." Danica said entering the entertainment room, Katya at her heels. "Jay let him off easy. I would've hung him by a flagpole or something."

Chandra looked at Danica as the young woman sat on the sofa beside her.

"Something wrong?" Manny asked her older daughter.

"Nope. Just doing Kitty's hair." Danica said. The younger McDuelle girl sat in-between her sister's lap without any hesitation. "Maybe I should go into business like Courtney."

"One evil hair-doing McDuelle is enough," Maxwell said walking into the room. Manny gave her husband a smile. "Oh, I love my younger sister dearly. I just can't stand her children." Now Danica smiled as her father grabbed a folder from the table. "Did you wake your brother?"

"Yep." Danica said, her fingers going through Katya's dark brown tresses. "I love her hair so much. It's like my own only on another head."

"Well, I have to go." Maxwell said before giving Manny a kiss. "See you in an hour or two."

"We'll be here." Manny said as her husband left the room. "You're so like your father Danni. Always there and never here."

"Where's 'there' at?" Danica asked.

"Not here." Manny responded as Aaron came to the entrance of the entertainment room. "Hey soon. Your girlfriend's been waiting on you."

"Right. Sorry." Aaron said.

"Mama," Jayden said, standing behind Aaron. "I'm gone. Dash in trouble. Big trouble. And Laura's… Well, Laura. I'll be back around lunch though."

"Jayden you'd better not be doing what I think you're doing." Manny said sternly.

"No. Laura and I are waiting for her school to respond and I have Dash to worry about." Jayden said. "Gee Mama, you act like you walked in on me on my sixteenth-"

Both Aaron and Jayden had to duck the brush that Danica launched for Jayden. While Aaron's head reappeared around the corner, Jayden had made a beeline for the front door.

"I hate brothers…" Danica muttered. "A.J! Hand me that stupid brush!"

Chandra giggled as Aaron hurried to do as he was told. After he handed the brush to Danica, he sat down beside Chandra, putting Chandra in-between Aaron and Danica.

"Morning Bambi." Aaron said. "What are you doing here this early?"

"Well," Chandra said. "Jayden said that he had some sort of bet to finish and he needed me to help so here I am. I didn't know it was to embarrass you. Sorry."

"No problem." Aaron said eying his older sister.

Danica smiled. "Yeah Bambi, don't worry about a thing. A.J will _never_ bet us again."

"Never." Aaron said gaining a smile from Chandra and Katya.

* * *

Jordan sighed as she walked to the counter of the Dot and leaned against it.

"What? Working too much for the almighty Jordan Cameron?" Shane asked as he continued to work the grill.

"Shut it Shane. This isn't fair." Jordan replied.

"No, it's not. But, hey, I didn't force us together. Mom did." Shane said. "So get over it."

At that moment, Emma walked into the Dot with a smile on her face. She then eyed her three working children and ex-husband before looking back at Jordan.

"I have some bad news." Jordan groaned. This was not what she wanted to hear. "Tomorrow, you'll have your last day of work."

"What? How's that bad?" Kelly asked, nearly dropping the dishes as she questioned her mother.

"Because," Emma said. "Her last day working will be a friend of mine." Emma smiled at Jordan. "Maxwell L. McDuelle."

Jordan's face noticeably fell. She had heard the rumors and seen the results, but she had never experienced the pain of working with him. From what Kelly and Shane claimed, people that worked in the executive's office of Maxwell's company hardly stayed stationary, including the boss himself. Filing papers and organizing them were a lot easier said than done.

Jordan was brought out of her own misery by her older brother's laughter.

"Good luck with that one!" Shane chuckled as Kelly walked by with a smile on her face.

"This isn't fair!" Jordan whined. "Why do _I_ have to work with Max? _They_ didn't when they skipped school! I swear you're playing favorites."

"Keep whining Jordan. It's not going to get you anywhere." Emma said before handing Gavin an envelope. "You're lucky I got these for you."

"You're a lifesaver Em, I swear." Gavin said. "Kelly, Jordan, three tables need waiting."

"On it." Kelly said moving to one of the tables with a pad.

Jordan followed with less enthusiasm before Emma frowned.

"Where's Dakota?" Emma asked.

Shane shrugged. "I don't know. Her mom called in for something." Emma looked at Gavin who gave her a nod. "What?"

"Nothing." Shane's parents said in unison.

* * *

Jayden watched as Dakota scratched her head and moved to her closet. He smiled. Despite her bizarre obsession with the colors black and pink, Dakota was still very much a girl, and being such, she _hated_ when someone saw her in her early morning disheveled appearance.

"So what happened?" Jayden asked as she reappeared from her closet with a brush.

"I have to do a therapy session for reevaluation." Dakota informed her friend. "Until then, I'm not allowed to leave my house."

"House arrest, huh? I've been there before." Jayden said.

"Jay, you've never been _arrested_. How could you've been placed on house arrest?" Dakota responded.

"Have _you_ ever been grounded by my parents?" Jayden said. "House. Arrest. And worst of all, they make you sit with them and watch what they do. Do you know how many different soap operas there are? _Thousands_."

Dakota smiled. "I didn't know you watched soaps Jay."

"So when is this evaluation?" Jayden asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"Wednesday. I'm not 'important' enough to get it as soon as possible." Dakota answered. "Though you're changing the subject."

"I was grounded and my lovely mother had the entire day to spend at home. It was the evilest form of torture I have ever experienced." Jayden said. Dakota giggled quietly. "Seriously Dash. I tried to ripped the memory out of my eye sockets."

"You're being overdramatic." Dakota said with a smile. Her smile slowly fell. "But… I need you to do me a favor."

Jayden raised an eyebrow. "A favor? What is it?"

"…" Dakota sat on her bed and looked at the brush in her hands. "You're like the master of payback and whatever… Plus you tend to know things. Hear things actually."

"Are you asking me to frame whoever set you up?" Jayden asked.

"Please." Dakota said.

Jayden sighed. "You know doing this kind of thing isn't going to be easy. Scarlett seems to have this knack on stopping me from doing like the best of best pranks on people that I can think of. Weird huh?"

"Jayden, normally I'd tell you that I'm alright and forget about revenge." Dakota said. "But this one time, I'm asking-"

"Done Dash. I'll find the poor guy or gal and teach them what happens when you mess with my family." Jayden said.

"And Jay," Jayden glanced at Dakota. "Whatever is wrong with Laura, don't react to it."

"What?" Jayden asked.

"I know that something's off with her. When I was talking to her on the phone last night, she said that she'd talk about it to you today. She sounded a little frightened." Dakota said. "And I know you. If it's something big, you might overreact. Don't do that to her. I think she really does love you."

Jayden smiled. "Laura's in good hand Dash. Nothing to worry about. Well, unless she tells me something akin to her dumping me for somebody like Nathan, then yes, worry about her very much."

"I don't think that's it." Dakota said.

Jayden shrugged. "Whatever it is, I _will_ be a bit annoyed that she didn't just say it out during the week and getting over with. She sometimes forgets that I'll help her no matter what."

"Yeah right. Let her do something outrageous and you'll be ready to fly off the handle." Dakota said.

"Well let's pray that she doesn't have anything outrageous to tell me then." Jayden responded with a small grin.

* * *

Stephanie sighed as she continued to walk down the sidewalk with Nathan at her side.

"You know, you keep this up and you will be smoking and/or drinking in no time. It's called pressure." Nathan said.

Stephanie smiled softly. "Nate, I will _never_ smoke or drink. And to answer your unasked question, I'm mad about what happened yesterday."

"Which was?" Nathan asked.

"A group of guys, Tank and his group, was talking to me yesterday." Stephanie began. She looked at Nathan's face. "Nate, don't go to the party tonight."

"Like you can tell me what to do." Nathan muttered.

"I'm serious. You're going to go and make things worse. Please, don't go." Stephanie said.

Nathan frowned. "And let them continue to harass you?"

"Nate, I'm fine. I-"

"You're letting them just bully you around." Nathan interrupted. "I know what I'm talking about because _I_ do the same thing to people at my school. Well I won't let them get away with this Stephanie. I won't fight them. But I will warn them to stop or I will hurt them."

Stephanie sighed. "There's no way for me to change your mind huh?"

"Not unless you felt like you wanted to have sex for the rest of the day." Nathan said.

Stephanie's face showed her disgust at the idea, but Nathan only laughed. Her face slowly changed into a smile after it dawned on her that he was just joking. Mostly.

"Whatever Nate." Stephanie said.

* * *

Deanna hummed as she twirled around the large empty floor. DeWayne glanced at his sister as she smiled and danced.

"Dad getting out?" he guessed.

Deanna stopped. "Nope. But tonight is going to be the _perfect_ night." DeWayne was going to ask why but Deanna continued. "Unlike _your_ party, my party will be a hit. People won't remember it for Jayden and Scarlett's big blowout."

"So why are you so happy again?" DeWayne asked.

Deanna smiled. "Because knucklehead, I am."

DeWayne frowned. His sister was, and will always be, a little on the bizarre side. She was deceitfully sweet and quietly cunning. She was not a true fist-fighter, but she knew how to beat people using other methods. And then there was the extremely girly side that he saw now.

"Are you going to stand there and stare or are you going to go get your girlfriend?" Deanna asked.

"Neither." DeWayne said. "By the way, I called for some entertainment tonight. Juvenile Grace?" Deanna gave DeWayne a small frown. "What? I thought you liked them."

"What are you planning?" Deanna asked.

"No idea what you're talking about Dee." DeWayne said walking away.

Now it was Deanna who stared in confusion. DeWayne was not as smart as she was, everyone knew that. So it was easy for her to see when her brother was planning something. While she did want to somehow, someway make Scarlett pay, tonight was not a night for revenge or sabotage.

For tonight, she would find who her lucky guy was. She has invited people around the way to see if she could find the guy of her dreams. And she would be damned if her brother and his friends ruined it for her.

* * *

It was well into the evening before Laura and Jayden even spoke to one another face-to-face. She was thoroughly surprised that he had gone all day without coming over to see her. Still, it gave her all day to come up with a liable excuse on how she got pregnant. One she hoped would not end in break-up and depression.

Unfortunately her worry about her pregnancy caused her to be undressed and unready for when Jayden did show up at her house. So here she was, in her pink laced lingerie, talking to Jayden who lied in her bed.

"I can't believe that you've spent all day lying around." Jayden said. "I thought you kicked that cold out of you?" Laura put a hand on her hip and looked at Jayden. "You know, you look _really_ sexy in that pose."

"I forgot how big of a pervert you were." Laura said as she moved to her closet, smirking at how Jayden glanced over her appreciatively. While she was used to him- and the other boys- staring at her lustfully, Jayden would normally look at her as if she was his world. Still, she had to tease him a bit. "Now what to wear?"

Jayden raised an eyebrow as his teasing girlfriend bent forward to pick up a pair of jeans from her closet. He idly thought about turning away, but he decided to give her the audience she wanted. As she stepped into the jeans and hopped into them, she looked over her shoulder to give Jayden a smile, which he responded.

"Liked the show?" she asked him.

"Depends. Is there a sequel?" Jayden responded. Laura only smiled as she walked towards him. She purposely reached over him to grab her shirt, giving him a good view of her breast. "Oh… It _does_ have a sequel."

Laura smiled as she grabbed her shirt and slipped it on, only for Jayden to pull her down onto him.

"But of course," Jayden said looking into her eyes. "I like the girl inside the body a lot more."

"You'd better." Laura said before giving him a kiss. "Now let's got to this stupid party."

"You're not going to tell me what you wanted to tell me first?" Jayden asked.

Laura sighed. "I just want to have fun first, okay?" Jayden nodded and Laura gave him a prolonged passionate kiss. "Thanks."

Jayden watched Laura move to put her shoes on with suspicion. Her playfulness had somehow died in the last few seconds. Whatever she had to tell him, Jayden realized that it would be probably harder for her to say than it would be for him to accept.

"Never thought one kiss would send you in a loop." Laura taunted.

Jayden blinked. "Oh, nothing. Let's just go to this stupid thing."

"Sure." Laura said.

* * *

Aaron and Chandra looked around the large mansion along with Ashton, Gabrielle, and Vanessa.

"I told you." Dustin said to the others. "Is it big or what?"

"I'll say…" Vanessa said before taking Ashton's hand. "Let's go dance!"

"Sure…" Ashton said as his girlfriend pulled him away.

"Well, if it isn't my baby cousin." Chandra smiled and looked at the boy, Aaron frowning at the sight. "What are you doing here Chandra?"

"Partying of course!" Chandra replied to the guy. "Hakim, this is my boyfriend A.J. A.J, this is my cousin Hakim. He goes to Bardell."

"Boyfriend? Your parents allow you to date again?" Hakim Bhandari asked.

Chandra gave a nonchalant wave. "That's old news now. Besides, A.J is nothing like Steven." Hakim looked down at Aaron. "Don't do that Hakim. You'll make him think my family is crazy."

"Right." Hakim said.

"Where's Farah?" Chandra asked.

Hakim smirked. "Perfect Farah at a party? Good one Chandra."

"Oh yeah… She has to get out more." Chandra said before looking at Aaron. "Let's go see who else is here."

"Right. Nice meeting you." Aaron said as he, Chandra, Gabrielle, and Dustin walked off.

* * *

In the backyard of the large mansion, DeWayne stood with Alexander.

"Scarlett's not here yet." Alexander said. "Why not go upstairs with Mercedes?"

DeWayne shrugged. "I'm waiting for something else." Alexander raised his eyebrows. "You know, Juvenile Grace is 'performing' tonight."

"Right." Alexander said with a smirk.

"Two lonely boys, shame," the two looked at Torrie. "Hello."

"Torrie? Where's your cousin at?" DeWayne asked.

Torrie shrugged. "Don't know. I came on my own this time." Torrie sighed. "I bet you're getting antsy." DeWayne nodded a bit. "Well drop all expectations. Scar won't give her virginity up to you tonight or any time soon. She's told me so."

"And you will?" DeWayne questioned.

Torrie snorted. "Yeah, if you can make a time machine." DeWayne and Alexander glanced at one another. "See you two later."

The two boys watched Torrie disappear into a crowd of teens in the backyard.

"I guess," Alexander said. "Since I'm single, I should follow her."

"Go ahead. I have something to do in the house." DeWayne said.

"Right." Alexander said as DeWayne walked away.

* * *

Shane sighed as he, Nicole, Jayden, and Laura walked into the large home.

"Wow…" Nicole said looking around. "This place is _huge_!"

Jayden shrugged. "Once you've seen it, you've seen it."

"Look who's here. Again." Deanna said moving to them. "Come." Jayden sighed before following Deanna further into the house, Laura at his side. "So, my brother says that you guys are going to be performing and I want to show you where you'll be performing at."

"Actually," Jayden said. "Due to the fact that one of our band members hates parties and the other one is busy now."

Deanna stopped in her tracks. "So you've showed up to _my_ party unprepared."

"Actually," Jayden said. "_I_ was going to sing for you. I hear your loser brother has a guitar and it's not really stealing if I don't leave the house with it."

Deanna seemed to consider his words before glancing at Laura. The two stared at one another for a brief moment before Deanna shrugged.

"Whatever." Deanna said. "Just don't ruin my night."

"I wouldn't dream of it." Jayden said with a fake smile. "Unless you count daydreaming about it." Deanna rolled her eyes before walking away. Jayden looked at Laura. "Now, about that secret you have to tell me."

"Actually, bathroom break." Laura said before kissing Jayden's cheek and walking away.

Jayden's eyes narrowed. He was starting to hate the secret and he did not even know it.

Yet.

* * *

Scarlett and Helen walked around to the back of the mansion, deciding that going through the house to see unimportant people was a waste of time.

"Now where is DeWayne at…?" Scarlett asked as she looked around.

"Don't know. Don't care." Helen answered.

"Hey," Alexander said walking to the duo. "It's good seeing you…"

Scarlett looked at Alexander and then at Helen. Smiling, she began walking away.

"Where are you going?" Helen growled.

"Find DeWayne. Have fun!" Scarlett said entering the house.

Scarlett moved swiftly and gracefully through the crowded area, heading for the spiral steps. As she moved, she saw Shane dancing with Nicole. She smiled, happy for her friend. Shane deserved to be happy considering all that he has been through.

Walking up the steps, Scarlett scoffed at the sight of two random people making out in the hallway. She decided not to say anything about it now because she was at a party. Navigating through the hallways, she wondered where DeWayne was. She brushed the thoughts of him being with Mercedes out of her mind as she came to his bedroom and opened his room door. There, Deanna sat on his bed while DeWayne was on his phone.

"Sure… Bye." DeWayne said before looking at Scarlett. "You're here."

Scarlett smiled. "Didn't think I was going to show?"

"You and Helen did spend a girls' day out. I figured she didn't want to be around Alex so you two stayed home." DeWayne said as Scarlett moved towards him.

"Your _other_ boyfriend is downstairs." Deanna said. Scarlett glared at Deanna. "Did you say hi?"

DeWayne glared at his sister. "Get out of here Deanna."

"I'm just saying." Deanna said standing up. "He's here for _some_ reason."

"Hey Dee!" Mercedes called coming into DeWayne's room. "Guess who got something good to drink?"

Deanna sighed. "Mercedes, you can't bring alcohol to my house. If my parents found out-"

"Too late!" Mercedes interrupted.

DeWayne glanced at Deanna before looking at Mercedes.

"We have to get rid of it. Now." DeWayne said.

"You act like we're just going to leave it sitting there." Mercedes said before looking at Scarlett. "And since when did you two make-up?"

Scarlett frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm saying-"

"Let's leave them alone Sades," Deanna said with a sweet smile. "Tonight is not about fighting. So let's go."

"Whatever." Mercedes said.

"Thanks for the guitar Wayne." Deanna said taking DeWayne's guitar out of the room. "Let's go Mercedes."

"Coming." Mercedes said sourly as she followed her shorter friend.

Scarlett gave DeWayne a curious glance.

"I have no clue. Honestly." Scarlett gave a small nod, though she highly doubted his words. "I have to call my dad back again. You know how he always wants me to talk to him and stuff."

"Yeah." Scarlett replied before giving him a small kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you downstairs."

"Yeah." DeWayne said before Scarlett left. DeWayne looked at his cell phone before tossing it on his bed. "Damn…"

* * *

Nathan had searched through the entire pool of students to find his one target. He found Jesse in one of the large entertainment rooms with several of other Lakehurst students that he neither knew nor cared for.

"Look who it-"

"Shut up." Nathan interrupted Jesse. "Listen 'Tank'. Lay off of Stephanie. I don't know what you're saying to her, but whatever it is, it stops tonight. Capisce?"

"And just who are you to threat me?" Jesse asked.

"Don't worry about that." Nathan replied. "Lay off of her. Fat ass…"

The others snickered slightly as Nathan left the room, Jesse growing angrier by the seconds.

"No one calls me fat and gets away with it…" Jesse said to the others.

* * *

Aaron watched the boy known as Oliver Ashoona move away from Chandra, who gave Aaron a smile.

"Sorry." Chandra said playfully. "I can't help being cute sometimes."

"I've noticed." Aaron responded.

Gabrielle noticed Nathan appearing and talking to Damon.

"Uh, I'll be back guys." Gabrielle said before moving away from the group.

"What's going on there?" Chandra asked.

Dustin shrugged. "I don't know. I think Brie struck some deal with Nate or something."

Ashton only hummed in thought, knowing what was Gabrielle's reason. He then looked at Aaron who shared the same look.

"Dustin, isn't she your cousin?" Vanessa asked pointing at Mercedes who was currently downing her third cup of alcohol.

Dustin sighed. "My mom's brother's daughter."

"That's a yes, right?" Ashton replied.

Dustin nodded. "Unfortunately."

"Glad I don't have to worry about that." Vanessa said. "How embarrassing."

"Vanessa, your brother is out back dry-humping his girlfriend." Dustin said. Vanessa sighed in defeat. "Yeah. That's embarrassing."

"Speaking of family members," Chandra said looking at Aaron. "I thought Jayden was singing tonight?"

Aaron shrugged. "He must've changed his mind."

"I hope not." Chandra said.

"Remind me," Vanessa said. "Which one of them do you date?"

"This one." Chandra said giving Aaron a kiss.

Vanessa giggled. "Now I remember."

* * *

Laura pulled Jayden away from the others with a smile plastered on her face. She had no clue where she was leading him to, but the quieter and darker it got, the better.

"Now what are we doing way out here?" Jayden asked.

"I… I have to ask you something." Laura sad. "Have you ever lied to me?"

Jayden frowned. "Lied? Yeah I guess so."

Laura sighed. "Okay. What did you lie about?"

"Me never sleeping with you again." Jayden said. "Why? Something wrong?"

"I just want to hear you say that you love me and you'd never leave me no matter what." Laura said.

Now Jayden was getting anxious.

"Okay Laura. What-"

"Say it!" Laura interrupted.

Jayden sighed. "I love you Laura and I will never _ever_ leave you no matter what." Laura smiled softly. "Now tell me what's the problem?" Laura looked towards the ground and muttered something. "What? Laura why are you crying?"

"I'm so sorry Jayden." Laura cried as hugged him tightly. "I didn't mean to ruin everything."

"Ruin?"

"Don't hate me."

"I won't. Just-"

"Jayden I'm pregnant."

Jayden froze, his arms dropping to his sides. The words echoed in his mind as everything else, including Laura's sobs, became mute. She was pregnant. More importantly, she was pregnant with _his_ child.

"Jay…" Laura said looking at Jayden's blank face. "Jay please say something."

Jayden's eyes closed. "How far along are you?"

"Months." Laura said. Jayden's brows furrowed though he kept his eyes closed. "Two months to be exact." Jayden opened his eyes and looked at her with confusion. "The night of your concert. That's when it happened."

"But we-"

"I know!" Laura said. "But… You're the only guy I've been with since then." Jayden's eyes narrowed. "Y-you don't believe me? I knew I was such a-"

"Ssh." Jayden said putting a finger to her lips. "Don't worry about a thing." Jayden sighed before hugging her tightly. "My parents are going to be pissed."

"I'm so sorry." Laura said as she hugged him tighter than he was hugging her. "Please forgive."

Jayden released Laura and wiped her tears with his hands. Laura turned her face away from Jayden, knowing how angry he really was inside.

"Look at me Laura." Jayden said. Laura turned to see him smiling. "I don't hate you and you haven't ruined my life."

"I'm pregnant Jay! Your mom already hates me and if I wasn't such a slut this wouldn't be happening!" Laura proclaimed. "I don't know how to be a mother, hell I don't even know how to be a normal girl!" Jayden began laughing. "Why are you laughing?"

"You." Jayden said, still chuckling a bit. "Maybe you haven't noticed, but you didn't make this baby by yourself."

"So why are you laughing?" Laura said a bit angrily.

"Because sans our parents and tabloids, what are you worried about?" Jayden responded. Laura turned away once more. "Are you worried about us being good parents? I'll be the soft one and you'll be the tough one." Laura smiled a bit. "Are you worried about money? I'm rich and you're richer." Now Laura's smile grew. "I know you're not worried about how they'll look. I mean, even if they took after you they'd be pretty."

"You're messing with me now Dimples." Laura said looking at Jayden.

"Okay. But I want you to know one thing," Jayden said. "Unless you murdered one of my family members, don't ever be afraid to tell me something. I meant it when I said that I loved you. We'll face our parents together, okay?"

Laura nodded with a smile before Jayden went in to kiss her. He paused before their lips touched, gaining an annoyed grunt from Laura.

"Question," Jayden asked. "Just how long were you planning on telling me?" Laura's cheeks actually turned a shade of pink in embarrassment. "Never mind."

Laura smiled into Jayden's kiss. He gave her a secure hug afterwards, one that did not require another kiss or words. She just lied her head on his shoulder and hugged him as well.

"Dude, there you are!" Jayden and Laura both gave a small growl sound before turning to face Shane. "You're missing the most hilarious thing ever!"

Jayden raised an eyebrow." What?"

"Mercedes is drunk as hell! It's hilarious!" Shane said.

"That's all he had to say." Laura said as if she had not just told Jayden that she was pregnant. "Let's go Dimples."

Jayden sighed. "My best friend and my girlfriend, once again dragging me into trouble."

* * *

Inside the home, many of the students from Lakehurst, Degrassi, and Bardell were all shocked and amused at Mercedes' behavior.

"So Tyler's fucking Helen Sinclair!" Mercedes continued. Helen went to move for her, but Torrie and Scarlett held her back. "But it's okay! Because DeWayne is doing the _same thing_ to me!"

"How sad…" Scarlett looked over her shoulder at Darcy's daughter, Jeanette and her friend Brooke.

"How pathetic. How can she not know?" Brooke asked at Jeanette.

Scarlett scowled before kept her face looking towards Mercedes.

Deanna, having enough of this, attempted to grab Mercedes to take her to her room.

"Mercedes! Stop this! You're drunk!" Deanna chastised.

Mercedes smirked. "I might be. But one of you cheating sluts is pregnant!"

The room grew quiet with all eyes on Mercedes. Jordan, who was seconds away from sneaking off with Tevin stopped in her tracks. Jayden and Laura gave one another a glance. Alexander, who had to stomach the sight of Helen smiling and dancing with Tyler, glared at the older boy. Jacquelyn, who had originally came to secretly talk to Damon, looked at Nicole and Shane, praying that it was not them.

"Isn't that right," Mercedes said as her eyes soon fell on Laura. "Slut?"

"Oh my God." Scarlett said out loud.

Jayden stood silently as his mind tried to piece any response other than going into a blind rage. He had the same reaction when Jordan told Aaron's secret to the school.

Laura saw Jayden's blank expression and turned a glare towards Mercedes. Those who knew Laura knew what was coming next as Laura slowly made her way to Mercedes. Those who did not would soon find out.

"Yes." Laura said before punching Mercedes with all her might. The force knocked Mercedes onto her back. Laura stood over Mercedes, checking the rings on her hand. "And by the way," Laura stomped onto Mercedes' stomach. "The name's Laura bitch."

Laura moved towards Jayden, half expecting him to be mad about her actions. Instead, he smiled and put an arm around her.

"That's my girl." Jayden said before the two shared a kiss. "Let's get out of here."

"Scar!" Helen called, snapping Scarlett out of her thoughts. "Forget about Jayden's problem. You need to break up with DeWayne. Like now so we can get home."

Scarlett looked at Helen, glanced at Torrie, and then made her way to DeWayne. She looked on the floor at Mercedes before looking at DeWayne. A second later, her foot met his groin. DeWayne slumped onto the ground next to Mercedes, Deanna staring in shock at Scarlett.

"Consider yourself dumped." Scarlett said. "Let's go Helen."

"Bye-bye." Helen said as she left with Scarlett and Torrie.

Deanna stared at the others in the area. First, she had caught Mary-Jane being smitten with Marc. Second, her friend brought alcohol and then got drunk. Now, her brother had been embarrassed in front of the entire party. Her night just seemed to get worse and worse. So she hurriedly moved away, heading for the stairs to go to her room. In her haste, she bumped into someone that stood near the stairway.

"Sorry."

Deanna paused and turned, but the boy had weaved into the sea of teenagers. But she knew it was him. The boy from her dreams. She knew just by his voice alone.

Smiling, she made her way upstairs. Tonight was not so bad after all.

* * *

"Alright man, see you later." Nathan said to Damon as the two went separate ways.

Nathan did not really believe that Damon was "waiting on his mom to call" like he said. In fact, Nathan began to suspect that something was going on between Damon and Jacquelyn.

As Nathan walked, he thought about Stephanie and what she had asked him earlier today. He felt as if he had accomplished that by _not_ picking a fight with Jesse. Though, he wanted to. For some reason, Nathan hated the sight of Stephanie sad or angry. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he did not hear the car coming from behind him. It parked along the curb before Jesse and four more guys got out.

"Hey Nathan!" Nathan stopped and turned around. It did not take his mind long to know what was coming next. "Who's the fat ass now?"

Nathan saw the five closing in on him and decided to charge for Jesse. If he was going to go down, he was going to go down fighting or his name was not Nathan Hogart.

* * *

Manny glanced at her husband, questioning why Laura was here this late. The girl looked to be troubled about something. Jayden walked into the room and sat on the couch beside Laura.

"Jayden, what's going on?" Manny asked.

"Well…" Jayden began. "I guess there's no easy way in saying this other than just saying it. So here goes." Jayden sighed. "She's pregnant."

Laura paled at the glare Manny sent her way coupled with the closed-eyed Maxwell who sat beside her. It was like the two sides of Jayden in two separate bodies.

"What?" Manny asked angrily.

"I said she's pregnant." Jayden repeated. "With my child."

"How in the hell could you be so stupid?" Manny shouted. "Just what were you thinking Jayden? Huh? She's pregnant in high school!"

"Manny…" Maxwell began.

"I knew she was trouble! I knew it!" Manny continued before turning her anger towards her husband. "And _you_! You did nothing!"

"If you hadn't noticed, Laura clearly didn't have sex by herself!" All was quiet after Maxwell's outburst. The man sighed before speaking clearly. "Laura can only take fifty percent of the blame. Jayden takes the other half."

"Mama… Dad… I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"No ever means for things like this to happen." Maxwell interrupted. "I mean, if you _did_, we wouldn't be having this conversation." Both Jayden and Laura looked at the ground. "I'm going to call Danni to take Laura home. In the meantime Jayden, get your things packed. You'll be staying with your sister."

"But-"

"Don't but me." Jayden immediately hushed. "You're my son. I have taught you that when you do things you live with the consequences. Stop before Karma catches you. I'm not raising your kids and there's really no room here for you to do it. You'll do it at Danni's apartment. And if she says you owe her rent, get a job."

"Yes sir." Jayden replied.

"Aaron!" Maxwell called. Aaron appeared seconds later. "Call your sister." Aaron nodded and left the room to do what he was told. "I can't believe this…"

"This wouldn't happen if he was still dating Scarlett." Manny said. "A more _respectable_ girl." Maxwell glanced at Manny. "Oh, I've heard what Shane and Kelly say about Laura. She was no good from the day she set foot in this house."

"Manny you can't just blame this on-"

"How many other girls has Jayden had sex with Max? Think. No one but this one!" Manny said pointing at Laura, who was attempting not to shed the tear threatening to spill. "Marissa? Scarlett? Jackie? Hell, even Helen had the knowledge to limit down just how far she and Jayden went. But _this_ one? Oh no! She's Miss Everyone Rides! Who can love someone like that?"

"People said the same about you, and I still love you." Maxwell said.

"This isn't the same Max!" Manny called. "This girl has blackmailed her way into our family!"

"She didn't blackmail her way into the family." Jayden said.

"Jayden this isn't the best time for you to-"

"Mama, I love Laura." Jayden said. "Scarlett, Helen, Marissa. They were replaceable. She isn't to me."

Manny gave a burst of laughter. "You're kidding right? You don't know what love is Jayden! You're just a hormonal little boy!"

"I do know what it is." Jayden said.

"Then explain it smart ass." Manny said.

"…" Jayden paused. "I can't, okay? I just know how it feels. And if you want to continue to bash Laura for this, that's fine, but remember that if she goes, I go."

Maxwell raised a brow. "Are you really _threatening_ to run away?"

The sound of his father's hissing voice startled Jayden a bit, but he nodded anyway. Maxwell just laughed as he stood up.

"This is hilarious." he said before muttering something under his breath.

"I'd like to laugh." Manny said.

"Look at them." Maxwell said pointing to Jayden and Laura. "Who do they look like?" Manny frowned before looking back at her smiling husband. "Us."

"You're shitting me." Manny muttered.

"You have the slut. The girl with no moral. The girl who's parents, parent in this case, abandoned her someway, somehow." Maxwell said. "Then you have the dumbass who believes that money and family solves all the problems in the world. He thinks that with the birth of his newborn that all this will go away. And look at us! The parents that can't stand our son's girlfriend! We're no different from when you were pregnant by me from a freaking one night stand in Las Vegas!" Manny rolled her eyes. She did _not_ want to be compared to Laura. "And get this."

"Oh I'm getting something." Manny said.

"They're in love." Maxwell said.

"No. I don't want you to say that." Manny said. "There's no possible way that my son would ever stoop so low into loving someone like that."

"Why can't you believe me?" Jayden asked. "What do I have to do to prove it to you?"

"I don't know! You can't!" Manny replied. "Because I know you don't!"

"I do." Jayden said calmly. "I can't explain why I do because I just do. I don't ask why you love dad or vice versa."

"You're sixteen!" Manny exclaimed.

"A year older than when you had your abortion!" Jayden shot back.

The room grew noticeably quieter and colder after that as Manny and Jayden stared at one another. Laura, who was gripping Jayden for support, looked at him in shock while Maxwell had stopped his pacing.

"I'm sorry Mama." Jayden said as he stood up and left the room.

Maxwell sighed. "Oh boy…"

"This is your fault." Manny said to Laura as she stood up.

"Manny," Maxwell said calmly as he stopped her from chasing after their son. "If you continue to shout and push him away, then you're no better than your dad was."

"My father only tried to protect me." Manny said. "I see that now. If I had listened-"

"We wouldn't have met, Danni wouldn't have been born, and we wouldn't be here today." Maxwell said. "Twenty-one years of my life that I wouldn't trade for the world." Manny groaned. She hated when he was actually being sweet. It quelled her anger. "Are you telling me that you would rather become what your dad wanted than your life and marriage with me?"

"No…" Manny replied. "But… This isn't our son. He knows right and wrong."

"Sometimes, things that feel so right are so wrong." Maxwell said. "Which is why I know that no matter how good beating some sense into him will feel, it's wrong because it's not going to change the fact that our first grandchild has been made."

Manny shook her head. "How are you so lenient?"

"I sent him to live with Danica M. McDuelle. Do you find that lenient?" Maxwell asked with a small smile. "Just, talk to him. Don't shout. I have to talk to Laura."

At the sound of her name, Laura felt her heart skip a beat or two in a bad way. Manny shot glare towards Laura once more before leaving the entertainment room. Laura looked at Jayden's father, whose brown eyes had softened.

"Come here." Maxwell said. Laura moved on instinct, trying not to further piss the man off. To her surprise, he hugged. "Just cry."

It seemed like those were the magic words for Laura's tears to spill. She cried heavily as the man hugged her.

"I know it's scary. I've lived without a parent too and I've done some things that I'm not proud of." Maxwell said in a soothing voice. "Just know Laura, that Jayden _does_ love you and I don't doubt that you love him too. And whether Manny likes it or not, you're technically family now. So come to me when you need to, understand?"

Laura nodded, unable to say anything. She has only felt this kind of compassion from two people; her dad and Jayden. It was strange the way the man held her as if he was her father, but she was not complaining. She needed the comfort before she faced her dad.

* * *

DeWayne angrily stomped into his sister's room where she rolled in her bed to meet his gaze.

"What's got your number?" Deanna asked.

"It was _your_ friend that announced that!" DeWayne shouted. "Now Scarlett won't even answer my calls!"

"She dumped you dear brother. I think it's some kind of code that the one who calls afterwards is desperate." Deanna said.

"I'm not playing." DeWayne said.

Deanna shrugged. "Neither am I. But shouldn't you be worried about your pissed off friend?"

"Alex says that he's going to get Tyler one way or another. I'm not worried about that." DeWayne said. "I'm worried about me."

"Big shocker." Deanna said lifelessly.

"Deanna…"

"Let's be honest Wayne. You're not going to be angry with Mercedes and you can forget Scarlett." Deanna said. "Plus, you brought this on yourself. You should've known that it was going to reach the surface one way or another. Be thankful she didn't marry you or else you'd be broke."

DeWayne only stared at his mildly pleased sister. He figured that _something_ had to have gone right tonight or else she would not be acting this way.

"I'm going to bed." DeWayne said turning around.

Deanna sighed before lying back down with a smile on her face. Although she did not see his face, she heard him. She knew he existed after all.

Now begins the search.

* * *

Nathan had cleaned and bandaged himself without waking his mother, something he has done countless of times. He had also read a blog that Stephanie had posted earlier which slightly angered him. More importantly, it made him angry at himself.

The blog was pretty small contained the list of things that made one a "hero" to another person. It was quite detailed in the description on how one became a hero or a "villain" to another person using real-life events. Of course, one of those things on how not to be a hero was not trusting or listening to another person. Fighting battles does not necessarily make one a hero. And here he was, bandaged after a fight for Stephanie's sake, reading this.

Nathan sighed. He had failed her and he knew it. He did not know why he cared this much for Stephanie, but the truth was, he did. Possibly more than she knew. It was frustrating to say the least. Still, he did and now he had to do something to make it up to her. If only he knew what this 'something' was.

* * *

Jayden lied in his new bed, facing away from the door. He would never cry in front of an audience, not even his parents. The reason? Well, because his parents never cried outside of the comfort of their own home- well his mother, he had never seen his dad cry. Plus, he knew that Danica was pissed about the who ordeal. One guess room was permanently Jayden's and the other was being turned into a nursery. The only reason the young woman did not argue was because her parents were pissed.

Jayden heard the door opened and he moved the cover over his shoulder more. Though Danica would provide words of advice, it normally came with a price. And since she was angry, he was going to avoid said price any way he could.

However, he felt her get into his bed.

"Danni I-"

"Your sister's sleep." the voice of Laura reached Jayden's ears. He turned over and stared at her. "I'm so sorry Jay. I didn't mean for this to happen, I swear. I can understand if you're angry with me or-"

"I'm not." Jayden said.

Laura studied his face. She would never publicly announce this, but it was the first time she had seen Jayden cry. In fact, she wondered if he had seen her cry before tonight.

"I love you Laura." Jayden said to her.

Laura rested her forehead against his.

"I love you too Jayden." Laura said.

Standing outside the room, Danica rested against the wall with her arms crossed. She knew better to argue against her mother when she was angry, so when both parents were in an irate mood, Danica accepted whatever they planned. She would be stuck with her brother and future niece or nephew.

Still, she smiled. Jayden normally left the world when he wanted to cry, whether it be tears of sadness or anger. If he allowed Laura to see him at his weakest, then maybe she was not as bad as she seemed.

Danica walked to her room with a satisfied smile, not caring what her brother and his girlfriend did in his room. It wasn't like Laura could get _more_ pregnant, right?


	67. S3 Episode VII: Hallelujah

**Episode VII: Hallelujah**

Danica eyed her brother carefully as he ate. Despite his best efforts, she could see the small smile growing on his face. She then spotted Laura coming from Jayden's room, dressed for school.

"Glad to know that you two can keep it quiet." Danica said with a smirk.

The statement caused Jayden to choke on his cereal, a satisfying sound to Danica's ears. She had spent the entire day yesterday talking to her brother in an attempt to lighten his downcast mood. For some odd reason, a sad and depressed Jayden did not sit well with Danica. He was a happy baby- as far as she can remember- and he was always the one to make everyone else smile. So she figured so long as he stayed at her place that she would keep that person alive inside of her brother.

"Thank you for letting me stay the weekend." Laura said as she sat down with her own bowl of cereal.

Danica smiled. "Well if you thought that _I_ was going to mother a child not mine, you surely have mistaken."

Jayden sighed. "I really didn't want to think about that now…"

"It's not like we have much of a choice." Danica said. "Come August, you're a dad and you won't have a choice and I won't have sleep. Again." Jayden sighed once more. "Come on Jay, just man-up and fix it like normal."

"Yeah, I know. And I also know the one person who could help me." Jayden said.

"Spinner?" Danica guessed.

"Dad." Jayden answered. "But I'm afraid to even ask him for anything now."

"Never know until you try." Danica said before looking at the time. "You two have about fifteen minutes before you have to go. Remember that I have to leave town in a few days and the place will be yours."

"Oh don't worry, the worst has already happened." Jayden said.

Danica shrugged. "I've seen worse. You could burn the house down or get robbed. Or worse, wake up beside some guy that's been stalking you for _years_." Jayden and Laura frowned at the last part. "Sophie. Vegas story. Don't think about it."

"Your friends." Jayden said as Danica stood up. "And thanks Danni. For everything."

"If our parents makes you miserable, I don't have a job." Danica teased as she left for her room.

"You know," Laura said. "I think she's serious about that."

"She is." Jayden said with a smile.

* * *

Manny watched as Maxwell returned home after dropping their children off at school. Things had been different between them, that was a given. In fact, they had not been this quiet towards each other since he forced her to hold Danica.

"Max…" Manny said as he rummage through the refrigerator for something. She heard him hum in response. "Please look at me."

Maxwell closed the refrigerator, a soda now in his hand as he looked at his wife. There were many things that were said during this small staring session, a trait the two had gained after many years with one another and seven children. Words were not always needed, but the were normally used.

"Max I'm sorry." Manny said to her husband. "I just can't picture our little boy getting some girl pregnant."

Maxwell sighed. "I get why you're angry, believe me, I am too. But taking it out on Laura isn't going to help anything."

"But she's _changed_ Jayden." Manny said. Maxwell sighed. "Max, think about it. He's never here when he wants to see Laura. They're normally at _her_ house." Maxwell sat down at the table. "Please don't tell me that you _don't_ see that."

"Manny, as much as I am pissed off about this entire thing, I just don't see where you're coming from." Maxwell said.

"She's pregnant!" Manny exclaimed.

"Weren't you?" Maxwell replied. Manny glared at him. "Look, they got ahead of themselves and now we're all paying for the consequences. I get that you're mad, but you're directing your anger only towards Laura and honestly it's not fair at all."

"None of this is 'fair' Max." Manny said.

"Yes it is." Maxwell said. "They had sex. Something slipped up. She got pregnant. No STD. No HIV. Pregnancy. Pretty fair to me."

"How?" Manny asked. "Our son will be a father before he graduates from high school."

"And we'll make him pay for such a stupid action." Maxwell replied.

"You're really not going to use the word 'mistake' are you?" Manny questioned.

"No child is born out of a 'mistake'." Maxwell said. "If it was meant to be, then it is. You know how I feel about that."

"Let me ask you something," Manny said sitting at the table. "If I aborted or put Danni up for adoption, where would we be?"

"There wouldn't be a 'we' if you did that." Maxwell answered.

"If Danni was Jay's where would we be?" Manny asked.

"I'm guessing here." Maxwell said. "Why?"

"Because sometimes I think that your want of a full family overrides other things like your care for your son's future or your love for me." Manny said. "We're together because of Danni. We're arguing because _Laura_ seduced our son. Do you see my point?"

Maxwell smiled before sitting his drink on the table. Manny frowned at this before he gently pulled her up to stand in front of him, his arms pulling her to him tightly.

"We're together because we are. Danni is just a plus." Maxwell said in a soothing voice. "And we don't know who's idea it was to have sex. We just know the two people who partook in it. And I think I've made it quite clear to you that I love you with all my being. I wouldn't live right without you Dimples."

Manny smiled as she rested her head on his chest.

"What're we going to do?" Manny asked.

"Jayden is going to have to learn what I went through." Maxwell said. "Do you continue to live the way you want to or do you actually change into the man you need to be." Manny looked up at her husband's face. "Of course, our reasons for this is as opposing as opposites can be."

"And what will _you_ do?" Manny asked.

Maxwell frowned. "How are you so certain that I'll do anything?"

"Because I know you." Manny replied.

Maxwell sighed. "Well, I guess we'll have to background check Laura's family. Insurance and all that because her son or daughter will be under my family's insurance and you know how messy those things can be." Manny nodded. "Then we'll secretly help from the sidelines. Your son sometimes believes that he can do everything and he can't."

"Hmm… I wonder where he gets that from?" Manny giggled.

Maxwell kissed Manny softly.

"Lay off of Laura. You're not helping arguing with people." Maxwell said.

Manny nodded. "Fine. Still, Scarlett would've been a better choice."

"Maybe. Maybe not." Maxwell said before smiling. "Let's just be glad that he won't give us ugly grandbabies."

"Max!" Manny laughed as she slapped his arm.

* * *

The bell rang to signal the end of first period. Deanna and Mercedes were walking down the hall, like normal, with Mercedes scowling a bit.

"I swear I'm going to kill her and that bastard child of hers." Mercedes said angrily. "She punched me? Oh, this means war."

"You're always getting into some fight Mercedes. And you're going to have to wait. She's with child." Deanna said.

"I don't care!" Mercedes replied.

"Yeah, yeah… Hey. Isn't that Steven Manning?" Deanna said pointing.

Mercedes frowned. "Yeah it is. When did he transfer here?"

"I don't know." Deanna said. "Well, let's continue to class."

"Sure." Mercedes said.

* * *

Jayden stood near an easel during Art, staring at the blank canvas. While he continued to mentally order himself to work, his hands would not move. He was too busy listening to the whispers about how big of a slut Laura was. It was angering him more and more by the seconds.

"Coach," Jayden said gaining Coach Blue's attention. "Can I take a lap?"

Jayden received a nod and left the classroom. Scarlett eyed her father for a moment before he gave her a nod as well. She left after Jayden, ignoring her cousin's snickers.

"Hey," Scarlett said as she entered the hallway. Jayden was currently pacing back and forth. "Don't listen to them."

"Kind of hard not to." Jayden said.

"I thought you said that you didn't care what people thought?" Scarlett replied.

Jayden stopped and looked at her.

"_I_ don't. Laura does." Jayden said. "And the last thing that I would want for her is to be stressed. It's bad enough that her dad doesn't know. But for everyone to make her look like a common whore is just wrong and frustrating."

Scarlett moved and hugged Jayden.

"It'll be fine. Trust me." she said soothingly.

Jayden hesitated before hugging her back. The two stood there for a few minutes before Jayden smiled.

"So what, you're helping me now?" Jayden asked.

"I will always be there for you J.T." Scarlett said before the two broke apart. "Even if you'll never be able to clear your side of the table again."

"Scarlett-"

"She's having your kid, Jayden. Ruining Laura's life makes me happy because I hate her. Ruining _your_ child's life… I couldn't." Scarlett said. "But, if you ever need me, I'm a call away."

"That's my line." Jayden said with a grin.

"Let's go back to class." Scarlett said. "If people actually see you like this, they might start talking. More."

"Sure… Thanks Red." Jayden said.

Scarlett smiled. "No problem J.T."

* * *

Aaron stared at his girlfriend worriedly as she stood by her locker before lunch.

"Bambi, are you sure you're alright? You look pale and sick." Aaron said.

"I… I don't know." Chandra said. "My dad said something about Steven's release this morning and I… I just got sick."

"How much sleep did you get last night?" Aaron asked.

"A little." Chandra replied. "And… And…"

"Bambi?" Aaron said before Chandra wobbled a bit. Aaron moved to catch her. "Chandra, are you alright?" She shook her head for no. "Great… Come on, let's go see the nurse."

"Th-thanks A.J." Chandra said.

"No problem." Aaron responded as he helped her down the hall to the nurse.

* * *

Dakota sighed as she twirled a drumstick around her fingers skillfully while lying in her bed. She hated being suspended for something she did not even do, but the luxury of staying at home until Wednesday was a good thing.

"Dakota," Dakota sat up as Ellie and Silas walked into her room. She fidgeted a bit, seeing as the last time her parents came to confront her together it was bad news. Very bad news. "We have something to tell you."

"Please be pregnant." Dakota pleaded, trying to stay out of trouble as much as possible.

Ellie and Silas looked at one another before laughing. The laugh caused Dakota to smile as the solemn mood had suddenly lifted.

"No, no, that's not it." Ellie said.

"Do you know where I'll be in April?" Silas asked. Dakota frowned and shook her head. "I'll be in Vancouver."

"Doing a show?" Dakota questioned.

"Something like that." Silas said. "Dakota, Ju-"

"You've been invited to the Battle of the Bands during Spring Break!" Ellie squealed.

Dakota dropped her drumstick as she stared awestruck at her parents. She tried to display her excitement, but she failed. She was actually numb with happiness, if possible.

"Well?" Ellie asked, knowing what her daughter was feeling.

"I think she doesn't want to do it." Silas said. "Oh well. Maybe-"

"This is great!" Dakota interrupted. "When were you going to tell the guys? Can I tell them?"

"Actually… There's just one problem." Ellie said. "We have to make sure that all of you are able to go or else the band doesn't go at all." Dakota sighed, knowing Ellie was referring to her. "Oh don't worry Dakota. _Your_ permission is already granted." Dakota smiled. "We're waiting on the others."

"This is going to be the best Spring Break ever." Dakota said with a smile.

"Let's hope so." Ellie replied.

"Just so you know," Silas stated to Dakota. "Just because you're my daughter doesn't mean that you get leeway. I was asked to judge this thing fairly and that's what I'm going to do."

Dakota nodded. "I understand. We'll play our hardest."

"That's my girl. You'll do fine then." Silas said before leaving the room.

Dakota frowned. "Mom, doesn't my _other_ dad need to sign that?"

"I think I already knew that." Ellie said. "Just be prepared for a _long_ family meeting."

Dakota groaned. Just like that, her day was crappy all over again.

* * *

Laura walked down the hallways in silence. For once in her almost sixteen years of existence, she felt like crawling inside herself. The whispers of being a whore or a slut were nothing new. But the whispers of her being Jayden's personal slut was. The words that made her feel like he was forced to be with her instead of actually loving her broke her down more than usual. She wondered if it was the extra hormones kicking in as she had learned that pregnant women when through a variety of emotions or if this was actually her breaking.

She saw Jayden standing at his locker, frowning at a note in his hand.

"Hey." Laura said quietly, unsure of what else to say. She was certain that he had heard the rumors as well.

Jayden looked at her. "So you've heard." Laura nodded. "Don't listen to them Beautiful. Most of them are single anyway."

Laura smiled. "Is that what it is? Single people being jealous?"

"Of course." Jayden said before taking the note and closing his locker. "Come on. It seems as if we're in some sort of trouble."

Laura frowned. "I haven't done anything."

"Neither have I and yet here I have a note stating for you and I go to the office for lunch." Jayden said before the two began walking towards the office. "Seriously Laura, do you think that I'm some sort of trouble magnet?"

"I haven't been pregnant until I slept with you… So yes." Laura replied with a smile.

"No, no, it's the other way around." Jayden said as she hugged him with an arm. "It was _you_ that invited me to _your_ house."

"You drove _and_ you kissed me first." Laura countered.

"What happened to the 'go ahead it's yours' phrase?" Jayden said.

"Well if you'd actually stop trying to compete with me, we wouldn't be here in the first place." Laura said.

Jayden smiled. "Well if you'd just let me win Laura, we wouldn't be here."

Laura smirked. "Who are we kidding? Yes we would."

The pair laughed as they entered the office, but their laughter soon slowly died as they walked in to see Manny talking to Darcy.

"Mama…" Jayden said.

Laura had half the notion to turn around and walk away, but Manny's smile made her stay long enough to hear her future child's grandmother's words.

"Hey." Manny said. "You two think you can hang with me for lunch?"

Jayden shrugged. "I don't know. Will this somehow affect your flawless actress image?"

"Only if it doesn't affect your musician image." Manny said with a smile.

Laura was confused by the laugh that Manny shared with her son, but brushed it aside when Jayden turned to address her.

"Come on Beautiful. We have a date with my parents." Jayden said.

"How do you know that your dad is part of this?" Manny asked.

"Just a lucky guess." Jayden said.

"Let's go." Manny replied. "And Darcy, we have to meet up after school one day."

"I'll be waiting." Darcy said.

* * *

Chandra opened her eyes to see that she was in the nurse's office. She groaned as she put a hand to her throbbing head on.

"My head…" she said quietly.

"Bambi," Chandra looked to her right to see Aaron. "The nurse stepped out to talk to your parents."

"Why?" Chandra asked.

"You have something wrong with you. I didn't hear it completely." Aaron answered. "I was just worried about you."

Chandra smiled weakly. "You're always worried A.J. Take a break from worrying."

"I can't really help it. You just passed out in the middle of the hallway." Aaron replied. "But, I'm glad you're okay now. Or at least awake."

"A.J…" Chandra began before the nurse returned to the room with Alli and Drew behind her.

"Chandra," Alli began. "I'm so glad you're awake."

"What's wrong with me?" Chandra asked, her eyes towards the nurse.

"Your problems are related to stress." the nurse said. "Have you been stressed lately? Any event that might have caused you fear, stress, or pain?"

"There was an incident in early December." Drew stated. "Do you think that that could be it?"

"It could." the nurse answered.

"I'm going to kill him…" Drew muttered as Alli gave her husband a look out of her peripheral view.

"Drew." she stated.

"But," Chandra said. "I got over it. I still have some dreams sometimes but-"

"Where did it happen?" the nurse asked.

Chandra shifted a bit. "Here…"

"And have you been to the area of the incident since then?"

"Not really…"

"Have you had a hard time sleeping at night? Asides from waking up to nightmares."

Chandra nodded.

"Then it's stress," the nurse stated while handing Drew a slip of paper. "I suggest you show this to her doctor so she can be diagnosed better."

"Thank you." Alli said. "Chandra, do you think you can stay for the rest of the day?"

"I… I don't know." Chandra answered honestly. "I _want_ to stay but…" Chandra glanced at Aaron. "I don't want to make you all worried."

"If you want to," Drew said. "You can. Just tell us if you think you can make it or not."

Chandra nodded. "I can stay."

"Are you sure Chandra? I don't want you to further-"

"I got it Mom, sheesh…" Chandra interrupted, feeling quite embarrassed at the moment. Alli smiled before kissing Chandra's forehead, further agitating and embarrassing the girl. "_Mom_!"

Drew grinned. "We'll see you after school then."

"Thanks Dad." Chandra said with a small blush on her face.

Aaron smiled a bit. He had to admit, Chandra looked extremely innocent and cute when she was embarrassed.

"Well," Chandra said moving off onto her feet. "We should get to lunch, right A.J?"

"Yeah." Aaron said. "Nice seeing you, Mr. and Mrs. Torres."

Alli smiled. "Nice seeing you too."

Chandra cast Alli a slightly angry look, one that neither Aaron nor Drew missed. This caused Drew to laugh at his daughter's obvious disapproval of Alli being _this _nice to Chandra's boyfriend. Then again, Chandra had always been a little selfish.

"Come on Alli. Let's leave." Drew said.

"Right." Alli said before turning to the nurse. "We'll schedule that appointment as soon as possible."

* * *

Jayden and Laura sat beside one another with Maxwell and Manny sitting across from them. Neither of the teens said anything for the last time the four of them "talked" it was when Laura revealed that she was pregnant.

"First off," Maxwell began. "I want you both to know that what you've done has put a lot of stress on all of us. What you did was foolish beyond words and you both will pay for that." Even though this was not her father lecturing her, Laura still nodded with Jayden. "None of us got any decent sleep and we're all a bit frightened and angered about the whole ordeal. So, right now, I'm allowing you two to tell me whatever defense you have now before we move on."

Jayden looked at Laura who sighed.

"I'm sorry…" Laura began. "It's my fault. I invited him to my house while my dad was at work."

"It's not like you put a gun to my head and said 'screw me or die'," Jayden stated. "Seriously, if anyone is to blame, it's me because _I_ was dating Scarlett at the time." Manny frowned at this. "Yeah… You see she was dancing with DeWayne during my song a little too close and I got just a tad bit jealous. Just a little… Anyway, I left with Laura with jealousy and lust on my mind and boom. Baby."

"Have we gotten the blame out of the way?" Maxwell asked.

"We could point fingers at DeWayne for flirting with my at-the-time girlfriend in the first place." Jayden pointed out.

Laura nodded. "That does make sense…"

"So what's your next move?" Manny questioned the couple. "Where's the baby going to stay? Who's going to bring the money into the house? How are you going to supply the baby with a healthy home while in school?"

Jayden and Laura glanced at one another before shrugging shamefully. Truthfully, they had not thought about _all_ of those questions yet.

"If you two are going through with this," Maxwell said. "Then you need to take this as serious as serious can be. Now is the time for you to plan out your schedule."

"I thought about that." Laura said, gaining a frown from Jayden. "I'm not going to the academy. I'll stay here in-"

"You're going." Jayden interrupted.

Laura looked at him. "What? Why would you say that?"

"Shane, Kelly, and Dakota would be happy to look after our son or daughter whenever we can't and if not them, Nicky is a failsafe option. She _adores_ babies." Jayden replied. "You've wanted to go to that school since you were younger. Now that you have the chance, go for it."

"But you can't raise it by yourself." Laura said.

Jayden snorted. "If you believe that _my_ _mother_ would stay out of _any_ child's life that she's close to, then you're sadly mistaken. She's about as bad as Nicky is. And don't let me start on Emma."

Manny smiled. "So you've already lined up a list of babysitters, huh? So what are you going to be doing Jay?"

"Well…" Jayden said. "I was thinking about doing the apprentice thing like Danni." At this, Maxwell's eyebrows rose. "I know that it's tough and time consuming, meaning I won't have that much time for my band and sports, but I have to live off of what I know and I know how to work for Dad."

Manny gave Maxwell a surprised look though the man did not reciprocate this look. He was too busy staring at his son.

"If that's what you want, you can ask Danni for an application." Maxwell said. "You'll get a job just like the rest of them."

Jayden nodded before looking at Laura with a smile.

"Everything is going to be fine. I promise." Jayden said.

Manny watched her son give Laura a kiss on the forehead as the girl just smiled in a loving way. She felt a warm smile tugging on her own lips as she watched the scene. They did, in their own way, remind her of her and her husband.

"So now that that's out of the way," Jayden and Laura were a bit startled at Maxwell's change of tone. Now he sounded… Happy? "I guess I should say, congratulations. Even if you are just a pair of teenage lovers, you're about to enter the best and worst years of your lives."

"Really?" Jayden asked.

Maxwell nodded. "Nothing makes me happier than the memories of coming home and seeing you look up to me and ask me to do something. Play the guitar, play basketball with you, anything. You had that same look that Danni had. The look like your mom and I were heroes or something. And when your son or daughter looks up at you, you'll see what I'm talking about."

"And then there're the late nights, the early mornings, the fights to take a bath, the fights to get out of the bath, the fights to stay awake, the fights to stay asleep, and so on." Manny stated. "Those are the not-so fun parts."

"And heaven forbid the forsaken _baby shower_." Maxwell stated. "Worst three hours of all time."

Manny glared at Maxwell. "Oh really?"

"Jay, I'm telling you this now. If the number of her friends trumps the number of yours, prepare for the longest squeal-fest in the world." Maxwell sad.

Laura laughed quietly at the statement even if Jayden's father sounded serious about hating baby showers.

"Mama… Dad…" Jayden said. "I'm really sorry about all of this… I _do_ love Laura and I don't want to live thinking we had a child due to an accident but…"

"I understand Jay." Manny replied. "Just don't let this happen again."

"Understood." Jayden said with a grin.

* * *

After lunch, Steven made his way to his new locker in his new school. Today had been dreadfully slow and he just wanted to get home now.

"So you're Steven Manning." Steven looked to see Tyler. "I've heard quite the story about you."

"Nothing good I bet." Steven replied.

Tyler shrugged. "Chandra and Jayden are in the little group I have to go to. What do you think?" Steven gave a small sigh. "Just thought I'd tell you, things are different here. We don't care about who your parents are or what you've done in the past. All that matters is the now and the future."

"Why are you even telling me this? Don't you date Mary-Jane or something?" Steven asked.

"No." Tyler said. "And I'm telling you this because this is _my_ school. Remember that and we'll have no problems."

"Right." Steven said skeptically. "I got class to get to. See you around Mr. Lakehurst."

Steven closed his locker and walked down the hall. He hated Lakehurst, though he hated Degrassi more. At least he did not have to deal with fake friends, stupid siblings, spoiled children, and of course, Chandra.

However, due to him being wrapped up in his own thoughts, he unintentionally bumped into Stephanie.

"Sorry." Stephanie said.

"No problem." Steven said. "Steven Manning."

"Stephanie." Stephanie answered. "Sorry, I have to get to class. See you around."

Steven smirked to himself. A new school, a new Steven, and a new group of girls to find. Yeah… Lakehurst was way better than Degrassi.

* * *

Jacob was also walking to class before he heard Kelly calling out to him. He stopped and waited for her to catch him.

"Hey," Kelly said. "I need you to do me a huge favor."

Jacob gave a small shrug. "Sure. What is it?"

"My mom wanted me to 'supervise' Jordan on her date with Tevin. So I figured to not make me look like a third wheel, I'd bring along a male friend." Kelly explained.

Jacob felt a bit uneasy about the statement. Ever since the kiss, he has seen Kelly in a whole different light, though he knew that the feeling was clearly unreciprocated.

"Uh… Why not ask Jay?" Jacob asked.

"I don't think you've heard this or not," Kelly replied. "But his girlfriend is pregnant. Plus, do you really think that _Laura_ would let Jayden go out on a date with me? Even if it's just a fake one for one night." Jacob sighed. "Jacob, you're the only other male friend I have. Please?"

"Sure Kelly." Jacob said.

Kelly frowned. "You're not dating Angelina are you? Because I so don't want to be put in that situation again."

"N-no. We're not dating." Jacob said. "So… I'll be at your house at-"

"_I'll_ pick you up at around seven. It's a school night, so Jordan can't stay out forever, even with me there." Kelly said before smiling. "Thanks again Jacob. I owe you one."

"R-right." Jacob said.

Kelly began walking away before pausing and turning to face Jacob with a stern look on his face. For a moment, he swore he was staring at Emma when she was pissed about Jayden, Shane, and Kelly running off to help Dakota.

"Don't expect a kiss or anything, alright? The moment you try to make a move is the moment I turn ugly. Got it Isaacs?" Kelly said. Jacob nodded and Kelly smiled. "Good. See you tonight."

Jacob sighed. Kelly and Vanessa were both the same. They took advantage of his generosity and then smiled about it. He wondered if Angelina had a forceful side like this.

"I hope not." he muttered to himself before finishing his quest to his class.

* * *

After the final bell, Scarlett was doing all in her power to make it to her locker and then her and Helen's shared car without another teacher asking her for some favor. Being the student body president had it's setbacks, and being the liaison between the students and the faculty always caused problems.

"Hey." Scarlett looked at Shane. "Whoa, didn't know you've had that rough of a day."

"Sorry Shane. It's the teachers." Scarlett replied.

Shane nodded. "Right… Um, I just came to ask how you were."

"How I am?" Scarlett said with her eyebrows raised.

"Yeah. You know, with the whole Laura's pregnancy thing." Shane said. Scarlett scoffed and began walking away, prompting him to follow her. "Hey, it's not like I'm asking for a written statement on whatever you've done. I just want to know how you are about it."

"How do _you _feel about it?" Scarlett asked, abruptly stopping and whipping her head to look at Shane.

"Well," Shane began. "I'm shocked. I didn't know she was pregnant and if Jayden hadn't told me himself earlier today, I still wouldn't believe it. Now, your turn."

"I'm… I'm pissed about it, okay?" Scarlett said. "I don't know why this sort of thing happens to me."

"You?" Shane questioned.

"You know what I mean." Scarlett retorted. "No sooner do I come to terms with my emotions for the boy does he run off with a girl who I hate and knock her up! Didn't happen to Jackie. Didn't happen to Helen. Me."

"Scarlett, you do realize that he's probably going to need all of us more than ever now, right?" Shane said. "You of all people should know that. He's a complicated person with a stressful lifestyle and your selfishness will only make it worse."

"I know, I know, that's why I've been avoiding him since second period." Scarlett replied before palming your forehead. "He sent you to find me, didn't he?"

"Guilty." Shane said with a smile. "Scarlett, if I had to be completely honest with you, I'd say that he still likes you. I mean, hell, I still think you're hot."

"Perv!" Scarlett said punching Shane's arm.

"Yeah… That doesn't feel good." Shane said rubbing his sore appendage. "But I do. And I'm glad that you're telling me how you feel instead of giving me the cold-shoulder. I hate the cold-shoulder." Scarlett smiled. "And if you need someone to talk to, I'm here for you. Again. Until you give me the silent treatment again."

"Whatever Shane. I have to get going before Helen leaves me." Scarlett said.

"Go ahead. I promised Nicky that I'd meet her out front." Shane said while backing away slowly. "See you around Scarlett."

"Sure." Scarlett said before Shane turned around and walked away. She sighed before heading for her locker once more. "It had to be me…"

* * *

Mr. Reynolds was confused as to why Laura had woken him up from his sleep. The only two times she had done that this year were when Jayden had promised to find Bianca and when she slapped Jayden earlier this year. And of course, the boy in both scenarios was currently here, sitting on the couch with a dazed expression. Obviously, Jayden's mind was nowhere near the Reynold's household.

"What's going on?" Mr. Reynolds asked as Laura took a place beside Jayden.

"Dad… I… I…" Jayden then came to reality as he heard Laura's stammers. Two shared a brief eye contact before Laura looked back at Mr. Reynolds. "We're going to have a baby."

Mr. Reynolds collapsed into the armchair behind him, barely able to maintain consciousness. When Bianca had told him that she was pregnant, he had fainted. And now here was his only daughter, someone who physically looked every bit of the same woman, telling him that she was also pregnant.

And then he saw red.

His eyes of anger tore from Laura's and then landed on Jayden's.

"You…" Mr. Reynolds said. "This is your fault! I knew you were no fucking better than those other guys! You just wanted sex!"

Laura blinked, never seeing her father _this_ angry before. She looked at Jayden who held out a simple hand in a calm manner.

"Mr. Reynolds-"

"I don't want to hear it! Get out! Laura, go to your damn room! I'll deal with this-"

"I'm not leaving her." Jayden interrupted, this time a bit more force in his voice. "If I can stand up to my parents, I sure as hell can do it to you." Laura was now even more shocked at Jayden's actions. He was normally more respectable around her dad. "Now this may come to you as a shocker, probably bigger than the pregnancy itself, but I love your daughter. And before you go on a rant about me not knowing what love is, I do, okay? I've already explained this to my own parents."

"You just wanted her damn virginity! And now look at what you did!" Mr. Reynolds continued. "You're a fucking sleaze! A dog! You think that I can't see through that respectful shit that you try to pull on me?"

"I _respect_ you because you're Laura's dad." Jayden said. "Mr. Reynolds, I'm not kidding when I say that I love her. I truly do with all my heart."

"You say to every fucking girl you fuck or just those that you get pregnant?" By now, Jayden was thoroughly angered by Mr. Reynolds' voice and tone, though he continued to view this from a father's perspective.

"I've only said it to one girl, and that's Laura." Jayden answered. "I hope that you understand this soon. No matter how many times you physically remove me, I will always be there for her. And to be blunt, there's not a damn thing you or anyone else can do about it."

This was not how Laura wanted this to go. In fact, this is how she expected the talk with her mother would go if she told her. The glaring contest between Mr. Reynolds and Jayden was becoming a bit too intense for even Laura and she felt sick just being in the room with all the testosterone in the air.

"Sir, please forgive me, please forgive your daughter, and please don't make this harder for her than it already is." Jayden said.

"Harder for her? What about what _I_ have to go through? Do you know where the kid's going to live? Do-"

"Again, we've already had this talk with my parents. I understand that we probably should've waited and included you in there so we wouldn't be hearing the same thing again, but whatever." Jayden said.

"How in the hell are you so calm?" Mr. Reynolds said before looking at Laura. "And what do you have to say about this?"

"…" Laura squirmed a bit under her father's gaze. "I'm sorry Dad… I really am. But Jayden promised that he'd do everything he can and-"

"Oh, he _promised_. I have a friend in jail because he _promised_ his children he'd provide for them even though they have a richer than life stepdad. Is that what you want?" Mr. Reynolds asked. "Or maybe you want to raise your child like _I_ raised mine? For five fucking years, everything was going great and then suddenly, hell strikes. Your mom invited all those guys over to have a smoking session with you in the next room. Now you two hardly speak. Is that what you want?"

"No…" Laura said quietly.

"Hey, how about we talk about _my_ parents since they've been together for like _twenty plus years_." Jayden said. "Or my aunt who has known my uncle since elementary school. There is a such thing as happy endings for some of us."

"And what do you know? You're-"

"Not just a kid so stop saying that!" Jayden interrupted. "I'm sick and tired of everyone telling me that! These past two months, I have done everything, _everything_, to get your daughter to even look at me with a smile on her face! And now what? She gets pregnant and you guys want to take away, not only my future son or daughter, but the very person that I had to _earn_ in the first place! Is that fair? Hell no! And did we even stop to ask Laura what _she_ wanted? No. Why? Because my mom thinks she's a slut, my dad wants us to 'amend' this, and you're too busy trying to separate us!" Mr. Reynolds was now a bit shocked at Jayden's outburst, along with his daughter. "You're not carrying a child, she is! You're not dealing with paparazzi, she is! You didn't grow up thinking your mother hated you, she did! So let's forget about us for just one freaking minute and let's stop to ask Laura what she wants, okay? I think we can at least do that!"

Mr. Reynolds looked at Laura. "So? What do you want?"

"I… I want to have this baby and keep Jayden too." Laura said. "And I want you to be there. Maybe Mom too…" Laura paused and looked at Jayden. "And I want us to get along. All of us."

"What about that dance academy or whatever. Didn't you want to go there?" Mr. Reynolds asked.

"She's going." Jayden muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.

Mr. Reynolds frowned. "And since when did you start answering for _my_ daughter?"

Jayden sighed. "This is her dream. I have to sacrifice a bit of myself for her to be happy like I know she does for me sometimes. That's how love works, right?" Mr. Reynolds said nothing, causing Jayden to continue. "I can watch our child until she gets here for her breaks. But I won't let her lose this chance of a lifetime. This child isn't a setback. It's more like an advancement."

"Advancement? How is-"

"Because ten years from now your grandson or granddaughter is going to visit you with your daughter and I and we'll all be together one way or another. And then, maybe then, it'll dawn on you, just like it'll dawn on my mom and everyone else, that I wasn't kidding when I said that I love her." Jayden said.

Laura was unable to stop the smile from spreading on her face. The girly side of her told her to squeal in delight and squeeze the life out of her current boyfriend, but she remained still on the couch. She then settled with holding his hand in hers and giving it a firm, yet affectionate, squeeze.

Mr. Reynolds also relaxed a bit. He had always liked Jayden for his daughter, despite how close they normally were and of course the current predicament. In his opinion, anyone that got Laura to actually smile as bright as she does when she was with Jayden could not be all bad, if bad at all. Plus the two had actually studied during their downtime as well as Jayden helping Laura perform her dancing while playing his guitar and- surprisingly- a violin. That, added with the fact that he had gone through great lengths to find Bianca, made Jayden an alright guy in Mr. Reynolds' book.

"So what did you two have in mind?" Mr. Reynolds asked.

"Well," Laura replied. "Jayden was going to do like he said, watch the child while I go to London for school. We already have a babysitter just incase he can't be there and his sister is gone."

Mr. Reynolds glanced at Jayden. "And how is your parents taking this? I'm guessing they were a bit hard on you."

"If by hard you mean kicking me out and forcing me to live with my older sister, then yes, they were hard on me." Jayden said. "But, everything will work out. I promised Laura that and I will live up to my word."

"Thanks." Laura's voice was hardly heard, but Mr. Reynolds heard her.

Sighing, Laura's father rose onto his feet, alerted the two teens in the room.

"Jayden," Jayden looked at the man. "Take care of my little girl. I know you'll do anything for the child, but Laura is all that I have. Don't hurt her."

"I will do everything I can to keep her happy." Jayden said in a solemn tone.

Mr. Reynolds only nodded and left the room, causing to sigh and lean back on the sofa.

"Christ… Glad that's over with." Jayden said before Laura giggled and leaned on his shoulder. "What's so funny?"

"Just thinking about the conversation with my mom." Laura replied.

"You're killing me." Jayden groaned.

"I tried killing you once. It didn't work so I dated you." Laura said, gaining a laugh from Jayden. "Seriously though, thanks for everything. Even…"

"Even…?" Jayden repeated.

"I know being mushy isn't my thing," Laura said. "But I'm glad that I'm having _your_ baby. At least, if things don't end like we want it to, I'll have something of you other than memories."

Jayden blinked before looking at Laura. He moved so the two were staring at one another, eye-to-eye.

"Don't think of that." Jayden said. "That wannabe that you're carrying will never be the real deal. Just be glad that you're going to have both of us at the same time."

"I am." Laura said before kissing Jayden.

"Now," Jayden said. "Let's send in your paper."

"Right." Laura stated.

* * *

Danica opened her door, ignoring Isabella's taunts, to see Scarlett.

"Scarlett the starlet, what are you doing here?" Danica asked.

Scarlett was a bit baffle about the title before smiling.

"I came to see J.T. Your parents said that he'd be here." Scarlett said.

"Nope! Hasn't returned." Danica replied before taking Scarlett's hand. "But come in. Izzy and I are talking about you-know-what."

Scarlett was led into the apartment and sat down on the couch beside Isabella while Danica moved towards the kitchen and returned with a canned soda.

"I still think that I should just let her move in too. Saves a lot of trouble." Danica said.

Isabella shrugged. "I don't know… Your dad is a bit scary when he's mad and if he finds out that you did that behind his back…"

"Oh please. He wouldn't care. I mean, it's not like they can have _another_ baby in nine months, right?" Danica said before sipping her drink. "What do you think Scar?"

"…" Scarlett wanted to tell Danica how unfair she thought the entire situation was, but kept silent.

"I know that look." Danica said. "You're jealous."

"I am not." Scarlett replied.

Danica nodded with a smile. "Yes you are. You're jealous of Laura, aren't you?"

"I'm not jealous I'm angry." Scarlett stated. "Two totally different emotions."

Isabella frowned. "Angry? Come on Scarlett, what's to be angry about? I'm sure Jayden still thinks about you."

Scarlett turned to verify this from Danica, who casually ignored Scarlett's blue eyes and sipped more of her soft drink.

"I'm mad that every time I look at the baby, I'll think about what I can never do." Scarlett said.

"And what is that?" Isabella asked.

Scarlett looked away from her friend causing Danica to sigh.

"Scarlett, don't make this harder on yourself. So he's having a child with Laura? Big deal." Danica stated. "If you want me to be honest with you, I only put up with her because he has to. She's still the bitch from the car ride if you ask me. Besides, I hear that she's still going to that school in London so you'll have like all school year next year to be with him without Laura."

"But that'll just-" Scarlett's words were cut off when the door opened to reveal Jayden trudging into the apartment.

He looked around at the three females present and then sighed.

"I'll be in my room. Just keep it quiet." Jayden said.

Danica frowned. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You're obviously talking about me and I'm really not in the mood to hear this." Jayden said. "I had to listen to Joann give me a lecture on, not only safe sex, but how to fill out an application I once filled out for fun. I had explain to my girlfriend's father that she's carrying my baby, once again being put into another argument. And to top it all off, at about eight, I have to go to our lovely parents' home because they want to tell our even lovelier grandparents about the entire thing while on the phone with Grandma."

Danica shivered. "You poor child. Do you need a hug?" Jayden nodded slightly and Danica moved to hug him. "Oh you're such a big baby."

"Let's not say that word for the next three millennium, alright? It's been said quite enough today." Jayden said as he hugged his sister. "You smell nice."

Danica pushed him away. "You're sick."

"You do." Jayden said before frowning. "You stole that from Mama, didn't you?"

"How did- Go to you room Jay." Danica said pointing towards the room.

Jayden chuckled. "Danica M. McDuelle, never one to do something for free. Not even letting her brother live with her."

"She'll never miss it." Danica said as Jayden entered his bedroom and closed his door. "Pervert…"

"How does he even know the perfume your mother wears?" Isabella questioned.

Danica shrugged. "Sometimes, I don't even want to know." Danica then looked at Scarlett. "You, go in there."

"Me? What for?" Scarlett asked.

"Oh you know why." Isabella said. "Just get in there before we force you together in an awkward situation…" Isabella then looked at Danica. "Which reminds me! Jacob and Angie!"

"Right… The nerds in love." Danica said as Scarlett moved past her. "And don't end up pregnant for the sake of your own competition."

"Ugh, you're impossible Danni." Scarlett said opening Jayden's door.

Jayden, who was looking at some paper while lying in bed, looked up at Scarlett.

"Hey." he said to her.

Scarlett looked around. "It's smaller then your old room, but I can adjust."

Jayden grinned. "I'm so glad it is up to your standards, oh goddess of fashion and trends. But why is such a goddess as yourself blessing just a poor peasant like me?"

"You're funny." Scarlett said sitting at the edge of his bed. "I want to talk about, you know."

"I know that you know a lot of things so therefore if you're not specific-"

"Laura and your baby." Scarlett interrupted.

"Shane told me to give you space." Jayden said sitting up. "That's what I was originally going to do."

"Do you ever think about what-if one event never happened?" Scarlett asked and Jayden nodded in response. "Well this is my event. I wish that I could go back in time to that exact day or night and tell you of the consequences."

"Let's be honest Red," Jayden said. "If you could do that, you'd kill me."

"Probably…" Scarlett said before sighing. "I guess I'm just having a hard time being single again."

"That's not it." Jayden said with a grin.

"Then what is it, oh wise one?" Scarlett replied.

"Now who's got jokes?" Jayden stated. "And you're like this for a number of reasons. Us being on opposite sides of the war, again. Laura being by my side. Mercedes and DeWayne. People saying little things behind your back. I kind of know what you're thinking."

"How?" Scarlett said with true shock. "For the past, I don't know, months we've been arguing and fussing and let's be honest, there has only been one day where we've actually been us or what we once were."

"I don't know. I just do." Jayden answered. "It comes natural to me."

"If…" Scarlett began but soon bit the bottom of her lip. "Never mind."

"No, say it." Jayden said.

Scarlett sighed. "If the opportunity presented itself, after the baby is born, do you think that you could give me another chance?"

"That's a tough question." Jayden replied. "I honestly can't answer that right now because I'm so afraid of this entire ordeal."

"Afraid?" Scarlett repeated.

"Many people think that Laura is just some tough, rude chick who does whatever she wants, but that's not the case. There are things that make her sad, depressed even, and she normally balls into herself and lets it be." Jayden said. "The day you came into my room and I felt bad about forcing her and her mom together? I felt bad because I know these things that get to Laura the most and I used it against her."

"So why are you afraid?" Scarlett asked.

"I'm afraid that somehow, someway, this one little string of hope that I'm holding onto will slip from my grasps and the moment it does, Laura breaks." Jayden answered. "Do you remember when I said that Dash was lucky because she has a way to release her stress through drinking?" Scarlett nodded. "Well, I'm afraid of what's going to happen when drinking isn't enough for Laura. Ever since Shane told me about Nicky…"

Scarlett nodded, understanding what Jayden meant now. Nicole had almost committed suicide when it became too much for her. He was worried that the same thing might happen to Laura sooner or later.

"I'm sorry…" Scarlett said quietly.

Jayden smiled. "She's asleep now. Nothing to be sorry about."

"Jayden… Where do you see yourself in ten years? Where do you see _us_?" Scarlett asked. Jayden frowned. "I'm not trying to break you and Laura up… I'm just curious."

"If I'm able to walk this earth ten years from now knowing that I could be with either you or Laura without it being a big fuss, then it's a ten years worth living through." Jayden said.

"And if not?" Scarlett said.

"Then I'm only afraid of what happens when it becomes too much for me." Jayden stated quietly.

Scarlett's eyes widened. "Y-you wouldn't!"

"I thought that too once… Now, I'm not so sure." Jayden responded. "I get tired of fighting and arguing and pretending just as much as the next guy. I just want silence sometimes… And silence only comes when I'm sleeping."

Scarlett only stared at Jayden for a moment before she moved to hug him tightly. When Shane had informed them of Nicole's suicide attempt, Scarlett had been more worried for Shane than Nicole. She did not want her friend to go through the feeling of losing someone again, not after Mr. Simpson died. But now she knows how he felt. The fear of losing Jayden, her first and only friend, was enough to let her emotions come out.

"You won't leave me here Jayden. I won't let you." Scarlett whispered.

"Thank you Scarlett." Jayden replied just as quietly as he hugged her back.

She would never lose him, no matter who he dated, who mothered his child, and who he married. They would always be as close as two people could be. For one could not fully function without the other. And that was just the way things were.

* * *

Jacob was surprised when they walked into the diner. It seems that Kelly had been saving up for something and touched a bit of her own money to afford to go a place like this. But she had and now the four of them sat with empty plates, the two sisters having a small glaring contest.

If ever there were a time when Jacob actually looked at Jayden for advice, this was one of them. Jayden had a saying once and it went like: Nelson women are scary. Emma, Kelly, Jordan, they were all in that category and they all had some sort of inner strength that made them scary.

"I think it's time to go." Kelly said. "_Someone_ obviously needs to be put to sleep before she gets cranky."

"Tch, best you got?" Jordan retorted.

"Oh wait dear sister. You'll see the best that I _have_." Kelly replied.

"Why didn't you move in with your _real_ mom?" Jordan said. "Maybe then you'd smile."

Jacob shifted a bit in his seat. Everyone knew not to speak of Kelly's adoption, a mistake Dakota had made earlier this year. However, Jordan sat as if she had pulled out a trump card.

"Go to the damn car, now." Kelly's words were icy and nearly bleached Tevin. She then saw Tevin move. "Not you. I will pay for your cab."

"What? You can't-"

"If I were you," Kelly's voice did not raise, yet it was still as frightening as ever. "I would call your parents because when I'm done with you, they'll need to find you. Understood?" Jordan did not respond. "Go!"

At the command, several of people sitting around them turned and stared. Jordan looked into her sister's blue eyes before rising from her seat and storming out, her cell phone in hand.

Kelly sighed. "Never in my life…" Kelly then looked at Jacob, which caused him to shift uncomfortably under her gaze. "Well? You just going to _walk_ home?"

"N-no." Jacob said rising with Kelly. "Um, thanks for dinner, but I could've paid for myself."

"Pay me back later." Kelly said before looking at Tevin. "Go out there with my sister. If she's done anything stupid, she might need someone to voice her last will and testament."

Tevin did not argue. He just moved outside where Jordan was currently standing, leaning against Gavin's truck while tapping her foot angrily.

"You okay?" Tevin asked.

"No!" Jordan replied. "She always does this! Her and Shane just keeps pushing and pushing me because they're bigger."

Tevin only nodded, though he secretly was disagreeing with Jordan. It was _her_ who had been pushing Kelly's patience all night long.

"I just wished they weren't here for like a week or something." Jordan said. "Long enough for me to bare to look at them again."

"Well, anything is possible." Tevin said.

Jordan snorted. "Not that. They don't do anything."

"I could-"

"Are you two ready?" Kelly asked coming to the truck with Jacob.

"Yeah." Tevin said.

"Good, let's go home." Kelly replied. "And Jordan," Jordan glared at Kelly. "For the sake of you being my sister, I'll let that one slide. You'd better thank Jacob for this or else the sidewalk would be wearing your face."

"Whatever." Jordan muttered.


	68. Webisode: MiTunes: Nicky

**Author's Note: **So I did a small series of songfics about characters and certain events and named them MiTunes (My Tunes). Let me know what you think of them.**  
**

**MiTunes: Nicole**

Artist: Creed  
Song: One Last Breath

Nicole woke up from her nap, the fourth time she had done so in the past thirty minutes. Sleeping was so hard now. She continued to think about the buzz… The feel of those drugs in her system… It made all of her problems go away. Now that drug was a person… A person was not here at the moment.

_Please come now I think I'm falling  
I'm holding on to all I think is safe_

Nicole looked at herself in the mirror, seeing a shell of her former self. Shane would never like who she was or who she would turn out to be. She was useless.

_It seems I found the road to nowhere  
And I'm trying to escape_

No matter what she did, she would always be Nathan's sex-slaved druggie. There was no way to escape that past.

_I yelled back when I heard thunder  
But I'm down to one last breath  
And with it let me say  
Let me say_

Screaming in frustration, Nicole swiped several of things off her dresser onto the ground. How could she be so stupid? Her feelings for Shane would never be returned. He wanted Jacquelyn, not some crack-head. It was better if she just ended all of her problems now.

_Hold me now  
I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking  
Maybe six feet  
Ain't so far down_

She walked to the kitchen to grab what could very well be the tool to end all her pain. She would at least make Shane happy. He deserved happiness. Jacquelyn made him happy. She… She only made Shane stressed and tired and worried and sad… She needed to do this for him.

_I'm looking down now that it's over  
Reflecting on all of my mistakes_

Writing a letter that would explain the situation better than she could, Nicole thought about why she was here. Because of herself. Because she was jealous. Because she was stupid. This was all her fault. She needed to punish herself and make Shane happy.

_I thought I found the road to somewhere  
Somewhere in His grace_

As strange as it may sound, she was going to Heaven. That's what she told herself. Once there, everything would be better. Now, if only she could go through with it.

_I cried out heaven save me  
But I'm down to one last breath  
And with it let me say  
Let me say_

She held the knife above her wrist, tears pouring down her eyes. Her last breath would probably be her screaming. But she would never hear it as _he_ appeared in her doorway, his eyes filled with water. He had stopped her momentarily.

_Hold me now  
I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking  
Maybe six feet  
Ain't so far down_

He was not serious. Shane did not need her. She only made his life worse. She only made _everyone's _life worse. His words were all lies. She was going to do it but…

_Hold me now  
I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking  
Maybe six feet  
Ain't so far down  
I'm so far down_

Harry? Helen? Shane? They would all be worse without her? That did make a little sense… They were all happy when she smiled. But as she looked at Shane's eyes as he moved towards her, she was reminded of the day in school.

_Sad eyes follow me  
But I still believe there's something left for me_

They all looked at her as if she held everyone's pity, like they knew just how far gone she was. The old Nicole was gone… But Shane held on to her. He had sworn that he would get that one back. The one that he cared for.

_So please come stay with me  
'Cause I still believe there's something left for you and me  
For you and me  
For you and me_

It was not Jacquelyn he was currently after… It was her former self. That was who Shane really wanted. Lowering the knife, she just let the tears fall like rain now. She wanted Shane… But she would never be the girl who he wants.

For one reason or another, she heard her mind ask him for one favor as he slowly neared her.

_Hold me now  
I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking_

She felt him grab the knife from her hand. She was stuck in this hell that was her life. She would be stuck in this shell of her former self.

_Hold me now  
I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking  
Maybe six feet  
Ain't so far down_

She felt his arms embrace her, his warm body returning to her like it had done days before. Nicole could only do one thing. Hug him just as tight to absorb the warmth.

_Hold me now  
I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking  
Maybe six feet  
Ain't so far down_

For some reason, Nicole felt tired. The warmth that she wanted was here. The thing that made her problems go away was here. Shane Mason, her drug, was now holding on to her for dear life.

_Please come now I think I'm falling  
I'm holding on to all I think is safe_

Nicole drifted off to sleep holding on to the one thing that made her feel safe.


	69. Webisode: MiTunes: Jayden

**MiTunes: Jayden**

Artist: Donnel Jones  
Song: Where I Wanna Be

Jayden stepped out of Scarlett's room seconds before the brunette called him. As she thanked him for his help, he smiles at her. The two stand for a moment before Scarlett whispered a question that had been haunting him since the beginning of his and Laura's relationship.

"Do you love me?"

He blinked before he felt her lips on his cheek.

"Take your time."

Jayden nodded before walking away from Scarlett. As he left her house and entered his car, he turned the radio on to hear a song he had heard his father liked. He looked at a text Laura had sent him and replied to it.

_I just left my baby girl a message  
Saying I won't be coming home  
I'd rather be alone_

Jayden sighed as he backed out of the driveway.

_She doesn't fully understand me  
That I'd rather leave, then to cheat_

Laura was probably pissed at him now. He knew that from the start when he agreed to help his ex at her house. It was no secret that Jayden still had feelings for Scarlett, and Laura was one to pick up on it every time the two were in the same room.

_If she gives me some time  
I can be the man she needs  
But there's a lot of lust inside of me  
And we've been together since our teenage years_

His parents always told him how karma would catch up to him one day, and here it was. Jayden _wanted_ to be with Scarlett, but he _needed_ Laura. It was confusing, yes. But a part of him knew that Scarlett was a dime a dozen and Laura was rarer than that. Still, his desires for his former ex was becoming unhealthy for his relationship and he was doing all that he could to get rid of them.

Of course, Laura did not see it that way as seen from her following text.

_I really don't mean to hurt her, but I need some time  
To be alone_

Yep, she had just told him her famed "fuck off" phrase. Jayden sighed before parking in front of a small café.

_But when you love someone  
You just don't treat them bad  
Oh, how I feel so sad  
Now that I wanna leave_

This was the place Scarlett took him for lunch during her "tour of Toronto" date. It was the first place where the two had actually separated themselves from everyone else and gotten to know each other better. It was the first time he had called her Red due to her name.

But why was he thinking of this when he was with Laura?

_She's crying her heart to me  
How could you let this be?  
I just need time to see  
Where I wanna be  
Where I wanna be..._

Starting his car up again, Jayden drove away. He was hurting Laura every second she had to imagine that he was not with Scarlett, whether it was true or not. Laura did not deserve him, she deserved much better. Someone who actually showed her that they loved her instead of just saying it.

_Sweet little dee-do-dee-dee...  
I don't mean to hurt you, baby, oh, no, no..._

"God, why am I so stupid?" Jayden questioned himself as he continued to drive around to collect his thoughts.

_Never did I imagine  
That you would play a major part  
In a decision that's so hard_

A small smile came across his face as he thought about all the wars he and Laura had gone through prior now. Funny how his worst enemy became someone with half of his heart.

_Do I leave, do I stay, do I go?  
I think about my life and what matters to me the most_

And Scarlett held the other half. It was the girl fought for him versus the girl who fought against him. The girl who shared ideals with him versus the girl who shared her virginity with him.

_Girl, the love that we share is real  
But in time your heart will heal_

If he left one or the other, there would be consequences, no doubt. But, as seen from Scarlett, he was replaceable. She began dating DeWayne a lot sooner than he had begun to date Laura and longer.

But would Laura's heart heal as quickly?

"Dammit…" Jayden muttered to himself as he slammed his hands on the wheel.

_I'm not saying I'm gone  
But I have to find what life is like  
Without you_

If he left Laura for Scarlett, what would _she_ do? Laura was already having trouble dealing with a real boyfriend that she genuinely cared for as well as reuniting with her mother. Did she have enough in her to deal with heartbreak as well?

Then he questioned would _he_ heal as quickly? Laura was a major part of his life now. She had made him feel and express things that he never thought he would. Hell, prior his girlfriend Marissa, the longest he had even dated a girl was a week or so, and _never_ has he told any other girl that he loved her except Laura.

_But when you love someone  
You just don't treat them bad  
Oh, how I feel so sad  
Now that I wanna leave _

Half of him was saying to back to Scarlett and tell her yes. Half of him was reminding him of Laura's ways. The seductress who had hooked up with several guys. The girl who had turned Dakota into an alcoholic. The one who attempted to blackmail him. The person who told him that she hated her.

Yet the other half of him was telling him something else.

_She's crying her heart to me  
How could you let this be?  
I just need time to see  
Where I wanna be  
Where I wanna be..._

She needed him. Scarlett did not necessarily need him, or so he prays. But Laura actually needed him. She came to him for things. She trusted him. She loved him.

_Sweet little dee-do-dee-dee...  
I don't mean to hurt you, baby _

But there was only one Scarlett J. Chessex. Her touch, taste, smell, sound, appearance, they were all unique. And she only let one person to see this unique side of her… Jayden.

_See when you love someone  
You just don't treat them bad  
Oh, how I feel so sad  
Now that I wanna leave  
She's crying her heart to me  
How could you let this be?  
And I just need time to see  
Where I wanna be_

Scarlett was his first crush in Toronto. She was the first person to know many sides of him. She was the closest thing to Marissa that he had. His parents loved her, his siblings liked her, and his grandparents adored her. She was smart, athletic, strong, and beautiful. She was the total package. And she had given him the chance to be with her again. To be with his total package.

_See when you love someone  
You just don't treat them bad  
Oh, how I feel so sad  
Now that I wanna leave  
She's crying her heart to me  
How could you let this be?  
And I just need time to see  
Where I wanna be_

Laura was the girl who he had given his virginity to. Sure, many girls talk about that, but Jayden felt that his virginity was one of the few things his money could never buy back. It was just a dear to him as the next person.

Laura had a will over him. She did not have to say anything. A simple glance told him enough to tell what she was thinking. She knew him well. She had held on to Aaron's secret without him telling her to. She had befriended Dakota. She had openly told him, and those nearby at school, that she loved him. Her smile had literally made his day once before. But unlike Scarlett, his mother hated her, Danica did not trust her, and his grandparents hardly knew her.

_See when you love someone  
You just don't treat them bad  
Oh, how I feel so sad  
Now that I wanna leave  
She's crying her heart to me  
How could you let this be?  
And I just need time to see  
Where I wanna be_

Comparing them on paper, Scarlett won by a slim margin, which is why he found himself parking alongside the house for the second time that day. He got out of his car, his mind set on making everything right. He rang the doorbell and gave the door three solid knocks. Thankfully Helen was not there or he would have been subjected to verbal and/or physical abuse for the urgent signal.

The door opened and he kissed Laura deeply, one which she stood frozen before returning it.

_Where I wanna be_

"I'm sorry baby." Jayden whispered to her with a light smile, which she reciprocated while he closed the door.

* * *

**A/N: **This takes place in-between Back Like That and You Rock My World Pt. I.


	70. S3: Episode VIII: Another Song

**A/N: **So here's the new chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

**Episode VIII: Another Song**

"Are you sure you're up to it?" Aaron asked Chandra again as she closed her locker.

"Yeah. I'll be fine." Chandra said. "My mom says that I need to just stay calm and relaxed and it'll be alright. Besides, I only have half a day today. After the meeting, I'm going to the doctor. So I'll be fine."

"Okay…" Aaron said.

Chandra smiled. "Seriously A.J, how about you worry more about your family and helping Jay out, okay? He needs you. I'll be fine."

"You know how he is. He just needs me to have someone to pick on." Aaron said. "Besides, I think our granddad has finally broken Jay. Last night, he looked like he was going to snap."

"I bet." Chandra said before smiling and leaning towards Aaron. "How about you pick on Brie and Dustin for me, 'kay? I know Vanessa and Ashton will, so please join in on it for me."

"Sure Bambi. But as soon as they catch on, I stop." Aaron said.

Chandra gave Aaron a kiss. "You're so sweet."

"Is that a good thing?" Aaron asked.

"It's perfect." Chandra said. "Now, walk me to class so I check in with my teacher and leave? Please? I'd feel really stressful if you didn't."

"You're using your condition against me…" Aaron responded. "That's not really fair Bambi."

"Who cares? I'm sick and you have to take care of me." Chandra said as the two began walking to their separate classes. "Or do you want me to go to a mental hospital?"

Aaron looked at the mock pout on Chandra's face and smiled.

"You got me Bambi." Aaron said.

"I told Mom the pout always works on you." Chandra muttered.

"What?" Aaron asked.

"Nothing!" Chandra said. "To class!"

* * *

Jayden sighed as he came onto the bus to see James, Mary-Jane, and Scarlett already there. He sat in a seat near the middle of the bus before Scarlett stood and moved beside him.

"You okay?" Scarlett asked. Jayden shrugged. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"I just don't." Jayden said simply.

"Does this have anything to do with your grandparents?" Scarlett questioned.

"Every freaking bit." Jayden stated.

"Tell me J.T." Scarlett said.

Jayden sighed. "Well, not that I _hate_ get yelled at or anything like that, but when someone does it for like an _hour_ it becomes a little excessive, don't you think?" Jayden sighed. "I swear, the first cameraman that catches whiff of this and tries to find me, I'm going to buy me the largest automatic rifle in the world and unload the entire magazine on his face."

"Don't think like that Jayden. It's sinister and unlike you." Scarlett replied. "I'm starting to think that she's rubbed off on you now."

"No… I think I rubbed off on her more. How else would she be pregnant?" Jayden stated. Scarlett's face showed her disgust at the thought, bringing a smile on Jayden's face. "What would I do without you Red?"

"Knock up another girl?" Scarlett said.

"Oh ha-ha, you are a laughing riot." Jayden stated.

"Hey," Mary-Jane said, causing Jayden to turn and look at her. "Where's your third girlfriend? You know, your brother's girlfriend?"

"I seriously need a publicist…" Jayden said turning back around in his seat. "Just why does everything bad has to happen to me? It should happen to people that deserve them."

"Next to the girl who's hooked up with almost every guy in school, sells drugs during school hours, drinks, smokes, and beats on random people?" Mary-Jane stated. "If you can find a more suitable person, I'd like to hear it."

Scarlett saw the anger in Jayden's eyes and decided to handle the problem before he flipped.

"Hey," Scarlett said gaining Mary-Jane's attention. "Didn't you tell me that sex was the way to keep a man?"

"It is." Mary-Jane said.

"Well you must suck at it seeing as you've lost two guys by the very thing." Scarlett responded. "James left you because, let's be honest, you've hooked up with more guys than Laura could _dream_ about and Tyler left you because _obviously_ Helen does it better than you."

Mary-Jane scoffed. "Whatever. I don't see you with a guy, oh Prude Princess."

"You also don't see me being beat out by a _virgin_." Scarlett said. "Seriously Mary-Jane, how is it that Helen out-"

"Shut up. You don't know what you're talking about." Mary-Jane interrupted. "Besides, we all know that Tyler's a dog. They all are."

James let out a small snicker, quite amused at how easily it was for Scarlett to get under Mary-Jane's skin. But before anything else could be said, Chandra entered the bus with Darcy behind her.

"All of us are here and accounted for, let's go." Darcy said to the bus driver, who was also paying attention to the earlier conversation.

Chandra sat in the seat next to Jayden and Scarlett's, her eyes on her boyfriend's brother and first crush.

"Hey Jay." she said.

Jayden grinned at her. "Hey yourself. You doing any better than yesterday?"

Chandra shook her head. "Not really. I try to smile for A.J and my parents' sake but… It's getting harder."

Jayden laughed. "I know the feeling."

Scarlett only sighed with a small smile. Despite Chandra's stress-related problem being an actually health issue, it got to her on how Jayden could so easily relate. She then figured that Jayden's life would always be this complicated.

"Let's just get this meeting over with, okay?" Jayden said to Chandra.

"Right." Chandra replied.

* * *

Jacquelyn made her way out of the restroom, now heading back for class. She felt a bit tired since she had a stressful dance rehearsal yesterday evening to prepare for the next recital next Tuesday. Her toes ached as well as her legs in general, but the show must go on.

She rounded a corner and bumped into another student.

"Sorry." she said before seeing who it was. "Scooter? What are you doing?"

"Walking around." Damon answered. From the slight frown she wore, he knew that was the wrong answer. "Um, I saw that you have another thing Tuesday."

"Recital." Jacquelyn said.

"Right, recital. I was going to go but…" Damon paused.

"Oh, you don't have to come to _every_ show." Jacquelyn said. "I mean, I'd like that but you don't."  
Damon blinked. "You actually like it when I show up? Even unannounced?"

"Yes, I mean, it's good to have support from someone." Jacquelyn responded. "It makes me feel like I have a reason to dance harder or something. I don't know how to explain it." Damon nodded, though he had no idea on what she was talking about. "I have to get back to class."

"Hey, do you think we could hangout after school and not at your dance rehearsals?" Damon asked.

"Uh…" Jacquelyn was seriously debating the question. While she truly wanted to spend time with a friend, she hated the thought of that friend being rejected by her other friends and thus being friendless once more. "I'll see…"

"I get it. Helen and Nicky don't approve." Damon said. "It's okay."

"No Scooter, that's-"

"Yes it is. I'm not stupid." Damon said. Jacquelyn stopped herself from reminding him of the number of summer school sessions he had attended to disprove his statement. "Laura's told me how this goes."

"Laura?" Jacquelyn repeated.

Damon nodded. "Yep. The same whore who now dates your ex and _his_ friends don't approve." Jacquelyn cringed a bit. Maybe he was not as dumb as she thought. "It's cool though. I'll see you around then."

"Friday." Jacquelyn said. "After school, I'm free Friday. We can go wherever."

"I'll… I'll pick you up then." Damon said.

"Right. See you later Scooter." Jacquelyn said walking away.

Damon took in a deep breath before exhaling slowly. He was a failure in relationships, even he knew that, so this startled him. Jacquelyn was the closest thing he has had to a girlfriend in years and while she was a good friend, he wanted to take the risk to move to the next level. He now knew how Nathan felt for Stephanie.

"Time to find Nate for some advice." Damon said to himself before walking away as well.

* * *

Sitting with the others in an unused classroom, Chandra subconsciously wrapped her arms around herself. Steven was somewhere in this building, walking these halls. She did not think about anything else other than leaving this school once and for all.

"Wow, what a great deduction." Mercedes said lifelessly after Scarlett finished her statement.

"Sorry, only the _presidents_ can talk now." Scarlett retorted. "So wait your turn."

"I think your _personal _problem with me is the reason your tone has changed _Scarlett_." Mercedes said, spitting the girl's name. "So let's clear the air, shall we? Yes. We are dating now."

"Great. And all it took was your dignity." Scarlett stated.

"Before this continues," Jayden said. "Just what does that have to do with a _peaceful_ solution between Lakehurst and Degrassi? And what happened to the party idea?"

"I still say go for it." Tyler stated.

"Why? Trying to find a new girlfriend already?" Mary-Jane snapped back.

DeWayne smirked. "Probably is…"

"Shut up Piss-gerald, no one asked you." Tyler said.

"Still answered it." DeWayne said.

Tevin, who sat quietly, looked over to see Chandra's uncharacteristic actions. He would have questioned if she was alright or not, but Jayden seemed to lean over and whisper something to her. Her response was a smile before she removed her arms from around herself.

"Hey, stop staring at her and participate." DeWayne said, causing the others to glance at Tevin.

Chandra sat quietly as Tevin removed his eyes from her, looking at DeWayne now. Chills ran down her spine now. Why did she ever attempt to flirt with him?

"Let's hear from the smarter twin, shall we?" Jayden said motioning for Deanna to speak. "I mean, her party was the better of the two and she's obviously plotting something."

"What do you want Jayden?" Deanna asked angrily.

Jayden shrugged. "Nothing. I just thought you'd have an idea is all."

"Are you alright Dee? You look out of it." Mercedes stated.

"Fine." Deanna said. "And as for this little get-together, I think it'll only work on two conditions. One, we plan a way to keep those willing to rip each other's head off away from each other. Two, we leave our own anger at home. And that will never happen."

"Well we heard from our quiet person," DeWayne said before looking at Chandra. "What's your take?"

"Um…" Chandra began.

"Don't pressure her to talk." Tevin told DeWayne.

"I can defend for myself, thank you very much." Chandra said causing Jayden's eyebrow to rises. "And I agree… I can't believe this… I agree with Deanna. It will probably never happen."

"I'll tell you why," Mercedes said. "Because one of your friends is making posts about us on the internet."

"Says the girl that publicly announced my girlfriend's pregnancy." Jayden remarked.

"Uh, she was drunk and what does that have to do with Laura being pregnant in the first place? We would've known eventually." Mary-Jane stated.

"Says the other girl who was trying not to stare at Tyler and Helen." Jayden said. "We can all talk about how Laura's obviously getting some and you two are being a bit crabby with sex withdrawals. I get it. But the topic is a gathering of two schools, not Laura and my sex-life."

Scarlett actually smiled at the statement before James sighed.

"This is getting us nowhere." James said. "Let's just sit here and wait until it's time to go. Agreed?"

"First one to make a noise pays everyone five bucks?" Jayden suggested.

"Always gambling." Mary-Jane stated.

"I'm in." DeWayne said. "Nothing a McDuelle can do that a Fitzgerald can't."

"Except flipping a Coyne if you catch my drift." Jayden said with a smirk.

"Whatever J.T." Scarlett said looking at the clock. "Time starts now."

* * *

Laura sighed heavily as she grabbed her notebook for second period. Things had yet to change and it was starting to irritate her. The whispers she could hear around every corner were becoming more and more like clear and defined shouting.

"Hey Laura!" And of course, there was Nicole. "How's your day?"

"Since when did we become friends or anything like that?" Laura responded as she stared at Nicole.

"Well, we're friends by association." Nicole stated. "My boyfriend who I _live_ with is the best friend of your boyfriend who is also your…" Laura's glare dared Nicole to finish the statement, so the blonde dodged the topic. "So how's your day?"

"Peachy." Laura said walking away, though Nicole followed.

"Peachy? You've _never_ used that word before. Something must be wrong." Nicole said.

"Really? I couldn't tell over the sound of _everyone_ talking about me!" Laura said, directing the last part to a duo of gossiping girls. The two girls glanced at one another before walking away. "I swear I'm going to love it when I'm in fucking England for the whole-"

"I could be your friend, you know." Nicole interrupted in a quieter tone. Laura gave her a disbelieving look. "I know the feeling… How they stare at you as if they pity a disease you don't have. The whispers… You're screaming in your head but you can't say what you want to out loud… It gets smothering."

"Yeah…" Laura replied.

Nicole smiled. "It gets better though."

"How? I'm _pregnant_! I'll just get bigger and there'll be _more_ to talk about!" Laura retorted.

"Well," Nicole said. "When I felt like the end…" Laura nodded. Jayden had informed her of Nicole's suicide attempt. "When I felt _that_, a very special person to me showed me that just one person can make a difference."

"Really?" Laura said sarcastically. "Please tell me how."

"Because Shane gave me a reason to live." Nicole responded. "Sure having Helen and Jackie as friends helped, and seeing my little brother made me happy, but the truth is, none of them thought I could do it. They picked and talked about me when I wasn't there. They'd give me this look as if I was someone else." Nicole smiled. "But Shane… He was great. He always said jokes to make me smile. He'd hold me if he thought I was cold. He'd stay with me when I had trouble sleeping. Soon everything just seemed better."

"I bet." Laura said in a low tone.

Nicole smiled and put a hand on Laura's shoulder.

"And I'm sure that Jay will do the same thing for you." Nicole assured. "And if you need someone to help in-between, I'm here."

Laura felt herself relax as Nicole walked away before she felt a pang of guilt. Earlier this year, she would have given anything for Nicole to be away from her. Now… Now she seemed to be the only girl that understood what Laura was going through.

"At least I can be myself." Laura said before her brown eyes landed on the two girls from earlier. She smirked as she cracked her knuckles. "Now, what were you two saying again?"

* * *

Jordan caught Shane walking towards class and decided to stay out of his sight. After last night, her older siblings have not said one thing to her and less about her. It was as if she did not exist to them.

And she wanted to exist to them.

"Shane…" Jordan said timidly. He looked at her with angered brown eyes. Jordan straightened herself up to speak in a clearer and surer tone. "Shane, I'm going to say that I apologize for what I said to Kelly."

"So?" Shane replied.

"So… Stop ignoring me like I don't exist." Jordan said.

"We're not." Shane stated.

Jordan scoffed. "Yeah right. You came to Mom's, you picked me up, you hardly _looked_ at me all walk long, and you're doing it now!"

"Oh forgive me. I'm mourning the lost of my younger sister. Jordan Cameron? Ever heard of her." Shane said as if he was speaking to a different person. "She was about your height, but her hair wasn't straight. It was curly and bounced when she walked. She was a bubbly know-it-all nerd that actually blushed when she was embarrassed. You? You're just another popular girl with a bad complexion."

"Seriously? Is that what this is about? My popularity?" Jordan stated.

"Shane! Class is almost starting." Kelly said moving down the hall. "This way big bro."

"Right." Shane said walking away from Kelly.

Jordan stood astonished. Every day, every single day, if Kelly passed Jordan in the hallway, she told Jordan to get to class. Yesterday, last week, the first day, all of them went like this. But to see Kelly just walk by without so much as a glance stung.

Jordan sighed before turning around, spotting Dustin and Gabrielle talking.

"Uh…" Dustin said stopping before leading Gabrielle away from Jordan. "Like I was saying. Of course I'd go to their next show so long as A.J gets the tickets."

Jordan sighed again, this time heading to class. She had lost her real friends. She had lost her real boyfriend. She had even lost her older sister. Was this all worth it?

"Want me to carry your books?" a random guy asked.

Jordan smiled. "Sure. Thanks."

Maybe not completely worth it, but it felt good enough.

* * *

Leaving the classroom, Chandra smiled to herself. She was leaving Steven behind in Lakehurst and returning to Degrassi. That made her feel so much better.

"Uh, Bambi," she stopped to look at Tevin who as addressing her. "I kind of learned what happened between you and Steven." The name caused her body to twitch involuntarily. "So… Are you okay?"

"Fine." Chandra said.

"I was just asking because you looked, I don't know, gray earlier. Kind of like you're not yourself." Tevin stated.

"Don't you have a girlfriend?" Chandra replied. "Yes. A loser named Jordan. And when _I_ wanted to talk to you, you wouldn't spare me the time of day. So I'm going to go back to my _boyfriend_ who has been all the help I need as of date."

"Sorry about that. I was just-"

"Stupid, I know." Chandra interrupted. "In fact… Had you did this earlier, I wouldn't have dated Steven in the first place!" Tevin flinched at the fact. "But… I hold nothing against you. You did take Jordan away from A.J for me so… I guess alls well that ends well."

"Ms. Torres." Darcy stated.

"Coming." Chandra said before sparing Tevin one final glare and then moving to catch up with the others.

* * *

Laura sat alone at lunch for the first time in years. She found it rather peaceful, yet disturbingly quiet, all at the same time. People glanced at her from time to time, but no one came to see how she was doing. Not Nathan, not Damon, and not Nicole. She figured that this was how her life was going to go from now on with people whispering about her from a distance.

That is until a Wendy's bag was sat in front of her.

"I figured if we couldn't go out," Jayden said. "I'd bring the food to you." Laura smiled as he sat across from her. "So how was your day so far?"

"Um, I made a friend." Laura said. "And then I punched someone."

Jayden chuckled. "You're one sad soul Laura, you really are." Jayden then frowned amusingly. "And who is this 'friend' that you have met? Do I know this person?"

"Surprisingly, it's _your_ fault that said person was around me in the first place." Laura said grabbing her food from the bag. Jayden frowned harder. "She had a thing for you and you dated Jackie instead. Ring any bells?"

"Not really… I mean, if we _were_ talking about Nicky, I'd have to say that I told you to stay away from Nathan which would've been the best solution." Jayden stated. Laura rolled her eyes. "No point in getting mad at me because I was right."

"Have I ever mentioned how badly I hate you?" Laura responded with a small smile.

Jayden shrugged. "Once or twice, but I always ignored it."

"Right…" Laura said. "So why aren't you eating with your friends?"

"I am." Jayden said with a smile. "Just so happens she has a hard time getting along with other people." Laura grinned at the statement. "Anyway, I have to do this little 'intern' thingy at my dad's office today. Can't get a job unless he approves. So I won't be able to go with you to your mom's."

Laura snorted. "We sound like a married couple."

"Laura McDuelle has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" Jayden asked with a raised eyebrow before biting into his burger.

"Yeah…" Laura said. "Jay, are you going to stay with me just because I'm pregnant? I mean, Scarlett's single now and this is about the time that you'd break up with me and go back to her so I'm just…"

Jayden swallowed the food in his mouth.

"How many sisters do I have?" he asked.

"Four." Laura answered with a frown.

"Brothers?" Jayden stated.

"Two but what does-"

"And my favorite cereal is?" Jayden interrupted.

"Frosted Flakes but I don't-"

"My girlfriend's name is?" Jayden continued.

Laura sighed. "Laura."

"Right. You. The person who could answer those questions without a second thought." Jayden said. "And if you can answer all of those questions, then you should be able to answer that first question. No. I'm not staying with you for the sake of the child, in fact, I'm having the child for the sake of you." Jayden paused and frowned. "Well, _you're_ having the child for the sake of _us_."

"Why'd you make me answer those questions?" Laura asked.

"To prove a point maybe. You get me, more than Scarlett ever did. Going back to her and having to educate her on the simple things that you already know is just a waste of time." Jayden answered. "Besides, I like the feeling of waking up beside you in the morning."

Laura blushed slightly. "Someone might hear you…"

"You're worse than A.J, you know?" Jayden laughed.

Aaron glanced at his brother and his brother's girlfriend eating lunch together before turning his attention back to Dustin and Gabrielle, both who were silent and angry at Vanessa and Ashton.

"So," Vanessa said before looking at Aaron. "Bambi went to get check out?" Aaron nodded. "I hope she's alright."

"She's probably fine. Drama queen…" Ashton responded.

"She passed out in the middle of the hallway. If that's 'fine' I'm going to hate it if they find something wrong with her." Aaron said.

"I bet. She looked terrible in class yesterday." Vanessa added.

"Well, worse than normal." Ashton said. Vanessa glared at him. "Joking."

"Why not go with her?" Dustin asked Aaron. "I'm sure her mom or dad would've let you gone with her."

"She said she wanted to go by herself." Aaron sad. "You know how Bambi is." The others nodded, especially Vanessa who was Chandra's lab partner. "Besides, she said she'd call when it was ov-"

"A.J." Jordan interrupted. "Can I talk to you? Privately?"

"The return of the evil ex." Dustin muttered to Gabrielle, who smiled.

"Seriously Santos, why is it that everyone comes to the table looking for you?" Ashton asked.

Aaron shrugged before turning his attention back to Jordan. He stood up and stepped away with her.

"What is it?" he asked.

"What's wrong with people? Do you guys think that I'm going to automatically say or do something wrong?" Jordan replied.

"It's becoming a habitual thing…" Aaron answered.

"Shane and Kelly are pissed at me. And not like normal either. Really, really pissed at me." Jordan said. "I need your help to make them less pissed at me, okay?"

"No." Aaron said.

"What?" Jordan retorted.

"I said no." Aaron stated. "You get what you deserve." Jordan opened her mouth to speak but Aaron continued. " I don't think Shane would be mad at you for no reason and I _know_ Kelly wouldn't. She's one of the most forgiven people I know. So whatever you did, you brought this on yourself."

"Is that what you said to Chandra when Steven hit her? She brought it on herself?" Jordan asked angrily.

"Yes." Aaron stated. "But we're not talking about Bambi. We're talking about you, remember?"

Jordan crossed her arms. "Fine. Let's talk about me." Aaron nodded. "You said that no one could hate me." Jordan pointed to Aaron's table. "They do."

"You think I lied?" Aaron replied. "The only thing I've lied about is my real last name. You? You've changed who you are. And I'd appreciate it if you stop trying to start rumors about Bambi. You're not helping with her stress levels."

"Well what do you want me to do? Give her a basket of fruit and flowers? Send her a card?" Jordan said. "Your girlfriend is a drama queen. She's only dating you because she can't date your older brother. You know that and I know that."

"My _ex _girlfriend had a crush on my older brother as well _and_ she walked out on her grandfather's _funeral_. So if _anyone_ should be considered a drama queen, it's you Jordan." Aaron said. "But, I'm over that. Why? Because I'm happy."

"Happy or satisfied?" Jordan retorted.

"Since my older brother and sister are trying to kill me," Aaron said with a smirk. "I'm beyond happy."

Jordan rolled her eyes and walked away angrily. She thought that Aaron would help her like he did everyone else. She thought that his grudge would have diminished. Well, she thought wrong. Obviously he still hated her. So that meant there was just one final person to help Jordan out. One Jayden McDuelle.

* * *

Deanna sighed as she walked down the halls alone. At the moment, she was pissed at both her brother and her best friend. It was no secret that she was still single. Rubbing it in purposely or accidentally was just uncalled for.

"Hey Deanna," Stephanie said with her normal hopeful smile. "Are you alright? You look pretty mad."

"I _am_ mad." Deanna said. "But… It's nothing you would understand.

Stephanie frowned. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Because you can't." Deanna said. "Everyone here knows that the reason Tank and those thugs jumped Nate was because of you. So obviously you have yourself…" Deanna paused. "Like I said, you wouldn't understand."

"Deanna, Nate and I are just friends. I can't help it that he's protective of me for whatever reason, but we're not dating. Honestly." Stephanie said.

Deanna frowned. "Doesn't that make you kind of a slut? I mean, if you're not dating him, but you're clearly more than friends, then what are you? Friends with benefits? That's what sluts like Helen Coyne does."

"I am not a slut." Stephanie said angrily.

"You surely act like one. In fact, why are we talking again?" Deanna asked.

"Because five minutes ago, we were friends." Stephanie replied before walking away. "Bitch…"

Deanna only scoffed and walked the opposite way. While she did not intend on offending Stephanie, a part of her only grew jealous because Stephanie _had_ a male friend to protect her while Deanna had no one. Not her father. Not her mother. Not her best friend. And not her brother.

Sighing, Deanna looked towards the ceiling briefly. If only she knew who she ran into in her party…

* * *

Sixth period had come and gone, and one Nicole Campbell was happy to be leaving school. She walked down the hall beside Jacquelyn, smiling widely.

"So you're never going to believe who called me a friend today!" Nicole sad.

Jacquelyn sighed. "Am I going to like the answer?"

"Laura! As in Laura Reynolds!" Nicole stated. "Do you know how hard it is for her to consider someone a friend?" Jacquelyn shrugged. "Really, really hard! To get her to stop hating me, I had to say those horrible things about you."

"Do you _really_ want her to consider you a friend? And I mean, think about this Nicky. Laura is still the same. Just because she's with Jay doesn't change much." Jacquelyn said.

"You don't think that about _Scooter_ do you?" Nicole asked with a knowing smile.

Jacquelyn scoffed. "Whatever Nicky…" The two glanced at one another before smiling. "He asked me out Friday."

"Like your first official date? Jackie that's great!" Nicole said as she stopped near her locker.

"Ssh! I don't want everyone to know. Not yet." Jacquelyn said smoothing a strand of hair behind her ear. "But… Lately after my practice, he's came and we've talked."

"And?" Nicole asked.

Jacquelyn sighed. "He's not as big of a jerk as I thought, alright? Seriously Nicky, stop being so hopeful about something that might not happen."

"Whenever you believe something will never happen," Nicole said. "Remember Laura Reynolds."

"What?" Jacquelyn asked with a smile.

Nicole shrugged. "That's what Shane says. He said that there was a blizzard in hell the day that Laura Reynolds felt something remotely romantic for someone. So if you think that something has an absolute zero chance of happening, remember Laura Reynolds."

"I'll have to think of that." Jacquelyn said as Nicole opened her locker. "Oh my God!"

Nicole stared at the small clear bag that had fallen out of her locker containing the white substance she fought so hard to stay away from. She looked up at Jacquelyn with shocked eyes.

"Nicky!" Jacquelyn said.

"It… It isn't mine! I swear!" Nicole replied.

"But it was in your locker!" Jacquelyn shouted.

"But Jackie it's not mine!" Nicole retorted. "I swear, I'm clean!"

"What's not yours?" both girls stiffened as Nicole put her foot on the small bag, staring into Marco's eyes.

"Oh, M-Mr. Del Rossi! Hey!" Nicole said. "Um, your daughter was actually nice today!"

Jacquelyn rolled her eyes. Nicole could not sound more guilty of something if she tried.

"What's under you foot?" Marco asked.

"Uh, love note?" Nicole stated with a nervous smile. Marco held his hand out. "It's really nothing Mr. Del Rossi! Please just-"

"Nicole, hand me whatever it is under your foot." Marco said.

Nicole sighed before removing her foot. She reached down and grabbed the cocaine before putting it in Marco's hand.

"Nicole, this was in your locker?" he asked her in suspicion.

"I don't know how it got there Mr. Del Rossi! I swear." Nicole said. "I've been to all my classes and every time I've gone to my locker someone was with me!"

Marco sighed. "I'm sorry Nicole, but I'm going to have to ask you to follow me."

"Yes sir." Nicole said before looking at Jacquelyn. "Please find Shane for me."

Jacquelyn nodded as Nicole walked away. She then closed Nicole's locker before moving to where she knew Shane would be at with Kelly and Jordan. If Nicole was telling the truth, which Jacquelyn now fully believed, then someone had framed her.

"Jackie? Where's Nicky?" Shane asked. "Helen or Mary-Jane reschedule cheerleading practice or something?"

"She's in the principal's office." Jacquelyn answered. "Shane… She had crack in her locker."

Jordan and Kelly looked at their brother as he frowned. Shane stood like this for a few seconds before he began making his way up the steps.

"Shane where are you going?" Kelly asked.

"Getting Nicky." Shane replied. "Go on without me."

"Alright…" Kelly said before turning around and walking away.

Jordan, not aware that her sister had begun walking away without her, did her best to catch up, Jacquelyn behind her.

"Do you think its hers?" Jacquelyn asked Kelly.

Kelly paused in her step before laughing.

"No. My dad would flip if he thought Nicky was still doing that. And don't get me started on my mom." Kelly replied.

"Oh… Okay." Jacquelyn said.

* * *

Chandra sat at the Dot with Vanessa and Ashton, waiting for Aaron to show up.

"Are you alright?" Vanessa asked her friend.

Chandra smiled. "Never better. Just have to keep the stress level down. I can do that easily."

"You sure?" Vanessa questioned.

"Vanessa, I'm perfectly fine. You're starting to stress me out by repeating just one question!" Chandra said. The three heard and saw Tevin enter. "Oh great…"

"Chandra, hey. You look better than this morning." Tevin said.

"Hey, don't I know you?" Ashton stated. "Oh right. The guy that broke up _two_ relationships earlier. Here to make it three for three?"

"I just came to see if she was alright." Tevin said. "She looked pretty out of it earlier and I just want to check in on her."

"Don't." Chandra said before Aaron came into the Dot. "He's all I need."

"Right." Tevin replied moving away.

Aaron looked at Chandra with a small frown, which she waved off.

"Right…" Aaron said. "So how'd your checkup go?"

"Can we talk outside?" Chandra asked rising from her seat.

"Sure." Aaron stated.

Vanessa and Ashton watched Chandra lead Aaron out of the restaurant before Vanessa leaned towards Ashton.

"I told you that she wasn't alright." she whispered.

"Hm…" he replied.

"Oh come on. You're not seriously thinking about fighting him now are you?" Vanessa asked. Ashton nodded slowly. "Well don't. A.J's here now."

"Don't I feel safe?" Ashton said sarcastically before Vanessa giggled and punched his shoulder playfully.

"Jerk."

* * *

Laura sighed as she sat on the couch in Bianca's apartment. Her mother looked between her and her father before settling back on Laura.

"How in the hell did this happen?" Bianca asked. "No. I don't need to know that. Why the fuck are you so stupid Laura?"

Laura only flinched. That statement hurt more than it should have. She had been called stupid before after all.

"Bianca I don't think that that's going to-"

"And you! You're the one saying you 'great' you're going to raise her. Well tough shit dumbass, our daughter's pregnant in high school!" Bianca interrupted. "You know, I can't even _believe_ this right now. Do you even know who the father is?"

"Jayden." Laura muttered.

Bianca snorted. "I don't fucking believe this."

"What's so funny?" Mr. Reynolds asked.

"My daughter. My _only surviving child_, is knocked up by the oldest son of _Maxwell_ _and Manny McDuelle_! Talk about making lemonade out of lemons!" Bianca stated.

Laura frowned. "I'm not keeping the child for a paycheck."

"No. Because that would be stupid. More stupid than getting pregnant in the first place. Why?" Bianca responded. "Because they would find you, take the child, and probably take you out. Period."

"I'm going to raise the child." Laura said. "With Jayden. Like a-"

"Family? You don't know how Laura." Bianca interrupted.

"Because _you_ ran away like a fucking coward!" Laura snapped, but quickly covered her mouth afterwards. Her father had never heard her curse before.

"There it is." Mr. Reynolds said. "I knew it was in you somewhere."

Bianca just glared at Laura. "You think being a mother is easy? Go ahead. Give it a shot. But when you fail, and trust me you will, I'd like an apology, on your knees. This isn't a game. This is real. You're going to be a mother whether you like it or not."

"I'll have help. Mrs. McDuelle and Jayden's sister can teach me things I don't know. I can go to his dad whenever I want to and he'll help me." Laura said.

"Because you're carrying his grandchild. Once that's out of you you're expendable." Bianca said.

"No," Laura replied. "No I'm not."

"And how do you know this?" Bianca questioned.

"Because Jayden loves me. And I don't care what Dad thinks or what you say because I know its true." Laura said confidently. "You think that just because we're young that this will be the worst thing ever. Well it's not, okay? It's probably one of the best!"

"Even though you're saying that," Bianca responded. "You're doubting yourself. Hell, I doubted myself. That's why I'm here and you're there." Laura's self-assured stare slowly died. "Yeah, I thought so. Just remember that one day, everything can change. Especially if he just so happens to remember that he loves what's-her-name more than you."

Laura sat back on the couch. The thought had already crossed her mind. If Jayden and Scarlett were to rekindle, then where would she be? He would probably go off and live a happy life, only giving her the bare minimal to survive off of.

"Though I doubt it." Bianca stated as if reading her daughter's mind. "Good job in finding a stubborn boyfriend. Now if you can only go back in time and stop this from happening, it'd be great."

"Right…" Laura said.

* * *

Scarlett was happy to see Jayden walking into his parents house. While she did not want to come on as Peeping Tom or the female variant, she wanted to see him. Without DeWayne to occupy her time, she spent most of it between covering for Helen and thinking alone.

Ringing the doorbell, she was surprised when Jayden opened it with a wide smile.

"Hey J-ah!" she squealed as he lifted her and spun her around in the yard.

"Best idea ever!" Jayden said after he sat her down.

"Idea? What idea?" Scarlett asked.

Jayden sighed. "So, I was doing some paperwork for my dad. Completely bored out of my mine. But in this stack of papers was something in like complete Italiano, something only A.J and Danni can speak. So I went to show it to his secretary who was gone which led me to just take the stupid thing to him. He can understand the important stuff."

"You're rambling." Scarlett said with a smile.

"Right. Right. Story." Jayden said. "So I walked in on like this huge company meeting. My aunt was on the little TV screen and everything. Big problem because my dad went from like pissed about whatever to kill his son who's about to be a father mode." Scarlett frowned. "But it's okay because then my aunt, Ginger, she was like that I should have a say in where to take our company. At first I was completely out of fresh ideas, I mean my dad's been coming up with ideas since sixteen. What could I possibly do that he hasn't?"

"Get a girl pregnant in-"

"So I said an entertainment section. For like my music and stuff. They debated about half an hour and then thought it was a _brilliant _idea!" Jayden said. "Problem is, my band can't be signed until _after_ the Battle of the Bands which I had _no_ idea about until _after_ I said what I said."

"So your dad is doing a record label off of his already large company?" Scarlett asked.

"And I actually have you to thank for that." Jayden said.

"M-me?" Scarlett repeated. "What did I do?"

"Reminded me that there's still a fraction of that go-getter inside of me." Jayden answered with a grin. "And with that, I thank you."

"Um, you're welcome?" Scarlett said not sure of what to say.

"I'm more than welcome to know such a wonderful person." Jayden said. "But, I have to grab something and be out of here. Call you later? Celebrate soon? What's the plan Madam President?"

"Uh, go to your baby mama and make sure she's alright and we'll see." Scarlett said with a smile.

Jayden smiled. "You're really something else Scarlett, I tell you. If you could remove some of that jealousy and cut down on your spoiled nature, you'd be like my gift from heaven. I swear."

Scarlett stood stunned as Jayden moved to his car as if he had not given her such a big compliment.

"See you later Red." Jayden said getting into his car.

Scarlett waved at him before he started his car up and drove off. She had no clue on how such small words could mean so much.

"Oh, Scarlett," Scarlett looked to see Manny. "I thought I heard Jay out here talking to someone. I didn't know it was you." Scarlett smiled. "He came by to tell me some big news. Did he tell you?"

"Yeah." Scarlett replied.

Manny grinned. "Said that someone gave him some encouraging words yesterday. A 'real good friend' is what he called her."

"H-her? He said it was a she?" Scarlett asked.

"Oh, I already know who it was." Manny responded. "Thank you."

"You're welcome Mrs. McDuelle." Scarlett said.

* * *

Chandra stood with Aaron outside of her house.

"So," Aaron said to her. "Do you think you'll ever… You know be ready?"

"To face him? Not anytime soon." Chandra answered. "The doctor says that it should clear up if I just take my time. Don't stress myself over it anymore."

"Right. And the nightmares and faint spells?" Aaron asked.

"They'll leave. Hopefully." Chandra stated. "But I don't want Vanessa or any of the others to know. They'll just worry more and that'll be more stressful. I don't want them to treat me like I have a problem."

"But you do." Aaron said. Chandra sighed. "I'm sorry Bambi. I just want to help you anyway I can and if keeping this a secret to everyone else is what you want, then I'll do it. Just… Just take it easy, okay? The little meetings with Principal Taylor and cheerleading as well as the gifted program? If you did anymore after school things, you'd be fried."

Chandra smiled. "You're such a good friend." Aaron blinked before she kissed him deeply. "But you make a way better boyfriend."

"I try." Aaron said. "Um, about Tevin earlier…"

"I guess he finally sees that Jordan isn't as good as I am." Chandra replied with a smile. "Don't worry though. I think Ashton and I got him away. And if he tries in the meeting, I'm sure Jayden's looking for someone to release some stress out on."

Aaron chuckled a bit. "I don't think. I know so." Aaron looked towards the sky. "I'm going to head back to my battlefield of a home. I'm sure there's a new battle going on in the Laura Pregnancy War."

"Good look Sergeant Santos… I meant McDuelle. Good luck A.J" Chandra said.

Aaron laughed as he kissed her. "Don't worry about it Bambi."

Chandra watched Aaron walk away before she subconsciously hugged herself again. What she experienced earlier today was the worst feeling ever. The feeling of being alone. That was the feeling after Dustin got angry at her. That was the feeling when Steven pulled her to the side to beat her. That was the feeling she had in his room. If she screamed no one either heard or cared. It scared her.

"Chandra, don't you think you should come in now?" Alli asked.

"Coming Mom." Chandra replied.

* * *

Shane looked at Nicole and Jacquelyn, who both sat on Nicole's bed, before turning towards Kelly.

"Okay, calm down. Who do we know that hates Nicky?" Kelly asked.

"Do you remember her drug days? Everyone had it in for her." Shane answered.

"But I apologized to everyone I did something wrong to. I think." Nicole said.

"I only know one person that breaks into other people lockers and that's one Damon McBride." Shane stated.

"I don't think it's him." Jacquelyn said.

Kelly frowned. "Why? It seems right up his ally considering that he didn't like Nicky hanging around Nate. Jealousy is a powerful thing."

"I just don't think it's him. It doesn't seem like something he'd do." Jacquelyn said. Both Mason siblings stared at Jacquelyn in confusion. "I just have a hunch that it's not him, alright?"

"Suspect number one." Kelly said. "It could be Laura…"

"You think?" Shane questioned.

"Come on. She befriended Nicky right before Nicky was busted _and_ Dash just 'magically' had alcohol in her locker and Laura's the only other person to know her combination." Kelly explained. "It makes since."

"Hmm… You have a point." Shane said. "But Jay would _never_ listen to that reasoning."

"Love will make you do the craziest thing." Kelly responded. "So that's two people we know. Might as well throw Nathan into the bunch."

"Can't be Nate." Shane said.

Kelly frowned again. "Why?"

"He's got a problem with me, not Nicky." Shane answered. "Plus, he's been less of a douche lately. I really can't see him returning to glory by pranking Nicky. It doesn't seem like him, you know?"

"And it's not Laura." Nicole spoke up. "When I talked to her in the halls today. I saw… Me… But like when I was really, _really_ down."

Kelly sighed heavily. "Okay so we're left with Scooter who Jackie's going to defend for and now that leaves us with no one."

"Someone is obviously framing people." Shane said. "And I'm going to get to the bottom of it if it's the last thing I do."

"You don't have to…" Nicole said.

"But I will." Shane replied. "Watch me."

* * *

Deanna sighed as she fell onto her bed.

"Are you okay?" DeWayne asked standing in her doorway.

"Just a long day." Deanna said. "So, how are the royal couple doing?"

"Great." DeWayne replied. "Dee, are you sure you're alright? Earlier today Stephanie said that she and you were-"

"She's just overreacting." Deanna interrupted. "She'll get over it. Soon."

"If you say so…" DeWayne said.

Deanna heard her e-mail alert and moved to read it.

"So how's the 'mystery dream guy' search going?" DeWayne questioned.

"It's not Marc, thank God." Deanna answered. "But he's here… And he's our age. And…" Deanna's eyes narrowed. "What the hell?"

"What is it?" DeWayne asked.

Deanna read the blog. "What is irony? Irony is defined as incongruity between what actually happens and what might be expected to happen, especially when this disparity seems absurd or laughable. And nothing depicts irony better than our local Lakehurst Princess and her ability to get anything she wants. Yet, she has _nothing_ in the field of love. It is _ironic_ that one who claims to have everything truly has nothing. Then again, how could one love soulless blue eyes, sinister black hair, and the sickly sweet smile of hers? It is impossible. The only natural being on this planet that could kill one with a pleasant smile on her face. _Ironically_ none of the teachers see her in this light. _Ironically_ its her brother who we all think of as the 'evil' one. Well irony is supposed to have humor in it, so where's the humor in that? I'll tell you. The funny thing is she's actually jealous of us _common_ people for having _common_ sense to _understand_ how love actually works. Huh. And here we thought she could buy everything. Talk about your irony?"

DeWayne frowned. "That about you?"

"Yes!" Deanna shouted. "When I find Stephanie-"

"Stephanie? You mean the girl who normally chickens out of you and Mercedes' plans? She's behind these blogs?" DeWayne interrupted. "Deanna, let's be honest. Her good-natured self would crack down sooner or later."

"Hmm… You're right. Just wish I knew who it was." Deanna said.

"Don't worry about it, Lakehurst Princess." DeWayne said with a smirk, leaving his sister's room.

"I hate high school." Deanna mumbled.


	71. Webisode: MiTunes: Laura

**MiTunes: Laura**

Artist: One Republic  
Song: Say (All I Need)

It was not the song for sex. And it was clearly not the song she wanted to remember her first time with Jayden by. But as he sat in the car and turned on the radio, here it was, playing. And as it played, she only thought about him leaving Scarlett behind.

_Do you know where your heart is?  
Do you think you can find it?  
Or did you trade it for something  
Somewhere better just to have it?_

Scarlett was an idiot for what she had done and Laura knew this for a fact. How anyone could have Jayden and not be satisfied was beyond her. DeWayne was alright, Laura would admit, but Jayden was… Better

_Do you know where your love is?  
Do you think that you lost it?  
You felt it so strong, but  
Nothing's turned out how you wanted_

Her attention then turned to the boy driving her home. Did he love Scarlett? Was he just using Laura to get even with his girlfriend? She wished that this was not the case. Hell, Laura wished that he was doing this because he really wanted to instead of anger or lust. But, she figured she had him one way or the other. No need to be picky about how he came.

_Well, bless my soul  
You're a lonely soul__  
__Cause you won't let go  
Of anything you hold_

"Are you sure?" Laura asked Jayden as she put her key into the door.

He gave her a nod, though he was quite silent. Laura knew what this meant. He was starting to feel bad about what he was about to do. He probably felt bad about kissing her in the first place. And for some reason, Laura felt bad too. Her crush was depressed over Scarlett and Laura had to provide was sex to get his mind off of Scarlett.

Only for the night though.

_Well, all I need  
Is the air I breathe__  
__And a place to rest  
My head_

Laura fell back on her bed, Jayden kissing her passionately. She knew that this was not him, but just pent up lust, anger, and frustration. But when he pulled away and to allow her to take in a deep breath, he gave her body an appreciative look before gripping the bottom of her shirt. Knowing what was coming next, Laura just sat up to discard his and her clothing.

_Do you know what your fate is?  
And are you trying to shake it?_

His lips left hers to kiss her chin, then her neck, and finally to his destination, her breasts. As she arched off of the bed, she continued to think about the goody-goody who was currently making her feel better than ever. Was the faithful Jayden actually cheating on Scarlett? With Laura of all people?

_You're doing your best and  
Your best look  
You're praying that you make it_

Laura watched him trail kisses down her stomach before pausing. She looked to see him staring at her pink panties, probably contemplating on whether or not he should go on with it. Laura was about to tell him to just leave if he wanted until she felt his fingers grip the waistband and pull them down, exposing her completely. She froze as he just stared at her before he produced a condom from his discarded jeans' pocket.

_Well, bless my soul  
You're a lonely soul__  
__Cause you won't let go  
Of anything you hold_

She knew that he was pretending she was Scarlett, only because he very seldom made eye contact with her, even when he was kissing her. Sadly, a part of her wanted to be Scarlett because Scarlett currently owned his heart.

"Go ahead," she whispered in his ear. "It's yours."

_Well, all I need  
Is the air I breathe__  
__And a place to rest  
My head_

The feeling of being one with the boy she longed for caused Laura to momentarily lose her breath. She finally had him. Even after he had called her a whore during their very first conversation. Even after she attempted to blackmail him. She finally had him. And whether he knew it or not, he had her.

_I said I all I need  
Is the air I breathe__  
__And a place to rest  
My head_

She moaned as her body reached a degree she never thought was possible. Her eyes closed as she imagined that he was thinking of her. She fantasized that while they were currently making love, his thoughts were not on Scarlett Chessex. Reaching for his face, she cupped his face and gave him a passionate kiss.

_Do you think you can find it?  
Do you think you can find it?__  
__Do you think you can find it?  
Better than you had it_

Scarlett had broken him. Laura was fixing him. She wanted him to see that. This was more than sex, it was an attempt to make him feel better. And when she broke away from the kiss, she saw that his eyes caught the message. Somewhere through this entire event, Jayden probably questioned if he felt the same way for Laura as he did for Scarlett or more.

She could give him what Scarlett had if only given the opportunity

_Do you think you can find it?  
Do you think you can find it?__  
__Do you think you can find it?  
Yeah, better than you had it (Better than you had it)_

She felt her body tense. Laura was no virgin, she knew what this meant, but this was different. This was not like before. There were feelings and emotions in every moan, every movement, every gasp, and every kiss that she gave. She wanted to make him see her in a new light. She wanted him to see her as the better-than-Scarlett girl that she was.

"Jayden, don't stop." she said through her pants and moans.

_I said I all I need  
Is the air I breathe__  
__And a place to rest  
My head_

Laura knew that this feeling had to end and she hated it. He would run back to Scarlett no sooner than he was finished with her. And while she would probably drink her sorrow away, she had to make it look like she did not care. She had to make it look like she harbored no feelings for him.

_I said I all I need  
Is the air I breathe__  
__And a place to rest  
My head_

She was going to scream at the top of her lungs as she reached her climax, but his kiss silenced her. Her legs, which had been wrapped around him earlier, slowly released him as he grinded into her. Once her scream died in his kiss, he separated his lips from hers.

"Thank you Laura." he whispered before kissing her some more.

_Whenever the end is  
Do you think you can see it?_

When he left via window, Laura just lied in her bed with a small tear coming down her face. There was no physical pain, in fact she physically felt great. But the thought that the end of a once in a lifetime event had come and gone pained her. Scarlett had taken claim over Jayden once more.

_Well, until you get there  
Go on, go ahead and scream it_

Maybe she should have told him how she truly felt instead of another round of sex. Maybe that damn song played because it knew that she could never say what she wanted to.

_Just say_

Laura crawled beneath her sheets and closed her eyes. Hopefully she could dream about Jayden and her together again with a better song.

* * *

**A/N: **This takes place during Hard Habit to Break. Review.


	72. S3: Episode IX: All Over Again

**Episode IX: All Over Again**

Laura sighed heavily. "I don't know if I can do this."

"It's just a test. You got it." Jayden said.

"No. It's not just a test. It's my _entrance_ _exam_ which I haven't studied for, prepared for, or even _heard _of until the call last night." Laura said before sighing. "Why does my life have to be so tough?"

Jayden smiled as he embraced her.

"Hey, look at me." Jayden said soothingly. Laura glanced at him. "Your life isn't tough. _Our_ life is tough. But you and I, we'll make it through somehow. We'll study together and Saturday, you'll ace this thing."

Laura smiled. "You're really helpful, did you know that?"

"I know." Jayden replied kissing her.

"Hey Jay, big problem." Jayden reluctantly turned to glance at Shane. "Nicky's been framed like Dakota."

"Really?" Jayden sighed.

"What's wrong with you?" Shane asked.

"Well, I have a meeting with my dad later, Laura's got her entrance exam to study for, Dash's meeting is today, Danni's leaving tomorrow, and there's the whole pregnancy thing." Jayden said. "I mean, I can help but I can't put my full attention into this."

"I get it." Shane responded. "But if you hear anything-"

"Believe me, I'm going to beat the poor bastard for putting Dash in that predicament in the first place." Jayden said.

"Alright. I have to go talk with Mr. Goodwin with Nicky, although it's really not needed." Shane said. "Good luck with everything."

"Thanks." Jayden said as Shane walked off.

"Come on Dimples, let's get to class." Laura said pulling Jayden along.

"I have a better idea." Jayden said pulling her towards him. "I say you and me leave and go spend one of our last days as a free teenager somewhere. Our parents can't be any angrier at us if they tried and we could use the relaxation."

Laura smiled. "That sounds like a good idea…" Her smile dropped as she grabbed his collar and pulled him so that she could glare directly in his eyes. "But I _can't_ skip or I'm out, remember?"

"Sorry." Jayden said as Laura released him.

"You're lucky you're cute." Laura said walking away.

"Yeah, yeah. I heard that before." Jayden said following his smiling girlfriend.

* * *

Helen sighed. "Remind me how this is any of _my_ problem again?"

"Unless you _want_ me to tell my parents that you're sneaking around with Tyler, you'll help." Scarlett said, gaining a small smile from Helen. "Helen, I'm serious. I think that there's still something there."

"Then ask him." Helen said closing her locker. "I have class. Like right now class."

"With him. Don't you see my problem?" Scarlett asked.

"Not unless you were planning to stop by." Helen stated. "Seriously Scar, use that brain of yours and come up with a solution. Just not a DeWayne solution."

"Sure." Scarlett said as Helen walked away.

* * *

Stephanie huffed as she sat in a desk beside Angelina.

"Are you alright?" Angelina asked.

Stephanie nodded. "Just a little tired." Stephanie sighed. "I just can't wait for the weekend."

"Plans?" Angelina said.

"I don't know. Since what happened after Deanna's party, Nate's been different. He tells me that he's alright, but I just know that he'll do something stupid." Stephanie replied. "I just wish he'd tell me things before running off and picking a fight with Tank."

"You're worried for him?" Angelina asked.

"Do you see how _big_ Tank is? Why else would we call him Tank?" Stephanie stated. "I just…"

"You like him. I think that goes without being said." Angelina said with a smile. "Just talk to him today, alright? I'm sure he'll understand."

"I wish. He'd probably tell me that I worry too much and drop the subject, like always." Stephanie said. "Do I nag?"

"What?" Angelina responded.

"Nag? Do I nag a lot? He says I do but…" Angelina's smile stopped Stephanie's sentence. "What?"

"Just ask him out already? Okay?" Angelina told Stephanie.

Stephanie smiled. "Whatever Angel."

* * *

After the bell rang for the end of first period, Jayden made his way to his second period class without Helen. Due to the meeting the previous day and talking to Laura, he was pretty wiped out, so he wanted to sit for as long as he could.

"Hey, McDuelle," Jayden paused in his steps to give Nathan his full attention. "I need to speak to you for a second."

"Nate, I'm going to give you a fair warning. I'm really not in the mood for nothing stupid." Jayden replied.

"Hear me out alright? I get it. You are in quite a problem." Nathan said. "But, I have a problem. In fact, my problem might help your problem." Jayden raised an eyebrow in question. "See, Saturday night, I was jumped by some Lakehurst losers and now I want revenge. On just one of them. Tank? Heard of him?"

"Big guy. Flunked a grade. What about him?" Jayden asked.

"He's harassing a friend of mine… I need to get him away from her." Nathan said.

Jayden shrugged. "Really wish I could help, but I got work, a child on a way, and I have to help Laura study for her exams. If you want to gather an army, try someone free."

"What if this was Laura? You'd do it in a heartbeat." Nathan said.

"Right. _I_ would do it. By myself." Jayden responded. "You have a _long_ way to go before you can compare to me."

"Right. You and I aren't so different." Nathan said. "That sibling you had that was a secret? I have one. A sister at that. Stephanie changed me just as much as Laura's changed you. The only difference is my girl is still a virgin."

Jayden's eyes narrowed. "What are you getting at?"

"Just remember that the next time you ask for my help-"

"Ask James." Jayden interrupted. "He owes me a favor. Tell him it'd make us even. Happy?"

"Thanks." Nathan said turning around.

"Hey Nate," Jayden called. Nathan looked at him. "The difference between you and I, is that I'll always be a step ahead." Now it was Nathan to glare at Jayden. "But Brie's lucky she has a douche like you to call her older brother. We both know that that's the _only_ reason Damon has to lay off of her."

Nathan's frown deepened. "How'd you know that?"

"One step ahead." Jayden said continuing his walk to class.

Nathan stood in the hall for a moment trying to figure out just how Jayden learned that secret. He then realized that what Laura was talking about was true. He really was a regional champion in human chess.

* * *

Dakota sat outside of the conference room looking at her hands in her lap. Inside, her biological parents and stepparents were talking to her counselor. The fact that Ashley had bothered to show up discomforted Dakota, but she let it slide. She had nothing against her stepmother other than she was also a bit biased towards Steven than her other children. Then again, Craig was no better on most days.

The door opened and the four adults came out.

"Well?" Dakota asked, looking at her mother.

Ellie sighed. "Well, you're not going to like the answer. You'll be here for at least a day or two. Just for precaution."

"What? But I did great in the interview, right?" Dakota responded. None of the adults answered her. "Great… I promised to help Laura with her studying."

"You should help yourself." Craig said. "Dakota, I don't want you to spend the rest of your life in rehab or worse."

"But Dad it wasn't mine. I'm trying to tell you that." Dakota said.

Craig sighed. "I know that, you know that, and your friends know that. But you can't prove it, you almost lost your cool in there, and it's in the deal with SciNex." Dakota frowned, looking at Ellie again. "You weren't supposed to hear that."

"A deal? With Jayden's dad's company?" Dakota asked.

"Dakota," Ellie said with a sigh. "Max wants to do a music branch of his company and I said I'd help. A part of the deal was that none of the band members be in any current dilemma that would otherwise tarnish the band's appearance."

"Right… And Laura's pregnancy?" Dakota questioned.

"Again. That's not our problem." Craig said.

"We can't sign you guys until _after_ the Battle of the Bands." Silas inputted. "Signed bands can't perform in the event."

Dakota nodded. That made a lot of sense. Then again, the fact that Jayden would have to face the paparazzi was something on her mind. She knew of his hatred and fear of the crowd. It was like a phobia, just not to the extremity of one.

Yet.

"You'll be here until otherwise notified. Like I said, you'll probably be home by Friday, Saturday even." Ellie said.

Dakota sighed. "This isn't fair…"

"I know honey." Ellie said. "Um, I have to get going. The meeting for this new branch is in an hour and your friend's dad is not one to play with tardiness."

"Sure…." Dakota said. "Bye Mom."

Ellie gave Dakota one final smile before leaving with Silas. Dakota's brown eyes soon met Craig's. She hated the fact that he would drive her home with Ashley.

"Dakota," he said. "If I never say it again, I want you to know, I'm proud of you."

The statement was enough to shock Dakota into a stuttering stupor. Luckily, she recovered before she even opened her mouth and grinned.

"Thanks Dad." Dakota said.

"Come on. We have to get you some things from your house." Craig said. "And maybe… You'll show me what you can play on the drums."

"Sure." Dakota replied as she rose from her seat.

Maybe, she thought, everything was not so bad after all.

* * *

Stephanie was currently heading towards third period with her math text book in hand. She was glad to know that the day was near its halfway mark. She wanted to talk to Nathan as soon as possible.

"Well lookey here. Stephanie Tucker." Jesse said stepping in front of Stephanie with three other football players. "Where're you headed?"

"To class. Now get out of my way." she said angrily.

"Really? You're demanding me?" Jesse said. "Maybe you've forgotten who stomped your boyfriend's face into the ground not too long ago." Stephanie scoffed. "I'll do it again too."

"For what?" Stephanie questioned.

"You. You said that I was 'unworthy' of you, and yet you go to _Nathan Hogart_?" Jesse said. "Tch. He's no better. I'll prove it. I'm a _real_ man."

"How about you move so I can get to class?" Stephanie shot back.

"Or what? Your little boyfriend isn't here for me to kick his-"

"Hey, how about letting the girl go?" Stephanie turned to see Steven behind her. "We're all late because of you guys."

"And who are you again?" Jesse asked.

"Steven Manning." Steven answered. "You mind letting her pass?"

Jesse looked at Stephanie. "I'll see you later."

Stephanie released a breath of relief as Jesse and his posse walked away. She then turned to Steven.

"Thank you." she said.

"No problem." Steven responded. "Need me to walk you to class?"

"Uh, I'll handle. Thanks again." Stephanie said walking off.

Steven grinned. "My pleasure…"

* * *

Walking towards lunch, Aaron noticed that Chandra appeared to be more like her former self than usual. Then again, the two had taken an entirely different route to the cafeteria, making sure to avoid any place that would remind Chandra of her incident with Steven.

"So have you guys thought of baby names yet?" Chandra asked. Aaron smiled. One would think that it was Chandra's brother having the baby. "What?"

"No, they haven't thought of any names and I don't think we're going to worry about that until later. Like way later." Aaron responded. "Besides, Laura's got this big test coming up on Saturday. It's for her school in England."

"Oh, right." Chandra said. "I guess Jay's alright with her leaving."

"More like encouraged it. This is Laura's dream school, outside of college, so of course he's going to help her anyway he can." Aaron said as the two entered the cafeteria. "I kind of feel sorry for her."

"You do?" Chandra asked.

Aaron nodded. "Yeah. My dad's friend's wife told us that a lot of people get rejected on small things such as an absence from school or a referral to the office for talking back just once. If they check Laura's background, it's very possible that they will reject her."

"Wow. I didn't know that." Chandra replied as the two sat down. "Hey guys."

"Hey," Vanessa replied. "How's the stress level?"

Chandra sighed. "It was good until you asked."

"Sorry." Vanessa said with a small smile. "I'll stop asking."

"Where're Dustin and Brie?" Aaron asked.

"Probably somewhere together to avoid a certain pair of girls." Ashton said as he looked at Vanessa and then Chandra and finally back at Aaron. "You know, those people who pick on them for no reason."

"You do too." Vanessa replied.

"I do it because, well, I don't like Dustin and I don't think Brie should like him either. He did attempt to prank her." Ashton said.

Aaron nodded. That did make sense. But a part of him thought that he heard a slight hint of jealousy in Ashton's voice.

"They'll be here soon." Chandra said.

"Right." Ashton said before looking at Aaron. "So how'd you solve the problem known as Tevin?"

"I didn't." Aaron replied. "I'm not worried about him."

"Might I remind you that he was the reason Brie and I broke up _and_ _then_ took _your_ ex girlfriend?" Ashton stated. "Keep him away if you know what's good."

"I don't think that Bambi would ever date Tevin." Aaron said.

Chandra smiled. "Or find him more attractive…"

"Yeah, I don't think we needed to hear that part." Ashton muttered.

Chandra only smiled before leaning against Aaron. Aaron only smiled because for once he could irritate Ashton. He would cherish this moment for a long time.

Kelly gave a heavy sigh as she stared at Shane's thoughtful expression. He was completely oblivious to what was going on around him and she wondered if she should just start talking to Jacob. Then she realized that the _last_ time she talked to Jacob while Shane stared off into space, she ended up kissing him in his father's classroom.

"So…" Kelly began. "Where's Jay at?"

Shane shrugged. "I don't know."

"He said he was going to the library." Jacob answered.

"Library?" Kelly repeated confused.

Jacob nodded. "Yeah. Laura has some test Saturday and he's going to help her."

"Typical Jayden…" Kelly said with a sigh. "So what's on your mind big brother?"

"Nicky…" Shane stated, though Kelly and Jacob knew that much. "Whoever framed her must have something against her. But there's not a lot of people who fit the bill, you know? Finding out who did this is hard."

"Maybe it was someone who doesn't like you?" Jacob suggested.

Shane frowned. "What? Why would they do that?"

"I don't know. It just makes sense." Jacob said. "Think about it. Nicky doesn't have a lot of people that wants to hurt her. You? You have more and everyone knows how much you care for her."

"Huh. Why didn't I think of that?" Kelly replied. "But Jacob's right. Maybe this is about you and not Nicky."

"Great… That means that I have _hundreds _of suspects then." Shane muttered.

"Wait… If they did it to you… Then they could've done the same to Jay!" Kelly replied. "This isn't so bad. All we have to do is find out who hates you _and_ Jayden and bam! Guy caught!"

Shane looked at his sister's smiling face, obviously happy with her plan. He was not so keen about it.

"We'll find him Shane. Don't worry." Kelly said hopefully.

"Right." Shane replied.

* * *

"Ugh! Why can't I get this?" Laura called.

Jayden rubbed her back. "Deep breaths and calm down."

"Calm down? I have a test Saturday that will determine my future." Laura said.

"Whether it's a boy or a girl I'll be happy." Jayden said with a smile. Laura rolled her eyes. "Okay, bad joke. But, seriously Laura, why don't you think you'll pass?"

"Because I skip classes for the hell of it and now those lessons I've missed are coming back to bite me in the ass!" Laura retorted.

"Ssh! We're in a library. Not to mention school." Jayden told her quietly. "You will be ready by Saturday, I promise." Laura gave a sigh. "And because I know your dad won't be home for a while today, I'll give you one of those massages that I'm so good at doing."

"What if I don't do it? Then all this for nothing when I could be out here looking for a job helping you-"

"Laura, you're talking too much." Jayden interrupted with a smile. "You will do fine, you just need to calm down and focus." Laura rolled her eyes. "Hey, where's my tough, kick-ass girlfriend at? I know you can beat the poor sap who reads these applications with your bare hands so a test should be easy."

Laura smiled. "You do know the difference in those two things right?"

"It got you to smile." Jayden said grinning. "Now, let's take this slow. No need to rush. And if it comes down to it, I'll have to go back to Newport, plead to my ex-girlfriend's mom's ex-boyfriend… Yeah that's long. I'll just go to my ex-girlfriend's mom and somehow, someway, con you into the school."

"Jayden, you know that wouldn't be right." Laura replied.

Jayden shrugged. "My dad always said that life is like hands. There's what's right and what's left." Laura frowned. The concept actually made sense. "If doing what's right doesn't work, well, we'll have to do what we have left. And conning is something I'm sure my sister has a degree in."

"Let's just read." Laura said. "And then…"

"Then…?" Jayden asked.

Laura smirked. "I hear that there will be some… Sex educational questions on the exam. Strictly anatomy probably, but to make sure, I'll need to know both female _and_ male anatomy." Jayden raised a brow. "Mind being my model."

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours." Jayden replied.

"Remember though, I'm studying." Laura said with a sly smile.

* * *

The bell rang for the end of lunch.

"Hey, Marc," Marc and James stopped to see Nathan nearing them. "I need to talk to you for a second."

"What is it Nate? We're kind of busy here." Marc stated.

"I need your help." Nathan said.

James frowned. "Help?"

"Yeah. Saturday night, I was jumped by Tank." Nathan replied. "I was looking for some help to get revenge on the loser." James and Marc exchange glances. "I talk to Jayden earlier. He said that you owed him something…"

James sighed. "That guy and his damn bets…"

"Hey, you don't have to. I'm just asking." Nathan said. "Putting our differences aside, it's us and then there's them. No in-between."

"I'm in." Marc said.

"I guess so…" James said. "Only because I owe Jay the favor."

"Thanks." Nathan said.

"So what is this about anyway? This beef with you and Tank?" James asked.

Nathan put his hands in his pockets. "He's messing with a girl… And she doesn't want him to. She's a friend of mine so-"

"A girl?" Marc interrupted.

"Look, you were about to fight Tyler over Mary-Jane and she was dating him at the time. So don't bitch and complain about me helping a friend." Nathan replied. Marc was going to retort, but James stopped him. "After this we go on like nothing happened, deal?"

"Deal." Marc responded.

Nathan sighed before walking away. With one problem down, his only other problem would be Dustin's forever close proximity to his sister. And for that problem, he could do alone.

* * *

The final bell rang and Aaron was leaving Toby's classroom with Chandra and Dustin. Jordan had already walked out, stating that she needed to go talk to someone, but Aaron did not care.

"So," Chandra said. "Another day has come and gone. What's on the agenda today?"

Aaron shrugged. "Homework I guess."

"That stupid report…" Dustin groaned. "I hate English. It's nothing but rules and more rules about those rules."

"Does that even make sense?" Chandra asked as she spotted Gabrielle talking to Nathan. "Um, why is he talking to her?"

"I don't know." Dustin replied.

"Maybe we should let her handle this on her own." Aaron said. His girlfriend and friend stared at him with disbelieving looks. "If she was in any trouble, she'd say so by now, right? I don't think Nathan's hurting her. Now."

As if proving Aaron's point, Nathan walked away leaving a small smile on Gabrielle's face. The smile was on her face briefly before she saw the three staring at her. She had no clue on how Aaron and Jayden kept their charade up for _years_.

"Hey guys…" Gabrielle said, unsure on how much they saw or heard.

"What was that about, hmm?" Chandra asked.

"Oh nothing… Nathan was just talking." Gabrielle said before giving Aaron another of their coded glances.

"I have to go find Jay." Aaron said suddenly. "Coming Bambi?"

"Sure. See you two lovebirds later." Chandra replied as she walked away with Aaron.

Gabrielle released a small sigh. There really were no words to describe how thankful she was that Aaron and Jayden had kept her and Nathan's secret. Her dark blue eyes looked into Dustin's brown ones.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

He shook out of his daydream and grinned.

"Fine. I'm fine." Dustin said. "Hey, Brie, we're friends right?"

Gabrielle nodded. "Yeah…"

"Good… I have a question that Aaron and I was talking about." Dustin stated. "So… If you were super rich like he is.. Would you just immediately take what you want or would you just let it sit?"

Gabrielle frowned. "Why does it matter?"

"Because I want something… Again. But this is different. She's different." Dustin said.

Gabrielle So… If you were super rich like he is.. Would you just immediately take what you want or would you just let it sit?"

Gabrielle frowned. "Why does it matter?"

"Because I want something… Again. But this is different. She's different." Dustin said.

Gabrielle caught his words quickly. "Sh-she…?"

"I thought that Chandra was a good choice, but she's got fickle taste. I mean, A.J and Steven don't have a lot in common." Dustin said. "But… A.J told me that you liked me a bit so…"

Gabrielle could only smile. Nathan had just stopped by to give her the okay with dating Dustin seeing as Dustin's friend, Marc, had agreed to do something for her brother.

"Dustin… Are you asking me out?" Gabrielle asked.

"This is new for me so don't laugh and don't think I'm weird or-"

"Yes." Gabrielle said.

"Yes? I mean, great. Yes." Dustin said before sighing. "Boy… A.J made this sound so easy…"

"Easy?" Gabrielle asked.

"Yeah. He said that when he and Chandra began dating, it was just her doing all the talking and all he had to do was ask her." Dustin said. "Of course… He did say his mom stopped their first kiss…"

"Dustin." Dustin looked at Gabrielle before she kissed him. "You ramble when you're nervous."

"Yeah…" Dustin said.

* * *

Scarlett had mixed emotions as Jayden fell backwards onto her bed.

"Are you sure Laura won't be pissed?" Scarlett asked.

"She's got a checkup." Jayden stated with his eyes closed.

Scarlett frowned. "Check-up? But didn't she-"

"Don't argue with my parents and her mom. Biggest waste of breath ever." Jayden said. "I miss this bed. I missed it when it was against that wall too, but I miss this bed."

Scarlett smiled. "J.T, this bed isn't going anywhere. And I'm sure it's not like your bed."

"This doesn't leave this room," Jayden replied. "But there's something about the sweet smell of perfume on pillows that makes the bed that much better. I don't know if that's just me or if every feels that. But…"

"But…?" Scarlett asked with a smile.

Jayden sat up and stared at Scarlett. "You're going to tell Helen this as soon as I leave, aren't you?" Scarlett laughed a bit, but shook her head no. "Liar."

"I promise." Scarlett said raising her right hand.

"Whatever. I know you are so just do it quietly." Jayden said before sighing. "It's going to be a _long_ school year…"

"Look at the bright side," Scarlett replied. "We can show your son or daughter the wonderful world of lazy days."

Jayden hummed in thought. "Hmm… Nope. I don't see that happening."

"What? Why?" Scarlett asked.

"Well, I _rarely_ just lie around the house and Laura's worse at it than I am. So if our son or daughter comes out lazy, I might ask for a paternity test." Jayden stated.

"Oh right…" Scarlett said, mentally slapping herself for forgetting just who the mother of Jayden's future child is. "It's still worth a shot."

"I guess you're right." Jayden said. Scarlett noticed his eyes lock onto hers in a serious manner. "Since we're friends again, I can ask you this question and you'll be completely honest with me, right?" Scarlett nodded. "Do you think I'm changing?"

"I think every teen parent changes. It's the whole 'parent' part." Scarlett answered.

"No. I mean, am I losing my touch?" he questioned. "Earlier today I stopped by the gym to get a few shots in and I missed. A lot actually."

Scarlett shrugged. "Maybe you're not getting enough sleep?"

"…" Jayden sighed. "I guess you're right. I have been a bit tired lately."

"You don't think that you have stress-related problems like Bambi do you?" Scarlett asked.

"I don't know. Could be." Jayden said. "Maybe I should go get some sleep then."

"You could sleep here." Scarlett said quickly without thinking. She covered her mouth, hoping her liquid words did not solidify in Jayden's ears. But Jayden's raised eyebrow told her that he had heard her clearly. "I did not mean to say that."

"It's fine Red. And I appreciate the offer, but I like where things are between us now. I don't need to complicate them." Jayden said. "So I'll just go crash at my parents and then go home."

"Are you sure? You look a little dizzy." Scarlett replied. Jayden nodded. "Oh… Alright then."

A silence washed over the room as the two avoided each other's eyes, finding the objects in Scarlett's room a lot more interesting.

"You know what? I'll just stay here." Jayden said, alerting Scarlett. "Awake, that is. I promised Laura to give me a call to study anyway, so sleep shouldn't be on my agenda until after dinner."

"Right." Scarlett said. "So, what to talk about?"

Jayden shrugged with a grin. "You tell me Madam President."

* * *

Stephanie was surprised when she saw Nathan talking to Damon. He had not called her and told her that he was canceling on their plans and if she had not been the curious person she was, she would not have searched and found him.

"Nate!" she called. He looked over at her direction and she waved him over. Nathan said a few more words to Damon before the two separated, Nathan walking towards Stephanie. "Hey. What's going on?"

"Nothing." Nathan said. Stephanie frowned. "What?"

"You're lying to me, that's what." Stephanie replied.

Nathan sighed. "Stephanie, let it go, alright? It's just some business."

"Does Tank have anything to do with this 'business'?" Nathan did not reply. "Oh come on Nate. I told you to let it go. I told you not to go the party anyway."

"Whatever." Nathan said before Stephanie gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks for standing up for me anyways." Stephanie said with a smile. Her smile quickly dropped though. "But don't do anything that stupid again. When I heard about what had happened I thought they did a lot worse to you."

Nathan did not know what to say. His mother did not even worry about him being in fights. In fact, the _only_ person to express some sort of worry was Gabrielle, but that was Gabrielle. That was expected to happen.

"Come on," Stephanie said. "Let's get out of here. Get your mind off of Tank and his loser friends."

"Sure." Nathan replied.

* * *

Aaron sighed as he walked into his house. He spotted his brother, Christian, chasing after Renée and Jenée up the steps. They obviously had something he wanted.

Oh how he wished Jayden was still here so this wouldn't be happening.

"Are you alright?" Aaron looked at his mother before shrugging. "What's wrong?"

"Well," Aaron said. "Bambi's grandparents are kind of like your parents."

"Old-fashioned." Manny said with a smile. "Don't worry. You'll do well with them. I don't have a child that lacks my lovable gene."

"Lovable gene?" Aaron repeated with a small grin.

"People just automatically falls in love with my kids." Manny answered.

"Right…" Aaron stated. In reality, he was looking for some tips on what to say to them. Again, Jayden would have helped him. "I'm going to go upstairs."

"A.J," Manny said. "I know that you're still a little angry about your dad and my decision."

Aaron sighed. "No… I understand. It was for the best."

"But it affected all of you and at the time, we weren't thinking of that." Manny responded. "It makes you the oldest in the house and takes away the twins favorite person to play with. I know the look from when Danni moved out. Jay and Kitty had similar looks as you do." Aaron gave another sigh. The last thing he wanted was something else to think about next to Chandra, her grandparents, and what to do about Tevin. "Give it some time. Things will get better between all of us."

"Even Laura?" Aaron asked.

Now it was Manny who was the silent one. While she admitted to have softened up around the girl, the fact remained that Manny still blamed Laura for much of the situation and would always deem Scarlett a better choice for her son despite what his father thought. Ironically, it seemed that Aaron was siding with his older brother and dad on this one.

"I'll try." Manny said with a smile.

Aaron, seemingly okay with the response, smiled.

"Then I'll try." Aaron said going up the stairs.

As Aaron climbed the steps, his smile slowly faded. His mother may be able to fool a lot of people, but he was not one of them. He knew a lie when he saw one. Then again, he could not blame her. He, himself, still believed that Scarlett was better than Laura.

Oh well. It was Jayden's problem now.

* * *

That night, Laura stepped into Danica and Jayden's apartment with a bag on her back and a smile on her face.

"I just finished dinner." Jayden said. Laura's smile faltered a bit. "Hey, I learned how to do this from Danni and my parents. So don't knock it until you've tried it."

"Okay… But, I have some pretty good news." Laura said.

"What?" Jayden asked.

"I stopped by to see Dash and she's going back to rehab." Laura answered.

Jayden frowned. "And how is that 'good' news?"

"Let me finish asshole." Laura shot back before sighing. "_Anyway_, so I was talking to Dash and her mom and then her mom told me that you guys had a thing for Spring Break. The Battle of the Bands?" Jayden paused. Did he forget to run that by Laura? "While I'll be mad at that later, that's not the good news."

"Okay, okay the excitement is killing me. What's the news?" Jayden asked.

"Dakota's mom said that if I pass this stupid exam Saturday, she'd pay for my tuition." Laura said happily.

Jayden blinked. "Really? That's nice of her."

"Nice of her? That's fucking awesome!" Laura said.

Jayden laughed. "I see you're excited about that." Jayden moved towards the open kitchen. "So excited that you forgot that Danni left for New York for a few days."

Laura rolled her eyes. "Right. That's why I'm here, right? Because I knew that your sister would be."

"Before we do anything," Jayden said, his tone all but playful. "We need to talk."

Laura was unsure about why he had said that, but sat at the small circular table, Jayden joining her soon.

"What do you want to talk about?" Laura asked.

"Everything." Jayden said. "This child is coming and no amount of money or anything is going to stop it from happening. And I've been so wrapped up in my thoughts that I haven't stopped and asked you how you felt. Do you want to adopt it?"

The question caused Laura to lose her breath momentarily. She _had_ considered adoption after the talk with her mother, but then attempted to bury the thoughts inside of her mind.

"Laura? I'm asking you this right here, right now. What do you want to do?" Jayden asked.

"I…" Laura began. She shook her head, regaining her tough exterior and thumped him on the forehead. "_We're_ keeping it dumbass. And another thing, you've been giving me what I want since the start. So don't-"

"It's okay to be afraid sometimes Laura." Jayden interrupted in a soft voice. "Just tell me everything tonight. Alright?"

Laura was going to retort, but his eyes somehow found the key to her mind and soul. There was no way she could lie to him again. So she just nodded with a smile. Jayden returned the grin as he stood up.

"Dinner's ready. Want some? It's Alfredo." Jayden said moving to the pots on the stove.

"Sure." Laura said as she watched Jayden fix two plates.

In the back of her mind, she saw how tired he looked and questioned if this talk was more about her or him. But when he returned with the fixed plates and sat down in front of her, she smiled to hide those thoughts, even if he could see right through her.

"So, let's start talking." Laura said.

"Fine." Jayden replied.


	73. S3: Episode X: Jessie's Girl

**Episode X: Jessie's Girl**

Aaron yawned as he made his way downstairs.

"You and your girlfriend talk enough last night?" Maxwell asked his son.

"She couldn't go to sleep and so I talked to her until she fell asleep." Aaron answered. "Her medicine wasn't working for some reason."

Maxwell laughed a bit. "Wait until you get married. Pillow talk. The worse."

Aaron laughed with his dad until the sound of his mother clearing her throat caused the two to stop. Although neither male could see Manny in the kitchen, they both knew that she was giving them "the look".

"Ready for school?" Maxwell asked.

"Yeah." Aaron said as father and son left the house.

Aaron followed Maxwell to his car with one thought in mind. At least today was a half-day. He could get some sleep later.

* * *

As Kelly, Shane, Nicole, and Jordan walked towards the school, Shane and Kelly kept a subconscious eye on their younger sister. Jordan had been noticeably quieter today and a lot easier to put up with.

"Are you sure you'll be alright without me?" Kelly asked Shane.

Shane shrugged. "You have another job, Lois Lane. Just make sure you don't forget to get some ice cream on the way home. Movie night Friday and I have the best idea of a movie to rent." Nicole grunted. "But I guess we can watch your and Nicky's choice…"

"Excellent idea big brother." Kelly said with a smile.

"Girls and their stupid persuasion…" Shane muttered to himself as the group made it to the steps.

"I guess Jay's not here yet." Kelly said. "Oh well. Off to my locker."

"Yeah. Come on Shane, let's go see if Helen's in her sane mind today." Nicole stated.

Shane sighed. "Although we both know she's not..."

Jordan stopped as she watched her older siblings and Nicole walk up the steps and enter the building. She then turned and began walking towards the parking lot, ignoring all the glances that came her way. Finally she found Jayden getting out of his car with Laura, both of them laughing about something.

"Jayden." Their laughter simultaneously ended and looked at the younger girl. "Um… Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Make it quick Jordan. I have things to do and people to see." Jayden replied.

"Right," Jordan said. For one reason or another, she felt her former shyness returning to her as Jayden looked at her with his full attention. "I wanted to ask for your help."

"I'm not breaking A.J and Bambi up. I like them together." Jayden told her.

"That's not what I want." Jordan said. "I want you to help me get Shane and Kelly to _not_ hate me."

Laura snorted. "Might as well tell him to put an S on his chest and fly around with a cape."

"This is serious." Jordan said.

Laura glared at her. "Have you ever been in the path of a really angry pregnant woman?"

Jordan shook her head before looking at Jayden. Sighing heavily, Jayden closed his car door while looking at Jordan.

"I'll talk to them." Jayden said.

"Thanks. I-"

"Oh no. There's a catch to this." Jayden interrupted. "You're going to apologize." Jordan nodded. "No. You're going to apologize to Shane and Kelly for whatever you've done. You're going to apologize to me and A.J for ruining our secret. You're going to apologize to our parents, mine and yours, for being bratty. And…" Jayden paused and then smirked. "Since I know you like being popular and all, you can be my assistant for a week."

"Okay that doesn't even sound remotely fair and what do you mean by 'assistant'?" Jordan asked.

"It means when I'm in a basketball game or meeting or something preoccupies my time, you will be with Laura or A.J or whoever it is I have to be with as well during that time." Jayden explained. "When you walk down the halls, people will ask you things about the when and where I and/or my band will be and you will be able to answer them. If I have to print a report on whatever I will hand you the disk and you'll do it for me while I work on something else."

"What? That's slave work. I'm not doing that." Jordan said.

Jayden shrugged. "Then what are we even talking about again?"

"I asked you for one small favor and you turn me into some sort of maid!" Jordan retorted. "I can't live your life and mine at the same time!"

"What's wrong? I thought you could handle fame?" Jayden responded.

"I can but-"

"Then when my sister returns and I'll have that meeting that will be posted in a magazine, you won't have any problems answering the questions for me while I attempt to get some band time with Shane and Jacob, right?" Jayden replied. "Or are you not comfortable sitting in front of a camera?"

"This isn't even fair." Jordan said.

"Oh it's fair." Jayden said. "You're an idiot because you sold out. Terribly. You lost your family. You hurt my family. And now you have nothing. If I made you give me back the money I lost during your stunt, you'd give me nothing because I didn't lose a dime. If I told you to give me something equivalent to A.J's secret life and happiness, you'd have to give me something akin to your freaking virginity. Because that meant a lot to me."

Jordan now stood quietly. Originally she had done her act out of spite. Aaron acted as if he did not care for Jordan after they broke up. He hardly looked at her and when he spoke to her it sounded like how Maxwell spoke to people that had business propositions that he hardly knew. It was very formal and quite stoic. That was not what she wanted.

Jordan sighed. "Okay."

"Didn't catch that." Jayden said.

"I said okay. I'll do it." Jordan responded. "So what do I have to do first?"

"Well you could start with my apology." Jayden stated.

"I'm sorry." Jordan said.

Jayden laughed. "That's it? My mom always says that if you don't state why you're apologizing it means _nothing_. So, go on. Make this into an apology."

Jordan fought the urge to just turn around and walk away. She was doing this for her brother and sister. She missed talking to them. And with Shane staying at his dad's house near twenty-four seven now, she did not have an older sibling around anymore.

"I'm sorry for telling A.J's secret. It was wrong and selfish of me." Jordan said.

"You actually sound like the pretty Jordan I remember." Jordan actually blushed at his voice. "You're done for the rest of the school day. You can apologize to A.J on your own time, so long as you do so. I can do the rest."

"And Kelly and Shane?" Jordan asked.

Jayden walked towards Laura with a smile, putting an arm around his girlfriend.

"I told them to ignore you. It's what I do to my siblings when I'm pissed at them." Jayden said walking away. "I told you, I know every flaw you have. See you later Christine!"

Jordan stood in the parking lot with mixed emotions. She was content to know that Jayden at least owed her to talk to either or older sibling of hers. It really did not matter which one. She was mad, no _pissed_, to know that it was _he_ that got them to do this extreme cold shoulder in the first place! Plus, she felt a bit embarrassed because he had announced her middle name, _again_.

"Calm. You don't won't wrinkles." Jordan said to herself before walking off.

* * *

Dustin stared at his friend as they walked into their first period class.

"What happened to you?" Dustin asked Aaron.

"Late night with Bambi. Again." Aaron answered. "Her meds were working worse than normal last night and I stayed on the phone with her until she fell asleep. Which was like four o'clock in the morning."

"Sucks." Dustin said. "Brie and I-"

"Not to sound mean," Aaron interrupted. "But I really don't want to hear anything obvious now. I just want some sleep."

"Alright. I didn't know you were cranky." Dustin stated. Aaron glared at him as the two sat down. "Sorry."

Aaron sighed as he closed his eyes and rested his head on his desk. He had never fallen asleep in class before, but now it felt so right to him.

That is until the teacher's voice reached his ears.

"Pop quiz."

* * *

Helen's face showed her disgust.

"And why do you have the need to tell us this?" Helen asked Jayden.

Jayden smiled. "If I can't tell my friends, then who can I tell?"

"For starters former neighbor, I don't _have_ male friends." Helen responded. "You're more like… A former acquaintance."

"Oh really?" Jayden asked while laughing.

"Yes." Helen said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I think it's great that you and Laura talked." Nicole said. "She's always so clammed up… But if you can get through to her, then more power to you."

"Thank you Nicky. You're so supportive unlike _someone_ I know." Jayden said.

"Keep talking and that _someone_ might put their foot in a real uncomfortable spot." Helen replied.

Jayden sighed. "Only Helen…"

Nicole then gasped. "You and Laura should come to our movie night!"

"Not that it isn't a _very_ tempting offer," Jayden answered. "But watching movies all night before a test is rituals that a few people do and said few people fail. A lot."

Nicole frowned. "_I_ watch movies before tests some times."

"Oh…" Jayden said.

Helen smiled. "Nicky, what do you think he's trying to say?"

With that, Jayden and Helen began laughing. Nicole sighed quietly before smiling herself. It felt good to be on the receiving end of the harmless jokes again.

* * *

The bell rang to switch classes and for one blonde, she was on the search for someone. Her light brown eyes searched and scanned everything that moved past her as she walked briskly down the halls.

"A.J!" Jordan called seeing the extremely annoyed boy. "A.J, wait up!"

Aaron sighed heavily. "Jordan I really don't need this right now…"

"A.J," Jordan said. "I'm really sorry for what I did."

Aaron's eyes narrowed. "What do you want? And I mean, what do you _really _want?"

"I wanted to apologize and hope-"

"That I would forgive you?" Aaron interrupted angrily. "Maybe you haven't noticed or not, but Bambi's now a _bigger_ gold-digger because she has a like for guys with money. Oh, not to mention that I have even _more_ phony 'friends' trying to talk to me. And to top things off, your boyfriend is annoying my girlfriend. So I think I'm done talking to you."

Jordan frowned. "I'm serious! I just wanted to apologize."

"Yeah, I believed that last time." Aaron said walking away.

"You seemed to hate me for one small mistake!" Jordan shot back following him. "And all I'm doing is trying to make amends for it!"

Aaron stopped. "Amends?" Aaron turned and looked at Jordan, his eyes glaring into her own. "You 'apologized' for what? Lying? Cheating? Revealing my secret to the school? And what does that get me Jordan? Huh? A friend back? My life back? Hell, my girlfriend back?" Jordan was taken back a bit. Aaron never used profanity before. "I don't want your apology. I just want to be left alone right now."

Jordan could only nod as Aaron continued to walk away. Never in a million years would she _ever_ think that Aaron could be so coldhearted. Sure, he had ignored her for the most part since they broke up, but he was normally is usual self. If she was in dire need, she was sure he would have helped her. But now she was wondering if she was the only one that had changed.

Sighing, Jordan turned around and began walking off. She would have to find Jayden again.

* * *

Laura was on her way to second period before Mrs. Hart stopped her.

"Am I in trouble?" Laura asked.

The woman laughed. "No dear, far from it." Laura nodded skeptically. She was like Shane in this matter. Mrs. Hart only wanted them to "express their feelings" whenever they met, so she hated meeting the guidance counselor. "I got a call from a school in England about you. You're applying?"

Laura nodded. "It's just an arts academy."

"Right." Mrs. Hart said before revealing a rather large paper-back book from her back. "Since your birthday is Sunday, I decided to give you an early present."

Laura frowned before taking the book, her eyes reading the large words on the cover before widening.

"The practice booklet? How'd you get-"

"We all have our secrets Ms. Reynolds." Mrs. Hart interrupted. "Just know that your once alcohol secret is safe with me. They will never hear about that."

"Thanks." Laura said as the woman walked away.

Laura then made a beeline to class. Not to actually study or be annoyed by the Mason siblings. She was going to absorb every piece of information in the book that she could before Saturday. And she would be damned if anyone stopped her.

* * *

Darcy sighed as she looked at the officer.

"I don't understand what's going on here." she said. "Someone is framing my students and yet you have no leads? This doesn't make me, you, or my school look good."

"Mrs. Taylor, we're doing the best we can, but so far the only two suspects are Dakota and Nicole themselves." Office Thompson said. "They are the only ones that have their combinations that fit the bill. They're past addiction with the drug doesn't play in their favor either."

Darcy shook her head. "I know those girls. They try hard to overcome their addiction."

"Sometimes it doesn't work like that Mrs-"

"Do you have kids, Mr. Thompson?" Darcy interrupted. The man shook his head for no. "I didn't think so. As a former teacher and principal, I know when a student is lying to me. As a parent I know when a child is lying to me. They aren't lying."

"Then we'll have to go through their friends." Officer Thompson said. "One by one until someone comes clean."

Darcy sighed. "Fine. Um, I have a handful of friends to ask, though I'm sure you're not getting much from them."

"Anything at this point is a good thing." Officer Thompson said taking out a pad and pen. "What are their names?"

"Uh, let's see." Darcy replied. "There's Laura Reynolds, friend of Dakota's. Uh… Jayden McDuelle and Shane Mason are friends with both girls. Jacquelyn Haig and Helen Sinclair-Coyne are friends of Nicky's. That's all I can say that would have their combination. And out of all of them, _none_ of them have been in my office for either of the two substances."

"With all due respect, Mrs. Taylor," Officer Thompson responded. "But not every criminal gets caught. It doesn't make them any less than those that do." Darcy glared at the man. She felt he was degrading her intelligence. "I'm going to talk to these five and see where it gets me."

"Do what you must." Darcy said as the man left her office. Darcy sighed. "Manny and Emma are going to kill me…"

* * *

At Lakehurst, the bell rang to end second period. Deanna walked into the halls, gracing it with her very presence. But she did not feel graceful. In fact, today she felt a bit tired and had a small headache.

"Something bothering you?" DeWayne asked as he and Mercedes neared Deanna.

"Bad dream." Deanna said. "So what are you two doing?"

"Planning on what to do after school." Mercedes answered. "You could come with us."

"I'm fine. I don't want to intrude on your little date." Deanna said. "Besides, there are things I have to do like my Art project."

"No inspirations?" DeWayne questioned. It was very unlikely for Deanna to not have any ideas about a sketch.

"They'll come to me." Deanna said. "You two just enjoy yourselves. I'll think of something."

"Sure." Mercedes said as she and Dewayne parted from Deanna. "I wonder what's wrong with her."

DeWayne shrugged. "It's Deanna we're talking about. She'll never tell us."

"You're right." Mercedes said.

* * *

Aaron yawned for the umpteenth time as he walked down the halls towards the cafeteria. Due to his extreme drowsiness, he was drifting in each step, swaying one way and then another. In the back of his mind, he really wanted to just find the nearest bench, table, chair, or whatever and go to sleep. But he only had half of an already shortened day to go. He could manage.

"You look cranky. Late night with your girlfriend already?" Jayden said to his younger brother. Aaron stopped and glared at his older brother, causing Jayden to smirk. "Hey, I already know what's wrong with you. Dad says you didn't get off the phone until earlier this morning."

"I don't know what to do Jay. Bambi's meds aren't working and if she's not getting sleep, I'm not." Aaron said. "How do you do it? I know that you and Laura stay up talking about everything."

"Laura sleeps a lot easier than I do." Jayden stated. "And I do it because I know that it helps Laura out sometimes."

Aaron sighed. "I know I should be worried about Bambi's health, and I am, but without getting enough sleep I'm hurting myself."

Jayden shrugged. "That's life little brother. Sometimes you give something and in return you get a smile or kiss or in my case…" Jayden paused. "Well, you're not ready for that yet."

Aaron was really not in the mood for Jayden's perverted jokes at the moment, so he continued to walk down the halls. He was unprepared for when Jayden began walking beside him, this being the first time the two have actually walked down the halls while school was in session.

"Stop by the apartment today after school. No younger siblings and all the sleep you can have." Jayden said.

"What about you and Laura?" Aaron asked.

"I have a meeting with Dad and Mrs. Lowry and Laura will be at the library for the most part. Bella is supposed to check in, but other than that, no one else is coming." Jayden answered. "So what do you say? I can drop you off if you'd like."

"I'll just catch the bus." Aaron said as the two entered the cafeteria. "See you later Jay."

"Hey A.J," Jayden said, stopping Aaron from walking away. "I want you to know that you don't have to carry Bambi's problems on your own. I'm here."

Aaron smiled, but shook his head. "Thanks, but you've got enough on your plate. The least I could do is take your stalker off of your hands." Jayden laughed at the statement. "See you later on."

Jayden nodded as he watched his brother walk away. There was something different about Aaron and it was not his crankiness. Jayden saw it and he was sure that someone else could probably see it. Sighing, Jayden made his way towards his table knowing that Aaron would tell him when he was ready.

* * *

Stephanie sat down across from Angelina.

"You would not believe my day." Stephanie said.

"What happened?" Angelina asked.

"Steven has been all over me all day." Stephanie replied. "He can't get a hint to leave me alone."

"Did you talk to Nathan yesterday?" Angelina said. Stephanie nodded. "So what did he say?"

"Ironically, I did all the talking." Stephanie told her.

Angelina smiled. "Ironically?" Stephanie gave Angelina a glare. "Kidding."

"Anyway," Stephanie said. "I think he's up to something."

Angelina frowned. "Like what?"

"I think," Stephanie paused and then leaned in closer to whisper. "I think he's planning on jumping Tank."

"Really?" Angelina said with a gasp. "What are you going to do? Tank is like two times Nathan's side."

"I'll have to keep him as far away as Tank as I can." Stephanie replied. "Hopefully he'll forget about it. But I doubt it…"

* * *

Jordan huffed as she stopped in front of Jayden.

"Uh… Can I help you with something?" Jayden asked.

"He flipped." Jordan said angrily. "I apologized and he flipped on me."

Jayden lifted an eyebrow. "And this is my problem because…?"

"Because you told me to apologize to him!" Jordan retorted. "If you hadn't have been so greedy and just done me _one simple favor_, I wouldn't be walking around so… So…"

Jayden sighed. "I'm going to ignore two things wrong. One, you called me greedy. Two, you raised your voice." Jordan rolled her eyes, not really in the mood to be "put in her place" by Jayden of all people. "But I get what's wrong with you and A.J and I'll talk to him. In the meantime, I suggest you apologize to the Jordan I knew as well."

Jordan scoffed. "I don't need your words of wisdom."

"Yes you do. You want to know why you're so mad? Because you realize that they don't care about you. You die tomorrow, they cry a while, and keep moving. Tevin will do the same thing." Jayden responded.

"No he won't." Jordan said.

"Yes he will," Jayden replied. "Because I've seen how he looks at Bambi. But, let Bambi go to the hospital for a _cough_ that doesn't sound right and A.J is by her side."

"So what's wrong with me?" Jordan questioned in an uncaring tone.

"You're alone. You don't know how it deal with being alone and to be honest, neither will I. That's why I scrape all the real friends up that I can." Jayden said. "But of course you're a real bitch and a pain in the ass and people tend to put up with you for as long they have to. Like me."

Jordan gaped. "What? You're not going to help me?"

"Jordan, you want my help? I mean, do you _really_ want my help?" Jayden asked. Jordan nodded. "Then I'd suggest you do one thing."

"What? Return being the ugly quiet nerd?" Jordan asked angrily.

"No. Keep the makeup. Keep your wardrobe. Just answer this question." Jayden said. "Can you handle fame?"

"I'm-"

"Popular." Jayden interrupted. "But if for some reason you become famous, would you forget about the friends you have now or would you still be there for them? Would you buy things you don't need or be as stingy as your brother?" Jordan smiled a bit. Shane, like Kelly, did keep and save every dime they earned. "Answer that and I'm soon the answer to your problems will come to you."

Jordan sighed. "I'm going to tell you that I can."

"You can't even handle popularity." Jayden said with a small laugh. "You become Mary-Jane's shadow and what was the first thing you did? Dropped your friends, dropped your brother and sister, and ran with the new crowd. Now just how do you think you can handle fame when you can't handle being known in a school."

"You're not helping me. You're just telling me things that I don't need to know." Jordan said. "Besides, _you're_ famous and _you_ dropped Scarlett like a bad habit."

Jayden smirked. "You're not going to learn." Jayden began walking away. "Oh, and by the way, Kelly said that she'll _never_ forgive you. So I guess I screwed up on my half too right?"

Jordan stood frozen in the hallway. Her mind was completely blank. Kelly, her overbearing older sister, would _never_ forgive her for one comment? Had she really messed things up that badly?

Seeing Chandra walking towards her next period class, Jordan moved to her, dismissing her own fifth period class.

"Chandra!" Jordan said.

Chandra sighed heavily. "Jordan… Can you be annoying tomorrow?"

"No. I mean, whatever. Listen," Jordan said before taking in a deep breath. "I'm sorry. About the Steven comment before Winter Break, about telling A.J's secret, and for saying you didn't deserve A.J."

"Why are you saying this?" Chandra asked. "What are you aiming for?"

"I want my friends back. My _real_ friends." Jordan said.

"Newsflash. We were _never_ friends and we _never_ will be." Chandra replied. "Besides. What are your words going to do? I'm not going to forget what you said. And no one deserves to be in an abusive relationship. Not even worthless people like you."

Jordan sighed heavily. "Why can't you and A.J understand me? I'm sorry!"

"You don't sound like it." Chandra said.

"You're not giving me a chance!" Jordan shot back. "I_ have_ to apologize and be Jayden's assistant for an entire week! My sister doesn't want anything to do with me! My best friend, who I recently found out is my god-brother, hates me!"

"Why should I care?" Chandra asked.

"Because they all like you." Jordan replied. "Jayden. A.J. Even Tevin. They like you. So please. Help me."

Chandra stared at Jordan for a moment. Due to her drowsiness, she swore she heard sincerity in Jordan's voice. Jordan was desperate to get her friends back one way or the other. But that did not change what she had said. And Chandra would never forget that.

"I'm sorry… I have to get to class." Chandra said walking away.

Jordan glared at Chandra's back before rolling her eyes and walking towards class herself. She would _never_ be friends with Chandra Torres.

* * *

After the final bell, Shane waited for Kelly in front of the school, Jordan standing quietly beside him.

"Shane…" Jordan said quietly.

"What?" he replied.

"I'm sorry… For everything." Jordan said.

Shane shrugged. "Whatever."

Jordan frowned. "Whatever? Is that a good thing or bad thing?"

"It's whatever." Shane said. "As in, I don't really care about it. So just drop it." Jordan nodded as Kelly walked down the steps. "And how's my little sister doing today?"

"I have to run this to the Core." Kelly said showing Shane a few pieces of paper she had recently printed out. "Jacob is a computer wizard I swear."

"You didn't kiss him again, did you?" Shane asked with a smirk.

Kelly glared at him. "Move."

Shane laughed, but began walking off with his two sisters.

"Hey, I talked to Jayden earlier." Kelly said. Jordan began to pay attention thinking that they would bring her up in the conversation. "He said that he won't be free tomorrow. He and Laura are doing some last minute studying."

"Lucky bastard…" Shane mumbled.

Kelly rolled her eyes. "They're actually studying Shane. For her entrance exam?"

"Well since you put it that way, I feel bad for him." Shane said.

"Hey Kelly-"

"Don't talk to me Jordan Cameron." Kelly quickly cut Jordan off.

"I just want to say-"

"You know what your problem is? You're spoiled." Kelly said. "I nearly _killed_ Jayden when I heard that you came to him and asked for an apology. And do you know why I won't accept your apology?" Jordan shook her head. "Because I want you to smile like I do. You don't know how it feels to be unwanted."

"Kelly I-"

"Shut up and let me finish. My birth mother gave me up, she probably still doesn't know who my real dad is, and if you haven't noticed, my _adopted_ parents are split up!" Kelly interrupted. "And then there's you. You have your mommy and your daddy and they protect you from everyone and everything that they can. Well, you may have a 'perfect' family Jordan, but I'll be _damned_ if you consider me a part of it ever again. Are we clear?"

"Harsh…" Shane said as he saw Jordan's hurt eyes.

"Fine!" Jordan shouted as she began walking off. "I don't need you anyway!"

Shane looked at Kelly who had her arms crossed.

"Kelly…" Shane began.

"She deserves it Shane." Kelly said. "Mom keeps telling us that we're the ones messing with her and in reality, it's her. It's _always_ been her."

"But did you have to lay it on her like that?" Shane replied. "She's just a little confused girl."

"That's what people like you and Jayden say. I see her for what she _wants_ me to see her as." Kelly said. "And if you feel that bad for her, don't bother talking to me either."

Shane sighed. "Kelly, I can't remember a day without you and I don't want to start living like that."

"So what do you suggest?" Kelly questioned.

"I'd like for my two sisters to stop arguing and make-up before our mother gets on me." Shane said. "So please, for the love of your only older brother, forgive her."

Kelly sighed. "You're not going to make this easy are you?"

"Let's make a deal. You forgive her and I'll come up with the best prank ever. One that will probably get me grounded for years." Shane said. "I'll even throw in-" Kelly hugged Shane. "Okay."

"What would I do without you?" Kelly asked.

"Date Jayden. Kill Jordan. The things I don't want you to." Shane responded with a laugh.

"You're probably right." Kelly said. "Now let's go. We both have work."

"Right." Shane said.

* * *

Aaron was nearly sleep on his feet as he stepped off of the bus, heading towards Danica and Jayden's apartment. He waited patiently for Chandra to step off behind him before the two continued their journey towards peace and serenity that was his siblings' empty apartment.

"Jordan ask you for forgiveness too?" Chandra asked.

Aaron nodded. "Yeah. I don't believe her though."

"Me neither." Chandra said before the pair spotted Tevin walking towards them. "Oh no…"

"Hey Bambi." Tevin stated, completely ignoring Aaron. "Are you alright? Last time we spoke you-"

"Hey," Aaron said cutting Tevin off. "I'm really, _really_, not in a good mood today. So please, walk away and stop going after my girlfriend."

Tevin frowned. "Sorry if I'm 'offending' you, but I'm just looking out for her. She looked kind of-"

"Worry about Jordan. Jordan. Not Chandra. Jordan." Aaron replied. "She's told you once and I'm telling you again. Leave. Her. Alone."

"Or what?" Tevin challenged.

In that split second, Aaron gave Tevin one strong push that sent him falling onto the sidewalk. Tevin sat up only for Aaron's foot to be planted on his chest.

"Leave her alone." Aaron said before continuing his walk towards his original destination.

Chandra sped to catch up with Aaron. Despite a part of her being slightly angry at both boys actions, she could not help but to smile at seeing Aaron's bad side. It made her feel a bit safer with him.

"Sorry." Aaron mumbled softly.

Chandra smiled. "It's fine." Chandra linked arms with him. "Onwards to dreamland!"

"Yeah." Aaron said with a smile.

* * *

Laura stepped out of the library with a few books in her hand. Luckily for her, Danica's apartment was in walking range from the library she had gone to. She needed the fresh air.

However, this proved to be a mistake once Alexander and DeWayne stepped out of a shop.

"Laura, right?" DeWayne said.

"What the hell do you want?" Laura asked.

"I have a little problem." DeWayne replied reaching into his bag. He pulled out a bottle filled with an unknown substance to Laura. "A friend of mine left this and says that it's real good. Problem is, I wouldn't know what's cheap and what's not. You think you could taste it for me?"

"I'm pregnant dumbass." Laura said.

DeWayne shrugged. "Just a sip won't hurt anyone. Least not you."

"Go to hell with your boyfriend here, alright?" Laura said walking away.

"Hey! You telling me that Jayden already put you on a leash?" DeWayne said. Laura stopped angrily and glare at DeWayne. "Oh he does? I wouldn't know since the last I heard, he was out helping Scarlett with whatever they do."

"Plot on how to kill you." Laura said as she began to walk away once more.

That is until she felt a heavily smelling liquid splash into the back of her. She whipped her head around to see DeWayne and Alexander laughing as they walked off.

"It's _way_ better than that cheap perfume you're wearing!" DeWayne laughed.

Laura saw red. She thought about going towards DeWayne, but a reminding of her current physical condition told her to stop. Huffing in anger, Laura began marching to her boyfriend's apartment, knocking several people out of her way.

DeWayne Fitzgerald would never ridicule her again.

* * *

Shane wiped down a table before sighing. Things were a lot easier with Kelly and/or Dakota around. Still, he had to fill in when needed.

"Can I get you anything?" Shane asked as he stepped towards a table where Deanna currently sat. She seemed too deep into her currently blank paper to hear him. "Deanna."

Deanna's eyes snapped up before settling on Shane's. He thought that he had offended her by calling her by her first name. Then her face slowly relaxed.

"A milkshake. Stirred. With milk." Deanna replied.

Shane nodded before walking away. What was with people thinking that _all_ places used water for milkshakes? His dad did not and he was not.

Meanwhile, Deanna sat frozen. While she was pissed that he had interrupted her train of thought on what to draw, he had _his_ voice. The voice of the guy from her dreams. Could that guy be Shane Mason?

Deanna contemplated. He was a football player and was clearly not the smallest guy on the team, so he was bound to have strong arms. His voice was the right tone as the guy from her dreams. He was not bad looking, so her dream-self made a good choice. There was just one thing that was wrong…

The door opened and three cheerleaders walked in. More importantly, Nicole Campbell walked in to greet her boyfriend.

"You can kiss him later Nicky. Now, let's sit down." Helen said.

Deanna's eyebrow rose a bit. She despised the Coyne Cousins but if Helen kept Nicole away from Shane then it was, in her mind, a Heaven and Hell Compromise.

"Here you go." Shane said returning to Deanna's table with a drink.

She gave him a pleasant smile. "Thank you."

Shane was seconds from turning around before she called to him.

"Hey," Deanna said. "You dated Scarlett right?" Shane nodded. "Great. And she's like, real artsy, right?"

"Not really… I mean, she can draw pretty good and has this weird fetish of changing her room _every season_ but that's about it." Shane said. "Why?"

"I, um, need help. I have to think of something or someone to draw. For Art class." Deanna replied.

"Oh. Well, I hope you can think of something. Just don't draw me with an apron on." Shane said while walking away.

Deanna tapped her pencil against her chin thoughtfully before an idea popped in her head. And as her hand began to glide over the blank paper, her mind shot out images. This was going to be the best sketch she ever thought of.

* * *

Laura was seconds away from marching down the hall and pounding on the door until someone answered until she saw Isabella put a key into the lock.

"Oh, Laura," Isabella said. "Jayden's not here yet but I guess you already knew that."

"I just got off of the phone with him." Laura muttered.

Isabella's face scrunched up. "Have you been drinking?"

"No. Some asshole thought it would be cute and funny to throw a drink on me." Laura replied. "Worse was that _no one_ did anything about it!"

"Oh I'm sorry… I'm sure you can wear some of Danni's clothes. She won't mind." Isabella said.

"Yeah right. She hates me." Laura said as she pushed the door opened and walked inside.

Isabella sighed. Truth was, Danica hated everyone outside her family. The girl was temperamental like that. But, in Danica's words, she did not think that badly of Laura. Sure Laura was a girl that many people had many bad things to say about. But Jayden trusted Laura. And for some reason, Jayden's trust of Laura lowered Danica's dislike for the younger girl.

"Come on," Isabella said walking inside the apartment. "I'll get you some clothes. But you're going to have to take a shower."

"I'm not wearing Danni's clothes so she-"

"Fine. Wear _my_ clothes that she hasn't returned to me yet." Isabella interrupted. "Either way, we're getting you out of those."

Laura frowned. "And why the hell do you care? Didn't I steal your sister's crush?"

"That's one way to look at it," Isabella said. "But there's more to it. Besides, Angie's happy with Jacob. Or dancing around with Jacob I should say. My main concern is making sure that you're alright."

"And why is that?" Laura asked.

"Because my mom was a single teen mom with me. I wouldn't want her or anyone else to go through that." Isabella said. Laura nodded a bit. She would have never pegged Mia De Chaplin to be a single or teen mother. "So, how about that shower and shirt?"

"Yeah, sure. Thanks." Laura said.

"You go take that shower and I'll go make sure that there will be only one little McDuelle running around here." Isabella said. Laura frowned in confusion. "A.J stopped by with his girlfriend. They're supposed to be sleeping."

"Oh." Laura said moving towards the bathroom.

Isabella went to Danica's room to see Aaron and Chandra asleep. While Aaron lied on his back, Chandra held on to the boy as if he was a life-sized stuffed animal. Isabella smiled before moving towards Danica's closet and opening it.

"To be so rich," Isabella whispered about her friend. "You take a lot of my clothes."

* * *

Nathan sighed as he lied on his bed. He was not really in the mood to listen to Torrie and Ethan talk about Stephanie.

His cell phone began vibrating, causing him to roll over and answer it.

"Yeah." he said.

"Hey, got a minute to talk?" Stephanie replied on the other end.

Nathan sat up. "Go ahead."

"I want you to talk to Steven for me." Stephanie said. "And I do mean talk to him Nate. No fighting. No arguing. Talk."

"Why?" Nathan asked.

"Because he won't leave me alone. He's helplessly flirting with me." Stephanie told him. "Unless…"

"Unless what?" Nathan asked.

"I mean, unless you think that I should talk to him." Stephanie said.

Nathan sighed. While her obvious games with him were starting to irritate him, he knew that she had good intentions. She wanted to make him into a better person before dating him.

"I'll talk to him. Anything else?" Nathan said.

"Yes," Stephanie responded. "You can tell me what you have planned for Tank."

"Stephanie…" Nathan began.

"Please Nate, let it go. I know you're angry that he jumped you but-"

"It's more than that Steph." Nathan said before eying his mother at his doorway. "I have to go. My mom wants me."

"Alright. Call me back?" Stephanie said.

"As soon as I'm done." Nathan said.

"Bye." Stephanie told him.

"Bye." Nathan said quietly before hanging up.

* * *

It was in the evening when the Fitzgerald Mansion got a visitor.

"Dee, I swear if you forgot your key…" DeWayne mumbled as he went to open the door. "De-"

Was all DeWayne got out before his stomach was whacked by a wooden bat.

"I got to tell you," Jayden said twirling the bat. "Baseball, not my sport. But when your uncle is the star pitcher for the White Sox, you learn a trick or two." Jayden slammed the bat into DeWayne's back, causing the other boy to fall onto the ground. "I'm guessing my message is as clear as day. You know what you did to Laura, I know what I did to retaliate. It's simple. But just incase," Jayden smashed the bat into one of DeWayne's leg. "The next time you try to get her to drink or throw said drink on her, I might just kill you. Yeah. Simple as that."

"You're… You're insane McDuelle!" DeWayne shouted in agony.

"You know, my dad told me earlier today that I don't take a lot of things seriously. That I'm… Oh what did he call me? Carefree? So I thought that I'd show you just how serious I am about Laura and my child." Jayden stated. "The next time I come by here in this mood, I will be twice as serious and insane as I am now. Are we clear?"

"Fuck you!" DeWayne said before Jayden walked away. "Damn that hurts…"

Jayden grabbed his cell phone and dialed Laura's cell number.

"About time." Laura said.

"Are you at home or at the apartment? I thought I'd swing by and get something to eat, you, me, A.J, and Bambi could just relax until I take you and Bambi home." Jayden said.

Laura laughed. "You kicked his ass didn't you?"

Jayden smiled. "Scary how you know that."

"Fine, dinner sounds good." Laura said. "By the way, your brother is still asleep. Should I wake him."

"No. He deserves his rest." Jayden said. "I'll be there soon."

"Don't you want to talk to me?" Laura asked.

Jayden paused before smiling. "There's no other voice I'd rather hear right now."

* * *

Deanna looked at her sketch, embarrassed that she had drawn a picture of Shane that quickly. It was a good picture but it was about a guy she hardly knew.

"Hey, we're closing soon." Shane said nearing her. "I guess you got your idea."

"Oh, yeah, thanks." Deanna said quickly putting the picture in her folder. She reached in her purse and handed Shane some money. "Thanks for the tea."

"This is more than a cup of-"

"Take it." Deanna stated. "Christ, people can't even do a good deed nowadays."

"Okay… Psycho…" Shane said.

"I'm sorry. Really rough day." Deanna replied. "Could I ask you a small question first?" Shane nodded. "Nicky… She was on some drugs once, right? Something heavy."

"It's none of your business." Shane retorted. "So can you leave so I can close and meet my girlfriend at home."

"Right. Sorry." Deanna said walking towards the door. "Give Nicky my regards."

Deanna took a few steps away from the Dot before taking in a deep breath.

"It is him." Deanna whispered before calling for her limousine.

* * *

Jordan looked around the loud club filled with jumping and dancing teens. When Tevin told her that he was taking her out, her initiative thought was to the movies. Now she was in a club where his cousin was a DJ at.

"So this is where you run off to." Jordan turned around to see Kelly. "You are a Mary-Jane replica."

"Wait, no. Kelly I don't want to be here." Jordan said. "He said that we were going out. I thought the movies."

"Right." Kelly replied.

Jordan sighed. "Can you take me home? Please?"

"Come on." Kelly answered before leading Jordan out of the club. Kelly reached in her pocket and handed Jordan some money. "Here."

"What's this?" Jordan asked.

"Cab fare." Kelly responded. "I can't have random strangers riding in my dad's truck. He'd get mad and take the keys away from me."

"Wha… Kelly! You can't do this!" Jordan pleaded.

"I think I just did." Kelly said. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go home and you can go wherever that'll get you."

"What do I have to do?" Jordan asked. "What do I have to do to get your forgiveness?"

Kelly stared at Jordan for a moment before smirking.

"Since you like being people's doubles, be my double for tomorrow. All day. I can die your hair and everything." Kelly said.

Jordan gasped. "My hair…? Are you sure?"

"Take a walk in my shoes." Kelly said.

"Fine. I'm already Jayden's slave for a week. There can't be anything worse." Jordan muttered.

"Good, because I was thinking about shaving my hair tonight." Kelly said. Jordan's eyes widened causing Kelly to laugh. "You are so easy to fool!"

"Oh… I thought you were serious about the whole-"

"Oh, you _will _be my double tomorrow." Kelly interrupted, her laughter stopping. "Now let's go before Mom wonders where you are. Little sisters… Who invented them?"

Jordan was going to retort before she began smiling. At least she had her sister back.

* * *

**Author's Note:** A chapter that mainly focused around Jordan, a character many people seem to hate now. Review and let me know what you think!


	74. Webisode: MiTunes: Jordan

**MiTunes: Jordan**

Artist: Britney Spears  
Song: Lucky

Some days she woke up feeling like her old self. Quiet. Unattractive. Nerdy. But that normally went away once she began to get dress. Every article of clothing made her feel powerful and beautiful. Yet, she still felt lonely.

_Early morning  
She wakes up  
Knock, knock, knock on the door_

Whenever Shane and Kelly came to get her for school, their eyes seemed to go right through her. No amount of makeup could make her visible to them. But she did not get pretty for them. She always got pretty for everyone else.

_It's time for makeup  
Perfect smile  
It's who they're all waiting for_

She knows that the people of Degrassi saw her in a different light. A part of her loved it. She loved how all the boys looked at her. They made her feel better. But another part of her got tired of hearing the same thing.

_They go  
Isn't she lovely  
This Hollywood girl_

They said that about her everyday. Not a single word was different. It was starting to become a bit creepy and stale.

_And they say  
She's so lucky  
She's a star  
But she cry, cry, cries in her lonely heart  
Thinking, if there's nothing  
Missing in my life  
Then why do these tears come at night?_

Jordan would never admit that she still felt sad about the death of her grandfather. Not that anyone would blame her, but the new her showed how strong she really wasn't. So she had to keep smiling for her new friends. She had to make sure that no one saw just how weak she was.

_Lost in an image  
In her dream  
But there's no one there to wake her up_

Another thing makeup did not make up for. The absence of her friends. Her real friends. She wished that they would give her a chance to explain. Somewhere where she did not have to be like this, but since revealing Aaron's secret to the school, she knew better than to enter the McDuelle household without her parents.

Jordan closed her locker and turned to see the face of a few boys that had grown a crush on her since Winter Break, though they knew she was dating Tevin. Smiling, she sent them away, glad to know that someone sees her.

_And the world is spinning  
And she keeps on winning  
But tell me what happens when it stops_

And at lunch, there was a good amount of students that surrounded her. She smiled and laughed with them, happy to be of use to someone. But, she then turned to see her former friends laughing and talking. Even Ashton was actually smiling. Jordan turned her attention back to the people around her, angry that they repeated the earlier statement, even if it was a compliment.

_They go  
Isn't she lovely  
This Hollywood girl_

When lunch ended, she got up to walk away. Her siblings left the cafeteria with their friends. Aaron left with his friends. And for some reason, she felt like they were leaving her. Even if she had more people with her, she could not help feeling alone.

_And they say  
She's so lucky  
She's a star  
But she cry, cry, cries in her lonely heart_

There was something wrong with her. Something that no one seemed to noticed. Well, at least no one that she was around currently.

_Thinking, if there's nothing  
Missing in my life  
Then why do these tears come at night?_

Why did she have this feeling? Why did she feel so unwanted or so out of placed? She basically _owned_ her new friends. She said jumped and they did. That was unlike her old friends where only Aaron listened though there were times that he didn't.

And Dustin only needed her for her brains. He just liked using her notes and homework whenever it suited him best. He did not necessarily care for Jordan in the first place. She was only his means of getting a good grade.

Ashton and Gabrielle were normally seated at the table because of Aaron and Vanessa because of Chandra.

Jordan's eyes narrowed as she spotted Chandra and Aaron together. As much as it pained Jordan to say it out loud, but she envied the Torres girl. She had great natural looks, popular, a cheerleader, and smart. Worst of all, Chandra had Aaron and their other friends behind her.

_Isn't she lovely?  
This Hollywood girl_

Mary-Jane called Jordan over, the two walking down the hallways as if they owned it. Yet, no amount of attention could give Jordan the attention she truly wanted.

_She is so lucky  
But why does she cry  
If there is nothing  
Missing in her life  
Why do tears come at night?_

Jordan paused as she spotted her grandfather's memorial. She stared at it a moment before remembering the bittersweet moment here. She had received her first kiss at this very spot a few months ago.

_And they say  
She's so lucky  
She's a star  
But she cry, cry, cries in her lonely heart  
Thinking, if there's nothing  
Missing in my life  
Then why do these tears come at night?_

Jordan sighed. She did not have everything she wanted. She wanted the popularity, but she also wanted her friends and family too. She wanted her new look, but she wanted Aaron and the others to look at her as if she was needed. Even walking down the halls with the proclaimed Queen Bee of the school did not fill her lonely feelings.

_She is so lucky  
But she cry, cry, cries in her lonely  
Thinking, if there's nothing  
Missing in my life  
Then why do these tears come at night?_

Jordan walked into her sixth period class and saw Aaron smiling at her direction. She was seconds away from returning the smile before Chandra moved past her.

Another thing makeup doesn't cover up were her lonely tears. But Jordan would never show them. She was the lucky one after all.


	75. Like a Record Promo

**Author's Note: **Just a random idea that popped in my head that compares the show to the story. Next chapter should be out Friday, along with a new MiTunes.

**Like A Record Promo**

Bianca DeSousa walks into the school that she currently called hers. Of course, with recent events, things have become a bit quieter. She glanced at her ex, Drew Torres, who was putting something into his locker. The two made eye contact before she walked past him. She wished to apologize for him for everything that she has caused him, but she could not.

A hand touched the dark-haired girls shoulder before she turned around, revealing to be Laura Reynolds. She smiled at Jayden McDuelle, glad their rivalry was over and he was happy about her pregnancy.

Down the hall, Jimmy Brooks stood on crutches, talking to Hazel Aden and Paige Michalchuk. They were planning on some sort of small reunion soon, something that made Jimmy happy. It had been a while since he's talked to Hazel… And Paige for that matter.

Paige giggled, her blonde hair covering her face. The piece of hair was removed, revealing Mary-Jane's hazel-green eyes as she stared at James Brooks and Amber Clarke. The trio finished making plans on getting away for the weekend before Marc Milligan came to them and they walked off to class.

Manny Santos, Emma Nelson, and Liberty Van Zandt laughed as they made their way towards the front steps. The three were going to surprise Mr. Simpson by just showing up unplanned, though Emma warned them about scaring him _too_ much, joking about his age and stress. They slowly came to a stop at the steps while looking up at the building.

Manny saw her blonde friend start up the steps before calling to her. Jordan Cameron glanced over her shoulder where Aaron McDuelle and Dustin Hayes stood. Giving them one final stare, she walked up the steps.

Craig Manning stood outside and gave Ellie Nash a hug. She was always there for him when he needed it the most. He glanced over his shoulder at Ashley, who was currently waiting in the car. He was glad that Ashley understood just how important Ellie was to Craig, despite Craig and Ashley dating now. Craig released Ellie, saying his farewells, before the two began walking in opposite directions.

Each step they took, Craig became more and more like Steven as Ellie became Dakota. Dakota knew her older brother would want as much space between her and himself as there could possibly be. She looked over her shoulder, seeing Ashton in the backseat wondering if he felt the same way. Ashton normally kept things to himself, keeping his words short and straight to the point. He busied himself with things outside of the house to avoid the tension between Steven and Dakota. Dakota only smiled. At least she had her friends.

Jane Vaughn smiled at the praise she received from her boyfriend, Gavin Mason, as the two walked towards his car. Jane was in her football uniform, just getting out of practice. She was glad to have him around because he was more than her boyfriend. He was her rock, the thing that made her stable.

Getting into the car, Nicole Campbell looked at her boyfriend, Shane Mason, who looks at her exposed legs due to her cheerleading uniform. Giggling as he starts his father's truck up, Nicole thinks about how thankful she is to have Shane around.

Clare Edwards saw the depression on her friend's face. Alli Bhandari was completely down about being single. Clare at first thought she was being a tad bit over-dramatic, but Clare had Eli. Alli had no one. Smiling at an idea, Clare left to retrieve the perfect date for Alli.

Chandra Torres looked up to see her boyfriend, Aaron McDuelle, walking with her best friend, Vanessa Brooks. Aaron extended a hand, knowing that Chandra must have been having a stressful day. Chandra gave him a smile and allowed him to pull her to her feet before kissing him, causing Vanessa to smile.

Fiona Coyne stood in front of a large mural of the school's logo. She was real nitpicky about how it should look and where it should go. Seeing that it now looked and hung like she wanted, Fiona gave a satisfied smile before Holly J Sinclair stepped beside her, eying her friend's handy work. The two girls gave a nod before walking off.

As they walked, a shoulder brushed against Fiona's causing her to stop and turn at the perpetrator. Her blue eyes landed on another pair of blue eyes, causing her to stare with confusion. The girl had the same hair, albeit straighter. They were wearing similar clothing only different colors. They looked so alike…

"Something wrong Scar?" Helen Sinclair-Coyne asked her cousin, Scarlett Chessex.

"I thought I saw…" Scarlett paused, knowing the impossibilities of seeing a younger version of her mother and aunt walking down the halls. "Never mind. Let's go home Helen."

"Yeah."


	76. S3: Episode XI: I Don't Wanna Know Pt I

**Episode XI: I Don't Wanna Know Pt. I**

Scarlett and Helen got out of their car simultaneously as Jayden got out of his.

"I think the deal was, winner buys the loser lunch tomorrow." Helen taunted.

Jayden smiled. "Whatever Helen. You took that red light."

"I hear excuses." Helen replied. "Pay up Jay. Tomorrow. Lunch."

"Ta-ta J.T." Scarlett said with a smile as she walked away with her cousin.

Laura got out of Jayden's car. "You could've so taken that light."

"I know." Jayden answered. "But, they seem happy, right?" Laura nodded. "Then my job is done. They're happy. We're happy. The world's happy."

"Mrs. Hart gave me a free period today to study, so I'll be doing more studying today." Laura said before sighing. "I can't wait until Sunday. I'm going to sleep in and wake up Monday before school."

"Can't." Jayden said.

Laura frowned. "And why the hell not?"

"Sunday's your birthday. So we're going to party all Sunday and sleep Monday." Jayden replied.

"How'd you-"

"Your mom." Jayden interrupted with a smile. "So, soon-to-be birthday girl, anything else you want to know?"

"Nope. I guess that covers it." Laura stated. "Class?"

"Class." Jayden said.

* * *

Jacquelyn sighed as Nicole continued to smile.

"Nicky, don't you have a class to get to?" Jacquelyn asked.

"Not until you tell me where you're going today." Nicole replied. "I promise I won't tell Helen."

Jacquelyn sighed. "Fine… Scooter and I are going to the movies later on."

"I knew-"

"Ssh!" Jacquelyn interrupted. "Do you want everyone to hear you?" Nicole shook her head. "I'm only doing this because he's seen my performances and stuff… It's really nothing."

"Oh come on. You two are going out, on Friday? Alone? It's a date, isn't it?" Nicole said with a smile. "Ooh I knew that you would like him."

"I don't like him Nicky. I'm just doing this as a friend." Jacquelyn said.

"Right… You do know that that's the same excuse Jay used on Helen and Scarlett when he helped Laura find her mom right?" Nicole countered.

"But- I- Ugh! Never mind Nicky." Jacquelyn said.

Nicole smile. "You so like him Jackie. Just admit it."

"Whatever." Jacquelyn said. "I have class."

"Tell me how it goes." Nicole replied before walking away.

Jacquelyn stood quietly for a moment. If word got out that she had a crush on Damon it would put another rift in her friendship with Helen. Worst, people would look at her like they looked at Jayden or Nicole. Did she really want that?

Shaking her head, Jacquelyn just walked to class. She would figure this out later on today.

* * *

Darcy tapped a finger on her desk as she waited for the named student to enter her office. This was the third time something like this had happened, but ever since she was named principal, she swore that she would make her school the safest in Toronto. And that meant having a drug- and alcohol-free school.

"You wanted to see me?" Shane asked coming into her office.

Darcy nodded. "Sit down." Shane did as he was told, sitting in a chair in front of Darcy's desk. "Yesterday Shane, we found something inside of your locker. A pair of gloves?"

"My football gloves?" Shane asked.

"No. Not those gloves." Darcy said. "Gloves that had cocaine residue on them." Shane frowned. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Yeah. Why would _I_ have gloves that-"

"I don't know. And to be honest with you, the only reason I called you in here without Officer Thompson being present, is because I don't think that you would frame your band member and your girlfriend." Darcy said. "However, I'm afraid that when he comes in here, I will have to tell you the same thing that I told Dakota. You will be unrightfully punished but I will do everything in my power to clear your name."

Shane sighed heavily. "Just how did this happen? You guys didn't check for fingerprints or anything?"

"Other than your fingerprints, none were found on the locker. None at all." Darcy said. "Do you know anyone who would-"

"No! If I did, I'd told you by now!" Shane interrupted. "This is bull-"

"Shane." Darcy said. "You'll only be suspended. No jail time. No rehab. Just suspended."

"Is that supposed to make me feel any better?" Shane asked. "Some douche is out there framing my friends, my girlfriend, and now _I_ get blamed for it!"

Darcy sighed. "You're a lot like your father…"

"And how do you know that?" Shane asked angrily.

"Because," Darcy answered. "I dated him. And you remind me a lot of him." Darcy then smiled. "I'll clear your name, trust me."

"Mrs. Taylor, I'm going to be honest with you. When I find out the bastard that did this, I'm going to kick his sorry ass." Shane said. "And then you can punish him."

Darcy smiled. "When it happens, I'll make sure that the write-up is somehow burned."

Shane nodded before closing his eyes and sighing. He actually felt sorry for whoever framed Dakota and Nicole. While Shane would have simply beaten the person physically, his friend would make sure that the person is beaten physically, mentally, and emotionally. And then there was Laura, who was probably pissed that Dakota got framed in the first place.

Yeah. He felt sorry for the poor guy already.

* * *

The bell rang to end first period, and for the first time in a long time, Jayden decided to go to second period with Helen.

"I owned you." Helen said.

"You ran a light." Jayden replied.

Helen shrugged. "You know that and I know that. No one else does. Therefore, you're just giving me an excuse." Jayden smiled. "So… DeWayne sent Scar a pretty crazy text last night. Something about you coming over…?"

"I'm not telling you." Jayden stated.

Helen frowned. "You're annoying, you know that?"

"I beat him." Jayden said. Helen's expression changed as her eyebrows shot upwards. "With a bat."

"With a… Are you trying to seduce me all over again Jayden McDuelle? That has got to be the greatest thing I've heard you do in your entire life!" Helen said with a smile.

"Well, he deserved it. Not just for what he did to Laura, but for other stuff." Jayden replied. "It got a lot off of my chest too."

Helen nodded. "I understand. Say, is there something going on between you and Scar? Something that I should know?"

Jayden frowned. "We're friends."

"Like you were before?" Helen said. "Jay, I don't think I have to remind you just who it was that has stuck her pretty little nose in every single one of your relationships since you've moved to Toronto. Not saying anything bad about Scar, but you have to learn to space yourself sometime. Especially now more than ever."

"And why's that?" Jayden asked with a small frown.

"Laura's pregnant Jayden. She _will_ need you." Helen answered. "I'm not telling you to run off and marry the girl, because honestly I still find Laura to be obnoxious, but for the sake of a healthy relationship, space yourself."

Jayden shrugged. "Everything's alright now, so I don't know why I'd change-"

"I'd be lying if I told you that I didn't want to date you again." Helen cut him off. "But even I know when to swallow my pride and leave you alone." Jayden smiled a bit. "When you were with Scar, I let you be with my cousin and best friend. Now you're with the mother of your future child. I see that clearly. Scarlett…"

"You don't think that she'd be that manipulative, do you? I mean, she's been helping me out this entire time." Jayden said.

"There's a big difference between me and Scarlett." Helen said. "I will walk up to you and punch you square in the face because I honestly don't care about your feelings. Scarlett? She's patient. She can wait until the opportune moment and strike from whatever position she's in."

"You make her sound like some kind of serpent." Jayden replied.

Helen shrugged. "Say what you want. But the truth is, I hated Scar when we dated, Miss Jackie hated Scar when you two dated, and now Laura hates Scar. I had no problem with Miss Jackie, she had no problem with me when you two dated, and Laura could care less about the both of us. Three different girls agreeing on one thing should say something. Even to an idiot like you."

"I can keep my girlfriend and my best friend Helen." Jayden said.

Helen kept quiet as the two made their way into Coach Blue's class, Scarlett already present.

"Hey," Scarlett said with a smile. "How was your day J.T?"

"Not eventful in the least." Jayden replied. "Yours?"

Scarlett shrugged. "Same as every other day." Scarlett then looked at Helen. "Is everything alright Helen?"

"Perfect." Helen answered.

* * *

Laura was shocked when Shane did not come to class, but brushed it off as she remembered that she had a test Saturday.

Then she thought about the chances that Jayden and Shane skipped together. They normally did so why would this time be any different?

"Laura," Laura gave Kelly a small glance. "Have you seen Shane?"

"Nope." Laura answered simply.

"Great…" Kelly muttered.

Laura realized that Shane was not with Jayden or else Kelly would have known beforehand. Despite what many thought about Kelly, she was always in on Shane and Jayden's pranks and mishaps, so if she was completely left out of the loop, then Shane was gone on his own. And the last time that happened, he left with Nicole so maybe…

Laura then snapped out of her thoughts. Why did she care where Shane was? The guy had done nothing but stared at her from day one. And if she was ignorant to lustful stares, she would have pegged him down for some stalker or weirdo.

"He'd better be okay." Laura heard Kelly murmur.

Laura only sighed quietly. Something told her that _something_ was going wrong somewhere. And she really wanted a relaxing day before her big test tomorrow.

* * *

After the bell, Jayden left his Art class with Helen, Scarlett soon catching up.

"I can't believe that we had a written test in an Art class… Again!" Jayden said.

Helen rolled her eyes. "Get over it. Again." Jayden glanced at her. "I have to go this way. See you two later."

"Well… Here we are again." Jayden said to Scarlett.

"So what do you have planned later on today?" Scarlett asked.

Jayden shrugged. "Helping Laura study. Preparing for the return of the evil one. You?"

"Oh… Nothing really." Scarlett replied. "I thought that…"

"We'd hang out?" Jayden asked raising a brow. Scarlett nodded. "Maybe tomorrow evening, if Laura's up to it."

"Why so late?" Scarlett questioned.

"Two reasons. One, Laura has her exams and I promised to be there before she starts and when she finishes. Moral support." Jayden answered. "Two, because I have to finish planning for her birthday Sunday. And she _hates_ her birthday. So I'm going to make it as special as I can."

"Oh. Alright. So Saturday evening then?" Scarlett responded.

"You don't know when to quit, do you Red?" Jayden asked with a smile.

Scarlett grinned. "I have no clue on what you're talking about."

"Yes you-"

"I have to go. Call me later on to rendezvous. Au revoir." Scarlett said walking away.

Jayden sighed heavily before laughing quietly to himself. It pained him to be torn between two great girls, but sooner or later Scarlett would get the memo. He just hoped it was before Laura snapped on her.

* * *

Aaron and Chandra were also walking to their third period classes when Aaron realized that Chandra had blanked out once more. Her eyes were completely glazed and her footsteps seemed to be a bit heavier.

"Chandra." Aaron said. She snapped out of her thoughts, shaking her head, before looking at Aaron. "Are you alright?"

"I… I just had a thought." Chandra answered.

"A thought? Bambi, you were basically sleep walking." Aaron stated. "Maybe you should call home and-"

"I'm fine Aaron!" Chandra interrupted. Aaron gave Chandra a curious stare. "I'm sorry A.J… I didn't mean to snap like that."

Aaron grinned. "You can't help it. I know that." Chandra gave Aaron a sad smile before he gently took her hand. "Let's get you to class, okay?"

"A.J… I'm really sorry about that." Chandra said. "If only you knew what my parents were telling me this morning. And then my grandparents just _have_ to meet you it's-"

"I understand Bambi. And I won't hold it against you. Now." Aaron said.

Chandra frowned. "What do you mean 'now'?" Aaron only smiled as he walked away. "A.J! Tell me!"

* * *

Stephanie hated running late for class, but she did have a liable reason. She had to finish a test for her previous class and did not have time to stay after today.

"Stephanie, hey." Steven said standing up from the water fountain. "I didn't think you were the skipping type."

"I'm not. Note." Stephanie said flashing the piece of paper. "Uh, I'll see you around."

"Hey, wait," Steven said stopping her. "Do you want to go out sometime? Catch a movie or something?"

"I can't…" Stephanie replied.

"Nathan?" Steven asked.

Stephanie frowned. "Why does everyone assume that? No. It's not." Stephanie knew how bad she was lying, but so long as Steven didn't, she was okay. "Besides, you have kind of a bad reputation with women."

"I've changed." Steven said.

"Really?" Stephanie asked.

Steven nodded. "Yes. I've changed. So what do you say? If there's hope in _Nathan_ there's got to be some in me, right?"

"Sorry," Stephanie replied. "But I'm not that easy. You're cute. Just not right."

And with that, Stephanie began walking off. She fixed her glasses a bit on her face before sighing. Only until Nathan was completely clean and honest would she date him. And once that happen, all of this would probably go away.

* * *

The bell rang for lunch, and unsurprisingly, Jacquelyn found herself walking with Helen, Scarlett, and Nicole.

"But of course that'll never happen." Scarlett said.

Helen shrugged. "I don't know. It's not like I _want_ to go back to New York. It's just that… Well, with my parents work _all the time_ and staying with Kim and that brat gets annoying."

"You have an older sister?" Nicole asked.

Helen frowned. "Kim's our nanny who's about forty."

"Oh…" Nicole replied.

Jacquelyn frowned. Helen never really talked about her family at home, other than how much she hated her younger twin brothers and younger sister. Jacquelyn would have assumed the same thing Nicole did had the blonde not beaten her to the punch.

"Hey Jackie." Jacquelyn's attention was then brought to Damon, who stood against a set of lockers talking to Nathan.

"Why is that loser talking to you?" Helen asked Jacquelyn.

Damon frowned. "I'm sorry. Jealous that I didn't say something to you?"

"More like annoyed that you're even still alive." Helen retorted.

"Can we go to lunch?" Nicole asked. "Please."

"Yeah Helen, obviously this guy confused himself good enough even for Jackie's standards." Scarlett added.

Damon snorted. "It's just like Laura."

Nathan frowned. "What's like Laura?"

"Nothing," Damon said. "Hey, didn't we have somewhere to be?"

"Thought so." Helen stated. "Come on Miss Jackie. I'll make sure that this nobody stays away from you."

Jacquelyn only stared at Damon for a moment. She could tell from his eyes that he was angry at Helen's and Scarlett's words. She wanted to apologize to him right then and there, but he did something quite unexpected.

"Bitches…" Damon muttered before walking away with Nathan.

"Asshole…" Helen replied loudly.

Jacquelyn stood frozen, unaware that Helen and Scarlett had continued their trek to the cafeteria. She was brought out of her daze when Nicole put a hand on her shoulder.

"You should've said something." Nicole said.

Jacquelyn frowned. "Say what?"

"I don't know, but anything would've helped." Nicole replied. "Come on… Let's get some lunch."

"Right…" Jacquelyn said quietly.

* * *

Laura twirled a piece of hair around her finger as she stared at the problem in front of her. Her brain ran through possible solutions before she frowned. None of them seemed to work. She was growing angrier by the seconds but soon took a deep breath. Every problem had its solution was a lesson Maxwell had taught her.

Laura smiled a bit. Jayden's father really knew how to be the tough parent as well as one's best friends. It seemed kind of impossible, yet he was. Her eyes then moved to Jayden, who was sitting in a chair against the wall. She was happy to know that her child would have a parent like him.

Looking back at the problem, Laura concentrated some more before writing an answer down. Her eyes met Mrs. Hart's before the woman smiled.

"You've got it." Mrs. Hart said.

Laura sighed. "I'm going be glad when this is over."

"Me too." Jayden muttered. Laura gave him a quick glare. "I'm quiet."

Mrs. Hart smiled. " Laura, you'll do fine tomorrow, I know so."

"I hope so. Or else, I've wasted everyone's time." Laura said.

"You are so optimistic. Just shining with hope." Jayden stated.

Laura gave him another glare."One more time."

"We can go now, right? I have something to do." Jayden said. Laura frowned. "I just learned that my best friend is being framed for a crime he didn't commit. I think I have something to do during my free time."

"Why do I even bother?" Laura asked rising from her seat. "Thanks Mrs. Hart. This has helped me out a lot."

"And raised our phone bills due to our late night studying at two different houses but that's a different story." Jayden said standing. Laura only rolled her eyes. "But thanks Mrs. Hart."

"No problem you two. I hope you do well Laura." Mrs. Hart said.

"I'll try." Laura replied as she and Jayden left the woman's office. Laura then looked at Jayden. "Why must I remind you on how to behave?"

"Because if you don't you'll end up just like me and we wouldn't want that, now do we?" Jayden told her. "Seriously though, when I walked by Shane in the office, he told me that he was going to work with his dad. I don't think I've ever seen Spinner that angry before."

"Because Shane had the glove in his locker?" Laura asked.

Jayden shook his head. "No… Because he _dated_ Principal Taylor and she suspended his obviously framed son."

"Wow… You'd better how Scarlett doesn't become your kids' principal." Laura said.

Jayden laughed. "Her or Helen one."

"Go to your friends." Laura said. Jayden gave her a frown. "What?"

"You're not coming?" Jayden asked.

"Is it wrong for me to miss the company of my two idiots?" Laura replied. Jayden laughed a bit before giving her a kiss. "I'll see you after lunch."

"Right." Jayden said with a grin. "See you later."

Laura nodded before walking away, leaving Jayden to stand with his hands in his pockets. Sighing, he turned for the cafeteria alone. For some reason, Helen's words were starting to sink in, giving him a small headache.

"I need to find Jordan." Jayden muttered.

* * *

At Lakehurst, Stephanie sat with Angelina like any normal day at lunch, the two girls talking and giggling amongst each other.

"Stephanie," Deanna said as she and Mercedes neared the table. "I want to talk to you."

Stephanie sighed. "I'm sorry for what I said to you the other day. I guess you were just having a bad day and-"

"I'm sorry for what I said too." Deanna interrupted, shocking the three other girls nearby. "But that's now what I wanted. This has something to do with advice."

"Advice?" Stephanie asked with a confused look.

Angelina felt a bit uneasy when Deanna sat beside her. It did not take but one meeting between the two for Angelina to know that Deanna Fitzgerald was as devious as they come.

"Yes, advice." Deanna said. "You see… There's this guy that I believe has a crush on me. Then again, who doesn't right?" Stephanie watched Mercedes roll her eyes, muttering something incoherent to the others. "But so far… He's a loser. Cute, but a loser. Since you're _obviously_ in the same boat, I need your help. How do I make him not a loser?"

"Uh… Talk to him?" Stephanie suggested. "That's all I got."

Deanna frowned. "Talk to him…? Such a simple-minded thought and yet…" Deanna then smiled sweetly. "Thanks Steph. I knew you'd pull through."

"Sure thing." Stephanie stated as the other girl stood up.

"Practice today. You two don't be late." Deanna said before walking away with Mercedes.

Angelina frowned. "What was that about?"

"I wish I knew." Stephanie answered.

* * *

"No way!" Nicole nearly screamed.

"You know," Jayden said putting a finger against his ringing ear. "Kelly just screamed the _exact same thing_. Maybe you two should stop hanging around each other."

"How do you know this?" Scarlett asked her ex.

"You know me. Always hearing and seeing things." Jayden answered as he sat next to Nicole. "So, the question is who the real idiot is. My money is on Damon."

"Mine too." Helen said.

Scarlett frowned. "Scooter? Really? And just why would he target Dakota and Nicky?"

"Scar, you're so helplessly stupid sometimes." Helen replied causing Scarlett to glare at her shorter cousin. "Think about it, okay? If I wanted Jayden to cry like a wimp, I'd shoot Laura in the forehead and drop Dakota off of a bridge. And Plain Shane? I'd do the same thing to Nicky and Kelly."

"Alright Sherlock," Scarlett retorted. "Then why hasn't anything happened to Laura and/or Kelly?"

"Nate." Helen said simply.

"Nate?" Scarlett and Nicole parroted.

Helen nodded. "Yes, Nate. Laura's friend and the _only_ guy to find Kelly attractive."

"Outside of me, right?" Jayden stated.

"Anyway," Helen said. "It makes sense. And his next target is clearly Miss Jackie, one of the two shared exes between them."

"Well… That would explain what happened earlier…" Scarlett said in a thoughtful manner.

Jayden frowned. "What happened earlier? Do I have to go find him and-"

"No!" Jacquelyn said quickly. The others looked at her strangely. "I'm sorry… I… I h-have to go."

Jayden, Helen, Scarlett, and Nicole watched Jacquelyn rise and walk away.

Helen then sighed. "Another friend of mine, dragged to the ravine and screwed… This just sucks."

* * *

The bell rang for the end of lunch, causing Jacquelyn to groan in annoyance. She had spent nearly fifteen minutes searching for Damon and could not find him anywhere.

"Laura!" Laura gave Jacquelyn an annoyed glance, obviously not wanting to talk to Jacquelyn right now. "Laura, have you seen Scooter anywhere?"

"Yeah. He was just in his anti-Jackie fort outside. Can't miss it." Laura said.

Jacquelyn frowned. "This is serious. I need to talk to him."

"Funny. He just told me that you didn't say a thing to Helen or Scarlett earlier." Laura said.

"You don't understand-"

"I understand a lot." Laura interrupted. "And to be honest, I'm the last person to sympathize for what you did. To be honest, we couldn't be more different if we tried."

Jacquelyn sighed. "I was right about you. You're no different now than you were before Winter Break."

"Damn straight. Why? Because that's just who the hell Laura Reynolds is. And you'd better do best to remember it." Laura said. "You want to compare everyone's relationships to your own, well keep mine out of your mouth. What Dimples and I have is completely different from what you and that dipshit Scooter has. Why? Because we're not cowards."

"Coward? I'm not a coward." Jacquelyn replied.

"You could've fooled me." Laura said.

"You know what? This isn't helping me. Can you just tell me where he is?" Jacquelyn asked.

Laura shrugged. "Somewhere near the gym, since he has it this period and all. But, I warn you, he's really not in the mood to talk to you. He says that you are… Well, I'm sure you don't want me to repeat it."

"Do you… Do you think that there's anything I can do?" Jacquelyn questioned.

"Without debasing yourself? No." Laura replied. "Then again, I don't care. My life's hectic enough as it is. Why would I want to add your stupidity to it?"

"Why? Afraid Jayden might leave you for Scarlett? It's bound to happen." Jacquelyn said. While she will admit that she did wrong to Damon, Laura on the other hand would not make her feel worse. "I have to go."

"Listen Jackie Hag." Laura began.

"It's Haig." Jacquelyn replied.

"_Hag_." Laura said, emphasizing on the word. "Don't piss me off today, okay? You fucked up whatever it was that you and Scooter had. Big whoop. Go run to your ringleader, get on your knees so you can look her face-to-face, and tell someone who cares. But the next time you say that to me, I'll hit you so hard it'll take the slant out of your eyes."

"Are you ready?" Laura looked past Jacquelyn at Jayden and gave him a smile. "What have you done?"

"Walk and talk Dimples." Laura replied before giving Jacquelyn a glare.

Jacquelyn watched the future parents walk away, Laura nearly latching onto the boy. It was probably the first time Jacquelyn had seen up close just how close the two really were. Laura was smiling and Jayden had a calm look on his face, as if nothing was troubling him.

"Like she has someone to dance for…" Jacquelyn said to herself as she remembered Nicole saying something about Laura being a dancer as well.

Jacquelyn turned to go to class. She would talk to Damon the first chance she got. Hopefully, they would be alone.

* * *

After the final bell, Chandra made her way to Aaron's locker where he stood alone. It was kind of weird seeing him standing by himself with the remaining commotion about him being Jayden's brother as well as Ashton and Dustin who were nearly around Aaron all day during the school day.

"Hey A.J." Chandra said.

"Hey." Aaron said moving something around his closed hand. He went to put whatever it was into his mouth before Chandra slapped his hand, spilling the Skittles on the floor. "Okay…"

Chandra gasped. "Aaron, I'm so sorry! I… I…"

"You thought I was taking pills. It's okay." Aaron said before revealing the bag from his locker. "I have more." Chandra gave a small nod as Aaron knelt down to pick up the spilled candy to dispose of them. "So how was your day?"

"A.J… I'm so sorry. I mean, these images keep flashing and I-"

"Jay fears that Laura will wake up one day and Laura will throw up on him due to morning sickness." Aaron announced. "So long as you don't do that, I fully understand."

"How can you be so okay with this? I'm two steps away from being officially crazy." Chandra said.

Aaron stood up with a smile.

"Bambi, it's okay. Just calm down, alright? I'm not mad." Aaron said.

"You're _never_ mad." Chandra stated before pausing. "Well… At me… Anymore."

"When have I been mad at you?" Aaron asked.

"Uh, when Dustin kissed me and then I went out with…" Chandra paused again.

"I get it." Aaron said before closing his locker. "Come on. I'm sure Laura's grown impatient waiting on us."

"Right." Chandra replied. "Hey A.J… Can I have some Skittles?"

Aaron only chuckled a bit. "Sure Bambi."

* * *

Kelly looked at Shane as he stared at the ceiling, Nicole peering over her shoulder. The two blondes looked at one another before moving into Shane's room.

"Hey Shane. Are you okay?" Nicole asked.

Shane looked at his sister and his girlfriend.

"Jayden told you, huh?" Shane questioned. The two girls nodded. "I knew he would."

"Shane, I feel so bad." Nicole said. "This is all my fault. If I didn't have an addiction to began with, you wouldn't be here."

"Nicky, don't-"

"But we are." Kelly interrupted. "So, while Dad has given me the night off, I'm going to prove your innocence, alright?"

Shane smiled. "You two are awesome, did you know that?"

"It's been told to me once or twice before." Kelly said with a grin. "Come on Nicky. We have to meet Principal Taylor before she leaves." Nicole nodded. "Shane, we'll be back as soon as possible. Prepare for movie night."

Shane nodded. "I will."

Nicole moved and kissed Shane.

"See you later." Nicole said before leaving with Kelly.

Shane sighed. "I hope nothing worse happens…"

* * *

Shocked. That was the only thing Stephanie felt right now. Completely shocked. After walking out of the gym in Lakehurst with Angela, the two girls had moved to walk towards Stephanie's apartment. However, when they exited the building, Steven stood waiting.

"Hey, need a ride?" Steven asked.

"Um, no. Thanks though." Stephanie answered.

"Are you-"

"You're five minutes late." Walking towards the two girls was Nathan, his hands in his pockets. "Deanna make you guys stay an extra five minutes?"

Stephanie smiled. "Yeah, she did. She's a bit of a perfectionist."

Nathan nodded. "I bet." Nathan then looked at Steven. "So you go here now? Kind of figured as much. With the restraining order on the Torres girl and all."

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Steven asked.

"You're right. I do." Nathan said. "Coming Stephanie?"

"Sure. See you Monday Steven." Stephanie said walking away with Angelina.

"Leave her alone." Nathan said to Steven. "Only warning."

Steven watched Nathan move to catch up with the two girls, grimacing. Chandra had abandoned him for Jayden. And now, Stephanie was doing the same. Grunting lowly, Steven made a vow that this would not happen to him twice.

"Thanks. I owe you." Stephanie said.

"Yes you do." Nathan replied. "So this is Angelina, huh? The girl that hooked up with the nerd of Juvenile Grace?"

Stephanie frowned. "Don't make her sound so slutty."

"Sorry. I really don't have anything else to no her by." Nathan said looking at Angelina.

"Then introduce yourself." Stephanie said.

"Kind of your job since we're both _your_ friends." Nathan responded before looking at Angelina. "Nate."

"Angie." Angelina stated.

"See? Now we're all friends." Stephanie said with a smile. "And tonight is great because the movie I wanted to see is playing!"

"You two are going?" Nathan asked.

"No," Stephanie said linking his arm with hers. "All three of us are going. Call it payment for your favor."

Nathan only nodded, feeling slightly bad for Damon now. Damon had plans with Jacquelyn, or at least that is what he claimed, but now that was unlikely to happen. Worst, Nathan had ditched his friend for the sake of Stephanie, not knowing with Angelina would actually be here. He could have at least attempted to get the two together for the night.

"Are you okay?" Stephanie asked.

"Fine." Nathan said.

* * *

Laura sighed heavily before laying her head in Jayden's lap.

"My brain hurts." Laura said.

"Right." Jayden said before a knock came on the door. Jayden looked at Aaron, who sat in the open kitchen with Chandra. "My hands are full."

Aaron only sighed before getting up and moving to the door. When he opened it, expecting to see Danica, he was surprised to see Jordan.

"Jordan?" Chandra asked peering past Aaron.

Laura frowned. "What in the hell is she doing here?"

Jayden sighed. "I got this. I have to get up." Laura sat up for Jayden to move, only to lie back down on the couch. "I got this A.J."

Aaron nodded before moving back to his table. Jayden moved into the hall before pulling the door behind him, leaving it slightly ajar.

"Great. Now she knows where we'll be in the afternoons." Chandra said.

"She's only here because she has to be Jay's assistant for the week." Aaron replied. "I'm sure that she'll go find Tevin as soon as she's done."

"Suck it up." Laura said from her spot on the couch. "I don't complain that the Coyne Princess comes by whenever she pleases. Seriously A.J, grow a backbone already."

Aaron ignored her. Again, this was starting to become an everyday thing with her and he knew it was only going to get worse when her mood swings kicked in. Aaron felt bad for his brother, but not bad enough. A part of Aaron felt as if Jayden deserved it for all the pranks he had done to Aaron through the years.

"Hey," Jayden said poking his head into the room. "I'm going to run out for a quick second. Do any of you need something while I'm out?"

"A drink. Preferably an alcoholic one that is also harmless, if they've made that yet." Laura replied.

"I'll look for some." Jayden said with a smile. "Mr. and Mrs. Santos?"

Chandra blushed. "N-nothing."

"We're fine." Aaron said, a bit annoyed at his brother's antics.

"See you guys later then." Jayden said, closing the door behind him completely.

"A.J," Laura said. Aaron looked at Laura. "Your brother's up to something. Find out for me, okay? I'll keep him preoccupied."

Aaron only nodded, thinking the same thing. Maybe he has been spending too much time with Laura?

* * *

Damon was walking towards his house with a bottled soda in hand. He spotted Jacquelyn leaving his front porch, the front door closing. He figured his dad answered the door and told her that he was not there and judging by her facial expression, she was sad about it.

"Hey." Damon called to her. Jacquelyn looked over at him quickly before moving towards him. "What do you want?"

"I'm sorry." Jacquelyn said. "I'm a coward Scooter, alright? I should've said something and I didn't."

"Duh." Damon replied.

"Is there anything I can do? Anything at all to make it up to you?" Jacquelyn questioned.

Damon took a gulp of his soda before looking at Jacquelyn squarely in the eyes.

"Go out with me." Damon said.

"What? Okay. Where'd you want to-"

"No. Go out with me." Damon cut her off. "Like officially go out with me." Jacquelyn's mouth twisted a bit. "See what I mean? You care too much about what Helen and the others think of you. But like I said. It's cool."

"No. No, it's fine. We're dating." Jacquelyn said.

Damon frowned. "Just that easy?"

"Scooter, you're my reason to dance better." Jacquelyn said."I know that I should've said something earlier, but I'm saying it now."

"With no one around." Damon replied. "Sorry Jackie, but it's not really saying much if you're just out here, alone, telling me things that I know that you won't do."

"…" Jacquelyn stared at Damon for a moment before smiling. "How about we go to the movies? Together?"

"Right now?" Damon asked.

Jacquelyn nodded. "We can see what you want to see… Just nothing _too_ gory."

Damon sighed. "Alright. Let's go. But if we see _any_ of your friends-"

"I'll tell them that you and I are dating and they can either be mad or by happy but I'm with you." Jacquelyn responded.

"Good answer." Damon said with a grin.

It was sad, but he could not stay angry at Jacquelyn. He was only glad that Nathan and/or Laura was not here. They would surely pick on him for his crush.

"Let's get going." Damon said.

"Sure." Jacquelyn said with a smile.

* * *

DeWayne and Alexander stood inside of the venue as Delilah looked around.

"The fundraiser will be a hit so long as the proper entertainment is book." Delilah said to her son and his friend. "Do you guys think that you could play?"

"Actually," DeWayne said. "Dee was a bit down that her _favorite_ band didn't get to play at her party." Delilah frowned. "Oh, nothing major. Jayden's girlfriend is pregnant and he had to leave. But I'm sure that they would be able to play at your little teen fundraiser."

Delilah sighed. "Fine then. You boys just don't know how hard it is to throw one of these things for you teens."

"It's called a party Mom and we kind of do that yearly." DeWayne replied with a small smile.

"Well you don't throw a party for someone's children, do you? Sometimes, I think your father takes his job a little _too_ seriously." Delilah stated.

"Isn't it _your_ job to plan parties and events?" DeWayne questioned. His mother only gave him a bland look. "I'm just asking."

"Are you sure that Juvenile Grace can play? Don't you have a little anger towards Jayden?" Delilah asked her son.

"Old news. Scarlett and I are no longer dating." DeWayne replied, purposely leaving out the whole bat-fiasco out of the conversation. "I'm sure he'd just like to be on stage. He is a bit of a show-off."

"Alright…" Delilah said. "I'll talk to the manager. But, just incase they can't make it for whatever reason, be prepared DeWayne. If this party doesn't go well, one girl will be mad, her father will be angrier, and I will be angriest."

DeWayne nodded. "Sure thing Mom." Delilah walked away causing DeWayne to turn to his quiet friend. "Something wrong?"

"Isn't Dakota in rehab or something?" Alexander asked.

"You have a better way of giving them bad publicity without going out and shouting it?" DeWayne responded. "By the end of tomorrow night, Juvenile Grace will be shown for who they are. Unreliable, spoiled brats. And I… I'll be able to have the last say."

"Alright." Alexander said. "I'll call Tevin."

"Do that." DeWayne said.

* * *

Officer Thompson scratched his head and his watched the film again and read Kelly's reports.

"You are really not making my job easier." the man said.

"Yes I am. I'm eliminating possible suspects." Kelly replied. "It can't be Shane. You've blamed him for no apparent reason and now he's suffering for it."

"Innocent people get prosecuted everyday. It's just being at the wrong place at the wrong time." Officer Thompson said.

"Right," Kelly stated. "And as a reporter, my job is to _report_ these things. So here I am, telling you up front. It isn't him. So get his name out of your books."

Officer Thompson looked over to see the amused look on Darcy's face. Darcy knew how stubborn Emma was and knew not to get in-between the blonde woman and whatever it is she wanted. Kelly… Kelly was just as scary when determined.

Darcy just hoped Kelly does not go to the extremes of disrobing in public.

"Alright Ms. Mason, here's the deal," Officer Thompson said. "I'll leave your brother alone so long as you can give me someone to look at."

"Sure…" Kelly said. "Uh…"

"My only other target was Laura Reynolds." Officer Thompson announced. "Is she a better suspect than your brother. From what I've overheard, she does drink quite a lot."

"No." Nicole, who had been quiet for the majority of the time, said. "She wouldn't do that."

Officer Thompson frowned. "And you know this for sure?"

Nicole nodded. "For sure."

"And how do you even _know_ Ms. Reynolds?" Officer Thompson questioned.

"We're friends. The person that introduced me to… That, and Laura were friends and that's how we met, and that's how I know she doesn't do it anymore. We quit at the same time." Nicole said.

"And she will verify this?" Officer Thompson said.

Nicole nodded, though she doubted Laura would. It was odd standing up for Laura when Laura has done everything in her power to stay away from Nicole in the first place. But Nicole always believed that there was some hope in everyone.

"Besides, she's pregnant." Kelly added. Nicole looked at Kelly in disbelief. No one would believe that Kelly defended Laura. "And since I know my _god brother_ like I do, I know he would _never_ let her drink while carrying his child. So it's stupid for her to have had any of those things."

Sighing, Officer Thompson stood up.

"Alright Lois Lane," he said to Kelly, gaining a frown. "You've made your point. I'll dig a little further into this. Just stay out of it. If this person is as dangerous as they are manipulative, you could be hurt."

"I'll try not to." Kelly said with a small smile.

Officer Thompson walked out of the office leaving Darcy with the two girls.

"I'm impressed." Darcy said. "Then again, I expected nothing less from Emma's daughter."

Kelly grinned. "I have a lot of Mom's good qualities."

"Well, I have children waiting on me at home. I take it that you two can actually solve who's being this disaster." Darcy said.

Nicole nodded. "We will Mrs. Taylor."

Darcy only smiled. It made her job a lot easier when students cooperated with her. Now if she could only get Jayden to stop coming to their meetings late, things would be as close to perfect as one principal could have it.

* * *

Danica walked into her apartment and gasped. Lying on the pullout bed were Chandra and a girl Danica did not know, Aaron occupying the space on the floor between the TV and the bed. All three children were clearly asleep and unaware that Danica had even come home.

"Jayden…" Danica growled beneath her breath.

She moved to her brother's room and opened the door to find him asleep with Laura. His arms were securely around the girl's waist as she snuggled her back as humanly possible into his chest. It did not take Danica more than three seconds to realize what happened.

Aaron wanted his girlfriend to sleep over, given. To do that, Chandra needed a friend to say that it was a "girls' sleepover", hence the girl Danica did not know was there. And Laura was probably going to move in sooner or later with how many hours she was there, so Danica was not really worried about that at all.

"I'll kill them in the morning." Danica said tiredly as she moved to her bedroom. She cut the lights on and smiled. "That little twerp…"

Danica had remembered leaving a few of her clothes thrown across her bed when she left, but now her room was completely clean. She figured Jayden must have done this some time after she left in order to gain a favor from her. He rarely did anything for free.

"Brat." Danica said closing her door.


	77. Webisode: MiTunes: Kelly

**Author's Note: **In light of _The_ _Lion Kin_g coming in 3D, I used a song from _The Lion King II_ for Kelly's MiTune's chapter. It happens after her "double-date" in Hallelujah. Enjoy!

**MiTunes: Kelly**

Artist: Disney  
Song: We Are One

Kelly sat outside in her backyard, too angry to go to sleep. She has always felt a bit out of place in the Cameron/Mason family seeing as she is the only adopted one. No matter how they treated her, there was a piece of her mind that always reminded her that somewhere out there were her real parents. Well, she knew her mom had moved back to _Ireland_, but her dad could be somewhere nearby.

"Stupid Jordan…" Kelly muttered.

To be honest, if Jordan had not have said that comment earlier, Kelly might be asleep by now.

She heard the door open and turned to see Gavin coming to her with a small box in hand. He sat down beside her and took the lid off of the box.

"Look at them." Gavin told her.

_As you go through life you'll see  
There is so much that we  
Don't understand_

Kelly saw a picture of her and Shane when they were around five, both of their faces covered in ice cream as they smiled at the camera. She secretly wished that he was actually her biological brother.

_And the only thing we know  
Is things don't always go  
The way we planned_

Kelly then saw a picture of herself at her fourteenth birthday party. Her smile was less illuminated than the previous picture. It was the year that she had learned of her adoption. The year she learned that her mother had abandoned her with no background history. She learned how she was found and how Emma and Gavin had adopted her.

_But you'll see everyday  
That we'll never turn away  
When it seems all your dreams  
Come undone_

"You're still awake?" Kelly turned to see Shane nearing her and their dad. "What Jordan said must still be on your mind."

"It is." Kelly said. "Dad's showing me some pictures."

"Go ahead and look at them too." Gavin told Shane as he sat on the other side of Kelly. "This will probably help both of you."

_We will stand by your side  
Filled with hope and filled with pride  
We are more than we are  
We are one_

Shane picked up a picture of him and Kelly riding bikes and grinned.

"We did everything together." Shane said.

Kelly nodded with a smile. "Yeah… Seems so long ago."

"It is." Shane said.

"Hey," Gavin said. "I'm not old, so it wasn't _that_ long ago. Kids…"

The two teens laughed as they went through the rest of the pictures. All the while, Kelly continued to think about what if she was not put up for adoption and had a loving family. Would she be in Toronto? Would she have been given the chance to meet the people that she had?

_If there's so much I must be  
Can I still just be me  
The way I am_

Kelly paused at a picture of her holding an infant Jordan. Emma, Gavin, and Sean had all claimed that Kelly was so thrilled in being an older sister while Shane was not all up to the idea of having a baby around. Kelly loved helping Emma out with Jordan whenever she could. Years of having Shane watch over her, she finally had someone to watch herself.

_Can I trust in my own heart  
Or am I just some part  
Of some big plan_

Shane showed a picture of Kelly, Shane, and Jayden that was taken last year. It was taken at a party at the McDuelle household with friends and relatives. She smiled a bit remembering how it felt to be around her family and Jayden's at the same time. It got hectic, but they were all normally on the same page. They all acted as if they were one large family.

No matter how weird her style of dress was, she could never stand out when the two families got together.

_Even those who are gone  
Are with us as we go on  
Your journey has only begun_

Moving onwards, Kelly saw a picture of Mr. Simpson holding her as a baby, the infant giving a smile revealing all gums. Kelly smiled warmly at the picture, though tears ran down her face. Mr. Simpson had always told her about the unimportance blood was. Biologically, he had no grandkids, he once told her, though technically he had many. He even included Manny's kids as his grandkids. He also stated that out of all of Emma's kids, Kelly reminded him the most of Emma, something that has been repeated several of times through her life.

_Tears of pain, tears of joy  
One thing nothing can destroy  
Is our pride, deep inside  
We are one_

Shane laughed and Kelly saw that he was holding a picture of himself, herself, Jayden, Danica, and Jack Simpson. Jack held Shane in a headlock while Danica did the same thing to Jayden, Kelly laughing at her friend's and brother's discomfort.

Kelly then laughed as she remembered what had happened that day. As a prank, Jayden gave Shane a pair of Danica's underwear and placed it in Jack's bedroom as the young man came down from a severe hangover. Believing that he slept with Danica, Jack began to apologize and returned the pair to the irate woman who was looking for the pair in the first place. Needless to say, Jayden and Shane have yet to prank those two again.

She then looked at Shane and smiled. Her brother, blood or not, has given her more reasons to laugh more than anything else, whether he meant to or not.

_We are one, you and I  
We are like the earth and sky  
One family under the sun_

Kelly then looked to her left to see Gavin looking at picture. It was a picture of him asleep on the couch, a young Kelly balled up on his left. Kelly then looked at the man who grinned at her. For some reason, she always ran to him when things went wrong. It was almost uncanny. But, whatever the reason may be, he had never turned her away.

Then again, what real father did?

_All the wisdom to lead  
All the courage you need  
You will find when you see  
We are one_

Shane then held up a picture showing Kelly and their friends. They were at the park across from Emma's house, all of them doing some kind of weird pose. The picture included Kelly, Shane, Jayden, Jacob, Dakota, Helen, Scarlett, Jacquelyn, Nicole, Dustin, Jordan, and Aaron. It was taken before summer vacation last year by Emma.

Kelly then answered her own question from earlier. No. If she had been with her biological parents, there was just no way that they could compete with this. Her friends… Her family… Her _life_. It was where she was now. Her two parents, her stepdad, her four siblings, and others… They silenced that piece of her mind that questioned where her real parents were.

Leaning against Gavin, Kelly smiled.

"Thanks Dad."

"Anytime." Gavin said before kissing Kelly at the top of her head.


	78. S3: Episode XII: I Don't Wanna Know PtII

**Episode XII: I Don't Wanna Know Pt. II**

"Wake up." Jayden groaned before rolling away from Laura, who also groaned in protest. She was missing his body heat already.

"Danni… It's too early for-"

"Your band has a show tonight." Danica interrupted.

Jayden frowned. "What…? That's impossible."

"Mrs. Lowry just called. Your band has a show tonight." Danica said. "And who's the mystery chick?"

"Vanessa." Jayden said tiredly. "Why can't I have a day off?"

"Don't know." Danica said walking away from his bedroom.

Jayden sighed as he lied on his back. Laura rolled over, draping an arm and leg across him.

"If you leave now, I'll just kick your ass and drag you back to bed." Laura stated.

Smiling, Jayden just hugged Laura, drawing a smile onto her face.

"You're going to miss your test." he said.

"…" Laura's eyes snapped open before she sighed. "Damn you…"

Jayden only laughed as the two moved to get ready for their separate days.

* * *

Helen yawned as she made her way to the kitchen. The smell of bacon and eggs reached her nostrils as she eyed what Fiona was cooking.

"Your mother called earlier." Fiona said. Helen sighed. Only her mother would call before sunrise. "She was wondering if you had gotten into any new trouble since last time, which I told her no."

"Thanks Aunt Fi. Seriously, I think my mom worries too much." Helen said.

Fiona smiled. "I think she knows her daughter."

Scarlett walked into the kitchen humming a tune that got her cousin's and mother's attention.

"Someone's in a good mood today." Fiona said.

Scarlett smiled. "Well, I had a good night, better dream, and now I'm going to live one of the best days."

"Doing what exactly?" Helen asked with a frown.

"Just hanging out with some friends." Scarlett said.

Fiona looked at the stare-off between the two girls before shooing them out of the kitchen.

"Wash your hands and no arguing." Fiona said as the two went towards the bathroom downstairs.

"Anyway," Helen said, completely ignoring her aunt. "What are you and our former neighbor doing? I thought he was going to be with Laura all day today?"

"He said he was going to ask her to see if we could hang out later." Scarlett stated leading Helen into the bathroom. "So, like I said, it's going to be-"

"Are you out of your mind?" Helen interrupted. "The girl is _pregnant_ Scar! She's going to have his kid!"

"Sorry, but they aren't married. Not yet." Scarlett said, her blue eyes cutting into Helen's green ones. "I might not have him to myself like I want, but I'm going to hold on to the piece that I do have. You can tell me how bad you want him back, but I'm going to do it. One way or another."

"You're insane." Helen told her cousin. "I mean, you've done a lot of underhanded things in the past to get your way, but this is by far the worst."

"How is that?" Scarlett questioned.

"You're trying to separate him from his child's mother!" Helen retorted. "Do you not see that?"

Scarlett crossed her arms. "You slept with Tyler just so you could ruin Mary-Jane's life. At least _I_ didn't spread my legs for J.T."

"I didn't either, remember? And I sure as hell got him first." Helen said angrily. "And let's get one thing clear _princess_, don't think that I _only_ had sex with him because of that, okay? You don't need to know everything I do and why I do it. But you need to leave Jayden alone. You'll only add more stress to him."

"Oh, tell me how _dear cousin_. I really want to hear this." Scarlett said.

Helen snorted. "Really? Let's be honest, shall we? You can't do second. And when that kid pops out of Laura, that's all you _can_ be. Second. Third if he sticks with Laura. Fourth whenever his family gets in trouble. Fifth whenever Plain Shane or Dakota needs him."

"He'd just be helping them like normal." Scarlett said. "It's not like he's replacing me for any of them."

"Sixth if _I_ want him again." Helen continued.

Scarlett's eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't dare…"

"Remember who you're talking to princess." Helen said.

Scarlett sighed. "Why? Why can't you let me just have what I want and be happy for me? For once in your life, stop-"

"Scarlett! Helen! Come on!" Fiona called.

Scarlett sighed once more. "Some days, I really wish you'd stay in New York." Scarlett saw the flash of hurt in Helen's eyes, but cared little about it at the moment. "You've been everything but a cousin and a friend to me since Mercedes keyed our car."

"You know why dumbass? Because you're trying to break my friend up with his girlfriend!" Helen called. "Get a life Scarlett Joann Chessex and leave Jayden alone unless he wants you!"

"I have a life. This is _my_ house, he is _my_ neighbor, he is _my_ friend, that is _my_ school, and you just so happen to be here because you don't have a life in New York!" Scarlett retorted. "So _you_ get a life Helen Marie Sinclair-Coyne! And while you're at it, stay out of mine and keep your legs closed!"

Helen fought the urge to punch her cousin right then and there, just turning around and walking out of the bathroom.. She suddenly did not have the appetite to eat anymore.

* * *

With Jayden and Laura both gone, Danica had time to question her other younger brother without the interference of the two teens. A small smirk played on her face as she noticed that Aaron was here with _two_ girls.

Maybe this day was getting better.

"So…" Danica said, gaining three pairs of eyes. "A.J, you finally found a way to get your girlfriend to stay over, huh?"

"It was Jay's idea." Aaron said, causing Danica to roll her eyes. _Of course_ it was his idea. "He didn't get to go to movie night with Shane and Kelly, so we had one here."

Danica smiled. "Sure you did. I just didn't know Bambi was in to that stuff."

"What stuff?" Chandra asked.

"Oh you know…" Danica paused and waited until Vanessa and Aaron had begun to drink the soda from their cups. "Threesomes."

Bingo. Both Vanessa and Aaron shot their drinks across the room, choking in the process while Chandra looked absolutely horrified and embarrassed.

"Three… Somes…?" Aaron said through coughs.

Danica shrugged. "Hey, that's what it looked like to me. My little brother all snuggled up with two girls. In fact, if I hadn't have placed him on the floor, you guys would have been in for a rude awakening."

"I was lying on the floor anyway." Aaron said.

"That's the thing about sleepwalking. You never remember what you did." Danica replied. "Oh well… Clean up my floor."

Aaron gave his sister a glare as he rose, though she only smile in return.

"I'm shocked, to say the least. I've always thought that Jayden was the little freak in the family. I guess, it's always the quiet ones…" Danica said. "What a shame… Just imagine what our _parents_ would say in this situation."

Aaron had a few paper towels, wiping his and Vanessa's spill while the two girls were practically red in embarrassment. Danica figured it was now to put the icing on the cake and end this once and for all.

"Hey," Danica said in a whispering tone to Vanessa and Chandra. "Was he any good?"

Now it was Chandra who had begun to choke on her drink, though none escaped her lips. She looked at Aaron to see that he had finished his task, but was still kneeling on the floor.

"Do you have to do this now?" Aaron asked.

"Hmm… Let's see, shall we?" Danica replied. "I come home to my apartment to see that it's filled with kids and a pregnant teen. Are said kids and teen mom at _their_ houses? No. They're at _mine_. So yes, I do have to do this now."

Aaron only sighed. "Sure Danni…"

Danica smiled. "It's so fun messing with you A.J. You have got to be the most blackmail-able person I know." Danica then sighed. "But, I have to go to our grandparents place today in a sorry attempt to get Jayden back into their good graces. Especially with this big interview coming."

"Interview?" Aaron asked with a frown.

Vanessa and Chandra looked at one another. It was no secret that the McDuelle family was in the media due to their success outside of Aaron's immediate family. His aunt's husband was a baseball star and his dad's younger sister had a chain of beauty salons in the states. But neither girl had really known just how these things went behind closed doors.

"About the whole Laura's pregnancy fiasco? What do you think I went to Newport for?" Danica said.

"But," Aaron said as he stood up. "I thought Jayden said that he didn't want anyone to know until _after_ the baby was here."

"Not his call lil' bro." Danica said with a sigh. "And of course, with the new extension and all, we have to make sure his clothes are clean before we hang his laundry. Nine times out of ten, come June or July, Juvenile Grace will be signed to the company and with Jayden as their front man, we have to make sure that the media doesn't have dirt on him that can affect us as a company and as a family."

"But it's still his call. Dad and Mama have basically forced him into-"

"Now is not the time or place to discuss that." Danica interrupted. "And our parents have _never_ forced us to do something potentially harmful to any of us. Jayden's predicament is being handled with precision and care. Trust me."

"You sound like this is another business meeting." Aaron said throwing the used paper towels away.

Danica sighed. "A.J, I know how you feel about the front that we must put on, but you're not thinking about this through his eyes."

"His eyes?" Aaron said. "His girlfriend, who he loves, is pregnant and the first thing we want to do is make sure he's suitable to put on a billboard."

"I wouldn't let that happen." Danica said.

"You already are! The interview will-"

"You know what," Danica said, her tone now a bit more agitated. "Shut up A.J. You don't know what the hell you're talking about. No sooner does someone get whiff of this do they make _our_ parents look like bad parents! And they're not! What we're trying to do is expose this with the _minimal_ information told or else, they'll know about how you used to run around saying that you're not related to us and guess who becomes the center of attention? I'll give you a hint. Teenage pregnancy is a stupid cliché to the public."

Vanessa and Chandra now stared at Aaron quietly.

"It's still not right…" Aaron said. "He doesn't even have a life anymore."

"Picture if you were in this predicament." Danica said. "Chandra's pregnant and you are in a band that will probably be the poster faces of a large international company. What do you do?"

"Keep it to myself." Aaron answered.

Danica smiled softly. "That's what we want, isn't it? But then again, someone finds out and makes Bambi or you some sort of slut. Did I mention that one of your band members has a history with alcohol and that your mother has a bad past as well?"

"So I'll-"

"You can't outrun all of your problems Aaron! Jesus Christ! That's what we've been trying to teach you from the start!" Danica said loudly. "I get that you want to help Jayden out, and Lord knows I wish I could go back in time and stop him from screwing her in the first place, but this is what we must do. Ease it to them so that this can be as bearable as possible for all of us."

"It's not right." Aaron said. "None of this."

"To get the diamond, you must dig in the dirt." Danica said. "You'll understand that one day. Until then, don't even bother arguing a stupid point." Aaron opened his mouth. "Think twice about your next words Aaron. Not only are you bad talking my decision making, but you're spitting on our parents' choices as well."

Aaron closed his mouth and headed for the door.

"A.J…" Chandra said before Aaron left the apartment. "Um, maybe I should go after him."

"Stay." Danica said rising. "I'll get him."

"Danni… About what you said about Jay. Is it true? Does he _have_ to go through with this interview?" Chandra asked.

Danica nodded. "I'm afraid so. Besides, he's already said he'd do it. He knows that it's only going to get worse if he runs from them."

"Oh…" Chandra said as Danica neared the door.

"You know what I like about you Bambi?" Danica said opening the door. "You seem to understand when and where it's alright to put on a smile, even though its killing you on the inside. Now if you can get my little brother to think that, I'll write your wedding vows."

Chandra blushed heavily as Danica left the apartment after her brother.

Vanessa smirked. "Well Mrs. McDuelle, that's how your life with the in-laws is."

"Shut up." Chandra responded.

* * *

Jayden and Jacob looked around the venue standing beside Ellie. The woman was a bit confused as to who had set the band up for a performance without anyone knowing until earlier this morning.

"I'm going to go talk to the manager. Stay here." Ellie said moving to the back room.

Jayden sighed. "Well, isn't this just lovely?"

"What are we going to do? I mean, if we have a gig without Shane and Dakota…" Jacob paused when Jayden smirked. "Are you alright?"

"This is starting to become a reoccurring thing." Jayden stated.

"What is?" Jacob asked.

"Dash goes to rehab and DeWayne has us performing at Deanna's party." Jayden answered. "Now Shane's gone and we just magically get to do some kid's party. And did I mention the party was thrown together by DeWayne's mom?"

Jacob frowned. "But how would DeWayne frame either Dakota or Shane? Maybe he's just-"

"Pissing me off." Jayden interrupted. "Don't worry. I'm batting for a homerun next time."

Jacob had no clue on what Jayden was talking about, but from the look in his eyes, Jacob knew that DeWayne was as good as dead the next time the two met.

* * *

Deanna and Mercedes walked into the Dot and sat at a table.

"I'll go get us something to drink." Deanna said walking to the counter.

Shane, who was forced to work all day, looked at Deanna.

"What can I get you?" Shane asked Deanna.

Deanna smiled. "Two milkshakes please. Chocolate this time."

Shane nodded. "Right up."

Deanna watched him grab two cups and moved to make the milkshakes the way she had ordered before. Her eyes gave him a thorough scan that only an artist with fine taste could do.

"Here you go." Shane said handing her the two cups.

"Um, about the whole Nicky thing… You were right. I had no right to question." Deanna said. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Shane said before spotting Nicole entering the café with Anastasia, Maddox, and Harry.

"Right… See you later." Deanna replied.

Shane frowned before turning back to his girlfriend, younger siblings, and her younger brother.

"So," Shane said to Nicole as she leaned on the counter with a smile. "You're baby-sitting for the day? That must be fun."

"It is." Nicole responded. "And you'll be happy to know that Kelly went to go play detective at the school. We'll clear this thing before nightfall."

Shane smiled. "I have such a wonderful sister and a better girlfriend."

"I know." Nicole replied.

* * *

Helen was currently walking down the sidewalk to meet up with Tyler. She was a little annoyed that Scarlett had called the car until five in the evening, meaning she was stuck with cabs and buses until she met up with Tyler.

Unfortunately, she ran into Mary-Jane and Amber before that could happen.

"Isn't this rather unpleasant?" Mary-Jane stated.

"Great. You two." Helen replied.

"Meeting up Tyler, I guess." Mary-Jane said. This caused Helen to frown. "Oh, we just passed him. I thought that since you had successfully ruined my relationship with him that you were done with him, but I see that his faux charm has got you too."

"I don't fall for charm. Not for anyone." Helen responded. "Now can you two move so I can go meet up with Tyler? I'm sure James and…" Helen paused and looked at Mary-Jane. She then looked at Amber. "I'm sure James is worried about you."

"Cute." Mary-Jane said. "I'm just giving you a word of warning. If he will cheat on me, then he'll cheat on you."

"Right… And here's my advice to you. Stay the hell away from me." Helen said. Mary-Jane scoffed as Helen pushed in-between the two older girls. "Oh, and try the club. A lot of single guys go there to find willing girls like you."

"He's a dog!" Mary-Jane called as Helen stepped into the small restaurant.

Helen found Tyler sitting a table alone and moved towards him.

"Your ex is annoying." Helen said.

Tyler grinned. "Try shopping with her. Worst five hours ever." Helen smiled. "So… What did you want to do today?"

"I don't know. I have to get my mind off of my cousin or else I'm going to snap." Helen said.

Tyler nodded. "I heard you earlier. But I think she just needs a boyfriend. Kind of like you."

Helen frowned. "Who said you and I were dating?" Tyler was a little taken back by her response. That is, until she started to laugh. "Seriously Tyler, you can do better than that."

"I can?" Tyler asked.

"Yes." Helen said smiling. "If you want to ask me, ask me. I don't bite… Often."

"How about I get us something to eat and then we'll decide whether or not we're dating or not?" Tyler asked with a smile as he rose.

Helen shrugged. "I don't know… You seem pretty intimidated. But I'll stay right here."

Tyler gave her a grin and walked away. Helen's smile slowly faded as she thought about her conversation with Scarlett earlier. She knew that Scarlett really did not want her to move back to Manhattan like she said, but Helen could only fill slightly pained by the words nonetheless.

Why? Because Scarlett held a strong point. Helen felt retained in Manhattan. She went to a private school where uniform was required, her younger siblings kept her parents' attention for the majority of the time that they were not at work, and her "friends" were all a bit snooty. Helen hated to admit it, but here in Toronto is where Helen got most of who she was from. In other words, Helen did not have a life before coming here.

Looking at Tyler, Helen's eyes narrowed. Truthfully, she did have feelings left for a certain former neighbor of hers, but she could suffice unlike her cousin. Scarlett was becoming obsessed with the boy and Helen needed for Scarlett to see that. But until then, Helen figured to seize the day. If Scarlett wanted to chastise Jayden until Laura snapped, Helen would just sit back and watch. Possibly with her new boyfriend. Yeah. That would be a lovely day.

* * *

Vanessa and Chandra had never seen Aaron this frustrated before. He said practically nothing to them as he sat at the bench at the park across from Emma's house. Danica had long given up trying to explain things to him and left, leaving the children alone.

"I hope he's alright…" Chandra said to her friend who sat in the swing beside hers.

"I know. But I never thought that they planned those sort of things, you know? I thought the magazine people did." Vanessa replied.

Chandra sighed. "I wish I could help him."

"Bambi, you'd only add to the stress you already have. Let A.J…" Vanessa's words slowly died as her eyes caught something coming for them.

"What is it?" Chandra asked before her eyes traveled to Jayden, who was walking towards the table where Aaron sat. "Uh-oh."

"Uh-oh? Why'd you say that?" Vanessa asked.

"Watch." Chandra said.

Jayden sat down across from his brother and looked him directly in the eyes. Aaron knew from the look that Jayden gave him that his older brother was annoyed, possibly pissed. It pained Aaron to know that he was about to be Jayden's target for misplaced aggression.

"You have been quite the pest today…" Jayden began. "And before you tell me something stupid, let me tell you that I'm not really in the mood. I will knock the sense in you if needed be and I don't give a damn what Bambi or Vanessa thinks."

"I just wanted to help." Aaron said.

"Help? A.J, do you know what 'help' is?" Jayden responded.

"Yeah. You said that you wanted to let this out _after_ the baby was here and now you're doing this stupid interview to-"

"You are so retarded." Jayden interrupted. "Think to yourself. Why would I do this interview if it wasn't necessarily needed?"

"…" Aaron paused in his answer before speaking. "You wouldn't."

"Right. I wouldn't." Jayden said. "And why do you think it _is_ needed?"

"I… I don't know why." Aaron said.

Jayden sighed. "See? This is why you should've paid more attention to us than them. You are so bright but know little to nothing about your own damn family. It's sad."

"I know-"

"How to run and hide like the pansy you are!" Jayden retorted. "Laura and I sat and thought long about this interview, just the two of us. I told our parents what our decision was. Danni went to set it up for me because I have school. Are you seeing how we work now? As a unit? Something you have no idea on how to do because you're trying to move on your own beat."

"Then why did you tell me that you wanted to tell the public _after_ she had the child?" Aaron asked with irritation.

"Because I _do_ want to tell them then, but it's not my decision. It's ours. The majority. If Laura, Mama, Dad, and Danni told me that Laura wants to raise the child in Italy, guess where Jayden's going? And you know that I don't bother to learn to speak Italian. That's your forte."Jayden replied. "We came up with this because it was best for all of us. After hearing your parents, your grandparents, and Laura's parents bash her for the pregnancy, she decided that she just wanted it to be over with as soon as possible. So here we are. Doing this interview for her."

"But it's not her sitting in front of the camera, it's you." Aaron said heatedly. "If she cared about you that much, she'd be sitting beside you! But instead, she has you sitting in front of the one thing you fear the most!"

Chandra's and Vanessa's eyes widened, hearing only the ending of Aaron's rant. Jayden was camera shy?

"I fear the media because they make people like you into spineless wimps." Jayden said. "And for your information, _I_ told Laura to stay off camera to keep some privacy."

"You also told Helen that you'd probably be asked questions if you two went to the mall together, but that didn't stop her." Aaron retorted. "So maybe Helen loves you too. Maybe more than Laura."

"Listen here," Jayden threatened. "If you _ever_ say that again, I will literally rip you into pieces, Aaron. Are we clear on that?" Aaron remained silent. "You had better start getting with the program or else. It's not like your drama didn't have any affect on us, you know. You running around screaming 'I'm A.J Santos' was a pain in all of our asses, but we did it because it's what you wanted. Now it's my turn. And I want Laura to be happy and she wants this to be done with. Are you getting the picture now?"

"Yeah…" Aaron muttered.

"I know that you're just trying to help, but you have no idea on how to do it. If we run then we look guilty. The media then makes us into whatever they want. But if I tell them what we are, who we are, they can only accept it. Change my words around, probably, but they can't do but so much. Not with the team of agents and lawyers our parents and Danica have." Jayden said. "I can't be like you and screw my life up just because I'm afraid."

Aaron frowned. "That one little secret-"

"If you'd told Bambi earlier that you had a crush on her, who knows what would have happened? You might've dated her instead of Jordan, thus your secret never coming out in the first place." Jayden said.

Aaron glanced at where his girlfriend and her best friend sat. Jayden had a strong point. Though, it could have been Chandra who ran off with Tevin and then blabbing his secret to the school… Then again, Chandra probably would not have missed the chance of seeing Jayden perform, as well as Black Mist, so maybe she wouldn't have.

"A.J," Jayden said in a calmer tone. "I'm asking you, as your brother, to stop bickering about this. I live with Danni now, my girlfriend's pregnant, and the world will soon know. I can burden this alone for the sake of my love and family. All I ask from you is to not be so much of a, well, bitch."

Aaron glared. "A what?"

"You heard me. Whiny, pouting, yapping bitch." Jayden said. "It only makes Mama and Danni that much frustrated and Dad that much annoyed. Laura will never get off of your back and I will forever haunt your dreams if you keep this up."

"So that's it? You give up being who you are because Laura." Aaron said.

"…" Jayden only sighed. "Someday you'll understand."

"Stop telling me that! I understand-"

"Show me." Jayden said standing up. "I'm done arguing with you because I have to go set up for a show. But if you can show me that you understand what I'm saying, then I'll leave you alone."

"Wait!" Aaron said, stopping Jayden's departure. "Why are you really doing this? Is it really just because of Laura or is there some ulterior motive?"

"…" Jayden glanced at Chandra before looking back at Aaron. "A wise philosopher your age once told me that she smiled for her parents' sake, but it's getting harder. I smile for the sake of, not just Laura and our parents, but you, Renée and Jenée, Kitty, Chris, Danni, our grandparents, Scarlett, Helen, Dash, Shane, Kelly, Bambi, Jacob, hell everyone. No matter how hard it hurts, I smile."

"Why?" Aaron questioned.

"Because that's how people like me and Bambi show our love to people like you." Jayden stated. Aaron's eyes immediately went to Chandra. "I'll see you later."

As Jayden walked away, Aaron rose from his seat, prompting Chandra to do the same thing. She moved towards Aaron, only for him to meet her half way and hug her tightly.

"A.J?" Chandra asked.

Aaron was only quiet as he hugged her. He realized that if Jayden was an example of how people faked how okay that they were, then Chandra was a lot worse than she let on. And while he knew that Jayden could handle himself, Aaron really did not want Chandra to think that she had to shoulder her stress alone.

* * *

Deanna watched as Nicole finally left with Shane's siblings and her brother.

"Finally…" Deanna muttered.

"Finally what?" Mercedes asked.

"Oh, nothing." Deanna said. "Say, doesn't Wayne have a show tonight? I mean, we both know that there's no way that Shane's drummer will be released in time."

Mercedes shrugged. "I don't know."

"Could you check? Like now." Deanna said. Mercedes only rolled her eyes and took out her cell phone. "I'll be back. I need some information."

"Whatever…" Mercedes said as Deanna moved to the counter.

Shane wiped the counter before he looked at Deanna. Her long hair was done in a nice bun, leaving two strands the framed her face. Her jeans showed her feminine figure while her shirt revealed just the right amount of cleavage, not enough to call it slutty.

"Uh… Can I help you with something?" Shane asked.

"My friend and I are doing a survey," Deanna began with her lie. "To see which one of us is the prettiest. She's calling around and I decided to start here." Deanna saw Shane's eyes move to Mercedes, who was currently on the phone with DeWayne. "So? Pick."

Shan sighed. "I normally keep myself out of these sorts of things because-" The door opened to reveal Jacob and Kelly. "Well… This is quite…"

"Oh shut up." Kelly said. "I came to work and he's here because… Well I don't know really."

Shane looked at Jacob.

"We have a show tonight." Jacob said. "And Jayden's taken it. Without Dakota."

Shane frowned. "He can't do that. She's-"

"Hello." Deanna said, causing Jacob and Shane to look at her while Kelly went to get her apron from the back room.

"Right…" Shane said before sighing. "Which one of is prettier…"

"Yes." Deanna said leaning on the counter a bit.

"Well, seeing as my shift is probably going to end before you two can argue," Shane said. "I'd say you be-"

"That's all I wanted to know." Deanna interrupted.

"Hey," Shane said stopping her departure. "Don't you want _his_ opinion?"

Deanna's eyes slowly turned to Jacob's in such a sinister way that the other boy nearly quivered.

"Well?" Deanna asked.

"Y-you…?" Jacob parroted his friend's answer.

Deanna smiled sweetly. "Thanks."

Jacob sighed as she walked away.

"Girls are weird." Jacob said.

Shane shrugged. "I only said her because she was here and she'd get pissed if I said anything else."

Jacob gave a small nod as he watched Mercedes and Deanna rise from their table. The two girls left the café with Deanna giving one final glance towards Shane.

"Dude, I think she's going to kill me or something." Shane said to Jacob.

Jacob frowned. "Why?"

"This is like the fifth time she's started a random conversation with me," Shane said. "And Jay says that she's completely into the whole 'human chess' thing. Maybe it has something to do with me being in a better band or because I'm Scarlett's friend."

"I don't know, but it sucks to be you." Jacob stated.

"What a friend…" Shane muttered.

* * *

Later on that day, Jesse left the comfort of his home to go hang out with some of his friends. The sun had just begun to set, meaning he could finally go and get into some trouble.

Unfortunately trouble found him.

"Hey fatass," Nathan said walking towards him. "Remember me?"

Jesse smirked. "Yeah… I kicked your ass a week ago."

"Consider this payback." Nathan said before Marc and Damon jumped Jesse from behind.

The group of Degrassi students that began to pummel on Jesse included Nathan, Marc, Damon, James, and Dustin. They continued their altered stomps and kicks before Nathan began to direct them to move away. Grabbing Jesse's collar with one hand, he began to land repeated punches to Jesse's face.

"Leave… Stephanie… Brown… Alone…!" Nathan said in-between punches before landing one final on Jesse, letting him lie on the ground in pain. "That'll teach you to mess with me."

"Let's get out of here." James stated.

"Yeah…" Nathan replied.

As Nathan walked off with the group, he looked over his shoulder to see Jesse moving a bit. Annoyed, he ran back to him and landed a punt directly to his face, causing Jesse to fall back on his back.

"Come on man! That's enough." James said.

Nathan nodded before catching up with the group. No matter what his and Stephanie's status was, he would make sure that no one hurt her. Especially not some fat guy who was held back a grade.

"You calm?" Damon asked his friend.

Nathan nodded. "Fine." Nathan then looked at Dustin. "Why are you here?"

"Marc called." Dustin said.

Nathan only gave a small nod. It was bad enough that Gabrielle would probably go on a rant if she found that Nathan _did_ go after Jesse. He could already tell just how distorted she would be if she learned that Nathan dragged Dustin along.

"Hey," Marc said to Dustin. "I hear you got yourself a girlfriend? You trying to swipe her-"

"Shut up." Nathan cut Marc off right then and there.

No one would be "swiping" his sister's virginity card so long as he drew breath.

* * *

Deanna watched her brother grab his guitar, a grin plastered on his face.

"Well, time to shine." DeWayne said.

"You know that he's just going to get even with you, right?" Deanna said to DeWayne, her arms crossed. "Besides, you shouldn't have done this anyway. You should've just told Mom that you'd play."

"How else would I make them look bad if I did that?" DeWayne questioned.

"Maybe your little rivalry is getting… Oh? Childish." Deanna said.

"No better than yours with the Coynes." DeWayne replied. "And what's with the sudden change of heart? While you like their music, you hate Jayden and those losers."

"Maybe we've misread them." Deanna said. "Well, maybe _you've_ misjudged them. I don't think that they are as bad as you say they are. Dakota's a child celebrity with an alcohol addiction. Nothing new. Jacob's a nerd. Common and boring. Jayden's a bit annoying but that's what pretty boy's like him do. And Shane…"

DeWayne frowned as his sister's pause.

"Shane is?" DeWayne asked.

"Well I've never really had a problem with him." Deanna stated. "Besides, he's helped me with my assignment so I have to show some gratitude."

DeWayne smirked. "You showing gratitude? That's a first."

"I've been known to do things differently once or twice." Deanna said. "But, you should go. People are waiting."

As DeWayne left his room, Deanna allowed a small smile on her face. If Shane was who she was looking for, she really hoped that his band pulled out on top later on.

"Maybe…" she muttered before a thought popped in her head.

She quickly left the room to put her plan into play.

* * *

Aaron and Chandra were now sitting at her house in the den since her dad really did not approve of boys going to her room. Aaron was an exception to the rule until it was clear to the Torres couple that he was dating their daughter.

So, here the two were, sitting on the couch watching a movie.

Aaron glanced at Chandra as she yawned for the umpteenth time, though her eyes would never stay shut for more than ten seconds.

"I can go if you're tired." Aaron said quietly.

"No… I'm fine." Chandra replied. Even her voice sounded wide awake, despite the telltale signs that she was indeed exhausted. "Doesn't your brother have a show?"

"He's going to have to cancel. Dakota wasn't released, as far as I know." Aaron told her. "But, you should get some rest."

"I'm trying." Chandra said.

Aaron nodded. "I know." Aaron then sighed. "This is hard…"

"Tell me about it." Chandra muttered. "One moment I can sleep like there's no tomorrow and the next, this." Chandra looked at her hands. "And then there're those dreams…"

Aaron knew what she was referring to and pulled her to him. She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Just tell me what I can do." Aaron said.

"Lie with me." Chandra whispered.

Normally, such a statement would have rattled Aaron. But this had been the second time she had told him this, the first time being when they took a nap after school at his sister's apartment. So after a moment of movement, Aaron and Chandra were lying on the couch, both watching the movie on TV.

"Thank you." Chandra said, her eyes closing.

"You're welcome." Aaron said quietly.

And like before, Aaron heard the calm breathing coming from Chandra. He knew that she was slowly drifting deeper and deeper into sleep as she unconsciously backed into him further and further. Aaron stroke Chandra's hair a bit as he thought about what his older brother and sister had told him earlier today. He had been running for far too long to even stop and realize what was going on around him. While he knew that Chandra's stress was keeping her up at nights, he had never really thought about just how bad it was until now.

Aaron looked at his girlfriend before making a vow. He would help her get through this no matter what. That meant that he would have to ask her questions that she had been avoiding since the incident. She would probably object, but he had to. And hopefully, the next time she smiled at him, it would not be a cover-up to the pain she held inside.

* * *

Jayden sat on the couch at his and Danica's apartment, combing his fingers through Laura's hair as Shane and Jacob looked at him with defeat. There was just no way they could perform without Dakota. While a lot of people assumed Jayden was the voice of the band- and being the lead singer he technically was- but Dakota made just as many decisions for them as well as being better on the drums than any of them.

"Well," Jayden said. "Silver lining is that Laura probably aced her test."

"Yeah. But _we_ got replaced by _them_." Shane said. "Why couldn't you sign Dakota out?"

"Stupid people." Jayden replied. "Oh well… Mrs. Lowry says that the first bad review is always the worst. Might as well get it now so we'll be prepared for the-" Jayden was interrupted by a loud knock. "Oh you have got to be kidding me."

Laura moved so Jayden could answer the door. When he opened it, his eyes widened.

"D-Dash? How the hell did you-"

"We have show right?" Dakota asked. "Come on!"

"We're like an hour behind schedule…" Jacob said.

Jayden looked at Dakota as she smiled.

"We've got a show. Let's go." Dakota said.

Jayden looked at the others. "You heard her. Let's go." Jayden looked at Laura's amused face. "Come on Laura. Let's go start your birthday celebration at," Jayden checked the time on the clock. "Ten o'clock at night."

"If you say so. Though my dad's going to be pissed if I come home at two in the morning again." Laura said before eyeing Shane and Jacob. "Hey, get your asses in gear! You have a party to get to!"

"Aye, aye. Bossy…" Shane said.

* * *

DeWayne grinned. This was perfect. His mother had somehow turned a child's sweet sixteen into a fundraiser where he and his band got to steal the show. Literally. Even with Deanna's mysterious disappearance, there was nothing that could make this night any better.

"Happy Birthday Sammie." DeWayne said to the birthday girl. Though it was clear that the girl was a fan of two things that DeWayne did not like, Juvenile Grace and The Beatles, she gave him a smile of appreciation as she stepped on stage beside him.

"Thanks. And thank you all for coming…" Samantha's words were cut short by Deanna walking on stage. "Deanna…?"

Deanna smiled. "There's still one more present for you. From me specifically." DeWayne frowned. Deanna hated Samantha. There was no way that she did something for the girl. "It's in the parking lot."

The sunshine blonde known as Samantha Hendricks, daughter of Samuel Hendricks III who was a business mogul, moved off the stage and literally split the crowd in two as she made a beeline for the door. And like moths to a flame, the rest of them followed her out, especially when she screamed.

"What did you do?" DeWayne asked his sister.

Deanna shrugged. "Only give her what she wanted. You can live with that, can't you?"

DeWayne glared at Deanna before moving to see what the fuss was about. Alexander and Tevin followed him quickly and then Deanna. Once they got outside, they found out what the noise was about and hated it. Well, DeWayne hated it.

"They told us we were to late too perform," Jayden said as he stood atop of a small float they had been turned into a makeshift stage. "But we always do a show. So where's the birthday girl?"

Samantha raised her hand as she smiled.

"I hear that we're not the only band you like," Jayden said. "So this here is our present to you. You ready?" Samantha nodded feverishly. "Alright Dash, let's go."

As Dakota set the count for the song, DeWayne glared at Deanna.

"Why did you do that?" DeWayne asked. "How did you do that?"

"Ah, Deanna," Delilah said coming towards her with a smile. "I don't know how you did it, but Samantha looks real pleased. Maybe you should get into the party-planning business."

Deanna smiled sweetly. "It was nothing, Mom. Just doing what I can."

_Here come old flattop he come grooving up slowly  
He got joo-joo eyeball he one holy roller  
He got hair down to his knees  
Got to be a joker he just do what he please, right  
__  
__He wear no shoeshine he got toe-jam football  
He got monkey finger he shoot coca-cola  
He say "I know you, and you know me"  
One thing I can tell you is you got to be free_

Jayden smiled as he looked at the crowd.

"You guys no how this one goes." he said before continuing singing.

_Come together right now  
Come together right now  
Come together right now  
Over me  
Over me__  
_  
_He bag production he got walrus gumboot  
He got Ono sideboard he one spinal cracker  
He got feet down below his knee  
Hold you in his armchair you can feel his disease_

_Come together right now  
Come together right now  
Come together right now  
Over me  
Over me_

"How ya'll doing tonight?" Jayden questioned, gaining a positive reaction as his fingers continued to strum his guitar.

_He roller-coaster he got early warning  
He got muddy water he one mojo filter  
He say "One and one and one is three"  
Got to be good-looking cause he's so hard to see_

_Come together right now  
Come together right now  
Come together right now  
Over me  
Over me_

_Come together, yeah  
Come together, yeah  
Come together, yeah!_

As the group of teens and the few adults there cheered for Juvenile Grace, Deanna glanced at her seething brother. A part of her felt bad for what she had done to her brother, yet another part hardly cared. He stood up to her for Scarlett, right? She was just doing the same thing for a friend. A friend who she was dying to know more about.

As for DeWayne, he was literally at his boiling point. His sister had somehow gotten Dakota out of rehab and set a stage for Juvenile Grace to outshine his band. Samantha had given Jayden, not him, a kiss in appreciation. His mother had given Deanna a sign of gratitude for this.

"I'll be back." DeWayne stated as he walked away.

Deanna only smiled. Everyone knew the rule, stay out of her way or get trampled. Nicole and DeWayne would both learn that the hard way.

* * *

Scarlett had waited all day for Helen to return home, which she did around eleven that night. Scarlett waited for Helen to shower and get ready for bed before moving to her room. Scarlett opened the door to Helen's bedroom to see her cousin flipping through a magazine, wearing a white tee-shirt and her favorite Mickey Mouse pajama pants.

"Hey… Got a moment?" Scarlett said quietly. Helen spared her a glance before going back to her reading material. "Look, I'm real sorry about what I said earlier."

"Whatever." Helen muttered.

"I got us both invited to Laura's birthday tomorrow." Scarlett added.

"Whoopee." Helen said lifelessly.

Scarlett sighed. "Helen, please look at me."

"Get out of my room." Helen said before pausing. "Oh. I'm sorry. Get out of _your_ guest room."

"It's your room. You know that." Scarlett stated. "I only said that because… Well you always seem to look at the bad things." Scarlett watched Helen reach for her iPod that was on the bed beside her before putting the ear pieces in. "I get it… I'm sorry."

Helen looked at Scarlett while blasting her music in her ears. She held so much contempt for her cousin right now that it was almost unbearable. The thought that Scarlett would break up, not only Jayden's and Laura's child's family, but her own just to be with Jayden was both annoying and appalling.

"I don't know if you can hear me or not," Scarlett continued. "But I told him to worry about Laura for a while. I didn't want him to have to commit to his promise when she needs him. And you're right… I shouldn't be trying to intervene in his life now. He has a lot on his plate."

By now, Helen was back looking at the clothes in the magazine, half-listening to her cousin's speech.

"If you never forgive me for what I said, I can understand. But, hear me out please." Scarlett said. "You have siblings and a nanny and a condo in Miami and friends in New York _and _here. I don't. You are all I have and I don't want that to change. Not for Shane. Not for Jayden. Not even for Tyler."

Helen tossed the magazine into a pile near her bed and turned on her side, putting her back towards the door. Scarlett saw this and gave a sadden look.

"I know that I'm not the best cousin," Scarlett said. "But sometimes I can't help being selfish. I am the only child that my parents have." Helen placed a pillow on her ear, pushing it down against the side of her face to mute Scarlett out. "Please don't be like this… I really need someone to talk to."

Helen gave no response causing Scarlett to sigh and close Helen's door. She walked slowly to her room and crawled into her own bed. Her perfect day was actually one of the worst days ever, and now it seemed as if she had taken her words a little too far with Helen.

Her cell phone vibrated and she moved to answer it.

"Hello…" she said in a tired and downed tone.

"If that's your reaction, maybe I'll call Nicky." Jayden responded. "You know, someone who sounds happy twenty-four seven instead of like the walking dead."

Scarlett smiled a bit. "I'm just trying to get used to Helen's silent treatment."

"Oh… Do you need me to talk to her?" Jayden questioned.

"She'd know I put you up to it." Scarlett stated. "I just…" Scarlett paused. "I just wish I could take it back."

Jayden sighed. "Ain't that the truth? Oh well. Live life with no regrets is what they say."

"What are you doing?" Scarlett asked.

"Lying in bed. Laura's at her dad's and Danni's talking to some Raven chick." Jayden answered. "I feel kind of bad that I had to bail on our afternoon out, but I had to try to get Dash out for some girl's birthday."

"Hey," Scarlett said as she lied in her bed. "Do you think I'm a bad person? Be honest."

"I don't know one bad quality about you." Jayden responded, causing Scarlett to smile. "So tell me what you two were arguing about now."

"You. Me. Her. Laura. The usual." Scarlett told him. "Some days it's like a broken record."

"Hmm," Jayden said. "I guess this will be one of those nights that we talk each other to sleep, huh?"

"You don't have to. I know you have to make sure that Laura's surprise birthday goes as planned tomorrow." Scarlett said.

Jayden laughed a bit. "Don't do that. It's not you."

"What's not me?" Scarlett asked.

"Letting me go that easily. Hell, we've broken up and since then, I've taken you to a dance _and_ slept with you. No point in letting me go now." Jayden said. "Even though when I 'slept with you' it was more like falling asleep on a giant blanket in my backyard."

Scarlett sighed. "Am I really that selfish?"

"I shouldn't be the decider of who is and who isn't selfish because I can be a bit self-centered." Jayden said.

"But we're not together yet I keep you to myself when you should be with Laura." Scarlett stated.

"Who is probably sleeping right now and being guarded by a man who doesn't want me anywhere near her in a bed. Besides, I called you. You're not keeping me, I'm willingly seeing what you're doing. Or rather hearing." Jayden replied. "So don't think that you and I being friends is a burden. It's not. I actually enjoy your company."

"Why?" Scarlett asked with disbelief. "Haven't you seen what I've done? I mean, my own cousin now hates me, my ex boyfriend was cheating on me, I'm not the most friendly person in school, and I'm the president of a school who's majority population has some sort of grudge against me. I'm a total bitch."

"You would be amazed at how many days your smile can brighten." Jayden said. "Plus, I like hearing your voice whenever you're not shouting. It's nice."

Scarlett smiled. "My voice is nice?"

"If I answer that will you stay up and talk to me?" Jayden asked.

"I guess I don't have anything better to do." Scarlett said. "So… How'd your performance go?"

"Well… This one time at band camp…" Jayden began.

Scarlett let out a giggle as he continued to tell her his story. She made a promise in her head to keep Jayden as long as he would allow. Now that Helen hated her, Jayden was really all she had left. It was just too bad that she could not really call him hers.

* * *

**Author's Note:** The version of _Come Together_ used in this chapter is the Soundgarden version. I actually like the Beatle's version better though... Anyway, the song was used since Helen suggested to Jayden to get a band in the episode with the same title in season 1. Let me know what you think.


	79. S3 Episode XIII: The 1 I Gave My Heart 2

**Episode XIII: The One I Gave My Heart To**

It was currently Friday, February 14 and many of the students were in the Valentine spirit, if the heart decors were any sign.

"I hate Valentine's Day." Laura said to Jayden as he parked his car. She then looked at his small frown. "Correction. I _used_ to hate Valentine's Day."

Jayden smiled. "You're really going to hate it because today is the day."

Laura frowned. "What day?"

"Interview." Jayden said. "So I'll be busy for a while after school. And… It's best if you go to your mom's. Somewhere I know the camera's aren't stupid enough to go to. My parents' place would work if you don't want to go there."

"I'll go to your… My mom's." Laura stated. Jayden gave her a confused look. "Here are my choices. Go to my mom's and listen to her tell me how much of a failure I am by reminding her of herself _or_ going to see _your_ mom give me the evil eye all day."

"Hmm…" Jayden hummed as he exited his car.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Laura asked getting out of the car as well.

"I was wondering if I preferred to see you in red lingerie or black." Jayden stated. "I was going to say red but you're more of a black. Yeah. Definitely black."

Laura smirked. "Too bad I'm not wearing either."

"Blue?" Jayden guessed.

"Who said I was wearing any?" Laura teased. Jayden gaped a bit as she smiled. "See you later Dimples."

Jayden stood frozen as his imaginary took over for a moment. While he had seen Laura naked on several occasions, it still amazed him on just how truly beautiful she was without clothes and makeup. His fantasies were actually cut short by the sound of someone walking towards him. Turning, he spotted Helen who frowned at him.

"What are you doing out here?" Helen asked.

"Thinking. And you?" Jayden replied.

"The school is _that_ way." Helen said. "Boy Jayden, you seem to get dumber and dumber as the days go by."

Jayden grinned. "You actually sound in a good mood, which is strange because you're never in a good mood in the morning unless…"

"Get your mind out of the gutter. Tyler just said that he had something special today and unlike a certain ex of mine, he doesn't play games. He gets straight to the point with these surprises instead of having me chew off my fingernails in anticipation." Helen told him.

Jayden gasped. "What a horrible person your ex must be. Want me to find him for you and give him a piece of my mind?"

Helen laughed. "I think he already has a piece." Helen's laughter came to a slow end as she saw Scarlett coming to them. "I'll see you in first period."

"It's been weeks Helen." Jayden said.

"Not long enough." Helen stated before walking away, not even glancing at Scarlett.

Scarlett sighed as she stepped towards Jayden.

"Hey J.T. Where's Laura?" Scarlett asked.

"Class." Jayden responded. "How are you?"

"I've been better." Scarlett said looking away from him. Jayden extended his arm towards her, causing her to frown. "What are you doing?"

"Being your intern valentine, Madame President." Jayden said with a smile. "I'll walk you to first and second period, but I do have a girlfriend and she'll probably want me back by then."

"Thanks but…" Scarlett paused.

"No buts. Come on." Jayden said.

Scarlett smiled as she linked arms with him.

"Thank you Jayden." Scarlett said.

"No problem Scarlett." Jayden replied. "Now, to class?"

* * *

"So," Dustin said to Aaron. "How do you do the whole romantic thing within my budget?"

Aaron closed his locker and looked at Dustin.

"What do you mean 'within your budget'? I don't go out and just spend a whole bunch of money." Aaron stated.

"Just incase you did." Dustin said. "But I want to make Brie real happy, you know? Without sex because Nate swore he'd kill me if I did that." Aaron grinned. Dustin was really screwed since Nathan was Gabrielle's brother. "Anyway, so what do you think I should do?"

Aaron shrugged. "I never really talked to Brie about that kind of stuff."

"Great…" Dustin said. "Well, I'll catch up with you later. I'm going to go see if I can't find something out before it's too late."

"Sure." Aaron replied as Dustin walked away.

Aaron then moved down the hall where Chandra was speaking to a girl who Aaron did not necessarily know or talk to. The girl gave Aaron a smile before walking away, giving the couple privacy.

"It's Valentine's Day." Chandra said with a smile. "So, what did you get?"

"Well… My parents are taking Kitty, Chris, and the twins out so I thought you and I could go out as well." Aaron said.

Chandra's eyes lit. "Like a dinner date? At some fancy restaurant that I've probably never heard of?"

Aaron smiled. "Yeah. Like-" Chandra kissed Aaron. "That…"

"You've been so helpful these past weeks." Chandra said. "I just wish there is something I could do for you."

"Well there is one thing." Aaron said, drawing a small frown from Chandra. "I, um, actually forgot my science paper in my locker yesterday and we need it for class."

Chandra smiled. "You need my paper? How ironic A.J."

"It was a long night last night. My dad's mom and my mom's dad got into it over the phone. Again." Aaron said as Chandra opened her locker. "After a while they were just shouting in Filipino and Spanish. Puerto Rican Spanish at that."

"That must've been fun." Chandra said lifelessly.

"Yeah… My parents' parents don't really get along and when the famous side of my family, my dad's, does something that puts us in the limelight, Jayden's interview, my mom's side gets antsy." Aaron said with a sigh. "Danni and Jayden are so lucky."

"Here you go." Chandra said handing Aaron the assignment. "Anything else I can give you?"

"No. I'm fine." Aaron said before Chandra gave him another kiss. "Well… That wouldn't hurt…"

Chandra giggled. "Vanessa was right. You _are_ a nerd."

Aaron only smiled. Ashton had told him that the he and Aaron were the subject of Vanessa and Chandra's conversations lately, and now Aaron knew exactly what they had been saying about him.

"Let's get this day over with. It's Friday you know." Chandra said.

"Sure." Aaron said.

* * *

After first period, Dustin decided to ask Gabrielle what she wanted to do instead of thinking of a surprise. He, unlike Aaron who had planned his trip with Chandra _days_ ago, was literally stuck on how to celebrate Valentine's Day with his girlfriend.

However, he saw a familiar seen that turned his attention from surprising Gabrielle to defending her as he saw Jordan shouting and Gabrielle for tripping over one Gabrielle's books.

"You need to learn to keep your creepy little books out of my way!" Jordan shouted. "Or else the next time this happens, _someone_ isn't going to make it out of this school alive."

"Hey!" Dustin said walking towards the scene. "Stop shouting at her."

Jordan scoffed. "You again? I thought we stopped talking like in September?"

"Why do you have to be like this?" Dustin said. "She wasn't doing anything to you. It was an _accident_."

"That what your mom said?" Jordan retorted before looking at Gabrielle. "Keep your stuff out of my way."

Dustin saw Gabrielle give a small nod before turning to see Jordan's retreating figure. Angered, Dustin marched past Jordan's normal entourage of friends and grabbed Jordan's shoulder, turning her around.

"What's your problem?" Jordan nearly screeched.

"You!" Dustin shouted. "Ever since Winter Break ended, you've been nothing but a Heather Sinclair reborn! A.J let's you say any and everything you want about him and Chandra, but I won't let you continue to bash Brie for every little thing!"

Jordan's eyes narrowed. "Why would I bash her for anything? It's _you_ that's the idiot."

"Oh really?" Dustin said.

"Yeah. A.J takes all the whores and gold diggers and you seem to take all the weird and abnormal girls. You're _both_ idiots." Jordan said.

"Listen here," Dustin said. "Lay off of my friends and my girlfriend or else I'll resort back to who I once was. Remember?"

"Are you _threatening _me?" Jordan hissed. "After I wore my sister's ridiculous outfit _and_ was Jayden's slave for a week, do you _honestly_ think that I'm in the mood for you or that weirdo to backtalk me?"

"You know what? I'm sick of this new you. It's been driving me crazy since we came back from Winter Break." Dustin said.

Jordan crossed her arms. "And what are _you_ going to do about it?"

"You'll see." Dustin said before turning around and walking away.

Dustin returned to Gabrielle who smiled and handed him a card.

"Happy Valentine's day." she said while smiling. "And thanks for that."

"You're welcome." Dustin said with a grin. "So… What did you want to do today?"

* * *

Jayden walked into his second period class where Scarlett and Helen were both at, though neither cousin said anything to one another.

"Well if it isn't Red and her redhead cousin." Jayden said, gaining two pairs of glaring eyes. "So what? Neither of you have any cards or candy to give me? What a crappy Valentine's Day."

"Don't you have a girlfriend?" Helen stated.

"I didn't think you'd be jealous, not with Tyler and all." Jayden said. Helen only rolled her eyes, though she smiled a bit. "Seriously Helen, why must you put me in this sort of situation again? You or Laura? It's kind of tough being that both of you could find me and kill me in the blink of an eye."

"Whatever Jay. Just don't go around saying that before someone goes off and makes a rumor about it." Helen stated.

Jayden nodded. "Sure thing." Jayden then looked at Scarlett. "What? No snappy comeback from Madam President?"

"Nope." Scarlett replied.

"Shocker…" Helen muttered sarcastically.

Jayden noticed that Scarlett was completely quiet after this and realized just how down she was about the entire ordeal. He then gave Helen a critical eye that showed his disapproval over the entire thing. She just rolled her eyes and looked another way.

"Anyway," Jayden said. "So what are you two doing later on? Don't you have your normal Valentine's why-we-love-ourselves shopping spree?"

"I don't think so…" Scarlett mumbled in a defeated tone.

"Nope. I have something with Tyler. You know, spending _my_ day with _my_ boyfriend in a _public_ restaurant somewhere." Helen told Jayden.

Jayden sighed. "Could you two please make up already? This is really weird."

"Danni's pretty selfish isn't she?" Helen said to Jayden. Jayden nodded a bit. "Yet, she'd _never_ kick you out, right?" Again, Jayden nodded. "Well, I'll trade you. Your sister for my mother's niece. No relations. And when she kicks you out for 'living her life' you'll see what I feel."

"Helen, that's a bit harsh don't you think? She's your cousin and-"

"My mother's niece. No relations." Helen repeated.

Jayden only sighed. "Alright Helen…" Jayden looked at Scarlett. "I tried."

"Thanks J.T…" Scarlett said with a smile.

Helen stood up and moved to another seat, Scarlett's eyes following her cousin along the way. Jayden then looked at Scarlett's saddened face and smiled.

"Hey," Jayden said gaining her attention. "You still have me."

"I wish." Scarlett whispered.

* * *

Danica flopped on the couch.

"I'm done Izzy. I'm done being nice. I'm done being helpful. I want to go back to being my old mean and evil self." Danica said.

Isabella smiled. "You mean you aren't doing that now?" Danica glared at her friend. "I'm just saying… When you told that guy to 'fuck off' I thought you were being yourself. Not 'nice' and 'helpful' as you say you were."

Danica scoffed. "I hate you sometimes, did you know that?"

"Then why do you continue to come by?" Isabella shot back.

"Because if I didn't, you'd be like this." Danica said. "Anyway, so my brother has that big interview today and my mother has signed a deal for a movie." Danica then smirked. "Fourth highest paid actress my ass. That woman is greedy."

"That is your mom, you know?" Isabella replied.

"I know. And I know that she knows that sometimes she asks for just a little too much and somehow gets it." Danica said. "Am I like that?"

"You want the truth or a little white lie to make you feel better? I can do both." Isabella said with a smile. Danica rolled her eyes, causing Isabella to laugh. "You know, that's not really helping your case."

"So how're your mom and stepdad?" Danica asked.

Isabella shivered. "I think she's pregnant again."

"Why do you look so disgusted? I think that's great." Danica said.

"Danni… If we're old, what does that make our parents?" Isabella replied. "They're too old to be doing stuff like this. I mean, what are they going to do when the baby is eighteen? They'll be in retirement homes by then."

Danica giggled. "I think you're jealous Izzy. Angie already has their attention. Now-"

A knocking on the door caused Danica to stop. Isabella moved from her spot beside Danica on the couch to answer whoever it was at her door. Opening it, the young woman squealed.

"Janie!"

Danica frowned and gazed at her friend to see another woman hugging Isabella. Isabella then broke away and all but dragged the other woman into the apartment.

"Danni, this is my aunt, Jane. Jane, this is my best friend, Danni." Isabella introduced.

"Hey." Danica stated, a little uneasy about meeting a mysterious aunt of her best friend.

"Danica McDuelle… I went to school with your mom." Jane said. Danica frowned. "In fact, the one of the last times we spoke face-to-face, we got into a fight."

"Really? Who won?" Danica asked.

"Don't mind her. She's _always_ like this." Isabella said before Jane could answer. "So what are you doing here? And how long will you be here? Please tell me that you're not going to make me sit with you and Dad again."

"Uh…" Jane only smiled at her niece's excitement.

"Don't mind her. She's _always_ like this." Danica mocked with a smirk.

"Actually," Jane said. "I'm here on vacation and I'll be here for about a month or two. And while I will be visiting my brother, you don't have to necessarily follow me there."

"Good because I hate his son." Isabella said.

"Your brother…" Danica said in a sing-song voice.

"Don't remind me." Isabella muttered.

"So… What were you two doing? Or am I too old for this kind of thing?" Jane said.

"Oh no. Sit." Danica said. "I'm sure you have _tons_ of embarrassing stories of Izzy as a kid, right?" Jane nodded. "Then you're alright with me since her mom won't tell me much."

Isabella gaped. "Really Danni? That's why you want her to stay?"

"Hey, you asked my parents _and_ grandparents_ and_ little brother about me. If payback's a bitch, then you're looking at her physical form." Danica said.

"I'll have to use that one." Jane said. "So, on to Bella as a kid…"

* * *

The bell rang for lunch, ending class.

"I can't believe that." Vanessa said to Gabrielle as she, Gabrielle, and Chandra walked towards the cafeteria. "She's gone too far."

"It's okay, really. Dustin stopped her." Gabrielle announced.

Vanessa frowned. "Wait… When Dustin was picking on you, wasn't it Jordan who stopped him?"

"Weird…" Chandra added. "But who cares? It's Valentine's Day! And do you know what that means?"

"One A.J McDuelle is getting lucky tonight?" Vanessa said with a smile.

"N-no!" Chandra said with a blush. "It means a romantic date somewhere where our parents or annoying friends can't find us."

"I.E, his bedroom." Vanessa replied. "I mean, let's be honest, you're the only one who's ever had their boyfriend at their house and vice versa before. I've never been to Ashton's house and he's only been in my living room."

"Actually," Gabrielle said quietly. "Ashton has been to both my mom's and dad's house before."

"Really?" Vanessa asked. Gabrielle nodded. "Wow… Maybe I'm the late bloomer."

"Right. I'm sure Jacob has been all over your house." Chandra said.

"That's not true!" Vanessa shot back.

"Yes it is." Chandra said. "'Oh Jacob, tutor me in my bedroom. You know how bad I am in Science.'"

"Funny Bambi." Vanessa said as Chandra and Gabrielle giggled at Chandra's Vanessa impersonation. "And I don't sound like that."

"You're right. You're more of a 'shut up and take it like a man' kind of girl." Chandra replied as they entered the cafeteria.

"At least I haven't slept with my boyfriend in an apartment by myself in the same bed while no one really knew where I was." Vanessa said.

"We were sleepy." Chandra countered.

"After doing what?" Vanessa said.

"Okay, I give." Chandra said. "Besides… I don't think that I want to do that with A.J. I just like being near him. He's really warm."

"Aw… Cute…" Vanessa said with a smile.

"Shut up." Chandra said with a grin.

* * *

Darcy watched in curiosity as Scarlett continued to think about what colors the decorations should be for the dance next week.

"Are you sure you want to do this now? What about lunch?" Darcy asked.

"Oh, I'm not really hungry." Scarlett said. "Besides, I just had a great idea and it's better to get it all out now or I might forget it."

Darcy nodded. "This is true…"

Darcy then saw Scarlett pause on a heart-shaped decoration.

"Is there something wrong Scarlett?" Darcy asked.

"No. No everything's fine." Scarlett said. "I just had a moment. Brain just completely stopped."

"Yeah," Darcy said. "I heard that you and Mr. Simpson used to talk a lot. And if I want to be just as good as him, I'm going to have to do the same, right? So is there anything you want to tell me? Something to do with Valentine's Day and why Degrassi's prettiest girl is wasting her time here and not with some boy of her dreams."

Scarlett sighed. "It's complicated."

"Jayden complicated?" Darcy questioned with a smile. Scarlett's mouth opened in shock as Darcy grinned. "His mother and I are friends. Why else would he stop skipping classes?"

"I didn't know that…" Scarlett replied. "You're not going to tell him about this, are you? I did date the principal's grandson once and it was really weird."

"Student-principal confidentiality." Darcy said.

Scarlett sighed. "Well… Lately I've been having these dreams about us. But every time I wake up I remember that he's with Laura now and she's… He's not going anywhere. But he's always so nice to me and stuff so…" Scarlett paused. "I don't know. I feel right by doing something so wrong like trying break him up with Laura."

"He'll come back to you." Darcy said.

Scarlett frowned. "You think?"

Darcy nodded. "Yeah. Someday he'll come back to you. I know so just by looking at you. You are a true gem Scarlett."

"Thanks Mrs. Taylor." Scarlett said with a smile. "That actually makes me feel a lot better."

"I'm glad I helped." Darcy said. "Now, about the music choices."

* * *

Laura sighed. "I can't wait until this little brat is out of me so I start kicking it."

"It's kicking?" Jayden asked.

"No. I'm just saying it will and it probably won't be gentle kicks either." Laura said before looking at her stomach. "I'm going to enjoy disciplining you, did you hear that?"

Jayden laughed. "Laura I don't think he's listening."

"He?" Laura stated. "How do you know it's a he?"

"It's a pattern." Jayden said after taking a gulp of his soda. "My grandfather's first child was a boy, my dad's first child was a girl, and now it's my time to have a boy."

Laura frowned. "It could be just a coincidence."

"No. My dad's uncles all had boys first too. So it's more like a pattern." Jayden said.

"Well my parents had a girl first. And it's me. So _she_ could take after _my_ family." Laura said before taking a handful of Jayden's fries. "Ha."

Jayden raised a brow. "My dad told me that we'd get into it over the sex… And I say a boy because it just makes sense."

"No it doesn't." Laura said after swallowing the food in her mouth. "A girl does because, let's face it, you're cursed with women."

"How so?" Jayden asked.

"Well your older sister is just an _angel,_ and let's not get on the topic of your twin sisters, alright?" Laura said as Jayden smiled. "Your dad's mom is just the epitome of strict and evil, your mom is hardly any better when it comes to me, and none of your exes approve of our relationship. Did I mention Scarlett's a bit obsessive? So, when it comes down to the female gender, you just so happen to have some bad luck. Well, except when you chose me. But I ended up pregnant so…"

"Well, your luck with guys isn't any better. I mean, you've had mediocre sex time and time again before you ran into me so-"

"Low blow Dimples." Laura interrupted.

"I'm just saying. It's a boy." Jayden said. "No ifs, ands, or buts about it."

"Well it's in me and I say a girl." Laura stated.

"It's not the oven that determines the flavor of the bread, it's the batter. And I am clearly the supplier of the batter. So boy." Jayden said.

Laura smiled. "How long did it take you to come up with that one?"

"Weeks now." Jayden said before sighing. "So are you ready to go back to school before we're both late for our next class or do you want to sit here for a little while longer?"

"We can leave now." Laura said finishing Jayden's fries. "By the way, I am not going to the dance next week so don't ask."

"Yes you are." Jayden said rising with the tray. "Because if you weren't then I'd have to find another date and your mom just so happens not to be working that night…"

"Don't even play with shit like that. You know what I'd do if I _ever_ found your perverted little hands anywhere below her shoulders." Laura stated as Jayden dumped their trash away, sitting the tray on top of the bin, before heading out. "Sometimes I think she has it out for you. And I'll be damned if I ever lose a guy to my mother of all people."

"Just laying it out there," Jayden stated. "But your mom is-"

"Finish that statement and this'll be the last time you are physically capable of impregnating a woman." Laura cut him off.

Jayden smirked. "Okay… But I'm just saying…"

"There they are!"

Jayden and Laura froze on their way back to his car as the paparazzi swarmed around them.

"So is it true that your girlfriend is pregnant?"

"Are you cheating on Helen Sinclair-Coyne?"

"Does your parents know?"

"What will this do to your band and school work?"

Laura stood frozen as she looked at Jayden. He did his normal breathing with his eyes closed, attempting to remain calm at all possible costs. He then opened his eyes with a smile, apparently channeling the inner-character his parents had taught him to be in front of the camera.

"Sorry, no questions now. We have school." Jayden said as he ushered his pregnant girlfriend through the mass of people.

But they did not stop following. In fact, it was starting to annoy and scare Laura at the same time. Here she was trying to have a nice lunch with her boyfriend and then there they are. She wondered how they even knew where she and Jayden had gone. But as they got into the car, she turned to see Jayden's apologetic smile.

"Sorry. Parents, real rich and famous, and this comes with the title." Jayden said.

Laura nodded. "Right…"

"Hey. Are you alright?" Jayden asked.

"Is…" Laura paused. "Is this what it's always going to be like? Everywhere we go people are following and asking questions about Helen?"

"I'm afraid so. But I promise that I'll keep you out of the limelight for as long as I can." Jayden said.

"Don't." Laura said.

Jayden frowned. "What?"

"I don't want you to do that alone. I'll take some of the pressure for you." Laura said. "At least I can kick some ass before my body gets all fat and I can't."

Jayden smiled. "Thanks Laura."

"Anytime Dimples. Anytime." Laura said.

* * *

After lunch, Gabrielle stood by her locker, getting her books for her next class.

"So, your boyfriend's nowhere around now, is he?" Gabrielle turned to see Jordan's glaring eyes. "You run to him for everything weirdo or do you just tell him things that scare you?"

"Um…" Gabrielle replied, not knowing what to say to her former friend.

"Something going on over here?" Gabrielle looked from Jordan to her older brother. "Well…?"

"Oh don't worry Nate. The little freak is just apologizing for something she did earlier." Jordan said. "Right?"

"Freak…?" Nathan repeated before he glared at Jordan. "How about you give us a moment and I'll make sure this never happens again."

"Gladly." Jordan said. "Let's see your boyfriend save you now weirdo."

With that, the blonde walked off, her hair flowing behind her flawlessly.

"Thanks…" Gabrielle said to Nathan quietly as she returned to her earlier task.

"Brie, I don't know what you did, but can you stand up for yourself for once?" Nathan said.

"I'll try." Gabrielle said closing her locker. "Your mom and Dad are going out tonight, right?"

Nathan nodded. "Yep. Says that he's 'making up for lost time' or some shit like that. I don't really care so long as they don't make another one. Watching after you is hard enough." Gabrielle smiled lightly. "I have class."

"Oh, um, Nathan," Gabrielle said. "Stephanie stopped by Dad's yesterday. She said she wanted to talk to you today but your phone is off."

"I'll talk to her after school. See you around." Nathan said walking away.

Gabrielle nodded before heading in the opposite direction.

* * *

After the final bell, Helen met with Nicole and Jacquelyn near her locker.

"Look," Helen said. "Practice is going to be cut short today so don't mess anything up."

"Does Mary-Jane know this?" Jacquelyn asked.

Helen shrugged. "I guess not since I just thought of it. Not like she'll object or anything. And if she does, I'll just remind her of a little time earlier when she did the same thing to me for the same guy."

"Okay Helen… But she's going to be really angry." Nicole said.

"And I don't care." Helen replied. "Besides, it's not like you two don't have losers to be getting to. I'm sure Plain Shane and Scooter would be happy to know that you two want to spend some 'quality time with them."

"Sure Helen." Nicole said with a smile.

"Scarlett's coming." Jacquelyn said.

Helen's eyes cut towards her cousin in a threatening way.

"Um… I need the keys…" Scarlett said.

"Too bad." Helen said. "Catch Jayden or a bus."

"I-"

"My parents, my car." Helen interrupted. "Come on girls. We have practice and a day to celebrate."

Nicole and Jacquelyn gave Scarlett sympathetic looks before walking after Helen. Scarlett only sighed before turning to go find Jayden. Hopefully he had not left already or else she would be stuck in school until her dad was done.

Scarlett then moved towards the parking lot, surprisingly, following Aaron and Chandra. The trio soon came to Jayden and Laura laughing beside Jayden's car.

"Well, well," Jayden said. "I tell my little brother to get his girlfriend and come on and he comes out with two. I don't know whether I should be proud or jealous. Or both."

"Dumbass…" Laura muttered.

"What's the problem Red?" Jayden asked.

Scarlett sighed. "Helen has taken the car so I need a ride home if that's alright."

Jayden glanced at Laura who rolled her eyes and moved for the passenger seat.

"I told you." Laura said.

"That's not really my fault." Jayden said with a smile.

"_Nothing_ is your fault Dimples. That's why I'm pregnant and your brother's a wimp." Laura said opening the door.

Jayden smiled at Scarlett. "Don't mind her. Early pregnant mood swings."

"…" Scarlett watched as Jayden folded his seat down to allow Aaron and Chandra to get in the back. "You know what, I'll just-"

"Get in the car Scarlett." Jayden said. "We're all going to my parents' house anyway. It's not like walking next door is going to kill you… Unless a drive-by so happens to happen."

Scarlett smiled. "Only you J.T…"

"Seriously though. Get in. You're making us all late." Jayden said with a small grin.

Scarlett did as she was told, ignoring the quiet grunt Laura made. She only thought about a question a student had said earlier today.

Who says two girls can't have the same Valentine?

* * *

Kelly sighed as she looked at Shane.

"Another holiday rush, another tough day at work." Kelly said.

Shane sighed. "Our lives suck, you know that?"

The door to the Dot opened as Jane walked in and headed for the counter.

"Welcome to the Dot. What can I get you?" Kelly asked.

Jane smiled. "Your dad available?"

Kelly frowned. "Uh, he's in the back room. And how do you know that he's my dad?"

"Danni's description of you was a bit too detailed." Jane said. "Do you mind going to get him for me? I really-"

"Jane?" Gavin asked coming from the back room. Kelly and Shane exchanged glances as their father and Jane hugged. "Wow. It's been forever."

"I know." Jane said releasing Gavin. "I thought since I was in town, I'd visit."

"Great. Great." Gavin said before looking at his confused kids. "Oh, these are my kids, Shane and Kelly."

"Little Spin and little Emma. The nicknames kind of fit." Jane said.

"Right…" Shane said.

"Dad who is she?" Kelly asked.

"Uh… Well… Jane is-"

Kelly gasped. "The woman you were talking about before the dance!" Shane frowned at his sister's obvious excitement. "Shane, you don't remember? The Back-to-School Dance? He was talking about a woman who he hadn't seen in twenty years."

Shane thought for a moment before smirking.

"His first 'real' relationship?" Shane asked, gaining a similar grin from his sister.

"Alright you two. That's enough." Gavin stated. "Kids…"

Emma walked into the café with a small sigh causing Shane and Kelly to look at one another. Emma glanced at Gavin, then at Jane, and then back to her former husband.

"Go." Emma said.

"Go?" Shane, Kelly, Gavin, and Jane repeated.

"It's Valentine's Day and you deserve to spend it like everyone else." Emma said. Shane opened his mouth. "Who doesn't have to work." Shane closed his mouth and sighed. "Besides, it's been long enough. Go."

"Thanks Emma. How can I repay you?" Gavin asked.

Emma smiled. "Glad you asked. Tomorrow, Sean and I want to go out. Babysit. And not by using Shane and Kelly."

"You got it." Gavin said before looking Jane. "Uh, let me go change and we can go catch up."

"I'd like that." Jane said as Gavin walked away. Jane looked at Emma. "Isn't this kind of… Ironic? I mean, I did get into a fight with your best friend at your wedding."

"That was then. This is now. Go have fun." Emma said before looking at Shane. "And as for you. You'll have your time with Nicky soon enough. Just don't think that this is a green light to go have sex with her."

"Seriously Mom. You really had to say that here?" Shane asked.

Emma smiled. "Just reminding you son."

* * *

Laura sat in the entertainment room at the McDuelle household, Jayden sitting in-between her and Scarlett on the couch.

"Okay," Jayden said. "Who did they send? They're taking forever."

Manny eyed her son before sighing.

"You're so like your father. Impatient." Manny said.

"_I'm_ impatient?" Maxwell stated.

Manny smiled. "Sometimes." Manny's smile slowly faded as she returned her attention back to her son. "Have you rehearsed what you're going to say?"

"Well Mama, I don't know the questions. Kind of hard to prepare for a DNA test, right?" Jayden stated.

Laura rolled her eyes. "Does that even make sense?"

"Somewhere to someone it does. Geez, get with it Laura." Jayden remarked before the doorbell rang. "Finally! I thought I was going to spend Valentine's locked up. Again."

Aaron came to the entrance of the entertainment room.

"Um… Kaitlin's here." Aaron stated.

Maxwell began laughing. "Oh this is going to be hilarious."

Laura frowned before the woman walked into the room, a teenage girl right behind her. Laura eyed the girl, seeing as the girl's dark blue eyes had yet to leave Jayden's. The girl's hair was blonde with the occasional black streak in it, giving her more a punk-rock type girl. Her attire was simple, a pink tee and jeans, though Laura knew from experience that the girl had spruced up for the occasion.

"Your old house is way bigger." the girl said.

"You know Coop, I thought that too. Obviously my parents didn't want to listen to me." Jayden said before glancing at Laura. "Oh. Laura, this is my ex, Marissa. Marissa, this is my current Laura and my other ex, Scarlett."

The three teen girls looked at one another.

"Well," Maxwell said rising from his spot in the armchair. "I think it's about time we left, right Dimples?"

"Yep. Good luck son." Manny said.

"Mini-Coop," Maxwell said, gaining Kaitlin's attention. "A word in the kitchen please?"

"If this has anything to do with your best friend, remember he's my husband and I'm doing this as a favor for him." Kaitlin said.

"Right… A word." Maxwell stated as he, his wife, and Kaitlin left.

Marissa moved to the seat Maxwell was previously in and sat down.

"She's too different." Marissa said.

Jayden frowned. "How so?"

"You tend to go for the dark haired blue eyes." Marissa replied, looking directly at Jayden. "Or… That's something that has also changed about you and you've yet to tell me."

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Laura asked, her anger getting the best of her.

Marissa snorted. "Seriously, you do not want to start with me after an _annoying_ flight. Ugh. I can't even begin to describe it."

"Coop, don't start with Laura." Jayden said. "Or Scarlett for that matter."

"Yeah, yeah," Marissa said waving a hand. "I'm just saying. Looking at Scarlett and then me and finally _her_, one of us just doesn't belong."

"You're blonde." Laura said.

"It's called dye sweetie." Marissa said. "Seriously Jay, you don't have a lot of care about yourself anymore, do you?"

"Why do you say that?" Jayden questioned.

"Well the Jayden Tyrone McDuelle I grew up with used to break into empty houses with me and when the media came about he magically disappeared. He always had a way of helping people without having to be there all the time and he has _never_ been the kind to put himself in front of a moving truck." Marissa said. "Now, I don't know what it is that we're here for, but judging by Scarlett's quietness and Laura's defensiveness, I'd say it was pretty big, Scarlett's jealous, and you're doing this for the sake of someone else."

"Hmm… It almost sounds like you know me." Jayden said.

"I discovered a birth mark on your thigh. I know you all too well." Marissa stated. "You're as selfish as they come. So why the change of heart? Grandma Ashley threatened to kill you again?"

Scarlett and Laura frowned as they looked at Jayden. While both of them knew of his father's mother, neither of them had the nerves to refer to her like that. She truly was a frightening woman.

"No Coop, that's not it. And your deduction is wrong. I'm still selfish, Scarlett's not jealous, and Laura's always like this." Jayden said.

"I'll say…" Scarlett added.

"No one asked you." Laura said.

Marissa raised a brow. "Oh? Trouble in paradise? Has my acclaimed lover gotten himself into a ménage á trois without his favorite mistress?"

"Jayden, what in God's name is she talking about?" Laura asked, her eyes cutting towards her boyfriend.

Jayden smirked. "Don't worry about it. This is how Marissa Cooper-White plays human chess. It's just too bad that I've learned how to beat her."

"Really? You told me one day how… What was it? You wished Scarlett was more like… Me?" Marissa stated. "You know how my memory slips."

"When'd you say that?" Scarlett asked.

"Six days after I met you." Jayden said. "You were playing hard-to-get, remember?"

"I'm guessing Danni was right to a degree. I can never truly be replaced, can I?" Marissa said. "No matter how much you hate to be 'submissive' to me, you can't get rid of me that easily because I won't allow it."

"Remind me to care tomorrow." Jayden stated.

Scarlett frowned. "She has a point J.T. Danni said the same thing to me when we to that club that day. Why's that?"

Jayden only laughed quietly as he stared at Marissa's smirking face. The two of them had a very complicated relationship growing up together. They could go from friends to siblings to lovers to enemies in the span of one hour. And no matter what he would like to believe, it was always Marissa's say as to what their status was.

"Jealousy doesn't suit you." Jayden stated.

"Tell that to Scarlett." Marissa responded.

"I'll be back." Scarlett said rising.

"Stay." Jayden told her. "Running will only fuel her fire."

"And let her just talk about me like this?" Scarlett said. "I don't know what Laura's thinking, but I'm not going to sit around and let some girl who I hardly know talk about me like she's-"

"Remember that he has to come home." Marissa interrupted. "This, this is just some place his dad works and his mom agreed to come to. Uncle Max is like that. You two," Marissa said pointing to Laura and Scarlett. "Are what we like to call… Fillers."

"I got your filler." Laura muttered.

"Are you hearing her?" Scarlett asked Jayden.

"And," Marissa continued. "Come summer, he'll return to Newport, we'll probably argue like always and end up… Well who knows where and how we'll end up." Marissa then smiled. "You have told them about the skinny-dipping thing, right?"

"No… Why don't you enlighten them?" Jayden said.

Marissa sighed. "If you insist."

"I don't want to hear this." Scarlett stated.

Laura frowned. "Why? It's not like you're listening about your boyfriend and his ex. I am." Laura then glared at Marissa. "And as for you, eleven months from now, I will find you. And I will either send you to hell or drag you down with me."

"Ooh… She's bad." Marissa replied. "I think she needs one of your treasured massages. The one _I_ helped you perfect."

"Well, it's perfected, trust me." Scarlett said. "And _I_ would know because I helped him get the kinks out that _you_ obviously failed to do."

"Who are you again? The ex not talked about?" Marissa replied.

"Actually the girl who was here because he asked me to, not because their mom has some job and they don't have a life of their own." Scarlett said.

"You're absolutely right. Did Danni tell you that the club she got you into was owned by my dad? No. Did Jayden tell you that when he left he said that he would always come back to me? No. So let's not jump to any stupid conclusions about who has what life." Marissa said.

"Well here's 'life'." Laura said. "This is _my_ boyfriend. This is his parents' house in Toronto. You and Princess here are his _exes_, two girls who I for the love of me can't stand. In fact, I would love for nothing more than a plane to land on both of you now without harming anyone else." Scarlett and Marissa glared at Laura. "Now, let's get some shit straight. Don't play that 'I'm his favorite ex' game because it got old a _long_ time ago. And Blondie, he made that same promise to Princess and me. So take a number and get in line."

"I did. I'm number one." Marissa said.

"Well, this baby that I'm carrying says otherwise." Laura said. Marissa turned her surprised eyes to Jayden. "Oh? He didn't tell you that? I bet he's never told you that he's loved you either, has he?"

Marissa only snorted in laughter. "Wow… How the mighty have fallen. You truly suck Jayden."

"Now," Laura said. "My boyfriend is kind enough to leave you two lonely bitches in his house in his presence because he's a nice guy. A bit of a dumbass, but a nice guy. I can deal with that. But if you push me, and this goes double for you Princess because I've been waiting for this for _years_, I will kill you and put it on that stupid interview. Are we all clear?"

The room was completely silent, except for the sound of Scarlett sitting back down. She sat down, not out of fear, but reclaim her position beside Jayden. If Laura wanted a war, she sure got one.

"You talk a mean game, and I respect that." Marissa said. "But a certain boy once told me that what you're really looking for is usually there all along. Now let's ask ourselves this question. Which one of us knows the three sides of Jayden T. McDuelle?"

Laura gave a small look towards Scarlett, begrudgingly admitting that Scarlett and Jayden's relationship was based off of a friendship that grew into something more. As much as she hated to admit it, but there were a lot more in common between Scarlett and Jayden than herself and the boy. Plus, Marissa had a point. Both Scarlett and Marissa had been giving one of Jayden's massages on several occasions while Laura has had one and only one. She was losing in all categories except sex, and that was not what she wanted his love for.

As for Scarlett, she stared at Marissa. This was the girl who Danica had said she reminded her of. The girl Jayden was going to replace with Scarlett. But, Marissa knew _tons_ of things about Jayden and his family that Scarlett could only question silently because he would never tell. Scarlett sighed quietly as she realized that no matter how much she tried, every time Jayden went back to California, Marissa would be there waiting. Marissa would always win.

Marissa, on the other hand, stared at Laura in spite. How could he admit that he loved Laura when Jayden could never say that in Newport? Then again, they were younger and those words do carry a lot of weight to them, but still. He said them. To Laura. And to add to the problem, she was _pregnant_ with his child. Marissa and Jayden has seen each other naked on several occasions, though they had never had sex before, so what was it that Laura possessed that Marissa did not? In her own mind, Marissa knew it was not looks and she knew that Jayden remembered just how smart she was, so brains were out too. So what was it?

"Are you ready?" Kaitlin asked coming to the room.

"Let's get it over with." Jayden replied.

Kaitlin eyed the three girls in the room and laughed. If Maxwell was ever considered a playboy in his youth, which he was, his son was probably a bigger one than he was.

* * *

Nathan left his father's apartment, his hands stuffed in his pockets. His task was simple. Find wherever Dustin ran off with his sister and make sure that nothing sexual is going on. He would kill the poor bastard if there was.

"Hey Nate!" Stephanie said meeting Nathan on the sidewalk. "So… It's Valentine's Day…"

"Yeah, I know. I have to go look in on my sister." Nathan said.

Stephanie crossed her arms. "Nate, we've talked about this. Brie isn't going to do something like that with Dustin."

"Yeah, well Dustin's friends included Scooter and Marc, too guys I could throw farther than I trust with a girl to do nothing with." Nathan said.

"I thought you and I could go somewhere." Stephanie said.

Nathan frowned. "Why? We're not together, remember? I'm not good enough for you yet."

Stephanie smiled. "You've been good enough for me for a while now. My parents, now that's what we're really working on."

"Your parents?" Nathan said. "Sorry if I don't follow, but you're hooking me up with your parents or you?"

"Me." Stephanie said.

"Then why does their opinion matter?" Nathan asked.

"…" Stephanie was quiet for a moment. "It just does, alright? So, do you want to go celebrate? As a couple."

"I don't know. What do your parents have to say?" Nathan questioned.

"Well," Stephanie stated. "My mom said it was real foolish, but sweet, that you stood up for me to Tank. She thanks you. And my dad says that any guy willing to give up smoking for a woman is alright in his book. So I think they're okay with it."

Nathan chuckled. "I've been duped."

"Severely." Stephanie said taking his hand. "Now, treat me to somewhere. Anywhere."

"I guess I don't have much of a choice. You'd just trick me into doing it anyway." Nathan said, gaining a smile from Stephanie. "You're a real amazing girl, did you know that?"

"I think we're past the flattering stage. Just kiss me." Stephanie said before Nathan did just that.

* * *

DeWayne grinned as Mercedes left to try on some clothes. A shopping spree was probably the best gift he could do without much thinking. His mind was actually on Scarlett. Seeing her during their last meeting so smitten with Jayden sickened him. Not out of disgust, per se, but jealousy. Though he would never admit that. There were just certain qualities that Scarlett and Scarlett alone possessed, and he really wished that Mercedes would pick out _something_ to get his mind off of that.

"Ahem," DeWayne turned to see Dakota standing behind him, a guard behind her. "I have to ask you something."

"With a guard?" DeWayne asked.

"He's here to make sure I don't do anything stupid. Like drink." Dakota said. "But… How is that whenever I go to rehab, our band is always put into a show with you being our substitute?"

"Maybe you going to rehab is more common than you think." DeWayne said.

Dakota shook her head. "It's not."

"Look," DeWayne stated. "If you want to go pointing fingers, I'd say your little leader is the blame for this. He manages the stuff, doesn't he?"

"I _am_ the leader of the band." Dakota responded. "Which is why I know that Jayden couldn't do that without me." DeWayne frowned at the information. He had no clue that Dakota was Juvenile Grace's leader. He had always assumed it was Jayden. "I'm going to be honest with you. I want Laura with Jayden because she's my best friend which means Scarlett will probably be stuck with the likes of you. But your schemes doesn't necessarily help you at all."

"I'm over Scarlett." DeWayne said. "If you're done, my girlfriend is trying something on for me and I want to see it."

"Right. Just so you know, Deanna's told me." Dakota said, causing DeWayne to glare. His sister was starting to get under his skin. "Stop this stupid game. You will never win."

"Yes I will. I always do." DeWayne said.

Dakota smiled. "Then to quote a friend of mine, 'game on.'"

With that, Dakota walked away with her guard following her every movement. DeWayne mentally cursed his sister and Dakota and Jayden. If those three were out of the picture, he would have what he truly wanted.

Scarlett Chessex.

* * *

Shane was more than happy to leave work to go home to see Nicole, but his plans were halted by one Deanna Fitzgerald, again.

"Uh… Can I help you?" Shane asked.

"I'm waiting on someone." she said sitting on a stool by the counter.

"A date?" Shane questioned.

Deanna smiled. "Now why would you assume such things?"

"Because it's Valentine's Day." Kelly said pointedly.

Deanna's smile did not falter as she turned her attention from one Mason to the other.

"Well, to answer your question, my brother hooked me up on a blind date." Deanna said. "I don't know who he is or what he looks like, or that's what he said." Deanna's smile then dropped as she sighed. "Hopefully I don't get stood up."

"You've been stood up? That's hard to believe." Shane said. "Well Kelly, I'm going to go. See you in thirty minutes."

"Yeah, yeah." Kelly stated as her brother left. "Loser."

"Is he always like this to see his girlfriend?" Deanna asked.

"Is that a trick question?" Kelly replied dryly.

"Huh. Sex must be great." Deanna muttered.

Kelly's face scrunched up. "Subjects I don't talk about with my brother. No offense to whatever you and DeWayne do or don't talk about."

Deanna nodded. "Fair enough. How are you celebrating Valentine's Day?"

"Single and loving it." Kelly said before pausing. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, just wondering. Trying to make the time go by. Waiting on someone to walk through those doors… Again." Deanna said, muttering the last part.

"Again?" Kelly asked. Deanna froze as she thought Kelly did not hear that last part. "So you _have_ seen him before?"

"Guilty as charged." Deanna stated.

Kelly shrugged. "Besides what Jay's told me about you, I guess I don't really have a reason to dislike you. And on that note, I don't understand why it is that you are single considering the fact your brother is trying to be Canadian bachelor of the year."

Deanna sighed. "One girl can only dream of having that on special guy, don't you think?"

Kelly nodded. "I understand. Do you have a clue on who he is?"

"Oh," Deanna said. "Just a guy I know from my dreams."

As Kelly smiled, Deanna mentally added a check to her list. Befriended the sister had been a success.

* * *

"That was good," Kaitlin said. "You should be the one that becomes an actor."

Jayden smiled. "Well, I've been known to be a great liar sometimes." Jayden's smile slowly fell as he scanned the room. "Where'd Coop go?"

"I'll find her." Laura said rising.

"No. Stay." Jayden said. With his parents out of the house, he knew that Laura was metaphorically off of her leash. If Laura did get her hands around Marissa, things could go from bad to hell in a minute. "I'll go get here."

Laura made no fuss, only sitting down once more. With Scarlett out of the house, her tolerance had risen a bit. Still, she would have enjoyed choking the life out of Marissa.

"Make it short. We have to be back at the hotel at a certain time." Kaitlin said.

Jayden gave his dad's lifelong friend a nod before leaving the entertainment room. He moved down the hall and then up the steps. He knew where Marissa was. She always had a natural homing device to his bedroom, or his former bedroom he should say.

And there she was lying on his bed.

"Great performance earlier. I almost thought you really were a bitch." Jayden said.

Marissa smiled as she swung her legs around, sitting on the edge of his bed.

"She still doesn't know, does she?" Marissa said. Jayden shook his head. "Jay, sooner or later you're going to have to tell Scarlett just how Laura got knocked up."

"So you pieced it together, did you? And all I said was that I cheated on her." Jayden replied. "My, you just seem to get smarter as the years go by."

Marissa shrugged. "Wasn't that hard." Jayden only shrugged in response. "Answer me this though, me out of the equation as well as Laura's pregnancy, who does Jayden really want to be with? Because if memory serves me correct, and we both know it does, you don't really keep in touch with all of your exes as much as you do with Scarlett. And this is coming from a girl who's not only dated you, but has been by your side since before pre-school."

"I…" Jayden began. "I have feelings for Scarlett. I'm not going to lie about that. But they're not as strong as they are for Laura."

"Right. I'll remember that the next time you want to question one of my boyfriends." Marissa said rising. "You love her Jay. Don't even fool yourself into thinking otherwise."

"I don't need you to remind me of that." Jayden said in a harsh whisper. "So you can go whenever you want to. You're starting to touch those boundaries again."

"We can only play house for so long Jayden." Marissa told him. "Sooner or later, we'll all have to experience the real thing."

Jayden nodded. "I think I of all people know that. My girlfriend is pregnant."

"I'm not saying that you don't love Laura, because I can tell that you do." Marissa added. "But there is something serious between you and Scarlett. Serious enough for you to push _me_ away from talking about it."

"What makes you so special?" Jayden asked her.

Marissa laughed. "We both know you love me. Let's just get that one out of the way." Jayden laughed with her for a second before she slowly calmed down. "Seriously Jay, whether it's me or Scarlett or you actually pull through for Laura, I hope you do end up happy with the one you want to be with. You deserve that much."

"And where's the but?" Jayden stated.

"_But_," Marissa said with a smile. "I think I can make a safe bet that it won't be Laura. Or me for that matter."

"You're wrong." Jayden said.

"I hope so." Marissa said moving towards the door. She paused and kissed him on the cheek. "Happy former anniversary, by the way."

"Ditto." Jayden said before she left his old room. He sighed before looking up at the ceiling. "She's wrong."

* * *

To say that she was completely shocked would be an understatement. While Chandra _knew_ that Aaron was planning on taking her somewhere nice, she had no idea that it would be _this_ nice. She figured tossing his last name around plus a few hundreds of dollars did that for him, and while it may be out of character, she would not mind doing this every other month.

"Get enough?" Aaron asked her.

Chandra nodded. "Dinner was perfect. Thanks A.J. You've made this the best Valentine's Day ever."

Aaron only smiled at her. "I tried."

Chandra giggled a bit. Aaron was by no means a player, so hearing him attempt to talk like one was amusing to say the least.

"Say," Chandra said. "Who was that girl that came in with that lady?"

"That woman was a friend of my dad's who married his best friend, Kaitlin Cooper-White. She is practically _everywhere_ in Newport. The girl was her daughter, Marissa, who is also Jayden's ex girlfriend." Aaron explained. Chandra gave a long and silent "Oh" before Aaron continued. "That's why I said it was best to leave early because he was already there with Laura _and_ Scarlett. Coop was worst than both of them."

Chandra frowned. "She didn't look that mean."

"If Jay's a 'regional champion' in human chess, Marissa Cooper-White is the world champion." Aaron said. "When she and Jay were together, they could get away with anything that they wanted to. Like a runaway trip to Los Angeles during school hours by jet skis and only had like two weeks of being grounded." Chandra's brows rose. They were good. She would probably still be locked away if she tried something like that. "They're evil together. Pure evil."

"You would know more than I…" Chandra said. "You know, earlier today Jordan made this big deal about her date with Tevin in sixth period. Why do you think she waited until then to do it?"

"You know another class you, her, and I have together?" Aaron replied. "I don't know what her problem is honestly. She was picking on Brie earlier."

"Not to be mean to my friend," Chandra stated. "But _all the jerks_ pick on Brie. It's like the coronation into the hall of losers."

"Point… I just wish I could help her somehow." Aaron said before his phone began ringing. "Probably our ride." Aaron grabbed his phone from his pocket. "Hello?"

"…A.J…" Aaron frowned. It was Jordan.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Could you pick me up? I'm at some club across town. Tevin was supposed to be here but he's not." Jordan said. "I can't call Shane or Kelly and my parents would be pissed if they knew that I wasn't at the movies."

"Sorry but-"

"Please A.J! I'm almost begging you." Jordan pleaded.

"Hold on for a second." Aaron said putting his phone on the table. "That's Jordan." Chandra's brows furrowed. "Tevin stood her up at a club on the other side of town. Should I help her?"

"You're asking me?" Chandra asked.

Aaron smiled. "I did say I'd make today all about you. So what you do you want?"

Chandra grinned. "Let's help her."

As Aaron went to get the directions from Jordan, Chandra's smile stayed on her face. Jordan may have interrupted their date, but rubbing it in Jordan's face that her boyfriend stood up her and Chandra's was the amazing Aaron J. McDuelle seemed to be the best consolidation prize ever.

This Valentine's Day really was the greatest.

* * *

"Ssh… I hear something…" Kelly whispered to her brother and his girlfriend.

It was around two in the morning when they heard the front door open, the Mason siblings knowing that their dad sucked at sneaking into the house.

"They're probably asleep. They usually sleep in on the weekends." the trio heard Gavin say.

"Are you sure they won't, you know, flip out?" Kelly gasped quietly as Jane's voice reached their ears.

"I'm positive. Shane wakes up around two in the afternoon anyway. He'll never see you leaving." Gavin said. "Now, about that 'gift' that you said you had."

"You're still the same." Jane replied before the sound of kissing met the teens' ears.

"Aw… Puppy love." Nicole whispered. Shane and Kelly gave her blank stares. "Well old dog love just sounds disgusting."

"Point taken." Kelly said. "Now could you two get out of my room?"

"Right, right," Shane whispered. "Come on Nicky. We have to sneak towards your room. It's closer."

Shane and Nicole crept towards the door where Shane opened it slightly, spotting his father's room door shutting. He motioned Nicole with his hand and the two left Kelly's room.

Kelly only smiled as she lied in bed. Finally her family would be somewhat complete, so long as Jane stayed in Toronto.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Recap, shall we? Jayden's ex believes he loves Scarlett more than Laura, Deanna's plan is slowly taking root, and some Spinner/Jane. Not to forget Nathan and Stephanie, Dakota's out again, Dustin standing up for Gabrielle, and Jordan being stood up by Tevin. Did I forget that there is one chapter in-between now and Spring Break? Check out what happens next and review!


	80. Webisode: MiTunes: Scarlett

**MiTunes: Scarlett**

Artist: Leona Lewis  
Song: Happy

Sitting in the seat, she swore to herself that she was happy for him. Even if he had thrown this party for another girl, whom he was currently dancing with, she was still happy that he was happy. Even if she felt as if she had faded into the background, she was still told herself that she was happy. The song changed and he moved towards her, his eyes locked on hers, his smile somehow reigniting a flame.

"Laura's dancing with her dad," Jayden said. "Mind if I dance with you?"

"Sure."

Of course the answer was sure. And as they moved to the dance floor, in the back of her mind was what a perfect song for such an occasion.

_Someone once told me that you have to choose  
What you win or lose  
You can't have everything_

For just a moment, she had him again. And while Helen was currently present, as well as Laura, Scarlett did not care. Laura may have told Jayden that she loved him, and somehow Scarlett was beginning to believe that the rebellious girl did, but Scarlett knew she loved Jayden more. She just chose not to say it in fear of complicating their fragile friendship.

_Don't you take chances  
Might feel the pain__  
__Don't you love in vain  
Cause love won't set you free_

Their bodies became a bit closer together until Jayden took a rather unseen small step away. Scarlett realized that he must have slipped for a moment and Laura had seen him. Or he was just teasing Scarlett to get a reaction. She dared not look into his eyes just incase it was the second idea. She wanted to believe that instead of the joking, impish Jayden, the gentler, nicer version of the boy was the one she was dancing with. In other words, she did not want Laura's boyfriend, she wanted her ex back.

_I can't stand by the side  
And watch this life pass me by__  
__So unhappy  
But safe as could be_

"Dance with me for a sec." Scarlett was more than angry when her cousin cut in, but due to their lack of communication, didn't voice it.

She would just watch him slip from her fingertips again.

_So what if it hurts me?  
So what if I break down?__  
__So what if this world just throws me off the edge  
My feet run out of ground_

As she watched the two friends dance, Scarlett began to step towards her seat again. She told herself that she would not ruin Helen's dance with Jayden like Helen had done hers. Instead, she would prove that the proclaimed princess was not that selfish and spoiled.

Even though she _really_ wanted to.

_I gotta find my place  
I wanna hear my sound  
Don't care about all the pain in front of me  
Cause I'm just trying to be happy, yeah  
Just wanna be happy, yeah_

Dark blue eyes scanned the slow dancing group, wondering if anyone noticed that she was one of three sitting down. She wondered if anyone spotted the irony of Helen taking Jayden away from her to dance, which in her mind would make the _second_ time. She wondered if anyone knew that despite the small smile, she really was not happy.

_Holding on tightly  
Just can't let it go__  
__Just trying to play my role  
Slowly disappear, oh_

She stomached the sight of Jayden laughing with Helen for a moment before looking away. She had to make it seem like she was fine with this. But while she did this, she felt herself fading again. But, again, she told herself to smile. This was for him.

_But all these days, they feel like they're the same  
Just different faces, different names  
Get me out of here_

She felt like she had been fading out a lot these days. Sometimes Laura would call and he would leave, others one or both of his parents. Some occasions it was Shane or Aaron that needed his attention. And every time that happened, she always smiled and told him to go ahead while secretly hating it.

Was it so hard to spend time with a friend?

_I can't stand by your side, oh no  
And watch this life pass me by, pass me by_

To Scarlett's surprise, he returned with an outstretched hand. She peered to see Helen now with Tyler before looking back at Jayden. Should she even crush her hopes again by setting herself up for another departure? Surely Laura would want a dance with her boyfriend on her birthday. Or what of someone else who would want to dance with him? He would certainly leave her again.

Did she want to set herself up for another split?

_So what if it hurts me?  
So what if I break down?  
So what if this world just throws me off the edge  
My feet run out of ground  
I gotta find my place  
I wanna hear my sound  
Don't care about all the pain in front of me  
Cause I'm just trying to be happy, oh _

_Happy, oh_

Taking his hand, she moved with him to their previous spot. He murmured an apology, which she only nodded to. She hardly heard him anyway over the sound of her heartbeats. She twirled in his arms, her back against his chest before twirling back. A smile etched on his face told her that that move had not crossed any of their strictly friends boundaries. And in returned, she smiled. It was like she had regained all the color of her skin, hair, eyes, and personality.

This is what she needed.

_So any turns that I can't see,  
Like I'm a stranger on this road  
But don't say victim  
Don't say anything_

Their dancing was soon ended by Laura herself. The girl gave Scarlett a critical look before glancing at who she could technically call hers. Jayden only gave his girlfriend a small smile before leading her away.

But Scarlett smile. She refused to cry now. She refused to cry later. She refused to cry period. Yet, somehow her saying this over and over in her head was not working. She didn't want to be in love with a guy who was already committed to someone else, but she was. And she was probably going to shed at the minimal one tear for this lost feeling inside of her.

_So what if it hurts me?  
So what if I break down?  
So what if this world just throws me off the edge__  
__My feet run out of ground_

Moving for her seat again, she was stopped by Christian, Jayden's younger brother. It was obvious that the kid had a small crush on Scarlett, he being just seven. So, Scarlett dance with him playfully while keeping an eye on her true target.

_I gotta find my place__  
__I wanna hear my sound  
Don't care about all the pain in front of me_

Christian soon left for his parents and Scarlett was able to go for her seat again. Once she sat down she took in a deep breath and sighed, slowly fading again.

_I just wanna be happy__  
__Oh, yeah, happy, ohh, happy  
I just wanna be, oh_

Jayden seemed so happy Laura. Maybe if she had chosen not to dance with DeWayne that night, it would be her out there dancing with him at a surprise birthday party he had done for her instead of Laura. Maybe it would be her that was starting a family with him, despite their ages. Maybe it would be her that he was currently kissing instead of Laura. Maybe it would be her that was happy.

_I just wanna be happy  
Oh, happy _

Scarlett saw Jayden smile and smiled as well. She was not happy, just smiling to keep herself from fading out of his life completely.

* * *

**A/N**: This takes place the day after I Don't Wanna Know Pt. II, Laura's birthday.


	81. S3 Episode XIV: The Secret Show

**Author's Note:** Some pretty big news. Season 3 will be the last season before I post the sequel, The Day the Music Died, which will take us through next year. At the end of this chapter I will explain more, but before then, here's the next chapter!

* * *

**Episode XIV: The Secret Show**

The Sunday after Valentine's Day started off quite the same for Scarlett. She woke up pretty early, as normal, and moved to get ready to do absolutely nothing. The only thing on her agenda today was to make it to Monday without damaging her and Helen's relationship more. She loved her cousin and wanted to show just how sisterly she thought of Helen, but of course Helen could only take so much lip before flipping. Scarlett was actually surprised that a physical fight has yet to happen between them.

Currently, she was fixing her nightgown for the umpteenth time while searching for something to wear. The stupid thing kept revealing more than she wanted. While no one was there to see, it was still both frustrating and embarrassing.

"Scarlett! You have company!" Fiona called.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. Not many people stopped by to see her and fewer did it in the morning. But Scarlett left her room anyways. Her mother would continue to call her if she had attempted to ignore her. No one ignored Fiona Chessex, not even those who were deaf and blind.

Coming down the steps, Scarlett was slightly confused to see Jayden talking to Helen, her arms folding to protect her from any embarrassing moments.

"J.T? What are you doing here?" Scarlett asked.

"Laura's spending 'girl time' with Dash, so I thought I'd stop by and spend time with my favorite two neighbors." Jayden said. "So, get dress. We're going out. All three of us."

Helen frowned. "I thought I told you," Helen pointed at Scarlett. "We _aren't_ related!"

"You didn't meet my wonderful ex Marissa, did you? Oh what a shame." Jayden said. "See, Marissa's dad owns a magazine chain along with his night clubs. In other words, Helen of Toronto, if I wanted to get a shot of TVM's president's daughter out with some hockey player's son, I will do it."

"So?" Helen replied. "I'm not going."

Jayden sighed. "Don't make me use my trump card."

"And what's that?" Helen asked.

"Oh Mrs. Coyne…" Jayden called.

Helen glared. "You wouldn't dare."

"Oh, I would dare." Jayden said as Fiona reentered the room. "Um, I want to take Helen and Scarlett out. That won't be a problem, will it?"

Fiona frowned. "I don't see a problem. Is there a problem?"

"I don't know." Jayden said with a shrug. "Is there a problem Scarlett?" Scarlett shook her head. "Helen?"

"…" Helen gave Jayden a low growl. "You know that there is."

"Oh, that. You two need to get over that and if this will help, then I say that you both are going. No questions asked." Fiona stated. "So go with your friend. And no fighting."

"Will do Mrs. C." Jayden said as Fiona exited the room again. "Well Helen, we don't want to make your aunt mad, now do we?"

"I hate you, you know that right?" Helen said. "Why would you make me go with _her_ even though you know I don't want anything to do with her?"

Jayden shrugged. "It doesn't seem like the Helen thing to do to run away."

"What are you talking about?" Helen questioned.

"Picture this," Jayden said. "You feel as if Scarlett has wronged you now, so you go back to Manhattan where you'll be living with your annoying younger sister, going to that prim private school, _and _put back under parental supervision. And what does Scarlett get? You out of the picture, a car to herself, another bedroom, and she takes your place in your social circle. Does that sound fair?"

"…" Helen thought for a moment. "No. No it doesn't."

"So how about you stay in Toronto and patch things up with your cousin?" Jayden said. "And if you want, I can find some poor sap for you to beat on until you feel better about it."

Helen sighed. "This better work Jayden."

Jayden only nodded as Helen walked towards the stairs, not even giving Scarlett a glance as she walked upstairs to get dressed. He figured he was on thin ice with Helen for making her do this, but _someone_ had to patch things up amongst the two. He then caught Scarlett moving towards him with a smile.

"Red what are you-" Jayden was cut off when she hugged him tightly.

"Thank you J.T." she said quietly.

"I do my best." Jayden said as Scarlett broke away. Despite him having a girlfriend, his eyes still scanned Scarlett while she was in her nightgown before turning away. "Um, Scarlett? Might I suggest you wear a gown that fits?"

"What are you…?" Scarlett's eyes moved to her gown and saw that one of her breasts were actually exposed. She squealed in embarrassment before wrapping her arms around her chest and moved towards the steps briskly.

"Might I suggest a bra next time?" Jayden said amusingly.

"Shut up!" Scarlett shouted as she scurried up the steps.

Jayden only laughed as he sat down on the couch.

"Yeah, you have that effect on women." Jayden said to himself with a smile.

* * *

"So…" Laura said to Dakota as Dakota sat on her bed. "You have to take some test to go to Vancouver? That's stupid. What could you have possibly drunk in rehab?"

Dakota shrugged. "I don't know. But that's the rule."

Laura sat on the windowsill in Dakota's room, releasing a heavy sigh that was not missed from her friend.

"What's wrong? Is it the baby?" Dakota asked.

Laura shook her head. "No. It's not that." Laura then looked out the window. "It's Jayden ex, Marissa."

Dakota frowned. "What did she do? I thought she left yesterday?"

"It's what she said Dash." Laura said, now looking at Dakota. "And the truth is, I don't know shit about the boy compared to her and Princess. How am I supposed to be who he wants when I'm guessing on the things that he likes?"

"Laura, Jayden loves you. He's said it multiple of times. He-"

"He doesn't have to say it to show it. I know that by how he and Marissa just looked at each other." Laura interrupted. "It was… It _is_ different than how he looks at me."

Dakota sat quietly in thought. She knew that this was Laura's first time experiencing love and receiving it outside of her home. That meant that when things such as these occurred, Laura panicked more than she should, which was not good for her or the baby.

"Why not call him and talk?" Dakota asked.

"Right. I'll just tell him how right his ex is and maybe he should just go ahead and knock her and Princess up too since they make a better girlfriend _and_ mom than I do." Laura retorted.

Dakota cringed. Laura was really not in a good mood today.

"I feel so…" Laura paused. "I don't know. Hopeless."

"I understand." Dakota said. "How about you go with me to do this test? We could stop by somewhere and get something to eat."

"I could use something to eat right now." Laura replied. Her eyes then narrowed. "You're not going to tell him about this, are you? It's your fault he found out that I had a crush on him in the first place."

"I promise I won't." Dakota said, though she knew from experience that he would somehow get it out of her. He normally did.

"Good." Laura said before looking back out of the window.

"Laura, what's really wrong?" Dakota asked.

"Have you… Have you ever wondered what it's like to live a _normal_ life with a _normal_ family?" Laura questioned. Dakota frowned. "You know, mom, dad, maybe a brother and sister, and you? You have the normal arguments and the normal family dinners. You go to the normal school and have a normal boyfriend."

"I have but…" Dakota really did not know what to say. She assumed that Laura would explain what she meant.

"I know it's too late for me to live a normal life but…" Laura's words trailed off as she placed a hand on her stomach. "I worry sometimes Dash. I really do."

Dakota blinked. She had seen Laura in her vulnerable state several of times before, but this was different. Normally Laura was just down about her mother and father or Jayden, but this was different. This had to do with her future son or daughter.

"You'll be a perfect mom Laura." Dakota said in hopes that it would help Laura.

"Will you help me?" Laura asked. Dakota nodded and Laura smiled. "Thanks Dash. I really don't know what I'd do without you."

Dakota only let out a small quiet sigh in relief. She had gotten Laura to smile, that was a good thing. Now if only she could get her mind off of whatever Marissa said.

* * *

"He slept on the couch!" Kelly whispered fiercely to her brother. "That wasn't supposed to happen!"

"Kelly, it's kind of weird that you're angry that your dad didn't have sex with some woman who he hasn't seen in twenty years." Shane said.

Kelly rolled her eyes. "You don't know anything about love."

"I just have a girlfriend. Right." Shane countered. "Listen Kelly, maybe they were both just drunk and there really isn't anything going on between them."

"There is. I know there is." Kelly said before sighing. "We just have to prove it."

Shane sat up straighter on the couch. "We?"

"Yes, we." Kelly said. "Seriously Shane, did you think I was going to do this on my own?"

"I was hoping." Shane replied. "That way _when_ Mom catches you in the act, I won't go down with you. I'm in enough trouble as it is."

Kelly pouted. "Aw. Come on Shane. You know I can't do it without you. Dad needs us."

"Stop with the face." Shane said. Kelly only leaned closer to him in a pleading manner. "Okay. I'll help. Seriously Kelly, why can't you get in trouble by yourself?"

"Because it wouldn't be fun." Kelly said with a smile. "Now, let's call your friend and see if he'll help too. We could use his girlfriend's current condition as a reason as to why we're bored."

"Because everyone will feel bad about the guy with the pregnant girlfriend. Brilliant." Shane said lifelessly.

"Um, Shane," Nicole said walking into the living room. "Can I talk to you?"

Shane frowned. "Of course. What's wrong?"

"My parents called… They want to meet up to talk." Nicole said.

"Oh. Did you want me to come with you?" Shane asked. Nicole shook her head. "You're going to talk to them alone?"

"Last time you stood up for me. Now I want to talk to them alone, okay?" Nicole stated. Shane nodded, though Nicole and Kelly knew he hated the idea. "I'm going to go get dressed and then meet them."

"Okay." Shane said as Nicole left the room. "Well Kelly, I guess that means that I have no choice but to spend some time with you and just you." Kelly smiled. "This is going to be a long day, isn't it?"

"Very long big brother." Kelly said, still grinning.

* * *

Jordan sighed before ringing the doorbell. She could not believe that she, Jordan Christine Cameron, would stoop this low. Again.

The door opened to reveal the last person she wanted to see behind it.

"Hey, it's the family traitor." Danica said to her. "What're you doing here? And how'd you get here?"

"Hey Danni, is A.J around?" Jordan asked.

"He's in his room with his girlfriend and friends," Danica said. "And I don't think they want to see you…"

"I have to talk to him." Jordan said.

Danica crossed her arms. "Why can't you talk to me?"

"Because…" Jordan began.

"Because…" Danica parroted, raising a brow.

Jordan knew that her new persona would not get her far with Danica. The young woman was feared for a pretty good reason within the McDuelle and Mason-Cameron households and Jordan did not want to test the theory now. Danica could handle whatever punishment came her way, whether it come from her parents or the law. Jordan, Jordan would not be able to last five minutes if she pushed her too much.

"Well?" Danica said.

"I need to talk to him. Please Danni, it's important." Jordan said.

Danica rolled her eyes as she stepped aside.

"Whatever. Be lucky that I'm in a good mood today." Danica said as Jordan entered the house. "And FYI, Mary-Jane did a pretty tacky job making you look 'better'. You look like one of the baby dolls I used to pop the head off of."

Jordan frowned, her left hand going through her thoroughly straightened hair. She did not look like a baby doll. Not in her mind anyway. But, Jordan then moved up the steps in boredom. Tevin had once again blown her off so she figured she could attempt to get her friends back.

Jordan entered Aaron's room and literally felt the world stop. Aaron, Chandra, Dustin, and Gabrielle all stared at her as if she was a stranger to them. Half of her mind told her to snap at them to get them to at least blink. But the calmer side of her told her to do a more peaceful approach.

"Hey." she said awkwardly with a small wave. "I came by to-"

"Ruin another date? Well too bad Barbie, we're not on one." Chandra immediately interrupted, the tension between Jordan and Chandra multiplying instantly.

Aaron sighed. "What are you doing here Jordan? And who let you in?"

"And how'd you get here?" Chandra added.

"…" Dustin leaned towards Gabrielle, both of them sitting in chairs Aaron took from Jayden's former room. "Am I this hostile with your ex?"

Gabrielle only giggled. Truth was, Ashton and Dustin would probably never be friends, as much as it pained her. However, they would never be as bad as Chandra and Jordan.

"I took a cab and I'm here to talk to you A.J. He ditched me, _again_." Jordan stated. "Plus, he doesn't even have a reason for Valentine's Day!"

"What do you think I'm going to do?"Aaron asked.

Jordan was going to respond before she realized that she did not expect Aaron to do anything. She just wanted to talk to him. Maybe she could get him to forgive her.

Sighing, Jordan stepped further in Aaron's room. This only made Chandra to move nearly off of Aaron's bed completely.

"What are you doing? We don't want you here." Chandra said.

"Seriously Chandra, I'm not here for you. And why do you seem so mad at me? What have I done or said to you in the last seven days?" Jordan questioned.

"You told me," Chandra replied. "That I _deserved _to be slapped because I was annoying."

Jordan scoffed. "That was in December. Cry a river, build a bridge, get over it."

"Jordan," Aaron said in attempt to limit as much shouting as possible. "People will always remember what you say to them. Especially something like that."

"Whatever." Jordan said rolling her eyes. "She's just being a drama queen, like always."

"Like you were when you walked out on your grandfather's funeral?" Chandra shot back.

Aaron only groaned. This connection he had with Jayden was getting quite annoying. First Laura and Scarlett went at it and now here his current and ex doing the same thing. He wondered if he had unintentionally harmed someone in the past months and this was just karma.

"Don't talk about that!" Jordan said.

"Why? Still crying like a little-"

"Okay." Aaron said, cutting Chandra off just in time. "Jordan, what are you doing here?"

"I came here to talk to you, one on one. I didn't know that your-"

"Okay. Let's talk in the kitchen." Aaron said leaving his bed. "Go."

Jordan gave Chandra one final glare before leaving Aaron's bedroom. Chandra only crossed her arms and sat back on Aaron's bed.

"I don't understand why you even bother to talk to her." Chandra said. "She's not going to change A.J. And even if she did go back to like she used to be, things will only get _worse_ between us."

"Seriously Bambi, I don't need you to get stressed over that." Aaron replied. "So you let me handle her and you relax. Doctor's orders."

Chandra smiled lightly. "That's not fair."

Aaron grinned. "But it's true."

Chandra's smile dropped as soon as Aaron exited his room, turning her attention to Gabrielle and Dustin.

"I hate her." Chandra said.

"Really? We couldn't tell." Dustin said as Chandra glared at him. "Kidding."

"You'd better be." Chandra muttered.

While nothing had changed in the house, Jordan has always felt out of place since learning that Jayden and Aaron were brothers. It was if the home was under some illusion and after the secret was out, she was seeing it for the first time. That, plus everyone that lives here always gave her a curious eye now, Manny included. But, she figured that Maxwell and Manny worried more for her than they were angry at her.

"What did you want to talk about?" Aaron asked entering the kitchen.

Jordan sighed. "A.J… I originally came to say I'm sorry, again."

"And now you have. So go." Aaron replied.

"But…" Jordan paused.

"Listen, there isn't much I can say to you that will get through to you." Aaron said. "You didn't listen to me about Tevin, you didn't listen to me about Bambi, and you won't listen to me about Mary-Jane. So what is there left for me to say?"

Jordan frowned. "That you forgive me and mean it."

"No," Aaron said, Jordan's eyes widened at the boldness in his voice. He was not going to change his mind. "Not until you get Bambi to forgive you."

Jordan rolled her eyes. "Fat chance Aaron. I hate your little slutty girlfriend."

"Don't call her that." Aaron told her. "Bambi isn't like you."

"Like me?" Jordan quickly snapped back.

"Yes! Unlike you, she isn't completely selfish to fake sick just to go see another guy perform!" Aaron said. He had never been the one to shout, but felt like it for some reason. "You wanted Tevin, remember? You got what you asked for, so why can't I?"

Jordan's eyes narrowed. "I so knew it!" Aaron frowned. "When we were leaving the Dot? I said that you had a thing for Chandra and you denied it!"

Aaron frowned. "I never denied it. I said you are perfect, and you were."

"I'm better now than I was then. Or do you not have eyes?" Jordan said.

"Well, Miss Perfect," Aaron said. "I'm going to go up there with my imperfect girlfriend and imperfect friends. How about you go find your _perfect_ boyfriend and your _perfect_ friends and talk to them, alright?" Jordan rolled her eyes. He knew that she could barely get a hold of Tevin, let alone go find him. "But I'm willing to bet that my friends, imperfect or not, are a lot better than your nonexistent ones."

Jordan saw Aaron turn to leave and reached to grab his shoulder. He did not look at her, more like the hand that was on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry A.J." Jordan said quietly, removing her hand from his shoulder.

"Me too Jordan." Aaron responded in the same tone before leaving the kitchen.

Jordan only watched him go before taking in a deep breath and releasing it slowly. For as long as she has known Aaron, they have _never_ gotten into an argument. A debate over science and the politics that they knew, sure, but nothing like a three-month ongoing battle. Jordan shrugged it off, realizing that sooner or later he would forgive her rather Chandra did or did not. She walked towards the door, her mind settling on the next two people to ask for forgiveness.

Kelly and Shane.

* * *

Little Miss Steaks has always been a favorite of Nicole since she was a little girl. The still going Western theme was so catchy to her. Her eyes skimmed over the people sitting there until she found her parents at a table. Sighing heavily, Nicole made her way towards them.

"Hi…" Nicole said weakly as she sat down at the small circle table, her parents' seats noticeably a lot closer together than hers was.

"How are you Nicky?" Mrs. Campbell asked.

"Um, I'm good." Nicole replied feeling a little uneasy. "Is there something wrong? Where's Harry?"

"He's at home with the babysitter." Mr. Campbell said.

"How was your Valentine's Day? I take it Shane did something special." Mrs. Campbell stated with a smile.

Nicole grinned. "Yeah, he made dinner and we ate with his sister." Nicole was sure to skip the _other_ parts Shane had done later that night to keep the tension at a minimal. "So… You wanted to talk?"

Mr. Campbell took in a deep breath. "Nicole, your sixteenth birthday is coming up soon. Your mother and I want to celebrate it with you." Nicole nodded. "More importantly we… _I_ realize that I might have acted too hastily. We want you to move back in with us."

Nicole gasped. "Are… Are you serious?" Her parents nodded. "But…"

"We realize that you living with Mr. Mason is probably the only reason that you are back to your former self, but we want to be a family again." Mrs. Campbell told her.

"I want to, but…" Nicole saw her parents frown. "Shane and Kelly and Mr. Mason… They've been there and… I don't know. I can't just leave them without talking to them. I owe them."

"Honey, we understand that they helped you through rough times but-"

"No Mom, it's more than that." Nicole interrupted. "Shane is my boyfriend. Kelly is like the sister I don't have. And their parents are amazing. Between Mr. Mason listening to me, Mr. Cameron helping me get back in shape for cheerleading, and Mrs. Cameron including me on their trips, I owe them all very much."

Mr. Campbell nodded. "We understand."

"But… I do miss you guys. A lot." Nicole announced. "It's just confusing right now."

"Don't worry about it. How about some lunch?" Mrs. Campbell asked.

Nicole only smiled in response. She was considering moving in with her parents and younger brother again, but she liked being around Shane. And they, as in the Mason-Cameron family, always monitored what she was doing in a caring way. They were not rude or overbearing, but Nicole could always tell when Shane and/or Kelly had to stay behind to watch over the others, despite Nicole already being there and fully capable. She was not as dumb and oblivious as people thought.

* * *

Stephanie sat on Angelina's bed, Angelina sitting against the headboard with her legs folded towards her.

"So," Stephanie said to Angelina. "Jacob give you a Valentine's Day date?" Angelina blushed lightly but nodded. "Ooh! Do tell!"

"We just went to the movies yesterday." Angelina answered. "He had something to do Friday."

"Aw. Did you give our new hubby a smooch?" Stephanie teased.

Angelina only smiled. "Did you?" Stephanie giggled a bit, nodding. "Your parents are okay with you and Nate?"

"Not so much. They think he's still just a 'really good friend.' But hey, what they don't know won't kill them, right?" Stephanie replied. "And speaking of parents, what did yours want earlier? You said that it was pretty bad."

Angelina sighed. "My mom asked if I wanted to go back to Paris."

"Do you want to move back to Paris?" Stephanie questioned.

"I do but… I don't want to leave friends like you behind." Angelina said. Stephanie gave Angelina a questioning look. "Wh-what?"

"What about Jacob?" Angelina noticeably drew her legs in closer.

"I… I don't want to leave him either. But Paris is where I _live_. The kids I grew up with… My parents…" Angelina paused. "But I _really_ like Toronto. And Jacob…"

"Are you going to tell him?" Stephanie asked.

Angelina gasped. "No! I don't want to tell him until I'm sure about where I want to be. I don't want to give him any false hope."

"Angie, this is your boyfriend we're talking about. You should tell him." Stephanie said.

"I know, I know. But-"

"Aha!" Stephanie quickly blurted out. "So you two _are_ dating! I knew it!"

Angelina sat a bit flabbergasted for a moment. Jacob had asked Angelina _not_ to tell anyone for fear that Jayden and Shane would make some big deal out of it. Of course, Angelina had a strong feeling that Jayden would probably find out sooner than later if he was anything like Danica. And Danica knew _everything_ when it came to good gossip.

"Not the point." Angelina stated.

"You're right." Stephanie said. "Seriously Angie, you need to talk to Jacob. It'll suck if you wait until two days before you leave. He'll be crushed."

Angelina sighed. "You're right." Angelina then stared at her phone. "You think he's busy now?"

"Don't know. But do you know what you want to do now?" Angelina shook her head for no. "Then let's think about this, alright? Brainstorm for fifteen minutes and then call. Okay?"

"Okay." Angelina said.

* * *

Jane was completely shocked as she sat at the small kitchen table, directly across from Gavin. Kelly placed a steak with fries in front of Jane before placing a plate of the same contents in front of her father.

"Bon appétit." Kelly said before stepping out of the kitchen.

"Um, well," Jane began. "This isn't what I was expecting."

"My kids are planning something. I don't know what it is yet, but I'll find out. I was married to Detective Nelson." Gavin responded.

Jane smiled. "It's alright Spin. I needed something to eat anyway." Gavin only gave a small nod as Jane began to cut her steak. "Your son might be able to cook better than you."

Gavin snorted. "Sure he can. He just knows everything that I taught him."

The two shared a small laugh before Jane stared at Gavin.

"Why'd you move to the couch Friday night? Or should I say Saturday morning?" she asked him.

"Um… I didn't want to make things awkward, you know? Bad enough that the last time I spoke to you, I was getting married." Gavin said. "Now I'm a divorced dad with two teenagers, three if you count Nicky. You don't see the awkwardness if we woke up beside each other?"

"Not really." Jane responded. "I've been in weirder situations." Gavin's eyebrows rose. "Stories for another time."

"Why not now?" he asked.

"Because I don't feel like telling it now." Jane replied with a smile. "So get over it."

While the two adults ate their lunch and talked, Shane and Kelly listened from the living room.

"L-O-V-E." Kelly said before sighing. "So, when are you going to tell me that I'm right?"

"When Jayden shaves his head and Scarlett proclaims that she's in love with Jacob Isaacs." Shane replied. "No. Scratch that. _Helen_ says that she's in love with Jacob _and_ Marc."

"Way to be subtle about it." Kelly said sarcastically.

Shane shrugged. "I try." The doorbell rang causing Kelly to move off of the sofa. "I bet this is Mom. She always seems to ruin a really good plan." Kelly opened the door to see Jordan. "What do you want?"

Jordan scoffed. "Why does everyone ask me that? No one greets people anymore?"

"You're a demon in a girl's body. Not a person. So what do you want?" Kelly asked, her eyes narrowing at Jordan's.

"Kelly… Let her in." Shane said from his seat on the sofa. Kelly rolled her eyes before stepping aside, Jordan moving into the home. "Alright Jordan. What's going on because you only stop by when you want something we're not going to give."

"I'm sorry." Jordan blurted out. "I've been annoying lately, I know. And I've said some hurtful things about both of you… Even though you've said some mean things too."

"Oh give me a break." Kelly stated. "If you came here to sell your crocodile tears, we're not buying it."

Jordan sighed. "I'm being serious Kelly. Earlier today, Tevin ditched me-"

"Again? Boy, you sure have the _best_ luck." Kelly interrupted.

"Yes. Again." Jordan said angrily before looking at Shane. "And I went to make amends with A.J and the others. That didn't work out. Even Danni hates me."

"You know," Shane said. "To be fair, she hates pretty much everyone. Me included."

"Can't you guys just forgive me? This has been going on for far too long." Jordan said.

"You're going to stop hanging with Mary-Jane?" Kelly asked.

Jordan frowned. "No. I said I'm sorry, not that I'm willing to give up on my associates. Kind of like your dislike for alcoholics, yet you're still friends with Dakota, right?"

"Fine." Shane stated.

"What?" Kelly and Jordan replied in unison.

Shane stretched on the couch. "You help with Kelly's little plan and we forgive you. No questions asked." Jordan smiled and nodded. "Good, because now with you here, I can go."

Jordan looked up at Kelly. "And your plan is…?"

"Something you're obviously failing at. Love." Kelly retorted before looking at Shane. "And what do you mean you can go? You and I both know that when it comes down to hooking people up, Jordan's about as useful as…" Kelly paused. "I can't think of anything right now, but she's pretty useless. I mean, she completely ruined her perfectly fine relationship with A.J for a second-rate guy who leaves her behind everyday. What a wizard in love."

Jordan actually felt a sting from the comment. Mostly because it was true. She _did_ ruin her relationship with Aaron for Tevin and Tevin has been disappearing a lot lately.

"True," Shane stated, making Jordan feel that much worse. "But how many times has she been our scapegoat? With her, when can do unlimited things and keep Mom out of the picture for as long as we can."

Now Jordan groaned. She was giving up her fame and independence to be her siblings' scapegoat again. And no matter how happy she was to be included in one of their schemes again, she hated being put back to her former role. Especially since she could not call and drag Aaron along with her.

Kelly, on the other hand, seemed to like the idea.

"You drive a strong bargain." Kelly said before looking at Jordan. "Fine. I guess I can forgive you. And as part one of my plan… Go to your room and get my freaking shirt." Jordan blanched. Kelly seemed extra pissed over the shirt for one reason or another. "And don't you ever, _ever_, touch it again. Or I'll make you suffer Jordan. Not kill you. Torture you until you kill yourself."

"Sure." Jordan said moving for the door. "I'll be back."

Shane and Kelly watched their younger sister leave before laughing.

"Danni's been rubbing off on you." Shane said while laughing.

"Actually," Kelly said with a smile. "I got that one from Laura." Shane gaped. "Yep. She used that line on Torrie, Scarlett and Helen's cousin last Wednesday. It's pretty affective."

"So I see." Shane said. "Now, back to Dad and Jane."

* * *

Jayden sat at the booth beside Helen, across from Scarlett. While Scarlett ate her meal silently, Helen stared off in space until Jayden leaned his head on her shoulder.

"Why won't you talk to me? Am I ugly?" he asked.

Helen smiled. "If Tyler sees this…"

"I'd kick his ass in the name of America." Jayden replied, actually gaining a small laugh from Helen. "Come on Helen, talk to me. I'll make sure Red won't reply until you're done, alright?"

Helen sighed. "I have nothing else to say. I've told you that she's doing and I've told her to stop. No one seems to listen so I don't care anymore."

"Helen, let's be honest. The moment I chose to ignore you is the moment your foot goes either up my ass or down my throat." Jayden said. "But I assure you that I'm not leaving Laura for a mighty long time." Helen raised her brows. "Seriously. We had one of those, lie with Jayden and talk about his life moments. The ones that you were so fond of for whatever the reason."

Scarlett sat quietly. While she had talked to Jayden alone more times than Helen and Laura combined, they never seemed to talk about the really important stuff. Jayden had always had a few barriers on what he was willing to share, the walls started with his time with Marissa and further. Yet _somehow_ this information was literally _given_ to Helen and Laura. While Scarlett realized that Laura probably needed due to eventually meeting most of the people of Jayden's life that did not live in Toronto, Helen just asked and got it.

"Besides," Jayden continued. "If you two _aren't_ related, then there'd be no Red and her redhead cousin. My dreams of a sitcom would be ruined."

Helen rolled her eyes dramatically. "Tell me how I put up with you for so long."

"Next to you trying to suck my face off? Don't know." Helen actually elbowed Jayden for the comment, a light brush of pink shading her cheeks.

"Well, um," Scarlett began. She really did not know what to say, but she had a sense of déjà vu occurring. One she was trying to avoid for the rest of her life. "I'm really sorry about what I said Helen. You know how I can overreact to some things."

"Kind of like this morning when-"

"She doesn't have to hear that!" Scarlett quickly interrupted Jayden before she began to sip her drink to hide her own blush.

Helen gave Jayden a curious frown. "What happened?"

"Well something happened to your cousin, but since you don't have one, I'd have to say nothing." Jayden responded. Helen huffed in annoyance. "You choose. Do you want to know what happened to your cousin or are you still only claiming Torrie, which I have nothing embarrassing to say about her."

Helen sighed. "Fine… I guess my dad's twin's _only_ child would be considered my cousin… Even if I don't want her to be at the time."

"That's all I want to hear." Jayden said. "And I'll tell you when I drop you two off. That way you'll have all the time in the world for one-on-one humiliation. Helen Sinclair-Coyne style."

"I guess that's alright." Helen said. "Hey, annoying neighbor, what is your girlfriend having by the way? Kind of hard to imagine you raising a little girl, so I'm preparing my list of things you might fail at if it is one."

Jayden frowned. "Way to have some faith in me. Jerk."

"I'm just saying," Helen stated. "You and Laura having a daughter… Let's be honest, the child won't be ugly and guys like you seem to flock on not ugly. She'd have your flirtatiousness with Laura's attitude. Guys would be calling when she's about seven."

"Well it just so happens that girls didn't start calling me until like thirteen, so-"

"Including Marissa?" Scarlett added.

"She's an exception to a lot of things." Jayden replied.

"Really? Like how?" Helen asked.

Jayden went for a quick reply until he realized that the two girls were on the same page again. Giving himself a mental pat on the back, he went to answer the question.

"Well," Jayden began. "Coop's granddad and my granddad were friends. And then our father's were best friends, and finally there's us. So even if I'm not dating her, she will _always_ be somewhere in my life whether I want her to be or not."

"Oh." Helen and Scarlett said in unison.

"So do you still like her?" Helen questioned. "If you do, don't worry. I'll probably like her more than Laura. Heck, I do that now and I haven't even met the girl."

Jayden smiled. "I like Coop a lot. She's like the female version of myself. Charmingly irritating. Athletic. Smarter than you in most subjects like math." Helen frowned. "Yep. I like Coop a lot."

Scarlett and Helen seemed to exchange a glance that made Jayden's skin crawl. He now regretted making them friends again. Divided, they were easy to fluster and annoy. United, he didn't stand much of a chance.

"So who kisses better?" Scarlett asked.

"Me, Scar, Laura, Miss Jackie, or Marissa?" Helen gave him his choices.

"Oh dear God what have I done?" Jayden question aloud with a sigh.

He was only happy that Laura was _nowhere_ around at the moment.

* * *

Dakota sighed heavily as she sat in a seat outside the room for the umpteenth time in the past two months. The only difference was that this time, Laura sat in a chair beside her.

"So," Laura said. "You have to get a test and run it by these pricks because…?"

Dakota shrugged. "Beats me. All I know is that Spring Break, I _will_ be going to Vancouver one way or another." Dakota heard a small sigh from Laura. "Hey, we'll be back before school starts. You'll always have time to talk to him then."

"It's not that Dash. It's just… For the first two years, I won't be here for this little girl." Laura said. Dakota gave a small frown. "Oh, it's a girl. I know so."

"If you say so…" Dakota said. "Say, what are you going to name him or her?"

Laura shrugged. "I don't know. Why? Did you think of some new names or something?"

"I was just wondering." Dakota said as Ellie came out of the room. "So…?"

"You'll be able to go." Ellie stated. Dakota released a sigh of relief. "So, what do you girls want to do now?"

Laura glanced at Dakota for an answer as the two girls rose.

"Um… How about we go get something to eat before going back home?" Dakota asked.

Laura sighed. "Great."

Ellie smiled. "That you or the baby?"

"I don't know. Maybe both." Laura said resulting in a giggle from Dakota.

"I feel so bad for Jay." Dakota announced, gaining a confused stare from Laura. "You're already demanding and picky about when and what to eat now. Think of how his summer is going to be."

Laura scoffed. "Some friend you are."

Despite her apparent annoyance by the statement, Ellie saw a smile on Laura's face which made her smile. She was happy that Laura was quite open with her family as well as Dakota having another friend. They were quite identical despite the income coming into their respective households.

It was then that Ellie got an idea in her head.

"Mom? Are you alright?" Dakota asked, breaking Ellie's thoughts.

"Sure. Let's go." Ellie replied.

* * *

Kelly and Jane laughed wholeheartedly on the couch while Shane smiled while standing against the wall next to the front door.

"Well Dad," Shane said. "It's pretty clear to me that you weren't the lead singer in any bands."

Gavin held the microphone out towards Shane.

"You think you can do any better than me?" he challenged his son.

Shane held his hands up submissively.

"Hey, I'm just saying. I haven't heard singing like that since Jayden dared Jacob to sing the Star-Spangled Banner in Truth or Dare." Shane stated. Jordan returned with a soda in hand, sitting next to Jane on the couch. "And I think it's your turn little one."

"I don't sing." Jordan said.

"Oh come on. You can do better than _that_ right?" Jane asked. Gavin gave Jane a small pout. "Sorry Spin, but _I_ was the lead. You just played drums."

"You were in a band?" Kelly questioned.

Jane nodded. "Two."

Gavin frowned. "Two? When was the second band?"

"Um, after the whole fiasco in New York," Jane said. "I went to L.A and ran into someone who saw me with Flashin' Midnight and asked me to sing with their band, Jetstone. We still do a performance every once in a while, but our lives usually keeps us busy and off stage."

"Do you think you could get them to play for us?" Kelly asked. "It'll be great seeing you perform. And Shane could use the tutelage."

"Remember that the next time I can give tickets away." Shane said before the group heard the doorbell ring. Shane moved and opened the door, Nicole stepping into the house. "Oh, hey Nicky. For a moment I thought you weren't coming back."

"Um… About that…" Nicole began. "My parents want me to move back in."

"What? You said no right?" Kelly asked, sitting up in her seat.

"Not really…" Nicole responded before looking at Gavin. "They want me kind of like Shane and Kelly. I'll be staying there for the majority but…"

Gavin smiled. "Anytime you want, your room is waiting for you."

"Thanks Mr. Mason." Nicole replied with a smile of her own.

"Well, I guess that's that." Shane said before giving his girlfriend a gentle push in front of the TV. "But before you leave tonight, sing. We can do a duet if you want to."

"Good," Nicole said. "But I'm staying here tonight."

Shane grinned. "Good. I wasn't ready for you to leave yet."

Nicole only smiled as Gavin chose a song for them to sing. For once, she felt like everything would be alright between her, her parents, and Shane. Her life was once again back on track.

* * *

Helen sighed as she walked into her home with Scarlett and Jayden behind her.

"You know," she told her ex. "If we did go all the way, I would've had to call your sister."

"I never Danni was into stuff like that. Shows how little I know." Jayden replied.

Scarlett smiled as she pinched Jayden's cheek.

"She's just looking out for her little brother." Scarlett cooed.

Jayden swatted her hand away. "Yeah, right."

Helen smirked. "Aw. Jayden doesn't like to be babied."

"You know, that whole show the world that Helen is dating Tyler thing is still an option, right?" Jayden said. "As far as the country knows, you and I were dating up until Friday when they found out about Laura."

"Really? Wow. Didn't check on that." Helen stated.

"And speaking of the girl who wakes me up during odd hours of my life," Jayden said. "I should go find her and Dash and give them a dose of annoyance as well."

"Don't get Dakota pregnant too." Helen said. "That family is already screwed up. God help us if you and Dakota make a product of that."

"Oh ha-ha." Jayden said. "Kind of like if you mix an arrogant Sinclair, a Coyne snob, and, I don't know, the son of a rapist." Helen rolled her eyes. "Talk about your saints, right?"

Helen glared. "Well, to be honest, that'll never happen. My dad's not a snob, my mom is not arrogant, and Tyler's dad probably didn't do it. It's completely hearsay."

Jayden smirked. "Who was talking about your parents? I was just describing you and Tyler."

Despite herself, Scarlett snickered at her cousin's facial expression. It was a mixture of shock and anger, two emotions Helen _never_ blends. Then Helen crossed her arms and glared harder.

"Should I describe you and Laura then? Or do we have enough time to go down the list of what you suck at?" Helen asked a bit angrily.

"Take your time Helen. Just remember not to add you to my list of screw-ups. Unless you think I _should've_ taken Scarlett to the dance anyway." Jayden said.

"Ooh I hate you." Helen said. "So tell me about what happened this morning."

Scarlett, who was amused at the conversation between her friend and cousin, immediately spoke after realizing what Helen was asking for.

"Well look at the time! See you-"

"So," Jayden began, easily avoiding Scarlett's attempt to push him out the door. "This morning, I woke up and it was kind of cold. But, it's Canada right?"

"You do know that I'm from New York sunshine boy. It's not that big of a difference." Helen replied.

"Right… Traitor." Helen smiled at the statement before he continued. "So, Scarlett comes up and hugs me and I realize that something is-"

"Oh, you three are back." Fiona said coming into the room. Scarlett released a breath of relief for her mother being home. "Scarlett can I talk to you for a second? I'm sure I could use your help on this."

"Coming." Scarlett said before glaring at Jayden. "One word and you're dead."

"My lips are zipped." Jayden said as mother and daughter walked up the steps.

"So what happened?" Helen asked quietly as she stepped towards Jayden.

"Nothing big. Your cousin was just showing off today. And I do mean showing off." Jayden said. Helen frowned. "Let me see if I can repaint the picture. Scarlett hugged me tightly while wearing that skimpy little gown. She stepped away and something… How should I say? Jumped out at me." Helen's frown only deepened. "Have you ever heard of the Janet Jackson Superbowl performance…"

"Oh my God!" Helen began laughing. "Scarlett you dirty little girl!"

"J.T!" Scarlett called as she raced down the steps.

Jayden dashed out the house as Scarlett chased after him, the two track runners running around the front yard. Helen's laughter only lowered in volume a little as Fiona appeared on the steps, questioning what the fuss was about.

"It's n-nothing Aunt F-Fi." Helen struggled to say through gasps and laughs. "Just Scar and Jayden back to their normal routine."

Fiona nodded. "Okay… I thought something happened between them. She's said how she doesn't want to slip up around him again."

Due to Fiona's chose of words, Helen's laughter return at full force, ignoring her cousin chasing their friend outside. It was times like this that Helen was glad that she did not go back to Manhattan. Life would be nowhere near exciting as this.

* * *

It was late in the evening when Angelina decided to call Jacob. She did not know whether or not she did want to stay in Toronto, but she knew that he could help.

"Hello?" Jacob answered.

"Hey." Angelina said, her nerves starting to get to her again. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Jacob replied. "What's wrong?"

"Um…" she began. "My parents asked if I wanted to go back to Paris. To move back in with them."

"Oh…" Angelina heard him reply quietly. "Do… Do you want to go back to Paris?"

"A part of me does, but I don't want to leave my friends here… And you…" she responded.

"Well, you decide and I'll support you no matter what." Jacob said, making Angelina smile sadly. While she liked that he supported her no matter what, she really wished he would be more assertive since she clearly was not. "But, I really don't want you to go."

Angelina's smile brightened. "Right. But, they won't be visiting for a while. We have tons of time together."

"Oh. Okay. So, um, what do you want to talk about?" Jacob asked.

Once again, Angelina wished that he chose the topic. She never really was a bossy or controlling person. Choosing topics like this was up to whoever she was talking to, like Stephanie or Isabella.

"Uh… What did you do today?" she asked.

As Jacob began to tell her, she sighed quietly. No matter how much she liked Toronto or Jacob, she was sincerely homesick. Her old friends… Her parents… They were all in Paris. And then she wished she was the type to make decisions. This would be so much easier if she did.

* * *

Jayden and Danica laughed at Jayden's recollection on how long Scarlett chased him until he finally gave in. The two siblings were now in Danica's bedroom, Danica lying in her bed while Jayden stood by her door.

"That's hilarious." Danica said as she calmed down. "Scar's too easy to pick on sometimes, I swear." Jayden nodded. "Um, you do know that Mama leaves tomorrow for her movie, right?"

Jayden shrugged. "I know. What's your point?"

"You're normally trying to spend every breathing moment with her before she leaves." Danica said.

"Danni-"

"Jay, she'll soon warm up to Laura. Hell, I was going to choke the little girl out earlier and I'm glad I didn't." Danica said. "Sometimes you have to be the bigger man and extend the hand first." Jayden nodded. "Good. I just wanted to tell you that because she told me to."

Jayden laughed. "Yeah, that's you. Don't help unless your parents tells you to." Jayden's cell phone rang. "Sorry, but my son's mother calls."

Danica frowned. "How do you know it's a boy?"

"If you open a pack of chocolate chip cookie dough, what kind of cookies can you bake?" Jayden replied taking his phone out of his pocket. "My dough, my type of cookies. Problem solved." Jayden then answered his phone. "Hey Beautiful."

Danica only rolled her eyes as her brother walked away. Had this been a year ago, Jayden would not have spent time with anyone but their mother the day before she left for a shoot, something he has been doing since a toddler. With this rift between mother and son, the family was literally on edge. Danica knew that her paternal grandparent and maternal grandparents would probably never see eye-to-eye, so she let that go a long time ago. But her immediate family never held contempt for one another, _especially_ Jayden and their mother.

Sighing, Danica grabbed a notepad from off of her nightstand to see what she had to do for the upcoming week. She read her schedule quietly before hearing laughter, and not Jayden's. Frowning, she moved out of her bed, then out of her bedroom, and down the hall to look into the living room. There, Jayden stood hugging Manny tightly, her mother laughing as he refused to let go.

Maybe some things would never change, Danica figured.

* * *

Jane sighed with a smile as she stood in front of the door.

"Thanks for dinner, again." Jane said.

Gavin sighed heavily. "You're welcome. And please ignore them. They're just teenagers. I'm sure you can remember what that's like."

"I do." Jane replied. "Um, I'm going to go now."

"Right…" Gavin stated. "Uh, what are you doing tomorrow night?"

"Are you asking me on a date Mr. Mason?" Jane asked with a grin.

"More like dinner with a friend." Gavin answered. "So what do you say? A sober talk with me without any kids?"

"I'd love that." Jane said. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

Gavin gave her a nod before watching her get into her car. When he heard it start up, he moved into his home. He gave a silent sigh before Kelly walked into the living room.

"Got a date, Dad?" Kelly asked teasingly.

"What are you and your brother doing? And why are you dragging your sister and Nicky into it?" Kelly only moved and hugged her dad.

"Don't mess this up Dad. We went through a _lot_ to get you two together." Kelly said and Gavin only laughed. "But seriously, if Mom can move on, why can't you? Plus, she was in a band, she's pretty, she's related to _Mia De Chaplin_, and she seems pretty cool. So, please, go for it."

Gavin sighed. "Kelly Mason, you are a genius, did you know that?" Kelly only giggled as she hugged her father. "Now, let's go interrupt Shane and Nicky before they get too far."

"My thoughts exactly." Kelly said.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** So here's the chapter. As stated before, I have begun to work on the outline for the sequel to Like a Record called The Day the Music Died. It will go through the next year as well as part of Jayden's senior year. There will be several back stories of the D:TNG characters that aren't currently present such as Katie, Eli, Clare, Adam, and etc, as well as some bigger events. There will be character deaths, so prepare yourself for the worse. Also, there will not be any webisodes during the sequel... :-( Anyway, just thought I'd give you a head's up and thanks for reading! Deuces!


	82. S3 Episode XV: Tick, Tick, Boom PtI

**Episode XV: Tick, Tick Boom Pt. I**

The bell rang to release the students one last time before Spring Break.

"About damn time!" Laura stated as she walked beside Jayden towards his car, not caring whether a teacher heard her or not. "This day was so freaking long!"

Jayden only smiled. "I think that's the pregnancy talking."

Laura glared at him. "The pregnancy is telling me to kick someone's ass for making me pregnant in the first damn place!"

"But… I'm lucky I'm cute, right?" Jayden replied.

"If you weren't, I wouldn't be pregnant, now would I?" Laura responded in a low angered tone.

Jayden knew that she was really mad about him leaving for Vancouver during Spring Break. She would be stuck with Dakota and their combined parents all breathing over her to check in on the baby. And if that did not irritate Laura, the fact that Nicole would be bored without Shane did not sit well with Laura either. She did not want Nicole talking to her for _hours_ like she did a week ago.

"Hey, annoying neighbor," Jayden glanced at Helen. The nickname was somehow rubbing off on him. "See us off before we leave for New York?"

Jayden frowned. "You're going to New York?"

"Well you are going to _Vancouver_. That's on the _other side_ of the _country_." Helen retorted.

"Dumbass…" Laura added quietly.

"Yeah, well at least I'm in the same country." Jayden said before looking at Laura. "Smartass."

Laura actually smiled as she moved for the passenger door of Jayden's car, allowing him to go talk to his two exes without a care in the world.

"So, you guys leave today?" Jayden asked. Scarlett and Helen both nodded. "Wow… This is weird. We've never been out of the neighborhood at the same time."

"What are you talking about?" Scarlett asked.

"Picture this," Jayden replied. "Whenever Helen leaves for New York, you and I are here. And when you visit her, I'm always here. And whenever I go visit family or back to California, you guys are here. We've _never_ all been gone at one time."

Helen frowned in thought. "Hmm… I guess you have a point. Oh well! Time's changed and there's a shopping spree with my name on it!"

"But…" Scarlett said, somehow killing Helen's joy. "We have to take Torrie with us. The family needs to 'bond' as my mom says."

Jayden understood what Scarlett meant. It was no secret that Scarlett and Helen tended to stick together and leave Torrie out in the cold. Jayden once thought if it was because Scarlett's mother and Helen's father were twins and Torrie's mother was their parents' cousin. Now he believes its because Torrie and Laura are friends.

"Well," Jayden said. "I have to go get ready to win in Vancouver. You know. Band and all. You two don't kill each other or Torrie. Or send a plane into a building in the crossfire."

"How about you don't go on stage and forget the lyrics?" Helen shot back.

Jayden smirked. "So long as you two don't fantasize about me too much." Helen and Scarlett rolled their eyes. "Oh come on. One of you was almost out of her top a few-"

"Stop talking about that!" Scarlett snapped.

Jayden laughed as he moved towards his car.

"You know the old saying," Jayden said. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours. Again."

Scarlett gave Jayden a sharp glare as he got into his car. She then got into the car her and Helen share, Helen driving as norm. Glancing at her cousin, she saw a smirk on Helen's face.

"Not a-"

"You did it on purpose, didn't you?" Helen interrupted.

Scarlett paled. "N-No! The stupid thing fell down!"

"Yeah… Hey, do you mind if I borrow it? Just incase someone comes over and I want to have an 'accident' like you. You're bigger than I am so it should fall just-"

"Drive." Scarlett cut Helen off causing Helen to snicker. "And if I had done it on purpose, it wouldn't be so embarrassing."

"Maybe next time." Helen said.

* * *

Dustin was currently walking towards the Dot alone, Gabrielle having to do something at her dad's place. He then spotted Jordan and the two shared a brief staring contest.

"What do you want?" Jordan asked.

Dustin only smirked. "I heard Tevin's been giving you the slip. I knew he was smart." Jordan rolled her eyes. "Oh come on. _Everyone_ wants to avoid you nowadays."

"He's got to go to Vancouver, stupid." Jordan said. "They had _practice_ so they could win. Something you wouldn't understand because you're a, what's the word? Oh! Loser!"

"Some loser I am. Not only do I have a girlfriend who actually _wants me_, but I have _friends_." Dustin said.

Jordan scoffed. "Right. You know just as much as I do that they'll never truly forgive, especially A.J. So get off your high horse."

"I'm not on a-"

"And FYI," Jordan said. "I'm doing Shane's shift because he's leaving for Vancouver as well. Afterwards, I'm heading to Mary-Jane's. A _friend_ of mine. So why don't you go run along and find your friends." Jordan then snapped as if she got a thought. "Oh that's right! Bambi and A.J don't want you around, Vanessa and Ashton are probably out, and Brie isn't even here! So look who's a lonely loser now!"

"The one who's not worried about losing their girlfriend to a person he hates." Dustin replied. "Or in your case, losing Tevin to Bambi!"

Jordan scoffed. "Oh come on! So he doesn't think she's the ugliest person in the world? I still like Jayden but I don't go running off every time I can!"

"Yeah, well he's flirting with her. That's a _huge _difference." Dustin stated.

Jordan became angry at this. Mostly because Dustin, someone who ditched his friends a _long_ time ago, had the nerve to give him tips on being _loyal_! He had no right! And to bring up the rumor that Tevin somehow likes Chandra? That was the final straw.

"You know something Dustin," Jordan said angrily. "_You're_ just mad because A.J got Bambi when you couldn't! So you got someone as easy as _Gabrielle Nunez_ on the rebound! That's right! If she was with Ashton, you wouldn't stand a snowball's chance!" Dustin gritted his teeth a bit. Somehow, the Chandra and Aaron comment cut him more than it was supposed to. "You're jealous of everything A.J has! Looks, money, a hot girlfriend, so what do you do? You try to make someone else feel as bad. Well you can't because no matter how hard you try, you will _never_ be as good as him! And that means that stupid 'fame' crap you want that A.J, me, _and_ Bambi has achieved will _always_ be a stupid dream to you! So leave me and Tevin the hell alone you loser!"

Dustin went to reply but Jordan just walked into the Dot. He then realized that she had a small point. Aaron and Chandra left to do whatever they wanted with or without the rest of them, but Dustin completely understood. Chandra was going through something akin to what Jordan went through with Mr. Simpson's death, yet somehow worse. And then there were Ashton and Vanessa, but Dustin was not real close to either of them. Plus, Ashton still tutored Vanessa whenever Jacob was not around. So it made sense that they would be around each other more than anyone else, being teacher-student as well as boyfriend-girlfriend. Finally there was Gabrielle who kept to herself whether she was dating or not. Completely understandable in Dustin's books… Well, in Aaron's books anyway. Dustin just went along with it after realizing that Aaron and Jayden were brothers and the two could probably pull some embarrassing and painful trick on Dustin if he crossed that line with Gabrielle.

Shaking his head, he walked into the café, his hunger beating his annoyance by a mile. He would have to warn Jordan about Tevin later.

* * *

"Did you pack your tooth brush?" Laura snickered at Danica's baby voice, something that ignored Jayden greatly.

"Danni, it's either that time of the month or you're really annoying for whatever the reason." Jayden replied.

Danica shrugged. "It's just that you'll be gone all week." Danica then threw and arm around Laura's shoulder. "And me and your lovely girlfriend are going to go to Miami where there is a nice doctor to look at Laura's beautiful baby and then we can tan with several… Bachelors."

Jayden glared at his sister. "I hate bachelors. Especially Miami bachelors." Laura and Danica began laughing. "What's so funny?"

"You dumbass! I'm freaking huge! We're not going anywhere!" Laura laughed.

"I told you he'd fall for it!" Danica laughed before the two exchanged hand-fives.

"I hope you two are happy." Jayden said zipping his bag up. "Because reality is, I will be surrounded by several of bachelorettes. Worse, groupies." Laura's laughed immediately stopped as she glared at Jayden. "If I can make one girl pregnant over night, think what I can do in a week."

"I would advise that you not do that." Laura said. Jayden smiled as he grabbed his bag and moved towards the door, giving Laura a small kiss.

"You're cute when you're angry." he told her before leaving his bedroom, Laura and Danica following him. "And when you find out that we're having a boy, call me. Oh, and if it is a girl. Just don't brag if it is, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Seriously, are you my dad?" Laura retorted.

"You know, between watching what you eat and how you get along with others, I feel like it." Jayden joked.

"You two are so cute together." Danica said before sighing. "Oh I can see it now. Years down the line, they're going to ask you two the highlight of your life together and you're both going to say when you stayed with me and how great I treated you." Danica then smiled. "Or else I'll kill you."

Laura glance at Danica. "You're kidding right?"

"Hmm… Nope!" Danica said cheery before looking at Jayden. "Come on. I have to drive your car back and I do not want to miss my shows."

"Right. Coming Laura?" Jayden asked.

"I'm moving as fast as I can." Laura said as they moved for the door. "By the way… Good luck Jayden."

Jayden smiled. "While I normally don't believe in it, coming from you I'll take it."

"Alright. One child's enough." Danica said ushering her brother and his girlfriend out the front door. "Kids…"

* * *

Jesse sat in Tyler's den, a bottle of beer in his hand. Tyler's parents were not home, which is why they drunk openly.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Tyler asked.

Jesse sighed. "You remember what happened after Queen Piss-gerald's party right? Jumping that punk Nathan?" Tyler nodded. "They got me back at the end of January."

"They?" Tyler questioned.

"Yeah. Nathan and some of those Degrassi losers." Jesse paused and released frustrated grunt. "I want to finish him so bad! He just… He pisses me off, man."

"Can't help you there." Tyler said taking a gulp of his beer.

Jesse frowned. "What do you mean you can't help?"

"No offense, but this is my senior year. I can't get caught doing this stuff, you know?" Tyler responded. Jesse gave a small nod. "Besides, that spitfire Helen would-"

"Seriously? What happened to bros before hoes?" Jesse interrupted. "If I knew she was going to be this bad, I'd tell you to go back to Mary-Jane. At least she allowed you to have a little fun."

"She wants the dumb football player." Tyler nearly hissed.

"So? It didn't stop you with James." Jesse said. "Go for it if you want to."

"…" Tyler swashed the drink in the bottle before smirking. "Nah. Between Helen and Mary-Jane, I'd stick with Helen any day. Besides, have you seen her cousin? I've seen her in this little nightgown like four times now."

Jesse gave his own smirk. "Scarlett? Yeah, she's hot man. DeWayne is probably the ass on the planet for losing her."

Tyler nodded. "And just think what would happen if Scarlett needed a shoulder to lean on. Even though her and Helen seems to have patched things up, Helen would probably send me in there before doing it herself. And that means…"

"Lucky bastard." Jesse said raising his bottle.

"Damn straight." Tyler said before clinking bottles together.

* * *

Shane looked at Kelly and her new posh friend.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know my outfit was that big of a deal. Excuse me for not knowing." Shane said to the two.

Deanna waved him off. "Oh don't worry. That's what we're here for, right Kelly?"

"Right." Kelly said before frowning a bit. "And speaking of what we're here for, where's Nicky? She said she was on her way but…"

"Oh, she's having some family meeting. They do that now." Shane said. "So she probably won't make it in time, but it's cool, you know? I'm actually pumped for this."

Deanna smiled. "Be careful. My brother's band won't go down easily, if at all."

"Yeah, that's what a competition is." Shane stated.

Deanna rolled her eyes playfully. "Really? I didn't know."

"Hey," Gavin said coming into the room. "Are you ready? Jayden's already left for the airport as well as Jacob."

"Coming Dad." Shane stated.

"Good. Jane's taking you while I go run things at the Dot." Gavin said. "Son, make me proud."

Shane gave his father a nod before the man disappeared down the hall. Shane grabbed his bag and sighed.

"Well, this is it. What we've been practicing for." Shane stated. "Man, for once, I'm really praying for false advertisement." Deanna and Kelly frowned. "If this is televised here and the states and we mess up…"

Kelly sighed heavily. "Oh come on Shane. The worst thing that can happen is Jacob forgets his glasses. And even if that does happens, he's memorized the keys on every single keyboard, piano, and organ in the world!"

"I guess you have a point. Or Jayden's voice could crack." Deanna said nonchalantly. Shane gave his sister's newest friend a glance. "But when has that ever happened, right?"

"You're so supportive." Shane said.

"Well how about this," Deanna said before giving him a hug. She knew that now would be the perfect time to plant a kiss on his cheek, but she chose against it. She had to play this smart. "There. Good luck. If you lose, I hope you come in second to my brother's band. Family before friends."

"Right. So kick his ass." Kelly told Shane before the two girls shared a giggle.

"Thanks. Both of you." Shane said leaving the room.

Deanna moved after him but Kelly cut her off, sticking her arm out in front of her friend of a few weeks.

"I saw that." Kelly said with a smile.

"You saw what?" Deanna asked.

"You blushed." Kelly answered. Deanna scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh my… You like my brother!"

"I do not!" Deanna retorted. Deanna had to give herself a pat on the back for the act. She convicted herself there. "So what if I gave him a hug? I hug you like twice a day and I'm not into girls!"

"But you don't blush when you hug me." Kelly shot back. "Give it up Deanna, you like him."

"No I don't. And he doesn't like me. So there. We're friends only through you, Lane." Deanna said. "Seriously, you paparazzi are all the same. You publish the first thought that comes to your little minds and try to make some deal out of it."

Kelly and Deanna shared a brief glaring contest. Their friendship, in Kelly's mind, mirrored Laura's with Dakota in a way. The only difference being that Laura got her way with Dakota using fear tactics and Deanna normally dragged Kelly around when she was tired of arguing. Of course, this only happened the few, more like _many_, times the two went shopping.

"You do, don't you?" Kelly said, unyielding on her theory.

Deanna moved Kelly's arm. "So?"

Kelly squealed. "I knew it!" Kelly's happiness left her system as she registered a thought. "But, he's still with Nicky. And Nicky and I are good friends."

"I know!" Deanna exclaimed.

"You know what?" both Deanna and Kelly froze when Shane's voice registered in their ears. "What are you two doing in my room? Jane's almost here."

"And we wouldn't want her to wait, now would we Kelly?" Deanna responded.

"No." Kelly said. "Let's go wait."

Shane shrugged before walking away. Deanna and Kelly looked at one another once more, Deanna's eyes pleading with Kelly to keep quiet about this. Kelly gave a small sigh and a nod to agree with the look, and Deanna smiled.

"You're so much easier to get along with than that blabber mouth Mercedes." Deanna said grabbing Kelly's hand. "Let's go! Jane's coming!"

Kelly could only smile a bit. Deanna did not care too much for Jane, that was obvious. Kelly knew that Deanna was just happy to get her way, as the spoiled girl believes she should. Shane would never hear of Deanna's crush so long as it stayed between Deanna and Kelly.

Deanna led Kelly into the living room where Shane had just opened the front door.

"Jane just pulled up." Shane said. "You two are cutting it kind of close."

"Tch, we're the one's doing the favor in riding with you. You should be honored." Deanna retorted.

"Seriously Shane. Show some courtesy." Kelly teased.

Shane only sighed. "Women."

* * *

Scarlett stuffed another bag into the trunk.

"Why won't you go in like Prada?" Scarlett said as she finally got the bag into the trunk. "I'm really mad at you Louis. You've let me down."

"Talking to your bags again?" Helen asked with a smirk. Scarlett only smiled. "Oh, I'm sure this isn't the most _embarrassing_ thing someone's caught. Why, one may say that you 'slip' up every now and again."

Scarlett scoffed. "Can we let that die? It's been weeks now Helen. Like, a lot of weeks."

"Well, I'm sure he hasn't forgotten." Helen said.

"He and what hasn't he forgotten?" Fiona questioned. Neither girl said anything. "Oh, I get it. One of your 'Mom can't know' secrets. Well what have you done now Scarlett? I promise not to tell your dad."

Scarlett sighed as she gave in. Inwardly, she knew that her mom never gossiped away from her aunt, Holly J. In fact, the _only_ time Fiona has told another parent something is the time she walked in on Jayden giving Scarlett a massage while Scarlett was in bra and jeans. Scarlett did not really blame her mom for how she reacted. Scarlett had engaged Jayden in quite the make-out session while his fingers danced on nearly every exposed part of skin and then some.

"You know how you that stupid gown that has the opening?" Scarlett began. Fiona nodded, signaling her daughter to continue. "Well, I went to hug J.T and when I stepped back…" Helen saw her aunt's face turn into an amused smile. "He saw my breast Mom. I was _so_ embarrassed."

Fiona began to laugh behind a hand while Helen laughed without regards of her cousin's feelings. Scarlett glared at her cousin before giving her mother a pleading look. Fiona gave a small wave before settling down, though she smiled a bit.

"I'm sorry sweetie, but I told you to get rid of that thing." Fiona said. Scarlett groaned in annoyance. "Did he like the view?"

Helen's laughter grew as Scarlett gasped at her mother's statement. Never in a million years did Scarlett think that Fiona would say _that_.

"I'm playing Scarlett. I think it's kind of cute that you get so frustrated over such a small thing." Scarlett scoffed and crossed her arms.

"They're not as small as Helen's." Scarlett jibed, ending Helen's laughter immediately.

"Are we really going to compare cup sizes?" Helen asked angrily.

"No we're not. It's unbefitting of a lady to do such a thing in their driveway." Fiona said. "We're going to go get your cousin and then head to the airport."

"I hope the twins don't interrupt our trip." Helen said moving to the passenger seat. "I hate brothers."

"I hate annoying cousins." Scarlett said moving to the back door on the driver's side. "And moms who don't sympathize with their daughters."

Fiona only opened the driver's door. "Don't worry Scarlett. Your secret is safe with me… Until Holly J hears about it." Scarlett groaned as she got into the car. "It's going to be a long Spring Break."

"Yeah, yeah." Scarlett muttered.

Helen turned in her seat to eye her cousin.

"Did you tell him bye?" Helen teased.

"No!" Scarlett replied before she realized that he was seconds away from leaving himself. "Maybe I should…"

"Oh seriously Scarlett. Do you ever think without my help?" Helen stated as she faced forward, Fiona started the car up.

"Alright girls. First to Vicky's and then to the wonderful world of NYC." Fiona said happily. "Ah, I love going home."

"Right." Helen said happily.

Scarlett only smiled. She had a feeling that this Spring Break was going to be the most memorable if anything else.

* * *

Aaron sighed as he looked around Ashton's living room. Ashton's house was probably a square foot or two larger than his own, but not that much of a difference. Sadly, Aaron was not the mathematician of the family. That part was shared between Danica and Jayden, strangely.

Aaron's eyes then turned to Chandra, who had literally folded her legs towards her as they sat on the couch, Vanessa also staring at her friend in confusion. It then dawned on Aaron that Steven had first touched her here, in this very house. He frowned in question due to Chandra being okay with coming here. Then he realized what Jayden had told him months ago.

She was smiling for the sake of her friends.

"Hey," Aaron whispered to Chandra, gaining her attention. "If you want to go…"

"I'm fine." she replied in a quiet tone.

"No you're not." Aaron said to her. "Come on. As soon as Ashton comes down, we'll go, okay?" Chandra nodded before leaning against him. "Just… Think of Jordan slipping on ice."

Chandra released a small giggle, which in turn made Aaron smile. He did not picture Jordan slipping because for some reason he hardly wished harm to others, despite what they had done to him. But he knew that Chandra would _love_ to see that.

"Okay, so that's that." Ashton said entering the living room. "Are you guys ready to go? I really want to leave before-" Ashton was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. "Great…"

"Oh, Ashton," Ashley said as she, Lillian, and Steven. "I didn't know you had company." Ashley's eyes scanned the other three before they locked onto Chandra's. "She has to go."

Vanessa and Aaron looked at Chandra, who had noticeably tensed more when the others came into the room.

"Why?" Ashton asked his mother.

"We wouldn't want Drew to have more reasons to attack our family." Ashley replied. "Now, go."

Ashton frowned. "This is because of Steven? Why does he always have to ruin my-"

"It's okay Ashton." Aaron interrupted as he stood up. "Come on Bambi."

Chandra stood up, her body almost completely pressed against Aaron's as she took his hand and followed him to the door.

"You're Manny's son, right?" Aaron stopped and nodded at Ashley. "Be careful with her. From what I know, she can be dangerous to have around."

Ashton scoffed. "Oh come on. Dad has another daughter with some guy's wife."

"Ashton!" Ashley chastised.

"I'm tired of changing my life around for Steven!" Ashton snapped back. "It's _his_ fault that he even touched Chandra in the first place! And what do you do? Blame the pills that he took? They didn't just _magically_ jump down his throat!"

Steven glared. "What are you saying?"

"You're screwed up in the head. That's what I'm saying." Ashton said. "Come on Vanessa, let's leave with them."

Aaron was shocked. Sure, Ashton had gone off on a couple of teachers and at least five-times that amount of students, but never has Aaron hear him talk to his mom like this. Then again, this was the first time Aaron has met the woman, so…

"Whatever loser." Steven said moving up the steps.

"Ashton Manning, what is your problem?" Ashley asked.

"I passed my test by the way." Ashton said nonchalantly as he moved past his mom. "You know, the one that will allow me to be in the gifted program next year? But I bet you didn't care since Steven is back in our lives. Dad probably didn't see Dakota off because of him."

Aaron looked to see the woman ready to respond, but Ashton shoved them all out of the door, closing it behind him.

"Well… That was nice." Vanessa said.

Ashton sighed. "Sorry about that, but I'm tired of them dictating my life based on Steven's mistakes. I mean, don't get me wrong, but Bambi and I aren't the best of friends and _never_ will be." Aaron frowned. "You're the only reason I put up with her Santos, like it or not. But I don't like her for my own reasons, not because of what my brother did to her or her dad punching mine. Besides, I like her being annoying."

Aaron noticed that Chandra had her normal frown when referring to Ashton and was glad when he saw her angered expression.

"Does that even make sense?" Chandra asked.

"To me it does." Ashton said casually.

Vanessa smiled. "That's his way of saying he doesn't want to see his friend hurt. Ashton's such a big softie."

"What? I am not!" Ashton replied as Vanessa giggled.

"Yes you are. You're my soft little Ashy teddy bear." Vanessa cooed.

"Girls are weird." Ashton said walking down the driveway to meet the cab that they had called, Vanessa was right on his heels, still laughing and picking.

"Glad our family isn't like that." Chandra said.

Aaron smirked a bit, briefly reminding Chandra of his older sister.

"We aren't married." Aaron said pointedly.

Chandra frowned. "I know that."

"Then why did you say our _family_ and not _families_?" Aaron picked. Seeing Chandra's face turn a shade or two pink, Aaron laughed. "I told you that I could pick on people."

Chandra smiled. "Alright. You've proven your point. Just stay the sweet A.J for the most part, okay?"

"Deal." Aaron said.

"Hey! Bradgelina! The cab's here!" Vanessa called.

"I'm going to kill her." Chandra said quietly as she began to storm off towards Vanessa.

Aaron smiled. At least she was over Steven momentarily.

* * *

Jayden spotted Dakota coming towards them, two butlers carrying her bags. He smiled at the look on her face. She hated butlers.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Princess of Rock herself." Jayden said.

"Quiet. My parents did this." Dakota said before she eyed Kelly whispering something to Deanna. "Hey Kelly. Deanna."

"Ahem." Laura said with a hand on her hip.

Dakota smiled. "Laura and child of Laura."

"Well," Danica said. "If everyone is here, bon voyage and break a leg." Danica paused and laughed quietly. "Well, don't break a leg but…"

Shane frowned. "Isn't there a limit to how mean you can be in one day?"

"Do you want to find out?" Danica asked with her arms crossed.

"Shane, this is a trick question. Don't answer it." Jayden said before his sister placed him in a headlock. "Seriously Danni, aren't we a little too old for this?"

Danica squeezed harder. "You calling me old twerp?"

"You know Danni," Laura said. "If you kill him now, you're going to have to become the father." Danica paused and released Jayden. "You owe me Jayden."

"Yeah…" Jayden said before sighing. "Well, are we ready?"

Shane nodded. "Ready." Shane then eyed Jacob. "You tell your hot girlfriend bye?" Jacob nodded. "What's wrong?"

Jacob sighed. "She's thinking about going to Paris for the rest of the school year. I don't know how to make her stay."

"Do what Jayden did. Get her pregnant." Laura remarked with a smile, Danica snickering with her.

"Um… No offense, but-"

"Oh don't mind Laura. I had her wrapped around my little finger before that." Jayden said grabbing his bags. "Just be yourself. Nothing screams 'heartthrob' than a geek in the band with glasses. Well, next to the lead singer who is like the greatest thing that came from California since… Oh let's be honest, half the things that come from there are either from L.A, Compton, or any of the San cities. And they all have slums."

"Way to be supportive." Danica said. "But as a Vegas baby to two people who knew little of each other, let me say that being born in California is a _blessing_ than where I'm from."

"You two are kind of harsh on the hometowns…" Shane said. "But, to Vancouver to win this thing."

"Second place." Deanna stated. "But, good luck anyway."

"Guys!" Ellie called from the doorway. "Let's get a move on!"

"Coming Mom!" Dakota said before hugging Laura and then Kelly. "See you guys in week!"

Jayden gave Laura a kiss before going to catch up with his friend, Jacob on his heels. Shane gave Kelly a hug before giving Deanna a hug as well. Deanna was taken back a bit as the two shared a brief hug, though it lasted much longer in her own mind. After breaking away, Shane went to catch up with his band members.

"Let's go find Jane." Kelly said to Deanna. "I have to work and there's a seat with your name on it. Or at least your butt print in it."

Deanna scoffed. "Don't think that my ass is anywhere near as big as yours. It doesn't leave prints, not matter how many times I sit there."

"That's what you think." Kelly stated as the duo walked away.

"You know," Danica stated. "I've seen a lot of weird friendships in my life, but that one might take it."

Laura shrugged. "I only put up with Kelly because of Jayden. Don't really care for her or her bitch friend."

"Touché." Danica said. "Hmm… Jayden's gone now. You want to eat ice cream and go through all the top hottest actors that ever lived?"

"Add singers and I'm in." Laura said.

"Deal." Danica replied with a smile.

* * *

DeWayne frowned. "Are you sure?" Mercedes nodded. "Are you _really_ sure?"

"For the hundredth time, yes! She left to see Juvenile Grace off with her new BFF." Mercedes said a bit sourly.

"What is my sister playing at?" DeWayne asked himself.

The duo were joined by Tevin and Alexander, riding in the back of a limo to the airport. Of course, Deanna _was_ supposed to be there with them, but apparently she had better things. DeWayne knew that while Kelly may have been a friend to Deanna, his sister was most likely using her for one thing or another. Problem was, he had no clue on what that thing was.

"We should just worry about the contest." Tevin said, his dreads being tied together by a rubber band.

DeWayne looked at his keyboard player. "We are."

"Hey, I'm not in the contest so I can worry. Kids…" Mercedes said, muttering the last part. "Anyway, she and Diner Girl have been hanging out a lot recently. Don't know why, but if it gives us time to ourselves, don't care."

"You think she's telling them our songs?" Alexander asked.

DeWayne smirked. "I never told her. Well, I never told her the _real_ songs."

"Smart." Alexander replied. "Nothing against your sister, but she's been playing us since Samantha's party. Think about it."

"She'll get over what it is she wants." DeWayne told them.

"This is Deanna we're talking about. She'll get what she wants and leave Diner Girl in the dust." Mercedes said.

DeWayne smiled. "You're not jealous, are you Mercedes?" Mercedes only rolled her eyes in response. "I'm just asking. Your best friend spending time with a girl she hardly knows."

Tevin snorted. "Hilarious if they were like seeing each other." DeWayne and Mercedes glared at the younger boy. "Still funny."

"Don't you have a girlfriend? Diner Girl's sister?" Mercedes asked.

"Jordan." Tevin said. "And yeah, we're still dating. But…" Tevin saw his band members look at him. "I don't know. Lately I've been thinking…"

"Bambi, huh?" Mercedes asked. "It's kind of obvious. You flirt with her during every meeting. It's kind of embarrassing just to be in the same group with you."

Tevin sighed. "You wouldn't understand."

"Hormones." Mercedes shot back.

"We're at the airport." DeWayne said to the others. "Let's put Deanna behind and go win this thing to show that second-rate band just who we are."

"My thoughts exactly." Alexander replied.

* * *

Jordan was glad that she was finally able to go home. She would have to meet up with Mary-Jane and Amber tomorrow because she was too tired to do it today. Unfortunately, when she left the restaurant, she met up with Dustin and Gabrielle talking.

"Oh give me a break…" Jordan muttered.

Gabrielle looked at Dustin and then at Jordan.

"Um, hey Jordan." Gabrielle began.

"What do you want? Bash me like your loser boyfriend?" Jordan retorted.

"Actually," Gabrielle said. "We're planning a trip to Wasaga in a few days. Ashton's getting us a ride up there to spend sometime up there."

Jordan frowned. "My grandparents live in Wasaga."

"So… Do you want to come?" Gabrielle asked.

"Why waste your breath? She just wants to hang out with her new friends because we're not good enough." Dustin replied. "Oh, that and she would be the only single person there."

Jordan glared at Dustin. "I'll be there."

"Really?" Gabrielle questioned.

"Don't push it. I already said yes." Jordan said. "Now, leave me alone until then. I'll call A.J to see when you guys are leaving." Jordan glared at Dustin. "Don't bother me again, Dustin Hayes."

Jordan walked away from the couple.

"I told you she wouldn't resist a challenge." Dustin said. Gabrielle sighed before kissing Dustin on the cheek. "Victory is so sweet."

* * *

Laura smiled at the joke told by Danica, Isabella not finding the joke that funny since she was the butt of the joke. Laura and Danica, after much bickering, became akin to Jayden and his sister. The big difference was the conversations that Laura was not able to have with Danica, such as their dad's company.

"Okay, Laura, are you ready?" Danica asked revealing an envelope in her hand. Laura frowned. "Your acceptance exam?"

"It came? And you knew? Give it!" Laura said.

"Take a number and get in line." Danica said opening the letter. Laura only sat defeated. Even if she wasn't pregnant, there wasn't much she could do. "Oh dear…"

Isabella smiled. "She got in, didn't she?"

"If scoring lower than ninety-five percent of those who took it 'getting in' then yeah, she did. Oh, plus there's a big decline at the bottom of the page." Danica replied.

Laura's eyes widened. She had put a lot of time into studying for that test. Isabella put a comforting arm around her and hugged her.

"I'm kidding! You passed with flying colors!" Danica said with a wide smile, showing Laura the paper. "I just wanted to see if you'd cry. And since you didn't, I couldn't have any fun."

"You're a laughing riot." Laura said knowing that she was on the verge of tears. "Wow… I can't believe that I got in." Laura then smiled. "Hell yeah! I got in!"

Danica smiled warmly. "You're going to have to work on your language around my future niece."

Isabella frowned. "You learned what the gender is?" Danica and Laura shook their heads for no. "When do you guys find that out?"

"Tomorrow. Since Jayden isn't here crying about how he wants to wait, we're going to do it in private." Danica said. "Coming with us? You can put some money in the pool."

"I actually have to do something." Isabella replied. "Next time, maybe? And have you heard from Raven? She hasn't stopped by in weeks."

"Just busy." Danica responded as she looked at Laura. "So, carrier of my niece, when are you going to break the news to Jayden about the news?"

"After I find out that we're having a girl so I can rub that in as well." Laura answered.

"True." Danica said. "I bet he's going to be so pissed when he finds out that it's a girl."

"What if it's a boy? My mom says that she remembers seeing Manny pregnant with Jayden and she was noticeably bigger than she was carrying you." Isabella said.

"It's not. I know so." Danica said before grabbing her keys. "Well Laura, I hate to do this to you but I'm not about to stay behind on a wonderful night because you're pregnant. There's a club with my name on it with some guy that could be my Jayden."

Laura smiled. "Go ahead. I'm just going to stay here and relax."

"Well since you insist," Danica said moving to the door. "Coming Izzy? We could find your Mr. Right too!"

Isabella sighed. "I'm coming Danni. But we're not going to let her stay here unsupervised for long, alright?"

"Please. Jayden will probably call in like four hours. They can't stay away from each other." Danica said as she began leaving the apartment. "Good-bye little sister."

Laura only grinned as Danica left, Isabella soon following her friend and closing the door. It was ironic to her that when she first met Danica, they had been at each others' throats in a sense. Then again, so were Laura and Jayden… Maybe it was a McDuelle thing? Either way, here she was, months from birthing her first son or daughter, and Danica had been something like a midwife to her. She catered to her whenever possible, made her completely comfortable, and forced Jayden to do ridiculous things just for Laura's amusement.

Sighing, Laura leaned back on the couch and attempted to comfortable. Then her cell phone began to ring.

"Dammit…" Laura said as she moved to get it, her stomach reminding her of just how limited her mobility was at the moment. She reached the table and grabbed her cell phone. "Yeah, what is it?"

"Hey!" Nicole chirped. "Jackie's got plans with Scooter tomorrow so I was thinking-"

"I have an appointment." Laura said quickly. The last time she went anywhere with Nicole, the girl had gone into a baby-shower frenzy, picking things out right to left. And that would not be so bad if she had not began planning an imaginary _engagement_ party. "Going to find out if it's a boy or a girl."

"Ooh! Room for one more?" Nicole asked.

Laura sighed heavily. "Sure Nicky."

"Yay!" Nicole said happily. "I really want to know what it is! I wonder if it's a boy… Or maybe a girl?"

"It's a girl." Laura said as she got back onto the couch.

There was a moment of silence that made Laura realize the new faces in her life. Dakota and Jayden were probably the prominent two, not necessarily in that order. Had it not have been for them, Laura could probably be worse than she was by now. And here was Nicole, someone who was there whenever no one was able to be for the past weeks. She had to let this conversation pan out until either Jayden called or Danica returned.

"So… What was Erin wearing?" Laura said.

"I know!" Nicole droned on. "I can't believe…"

As Nicole went on and on about the outfit, Laura smiled. Her kid would have some crazy people watching over it… And by "it" she meant "her".

* * *

Ashton lied in his bed, his mind on his girlfriend. Going swimming was her idea and the others seemed to wholeheartedly agree. Ashton has never really hung out with friends during breaks and he clearly has not done so at Wasaga Beach. But, he remembered that Vanessa liked to move around and only sat in one spot when she was being tutored. A smile came across his face at their recent "debate" that the only reason she had a problem in her science class was because she could not sit still long enough to hear the lesson. Safe to say, Chandra added her own two cents to the joke, making Vanessa all the more flustered, until she just laughed with them.

"Hey," Ashton sat up in his bed as Steven entered his room. "I need to talk to you."

"If it's about Bambi, save it. Like I said, I don't really like her but she's dating Santos and Vanessa's friend. So I'm stuck with her." Ashton said.

"I get that. You're whipped." Steven replied closing the door. "But… What I don't get is why you would choose her side over your family's."

"Gee, that is a great question. Since I'm the smart one, I'll dumb it down for you." Ashton answered. "My 'family' only cares about one person, and it's not me. Therefore, the Golden Rule states to treat others the way you'd be treated. If they don't care about me… I'm sure you can piece that together."

Steven frowned. "Don't make me look like some dumbass or something."

"I didn't. You hitting the daughter of our family's lawyer was the highlight of your dumbass career." Ashton said standing up. "I'm going to get a soda."

"I'm not done talking." Steven said.

"Well I am." Ashton said. "Every time that something goes wrong in your life, my life and Dakota's life gets ruined. And you don't even care."

"Why should I? Dakota ruined our family the moment she was born." Steven countered. "Mom and Dad were _happy_."

"Hey, Mr. I'm-Not-A-Dumbass, did you forget that she's _older_ than me?" Ashton questioned. "Who's to say that Dad wouldn't have run off with Ellie if he had known at the time and thus I wouldn't be here. Or I wouldn't be Mom's son." Ashton paused. "And instead of being named Ashton after Mom, I'd be named something like Eli after Ellie."

"Truth is," Steven said. "I remember when Dad blew up after finding out that Dakota was his daughter. You don't. I remember when he trashed the studio. You don't. She made him mad Ashton. More than mad."

"Well, as weird as our sister is to me, and trust me I hang with Gabrielle Nunez so there's not much I don't know about weird," Ashton said, mentally disagreeing with himself about the Gabrielle analogy. For some odd reason, he found her to be the easiest girl to get along with now, and that was including Vanessa. "I don't seem to blame her for Dad sleeping with another woman, mainly because she wasn't even there."

"You're right." Steven said.

"Duh. I'm normally always right." Ashton replied nearing his door, and coincidentally his brother. "Dad and Ellie are to blame for Dakota if anyone, not Dakota. Just like no one was there when you hit Bambi but you and Bambi. Who else is there to blame?"

Steven gritted his teeth. "I wasn't myself. I like Bambi."

"Really? Well we can't tell." Ashton said.

"We?" Steven questioned.

"As in the _world_. We don't normally beat on people we like." Ashton replied. "Besides, Santos has her and I doubt that she's going anywhere for a real long time. Not for you. Not for Jayden. No one."

"She only likes him because he's _Jayden's_ brother!" Steven shot back. Ashton frowned at the sudden outburst. "Jesus, Ashton, I thought you were the smart one! You don't see that? No sooner does it slips out of whoever's mouth that they're brothers does she hop on him!"

Ashton only stared at Steven before he began laughing. Steven was a bit ticked that his brother dared to laugh at him in his face, but stood patiently enough to find out why.

"Lay off the pills bro." Ashton said as he calmed down. "_Everyone_ knew that Bambi liked Santos, a _month_ before Jordan said anything. It happened right around the Black Mist concert. So it's got nothing to do with who Santos's brother is."

"You're saying that I lost her to a complete nobody?" Steven asked.

"That and lay off the pills." Ashton said. "Now can you move so I can get a soda?"

Steven said nothing as he stepped aside. Ashton thought he saw a bit of red in his brother's eyes, but brushed it aside as he reached for the doorknob. However, Steven's hand quickly grabbed his wrist.

"I'm not some sort of junkie." Steven said.

"Your point? Let go." Ashton replied as he snatched his wrist from his brother's grip. "You're insane."

Steven glared at him, something that told Ashton that tonight was going to be a _long_ night.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** So Spring Break begins which means the end is getting closer. This is bittersweet as I have finished the outline of the sequel already (I'm really excited about it). Next chapter, we'll see what Laura's carrying (any bets?), what happens between Ashton and Steven, and a new character! Till next time.


	83. Webisode: Kelly's Interview

**Author's Notes:** In light of the upcoming sequel, _The Day the Music Died_, we must find the original Degrassi students, right? Well, here is Kelly's interview with a woman she idolizes. Enjoy!

* * *

**Kelly's Interview**

Kelly looked around the house. It was modest, though she knew it cost a lot. There were pictures of kids younger than she was on the mantle above the fireplace. Kelly put one of her pink locks behind her ear, her hair being its natural blond color with pink bangs now. She wore a black tee-shirt and jean pants, one of her more "normal" outfits. Of course, she felt completely out of character dressing normal, but she was here on a job and this was as casual as she did.

"Oh, please, sit down." the blond woman said moving into the living room. Kelly sat in an armchair, staring at what could be her idol. "So… You're here for the Core, right?" Kelly nodded. "Wow. You're kind of young. How old are you?"

"Oh, I'm sixteen. I go to Degrassi." Kelly answered. "Um, so Mrs. Torres-"

"Call me Katie." Kelly nodded.

"Katie, you went to Degrassi, right?" Kelly asked. Katie smiled. "Um, did I do something wrong?"

Katie Torres née Matlin only giggled behind a hand before composing herself. Kelly noted that her posture was perfect as if she was balancing an imaginary book on her head as she sat on the couch, her hands placed on her knees.

"Let's just chitchat and you can get information like that, alright? No formalities and no questions the editor picked, okay?" Katie said. Kelly nodded. "Okay, so how about you give me your name again."

"Oh, I'm Kelly Mason." Kelly answered, a bit ashamed that she had not properly introduced herself.

"Katie Torres." Katie responded.

"You were like everyone when you went to Degrassi." Kelly stated. "You did soccer and the newspaper. You also did Tae Kwon Do and was school president your senior year. Not to mention you helped with several school events and near flawless GPA."

Katie smiled. "Well thank you. I've heard that you have quite the résumé yourself." Kelly's eyes widened a bit. "Let's see… You play softball. You have a high GPA. You work at your dad's restaurant as well as the Core. You're busy as well Kelly."

"Thanks… But, um, how do you know that?" Katie smiled.

"As a reporter, you should always know your subject before you ask them. My niece, Chandra, told me." Kelly nodded. That made perfect sense. "So, is there anything you would like to know?"

"Tons." Kelly said. "Off the record, you knew Laura Reynolds's mom, Bianca DeSousa. Was she as annoying as Laura is?"

Katie sighed. "That's a sore subject, but yeah, she was. She dated my ex-boyfriend, who coincidentally is my brother-in-law now, Drew. They got caught up in some gang affairs and… Well it didn't end pretty for any of us."

"Oh…" Kelly said. "Um, how did you get inspired to become a report _and_ an author?"

"Well let's see… I've been called Lois Lane since the dawn of time…" Kelly giggled at the statement. "And when I came to Banting, I had missed out on so much in my life that I created this character that did everything that I didn't. Kind of like my alter ego."

"Did you use any people you knew to base this character off of?" Kelly asked.

"Let's see here. I based a good load of my main character, Rosalyn, off of Clare Edwards. I'm one to let go of the past, but she was drama. Her love life, her home life. Everything was drama with her." Katie said. "I didn't know her personally and I rarely hung out with her, but you could see her drama from a mile away."

Kelly nodded, mentally adding Clare Edwards to the list of people she would have to track down and ask questions.

"I have a character off of the author, Eli Goldsworthy." Kelly's face showed her shock.

"The guy who writes those horror romances?" Katie nodded. "Wow. Was he like real creepy in school or did he become that as an adult?"

"He drove a hearse to school. I think that's self-explanatory." Katie answered. "But he and Clare had this on-going love-hate relationship." Katie leaned back and gave a thoughtful expression. "I remember at graduation she admitted that she still loved him and he just smirked and walked away. Not that I could blame him, he did _everything _for her and she kind of just brushed him aside."

"Wow…" Kelly said. "I see where he gets his inspiration from."

"Imogen Moreno and Fiona Coyne were his inspiration." Katie stated. "They kept him going for a while when he had lost his touch. I've always wondered if he dated one or the other after high school, but Imogen moved to Victoria and Fiona had a girlfriend-"

"What?" Kelly could not help the outburst. She could not picture Scarlett's mother, the very essence of how a real woman should present herself, being homosexual.

"Oh, that," Katie said understanding the outburst. "I don't really know Fiona to understand what she was going through at the time, but she was dating a girl named Charlie something. She met Blue during a trip somewhere and they've been together ever since."

"Wow… I never knew that about Scarlett's mom." Kelly said.

"Are you friends with their daughter?" Katie asked.

Kelly shook her head. "Not really. My older brother used to date her as well as our friend. Well, he's actually our god-brother, but we really don't tell people that since we've only known him personally for a few years."

"Oh… Manny's son, I presume." Kelly nodded. "I heard a lot of the McDuelle family coming to Toronto. Adam actually works tech support for his dad here in Kingston."

"Wow, what a small world." Kelly stated.

Katie nodded. "It was a real shocker when Chandra told me she was dating Aaron. I never met Manny personally, but the rumors that I heard about her were not good. But… A part of me has always envied her."

"Really? My mom says the same thing about Manny's high school life, but she's never said that she _envied_ her." Kelly said.

"Well, she may have been a bit," Katie paused. "Promiscuous," Kelly nodded. That was the best way to say it without any over-the-top offensive words. "But she was finding herself, you know? She was kind of like me." Kelly frowned.

"You knew who you were. You knew what you wanted to be. How are you two similar?" Kelly questioned.

"From what I've been told," Katie said. "Manny had a tough exterior. No one really knew that she had been kicked out of her house because she did not show it in school. They did not know her struggles with her weight. She stayed focus, like me. I was like that. I kept up the good grades and perfect image because I wanted to hide my bulimia and my parents' expectations of me. No one but my sister and my best friend knew, and then eventually Adam knew that. Not even Drew."

Kelly gasped. "Really?" Katie nodded. "So… Your friend-"

"Marisol Lewis."

"Marisol, she never told anyone what you were going through?" Katie's face actually changed, making Kelly's eyes wide. "She told? Who?"

"Oh, just the entire school." Kelly was now thinking a million things at once before Katie waved it off with a hand. "But don't worry. You don't ruin a strong friendship over a boy. Especially if neither girl actually ends up with said boy."

"Wow. What happened to her?" Kelly asked.

Katie smiled. "She stays down the street. She and her husband, Julian, come by every now and again."

"So you're still friends today?" Katie nodded. "Wow… I wonder if I'll keep in touch with my friends later on down the line."

"Can I ask you a question?" Katie asked, which Kelly nodded yes to. "What are your short-term goals?"

Kelly frowned. "Short-term? I don't really think I have any. I'm so caught up in getting into U of T that everything I do goes into that résumé."

"I see." Katie said. "Well you should start planning side goals or you're going to miss a lot."

"Really?"

"Mm-hmm," Katie answered. "I never heard my sister's music until I took a break. My first boyfriend was in my senior year. I missed so much trying to be the perfect student that I had no clue on how to be the perfect person. And that's why I write the books I do. To show that even a flawed person, like Clare, was better than me in so many aspects."

Kelly sat quietly as she digested the information. She had always admired girls like Scarlett and Mary-Jane who kept their brains and their beauty for the most part, while not caring for people like Laura who skipped classes every now and again. But on the flip side, Laura knew so much about things such as love that Kelly had yet to experience. In fact, Laura could probably give Kelly a more detailed explanation on the pros and cons of certain drugs that Kelly could only read about.

"Wow. I've never looked at it that way." Kelly said.

Katie smiled. "You only become wiser with age if you know the mistakes you need to reflect on."

"I guess I should start taking breaks, huh?" Kelly questioned.

"Don't get lazy, but take a break at least once a week if you can. That's what I did before I started to learn how to take at least one a day." Katie said. Katie then checked the time on the clock on the wall, adjacent to the stairs. "Speaking of breaks… Mine is about to end. Marisol will be here to drop my kids off."

"Oh, well, there is something I want to ask." Kelly said. "Chandra's uncle, Adam, he was born a girl right?" Katie nodded. "Does that change anything between you two?"

"Heaven's no!" Katie laughed. "If anything it makes him a lot more in tune to his feminine side than his brother will ever be." Kelly smiled as the woman shifted her hand, her rather large ring reflecting a small amount of light in Kelly's eyes. "When I met Adam, I looked at him as a friend. He was in a grade below me and he tended to be quite… Childish in a way."

"I know the type." Kelly said, images of her brother and Jayden flashing in her mind.

"But when we met up at Banting, I had changed. I was actually looking for that guy that could show me a good time. And Adam was that guy." Katie explained. "He and my sister had become pretty good friends so it wasn't like we hadn't heard from each other the entire time I was away. So when he asked me out, it was like if a friend asked me out."

"But…" Kelly said, egging the story on.

Katie let out a sigh. "I guess I saw the mistake I made and ran back to my apartment. He was perfect. He was not the smartest guy, but he knew what he was doing in the technology field and he was cute and funny… I felt bad overlooking him for his brother. And the time after that when I saw him, he said nothing to me."

"Oh… I bet you felt sad." Kelly said, confused as to why Katie smiled.

"He said _nothing_ to me, but he kissed me. The rest was history." Katie said. Kelly nodded. "When you're older, I'll give you some more details on how I found out about his new addition."

"O-oh!" Kelly stammered, her face reddening a bit. "Um, that's okay." Katie only giggled at Kelly's response, the younger reporter desperately trying to compose herself. "Thanks for your time. I think I've learned a lot from you."

"Mm… You're right. How about I meet you down at the Dot tomorrow at around five-ish and we can have a real, professional interview from reporter to reporter? How does that sound?" Kelly smiled.

"It sounds great." Kelly said as she stood.

"Good!" Katie said rising as well. "This should give you time to ask Chandra as much as you can about me. I doubt you'll get in touch with Maya. And you should have great questions to ask me."

"There is something that's been bugging me." Kelly said. "Just how do you know those things about Jayden's mom, I mean Manny?"

Katie smiled. "Who do you think interviewed her when she made her grand return to Toronto?"

Kelly slapped her forehead. "Duh Kelly."

"Don't beat yourself up. Trust me, it will never end well." Katie said as Kelly removed her hand. "You know, I have a feeling that I'm going to like you, Ms. Mason. Who knows, maybe one day in the future it will be you writing a book on your talk with me."

Kelly smiled. "I'll get started on it as soon as I get home."

As the two laughed, Kelly made another mental note to ask Scarlett's mom about Katie, as well as Chandra and her parents. Katie was a well-respected woman, be it for her journalism or her books, and Kelly wanted nothing more than to be like her. Still, she had to take it one step at a time. And some day in the future, Kelly would tell her story on how she met her idol.

"Oh, Kelly," Kelly, who was seconds away from entering her dad's truck and make the long drive home, paused when Katie's voice reached her ears. Katie walked to her, handing her two books. "I think you should take these."

Kelly took the books, opening one of them to see blank pages. She frowned before opening the other one, seeing that it was Katie's former diary.

"I hope I do become your main character." Katie said with a smile.

"Thanks!" Kelly said happily before looking up at the woman. "I'll do my best Mrs. Torres, I mean Katie. I promise."

"I know you will." Katie said returning to her house.

Kelly got into the truck and set the books carefully in the passenger seat. First she would attempt to take a break from her two jobs, after school programs, sports, and just relax. Secondly, she would compile all her friends and their families into one massive ball of characters. And finally, she would just casually jot down what happened and what she thought should have happened. And in a year or two, she should be done on what would be known as her greatest achievement ever.

The story about the weird overachiever with bulimia.

A blend of her and her idol.

The Diary of Katie Mason.


	84. S3 Episode XVI: Tick, Tick, Boom Pt II

**Author's Note:** Okay, so the moment is here. Laura finds out what she's carrying. Plus, that new character will be appearing in this chapter. And remember, all of this is leading up to the end which is coming soon... Sigh... Oh well, the show must go on! Here is the second part of Tick, Tick, Boom!

* * *

**Episode XVI: Tick, Tick, Boom Pt. II**

Helen inhaled deeply before exhaling.

"Ah… Lovely New York City. How I miss thee." Helen said.

Scarlett smiled. "Who knew you were a poet?" Helen gave her cousin a smile. "A week of no drama, no homework, and no fighting."

"Speak for yourself." Helen muttered as Torrie entered the kitchen where the two cousins spoke. "Oh great. Torrie's here."

Torrie stretched with a smile.

"Oh don't worry dear cousin. I'll be out of your hair soon." Torrie said.

Scarlett frowned. "Why's that?"

"Because unlike you Scar, I know how it feels to have one sweet release. And since it's Spring Break and I'll never get in trouble for it, that's exactly what I'll do." Torrie said.

Helen's face scrunched up. "Do you have to say that in the kitchen? It's bad enough that your hardly wearing anything, but come on."

"Miss Tyler already?" Torrie teased.

"No!" Helen shot back. "Seriously, why is it that _I_ can't go anywhere without missing him? How do you know that he doesn't miss me?"

Torrie shrugged. "True…" Torrie then looked at Scarlett and smirked. "What about you? Missing DeWayne? Or maybe Jayden…"

Scarlett scoffed. "Yeah right. I'm here for fun and relaxation."

"Good. Then I guess you won't mind if I watched the Battle of the Bands on TV." Torrie said. "I'll be rooting for Mr. Juvey Grace himself."

Helen frowned. "Isn't Laura your best friend? That's kind of low Torrie. Even for you."

"Laura is just some girl carrying his baby. Last year, they hated each other, and let's not start on the year before that, right?" Torrie said. "Laura's bound to do something unforgiveable. That's just who she is. And if one was at the right place at the right moment…" Torrie paused and licked her lips. "Well, let's just say that I'd be his guitar any day."

"Disgusting." Helen remarked.

"Yeah. Besides, I truly doubt that J.T would look over _us_ and go for _you_." Scarlett added, Helen nodding in agreement.

"Bet me." Torrie said.

Scarlett and Helen looked at one another before laughing.

"Deal!" the two said.

In Scarlett's mind, there was only one thought running through it. Easiest win ever.

* * *

Gabrielle yawned as she answered the door. It was pretty early in the morning, so she assumed it to be Aaron, the only person who wakes up this early and knows where she lived. However, she was shocked to see Ashton. More importantly, she was shocked to see the bruise beneath his right eye.

"Ashton! What happened?" she asked.

Ashton waved her off. "Just nothing."

"That's not nothing." Gabrielle said. "Did… Did you put something on it?" Ashton shook his head. "Come on, I'll see what my mom has."

Ashton stepped into the apartment, not really knowing why Gabrielle is who he ran to. He then remembered that Aaron's place was a bit further, he hardly cared for Dustin and Chandra, and Vanessa… Well, Ashton really had no real reason why he _didn't_ go to Vanessa's. So here he was, at his ex's house, sitting on the comfortable sofa in the small living room.

Gabrielle returned with some sort of cream, something that bothered Ashton.

"You're not going to put that on my face, are you?" Ashton asked.

"It'll help the bruise go away." Gabrielle said as she sat beside him. "Please. Let me help."

Ashton sighed before nodding. Gabrielle took the cap off of the container and applied some of the cream on his face. It was freezing and he immediately pulled away from her, a giggle escaping her mouth.

"Ashton, it's just cream. It won't kill you." Gabrielle said with a grin.

"If it freezes me it will." Ashton retorted as she applied a bit more over the wounded area.

Ashton only sat as Gabrielle rubbed the freezing medicine into his cheek. He felt weird, albeit a good weird. Then her hand, the only warm thing on his face, left and she stood up.

"There…" Gabrielle said in her normal quiet tone. "Um, I'll be right back."

Ashton's hand went up to touch the area before Gabrielle stopped and looked at him.

"Don't touch it." she said.

Ashton nodded as she disappeared down the hallway and into the bathroom. He swore that for a split second he was staring at the female version of her older brother, but that quickly went away when he realized that Gabrielle was nothing like Nathan.

The sound of a door opening caused Ashton to look down the hallway to see a tired Alex Nunez emerge from her bedroom, house robe tightly wrapped around her.

"Ashton? What are you doing here so early?" Gabrielle's mother asked.

"Oh, I was just out." Ashton answered.

Alex frowned. "You don't really strike me as the jogging type." Ashton smiled before Alex spotted his eye. "What happened?"

"Oh, nothing." Ashton said looking away.

"Ashton…" Alex said in a tone that he had heard her use on Gabrielle once and only once before.

"Steven and I got into a fight." Ashton said. Gabrielle, who was returning to the living room, gasped at this. "It's nothing really."

"Nothing? Ashton, we have to do something." Gabrielle stated.

"We?" Ashton and Alex asked.

"Well… Yeah… He's my friend and…" Gabrielle replied.

Alex sighed. "I guess." Alex moved to the small kitchen. "Are you hungry Ashton?"

"Not really." Ashton responded. "I ate before I left."

Alex said nothing. She knew what Gabrielle was feeling, seeing as she saw her mother go through an abusive relationship. It pained her for her daughter to see a friend in this situation and she made a small promise to help Ashton for Gabrielle's sake. Despite her financial struggles, Alex would give her daughter a better life.

* * *

Jordan groaned as she sat up in her bed, her glare going directly towards her older sister.

"Up." Kelly simply said.

"What do you want Kelly?" Jordan asked.

"Shane's in Vancouver. My dad's should be girlfriend has only a few days left in Toronto. Guess where you come in." Kelly replied. "Don't worry. I'll wait."

Jordan groaned. "Kelly! Can't I sleep in? It's the first day of Spring Break!"

"Now why would the _glamorous_ Jordan Cameron need beauty sleep?" Kelly said sarcastically. "Come on. I have the perfect plan. Besides, Deanna promised to help and we both know that she has less patience than either of us. So let's get a move on."

Jordan moved out of her comfortable bed, already missing its warmth. She grumbled as she made her way to her dresser to retrieve some clothes and makeup for the upcoming day.

"Kelly?" Jordan said.

"Hmm?" her sister responded while browsing through Jordan's collection of books.

"You don't think Tevin likes Chandra more than me, do you?" Jordan asked.

Kelly put the book she was reading down and focused on her younger sister.

"This is going to sound real mean," Kelly said. "But until you get your act together, I couldn't care less about how people treat you." Jordan cringed inwardly, but nodded. "Besides, he ruined your relationship with A.J. And I liked you and A.J."

"Tch, whatever. A.J and I are hardly friends now, if that." Jordan responded.

"Well, who do we have to blame for that?" Kelly said before striking a thinking pose. "Let's see now… I was supporting my brother. A.J was supporting his brother. He had a ticket for his 'sick' girlfriend… Oh that's right! You weren't really sick!"

"Is anyone ever going to let me live that down?" Jordan questioned.

Kelly shrugged. "Don't know. Don't really care either." Kelly moved for the door. "I'll be in the kitchen showing your dad how not to make the bitterest of bitter coffee. Ack!"

Jordan smiled a bit. Her older siblings and her father had two different tastes when it came to coffee and tea. While Sean liked his dark and plain, Kelly and Shane was insistent in making both beverages just a bit sweeter. Shockingly, Emma never got into their cooking debates, but Jordan realized it was mainly because Emma got most of her cooking from Gavin. Hence, Kelly and Shane would win the debate.

"What a life."Jordan muttered to herself.

* * *

It felt weird to sleep in Jayden's bed without him there, and Laura found herself snuggling into his pillow. Thankfully only Danica was there and this sort of act seemed normal to the older woman. But if anyone else saw the tough Laura Reynolds snuggling up to a pillow, they might laugh and post the clip on the internet. Of course, Laura knew that she would probably murder the poor bastard and put that as the response video to hers, but she digresses.

"Good morning sleepy head!" Laura's eyes opened and shot for the door where one Nicole Campbell stood. "I'm ready for your appointment!"

"Nicole Campbell…" Laura growled, already testing out her mothering voice. "Why in the _hell_ are you at my house at nine in the morning?"

"One, it's not your house, it's Jayden's sister's apartment." Nicole responded. Laura sneered, hating the smarter Nicole. "And two, because your appointment is at _eleven_ and that only gives you two hours to get dress and get down there."

"Well my ride is still asleep so-"

"Danni's talking to her mom on the phone while spinning her keys around her finger. She's been doing that for the past ten minutes." Nicole said.

Laura frowned. "How long have you been here?"

"Seven thirty." Nicole said plainly. Laura's eyes widened as she questioned Nicole's actions through gesture. "I can't sleep when something big is coming up. I get too excited."

"Oh dear God help me…" Laura said as she attempted to get out of the bed. "Stupid daughter and her stupid father that went to the stupid contest in that stupid city of freaking Vancouver! Ugh! Why does my life have to be so stupid!" Laura turned to see Nicole holding a number of fingers up. "And what the hell are you doing now?"

"Counting how many times you said stupid. Five." Nicole said holding up five fingers.

"Why did I agree to let you come again?" Laura asked, her feet now on the ground.

Nicole smiled. "Because I'm your friend silly! Plus, Dakota's with Jayden in Vancouver and you really don't want to go alone… Or alone with Danni."

"Huh. Good point." Laura said moving for the door. "Watch out so I can go take a shower."

"Yeah, but before that, did you know you sleep talked?" Nicole said. Laura's eyes showed her horror in the secret leaving this room, a pact that she and Jayden had since day one. "You were saying something about how Jayden does this thing with his-"

"Ah! Shut up! Get out! Leave me alone!" Laura said shoving Nicole out of bedroom before moving as fast as she could for the bathroom, the door slamming behind her once she entered.

Nicole only giggled as she moved down the hall for the living room, seeing Danica sipping some soda from a glass.

"You just had to tell her about her own sex dream, didn't you?" Danica asked with a brow slightly arched.

"Sorry." Nicole said.

"No problem. I was going to bring it to her attention later anyways." Danica said. "So, what are you rooting for?"

"Well, Shane and I have ten each that it's a boy." Nicole replied. "You?"

"Five on girl. I'm pretty certain it's a girl." Danica said. "But, hey, anything's possible right?"

Nicole only nodded as she began to think about the shock on Laura's face _if_ they found out it was a boy. Laura had twenty on girl.

* * *

An hour later, Deanna had made her way to the Dot, being stopped by Mercedes before she could enter.

"Oh, hey Mercedes. What can I do for you today?" Deanna asked.

"What are you up to Deanna?" Mercedes responded.

"What do you mean?" Deanna stated.

"You're hanging around Diner Girl and her brother. You haven't been by my house in _weeks_ to tell me the best gossip. It's like you're a different person." Mercedes said.

Deanna smiled sweetly. "Sades, I think you're jealous of me and Kelly's friendship. And if that's the case, be thankful. She's not my new BFF. You are and always will be." Deanna's smile faltered a bit. "Unless you do something stupid, then we're fine."

Mercedes frowned. "Then what are you doing here then? We have a shopping spree to get to in Montreal, remember?"

"Oh… Yeah…" Deanna said. "Well, um, I promised Kelly that I'd help her with something serious." Mercedes gave a skeptical nod. "Her dad is in love with this woman who thinks that they're just friends. I promised I'd help set them up."

Mercedes snorted. "That's a good one. Now I know you're up to something."

Deanna frowned. "I'm missing the joke."

"You're hooking two people up together? You don't even hook yourself up with people." Mercedes said.

Deanna felt herself growing angrier by the seconds and it took much of her willpower not to slap her friend. But being who she was, she quickly masked the anger with a neutral face, and saved the slap for another day.

"People change Mercedes." Deanna stated. "And I have found someone for me."

"Who? Diner Girl's brother?" Mercedes asked.

"No. Shane and I aren't really friends, Kelly and I are." Deanna responded. "He eats like a pig, he sleeps anywhere he can lay his head, he sweats a lot, makes-out with Nicky anywhere he pleases and-"

"I get it." Mercedes interrupted. "Well, if not him, then who else comes here everyday? Jayden? The fat member, Jacob? Who?"

Deanna weighed her options here. Telling Mercedes that it was none of the above would only make her friend go down a long list of guys that they knew until one of them were it. This could be potentially harmful to her plans for Shane since Mercedes tended to gossip a lot, more when she was drunk.

Deanna smiled. "I'll tell you later. But for now, I have to help a friend."

"Sure. I'm coming with you to see if I can find this guy." Mercedes said walking into the café.

Deanna wanted to scream in frustration, but she was in public. She put on a smile and entered her friend's workplace to see Kelly and Jordan working with another guy and Gavin.

"Morning." Deanna said.

"Hey Deanna." Jordan stated.

Deanna smiled at the young girl. Admirers always made her day.

"Morning," Deanna said before leaning on the counter to whisper to Kelly. "Where's you-know-who?"

"Coming. Where's their ride?" Kelly asked.

Deanna revealed her phone. "One call away. Everything is set up."

Kelly sighed. "I really hope this works."

"What works?" Gavin questioned his daughter and her friend.

"Oh nothing Mr. Mason. Just two girls talking about how to date a certain guy." Deanna said. Gavin gave a protective look around his café trying to spot whoever his daughter had an eye on. "Don't worry. You won't find him here… Yet."

Gavin frowned as the two giggled. He hated the thought of losing Kelly to some thug, or worse, a perverted thug. Although she and Deanna did not look like the type to fall for guys like that, Gavin knew how easy it was for a guy to lie to a girl and get away with it.

He did tell Darcy that he was a virgin…

"Hey Spin," Jordan said gaining the man's attention. "Can you help me reach the other plates? They're too high up."

"I'm coming pipsqueak." Gavin said.

Kelly eyed her sister who gave her a small nod. That meant that Jane was near. Looking at Deanna, she smiled and her friend moved to call the limo.

All was going according to plan.

* * *

"So," Mary-Jane said as she was led into Amber's house. "Your brother is coming down to visit?" Amber nodded. "Okay, how do I look?"

Amber stared at her. "Mary, not that we don't look fabulous as always, but I don't feel comfortable with you flirting with my brother."

"Oh be quiet Amber. I'm only playing." Mary-Jane said sitting on a couch.

Amber smiled. "Thinking about a certain Mr. Milligan again?"

"No." Mary-Jane said, though the smile on her face said otherwise. "And stop bringing Marc up in every conversation we have. It's annoying. And pathetic on your part, but mostly annoying."

"Seriously Mary-Jane, who not admit that you like him and you want him to-" Amber was cut off by the doorbell. "Si's here!"

Mary-Jane watched her friend race to the door to greet her only other sibling. With expecting eyes, Mary-Jane watched the door open to reveal her first crush, Simon Clarke. He stood at 6'4", easily towering over his younger sister. His glasses seemed nearly invisible on his face, but Mary-Jane knew that he had a strong dislike for contacts.

"Hey." Simon said as he hugged his younger sister. "I thought you'd be out celebrating Spring Break."

"I wanted to wait to you came back first." Amber said with a smile. "Mary-Jane even stayed behind."

Simon's eyes left his sister's to spot Mary-Jane on the couch, the blonde giving him a small wave. He waved back before looking at Amber.

"You should really go have fun today. I'll be here all week long and then some." Simon told her.

Amber sighed. "I guess you're right." Amber looked at Mary-Jane. "Come on MJ. Let's go find something to do."

"I know what I want and it doesn't have anything to do with you or your brother." Mary-Jane said as she stood up. "It has to do with some paid person who pamper me or get fired."

"Alright Mary-Jane, let's get out of here." Amber said before looking at her brother. "I'll see you later Si. But there's a mani and pedi with my name on it." Mary-Jane cleared her throat loudly. "With _our_ name on it."

Simon grinned. "Sure, go ahead. I'll see you when you come home." Simon then looked at Mary-Jane. "And it's good to see you too MJ."

"Sure." Mary-Jane said as she made her way to the door. "Now, can you please move so I don't hurt you on the way to my car?"

"Still the same evil little girl. I swear there's a stick somewhere up there." Simon replied stepping aside.

"Thanks. Come on Amber." Mary-Jane said leaving the house.

Amber sighed. "She's still bossy and impatient. Not to mention annoying." Simon nodded in agreement. "See you later bro."

"Always." Simon said as Amber left to catch Mary-Jane before the blonde drove off without her.

"You know," Amber said getting into Mary-Jane's car. "You could've waited for a few more minutes."

"Might I remind that I have never been late for a spa treatment and I don't plan on starting today because your brother came back in town." Mary-Jane said. "Besides, we'll see him later, right? No harm done."

"You could've been nice to him." Amber replied.

"And then I'd have to be nice to everyone." Mary-Jane said, making Amber smile. "Do we really want to see that?"

"It's sad to say that no, I don't want that." Amber responded. "So let's go."

"That's more like it." Mary-Jane said with a smile.

* * *

Jayden stretched in his bed, realizing that it was only seven thirty. He realized that this was sort of like going back to his hometown since he was back in the Pacific Standard Time zone. He looked over to see that Dakota was already awake, her drumsticks twirling in her hand.

Jayden smirked. "It's going to be hard to explain that we shared a hotel room, huh?" Dakota paused and glanced at him before shaking her head, a smile on her face. "So… It begins today, right?"

"Nervous?" Dakota asked.

"It's your band. How do you feel?" Jayden replied.

Dakota shrugged. "I don't know. It's kind of like excitement mixed with something else." Jayden nodded. "Do you think Laura will actually watch you?"

"Not really. She's been cranky lately. And I mean more than normal." Jayden said.

"I'm not supposed to tell you this," Dakota responded. "But she's going to go find out what gender the baby is today." Jayden smiled. "What?"

"I knew she would. She's never been called patient before." Jayden told Dakota. "I just wonder how she did on her acceptance exam. You know, a part of me actually doesn't want her to go. I'm starting to get used to waking up with her beside me. How do you think I'll deal with her in England?"

"I understand. And a part of her doesn't want to go either. She'd miss you too much." Dakota said before moving out of the bed. "You want some breakfast? They opened up the café earlier."

Jayden nodded before he got out of his bed as well. It was strange that they were dressed alike, they both wore white A-shirts and black shorts, Dakota's having a white vertical line on the sides. And while Jayden was perfect comfortable wearing a pair of flip-flops with some socks, Dakota slipped on some socks and her shoes.

Dakota looked at his feet with a questioning look.

"Flops and socks," Jayden said. "The best way to keep warm, comfortable, dry, and leave me alone."

"I didn't say anything." Dakota said with a smile as they both grabbed their card keys and left their room. "How's your voice?"

"Great, thanks for asking. How's my back-up voice?" Jayden questioned.

"It's okay." Dakota replied.

The two turned a corner to see a guy leave his room.

"Whoa, sorry." he said stopping in front of them. He then looked at Jayden. "Whoa, small world."

"Uh, hi." Jayden said.

"Oh, you don't know me, but I go to school with your cousin, Deion." Jayden nodded. "I'm Emmanuel, but people call me Manny."

"Because that reminds me of my mom, I'm just going to call you Emmanuel." Jayden said. "This is Dakota Nash the-"

"Daughter of Craig Manning and Ellie Nash. I kind of know that." Emmanuel said. "Um, I'm going to get some breakfast. Want to come with?"

Jayden raised a brow as he realized that the offer was mainly for Dakota and not him. He did not mind, he had hoped Dakota would find someone who found her as attractive as he did. Only not in a brotherly-sisterly way. Still, being away from Laura and being put in the unfamiliar third-wheel position did not exactly sit well with him.

"Jay?" Jayden looked at Dakota. "Coming?"

"Sure…" Jayden said as the trio began walking for the elevator. "So, Emmanuel… How's Deion doing now that she's not suspended again?"

"Well… She's sort of dating some guy." Emmanuel said. Jayden's eyes asked his silent question. "She told me not to tell you, so that's all I can say. Plus your ex is kind of scary too."

"Ah, Coop… Didn't think she stayed at PCA." Jayden said. "He's here, isn't he?"

Emmanuel looked at Dakota. "He always this perceptive?"

"Um, kind of." Dakota answered.

Jayden looked at Dakota and then chuckled as he pressed the button for the elevator.

"This day is going to be hilarious." he muttered.

"Shut up Jayden." Dakota mumbled.

* * *

Laura sighed heavily as she looked at the people in the room waiting for the news from the doctor who was not present. They included Jayden's father, her parents, Danica, Isabella, Nicole, and Manny's mother. While her dad was sitting mostly to himself, the others were reminding each other of the bets made. Despite herself, she smiled. At least, she figured, the child would be love.

"Okay Miss Reynolds, I have your results. You're coming along just fine." the woman said reentering the room.

"Right, right, now, what is it?" Laura asked impatiently.

"Well… It's a boy…"

"Ha!" Maxwell said happily.

"And a girl…"

"No way…" Nicole said quietly.

"And another boy."

"Holy shit he did a number on you!" Bianca called.

Laura disregarded her mother as she attempted to sit up. But her pregnant belly and shock would not allow her.

"I'm having triplets?" Laura shouted at the same time Nicole screamed "She's having triplets?"

Dr. Allison Chase nodded. "Three heart beats have been found. Two real strong, but don't worry about the third. With your diet, I'm sure it'll strengthen. And-"

"Yeah, good diet," Laura cut her doctor off. "I'm having triplets?"

"Okay…" Danica said. "So… Those who picked boy was correct twice, so is that double or nothing?"

"Screw the bet! I'm having triplets!" Laura yelled again.

"We heard you the first time. You know, after the doc announced it." Bianca said. "Scream any louder and people will think that you're going through labor."

"Oh boy…" Maxwell said. "Danni, call your mother and tell her the news."

Danica frowned. "Okay… But why not you?"

Maxwell snorted. "You think I'm dumb enough to call her on set and tell her that her son's girlfriend is carrying _triplets_? Oh, and that she lost the bet?"

"You're brave." Isabella said.

"My mom always told me," Maxwell said. "That bravery is either the absence of fear or the presence of stupidity. Think about that."

Danica frowned in thought before speaking.

"So I'm either fearless or stupid?" Danica asked her dad.

"Or a combination of the two, but who's judging?" Isabella teased before looking at Laura. "Well… Congratulations." Laura glared at the young woman. "Look on the bright side-"

"Where in the hell do you see a bright side?" Laura hissed.

"You secretly bought clothing for girls and Jayden secretly bought them for boys. You were both right!" Isabella said happily.

Mr. Reynolds sighed. "Living just got harder."

"If you'd let me kill you back then, you wouldn't be here now." Bianca said with a smile. Laura knew her mother was joking, but Mrs. Santos seemed to miss the joke.

"Triplets is a big responsibility." Jayden's grandmother spoke. "Are you sure that you two can handle it?"

"Mrs. Santos, she won't be doing it on her own." Maxwell spoke to his mother-in-law. Laura found it strange that he spoke to her with such formality and the woman seemed to have agreed with Laura, sending Maxwell a soft glare. "I'm sorry, Julie, it's a habit."

"I can't wait to tell Shane!" Nicole erupted with excitement. "Ooh, and the baby shower! It's going to be-"

"Hell on Earth." Maxwell interrupted, a smile on both of Laura's parents' faces.

"Maxwell…" Mrs. Santos chastised.

"No disrespect, but your daughter has forever put me off of baby showers for the rest of my life." Maxwell said before sighing heavily. "Unfortunately, these are my first grandchildren and I'd feel real bad if I didn't help."

"Thanks…" Laura said quietly.

"No problem." the man said before his cell phone rang. "Well, even on break I still get called into the office. Let me take this and we'll talk later Laura."

Laura nodded as the man stepped out of the room, answering his cell phone in the process.

"I see that you have a lot to discuss with your parents." Laura's doctor said. "I'll be right outside if any of you have any questions."

"I have one." Danica said. "How is it possible for a pair of virgins to-"

"You're kidding." Laura interrupted. Danica laughed, giving Laura an innocent shrugged.

"I just wanted to know. I mean, did they have to do _it_ like over and over and over until-"

"Can we not talk about that?" Laura said quickly, her face blushing by the seconds. Laura noticed that both of her parents were staring at her with questioning looks. "Did I do something?"

"Let's see," Bianca said as the doctor left the room. "You had underage sex, got pregnant with _triplets_, and you ask us if you did anything wrong. Again I'm questioning how you even passed that exam." Laura gave her mother a small glare. "But, hey, who am I to judge?"

"Laura," her father said. "I'm… Happy and angry with you."

"Dad I'm sorry. I really did not mean for this to happen." Laura stated, feeling tears building up. "Damn pregnancy…"

Ignoring his daughter's language, Mr. Reynolds continued.

"I know you'll be a good mother Laura." he told her, gaining a smile.

"And you will have wonderful babies." Mrs. Santos added with a warm smile. "Manuella will be blessed by her grandbabies."

Laura doubted that. The woman hated her, regardless of what it looked like.

"Seriously," Danica said resting a hand on Laura's head. "It's good to know that you've given the brat two brothers to play with. While feeding and changing will be a hassle, boredom will never come out of her mouth."

Laura frowned. "You're okay with this?"

Danica wiped a tear away from Laura's face.

"Not like I can do anything about it right?" Danica said. "Besides, my home is your home so long as you make my brother happy. And by happy, I mean that in the non-sexual way." Laura actually giggled, quickly stopping the sounds escaping from her. "Besides, I hate to admit that I actually like the thought of having you as a sister-in-law. We could torture Jayden for _years_ until he either balls up and cry or divorces you. But I'm sure he'd most likely do the first one instead."

"Mariella, that's a very mean thought." Mrs. Santos said.

Danica shrugged. "Hey, I call it like I see it. Laura has Jayden whipped."

"So when are you going to tell your little boyfriend?" Bianca asked, raising her eyebrows a bit.

"I don't know…" Laura said quietly.

"Still taking in the fact that you're having triplets?" Danica questioned.

Laura shook her head. "No… It's…" Laura sighed. "It's just that, earlier this year, Jayden and I hated each other. And when we began dating, I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't screw this up like I screwed up his relationship with Scarlett. And then I ended up pregnant and… I messed his life up so much! I hate myself for even sleeping with him in the first place!"

"Oh shut up." Danica said.

"Danica!" Mrs. Santos stated.

"Really Laura? You're going to regret this now?" Danica continued. "You should be _happy_ that you ended up pregnant."

"Wh-what?" Laura asked.

"Do you know how badly I want to find the guy of my dreams and have his kids?" Danica replied. "Of course, to do that, I would have to find that guy first. And while I still see him as the annoying jerk who threw Cheerios across the room just to piss me off, you found that special guy in Jayden and he found that girl in you."

"Wow Danni. That was actually touching. Who knew you had it in you?" Isabella joked.

"Laura needs to realize that she hasn't screwed Jayden's life up. Making him more responsible isn't necessarily a bad thing." Danica stated. "Besides, I don't think I've actually seem him try at a relationship as hard as he does with you Laura, and that's including Scarlett, who is my friend."

"It's because-"

"He loves you." Danica interrupted before Laura could finish. "And to be honest, I think if you weren't pregnant, he'd still love you the same."

Laura only nodded as Danica sighed.

"Kids these days, I tell you." Danica said. "Well, come on Izzy. I'm hungry."

"Right." Isabella said. "Catch you later Laura."

Laura nodded as the two women neared the door.

"Oh, and for the record," Danica said stopping at the door. "I told you so."

Laura frowned. "Told me what?"

"You know, when we first met? I told you that you were pretty and that if you let whatever it was in your past go, like your grudge with your mom, that there was hope for you yet." Danica said.

"Yeah, I guess you are right." Laura replied.

"Oh, no, that's not it," Danica responded. "You said that maybe one day you'd be a millionaire and I said if you lived long enough. Well, you did. And it only took, what, a few minutes of Jayden-"

"Come on." Isabella said dragging her friend away.

"Well John, you're officially old. Your daughter is having triplets." Bianca announced. "I have work later on, so I'm going to go sleep on this."

"Mom…" Laura said.

"No, I think Jayden's sister said it best." Bianca said with a smirk. "You wanted to be a millionaire, so you married a millionaire's son. I couldn't be more proud of you."

"Bianca, I don't think-"

"Seriously John, she's already pregnant. Might as well slap a ring on her finger." Bianca said moving towards the door. "Come on."

Laura watched bemused as her father actually followed her mother out of the room. It seems that years of separation had done nothing for him. He was still sprung over her.

"Alright kiddo," Maxwell said returning into the room. "Got some time off and we're going to need it to do some seriously planning." Laura nodded. She knew this as his "boss voice" as Jayden and Danica called it. It was worse than his fathering voice. "Are you coming with us Nicky or do you have somewhere else to be?"

"I promised my parents that I'd return after I found out what Laura was having." Nicole answered.

"It's fine." Maxwell said before looking at Laura. "By the way, congratulations. You were thirty-three percent correct."

Laura only smiled. Jayden's dad had become one of her best friends, despite him treating her more like a cross between daughter, student, and employee. She knew that there were several boundaries that she could not cross, much like the private ones Danica had, but she did not mind. She still had barriers that Jayden had not tore down yet, so she understood completely. Besides, out of all the McDuelle family outside of Jayden and Danica, he had accepted her into their home the most. And if she ever needed him, she had five contact numbers to reach him by.

* * *

Ashton sighed heavily as Vanessa scanned his face. Gabrielle had dragged him to his girlfriend's apartment to tell her about what happened between him and Steven.

"You have to go to your parents." Vanessa said.

"I'm not going to my parents. We're brothers. Fighting is what we do." Ashton said. "I'm sure you and James have gotten into it when you were younger."

Vanessa shook her head. "Never."

"Never?" Ashton questioned.

"You know, ever with an "N" in front of it." Vanessa responded. "The _only_ time that we've really been on separate sides is when I wanted to date Jacob and he eventually caved in. So I've never gotten into a fight with my brother."

"Oh…" Ashton said as Vanessa rose from the couch, leaving Ashton and Gabrielle on it.

"Let me go get my shoes." Vanessa said walking away.

"You know… Nate and I really don't fight either." Gabrielle said quietly. "He calls me 'Squirt' but that's about it."

"Well I don't have Nate for a brother." Ashton said. "And I'm glad."

Gabrielle sighed. "Okay Ashton."

Vanessa returned. "Okay, let's go. I hope that scar doesn't show tomorrow when we go to Wasaga."

"Let's just go." Ashton said standing up. "And can we please drop this?"

Vanessa looked at Gabrielle before speaking.

"Ashton, we care about you. We don't want you to be Steven's punching bag." Vanessa said. "We're going to help you, whether you want us to or not. Because that's what friends and your girlfriend does."

Ashton nodded. But as he nodded, he had conflicted feelings. Not about them promising him to help him. He knew that they would. But he felt conflicted about the statement. He had broken up with Gabrielle, yet she still acted like his girlfriend. And he liked her watching over him for some reason.

"Ready?" Vanessa asked.

Ashton could only nod again. He now knew his latest reason of hating Dustin Hayes and she was staring him in the face.

* * *

Nicole hummed happily as she walked to answer the door. Her parents had stepped out for a brief moment and she was stuck watching her brother. She did not mind, seeing as Jacquelyn was supposed to stop by soon and the two were going to hangout at Nicole's house.

Opening the door, she frowned when she saw Ethan.

"Ethan? What are you doing here?" she asked.

The boy shrugged. "Bored I guess." Nicole frowned. "Nate's out with Stephanie, Scooter's out with Jackie, Torrie's in New York, and Laura's pregnant."

"Oh yeah…" Nicole said. "Um… Did you want to come in or something?"

"Are your parents okay with that?" Ethan asked.

"They're not here. I'm watching my brother." Nicole said stepping aside. "Come on in."

Ethan slowly stepped inside, his eyes wandering around the home.

"Have a seat." Nicole said. Ethan sat on the couch before looking up at Nicole's grinning face. "Well this is odd. You're the last person I thought would come to my doorstep. But I guess I can't complain. Harry and I were bored too…"

"Things at the ravine have been different lately. It's not the same anymore." Ethan stated. "I guess it started when you left."

Nicole frowned. "It did?"

Ethan nodded. "Yeah… Nate stopped wanting to do anything. Laura started disappearing right and left. Hell, even-"

"Language." Nicole said.

"_Heck_, even Torrie was different." Ethan restated. Nicole gave him a small nod of approval before sitting beside him on the couch. "Kind of missed the old gang, you know?"

"I…" Nicole paused. "I can't go back there Ethan. It's not that I don't want to, because I like to have fun, but I don't want _that_ kind of fun." Ethan nodded. "But…"

"But…?" Ethan repeated.

"Maybe we could all go back there for like one big party. Even Mamba won't fight anyone!" Nicole said optimistically, though both teen knew that the always angry Mamba would probably start a fight with someone. "Well, everyone except Laura because she's pregnant and all."

"That might be something worth seeing." Ethan stated.

"Question," Nicole said. "How did you know where I lived?"

"Oh, I passed Deanna and Mercedes on the way here." Ethan explained. Nicole's curious frown only deepened. "Obviously, Mercedes knew where you lived and here I am."

"Oh… Well, okay…" Nicole said, a bit unsure about how Mercedes got the information. "Well, since you're here, get ready for some Super Mario Party action!"

Ethan frowned. "You're kidding."

"You're bored, I'm bored, and Harry's bored. We can't smoke, we can't drink, and we can't throw a wild party in my house. Best solution I promise." Nicole said standing up. "And when Jackie gets here, we can do teams!"

Ethan could only nod. He had always adored Nicole's smile. There was just something about it that made him feel… Happy. Nathan was an idiot and Shane was a lucky guy.

Too bad neither of them were here.

"Sure, let's play." Ethan said as Nicole left the room.

Ethan smiled. He would have to thank Mercedes later.

* * *

Well into the evening in Vancouver, Jayden smiled happily with his other band members, having past the first round. Half of the contestants were gone already and he was starting to fill the pressure of the contest as front man and leading vocalist.

"Way to go! I knew you guys wouldn't mess up!" Ellie said happily.

"Yeah, well my throat is a little scratchy, so I'm going to head off to bed." Jayden said. Shane and Dakota gasped. "Oh screw you both, okay? I didn't see either of you hit that stupid note. And the next time we do a love ballad, _Bleeding Love_ is not an option. Don't know how that woman did that."

"No more high-pitch notes. We got it." Shane said. "Still man, it's kind of early for you to be calling it a day."

Jayden sighed. "Alright. But I warn you, if I miss a note tomorrow it's your fault."

"Alright!" Shane said.

There was a knock on the door to Dakota and Jayden's room. Dakota moved to open it, surprise to see Emmanuel. His band had made it as well and she was slightly confused as to why he was there.

"Um, I came by to say congratulations." Emmanuel said.

"Oh… Thanks." Dakota said. "You guys did good too."

Emmanuel rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, well, I don't think none of us could pull a Leona Lewis song like that… The notes and drumming was probably better than the original."

"Thank you." Dakota replied. "So…"

"Yeah. Uh, I'll catch you tomorrow. Breakfast?" Emmanuel suggested. Dakota nodded. "Good. It's a date. I mean, not a date but… Yeah, you get it right?"

"S-sure." Dakota sad. "Bye."

Dakota closed the door and took in a deep breath before she turned around to see her band members and mother staring at her.

"Listen here," Jayden said. "I don't want you running off with some guy you just met. Make sure you have your cell phone on you at all times and be back before it's dark."

Dakota smiled. "Jay, two dads are enough for me."

"I'm being a pushy brother." Jayden responded. "Remember, he can be your little boy toy at night, but he's a competitor in this thing by day."

"So who is he?" Ellie asked.

"Um… Just a guy… In a band…" Dakota responded quietly.

Shane snorted. "I'm a guy in a band. You got to be a little bit more specific."

"Shut up Shane." Dakota replied.

Jayden smirked. "Lay off Shane. Talking about her crushes will only backfire." Dakota turned away, though her blush was pretty evidence. "I say we go celebrate our victory and Dash's new crush!"

Shane and Jacob looked at one another before nodding.

"I hate you guys." Dakota said with a smile.

* * *

Deanna had never spent the night outside of one of her stepfather's homes in her life, so lying on the floor while watching movies with Kelly was new to her. Still, after the day she had with Mercedes, it was well worth it. Even if Jordan was eating most of the popcorn.

"So, your dad and Jane hasn't come back yet." Deanna stated.

"I know." Kelly replied. "I wonder what they're doing."

Deanna shrugged. "Each other maybe?"

"Ew." Jordan said. "Do we have to talk about that?"

"No. We can talk about how Mom screwed Sean to have you instead." Kelly shot back. "But we're not. And I do hope that something happens between them. Not necessarily sex but…"

The sound of a car pulling up shushed the three girls. They heard a car door open, a few words, silence, a giggle, the sound of a door shutting followed by the car pulling off.

"Limo must've dropped him off first." Deanna stated.

Gavin entered the house with Jane coming behind him. The three girls stared at the two adults before Gavin cleared his throat.

"Well… I didn't expect you three to be awake." Gavin said.

"It's a sleepover Dad. We're supposed to stay awake." Kelly replied. "Do you need the couch again since Jane's staying over?"

Jane laughed a bit. "This is so awkward…"

"You know," Gavin said moving through the living room, careful not to step on the bowl of popcorn or the three teenage girls. "I think we'll manage."

"Right. Goodnight girls." Jane said moving behind him.

"Night." the three girls replied as the two adults disappeared down the hall for Gavin's room.

Deanna clicked her tongue. "Someone's getting laid tonight."

"That's gross." Jordan said.

"Oh be quiet. It's nature." Kelly said before sighing and leaning against Deanna. "We're geniuses, you know? It's amazing that we're still single."

"Yes. Truly amazing." Deanna replied. "Now, let's watch the movie."

"Sure thing." Kelly responded, now moving away from Deanna.

Jordan smiled a bit. "It's kind of funny that I'm the only one with a boyfriend, huh?" Deanna and Kelly glared at the younger girl. "My bad."

Deanna turned her eyes to the screen. Unlike her friend to the left of her, Deanna knew who she wanted to date. She had her eyes set on him and was waiting patiently for the opportunity to present itself. And while she does not condone Mercedes telling Ethan where Nicole lived, she later coerced herself to believing that she had to do whatever it took to get the guy she wanted. Even if she felt bad on how she did it.

Deanna grunted quietly. She never felt bad about doing something, so why now? Could it be that Kelly has become such a great friend to her? Could it be that her crush for Shane actually trumped her natural manipulative behavior? Or was it something bigger than the two combined? Either way, she would know soon or else her name was now Deanna Noelle Fitzgerald.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **I bet you didn't see that one coming, huh? More surprises to come, I promise, as well as a few MiTunes and Webisodes that shows the canon characters not shown yet. Till next time.


	85. Webisode: MiTunes: Chandra

**Author's Note: **Here is Chandra's MiTunes episode. It was supposed to be updated yesterday but some last minute Thanksgiving shopping had me post it today. Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving! (Belated Thanksgiving for Canadians!).

* * *

**MiTunes: Chandra**

Song: Complicated  
Artist: Avril Lavigne

Chandra would never say it aloud, but she _loved_ the real Aaron. Of course, he was really conservative and the only time she saw him for who he is was when they were alone.

_Uh huh, life's like this  
Uh huh, uh huh, that's the way it is  
Cause life's like this  
Uh huh, uh huh that's the way it is_

She made her way to the entertainment room where Danica was listening to some music icon named Avril Lavigne. Chandra really did not pay attention to the song as she sat on the couch and waited for her boyfriend, eyes closing since she had very little sleep last night. Of course, he was currently arguing with his older brother and their younger twins. And as another crazy day in the McDuelle household began, Chandra could only smile.

_Chill out , what you yellin' for?  
Lay back, it's all been done before__  
__And if you could only let it be, you will see_

Aaron came into the room, already tired with his younger twin sisters and his older brother. Chandra only gave him a smile to withhold her laughter. She thought it was kind of cute to see the ever-so calm and compose frustrated by a pair of five-year-olds and a few words from his brother.

_I like you the way you are  
When we're drivin' in your car__  
__And you're talking to me one on one but you've become_

"So what do you want to do?" Aaron asked.

Chandra shrugged. "Just hang out here."

He nodded. Chandra knew he understood her, more than people really knew. Yet, it always got to her when the _real_ Aaron J. McDuelle would disappear and the more-known Aaron J. Santos would appear in front of everyone outside of the house.

_Somebody else round everyone else  
You're watching your back like you can't relax__  
__You're tryin' to be cool you look like a fool to me  
Tell me_

Since Jordan revealed his secret to the school, Aaron has not stopped looking over his shoulder when they walked in school. He was very careful with the words he said when others were around and very composed. It somehow angered her sometimes, because she knew that Aaron loved doing exciting things outside of school. He had surprised her on _multiple_ occasions in such a little time.

And she got to know all of this because he was her boyfriend.

_Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?  
I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated  
Life's like this you  
You fall and you crawl and you break  
And you take what you get and you turn it into honesty  
And promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it  
No, no, no_

He sat beside her now, talking to his older sister. He was so different at home that it confused and angered her. He was such a great guy and she wished that everyone could see him like this. But… Every time he took a step outside of this house, he was someone else. He was quieter and more observant. But in his house, he was relaxed and more of a go-with-the-flow kind of guy. He even cracked jokes at home to make her laugh.

Boy, Jordan was an idiot for letting him go.

_You come over unannounced  
Dressed up like you're something else__  
__Where you are and where it's at you see  
You're making me_

Chandra never announced when she came over. Sure, she would call and say she was boring, but she never bluntly said that she would be there. She just showed up. And his parents let her in and Danica, when she was there, talked to her as did Jayden. And as Aaron moved to help Jayden do something, Danica called Chandra over to the computer to see an old Halloween picture of Aaron.

_Laugh out when you strike your pose  
Take off all your preppy clothes__  
__You know you're not fooling anyone  
When you've become_

Chandra laughed seeing Aaron in a Superman costume. He looked to be around five, maybe six, and he smiled proudly with his chest poked out. Mentally, it hurt her to know that he only had this kind of fun out of school. Why? She would never know. Maybe, she figured, A.J Santos was more than an identity and a split persona. That A.J Santos was more professional and punctuate while Aaron J. McDuelle was the real deal. It was weird, but somehow it felt like she was dating two people.

_Somebody else round everyone else  
Watching your back, like you can't relax__  
__Trying to be cool you look like a fool to me  
Tell me_

Then her mind wondered who she asked to date her. She loved being with the real guy, seeing as he was fun and loving and an all around great guy. But she was so used to saying A.J Santos that the new, or old, Aaron was foreign to her. She was used to him being quiet and considerate and helpful. She questioned that if Jordan had not done what she did, would Aaron have showed this side of him to his girlfriend?

_Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?  
I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated  
But life's like this you  
You fall and you crawl and you break  
And you take what and you get and you turn it into  
Honesty  
Promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it  
_

_No, no, no (No, no, no)  
No, no, no (No, no, no)_

Aaron came into the room to see what his sister and girlfriend were laughing about. Chandra saw that he was about to ask why Danica was showing more embarrassing photos of him and she prepared for her retort.

_Chill out , what you yellin' for?  
Lay back, it's all been done before__  
__And if you could only let it be, you will see_

Strangely, he just laughed at the photo bringing Chandra back to her earlier frustration. He was literally…

_Somebody else round everyone else  
Watching your back, like you can't relax__  
__Trying to be cool you look like a fool to me  
Tell me_

_Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?  
I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated  
But life's like this you  
You fall and you crawl and you break  
And you take what and you get and you turn it into  
Honesty  
Promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it  
No, no…_

It shocked her to no end. How she thought she knew him so well. And yet he changed up on her every single day. He was calm and then he was outgoing. He was always considerate, but sometimes he went from comforting to making jokes to make her laugh. He could walk closed to her in school but she always initiated the kiss, while he has held her several of times inside of his home and has even kissed her on the cheek, neck, and lips without having her say anything.

Why was her ultimate romantic so confusing?

_Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated? (Yeah, yeah)  
I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated  
But life's like this you  
You fall and you crawl and you break  
And you take what and you get and you turn it into  
Honesty  
Promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it  
No, no, no_

Chandra only sighed as she leaned back to him. No matter how confusing he was, he was her rock right now. Even if she did not know which persona he was at the moment, she loved to feel his arms around her and she momentarily closed her eyes.

"I love you A.J…" she said before she felt someone tugging her. Opening her eyes, she found out that she was in the McDuelle entertainment room, Danica staring at her in confusion while Aaron was tapping her. "Did I…?"

"Fall asleep? Yeah." Aaron said with a smile. "Glad to see you're sleeping though."

"Did you hear….?" Chandra paused when Aaron _and_ Danica nodded. She covered her face in embarrassment. "Oh my God!"

"Don't worry. I love you too Bambi." Aaron replied.


	86. S3 Episode XVII: If She Wants Me Pt I

******Author's Note: **Sigh, this has to be the longest chapter up to date. At the same time, it marks the last of seven episodes before the Day the Music Died. Really pumped for that. And if you are just as excited as I am, then you will love to know that the first trailer/sneak peek will be out Saturday! Now, read and enjoy!

* * *

**Episode XVII: If She Wants Me Pt. I**

Not hearing from Laura all week has been bugging him all week. Fortunately his performances have not been affected by that.

Yet.

After rinsing the toothpaste out of his mouth and spitting into the sink, Jayden sighed heavily. It was only six in the morning, but he and his band had to make a change in plans and do it quickly. There were only four bands left, his, Emmanuel's band Venom, DeWayne's band Alternate Zero, and another band from Texas. Today was the last day of the competition. Someone was going to win today one way or another.

Leaving the bathroom, Jayden scanned the room to see Dakota sitting on the edge of her bed, staring at a text. He stared at her for a while, reading her body language. It was not Laura or else she would have sent a reply by now. Her mother hardly text and Kelly was probably trying to hook her dad up with Jane.

"Emmanuel?" Dakota literally jumped up from the bed, a smile playing on Jayden's face. "You're too cute Dash, I tell you."

"I didn't hear you come out." Dakota said. "You should warn me."

"Is it him?" Jayden responded. Dakota nodded. "Seriously Dash, if you fell any harder for him, you would've broken your back or something."

"Hilarious." Dakota said dryly. "And I did not 'fall for him' like you say. I just admire his music."

"So," Jayden said. "You're saying you admire a guy in a band from California? Because if you are, then it should be you carrying my child and not Laura." Dakota rolled her eyes. "Oh don't give me that. You like him."

"And?" Dakota asked. "Why is it that you are making such a big deal about it?"

Jayden raised a brow. "Ever occur to you that I'm an overbearing brother?" Dakota nodded. "That answer your question?"

"He's a good guy. He's nice and sweet. And my parents like him." Dakota stated. "Plus, he's kind of cute."

Jayden chuckled. "I thought I'd never see the day that the stubborn Dakota Nash sprung over a guy she has not known for more than a few days." Dakota smiled. "But hey, if you wish it, I shall grant it."

"Thanks Jay." Dakota said. "I just don't know… I mean, he's going back to California today and-"

"Look," Jayden said interrupting Dakota. "I don't do long distance because I know just what trouble I will get into. But if anyone has the patience to wait, it's you Dash. So if you really, and I do mean _really_, want it, then go for it." Jayden then smiled. "And if he says no, we won't have to worry about his band next year because I'd use their limbs to beat him."

Dakota smiled. "Thanks bro."

"Any-" Jayden was interrupted by his cell phone ringing. "Time." Getting his phone, he answered it. "Hello?"

"You are up. Wow, I owe Helen five dollars." Scarlett said.

"Red? What are you doing calling me at six in the morning?" Jayden asked.

"It's nine here." Scarlett replied. "And besides, I just called to wish you luck. Torrie was watching your performance from yesterday, but I missed it. Said you did good."

"Oh. Well thanks." Jayden stated. "You and Helen patch things up I see. More than you did when we left."

Scarlett sighed. "Yeah… We're going to be back in Toronto tomorrow morning though. So I probably want speak to you again until then."

"Fine by me. I'm actually waiting on a call from my girlfriend who has been giving me an eerie silent treatment for days now." Jayden stated. "If I could fly down there and then back here in time for the contest, I would."

"Well, that's Laura for you. Always does what she wants. Deal with it J.T." Scarlett said. "But I'll let you check in on her. Helen says to break a leg in the literal and non-literal way, Torrie says hi, and I'm saying good luck J.T. Though, with the competition you have, I doubt you'll need it."

Jayden smiled. "Thanks Scarlett. I actually need it thought."

"Tell the others I said hi! Bye-bye!" Scarlett said before hanging up.

Jayden ended his session and looked at Dakota's confused face.

"Hey, if I knew what she thought all the time, I'd understand her need for changing her room around _every other day_." he responded before his phone rang again. "Seriously, does everyone call me in the morning?" He looked at the ID and smiled. "Hey beautiful. I thought you forgot about me."

Laura sighed. "Jayden, I have some good news. And then some not so good news."

"Is it the baby?" Jayden asked as he sat on his bed, Dakota moving to sit beside him.

"Yeah, about that," Laura began. "I don't think you have to worry about who was right or wrong."

"Say that again?" Jayden replied putting her on speaker.

"I said don't worry about who was right or wrong." Laura said again. Jayden and Dakota looked at one another, knowing that Jayden betted on boy and Dakota betted on girl. "The thing is…"

"Laura, if you're having a hard time telling me that, tell me how you did on your exam." Jayden said.

"Oh, accepted." Laura said without the slightest trouble. "But… About the kid… It's a boy."

"I knew it!" Jayden said happily. "In your-"

"And a girl…" Laura continued.

Jayden's smile slowly dropped. "You're kidding me, right?"

"And another boy." Laura finished. "Jay… We're having triplets."

Jayden sat quietly for a moment, Dakota resting a hand on his shoulder. He then began to chuckle until it grew into a full laughter.

"This is great." Jayden laughed.

"How the hell is it great asshole?" Laura asked.

"You get what you want, I get what I want, and there's something extra there. Kind of like the highlight of our life together." Jayden said. "You love me. I love you. And sex is an extra."

"Well, it's an extra we could've done without because I'm starving and I don't know which one of them to blame." Laura said.

Jayden smiled. "Not very motherly of you to blame the kids for your hunger." Jayden heard her scoff. He could tell that she probably rolled her eyes with that. "So, how'd you're parents take it? I'm sure my dad will talk to me as soon as I get back."

"They took it well. Better than I expected, that's for sure." Laura answered. "How are you doing?"

"Honestly, I'm scared." Jayden announced. "I'm afraid of being a father, especially to a daughter, and now I have that and two sons."

"I'm sorry." Laura said quietly.

Jayden grinned. "I'm not blaming you, I'm thanking you."

"Stop saying that, okay? Just… Just tell me how you really feel about the whole thing before I start to believe you." Laura replied.

"Laura… I love you and I'll love anything you give me, three kids or ten." Jayden said calmly. "I'm not just saying things that you want to hear, I'm saying how I feel. Besides, if I had to choose between watching three kids or watching Dash send racy photos of herself to some guy-"

"I am _not_ sending him racy photos!" Dakota called.

"All I'm saying is," Jayden said with a smile. "I'm happy that out of all of my girlfriends, it's you that's pregnant. And you were even so gracious to give me a son and a daughter. Well.. Actually…"

"Actually what?" Laura asked.

"You were so _stupid_ to bet against me with what you were carrying and if my math is correct, I'm _twice_ as right as you are." Jayden said.

"…" There was a moment of silence and Jayden smiled, knowing she was thinking of a comeback. "Well, if our daughter comes out first, then I'm still right and the first child is a girl! So ha dumbass!"

"Mathematically speaking," Jayden responded. "You have a thirty three percent chance of calling that right while I have a sixty-seven percent. And since I've beaten you in almost every gambling game out there, I can safely assure you that your chances, whether playing smart or taking a risk, are small. So take that, smartass."

"You know," Laura said. "For some reason, I love it when we argue."

Jayden laughed. "Giving up so soon? I had at least two comebacks left." He heard his girlfriend giggle. "So what are you doing for the rest of the day?"

"I'm at my mom's, shockingly. I had to hide from Nicky who went baby-shower crazy on me." Laura explained. "I guess I'll just wait until I get to see you perform one last time and win."

"I'll do my best."Jayden said. "See you when I do."

"Yeah… I love you Jay." Laura said.

Jayden smiled. "I love you too." Laura soon hung up and Jayden ended the call, looking at Dakota's smiling face. "What are you smiling at Dash?"

"Just picturing your wedding." Dakota replied.

"You know Dash, I like the quiet you that everyone else sees." Jayden said with a smile.

"You know what they say about payback…" Dakota said.

Jayden only smiled as Dakota leaned into him. He was not lying when he said that he was afraid, but he knew that his parents would not let but so much happen without stepping in. Plus, he had great support from his friends.

And oddly, Scarlett seemed to be at the top of his list.

* * *

Aaron yawned as he tied his shoes. His eyes then trailed up at Chandra, she fairing no better than he was despite sporting a smile. Last night was the first night in weeks that Chandra has had a nightmare and she and Aaron spent most of the night and early parts of the morning talking on the phone.

"Wasaga Beach is going to be great." Chandra said. "It's a good thing we're going today. I hear my uncle is bringing his kids to my house and I do not want to be bothered by his kids."

Aaron nodded. "I'm sure… So how much did you sleep after we got off the phone?"

"Good." Chandra said with a smile. "Thanks for talking with me."

"No problem." Aaron said as he rose from his bed. "So are we meeting Ashton up at his house or what?"

"Actually, they were going to come here and get us." Chandra explained. "I talked to Vanessa yesterday afternoon and got the plans and stuff." Chandra then sighed. "Ashton was really annoyed that Dustin _and_ Jordan were coming. I just hope nothing bad happens like me throwing her out of a moving car."

Aaron smiled. "Bambi, you can't do that. You'd go to jail."

"I know, I know. It's just that… I don't know. Jordan just gets under my skin." Chandra said.

"Mine too, but I don't throw her out of moving vehicles." Aaron replied. "Besides, I don't think she'll be that bad today."

Chandra sighed. "I hope not."

"Hey, A.J," Maxwell said looking into his son's room. "Remember not to stay out there too long. I need you home today before eight."

Aaron nodded. "Yes sir." Maxwell gave him a nod and walked away. "I really wish Jayden still lived with us."

"We should go wait for them." Chandra said.

"Sure." Aaron replied. "Hey Bambi," Chandra raised her brows. "You won't start something with Jordan for the fun of it, will you? You know, like you how 'accidentally' ended up hugging me all ride long on Valentine's Day."

Chandra smiled. "You're way smarter than Steven."

Aaron only smiled. He knew Chandra was not going to listen to him, but figured he was not going to complain about it. If Jordan was going to flaunt what she had, why should he stop Chandra from doing the same thing?

* * *

"I'll be back in a few days." Kelly paused before stepping into the kitchen, hearing Jane's voice. "Yeah, yeah, I understand. Alright, bye."

Kelly took that as a sign to move into the kitchen.

"Morning Jane." Kelly said, already used to the woman in her home.

"Oh, morning Kelly. I didn't hear you get up." Jane replied. Kelly was not in the mood to make breakfast, mainly because she admits to not being able to cook as well as her dad and brother, so she settled with a bowl of cereal. "Your dad still asleep?"

"Yeah…" Kelly answered. "So, um, you're leaving for L.A soon?"

Jane smiled sadly. "Didn't expect me to stay forever, did you?"

"Kind of wished that you did." Kelly said. "You make Dad happy and I like to see him like that."

"Isn't it weird that another woman is in your life?" Jane questioned.

"I just met my birth mom for the first time in my life in January and before that, I met my godmother for the first time a few years ago. I adapt quickly." Kelly said. "And I don't want him to be hurt with the thought that you're never coming back."

Jane sighed. "Kelly, you're a smart girl. Please understand that I have a life in Los Angeles. And I _want_ Spin a part of that life but he's got a life up here in Toronto. I can't take him away from it."

"Move up here with us." Kelly said. "I'm sure you can find a job and my mom shouldn't care since she's remarried. It'll be fun."

"Life isn't always fun Kelly. Even if it looks like we'll have a-"

"Jane, I'm not stupid. I know that everyone goes through problems." Kelly interrupted. "But my dad loves you and I know that he'd rather have problems with you than without you."

Jane's response never came out of her mouth as Gavin came into the kitchen. He looked at his daughter and then at Jane.

"You two talking about me?" he asked.

Jane looked at Kelly who only smiled.

"Guilty Dad." Kelly said. "Remember, I'm going to go out with Nicky today. Got to check in on Laura for Jay and then I'm going to rendezvous with Miss Fitzgerald. She says she had some sort of brilliant idea so I have to go see what it is."

"Okay." Gavin replied. "Remember to check in with your brother though. It's his last day and we have to support him anyway we can."

"Sure Dad. We'll _always_ be there for him." Kelly said glancing at Jane.

Jane only smiled to hide her true reaction. Kelly was going to play at her guilt until she caved in. Thankfully Gavin did not catch on or else this would be one long day.

"So, who wants breakfast?" Gavin asked as his arms went around Jane's waist.

Jane looked at Kelly who gave her a knowing stare.

Yes. Today would be a long day indeed.

* * *

James laughed with Amber as the couple sat in her bedroom, Simon leaning against her closed door.

"Those were some good times." James said. "But I'm over that stuff."

"Yep. He only has eyes for me only." Amber responded with a smile.

Simon looked at the pair on the bed, Amber lying against her headboard while James sat on the edge of the bed. Simon knew James from years ago. He was a good guy for the majority of the time, but there were moments where James's knack for finding the wrong attention hurt Amber. Simon did not want that for his sister though he strongly doubted that James had changed that much.

"Amber! Come here for a second!" Hazel called.

Amber sighed as she walked for her door.

"I'll be back." Amber said as Simon moved to allow his sister to leave the room.

Once Amber left, James turned to stare at the dresser. He was getting a strange vibe from Simon, but said nothing while Amber was here. Amber adored her older brother and James did not want to start anything with him with her there.

"So… You did date Mary-Jane after all." Simon said. "I knew you would."

"You mean after she got off over her crush on you?" James said in an attempt to make a joke.

"You really like my sister?" Simon asked. James nodded. "And I mean do you _love_ her."

"Love her? I guess." James said.

"I don't need you to guess. I need you to know." Simon replied. "Guys like you shouldn't even be around my sister."

"Guys like me?" James retorted. "I do remember you dating a few girls yourself back in Degrassi so-"

"None of them were my sister. Get that through your head." Simon told James. "If you can't love my sister, then you shouldn't be around her. It's just that simple Junior."

"Look man, I'm with your sister now so get used to it." James said. "Besides, I don't have to necessarily love her. I mean, I like her a lot, but love…? That's asking-"

"What? Too afraid that someone's going to come along and be more attractive than she is?" Simon interrupted.

James frowned. "You calling me shallow?"

"Junior, we've been through this before, haven't we? I know your game because _I_ played it first, alright? I realize my mistakes and now my job is to make sure that guys like you and Steven don't take advantage of my sister." Simon said.

"I'm not going to take advantage of her." James said.

"You mean, 'again' right?" Simon replied.

"Look man, I like your sister a lot, okay? Maybe somewhere down the line I can say that I love her, but not now." James stated. "I don't know what the future looks like and I'm not going to be like you and waste my time now trying to see it."

Simon's eyes narrowed. "Then you're going to hate it when I tell you that she loves you and I don't necessarily like that this 'relationship' seems to be a one-sided on her part."

James took a moment to think. Amber loved him? Even after all he has done this year and previous years? No. That could not be right. Sure, Amber has joked about them being married, but she could not be serious, could she?

"I could hear you two all the way down the hall." Amber said coming into the room. "What were you two talking about?"

Neither brother nor boyfriend answered her, prompting Amber to glare at them both. James then rose from his seat.

"I'll talk to you later, okay?" James said.

"Wait, what's going on here?" Amber asked, now looking solely at Simon.

"It's nothing." James said giving Amber a small kiss on the cheek. "I just have to go."

Amber hardly paid him any attention as James left her room. She knew her brother was up to something and waited for him to explain himself. And after a moment of silence, Simon just sighed.

"He doesn't love you Amber." Simon said.

"Love me? How do you know? And why did this-"

"He doesn't believe that you love him." Simon interrupted.

Amber's eyes narrowed. "You told him? Simon, I told you that in confidence! Why'd you go telling him that?"

"Amber, you're my little sister. My only sibling. I'm going to look after you-"

"You're doing more harm than good!" Amber shouted throwing her arms in the air for emphasis.

"Amber, I just got out of a serious relationship, okay? I know where this is going." Simon said. Amber frowned and crossed her arms. "Listen, one-sided relationships aren't what you think. And you faking like you just like him… I know it hurts you. So don't think that I'm just hurting you."

"Just… Just stay out of it for now on." Amber said angrily. "Don't help. Don't aid. Don't look out for me."

"Why?" Simon asked in shock.

"Because you've never liked him, Marc, or Steven!" Amber yelled. "You hardly stand Mary-Jane! And I had no problems with your friends who are now either jailed or dead!"

Simon stood silently. His high school friends included a number of gang members, drug sellers/doers, and all sorts of bad influences. Surprisingly, he had gotten a break and landed in college and Amber seemed to have not picked up on any of their habits.

"Get out." Amber said holding her door open.

Simon moved to leave before he paused and looked at Amber.

"Talk to him Amber. You'll see that I'm right." Simon said.

Amber only pointed out of her room. As soon as her brother stepped pass threshold, she slammed the door, not caring if it him the back of him or not. Inhaling deeply, she moved for her cell phone.

Only Mary-Jane could help her now.

* * *

Nicole shivered. It was not the early morning chill that was still in the air, because she had gotten used to that a long time ago. But it was because of where she was going again; the ravine. She had told herself over and over that she was not going to drink or smoke anything, but every step she took behind Ethan made her doubt those words.

Nicole's cell phone rang.

"Hello?" the blonde answered.

"Nicky! Where are you?" It was Kelly. "I'm at your house and your mom says that you stepped out with a friend?"

"Oh, yeah. My friend Ethan came by and I'm going to see what he wants." Nicole said, mentally cursing her luck. "Um… We're going to meet up with Jackie soon. She has a show coming up."

"Oh. Alright." Kelly said, causing Nicole to sigh in relief. "Well, stop by later tonight, okay? I have some problems."

"Shane?" Nicole asked worriedly.

"No. Jane. She's leaving back to L.A and I have to find a way to keep her here as long as I can." Kelly explained.

"It won't take me long. I'll be there soon." Nicole stated.

"Actually… I'm heading to the Fitzgerald's house now. Deanna has this _amazing_ idea and I sort of owe her since she helped me with Jane." Kelly replied. "So just go over there, okay?"

"'kay. See you soon." Nicole said. Kelly replied positively and Nicole hung up. "Close call."

"His sister checks up on you too? Wow, when Nate said that he had you on lock, I didn't know it was that bad." Ethan said.

Nicole sighed. "He doesn't have me 'on lock' or anything. Kelly and I are friends and I was going to hang out with her earlier until you showed up." Ethan made an "O" with his lips. "So don't say I haven't done anything for you Ethan."

"Right. Like the time I let you get the last-"

"I don't do that anymore so just drop it." Nicole cut him off quickly.

"Hey, I'm not trying to make you into a worse person like Nate did, alright? I'm just saying that since you've left, you haven't been… You." Ethan said.

"Me? _Nicky_ didn't do drugs or drink or whore herself to a guy who didn't like her." Nicole said.

"True. But Nicky also likes to have a good time with her friends no matter who they are and what they do. You are the only person walking this planet who has been friends with Nathan, Laura, Torrie, myself, Jayden, Shane, and Shane's weird sister Kelly." Ethan pointed out.

"Hmm… I guess you're right." Nicole said, realizing that she had no real standards on her friends. From bossy and a little prissy like Helen and Scarlett, to not as classy and easygoing like Laura and Ethan, Nicole was friends with basically anyone. "I wonder why that is."

"Because you're a good person." Ethan replied. "People are lucky to have a friend like you."

"Thanks Ethan." Nicole said. "So, what else has happened since I left?"

* * *

Laura yawned as she opened the door, surprised to see the trio of girls behind the door; Kelly, Deanna, and Mercedes.

"The Freak, the Snob, and the Bitch. I should write a book." Laura stated.

"She's fine. Let's go." Mercedes said.

"Wait a minute," Kelly replied. "I promised Jayden that I'd make sure that she was completely okay. Cracking jokes is just her cover up, or so he says."

Laura sighed. "I'm starting to hate him talking to other people." Laura then glared at Kelly. "What the hell do you want? I'm hungry and pissed for no reason."

"What's new?" Mercedes muttered.

"I got a call from my fist. It says it wants another date with your face again." Laura retorted angrily.

"Like I'd let a fatass cow like you get lucky again." Mercedes said.

Laura growled before she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw her mother.

"This one's mine." Bianca said. Laura gave her mom a curious stare before stepping away. "So you're Mercedes huh? I guess Chantay's daughter got her mouth… Well, I'm Bianca, Laura's mother."

"Okay." Mercedes said.

"I just got out of jail not to long ago for beating the hell out of a little yappy bitch that reminds me a lot like you." Bianca replied before lifting her pants leg up to reveal a red mark around her ankle. "No more ankle bracelet for me, meaning I can go anywhere you'd try to hide."

"Why would I be afraid of some old lady like you?" Mercedes asked.

"You see her?" Bianca said pointing at Deanna. Mercedes nodded. "I knocked her stepdad out for banging on my door too early in the morning. One fist was all it took. Even gave Fitz a nice scar on his face. He'll never make another pass at me, sober or not, again." Deanna glared. No one harmed her dad. "By the way, how is Fitz? Last I heard he was down to his last year."

"He's doing fine." Deanna said, careful not to let her anger slip.

"You know what else I can do to you?" By now, Mercedes was actually reconsidering her thoughts. "I don't necessarily like talking to them, but my friend Ron runs a gang in my ex-boyfriend's place. He's kind of like Laura's godfather… Either way, let's just say I know where a certain body really is and if you don't lay off of my daughter, you'll be lying beside her."

Not only was Mercedes now questioning the woman's mentality, but now Deanna was thinking about leaving. Everyone knew that Laura was close to a lot of dealers and some local gang members, but Bianca's connections seemed to be on a whole new level.

"Worst of all," Bianca continued. "My daughter is carrying a McDuelle child."

"What's so great about that?" Mercedes asked. "All they are, are a bunch of rich-"

"You haven't noticed their mafia-like tendencies? You don't mess with the family. You don't self-incriminate. Defeat your opponents mentally, emotionally, and physically." Bianca stated. "Think about it. Is it a coincidence that they live next door to the governor of California and helped him achieve said goal? Is it a coincidence that they have connections in the law enforcement in the states? And have you ever wondered just how Danni can go from one place to another without any worries of cash flow?"

Now Kelly frowned. There were several of things that she did not know about Maxwell and Manny. Things that her mother kept pretty quiet about, and she was not talking about Aaron's real last name. And then there were Jayden's words. He has always said that his dad always had a way to make things right. Jayden's best friend was the son of a lawyer who became governor of California. Jayden's ex-girlfriend's dad- who was also Maxwell's best friend- owned a magazine company and had paparazzi at the whim of a call. He even owned nightclubs, one being in Toronto!

"You're making this up!" Mercedes proclaimed.

Bianca smiled. "Ever wonder what happened to that guy that was stalking Max's wife?"

"He got arrested." Deanna answered, hearing about this years ago.

"Hmm… He did, didn't he? By a family friend to the McDuelle family. Do you remember hearing about his court case?" Bianca questioned Deanna.

"…" Deanna thought long and hard before answering. "No…"

"There wasn't one. The guy just disappeared." Bianca said before shrugging. "All I'm saying is you have _my_ way of doing things and then _their _way. At least with my way, you can actually prove that I had something to do with it."

The three girls stood in question. There were rumors that there were little illegal activities amongst the McDuelles, but they were easily squashed by several press conferences and the actual release of their taxes. _However_, Bianca held a strong point. There was a guy that followed Manny, he got arrested, and then he just vanished. No court case. No settlement. Manny went on to make another movie like there was nothing else to worry about.

"So, are you three going to block fresh air from getting in or are you going to move?" Bianca asked.

"Um… We're going." Kelly said. "I'll tell Jay that you're doing fine Laura."

Laura nodded as the three moved away from her mother's doorway. Bianca smiled and closed the door, eying her daughter with a look of victory.

"That stuff about Jayden's parents…" Laura began.

"All true. Ask Ron when he stops by." Bianca said moving to the kitchen. "You hungry?" Laura nodded. "Normally I'd say lay off since you've eaten like three times already, but in your case, whatever works."

Laura only nodded. If what her mother said was true, then she was really going to love being around Jayden's family. Now she could piss off whoever she wanted to and never have to care about repercussions. She then remembered what her mother told her at the hospital and smiled.

She would get Jayden to marry her as soon as they graduated.

* * *

"I love the beach!" Vanessa said happily as she rode in the third row seats of the large SUV. "Thanks for taking us Mr. Isaacs."

"No problem." Toby said.

Aaron looked to his left to see Jordan twirling a piece of her hair around a finger, looking out of the window. He then glanced to his right in time to see Chandra lay her head on his shoulder. Her eyes was closed and her breathing was calm.

She had fallen asleep.

"Is she going to be alright?" Toby asked.

"She does this sort of thing all the time." Ashton replied. "And then she's twice as annoying when she gets up."

"I'm not completely asleep yet." Chandra said.

Aaron smiled at this and put a hand on Chandra's head. He knew she would be a bit cranky if she allowed Ashton to get to her, so he attempted to soothe her as best as he could.

"I really wish Ash would drop a stupid grudge." Toby told Ashton in a quiet tone.

Ashton shrugged. "Favoritism. What can you do?"

"Ashton, your parents love you just the same-"

"Seriously Uncle Toby, don't even lie like that." Ashton interrupted. "I mean, compared to his life, my life is perfect. I live with our parents, I've never been arrested, no drugs in my system, great friends, wonderful girlfriend, and excellent grades. Yet, somehow, I place second when compared to him."

"It's not a competition. Just… Just keep doing what you're doing. You'll see." Toby stated.

"How long until we get there?" Dustin asked.

"In a few more minutes. Thirty at tops." Toby answered. "Traffic is a little jammed today for some reason."

"Spring Break." Ashton said dryly.

"That could be it." Toby said with a grin.

Jordan looked at the others in the vehicle. Vanessa was listening to her iPod, one earphone in her left ear while the other was in Gabrielle's right ear. Dustin sat directly behind Jordan, probably talking to the two girls or himself, Jordan really did not know or care. Aaron sat directly beside Jordan, to her right, with Chandra leaning on his left shoulder. Jordan's lips momentarily curled into a sneer. This was just like Valentine's Day.

"Are you okay?" Aaron asked her.

Jordan blinked, somehow missing the fact that he was looking directly at her.

"Probably missing her 'famous than us' boyfriend." Dustin replied behind Jordan. "And he's probably thinking of Chandra, who's laying on you, which brings us back to a full circle."

"He's not thinking of her." Jordan argued. "And I'm fine."

"Hmm… Okay." Aaron said sliding closer towards Chandra.

Jordan felt her jealousy brewing, but kept it down. She agreed to go to this stupid little trip and she was going to enjoy herself. Plus, if she came home complaining, her mom would not be happy and Jordan did _not_ want to work with Aaron's father again. She has never been someone's slave before, but she had the thought that being a slave would be a _lot_ easier than working for Maxwell L. McDuelle for free.

"What time is it?" Chandra suddenly asked.

"Uh… Ten minutes to ten." Toby answered.

Chandra sighed. "Well, we can always try to catch the show on the radio. See how badly your brother beats the other bands."

Aaron smiled. "I'd like that."

Jordan now sneered visibly. Why couldn't she be happy like them?

* * *

Scarlett sighed heavily as she lied beside Helen in Helen's bed, Torrie lying on the opposite of Helen.

"Why aren't you single?" Scarlett asked Helen.

"Because I'm not." Helen replied.

"Why won't you have fun?" Torrie questioned.

"Because sleeping _is_ fun to me." Helen retorted before looking at her cousins. "What's your problems? If you want to go out there and find some Yankee doodle, go ahead."

Torrie giggled. "I wish I did have a Yankee doodle right now."

"You're such a whore." Helen remarked before looking at Scarlett. "And what's your problem?"

Scarlett shrugged. "I don't know. I just feel like if you're not going to come with me, what's the point?"

"Hey," Torrie said sitting up to look at Scarlett. "I hear that there was some problems between DeWayne and Mercedes. Any thoughts about that?"

"They deserve each other." Scarlett said quietly.

Helen frowned. "Wait a minute… You don't have a thing for him do you?" Scarlett shook her head. "Scar… Come on. The guy _cheated_ on you. More than once!"

"It's not even like that." Scarlett said.

Torrie smirked. "Do you _love_ him Scarlett? I won't tell anyone if you do."

"No!" Scarlett proclaimed before quieting down. "It's just that he…"

"Oh for the love of God. I know you're not still on that text and tiara." Helen said. Scarlett sighed. "Scar, he lied to you. He doesn't love you. He doesn't care for you. He's just waiting for you to open your legs so he can have one up on your neighbor."

"I think he does." Scarlett replied. "And, let's be honest, Tyler left Mary-Jane for you, right? Who's to say what DeWayne would or would not do for me."

"Attagirl! Hop back on the horse and ride again!" Torrie cheered.

"No. Don't listen to your slutty cousin." Helen replied. Torrie only rolled her eyes at Helen's statement. "You're doing this because Jayden told Laura that he loved her and you're jealous."

"No I'm not! I really think DeWayne loves me." Scarlett responded.

"Oh yeah? Then why is it that you didn't wish DeWayne good luck?" Helen questioned.

"Ooh. Got you on that one." Torrie said. "But, I believe that you can feel whatever for whoever no matter what they did. And I say that you going after DeWayne will get you a lot farther than you chasing Jayden like a lost puppy."

Helen frowned at Torrie. "How so?"

Torrie shrugged. "Only one has a baby mama."

"True…" Scarlett muttered.

"Plus," Torrie said. "If I remember correctly, Jayden got Laura and Dakota something for Christmas. What did he give the girl he 'supposedly' loves only behind Laura? A phone call."

"That's just being a gold-digger." Helen scoffed. "Why would he have to give her something? Right up until the dance, they were hardly speaking friendly with one another. And he got me nothing as well, and I'm fine by it."

"Helen, Helen, Helen," Torrie said shaking her head. "You miss the point. If Jayden had any intentions of dating Scarlett, wouldn't he butter her up first? Like when he sung that song for her when he was dating you?"

Helen glared at Torrie. "What're you playing at?"

"All I'm saying is leave him alone Scar. He's bad for you." Torrie said. "Now DeWayne, he's a bit of an ass, but so are all guys, right? You can deal with him. Hell, you could _live_ with him and never have to see his face. His house is huge!"

"You know what both of your problems are?" Helen said, anger dripping onto every word. "You're both little sluts with no apparent idea on what you're doing!"

"Excuse me?" Torrie said.

"Yeah, what's that supposed to mean?" Scarlett asked.

"Look at you." Helen said. "You're sitting here thinking of DeWayne just because you can't have Jayden. And you," Torrie raised her brows. "Let's be honest Torrie, you'd screw anything that fits." Torrie gave a small shrug. "Neither of you know what love is."

"Oh, and Miss Beat'em Up does?" Torrie retorted. "And I don't fuck everyone, okay? I haven't done Scooter for good reasons and I don't plan on it."

"And I don't want DeWayne just because I can't have J.T. That's absurd." Scarlett added.

"Oh yeah?" Helen said. "Fine then. Let's go out and see how many guys we can meet. Scarlett, you're not allowed to tell any of them no and Torrie you're not allowed to tell any of them yes."

"I'm not sleeping with anyone." Scarlett said with disgust. "I'm saving myself, unlike you two."

"Fine. I'll do it." Torrie said getting out of the bed. "But when I win this little bet of yours, and then take Jayden for myself, I won't you both to apologize to me."

"I don't lose bets." Helen said getting out of the bed. "Coming Scar? I could really use your humiliation since I can't go to sleep."

"No." Scarlett responded.

"Wow. What a quitter." Torrie muttered.

"I'm not going to stoop to your level for your enjoyment Helen." Scarlett said defiantly. "I said it once and I'll say it again. They aren't married yet. So I'll sit here and wait. You can go sell your cousin to some pimp or whatever, but I'm not going to do it."

Torrie frowned. "I thought you said you didn't love the guy?"

"I don't love DeWayne. And I never will." Scarlett said. "And I know he has some sort of feelings for me outside of the normal like and dislike. I'm not dumb Helen."

"Could've fooled us." Helen said with a shrug. "But hey, it's your life. I wouldn't want to intrude… Even if we are at _my_ house currently."

"Just go. I'll wait for J.T's performance." Scarlett said.

Helen smiled. "Now that's the stubborn cousin I love and hate."

Scarlett returned the smile as Helen walked out of the room, grabbing a pair of shoes as she did so. Torrie looked at Scarlett with a curious stare before her eyes narrowed in thought.

"So… You're going to take me up on that challenge?" Torrie asked.

"I'm not going to chase J.T anymore. I know that while he's with Laura, I'll only be a friend. I can live with that." Scarlett said. "I don't want to mess things up like I did with him and Helen or after Winter Break, so I'm going to let him come to me. Like always."

Torrie nodded. "I see. Good luck to you then."

"Why are you after him?" Scarlett asked, stopping Torrie from leaving the room.

"Hmm… That's a good question." Torrie said. "Then again, I do have eyes. And I've always had a competition with Laura. But there is one thing that I would love to gain out of this more than anything." Scarlett felt herself shiver as Torrie glared at her. "I want to prove to you and Helen that I'm better than both of you in everything."

"Why…?" Scarlett questioned.

Torrie scoffed. "You're kidding right? You two are the rich and fabulous Coyne Cousins and I'm just the older third wheel. For once, I will have the better things and you two will come to me for things."

"You know, you make jealousy an uglier thing." Scarlett stated.

Torrie smirked. "Say what you want. But I know one thing that I have over you that Jayden would just _love_."

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Scarlett asked.

"Experience." Torrie said moving towards the door. "I'll get him just like Laura did from you." Scarlett frowned. "Don't think too hard on that. See ya later!"

Scarlett sat on the bed with confusion and anger. Torrie really did not like Jayden. She just wanted with Helen and Scarlett have both regretted losing. Torrie was just jealous. It was Scarlett who actually cared for the guy.

Sighing, Scarlett laid her head on the pillow and got comfortable. At least he could never escape her dreams.

* * *

James was currently walking with Steven, not knowing where they were going.

"So, her brother got mad at you because you don't love Amber, even though you're treating her like royalty?" Steven said. "That's stupid."

"I know man." James replied. "And you know that Amber always sides with her brother on these things. So I just left before things got worse." Steven nodded. "Where are we going?"

"The ravine." Steven answered.

James stopped walking. "Are you getting more of those pills?" Steven shook his head. "Then why are we going there?"

"A different kind of medication." Steven explained. "Come on. Unless you're going to go back to Amber and face her, her brother, and probably her parents."

James realized that Steven held a strong point and followed him. Soon the two were at the ravine, Steven searching high and low for someone.

"Damn it Nate…" Steven muttered.

"So Nathan's your dealer. Good to know." James said.

Steven moved for a van, James behind him looking around.

"Could you stand out anymore?" Steven asked knocking on the door to the van. The door swung open to reveal Nicole. "Hi Steven! Hi James!"

James blinked. "Nicky…?"

"Where's Ethan or Nate?" Steven asked.

"Ethan's right here." Nicole said thumbing behind her. "We're playing Go Fish. Wanna join?"

"Joint. I would like a joint." Steven stated.

Nicole sighed. "Party pooper." James followed Steven into the van. "Ethan, Steven needs some weed. Pot head…"

"No more than you were." Steven said.

"Okay, what the hell is going on?" James asked.

Ethan frowned. "You don't get out much." Ethan then held out a small bag, Steven exchanging some bills for the bag. "Nice doing business with you."

"Mind if I smoke in here?" Steven asked, moving for the front seat of the van.

"Roll a window down or something." Ethan said shuffling the cards. "You in?"

James realized that Ethan was talking to him and shrugged. He figured that this was probably the best and most legal thing to do at a place like this. He got settled on the dirty fur carpet, Nicole sitting a few inches away from him with her legs folded up to her, her hair in her signature ponytails. James realized that she must have been enjoying herself as she just seemed to glow.

"That's the stuff." Steven said exhaling a puff of smoke out of the window. "Want some?"

"I got some extra." Ethan replied.

The door opened to reveal a boy James thought was too young for a place like this.

"Hey Vicky!" Nicole said.

The boy grunted and muttered something under his breath, obviously hating the feminine nickname.

"What do you want?" Ethan asked.

"Torrie said to make sure Jeff pays for Carla. You know how she complains about that." Victor Stone said.

Ethan frowned. "Do I look like her damn assistant?"

"Yes." Victor said. Ethan's eyes narrowed. "Hey, no need in getting mad at me. She told me to come here and tell you personally."

"I'll do it. Where are they?" Ethan asked.

Victor shrugged. "I've seen Carla, but she said she hasn't seen Jeff yet."

"Fine. Go." Ethan said.

"Bye Vicky." Nicole said.

"Bye." he said closing the door.

Nicole giggled. "He's so cute."

James could only blink in shock. His best friend was getting high in the front seat of some smelly van while he was in the back playing Go Fish with Nicole Campbell and some guy he had met a few seconds ago. A boy named Victor who was probably Vanessa's age, is running about making sure his sister's brothel ran smoothly while Ethan was his sister's, in lack of words, replacement pimp. And all of this because of Simon.

"Hey man," Ethan said gaining James's attention. "It's your go."

James looked at his cards and sighed. If he was going to be here, he might as well have some fun, right?

* * *

"That's costly, don't you think?" Kelly asked as she looked at the purple skirt on the rack.

Deanna frowned. "Is that a word in my vocabulary?" Kelly shook her head for no. "Didn't think so. But why can't we throw them a bash when they return home? They deserve it."

"Not that I'm against throwing my brother a surprise party or anything," Kelly said. "But didn't you guys have a party in January?"

"It's March. Roll with the schedule." Mercedes said. "_I_ think it's a perfect idea."

"Good." Deanna said before holding a polka-dotted dress up to Kelly. "This is something you'd like, right?"

Kelly examined the clothing before nodding. Mercedes made a sound to show her disgust, but Kelly ignored her.

"I've always wondered," Deanna said to Kelly. "How do you pull these looks off?"

"You think she does?" Mercedes asked.

"You have to have an artistic eye." Deanna told Mercedes bluntly. "Kelly's outfits shows her originality. But it also shows a bit of confidence and independence. Kind of like a pioneer for independent women just with colorful clothing."

Mercedes scoffed. "Yeah right."

"Again. You can't be artistically blind when looking at her or else you'll just be another shallow loser like the rest of them. Seriously Mercedes, get with it." Deanna said.

"I just do, I guess." Kelly said.

It was not everyday that someone complimented her on her clothing. In fact, this was the first time in a long time that someone outside of Dakota and Jayden has done that. It took her by surprised and she saw no deceit in Deanna's eyes.

"Ooh, look what I see." Mercedes said. Deanna looked at her friend, knowing gossip was soon to come. "Nathan Hogart and Stephanie Brown in the mall."

"I wonder what they're here for." Deanna said with curiosity.

"Let's go." Mercedes said walking through the clothing store to get towards the couple.

"Come on Kelly." Deanna said pulling Kelly behind her.

"…more ideas for you blogs." The trio heard Nathan say.

Stephanie laughed. "Right. I'll write a blog about how some woman took the last shirt in my size. That'll get the students fired up."

"It might." Nathan said.

"What might?" Deanna said to make her and her friends known, against Mercedes' wishes. "Hello Stephanie. You've kind of given us the slip lately and now I see why."

"Deanna. Mercedes." Stephanie greeted.

"What are you doing with them Kelly?" Nathan asked.

"Do I really have to explain myself to you?" Kelly questioned. She really was not mean to people, but Nathan, a guy who has been chasing after and harassing her for years, was an exception.

"So what were you talking about?" Mercedes said with a small smirk. "A blog?"

Stephanie frowned. "I don't know what you're talking about, but okay."

"Oh I think you do." Mercedes said. "Those blogs about the students? That was you, wasn't it?" Stephanie stood quiet, Nathan giving Mercedes a glare that dared her to make anything out of it. "Who knew you had a spine to actually say those things about Deanna."

Stephanie looked at the calculating girl known as Deanna Fitzgerald. Her hair was pulled back into a perfect ponytail, allowing her icy blue eyes to pierce through anything she focused on. And right now, Deanna was solely focused on Stephanie like a serpent ready to strike.

And then Kelly smiled. "So you're the author of those blogs? Man, you're really good."

"Good?" Deanna echoed.

"Yeah. I mean, I right for the Core and I wish I could rattle the city like she did _three_ _schools_ plus!" Kelly said. "That's pretty awesome."

"Yes, well, I was a target of one of those blogs." Deanna said. "By someone who was once my friend."

"Get over it." Nathan replied.

"Might I remind you that you can't watch over her in school?" Deanna said. Nathan grunted knowing that Deanna had a point, but Deanna then waved him off. "I'll take care of that."

"You'll what?" Mercedes asked in shock.

Stephanie was surprised too, but said nothing.

"It's water under the bridge. Besides, she's slightly right. I am single." Deanna said before glaring at Stephanie. "However, if it happens again, I'll make sure that the next story you type will be your suicide letter."

"What are you saying?" Stephanie asked.

"That I forgive you silly." Deanna said with a smile. "What are friends for?"

"Oh… Okay…" Stephanie replied in an unsure tone. "And about my secret?"

"Safe with me." Deanna said. "Besides, knowing something that everyone else doesn't know makes me who I am, right?"

"I guess." Stephanie said. "Um, let's go Nate." Stephanie looked at the other three girls. "It was nice seeing you."

"You too." Deanna said as Stephanie led Nathan away, the boy giving the others a strange stare.

Mercedes smiled at Deanna. "So when do we tell the others?"

"I'm not." Deanna said turning around.

"You're… Okay, stop hanging around goody-goody over here and bring me my friend back. Now." Mercedes said.

"If you're begging for me, then you can't choose who I am. That's the whole, beggars can't be choosers thing." Deanna said looking at a few shirts now. "Besides, Kelly has nothing to do with this."

"Exactly." Kelly said glaring at Mercedes.

"Why are we even hanging with Diner Girl anyway? Doesn't she have friends of her own?" Mercedes replied, returning the glare towards Kelly.

Deanna sighed and looked at Mercedes.

"Sades, she is amongst friends. Me. And yes, unlike you, she does have more friends." Deanna said, gaining a scoff from Mercedes. "I've grown a newfound respect for the hardworking Kelly Mason. Free-willed, confident, smart, athletic. If she was adopted by a rich family, we could practically be twins." Deanna paused and looked at Kelly. "Well… Sororal twins that is."

"Are you kidding? We _hate_ people like her. She has terrible fashion sense, she has no clue about music, her dad's a fry-cook, and worst of all, her brother's a complete-"

"Don't go there." Deanna quickly snapped, shushing Mercedes immediately. Kelly smiled about how easily it was to anger Deanna. Just one wrong thing said about Shane and she became the viper Kelly knew her to be. "I actually have no problem with her fashion sense, love her music, her dad is teaching _me_ how to cook, and her brother is a great guy. So don't go there."

"Fine. Whatever." Mercedes said crossing her arms.

Deanna inhaled deeply before exhaling slowly. She actually meant everything she said, especially the part about Shane. But she knew that she could not let all of her anger out for two good reasons. Mercedes would figure out about her crush and the people in the store would see the Hughes Heiress at her worst.

"Let's go ring these things up and go to another store." Deanna said.

"Sure." Kelly said. "And thanks."

Deanna smiled. "No problem."

* * *

Jayden stood on stage, hearing the crowd cheering. They were supposed to do a song that described them at the moment. And after much talking and small revisions of the original lyrics, they had finally picked a perfect song that the band decided. It was a song dedicated to Mr. Simpson. As the song began playing, Jayden momentarily thought about Snake. Hopefully they would do him much justice with this song.

_Thanks for all you've done_  
_I've missed you for so long_  
_I can't believe you're gone_  
_You still live in me_  
_I feel you in the wind_  
_You guide me constantly_

_I never knew what it was to be alone, no_  
_Cause you were always there for me_  
_You were always there waiting_  
_And I'll come home and I miss your face so_  
_Smiling down on me_  
_I close my eyes to see_

_And I know, you're a part of me_  
_And it's this song that sets me free_  
_I sing it while I feel I can't go on_  
_I sing tonight cause it comforts me_

_Mm, oh_

_I carry the things that remind me of you_  
_In loving memory of_  
_The one that was so true_  
_Your were as kind as you could be_  
_And even though you're gone_  
_You still mean the world to me_

_I've never knew what it was to be alone, no_  
_Cause you were always there for me_  
_You were always there waiting_  
_But when I come home it's not the same, no_  
_I feel empty and alone_  
_I can't believe you're gone_

_But I know, you're a part of me_  
_And it's this song that sets me free_  
_I sing it while I feel I can't go on_  
_I sing tonight cause it comforts me_

_I'm glad He set you free from sorrow_  
_I'll still love you more tomorrow_  
_And you'll be here with me still_

_And what you did you did with feeling_  
_And you always gave me meaning_  
_And you always will_  
_And you always will_  
_And you always will, ooh_

_And I know, you're a part of me_  
_And it's this song that sets me free_  
_I'll sing it loud I know I must hold on_  
_I sing tonight in your memory_

* * *

Scarlett smiled as she heard and saw the applause, a small tear coming down her face as she thought of her former principal and friend. It was weird how she thought she was over his death and yet one song brought back so many memories.

She wiped her face in time for Helen and Torrie to enter Helen's room.

"Hoe, hoe, hoe, hoe, hoe, hoe," Helen repeated countlessly as she and Torrie walked into her room to see Scarlett watching the performance. "Oh, we missed it. Oh well."

"What did he sing?" Torrie asked Scarlett.

Scarlett smiled. "A tribute to Mr. Simpson.

"Really? Now I regret missing it." Helen said kicking her shoes off and flopping next to Scarlett. "I won that bet, by the way."

"Okay, he was _extremely_ cute and _extremely_ rich and you expected me to say no?" Torrie asked.

Helen smirked. "Give it up Torrie. I'm always five steps ahead of you and Scar. I know you better than you know yourself. I win. Always."

"Whatever." Torrie said.

Scarlett only sighed. She wondered if Mr. Simpson was seeing her current problem that was her cousins. If he did, she was really waiting on him to send her a reprieve. She smiled. How she wish he could do that.

* * *

Jordan muttered to herself as she tried to lie in the sand without any of the others throwing sand, water, or a combination of them both on her. She had managed to keep her hair flawless for the moment, but she knew that they were plotting. They were always plotting to get her.

"Hey." Jordan opened her eyes to see Aaron. "Why are you up here and not having fun with the others?"

"Because this is fun to me." Jordan answered.

Aaron frowned. "No it's not. Not that Jordan _I_ knew."

"Well she died a long time ago." Jordan retorted. "Then again, the A.J _I_ knew was some quiet pushover who lived with his grandparents."

"Fine, suit yourself. Don't ever say that I didn't try to accept your apology." Aaron said moving for the water.

"Wait!" Jordan called. He stopped and looked at her. "You accept my apology? Like seriously?"

She did not mean to sound as desperate as she really was, but she had been waiting for this for months now. The only person who actually took her apology to heart was Jayden and that was after she had to be his assistant for a week. Even her siblings still looked at her funny.

"Look, holding grudges isn't who I am, no matter what name you call me." Aaron said. "You were a good friend of mine Jordan." Aaron paused. "And plus, I lost a bet to Dustin so I had to be the one who came up here."

Jordan frowned. "Oh. That's it. A bet."

"Don't think about that. Come on down to the water." Aaron said before Dustin stepped beside him. "She's not listening."

"Really? Oh come on Jordan. What could be so bad about a little water? You might wash some of that ugly make-up off." Dustin said.

Aaron saw Jordan ready to retort in an angered way, but spoke before she could even open her mouth.

"What he means," Aaron said. "Is that you look better without it. Right Dustin?"

"Not-" Dustin was cut off by Aaron's elbow in his gut. "Ouch! You have a pretty sharp elbow A.J!"

Aaron ignored his friend grabbing his sore side and looked at Jordan. She gave him a small smile, basking in Dustin's pain. She soon rose and walked past the two boys towards the water.

"Seriously A.J, the non-violent you was so much better." Dustin said.

"Yeah, well when your older two siblings are Danica and Jayden, you learn a thing or two." Aaron said. "Come on. Let's go back down there before Bambi sends Jordan back up here on a stretcher."

"It'd be funny to watch." Dustin said with a smile.

"Until the cops show." Aaron replied.

"Point." Dustin stated. "Hey, A.J," Aaron looked at Dustin. "You wonder why Ashton had Mr. Isaacs take us down here and now his parents? They were both home earlier."

Aaron sighed. "They don't like Bambi." Dustin frowned. "The whole Torres versus Manning thing? It was more than a court case, you know. Bambi's dad punched Ashton's dad and dropped them as clients. So they had to get another lawyer and Mr. Torres had to pay a small fine that was deducted from the fine that the Mannings paid for the incident."

"Wow, seriously?" Dustin asked. Aaron nodded. "Huh. Have you noticed that both of your girlfriends has had a problem with your male friends? Jordan didn't like me around and Bambi doesn't like Ashton."

Aaron quietly thought about what Dustin told him. It had never dawned on him before, but now he sees that Dustin was telling the truth.

"Ironically," Dustin continued. "Both friends dated or dates Brie."

"Weird." Aaron said.

"Just a little trivia." Dustin told him.

Aaron only nodded as he joined his friends in the Nottawasaga Bay. For some reason, he had a really bad feeling brewing inside of him. He had no clue on whether it was Jordan around Chandra or something unrelated to the entire trip, but something bad was going to happen soon.

* * *

Sean saw Emma wipe her face again, her son's band's performance bringing her to tears for her deceased stepfather. He had a comforting arm around her shoulders, bringing her to him.

"That was the best performance I think I've seen them do ever." Emma said to Sean.

"I think so too." Sean said quietly.

* * *

Amber sighed heavily, waiting for Mary-Jane to call her back. She swore that that girl pampered herself more than the normal person. She had thought about calling James, but a part of her would not dial knowing that he did not love her. Then again, she could not completely blame him. He was a guy after all.

"Hey," Amber heard her brother say. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"It expired a second ago." Amber replied, not wanting to hear from him.

"Amber, I'm sorry, okay?" Simon said. "I just don't want to see you get hurt in the long run. Kind of like how Mom and Dad are always riding us about our grades in school so we can get into a good college."

"Well this isn't that." Amber replied.

"It could be." Simon responded. "You should always study a person before doing a paper on them. And marriage is a paper and you put down the person you want so, that's like homework." Amber rolled her eyes. "Listen, I know I'm no saint and I've dated far worse girls than Junior. But, if you love him like you say and I believe, then you must agree with me. It hurts knowing its one-sided."

"I don't need you to tell me how I feel." Amber said angrily. "I don't need you to tell me what James feels either! We were perfectly fine-"

"With Mary-Jane? You were fine about that?" Simon interrupted. Amber sat and thought of a counter while her brother continued. "You were devastated about that and that was a relatively _small _thing. Think about what's going to happen when he does it again and you are actually dating him. Then what?"

"Get out Simon." Amber told him after her mind failed to come up with any retorts.

"Fine. Just think about it." And with that he left.

Amber groaned and buried her face in her pillow. When did her life become so complicated?

* * *

James had no clue on what time it was, but Steven was completely high, Ethan had 'pawned off' three girls off to three different guys, and Nicole had introduced him to almost everyone at the place. Damon had even showed up and the trio played Blackjack/21 for a while.

Nicole stretched. "Well, I guess I should be heading home. I completely forgot to go by Kelly's but she'll understand."

"I should leave too." James said as the two left the van that they were in.

Nicole saw James stumble on wobbly legs before becoming sturdy and giggled.

"Looks like someone got contact-high." she said with a smile.

James frowned. "What?"

"Steven. You inhaled too much of his smoke and now, well you know." Nicole said. "It doesn't happen often, but Ethan normally carries some strong pot so… That's why you stumbled a bit."

"But why doesn't it affect you?" James asked.

Nicole shrugged. "I guess because I've had the real deal that I'm immune to second-hand effects." James nodded. Strangely, this was making perfect sense to him. "Oh well. I have to run now."

"Hey," Ethan said coming towards the two. "Are you leaving?"

"Yeah." Nicole said.

"I'll walk you home." Ethan said. Nicole frowned in question. "Pervy Pete is here and I can't find the girl he's normally with. Or do you not remember when he-"

"Let's go." Nicole said with a shiver, remembering how the drunken man had attempted to have sex with her earlier this year. "See you later James."

"Yeah…" James said as his mind became a lot clearer.

"Hey," Steven said. James wrinkled his noise, attempting to keep the smell of marijuana out of his nostrils. "Ready to go? I'm sure Amber is like completely missing you now." James nodded. "Good, good… Have I ever told you how I really, and I do mean _really_, wanted to pop Bambi's cherry when she turns like sixteen? You know, the ripe age."

"Many of times." James lied as he began walking home, Steven behind him.

"No, I'm serious. I did." Steven said. "Think I lost out to a _McDuelle_! God, I hate those guys so much. I mean, what do they have that my family don't?"

James was going to remind Steven that Craig had cheated on Ashley, but let it go. He figured Steven would not even remember the conversation anyway. Sighing for a break, James was more than happy when his cell phone rang. At least he would not have to listen to Steven's blabber.

"Hello?" James answered his phone.

"Hey." James grinned. It was Amber. "What are you doing tomorrow? I thought we could hang out outside of my house and away from Simon."

"Sure." James replied.

Maybe, he thought, something would go his way after all.

* * *

"We have the results from the votes and judges, and here are the results." the announcer said. "Coming in third place, Alternate Zero." Jayden heard Shane give a heavy sigh, knowing that they were either the winners or second place. "And the winner of the 2032 Battle of the Bands in Vancouver is," the announcer said. "Venom!"

"Wow." Shane muttered as the crowd cheered.

Jayden looked to see Dakota's smiling face and leaned towards her.

"Did you rig the votes to get extra points with him?" Jayden muttered.

"No." Dakota whispered back. "Just be a good loser and clap for him."

"Thank you Alternate Zero and Juvenile Grace for competing." the man said shaking the individual hands of the each person before going to talk to the band known as Venom.

Jayden sighed heavily as they made it back stage.

"Well, we came up short." Jayden said. "But, on the flip side, we're freaking rich now."

"Right… The deal with your dad." Shane said. "Huh. What a bittersweet ending."

"But, most importantly," Jayden stated. "Dash can run off and celebrate with her little boy who is a friend but not her boyfriend friend."

Dakota sighed. "Please don't embarrass me Jayden."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Jayden said as he saw the winning band come to the backstage area. "Hey, Keith. Let's talk about my cousin for a second."

Dakota released a heavy sigh as Emmanuel came towards her.

"You told him?" Dakota asked.

"He was persistent." Emmanuel replied. "Hey… Did you want to celebrate with us? I mean, we're not competitors anymore so…"

"I'd love to." Dakota stated with a smile.

"Well Jacob, it looks like it's just you and me." Shane said. "Shame."

"Did you guys want to come with us?" Emmanuel asked.

"Only if we're not intruding." Shane said. Dakota gave him a small glare that made him grin. "Is that okay with you Dakota?"

"Perfect." Dakota said.

"Good. Then let's go." Emmanuel said.

Dakota sighed. Her last day with Emmanuel would be shared with her friends and Jayden was interrogating his cousin's boyfriend. Plus, she would return home to a triplet-carrying Laura.

"Hey Shane," Jayden said gaining the group's attention. "Mr. Lowry is taken us out so let's go."

"Sure." Shane said. "Let's go Jacob."

"Right." Jacob said.

Jayden moved over to Dakota and leaned so his mouth was near her ear.

"You owe me and have fun." Jayden whispered.

Dakota smiled. "Thanks Jay."

Jayden only grinned as he led Shane and Jacob away.

"Guys' night." Dakota lied, knowing this alibi all too well.

"Oh. Well, shall we?" Emmanuel asked.

"Yes." Dakota said with renewed happiness.

* * *

Jordan came into her house, her body freezing from the brisk air on her wet skin.

"Did you have fun?" Emma asked.

Jordan nodded as she made her way to her room.

"Did you eat dinner already?" Emma asked.

"No. Not really hungry." Jordan said closing her door behind her. Jordan released a heavy sigh and closed her eyes. "This can't be real."

Jordan slid down into a seated position, her mind pounding with thoughts she was trying to retain. The thoughts that she, Jordan Cameron, was jealous of Chandra Torres. More specifically, she was jealous that Chandra had Aaron.

Jordan huffed. Chandra did not even recognize Aaron last year and they all went to the same school. In fact, if someone told Chandra that Aaron sat in front of her, she would probably laugh and say that they were lying. Chandra only began thinking about Aaron when it came out that he was Jayden's brother. Well… She really could not argue with that. Chandra did take Aaron to the Winter Break Dance and that was a month before Jordan told the school that Aaron and Jayden were brothers. Still, Jordan had known and liked Aaron long before Chandra did.

"Stop. Being. Jealous." Jordan said banging the back of her head on her door. "Stupid. Stupid. Stupid."

Jordan stopped, her headache now strengthen and sighed. At least she had Tevin. Even if he was not there for most of the time…

* * *

**A/N:** The song used was Alter Bridge's (aka my favorite band) _In Loving Memory_. Review and tell me what you think.


	87. Day The Music Died Promo 1

**Author's Note:** As promised, here is the first of the three promo/trailers of the _Day the Music Died. _But, before that, thanks for giving this story its 100th review! I work hardest on this story (when I have the time) because it revolves around non-canon characters. I even called my mom to tell her! So, thanks and I hope to see you when the sequel comes out. Again, thank you all so much, you really have made me a very happy person. I've rambled on long enough, here is what you've been waiting for. The first of three, Day the Music Died promos! Enjoy!

* * *

**Day the Music Died Promo #1**

Song: Burn It to the Ground  
Artist: Nickleback

Laura heard the music and tossed and turned in her bed. Already going through strenuous labor, she just wanted rest. However, knocks on her window made her sit up. She grinned seeing her boyfriend's face before slipping out of bed to hop out the window. The two jumped into his car and sped off. As he drove, he explained to her how some random guy gave him coordinates to the perfect place for a party/rave. She smiled knowing how Jayden could not resist causing trouble.

_Well it's midnight, damn right, we're wound up too tight_

Jayden led Laura into a warehouse. Inside, Laura saw a large number of sweaty bodies jumping up and down to the beat.

_I've got a fist full of whiskey, the bottle just bit me_

Ethan held a bottle high into the air as he danced with his friends. Torrie grabbed the bottle and took a heavy gulp of the burning alcohol.

_Oh, that shit makes me bat shit crazy_

Jesse finished a beer before smashing the can against his forehead, several students cheering him on.

_We've got no fear, no doubt, all-in, balls out_

Chandra was shocked to see Aaron there dancing with Farah. She ignored how he got there and moved to dance with him in the dim-lit warehouse, passing Jacob and Angelina as she did so.

_We're going off tonight (Hey!)_

Ashton twirled Vanessa as they laughed.

_To kick out every light (Hey!)_

Steven handed James a bottle, which James shrugged and took it.

_Take anything we want (Hey!)  
Drink everything in sight (Hey!)_

The group cheered as Kelly made-out passionately with Hakim.

_We're going till the world stops turning  
While we burn it to the ground tonight_

Nicole lit a flame to a large poster that read: _Degrassi Goes Hollywood_ inside of a barrel. Marc poured alcohol on the flame, making it grow while several of teens danced around it.

_We're screaming like demons, swinging from the ceiling_

Helen and Mary-Jane walked into the warehouse in their cheerleading uniforms, Jacquelyn and Amber behind them. The four began doing a sultry dance in the center while many cheered.

_I got a fist full of fifties, tequila just hit me_

Laura ground against Jayden, keeping him as close as physically possible. He smiled, kissing the crook of her neck as they danced.

_Oh, we got no class, no taste, no shirt, and shit faced_

Dustin saw a group of Bardell students coming in. They blended in quite well, except for one girl that he kept an eye on.

_We got it lined up, shot down, firing back straight crown_

Shane saw his two sisters dancing and grinned. Nicole moved towards him and slid his shirt off, revealing his sweaty torso to the rest. She smiled as the two began dancing.

_We're going off tonight (Hey!)  
To kick out every light (Hey!)_

It took Scarlett a millisecond to find Jayden. She gave Laura a small push before latching her lips onto Jayden's.

_Take anything we want (Hey!)  
Drink everything in sight (Hey!)_

Deanna gazed throughout the crowd, finding her target. Once she saw Shane, she pushed Alexander away and made her way across the dance floor.

_We're going till the world stops turning  
While we burn it to the ground tonight_

Dakota added another poster to the fire, this one reading: _Degrassi Takes Manhattan._ Stephanie danced against Nathan, the heat and fumes starting to affect both of them. Seeing Mary-Jane remove her top, Stephanie began tugging at Nathan's until he removed his and finally hers. Aaron frowned seeing Chandra moving against Tevin, but said nothing while Jordan danced near Dustin and a guy he had met named Victor Stone. Brooke attempted to get Jeanette to lighten up, pushing her towards the group of moving teens. Damon smiled as he danced against Jacquelyn, the ballerina showing him moves that he knew she did not learn in class.

_Ticking like a time bomb, drinking till the nights gone_

Laura removed her top, the heat and anger getting to her. Scarlett moved away from Jayden, moving into the dance floor allowing Jayden and Laura to finish their dance.

_Well get you hands off of this glass, last call my ass_

Nicole took a long hit on a cigarette before shooting the smoke into the air.

_Well no chain, no lock, and this train won't stop_

Amber saw a drunken James dancing, causing her to sigh heavily.

_We got no fear, no doubt, all-in, balls out_

The music stopped abruptly. The group looked around, many of them without their shirts.

"What the hell happened?" Torrie asked, standing in her tight shorts and white bra.

"The disc is scratched." Shane said examined it.

"Damn… It was the best part." Laura said.

"Ahem…" Gabrielle cleared her throat.

Nathan frowned. "What the hell are you doing out? It's past your bedtime." The others looked at him strangely. "What?"

Gabrielle plugged her iPod into the speaker, the song resuming and the others dancing.

_We're going off tonight (Hey!)_  
_To kick out every light (Hey!)_  
_Take anything we want (Hey!)_  
_Drink everything in sight (Hey!)_  
_We're going till the world stops turning_  
_While we burn it to the ground tonight_

The sprinklers were set off, drenching the already wet teens as they danced. Helen realizes the person who is dancing behind her, seeing Braxton Turner. She grinned dancing against him while keeping an eye on Tyler dancing with Mary-Jane, his eyes meeting Helen's. Dustin moved to burn a poster that said: _Degrassi: The Boiling Point_ on it. As he threw it in the barrel of fire, his cousin Mercedes threw one on top of his that read: _Now or Never_. The two shared a brief smile before Mercedes was led out onto the dance floor by DeWayne.

_We're going off tonight (Hey!)_

Deanna kissed Shane passionately.

_To kick out every light (Hey!)_

Tevin leads Chandra away from the party. The two stopped when they hear police sirens.

_Take anything we want (Hey!)_

Laura giggles as she grabs her shirt and moves after her boyfriend and his younger brother, making sure to burn a sign that said: _Nowhere to Run._

_Drink everything in sight (Hey!)_

The cars speed off in time, nothing but their trash being left behind.

_We're going till the world stops turning  
While we burn it to the ground tonight_

As the song ended, several police cars surrounded the warehouse. Upon entering, they saw several destroyed and burnt posters all over the walls. They all looked around for the teenagers, only seeing a sign that read_: The last song. The Day the Music Died._

* * *

Jayden and Shane lied around Jayden's apartment the following day before they received a phone call from the same mysterious person who gave them whereabouts to the warehouse.

"I know another place." the stranger said. "Not far from the school. Far away from the road. I'll send you the directions."

"Thanks mister." Jayden said hanging up. "Come on Shane. Let's round them up again."

Shane smirked. "Right behind you."

A man hangs up his cell phone before smirking.

"It's good to be back." Eli Goldsworthy said to himself before getting into his hearse and driving off.


	88. Day The Music Died Promo 2

**Author's Note:** Here is the second promo to the Day the Music Died. It introduces a new character (I know you're having a hard time keeping up with them, as I am too!) but I'm sure this character will cause a _HUGE_ twist. Pay close attention to the what he is watching. Just a tip.

* * *

**The Day the Music Died Promo #2**

The boy sat on the couch, looking around the home that once belonged to his sick grandmother. His mother and father were currently unpacking things in the kitchen as he turned the TV on to get a better view of what he would have to call home for the next few years. It seemed like there was news on every channel, each one more drastic than the last one. So he continued to flip through the channels until he found something interesting.

"The search for Chandra Torres-"

Boring.

"The call came from the Del Rossi residence at-"

More boring.

"The gun found in possession of Jayden Mc-"

Child celebrities, cliché and boring.

"Artist, Diego Hopper's daughter has been found-"

Bastard kids. Boring.

"Deanna Fitzgerald passes out-"

Again, child celebrities, boring.

"Eli Goldsworthy returns-"

Favorite author and still boring.

"Miss Mary Williamson was caught having an affair with student-"

Student-teacher relationship. Extremely boring.

"No one was harmed in the fire though-"

No one was hurt. Boring.

"One person died in the crash. Local student-"

Probably racing. Teens were crazy like that.

"The anniversary of the shootings caused by Rick Murray is coming up again." the boy paused. "Many students and teachers wear the "Stop the Abuse" tee shirts during this day."

Turning the television off, the boy turned to look over the couch into the kitchen.

"Hey Mom," he called. "Why don't we celebrate Uncle Rick's death like that?"

He saw his mother freeze before going back to her unpacking.

"I'll explain it someday." she said.

The boy sighed. Not getting an answer was boring as well.


	89. S3: Episode XVIII: If She Wants Me Pt II

**Author's Note:** There are six episodes left in this story. Six. Plus a few MiTunes, Webisodes, and of course the last promo that will be posted tomorrow! So without further ado, LuvLotsHana, here is the next chapter. enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter XVIII: If She Wants Me Pt. II**

"Five o'clock already? Why must sleep go by so fast?" Jayden groaned.

"I don't know." Dakota said. "Plane leaves in an hour though." Jayden grumbled as he moved into the bathroom. "Hey Jay, you live near San Fran, right?"

"If you include skipping school on Jet Skis, then yes, San Francisco is very close." Jayden said behind the closed door. "You're not going to use me to meet your boyfriend are you?"

"We're not dating." Dakota said quickly, hearing Jayden laugh.

"No need in lying to me. I asked him last night what you two were talking about." Jayden stated. "I think he's an alright guy. Perfect for you."

Dakota smiled. "Glad to know I have your approval." Dakota then leaned against the door. "You call Laura?"

"Mama Bear is sleeping and that's how I'll keep it." Jayden said. "No arguments. No insults. And no torture. I love her asleep."

"Jay… How did you turn Laura into… I don't know. A girlfriend I guess." Dakota asked.

Dakota nearly fell as Jayden opened the door. He looked at her strangely before smiling.

"I'll tell you how relationships work." Jayden said with a grin. "I know you're worse than she is in the department."

Dakota grinned. "Show me, oh wise guru. You've been through many before me."

"Ha." Jayden said. "Now if you don't mind, I have a shower calling me." Jayden closed the door in Dakota's face. "And I haven't been through that many."

"Sure you haven't." Dakota said sarcastically, the two laughing.

As Dakota sat on her bed, she looked at the ceiling. Two years ago, she made her first true friend who became like a brother to her. It was weird to many for Dakota and Jayden to be so close without any physical attraction- though she had admitted to Laura that he was cute- between them. And now, that same friend that many questioned their relationship had helped her get her first boyfriend.

Smiling, Dakota realized that if she had lived with her dad instead of her mom, was not as rich, and said half the things she thought about saying, she would be living Laura's life, despite being a redhead. So maybe they were not so different after all.

* * *

Deanna sighs contently as she nearly floated down the hallway. She had a wonderful dream starring Kelly's brother, and she knew that he would be home today along with her brother. And while she was pleased to see DeWayne again, she was actually happier to see Shane again. Even if he only saw her as his sister's friend, she still got to see him.

"Morning sweetie," Delilah said as Deanna glided into the kitchen. "You look to be in a good mood."

Deanna smiled. "Mom, today is going to be a good day. DeWayne's homecoming party is today."

"Is that all you're happy about?" Delilah asked. Deanna nodded. "Okay. But Deanna, if there's another boy coming over here that you're happy about seeing, tell me now."

"Mom, there will be several of other guys here that will probably be worth seeing. But it's not like I'm planning on meeting any of them beforehand." Deanna lied. "Besides, this is for Wayne and he needs it. Everyone else comes second."

"Alright." Delilah said. "Are you going to Kelly's?"

Deanna shrugged. "I don't know. She might be at her mom's."

"Okay. Well, I'll let you get to your planning. I know you have a busy day." Delilah stated.

"I do." Deanna said. "So, what're we having for breakfast?"

* * *

Chandra walked down the steps into her living room where her cousin Farah Bhandari sat. Farah's mother, Anya, was sitting beside her, while Farah's dad, Sav, was in the kitchen with Chandra's parents and younger siblings.

"Morning." Anya greeted.

Chandra smiled. "Hi Anya. What're you guys doing here so early?"

"Sweet Sixteen games start today." Anya explained. Chandra nodded. Her father went to school at Georgetown where he played both football and basketball. "Men, right?"

"Is Adam coming?" Chandra asked, knowing how her father and his brother acted about sports.

"On his way right now." Anya stated.

Chandra sighed as she moved for the kitchen.

"Like that will happen," Sav stated to his brother-in-law. "As much as I hate to say this, but UCLA will win yet again."

"For your sake, they'd better or else." Drew replied before eying his oldest daughter. "Morning Chandra. Sleep well?"

Chandra nodded. "Yeah. Is Duke playing today?"

Drew's face scrunched up, but he nodded. Chandra mentally laughed. Her father despised the school for personal reasons. Apparently, Drew had an ex in college that went to Duke and she had cheated on him with several members of the basketball team. Thankfully Drew met back up with Alli and they stayed with each other long enough for Chandra to get here. She could not imagine what her life would be like if she had different parents.

"Are you going to stay with us for the opening game?" Drew asked Chandra, giving her his signature fake pleading look.

"Sure Dad. Anything for you." Chandra replied as she moved and hugged him. "Just don't get mad when Duke wins and you and Uncle Sav and Uncle Adam and Aunt Katie lose your money to me."

"Well Alli, she has your confidence." Sav stated.

"More like Drew's arrogance." Alli remarked.

"Don't listen to them. They're just jealous of our obvious greatness." Drew said to Chandra.

"Hey Sav, where's Hakim?" Chandra asked.

"He had some last minute things to do on his math project due as soon as he gets back from Spring Break. Kind of sucks, but that's what Bardell does." Sav answered. "He'll be here later."

Chandra nodded until a thought clicked into her mind. She froze a bit, her mother picking up on the signal and smiling.

"A.J coming by?" Alli teased. Chandra nodded stiffly, wondering if it was too early for Aaron to meet her _entire_ family, sans her grandparents. "That's good. I'm sure they'll love him."

"Yeah…" Chandra replied.

Today was going to be an eventful one, she thought.

* * *

Kelly yawned behind a hand before she entered her kitchen. Jane sat at the table, drinking a cup of coffee.

"Morning." Kelly said.

"Morning." Jane replied. "Sleep well?" Kelly nodded. "Um, Kelly. I have to speak to you for a moment."

"Is it about you going back to L.A?" Kelly asked. Jane nodded. "So what's up? Decided to stay?"

"Not exactly… I'm leaving tonight." Jane stated.

"What?" Kelly asked in a harsh whisper.

Jane sighed. "Kelly, I need you to listen to me carefully, okay?" Kelly sighed heavily, but nodded anyway. "I love your dad. I really do. But I can't just up and move whenever I feel like it. There's my job that I have to worry about and other things. But, one day in the future, I would love to move up here and stay with you and your dad and your brother."

"I've heard that one before." Kelly said reaching into the refrigerator for the orange juice carton.

"I mean it Kelly." Jane said. "I will return up here. As soon as I get everything situated, I'll be back. For good."

"Promise?" Kelly asked.

Jane smiled. "I promise." Kelly grinned and moved to hug Jane. "You're quite strong Kelly."

"Sorry." Kelly stated before frowning in thought. "Wait a minute… How are you so sure that you'll be back up here? It took you _years_ to come up here for one visit."

"I'll be back." Jane replied with a smile. "And I'll keep in touch with you so we can surprise your father."

"I guess I can live with that." Kelly responded. "And when you come back, you'll have your band right? Just one little show for us?"

Jane hummed. "Hmm… I think I can round them up here."

The doorbell rang and Kelly frowned, wondering who could be there so early in the morning. Before she had the chance to answer it, Gavin had beaten her to it, revealing Maxwell.

"Breakfast at your place?" Gavin said, knowing that their wives had probably concocted this even with Manny out of the country.

"Yep." Jayden's father said before his eyes traveled into the kitchen. "Morning Jane. Little Emma."

Kelly scoffed at the statement. She was really getting tired of people telling her how alike Emma she was. There were more stubborn blondes in the world for Kelly to be like.

Then Kelly remembered Bianca's words.

"Hey Max," she said coming into the living room. He gave her a look for her to continue with whatever she wanted. "Are you part of a mafia?"

Maxwell frowned. "What? Where'd that come from?"

"I was talking to Laura's mom and she had some pretty strong points." Kelly stated.

"Okay Lois, here's the scoop," Maxwell said with a sigh, gaining another sigh from the blonde. She clearly saw where Jayden got his annoying charm from. "No, I'm not in any mafia or gang-related family."

"So how do you know so many people?" Kelly questioned.

"Let's paint this picture. My mom has eight other kids. So if each of my siblings just has _one_ friend, I know sixteen people automatically. And if that friend has a friend, you multiply that by eight and so on and so forth and that doesn't include just _my_ friends." Kelly nodded. That made sense. "Plus, my wife's an actress. Most of the people she knows outside of her hometown are just associates in the business and not really friends, yet I know them."

"Okay. So why are you good friends with the Governor of California?" Kelly asked.

"Seth and I went to school together and lived four doors down from each other before growing up, going to college, and then moving next door to each other. If I didn't know him, there'd be a problem, don't you think?" Maxwell responded.

"And the cops you know?" Kelly continued.

"One of my younger brothers is a cop. In New York. His cop buddies have other cop buddies and bam." Kelly sighed. This was really starting to irritate her because she just knew Bianca was right.

"Okay, okay," Kelly said. "How does Danni fly out anytime she wants?"

"Private jet. Duh." Maxwell said blandly.

"And what happened to the guy stalking Manny?" Kelly said, figuring she had him there.

Maxwell sighed heavily. "Well… That story is a little difficult to explain."

"You called the cops on him for stalking your wife! And he just disappeared off of the face of the planet!" Kelly exclaimed. "How can you explain that?"

"For starters, the cops were call for assault charge on me. I _beat_ the guy for stalking my wife." Maxwell said. "We settled for something outside of the court before they shipped his sorry butt back to whichever Central American country he came from illegally."

Kelly frowned. "What?"

"Some illegal alien fell in love with my wife, crossed borders and into my front yard, I beat the hel- ck. Heck out of him and the cops came." Maxwell expounded. "Dodging jail with the power of money, I got off, paid the guy, found out he was an illegal alien, they shipped him home. End of story."

"Huh…" Kelly said. "I guess that would make sense on why no one has seen him." Maxwell and Gavin nodded. "Okay, so why are there things that Mom and Manny know about you and won't tell anyone else?"

Maxwell laughed. "Kelly, those things are things that… Well, you're old enough for me to tell you that they are things I did for and to my wife and she went and told the story to her best friend."

Kelly's face reddened. "O-oh… Sorry…"

"No problem." Maxwell said. "Besides, there're things your mom has told Manny about your dad here, and you won't hear me asking to get the image in my head. So maybe you should stop while you're ahead."

"I guess you're not apart of any gang or mafia." Kelly said. "I don't know why I believed _Laura's_ mom over you."

"Yeah, well, there was a time when I believed that Shane was the violent one and not you. You just have more control." Maxwell said drawing a smile on Kelly's face.

"Hey, go get dressed so we can leave. Your mom will kill me if we're late. Again." Gavin said.

Kelly nodded. "Sure Dad. And sorry Uncle Max. It was just something I had to clear up."

"Well, that's not the worse rumor I've heard about me nor is it the most common one." Maxwell stated.

"What's the most common one?" Kelly asked.

Gavin laughed. "That he was cheating on Manny with an ex from high school."

"Yeah, well I think we can put that all behind us." Maxwell said with a small smile. "What some people won't do for their fifteen minutes of fame is beyond me."

"What'd she do?" Kelly asked, now more into the story than she was earlier.

"She took a text I had given her in school and showed the world." Maxwell answered. "And sure, I still think she's pretty, but I would _never_ cheat on my wife, whether I married Manny or someone else. Remember this Kelly, no matter how you feel about your spouse on certain days, there are only three ingredients to a successful marriage. Love, trust, faithfulness."

Kelly frowned. "Then why didn't my parents last?"

"Um, how about we get you dressed and talk about this later." Gavin said while Maxwell smirked.

Kelly did not argue, only walking away.

"Little Lois Lane is growing up so fast." Maxwell said before sighing. "So when are you going to tell her how Emma chose Sean over you?"

"The same day you answer her question about your 'strange' obsession with spades." Gavin answered.

Maxwell laughed. "Don't ask, don't tell. That's the golden rule of Go Fish, right?"

"Sure it is Max. Sure it is." Gavin said as the two men laughed.

* * *

James could not believe that he was back at the ravine and this time, he had gone on his own accord. Of course, he was here meeting Steven, but he had walked there without anyone leading him or forcing him to come.

"Hey," Steven said, obviously high. "I thought you were going out with Amber today?"

"Later." James responded. "Do you think you should be smoking that stuff Steven? I mean, it's going to mess with your head."

"Hey, hey, none of that. Relax." Steven said with a grin.

"He's got a point. Relax." Ethan stated. "And stop saying that to the customer, _my_ customer I might want to add."

"Really? When'd I lose a client?" the others were a bit shocked at Nathan's presence, but the teen just shrugged their stares off. "Well, well, if it isn't James Brooks? What are you doing here Little Jimmy?"

James frowned at the nickname. "What? You need an invitation to this dump?"

"No. I just know that guys like you are better off getting your nails done with your girlfriend to 'bond' with her." Nathan said before revealing a bottle. "This is like the man-cave. When you're here, there is no bitching. So either get with it or get lost."

James looked at Steven and then Ethan and finally Nathan.

"Here," Nathan said pushing the bottle out towards James. "Drink this. Leave Amber behind. Relax."

"Go ahead James. It is the man-cave." Steven said.

James has had alcohol before and his found out that he had high tolerance to walk pass his parents without them knowing. So he figured he could take a sip or two for the sake of them getting off of his back. However, when he took the bottle and allowed the liquid to go from his tongue to his throat, a new sensation took over him. It burned more than he remembered and he was force to hold his coughs in to avoid looking like a lightweight.

"Good huh?" Nathan said. "It's yours. I didn't really want it."

James took the bottle, not really wanting more himself. He then found himself sitting down with the other three.

"That's it. Just relax." Steven said.

"Yeah… Relax…" James stated before taking another and larger gulp.

* * *

An hour later, Aaron found himself ringing Chandra's doorbell. He saw the numerous vehicles in her driveway and wondered if she was having some sort of party that he did not know about. The door opened and he stared into the eyes of Chandra's cousin, Farah.

"Uh, hi." Aaron began.

"Hi." Farah replied quietly.

"Is-"

"A.J!" Chandra said before shoving Farah away lightly. "What are you doing here?"

Aaron frowned. "I told you that I would be here, remember? We talked last-"

"Day. Yesterday and I remember." Chandra interrupted, stepping outside and closing her door behind her. "Nice timing Romeo, the whole family is in there."

"Oh…" Aaron replied with a nod. "Well… I guess I could-"

"A.J, there you are." Both pre-teens groaned at the sound of Alli's voice. "Come on in! the game hasn't started yet so you can place a bet."

"Mom, A.J doesn't gamble." Chandra said, though she distinctively remembers Aaron gambling quite a bit with her and his older siblings. "So I guess he'll just have to go home. What a shame…"

"No he doesn't. Come on in." Before Aaron had time to dispute, Alli had dragged him into the home, Chandra soon following.

Sav frowned. "Who's this?"

"This is A.J McDuelle, Chandra's boyfriend." Alli announced.

Hakim, Farah's older brother, smiled.

"The guy from the party." Hakim stated.

"McDuelle? As in Manny's son?" Anya asked. Alli and Drew nodded. "Wow. Small world."

Chandra, after realizing she was stuck introducing her boyfriend to the majority of her family, sighed.

"A.J, this is my dad's brother, Adam, and his wife Katie," she introduced. "Their annoying kids, Edward and Audrey. And this is my mom's brother Sav and his wife Anya and you already know Hakim, but this is Farah. Guys, this is A.J."

"Aw, they're cute together." Anya cooed.

"Aunt Anya!" Chandra whined.

Alli laughed. "Don't worry honey, she means that in a non-picking way. You do look cute together."

The young couple blushed, Chandra giving her mother a glare while she did it.

"Alright A.J, let's see what side of the family do you fit on." Drew stated. "Who do you think will win the NCAA this year?"

"Um, well my dad's family all graduated from USC so-"

"USC?" Sav and Drew said in unison.

Adam began laughing, Alli smiling as well at the two men's obvious shock/distaste for Aaron's answer. Aaron looked at Chandra who sighed heavily.

"My dad and uncle have a bet for UCLA." Chandra explained.

"UCLA?" Aaron said in the same shocked/disgusted tone that Sav and Drew had used. His grandmother, father, aunts and uncles have all graduated from USC, and Danica had taken classes there as well. It was near tradition for a McDuelle to go there.

"Is that a problem?" Sav asked.

"Oh, stop picking on the boy. He likes whatever school for whatever reason." Anya told her husband and his brother-in-law. "Besides, he said it's in his dad's genes, right? So maybe he's just doing what he knows best. Besides, USC _did_ beat UCLA not too long ago… So…"

"Lucky." Sav muttered.

"Is there a chance that Syracuse might take it?" Hakim questioned.

"No!" Drew, Sav, and Katie responded.

"Just a thought." Hakim said.

Chandra sighed. "Well A.J, you kind of asked for this one."

"I know…" Aaron said quietly. "Good grief."

* * *

Jayden yawned as he trudged behind Dakota before he felt someone nearly knock him off of his feet. Closing his eyes and hugging the person, he inhaled deeply.

"You smell nice Laura." Jayden said.

"I know." Laura said releasing him and then frowning. "Second place? What happened to winning?"

"Hey, we got a contract out of it so we are winners." Shane replied as he walked past the two with Jacob in tow. "See you later man, I have to go to sleep."

"Sure." Jayden said as he stared at Laura with tired eyes. He could see that she was wide awake and hyper. "How'd you get here?"

Laura shrugged. "I had breakfast at your dad's earlier. Danni's waiting outside too."

"Oh." Jayden replied before putting his bags down and kneeling in front of Laura. "Hello my little bet winners. Daddy wants you two to know that when you come out, the first time you get suspended I won't even get angry at you. Just for proving mommy wrong."

Laura rolled her eyes. "Get up asshole. You're embarrassing me." Jayden looked up to see Laura grinning slightly. He rose so that they were near eye level. "I missed you."

"It was only a week." Jayden responded with a grin, seconds before Laura thumped his forehead.

"So? I still did!" Laura huffed before turning around. "Get your bags. We're going home."

Lifting his bags, he raised a brow. "We're going home? I thought _I_ was going home and you were just coming along with me."

"You haven't been here for a full five minutes and I want to kill you again." Laura said.

"I think we've been over what happens when Jayden rises before the sun. He gets cranky and irritable." Jayden responded. "Besides, it's not my fault you think you live with me now. That's just your everyday thought."

"You are _so_ lucky I'm carrying three." Laura stated.

"Or?" Jayden asked.

"Or my foot would be, oh forget it. Just take a nap and stop being annoying." Laura answered, Jayden smiling.

"That's all I ask for." Jayden said.

Laura only sighed, content to have him back, annoying and all.

* * *

Scarlett gave content sigh as she lied in her bed.

"Oh dear cousin," Torrie said as she skipped into Scarlett's room. "Guess what I just heard?" Scarlett groaned. "Oh don't give me that. I actually have good news."

"And that would be?" Scarlett asked.

"The Fitzgerald twins are throwing another party _and_ a certain boy is going to be there." Torrie said.

"Uh, yeah, and why _wouldn't_ DeWayne be at his own party?" Scarlett retorted.

Torrie rolled her eyes. "No genius, the _other_ boy." Scarlett shrugged. "Oh come on. Jayden returns and you just lie around with Helen? You know just as much as I that you want to go meet him."

Scarlett checked the time on her cell phone before lying back down.

"Nope. Not right now." Scarlett said.

Torrie frowned. "What? Why not?"

"Because he's probably being a pain in the butt. He normally is when he doesn't get enough sleep and that will cause me more harm than good." Scarlett responded. "So you can go meet him." Scarlett then smiled. "Oh that's right! You need me or Helen to show you where he lives now!"

"Ugh! Why are my cousins-"

"Out of the way," Helen said pushing Torrie aside to enter Scarlett's bedroom. "Scar, I'm taking the car to meet up with Tyler. If you have to go _anywhere_ please do so now because I won't be back until later on for the party."

"Go ahead. I'm fine." Scarlett said. "Though you might want to drop Torrie off at Danni's apartment. She's just dying to meet your favorite ex."

Helen looked at Torrie, who smiled and before shrugging.

"Whatever. If you want to put up with him at his worst, then so be it." Helen said. "I have to warn you though, besides him, you have his always irritating sister and a pregnant Laura. They won't go easy on you."

"We'll see." Torrie said with a smile. "Now, let's move."

Helen frowned. "Don't get bossy. Remember who has the car and who can just walk."

"I love you too baby cousin." Torrie replied with a smile.

Helen just scoffed as she walked out of the room, Torrie following her shorter cousin. Scarlett rolled on her side and closed her eyes. Sometimes she thought that Torrie was more in love with the guy than she was. And that was saying something.

* * *

Dustin sighed as he moved for Gabrielle's apartment. While yesterday was probably the best day he has had in a while, today was just boring.

"Hey!" Dustin stopped to see Tevin coming towards him. "What's your problem?"

Dustin frowned. "My problem?"

"Yeah. Why is it that every time I turn around, Jordan's telling me that you're riding her about me?" Tevin asked.

"Because you stood my friend up on _Valentine's Day_." Dustin replied, knowing full well that he and Jordan were not friends. "And now you're going after my other friend's girlfriend. _Again_!"

Tevin frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Bambi?" Dustin said.

"Bam… Seriously? You think that I…?" Tevin paused before laughing. "Oh, I get it now. You still have a thing for Bambi. Must kill you that your best friend is the one she chose after kissing you right?"

"Must suck to know that your girlfriend has it in for said best friend of mine, right?" Dustin retorted.

"Really? Maybe you haven't heard. I have Jordan to myself. And _no one_ can change that. Not you. Not A.J. No one." Tevin stated.

"Just one Chandra Torres right?" Dustin asked.

"May the best man win then." Tevin said.

"I intend to." Dustin replied.

Tevin smirked. "Just make sure that _she_ doesn't hear that." Dustin looked to see Gabrielle walking towards them. "See you around."

Dustin sighed heavily as Gabrielle came towards him with a wide smile. She was obviously happy about something, though he did not know what just yet.

"Hey," Dustin said. "What're you smiling about?"

"A.J." Gabrielle said, gaining a frown from Dustin. "He's trapped at Bambi's house with her family."

"Oh." Dustin said, thinking about the possibilities of him being in Aaron's position in the nearby future. "So… Are you coming to the party tonight?" Gabrielle nodded. "Really? I didn't even think you knew about it."

"Ashton told me about it last night." Gabrielle answered. Dustin nodded. Ashton did keep Gabrielle pretty updated. "So… Where to?"

"Anywhere." Dustin said as the two began walking away.

Dustin put his hands in his pants' pockets. He had kissed Chandra and she appeared to like it or else she would have pushed away. Yet, she had yet given him the time of day since then. He had even attempted to fight Steven for her and she has not thanked him for it. And somehow, Aaron got her attention by telling Jayden. In fact, Aaron got her _and_ Jordan _and_ he was Gabrielle's best friend. It really was not fair, but Dustin let it go. Besides, what girl would not want to date the now infamous Aaron J. McDuelle?

As for Gabrielle, she could tell something was off with her boyfriend, but questioning problems really were not her thing. Well, they weren't when it came to Dustin. Oddly, she could ask Ashton anything and he gave her the answer. Maybe it was because of the student-teacher relationship they had from the start. Or maybe… She paused in her thoughts. Did she really want to think that while walking with her current boyfriend? Sighing quietly, she would give Aaron an earful whenever they were alone and could talk in privacy.

* * *

Shane smiled as he lied in bed, kissing Nicole. She giggled and squirmed beneath him, though they both knew that they could not take it farther than kissing.

This time.

"Ew, gross," Shane sighed heavily and looked to see Deanna and Kelly. "Seriously Kelly, I thought you said your brother was _not_ a total pig?"

"He's not. Nicky just makes him like this somehow. And come to think of it, she makes quite a few guys like this." Kelly replied.

Deanna shrugged. "Must be those legs."

"Yeah, that'll do the trick." Kelly said with a smile.

Shane sat on his knees.

"Well, hello to you too Ms. Fitzgerald. Why are you at my house?" Shane asked.

"Polite and rude. Boy Shane, you do it all." Deanna answered, gaining a small shrug from Shane. "I'm here because my friend so happens to live with you. Weird right?"

"I know. It's almost like I don't know her." Shane said.

"Dad's gone with Jane." Kelly announced, drawing her brother's attention. "That means I'm in charge of making sure that there aren't any little Shakies running about."

"Shakies?" Shane questioned.

"Shane and Nicky. Shaky." Deanna explained. "Quite like DeSades and Tylen."

"DeWayne and Mercedes and Tyler and Helen." Kelly added.

Shane frowned. "Okay… That's just stupid."

"Oh shut up and give it a try." Deanna said.

Shane sighed. "Well, okay…" Shane paused and thought. "Um… Jay… Ra? Or Laur… Den?"

"Yeah, we haven't really gotten them yet." Kelly said before snapping her fingers. "How about Jaura?"

"Jaura? It might catch on." Deanna said. "Though, I have to say, Hayden sounds a lot better. Too bad Helen and Jayden won't be getting back together anytime soon."

"Okay, what are you two doing?" Shane asked.

"Shipping couples." Kelly said. "It's only the next biggest thing on the school gossip site." Shane slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. Of course the Anti-Grapevine was the cause of this. "It's trending now."

"Right… And what does this 'trend' have to do with me?" Shane questioned.

"You and Nicky are on the board for favorite couple. Who knew, right?" Kelly answered before smiling a bit. "But besides that… Tonight we have a surprise for you."

"A movie with limited kissing, a lot of explosions, one hot chick, and guns. Lots and lots of guns?" Shane replied.

"Even better." Kelly said.

"A trip somewhere far away with just Nicky?" Shane guessed.

"Well… No. And I guess it's not better than that." Kelly said.

"We're throwing a party at my place." Deanna said. "If we let you guess anymore bizarre things, we'd be here all day."

"Really? Thanks." Shane said.

"It wasn't my idea. In fact, I was against it at first." Kelly responded.

"Oh. Thanks Dee, I was looking for a time out." Shane stated before looking at Nicole. "Hear that Nicky? We're going to another Fitzgerald party."

"That sounds-"

"Lauren!" Shane and Deanna looked at Kelly with confusion for her outburst. "Laura and Jayden make Lauren!"

Deanna gasped. "Perfect."

"I know." Kelly said."Come on Dee, we have to make sure that the preparations are going as smoothly as you think."

"You're right." Deanna said. "See you later."

Shane gave the two a wave as they left his room.

"Shaky. That's such a stupid name." Shane said lying beside Nicole.

"I kind of like it." Nicole replied. "Besides… We're finally alone again."

"Ah. Time for a Shaky moment." Shane said with a grin.

"Yes. A Shaky moment." Nicole responded with a giggle.

Nicole leaned in to kiss Shane, Shane laughing a bit.

"Now it's stuck in my head. Shaky." Shane told her.

"Don't ruin the moment." Nicole said before kissing him again.

* * *

Laura looked beside her to see Jayden sleeping peacefully. She would never admit this out of his room, but she liked watching him sleep. She could not explain it, but watching him sleep made her calm. Maybe it was because she had dreamt of it once years ago and could now experience it. Or maybe because he just looked that innocent and serene when he slept. Either way, watching him sleep had become a favorable pastime for her when she could not sleep herself.

Jayden released a tired sigh as he slowly opened his eyes, seeing his pregnant girlfriend looking at him.

"Morning." he said with a smile.

"More like afternoon." she told him with a grin of her own. "You and Dash must've stayed up late last night because she's still asleep too." Jayden nodded. "Kind of makes me think what my best friend and boyfriend were doing in a hotel by themselves."

"Dash didn't come in until… I don't even know." Jayden replied. "And I stayed up talking to my mom." Laura frowned. "She wanted to fuss and congratulate the whole triplets thing. Sometimes-"

"Where was Dash?" Laura interrupted.

"Oh, I got her and Emmanuel some time to themselves. It must've worked if they're going to attempt this Toronto-to-California relationship thing." Jayden said as he sat up to stretch.

"Kind of like what I'll be doing this summer…" Laura said quietly, though he caught her.

"Hmm… Not exactly." Jayden stated.

"What do you mean 'not exactly'?" Laura questioned. Jayden just smirked and moved out of his bed to stretch his legs as well. "Okay Jayden, what have you done and why aren't you telling me? You know how impatient I am."

"Laura, I don't know what's more fun. Screwing with you in the bed or screwing with you in your head." Jayden said, causing her to roll her eyes. "So I'm going to be honest with you. I have a surprise for this summer and I'm not going to tell you until the last day of school. Period."

"I hate it when you do this!" Laura said. "Tell me!"

"Oh yeah… Messing with your head. Loads of fun." Jayden replied before leaning onto the bed so his face was in front of hers. "Maybe next time you won't take _forever_ to call me."

Laura glared at Jayden. "You're doing this because I didn't call?"

"_And _you didn't tell me you were pregnant until _months_ later _and_ you told me you hated me _and_ you called my brother a pansy and-"

"I didn't _know_ until months later and _you_ started calling A.J a pansy long before I entered the picture!" Laura told him.

"…You're right. I did." Jayden said. "Either way, you wait to tell me things, so why can I wait to tell you?"

"Let's see," Laura said. "Because every time you wait to tell me things, they're life changing. Like going to school in _London_!"

"Oh like saying 'I'm pregnant' isn't more life changing." Jayden retorted.

"Well I could've said, 'Hey I'm pregnant with Scooter's baby' and let you believe that." Laura argued.

"And I could've had sex with Scarlett on your stuff animal collection, but we didn't, now did we?" Jayden questioned.

"What is going on here?" Danica asked poking her head into the room.

"Nothing." Jayden and Laura said in unison.

"Ugh! You guys sound just like my parents!" Danica replied as she left.

"I could've sucked Nathan off the day you decided to run off with _Angelina_." Laura said.

Jayden paused before smirking. "I could've seduced your mom when I came back from Christmas."

"That's low. _Real_ low." Laura said, smiling a bit.

"I know, but I win every time." Jayden said.

"Not necessarily," Laura replied pulling him by his collar to move his face closer to hers. "I could've seduced you, taken you away from Scarlett, getting pregnant by your kids, and then make you fall in love with the very girl you tried to hate." Jayden smirked. "And then made you make our relationship known worldwide, flirting with you in front of _all_ of your exes, _and_ I've brought out the bad side of you that I said I would."

Jayden stared into Laura's eyes before sighing.

"Fine. You win that round." Jayden said before she grinned. "But know this. I only let you win because I love you."

"That's what the loser always says." Laura said before kissing him. "Now, go make me something to eat." Jayden frowned. "Please?"

"As you wish milady." Jayden responded moving for the door. He paused before giving her one final smirk. "I've made you have sex dreams about me."

Laura blushed, slinging a small paperback book that she was reading earlier at him. Jayden ducked the book, having years of training from ducking from thrown objects from Danica, and scrambled for the kitchen and his older sister.

"Asshole…" Laura muttered to herself.

* * *

Later that afternoon, the Torres and Bhandari family sat with shocked faces.

"USC won their first game… And UCLA lost…" Sav said.

"I don't believe it." Adam stated.

"Son of a gun…" Drew added.

Aaron felt Chandra tap him on the shoulder, motioning him to go with her out of the den. Getting the idea, Aaron slowly rose with Chandra, the two heading for the steps.

"Well I guess A.J was right." Adam said before spotting his niece and her boyfriend attempting to escape. "Is there something wrong?"

"Uh…" Chandra began, her brain searching for a likable excuse.

Aaron's cell phone rang, causing him to sigh quietly.

"Sorry. I have to take this." Aaron said going for the steps.

Chandra glared at him, he mouthing a silent "sorry" to her before answering the call.

"So, where were you going?" Drew asked his daughter.

"Um…" Chandra said unable to think of an answer. "Grab a cup of water?" Chandra saw that Alli was now frowning as well. "A really big cup of water?"

"Why?" Drew questioned.

"Because the thought of losing is stressing me out." Chandra said slowly in an attempt to use her health as an advantage. Though her parents gave her a look that said she had failed. "Getting water to calm my stress levels?"

"Nice try." Alli said.

Chandra sighed heavily. She really just wanted the day to end, but it seems as if her family was staying for dinner. All of them.

Aaron returned to the den with a defeated look on his face.

"What's wrong?" Chandra whispered to him.

"My dad is forcing me to stay here. He says that it's good for development." Aaron replied in a quiet tone so Chandra and only Chandra could hear him. "We're stuck here Bambi."

"So, A.J, would you like to stay for dinner?" Alli asked.

Aaron gave Chandra an apologetic look before looking at her mother.

"Sure Mrs. Torres…" he answered.

"Great!" Alli said. "You can and Chandra can tell Farah about Degrassi, seeing as she will be going there for the remainder of the year."

"Good idea." Anya added, understanding what her sister-in-law was doing. "I'm sure you two have _tons_ to tell her, right?"

Chandra and Aaron sighed.

"Good grief…" the two said in unison.

* * *

That night, Jayden got out of his car with Shane and Nicole.

"I tell you Shane, if Dash wasn't a good friend of mine I would really question why she spends more time with my girlfriend than I do." Jayden said.

Nicole sighed. "Jayden, Laura's _pregnant_. She can't go out to all these parties like you can." Jayden only shrugged as the trio made their way for the large mansion. "Besides, Dakota's just being a good friend."

"Whatever." Jayden said entering the mansion.

"About time!" Kelly said to the trio. "Why is it that Jayden McDuelle can't be one time for anything?"

"Sorry if my parents taught me how to be fashionably late." Jayden said before taking a finger and stroking Kelly's light blue bang. "I like it. You do this earlier?"

"Stop flirting with my sister." Shane mumbled.

"So, where's your annoying friend at?" Jayden questioned Kelly, ignoring Shane's glares.

Kelly shrugged. "I don't know. She said that Mercedes wanted her for something." Kelly then frowned. "And why must you call her annoying? Is it because she has more money than you?"

"Dash makes more allowance than I do and I'm clearly okay with her. Deanna's just annoying." Jayden said. "And that smile… It's freaking creepy as hell!"

"How?" Kelly asked.

"Because it's Deanna Fitzgerald trying to be nice. Creepy. As. Hell." Jayden said before moving away from the group. "But tonight's a new night, right? Let's live it up for the last semester for the year!"

Kelly sighed as Jayden disappeared in the sea of teens.

"That is your friend." Kelly said.

"I know." Shane replied. "Where's your sister?"

Kelly shrugged. "Wish I knew. I told her not to go do something stupid, but realized my mistake when I remembered who I was talking to."

"True." Shane said with a smile. "Come on Nicky, let's go do Shaky things."

"Sure!" Nicole said happily. "See ya later Kelly!"

"Yeah…" Kelly said before closing the large door.

* * *

Chandra walked Aaron to his front door, his hands in his pockets.

"Sorry about that." Chandra said quietly.

Aaron smiled. "Bambi," she looked at him. "Do you really think you have the weirder family between you and I? My mom threatened to kill my older brother via Skype, my dad conspires with my older sister to play random pranks on random family members, and I have twin little sisters."

"You have a very strong point there." Chandra replied. "So on that note, you're welcome for me to show you a _normal competitive_ family."

Aaron laughed quietly. "Yeah… Competitive." Chandra took in a deep breath. "What's wrong? Did you want to go to that party?"

"I did but…" Chandra responded.

"Be in front of your house in fifteen minutes." Aaron said causing Chandra to smile. "I'll get you to that party."

"Thanks!" Chandra said before kissing Aaron. "See you then?"

"Count on it." Aaron said before stepping into his house to see Danica standing there with a smirk. "Uh… Hi Danni…"

"Planning on sneaking out?" Danica said before squeezing Aaron in a tight hug. "Oh how I've waited for this day since you could learn to talk! I'm so, so, so, so proud of you!" Aaron did not fight the hug. "Go change. I'll drive."

"Bambi's in a cab though…" Aaron stated.

"Then you'd better hurry up or else." Danica said. "I'm leaving in fifteen minutes."

Aaron headed for the steps before turning around to give Danica a hug and then running up the steps. Danica smiled.

"I love you too bro." Danica said quietly.

* * *

Jacob had never really been a partying person, but Stephanie got Angelina to go and thus here he was. Of course, he had not talked to her much since she told him that she might be going back to Paris. It was not due to anger, but because of the competition.

Currently, he and Angelina were watching Stephanie attempt to get Nathan to dance, Angelina giggling quietly at the scene.

"So how long have they been dating?" Jacob asked.

Angelina frowned at him. "Since Valentine's Day. Didn't I tell you?" Jacob shook his head. "Oh… Sorry then."

"No problem." Jacob said before remembering Jayden's talk to him about Laura going to England. "Angel… Can I tell you something?"

"Sure." Angelina replied a bit unsure of what he was going to say.

"During our time in Vancouver," Jacob stated. "I talked to Jayden about you going back to Paris with your parents. He told me that if I felt that strongly about it, I should let you go physically, but always hold on to you emotionally. So… I guess what I'm saying is… If you want to go back to Paris, then go. We can try the long distance thing like Dakota and the lead singer of Venom."

"Jacob." Angelina said quietly.

"Yes?" he replied.

"I'm staying." she said with a smile.

"Oh…" Jacob replied before sighing. "That's good. That's perfect actually."

"I'm glad you think so." Angelina told him. "Do you want to dance?"

"Sure Angel." Jacob answered, moving to dance with his girlfriend.

* * *

Mary-Jane laughed with Amber and Marc, the trio joking in the backyard of the large mansion.

"Hey! Baby!" the group frowned as James sauntered over to them. He threw an arm around Amber and grinned foolishly. "It's been _forever_ since we've spoken!"

Amber's face scrunched up. "Have you been drinking?"

"That's a trick question isn't it?" James asked.

Mary-Jane frowned. "Hon, just where did you even get alcohol in this house after the Mercedes incident?"

"Oh you again… Here to seduce me to get rid of your jealousy?" James replied before laughing. "Oh God, remember, remember when you tried to have sex with me in my car? That was so… Freaking… Hilarious!"

"Um," Amber said removing James's arm. "Maybe you should get home? Come on, I'll take you."

James's laughter came to a stop before he glared at Amber.

"Where's your dickhead brother?" he asked angrily.

"He's at home." Amber answered. "Come on James, let's get you-"

"I guess he told you, huh?" James stated before poking Amber in her chest. "Well listen here babe, I don't love you. I like you. Just like you. And if you have a problem with that you know what you can suck. My-"

James never finished his words as Amber's hand came across his face with enough force to send him falling backwards in his drunken stupor. Amber marched away from the scene, Marc moving to lift his drunk friend up while Mary-Jane moved after Amber.

"Amber, wait, he didn't mean it." Mary-Jane said.

Amber turned to Mary-Jane, tears spilling from her eyes.

"You know what, Simon was right. James will always be that stupid player he's always been." Amber replied. "And I don't care if he loves me or not because… Because…"

Mary-Jane hugged Amber, knowing Amber seriously did not mean what she was saying. Amber only hugged her back tightly before sighing.

"I want to go home." Amber said quietly.

"Fine. I'll get Marc to take James home, okay?" Amber nodded. "Hey, don't take it out on him. He's drunk."

Amber looked at Mary-Jane. "When he sobers up, tell him to go to hell."

With that, Amber walked away angrily, leaving Mary-Jane to sigh heavily.

Why couldn't the Fitzgerald's have a drama-free party?

* * *

Helen leaned into Tyler's chest as she rolled her eyes. Scarlett and Torrie were actually competing over _her_ ex.

"Losers…" Helen said.

Tyler shrugged. "What can you do about it?" Helen looked up at him, his arms removing themselves from around her. "Go ahead…"

Helen gave him a small smile before moving towards her former neighbor and cousins.

"Oh, hi Helen." Jayden said, showing just how desperate he was to leave the other two girls around him. "How has your night been? Mine? _Great_."

Helen sighed. "Scar. Torrie. Leave him alone."

Torrie frowned. "Who died and made you queen?"

"Cleopatra." Helen replied plainly before looking at Jayden. "And where's your baby mama?"

"Alcohol. Jumping teens. People that she hates. Yeah, I'm sure this is a bad place for a pregnant Laura, don't you think?" Jayden answered. "So she's at Dash's having girls' night. Of course by girls' night, I mean an all-expense paid to a five-star restaurant, watching pre-release movies, and being catered to by a handful of butlers and house chefs."

"Yeah, no one cares." Helen said before looking at her cousins again. "And what are you two doing?"

"_I_ was having a nice conversation with J.T and _Torrie_ came by starting trouble." Scarlett accused.

"Me? You were so thinking about going to find DeWayne!" Torrie retorted.

"Torrie," Ethan said coming towards her. "Can we talk for a sec?"

Torrie sighed. "Sure." Torrie then gave Jayden a smile. "See you later cutie."

Jayden smiled as the blonde walked away before shooting a glare at Helen. The look actually made Helen believe that he was seriously pissed at her.

"W-what?" she asked him.

"This is your fault." Jayden said in a quiet and angered tone.

"How's that?" Helen retorted, using her inner anger to battle her confusion and shock at his statement.

"If you Torrie retorted.

"Torrie," Ethan said coming towards her. "Can we talk for a sec?"

Torrie sighed. "Sure." Torrie then gave Jayden a smile. "See you later cutie."

Jayden smiled as the blonde walked away before shooting a glare at Helen. The look actually made Helen believe that he was seriously pissed at her.

"W-what?" she asked him.

"This is your fault." Jayden said in a quiet and angered tone.

"How's that?" Helen retorted, using her inner anger to battle her confusion and shock at his statement.

"If you weren't trying to be a 'good cousin'," Jayden said using air quotes to quote "good cousin." "Then _we'd_ still be together and none of this would be happening. But _no_. You just _had_ to put your kinship with Scarlett over your relationship with me!"

Helen scoffed. "Excuse me for being a _cousin_. Seriously Jay, stop being selfish." Jayden grumbled something under his breath causing Helen to now glare at him. "Care to repeat that?"

"Not in earshot of you." Jayden said before sighing heavily. "Why can't I just have _one night_ with _no_ problems? Do all good-looking people go through this?"

"No." Helen said.

Jayden smirked. "And how would you know?" Helen quickly punched his chest, causing him to cough and laugh. "So worth it…"

"Alright you two, enough." Scarlett said before grabbing Jayden's hand. "Come on. Tell me more about Vancouver." Scarlett shot Helen a stern look. "Alone."

"Fine, fine," Helen said throwing her hands up. "I'll just be over here with my _boyfriend_ and _not taking someone else's_ if anyone cares."

Jayden stood up straight and looked at Scarlett.

"Red, you do remember that line I said not to cross, right?" Jayden asked. Scarlett scoffed, but nodded anyway. "Good." Jayden took his hand out of Scarlett's and smiled. "Now, lead the way. And remember, no flirting."

"Only if you don't do it first. I hear that boys fall for me when I'm-"

"You're doing it now." Jayden interrupted.

Scarlett sighed but nodded anyway. The two went for the backyard but was stopped by DeWayne and Mercedes.

"Well… Isn't this ironic?" DeWayne said.

"I would be pissed about seeing your face," Jayden replied. "But seeing as we are at your stepdad's house, I guess I can't be so mad."

DeWayne smiled at Scarlett. "How're you doing?"

"I'm doing fine. Thanks for asking." Scarlett said before looking at Mercedes. "Mercedes."

"Slut." Mercedes remarked.

Jayden watched Scarlett's eyes narrow, knowing the look all too well. His mind thought of possible solutions, knowing half of them crossed that line he had made for them.

"Let's go Scarlett." Jayden said tugging at her hand.

Even though Scarlett allowed Jayden to pull her away, her eyes stayed on Mercedes. The two made their way to the large backyard where a number of people were talking and dancing.

"I hate her." Scarlett said angrily.

"Dance with me." Jayden told her, causing Scarlett's eyebrows to shoot up her forehead. "Oh come on, I'm not saying marry me. Just dance. Get your mind off of Mercedes."

Scarlett sighed. "Fine…" Jayden grinned, taking her into his arms. "You know what I just noticed?"

"We're slow dancing to a up-tempo song?" Jayden replied.

"No… We've never actually finished one dance this year." Scarlett said.

Jayden shrugged. "Can't say that I can take all the blame for that one." Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Hey, more of that and I'll walk away and leave you here alone to be annoyed by your ex."

"I already am." Scarlett said causing Jayden to grin. "You know… Never mind."

"Yeah. No flirting." Jayden said as the two continued dancing.

* * *

Gavin gave Jane a saddened look as he watched her pack her bags.

"So this is it, huh?" he asked her.

Jane paused before looking at the man.

"Spin, I'm really sorry about this." Jane said.

"Oh, there's nothing to be sorry about. You have your life in L.A like I have mine up here in Toronto." Gavin replied.

Jane only smiled as she neared the man.

"My plane leaves in three hours…" she said with a grin. "I could… Give you something to remember me by?"

"You sound like we're teens again." Gavin stated.

"For tonight, let's be teens." Jane murmured before kissing her ex.

* * *

Dustin smiled as he stood beside Gabrielle, she talking to Ashton and Vanessa as norm.

"Hey!" Chandra said cheerfully nearing her friends with Aaron.

Vanessa frowned. "I thought you said you couldn't make it?"

"Danni." Chandra said thumbing to Aaron. "So what'd we miss?"

"Well apparently, Vanessa's brother has gotten drunk and Amber broke up with him." Ashton said before shrugging. "Pretty predictable." Vanessa frowned. "_Something_ had to happen tonight. It's a Fitzgerald party."

"Whatever Ashton." Vanessa said.

"So you did show." Aaron cut a glare towards Tevin and Jordan. "That's good."

Chandra sighed heavily. "Tevin, how many times must I say this? I'm not interested in you!"

Jordan scoffed. "As if _anyone's_ interested in you."

"Shut up." Chandra snapped back.

"Bambi, stress." Aaron stated. "Come on, let's go get some fresh air. And find my brother to give us a ride and alibi."

"Fine…" Chandra said giving Jordan a glare. "Bitch."

Jordan gasped as Chandra walked away hand-in-hand with Aaron. She then turned around and walked the opposite way.

"Let's get out of here Br.. Vee." Ashton said, Vanessa nodding, obviously missing the slip. "Coming Brie?"

"Sure." Gabrielle said. "Dustin?"

"I'll be there in a sec." Dustin said. Gabrielle gave him a curious glance but left with Ashton and Vanessa anyway. Dustin looked at Tevin. "What's your deal?"

"Same as yours." Tevin retorted. "Let's be honest, she'll talk to me a lot sooner then she'll talk to you."

"Yeah right." Dustin responded.

"Hey," Aaron said to Dustin. "You coming to the back with the rest of us?"

"Um… Sure…" Dustin replied, wondering how long Aaron had been standing there.

"Good. Oh," Aaron said. "And just for the record, _neither_ of you have a chance with Bambi. So drop it. Now."

Tevin and Dustin only watched Aaron walk away. Tevin glanced at Dustin before moving for Jordan, Dustin sighing. He had just gained some sort of friendship with Aaron again and now things were going to be back like they were.

Dustin made his way to where Gabrielle and the others were, laughing and talking about the game earlier that day. He saw Aaron give him a glance, and despite the boy's smile, Dustin knew what Aaron meant. Chandra would be his for a very long time. And no one was going to interrupt that.

* * *

Jayden laughed with Scarlett, the two now in the house talking with Shane and Nicole.

"Well, you two didn't take long to snuggle up with each other." Jayden sighed, knowing Scarlett was going to reply to Mercedes' words. "Calm down, I came here to talk to your boyfriend."

"What do you want?" Jayden asked.

"I just wanted to tell you something important." Mercedes said. "You ever want to know who posted those things about you and Laura? Or who gave Jordan the head's up about you and A.J being brother? Or maybe the person who said those nasty things about Scarlett. Hell, the person who told _me_ about Laura's pregnancy is over there."

"Who?" Jayden asked.

Mercedes pointed to Stephanie. "Stephanie Brown."

Jayden's eyes locked onto Nathan's girlfriend before moving for the blonde.

"Oh brother…" Shane said going after Jayden.

"You said something?" Jayden asked, the anger that he had held for Jordan now completely shifted to Stephanie. Stephanie frowned at Jayden. "The blogs? You-"

"Hold your horses McDuelle, what the hell is this about?" Nathan asked.

"Fuck off." Jayden hissed before glaring at Stephanie. "You knew about me and Laura. Were you there that night?" Stephanie was a little taking back by his sudden anger, but nodded anyway. "And you had the nerve to tell Jordan about A.J and I?"

"I didn't know!" Stephanie protested. "I didn't know you two were brothers until-"

"Like I'll believe that. You-"

"Back off Jayden!" Nathan said angrily. "No one cares about you or your damn brother."

"What's going on over here?" Deanna asked moving towards them.

"Seems as I found the person who posted the blogs. All of them." Jayden said to Deanna, many of those near hearing his words. "And I'm contemplating on beating Nathan's ass for her doings."

Deanna looked at Stephanie, seeing how frightened she really was. Despite Nathan standing clear in front of Stephanie, Deanna knew that Jayden would keep at it until he felt justified. She then looked at the smug smile on Mercedes' face. She had told Mercedes not to blab the secret out to the party and she somehow got Jayden to do so. Her eyes then turned to Shane. He was prepared to stop the fight. And if Shane was going to stop it, Deanna was going to prevent it.

"I wrote those blogs." Deanna said, many students gasping. "Who else would know where to find you and Laura? Get your personal files? Be that close to Scarlett? Know DeWayne was cheating?" Jayden frowned in confusion. "I even typed a thing about myself to throw people off."

"You ruined my brother's life. And mine." Jayden said.

Deanna sighed heavily, taking in a deep breath.

"I'm sorry." Deanna said.

Jayden looked at Deanna, then at Stephanie, and finally back at Deanna.

"Stay away from my family." Jayden said to Deanna before turning to Stephanie. "Both of you."

"What's got you so pissed?" Shane asked Jayden as he began to walk away.

Jayden paused. "I guess I'm the type to hold grudges. And whoever did that thing about Laura and me, calling her a 'cold heartless bitch', believe me when I say… We will get even."

"Yeah, well step up to Stephanie again, and we'll have problems." Nathan said.

Jayden smirked. "Pick your day and schedule a lost."

With that, Jayden walked away, his hands in his pockets. Scarlett sighed and moved after him, knowing just how truly upset he was about the whole ordeal. Nicole also moved after Jayden in attempt to calm him down as well, though Shane stayed where he was.

"What have I done…?" Stephanie muttered quietly.

"Oh well. I guess your mouth got you into more trouble than your 'friend' can save." Mercedes said moving for DeWayne. "How unfortunate."

Deanna sighed. "Don't listen to her Stephanie. I said that I wouldn't let anything happen, and I won't."

"Thanks Dee." Stephanie said in a hush tone. "Nate, I'm ready to go."

"Me too." Nathan replied before looking at Deanna. "Great party. I didn't even get jumped this time."

Deanna gave Nathan a sarcastic smile as he moved away with Stephanie.

"Deanna Fitzgerald taking the fall. I think I've seen it all tonight." Shane joked.

"Ha-ha, Shane. Aren't you supposed to be calming your friend down?" Deanna asked.

Shane shrugged. "He's just cranky. Jet-lag makes him like this a lot, which is why it's best to leave him alone." Deanna nodded. "Besides, you look a little upset and by association of my sister, we're kind of like friends."

"Kind of like…?" Deanna asked with her brows raised.

"Yeah. So, are you alright?" Shane questioned.

"No. Every party I've thrown has been ruined and it normally revolves around _your_ friend… And Mercedes…" Deanna answered. "Why can't I have just _one _party where nothing goes wrong?"

"I don't know." Shane said. "Anything I can do to make it better?"

"Not unless you can put an 'S' on your chest and somehow take me flying around the world." Deanna said causing Shane to grin. "But since you can't…" Deanna paused and "thought" for a moment. "How about a dance?"

"One dance for the Lakehurst Princess, coming right up." Shane said.

Deanna released a quiet sigh. She would deal with Mercedes later for telling Stephanie's secret, but for now she would dance with the boy of her dreams.

Maybe tonight wasn't such a bad night after all?

* * *

It was well past two in the morning when Steven returned home. He was sober enough to walk up the steps, however he did not make it that far. There at the bottom of the steps lied his bags and things.

"What's going on?" Steven asked.

"Rehab." Craig said walking down the steps. Steven frowned up at his dad. "You've been taking those pills again, haven't you?" Steven said nothing, glaring at his father. "You crossed the line when you put your hands on your brother."

"Go ahead! Send me away again! It's not going to change that Dakota ruined my life!" Steven shouted.

"Dakota can't ruin your life because she isn't your child!" Craig snapped back. "She's mine! And I…" Craig took in a deep breath. "I shouldn't have let your mother get in the way of my relationship with my daughter. Maybe you would've been different as well."

"Like hell I would." Steven muttered.

"I bet so too." Craig said. "So I'm going to say this one time as kindly as I can." Craig pointed to the door. "Get your ass in the car. Now."


	90. Day The Music Died Promo 3

**Author Notes: **Here is the last promo for the sequel (which is 6 episodes away!). Read, enjoy, and tell me what you think as always. Later!

* * *

**Day the Music Died Promo #3**

**The countdown has begun…**

**10. Amber's Choice**

Amber looks at Mary-Jane.

"I'm going to abort the baby."

**9. Jackie's Job**

Damon spins Jacquelyn around forcefully.

"You can't keep working there! Especially not for Torrie!"

"I'll do what I want! So let go of me Scooter!"

**8. Clare's Marriage**

Raven stares at Eli.

"You're ruining my dad's marriage with Clare. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

**7. J.T's Legacy**

Liberty gasped, catching Manny's attention.

"I think I saw my son!"

**6. Mary-Jane's Fight**

Mary-Jane screamed and kicked as the man carried her to her own room.

"Let go! Somebody help me! Help me!"

**5. Jacob's Problem**

Jacob glared at Jayden.

"Your mom was a whore, your kids' mom is a whore, and your grandmother was a whore! Your daughter has no choice but to be just like them!"

**4. Scarlett's Obsession**

Helen sighed before looking at Scarlett's pleased face.

"You're never going to be those kids' mother, Scar. I hope you remember that."

**3.** **Chandra's Disappearance**

Dustin sighed at Aaron.

"I don't know A.J. I'm starting to think like Ashton. Maybe she ran off."

Aaron clutched Dustin's collar tightly.

"She. Didn't. Run. Away."

**2.** **Jayden's Breaking Point**

Scarlett's hand moved quickly and powerfully across Jayden's face, causing him to shove her against his door in anger.

"When you leave, don't come back, don't look back, and don't think back. Stay the hell out of my life Scarlett Chessex!"

**1. The End**

Bianca stood over Vince, pointing a gun directly towards him.

"I told you I'd end this." And then the trigger was pulled.

**After the record stops, the music dies. And that day is coming soon… **

Shane glared at DeWayne.

"Mess with her again, and I'll rip you to pieces."

**Only on Fanfiction**


	91. S3: Episode XIX: With or Without You

**Chapter XIX: With or Without You**

He was going to be late for school or arrested for trespassing one, but either way, he had to see her.

"Hey," Jayden said. Stephanie froze in mid-step, watching the boy walk towards her. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Jayden, I'm really, really sorry about the whole blogs thing. I didn't mean to intentionally hurt-"

"I'm sorry." Jayden interrupted. "I shouldn't have blown up like that. Least not in front of a crowd. And after some talking with a friend of mine and A.J, we've come to the conclusion that you couldn't have learned about me and A.J until afterwards. So I'm apologizing now."

Stephanie grinned. "Apology accepted Jayden."

Jayden sighed. "I really need to learn to keep my temper in check…" He then spotted Angelina. "Oh! Mrs. Isaacs! Didn't see you there." Angelina blushed, looking away in embarrassment as quite a few people heard how he addressed her. "See you guys around."

"Sure Jayden." Stephanie said while giggling at Angelina's blush.

"Oh, Angel, dinner's at my place tonight. Our sisters are trying to poison us again." Jayden stated getting into his car and then speeding off for school.

Stephanie smiled at Angelina. "Diner's at his place? You're not cheating on Jacob are you?"

"N-no!" Angelina replied. "And stop making me stutter!"

"I can't help it! It's hilarious!" Stephanie giggled as the two girls made their way into the school.

* * *

Aaron stood at his locker getting his morning books when Ashton neared him.

"You doing okay?" Aaron asked Ashton.

Ashton shrugged. "One down, one to go right? Just waiting for Perfect Lily to mess up and get sent to our grandparents. I'll be an only child then."

Aaron frowned. "You really don't like any of your siblings, do you?"

"Took you that long to figure that out?"Ashton stated. "Boy, I thought you were the smart one."

Aaron said nothing, knowing that deep down Ashton did love all his siblings, Dakota included. His attention was then turned to Chandra nearing him with her cousin, Farah.

"Morning." Chandra said hugging Aaron. "Farah, of course you know A.J. But this is his annoying friend Ashton Manning. His mom seems to hate me for… Well you know."

"Hi." Farah said politely.

Ashton smirked. "Cute and polite? Bambi might be replaced here, eh Santos?"

"I doubt that." Aaron said before looking at his girlfriend. "Class?"

"Actually… I came here because Farah has your first period and I thought you could show her around for me. Until lunch that is." Chandra said. "Please A.J?"

"Sure Bambi." Aaron said, Ashton rolling his eyes at how quickly Aaron agreed to it. "See you at lunch?"

"Always." Chandra replied before giving him a quick peck. "Don't worry Farah. A.J won't let anything happen to you and if Ashton annoys you, find Vanessa Brooks. She'll set him straight."

Ashton scoffed as Chandra walked away.

"Yeah right." Ashton said before looking at Aaron. "Why do you always fall for the _annoying_ girls? First Jordan and now Bambi. Seriously Santos, if you didn't want me around have the guts to say so."

"Trust me, you'll know when I want you to walk away." Aaron said turning to Farah. "Um, you ready? The teacher's kind of a strict about time."

"Sure. Thanks again A.J. And congratulations winning the bet Sunday." Farah said.

"Thanks." Aaron replied. "We should get going. See you around Ashton."

"Yeah, yeah." Ashton stated before smirking. "Whipped Santos."

Aaron gave Ashton a glare as the younger Manning laughed and walked off for class.

He was not whipped.

* * *

"You apologized?" Helen whispered with shock.

"Is that so hard to believe?" Jayden asked.

"Yes!" Helen said.

"Is there a problem Miss Coyne?" Mrs. Carson asked.

"Depends on what you see as a problem." Helen replied. Jayden and Nicole shook their heads at Helen's response. "But nothing to get all worked up for."

Mrs. Carson did not respond, looking back at her computer.

"Where's Laura?" Nicole asked Jayden.

Jayden sighed. "She's at home taking her classes online due to her pregnancy and need to get good grades for her school."

"Tch, she gets pregnant and then pampered. Maybe I should've gotten pregnant." Helen said.

Jayden smirked. "You can't have a baby until it's time for the apocalypse. That demon spawn will-"

"One more word. I dare you." Helen threatened.

"Oh? When we're talking about the imaginary kids that Scarlett and I have, it's all funny." Jayden said. "What goes around Helen."

"That's funny. My fist can go around." Helen hissed.

"Are you two done flirting?" Mrs. Carson asked.

Helen and Jayden glared at the woman. They had been over their break-up several of times now and this was seriously starting to get annoying. Jayden then leaned towards Helen.

"Don't worry. She's just a single loser who carries her husband's last name." Jayden whispered.

Helen smiled. "I bet. Probably has a cat."

"Spent the whole year with the stupid thing." Jayden added.

"If only she could actually score another man." Helen whispered.

"Poor lonely bastard." Jayden said quietly, the two now laughing amongst themselves.

"What are you two murmuring about now?" Mrs. Carson asked.

"Oh nothing. Just placing a friendly bet if you're a dog person or a cat person." Jayden responded. "Completely irrelevant to the wonders that is math."

"For the record, I own two cats." Mrs. Carson said, Helen bursting into a fit of laughter. Mrs. Carson frowned. "Now what?"

"Oh nothing. Nothing at all." Jayden said with a smile.

* * *

Whispers.

That was all she heard when first period ended. Silent whispers. About her.

Stephanie walked down the halls in a shell. People stared at her. They pointed at her. They whispered things about her. Everyone kept their space from her as if she had a contagious disease. On the one side, no one bumped into her in the halls. But on the other side, they all _hated _her.

"Hello Miss Brown!" Deanna said cheerfully.

"Hey Dee…" Stephanie said.

Deanna frowned. She had had another wonderful dream after her dance with Shane and now she has a shirt with his cologne/body spray on it until it was washed. Either way, she was going to have a good week and Stephanie was not going to be the dark cloud that ruined it.

"Don't tell me that you care about what they think." Deanna said. Stephanie only sighed. "Stephanie, I really don't get it. You type the greatest blogs in the history of blogging and now you feel bad about it. So what if they're pissed? Half of them aren't even important enough to get a part in them!"

"It's not that. It's just that… I had a reputation for being nice and kind and now people think I'm some sort of backstabber." Stephanie said.

"Really? People call me a lot worse things. Being a backstabber would be an honor." Deanna stated, causing Stephanie to grin. "But if you're really that pathetic to listen and care what these losers think, then do so by yourself. I'm not getting your ugly aura on my beautiful skin."

Stephanie realized what Deanna was trying to say and figured it would be as closed to the blunt and more polite version that she would get.

"I'll cheer up Dee. Thanks." Stephanie said pushing her glasses up a little.

"No problem. Now let's get your sorry ass to class." Deanna said turning around.

Stephanie sighed with a smile before following Deanna. It was ironic that she and Deanna had not been speaking to each other until Deanna learned about Stephanie's secret. And while Stephanie was glad to see Deanna was okay with it, she knew one thing was for certain about the brunette.

Something was putting Deanna in a good mood. Problem was: What?

* * *

"Hey Farah, where's A.J?" Chandra asked seeing her cousin wandering around.

"Oh! He had to do something for the teacher. He's real helpful I guess." Farah answered. "He said that my next class should be over here somewhere… Mr. Chambers…?"

"That's my class!" Chandra said happily. "Come on!"

"Yeah…" Farah said. "A.J was real helpful in first period."

"He's nice like that." Chandra replied with a smile. "I'm so lucky that I didn't go to Lakehurst. Then again… I would be running into that ex over there."

"So Steven goes to Lakehurst now?" Farah asked.

Chandra shrugged. "Maybe he'll stay out of trouble." Farah nods a bit. "So, just what did my always wonderful boyfriend do for you that has you on my we-love-A.J bandwagon?"

"Well… He I don't know really. He's just real nice." Farah responded. "He reminds me of a nice Oliver."

Chandra frowned. "Who?"

"This cute boy from Bardell… He's just a jerk." Farah answered.

"Oh." Chandra said with a small frown. "Did you date Oliver or something?"

"No… He was… Kind of out of my range…" Farah told her cousin. Chandra paused in her step and frowned at Farah. "He was one of the more popular kids and I… Well I wasn't."

"Really Farah? You need to get out more." Chandra responded. "I mean, A.J and I weren't on the same social step. I'm a cheerleader, a certain boy's ex, friend of Jayden McDuelle, and _extremely_ beautiful while being in the Gifted Program. A.J was just a quiet nobody until it came out that he was Jay's brother…" Chandra paused and giggled a bit. "But I've always thought that he was cute!"

Farah laughed with her cousin as they came to their class.

"He's really special, huh?" Farah asked.

"Better than you know." Chandra said. "Good thing I found him, right?"

"…Yeah…" Farah said quietly.

* * *

"He called?" Jayden asked Scarlett. Scarlett nodded. "Did you answer him?"

"Uh, no. Why would I want to talk to him?" Scarlett questioned.

"Maybe you _love_ him." Helen answered with a smirk. "You know, like that pairing thing Nicky was saying… Scarlett and DeWayne makes…"

Jayden hummed in thought. "I don't know Helen. That's a good one."

"Because we don't _belong_ together." Scarlett said. "So stop trying to pair us up."

"Speaking of pairs," Coach Blue said, the three a little ashamed that they were talking over his lesson. "Scarlett, you're paired with your friend there."

"I get Red posing for me?" Jayden questioned with a small smile.

"Idiot! You do remember that's my dad!" Scarlett quietly chastised Jayden.

"Yeah, yeah," Jayden said waving Scarlett off. "Is that what we're doing Coach Blue? Portraits?" Despite his regret for randomly drawing their names, Coach Blue nodded. "Oh this is going to be hilarious. I wonder what she'd look like with big ears and-"

"Do it and I'll draw you bald." Scarlett threatened.

Helen snickered as she watched Jayden put a hand on his head, his freshly corn-rowed hair being one of the few things he actually placed over Laura.

"That's mean… How could you think of something like that?" Jayden said, Scarlett smiling victoriously. Jayden then smirked and leaned to her to speak in a quieter tone. "Do you dream of me bald?"

"Wh-what?" Scarlett shouted.

"Scarlett." Coach Blue said. Scarlett apologized. "Now, as I was saying, I want these done before the end of the year and _colored_. Do not hand in a black and white sketch."

"Hey Coach," Jayden said with his hand raise. "What _kind_ of portraits are these anyway?"

"Anything but nude ones." Coach Blue answered firmly. "So don't even _think_ about it."

"Aye, aye Coach." Jayden said with a mock salute.

Scarlett saw the way Jayden glanced at her and momentarily shivered. With Laura having appointments and immobilized, she had noticed that Jayden was a little bit more outgoing, saying things that Laura had once stopped him saying. And the look that he gave her… She swore that he was thinking about the same things _she_ was thinking about.

What a great day this was going to be.

* * *

The bell rang for lunch, Jordan stopping by her locker on the way to the cafeteria.

"Hey," Dustin said nearing her. "You running off to your boyfriend every time something goes down is getting annoying."

Jordan rolled her eyes. "Look here…" Jordan glared at Dustin. "Leave. Me. Alone!"

"You tell Tevin to stay away from me and Bambi and I will." Dustin said.

"He doesn't want her!" Jordan said angrily. "So get off your-"

"Ask A.J. He _heard_ him." Dustin interrupted. Jordan frowned. "At the party? A.J heard what Tevin said. He'll tell you."

"Tch, yeah right." Jordan said before walking for the cafeteria.

Dustin sighed heavily. His game was pretty simple. Get Jordan pissed at Tevin, Jordan runs to Aaron, Chandra gets mad, Dustin picks it up from there. However, he knew that he had to _really_ piss Jordan off to even go to Aaron. What better way than to use Tevin's crush on Chandra?

* * *

"…And that's my best friend Vanessa." Chandra concluded. "And this is our table of misfits. Well, A.J and I aren't misfits, but they are."

"Says the girl taking medication…" Ashton said before Vanessa glare at him. "One of these days I'm going to say something and you're not going to care."

"If you stop picking on her _medical condition_ then I won't get mad." Vanessa replied before sighing. "Seriously Ashton, be nice _once_ per day."

Aaron smiled at his friends daily love arguments before he looked over to see Farah looking his way. He was going to say something before a voice reached his ears.

"A.J!"

"Oh great. The ex." Chandra said before leaning to her cousin. "Keep away from her unless you're looking for a Barbie punching bag."

Farah nodded as Jordan neared their table.

"What's Dustin talking about?" Jordan asked. Aaron frowned. "The party? Tevin said something about wanting your girlfriend?"

Aaron's frown remained but for a different reason. Dustin had purposely told Jordan what Tevin said, but left out that the two boys were making some sort of bet behind Jordan's, Gabrielle's, and Aaron's backs.

Two can play that game.

"Don't worry. I talked to him." Aaron said.

Jordan crossed her arms. "And?"

"He gets the picture that Bambi's with me and he's with you. You have nothing to worry about." Aaron said.

"Are you sure?" Jordan asked.

"Jordan, I talked to him. You have nothing to worry about. I promise." Aaron stated. Jordan gave Chandra a brief glare before walking away, Aaron sighing. "What a life…"

"So he said something about me _again_?" Chandra asked. Aaron gave Chandra a small nod. "This is starting to get annoying."

"I say we just jump the guy." Ashton said before opening his bottled soda. "If he won't listen to reason, maybe a few punches to the head might work."

"Maybe." Aaron said with a small grin.

* * *

"Amber please-"

"Good-bye James." Amber said walking away from the boy.

James sighed. "What did I say?"

"To suck your dick… But you didn't get that far before she slapped you." Marc answered truthfully before Mary-Jane gave him a dirty glare. "What? He said it."

"She'll probably hold this until exams…" James said before clenching his fists. "This is her brother's fault!"

"Uh, hon, Simon was at home minding his business when you went you made your drunk speech." Mary-Jane responded.

"Yeah, well he's the one that caused me to do so in the first place!" James retorted. "If he'd just mind his own business then this-"

"She is his sister." Mary-Jane interrupted. "Seriously, he has more say over Amber than you do, if anyone at all."

"Whatever." James said stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I'll see you two around."

James walked away, going the opposite way Amber went. Marc and Mary-Jane looked at one another.

"So when were you going to tell them your 'good news'?" Marc asked.

Mary-Jane shrugged. "The last thing Amber wants to hear now is that I'm dating yet another ex of hers. I'll give her some time." Marc nodded before Mary-Jane smiled. "In the meantime, we should enjoy every second we have to ourselves."

"You're right." Marc said.

* * *

At the end of the day, Chandra and Farah walked towards the parking lot where Anya would be picking her daughter up.

"So? What'd you think?" Chandra asked.

"There's a lot of weird things in the school. Like Dakota and Jayden _not_ dating though she dates a musician from California and he dates her _best friend_." Farah said. "It's like they're dating each other but not."

"Yeah, well, I'll be on Team Laura any day just because I hate the Coynes." Chandra replied. "But what about everything else? Did you like it? Did you hate it?"

"Oh, well, everything was alright. I had A.J show me around for most of the day so…" Farah paused. "Do people really bother him that much on a regular basis?"

"Yeah, but he manages. There's a different side of him, you know?" Chandra said and Farah nodded. "Yeah… He's really one of a kind that Aaron J. McDuelle… But, he's super cute, super rich, super nice, and super mine!"

Farah giggled. "Lucky you."

Chandra smiled, though she picked up on the quiet envy her cousin had. She then stopped in her tracks.

"Well, I have cheerleading. Call you later? We can do Mr. Isaacs stuff together." Chandra said.

"Sure. See you later Chandra." Farah said walking for her mother's van.

Chandra waved at her aunt before turning around. She knew Farah was not an outgoing person, so whenever Farah had a crush on a boy she kept it to herself. That never bothered Chandra before because she could always pick up on when Farah liked a guy. Yet, something was telling Chandra that Farah had gained a crush on _her_ boyfriend, Aaron.

"Please just be my stress overreacting." Chandra muttered to herself.

* * *

Kelly leaned on the counter.

"Dad, I'm tired!" she whined.

"Kelly, you just got here." Gavin said before frowning. "You stop by The Core?" Kelly nodded. "I told you having multiple jobs would kill you."

"_And_ softball!" Kelly added. "Dad, I don't think I can keep doing this."

"You can. You just need motivation." Gavin replied. "Like saving up for that car that you want." Kelly sighed before standing up straight. "That's my girl."

"How're you doing? You know, about Jane." Kelly said.

Gavin grinned. "Fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you're about to put a batch of fries on the grill instead of the deep fryer." Kelly pointed out. Gavin saw his mistake and quickly fixed it. "Seriously Dad, Shane and I can do double-duty if you're not up for it. He can get Jacob to help, plus Dash will be here soon, and I can get Dee to lend a hand. Oh, and Jordan of course."

"I'm fine." Gavin said quietly before Kelly moved to hug him. "What are you doing?"

"Hugging you." Kelly said with a smile. "Don't worry Dad. She'll return. Or I'll drag her back here one."

Gavin chuckled. "I'm sure you would." Gavin then quieted down. "Now, where's your brother?"

* * *

Laura frowned as she watched Jayden open the door.

"Hey J.T." Scarlett said. Jayden moved aside to allow his ex into his home. "Hey Laura."

Laura sat quietly, one hand in a bag of chips while the other balling into a fist. Her eyes turned to Jayden for an explanation, but he purposely avoided eye contact. He was a bit unsure if looks could actually kill or not and was not going to be the one they tested the theory on.

"What're you doing here Red?" Jayden asked.

Scarlett sighed. "DeWayne keeps calling and he said he was stopping by my place, so I ran away basically." Jayden nodded. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Oh no, we don't mind. It's not like we were planning our children's future or anything like that." Laura replied before eating some more chips.

Jayden sighed. "She's been like that all day. Just ignore her to the best of your abilities." Scarlett nodded. "And I thought you said you would be nicer to people?"

"I'd have to consider her a person first." Laura remarked. "Last time I checked, a bitch was a dog."

Scarlett's eyes narrowed, though she kept her thoughts from being voiced. She moved to the couch, not chancing sitting with Laura at the small dining room table. Danica came from down the hall with a pair of shoes in her hand.

"Oh! Hi Scar! What brings you to my humble abode?" Danica asked. Scarlett opened her mouth. "Don't care. So, how was your day?"

Scarlett smiled. "Pretty alright. Yours?"

"Well, considering that my parents are a currently planning some sort of surprise for the pregnant child over there," Danica said thumbing to Laura. "I've been quite busy doing everything that they're supposed to be doing. Like, I don't know, parenting. This includes dropping off and picking up my younger siblings sans A.J and Jayden and other annoying things. Oh! And I had the greatest talk to my dear old granddad who believes that my breasts are becoming too big for the shirts that I wear so now he and I are going shopping because my dad finds it, and I quote, 'hilarious as hell.'"

Jayden chuckled. "Dad… He always gets the last laugh, doesn't he?"

"I'll see how hard he'll laugh when they have to surgically remove my foot from your ass." Danica snapped back. "And when Laura has those kids, I'm going to do the same thing to her as well." Laura only scoffed silently. "I heard that you ungrateful whore."

"What in the hell did I do?" Laura asked angrily.

"You're eating my last bag of chips!" Danica said. "Seriously, you're as big as a…" Danica paused seeing Laura's eyes narrow as well as Jayden sliding towards the door. "I'll save that joke when you aren't emotionally unstable."

Scarlett saw Laura go back to finishing the bag of chips off, Jayden shaking his head slightly. Danica then rose from her seat after putting her shoes on.

"I'm going to get the things for dinner, need anything Fat Mama?" Danica asked Laura with a smirk. Laura ignored Danica, eating the chips slowly and quite loudly now. "Hey, I'm talking to you."

"I didn't hear my name." Laura said. Danica rolled her eyes. "What? Afraid I might wear your last name better than you someday?"

Danica smiled. "Yeah, that's it. Now do you want something or not?"

"No, I'm good for now." Laura replied. "Though you might want to give Dimples some Planter's. I think he lost his nuts somewhere in the midst of our argument. Again."

"He had enough balls to make you pregnant with triplets." Danica said nearing the door. "Ta-ta for now. And Laura, I want my damn bag of chips replaced before Friday." Laura nodded. "Bye!"

Scarlett looked at Jayden who was quietly muttering something while looking at the ceiling. A smile came onto his face before he looked at Scarlett.

"This has been going on for the longest." Jayden said to Scarlett. Scarlett slowly nodded, wondering just how Jayden kept what little sanity he had at moments. "So… DeWayne can't get a hint, huh?"

"Apparently he's not the only one…" Laura mumbled.

"No. And he keeps calling or stopping by." Scarlett answered Jayden.

"What goes around…" Laura added.

"So what are you going to do about it?" Jayden questioned. "I doubt you can take her little smart comments every time you stop by. I'm getting frustrated by them and they're not even directed towards me."

"I can leave." Scarlett said rising. "I mean, I should've called first or something. I shouldn't have barged in here without thinking."

"Hmm, no. Stay." Laura said. "Because whether I like it or not, you're his and Danni's friend making you somehow connected to me. And we're talking about the future of my kids-"

"Our." Jayden interrupted.

"_Our_ kids." Laura continued. "Meaning sooner or later the news will get to you and you will use it as an excuse to stop by to 'see if it's right or not'. So if you hear the news while it's new from the people talking, this is one unexpected visit that won't happen. Ever."

Jayden and Scarlett looked at one another before she sat down. Jayden only shrugged as he moved for the refrigerator.

"Anyway, like I was saying," Laura said to Jayden. "I _really _don't think my mom will want to even see these kids. So it'll only be a problem between your parents, grandparents, my dad, and Dash's parents." Jayden grabbed a canned soda and glanced at Laura. "I'm not letting Shane's parents get any dibs to a child that isn't theirs. I don't care how close to you they are."

"And Dash's does?" Jayden asked.

"Uh, mutual friend? Of course she does." Laura answered. "Besides, they have a nursery in their home for the kids. We owe them that much."

Jayden nodded. "True. So which one of us is going to be the poor sap to go to my mom or her mother and say, 'Hey, it's Mrs. Lowry's turn to watch the kids.'?"

Laura smiled. "Only one of us will be in London."

Scarlett giggled at the face Jayden made when he realization slapped him across the face. Laura laughed at the shocked and afraid look he had before he sighed heavily.

"Karma is having her way with me, isn't she?" Jayden asked.

"Yes." Scarlett said.

* * *

After her cheerleading practice was over, Nathan met up with Stephanie and agreed to walk her home. Currently, he was watching her as she sighed heavily and sat on the curb.

"Is it what McDuelle said at the party? Because if it is then I'll-"

"He already apologized." Stephanie said, stopping Nathan from getting too riled up. "He stopped by early this morning just to apologize face-to-face. And he was sincere about it too." Nathan frowned, now trying to figure out what was wrong with her. "Nate… Do people ever stay out of your way?"

"Yeah because I normally beat the hell out of them." Nathan answered.

Stephanie sighed. "You're really no help."

"What? Tell me." Nathan said sitting beside her.

"Today, everyone stayed away from me like I'm some sort of walking disease." Stephanie explained. "Only Angel and Deanna came around me. And the others… They were saying things about me Nate."

Nathan sighed. "Steph, don't listen to them. They're just mad because they can't do anything about it."

Stephanie gave a sigh. "In your own way that's very sweet of you. But don't go fighting everyone on my account." Nathan nodded. "You know Tank is still after you, right? Something about you jumping him?" Nathan froze, knowing a lecture was coming. "I don't think anyone is going to help him though."

"Good. I-"

"Don't fight him Nate." Stephanie quickly shot. Nathan only shrugged, though he knew how serious she was about that. "Let's just stay out of trouble. Both of us."

Nathan pulled Stephanie towards him.

"You're never in trouble with me." he said.

Stephanie smiled. "You're so soft inside." Nathan grinned at her before the two shared a kiss. "Still not having sex with you though."

"Damn. But it was a good try right?" Nathan asked.

Stephanie only laughed, the two sharing another kiss.

* * *

Mercedes left DeWayne's room with a smile until she turned to see the glaring eyes of Deanna.

"Oh, hey Dee. You need to speak to-"

"That was wrong." Deanna cut her off. "Mercedes, I'm thinking that you're trying to go against me. I don't like that. Not one bit."

"Go against you? No. Why would I do that?" Mercedes replied with a hint of sarcasm.

Deanna frowned. "Do _not_ mock me Mercedes."

"You know what? You're not even yourself anymore." Mercedes responded. "We were supposed to take down the Coyne Cousins. Remember that? Then you go run off with _Kelly Mason_? Who is she? And now you're standing up for Stephanie and _smiling_?"

"If you make me your enemy, Mercedes," Deanna said. "I promise to take everything you cherish away from you. Starting with my brother."

Mercedes snorted. "Yeah. The _old_ Deanna might. You? I'd love to see it." Mercedes then glared at Deanna. "But we both know that _I'm_ the muscles to your brains."

"You were." Deanna said brushing past Mercedes to get to her room.

In Deanna's mind, she knew how to make someone completely powerless. By combining what the person cherished in the world with what the person hated most in the world created what one would consider a weakness.

Let the Scarlett-DeWayne romance commence.

* * *

Later that evening, Kelly trudged into her house and fell onto the couch.

"Tired?" Shane asked his sister. She gave a groan. "Kelly, maybe you should take a break from everything."

"I can't…" Kelly replied. "Where's Dad?"

"In his room doing whatever." Shane answered.

Kelly sat up. "And you _let_ him be alone?" Shane shrugged. "I swear Shane… One day I'm going to teach you how not to be socially awkward with your own father."

"It's a man thing to sulk alone." Shane said.

"Sure. And when you become a man, I'll believe it." Kelly retorted. Shane let the jab slide as Kelly rose on her tired legs. "Come on… We're making dinner."

"But he said to order-"

"We're. Making. Pizza." Kelly said firmly. Shane only nodded. "Let's move."

Shane sighed. "You know, you're bossy when you're sleepy."

"Shane, I'm bossy when I'm not." Kelly responded. "Let's just make his dinner so he doesn't drink himself into a coma."

"Okay." Shane stated. "Well… My life just got-"

"Work. No talk." Kelly said with a tired sigh.

"Sure Mom…" Shane mumbled.

Kelly glared at Shane before moving to wash her hands. Honestly she was not angry at him. She was mad at almost everyone else. First off, the jerk who would not give her an interview until he had his freaking coffee, making Kelly's job that much harder. Then the backup at the Dot was just unacceptable, even with Dakota there helping. The softball game being rescheduled due to some old men's request was a pain in the ass as well. Lastly, Jane and her dad for dancing around each other like Jayden and Scarlett did was the final straw in her patience. Oh, and Jordan's presence at school was not helping either.

All in all, Kelly was just tired and the sooner she could get some sleep, the better.

"Kelly." Shane said breaking her thoughts.

"What?" she asked before she felt his hands on her shoulder.

"Go to bed. I can fix dinner." Shane said. Kelly looked to protest but he continued. "I can fix dinner and save you some for tomorrow. And I'll make sure that Dad knows that this was all your idea. Just get some rest for me, okay?"

Kelly knowing that he would have it his way politely or lift her up and carry her to bed (he had done that on more than one occasion before Spring Break), just sighed and moved out the kitchen with a smile.

Sometimes she was happy to have a brother like Shane.

* * *

Scarlett was surprised. Not about how mature Jayden could be, no, but his ability to cook. He aided his sister and her friend in cooking dinner only because Laura requested it. And to Scarlett's surprise, Jayden knew what he was doing behind the stove.

"A medium-rare steak…" Laura said with a happy sigh. "You know how to spoil me."

"Or his kids, but who's including them now?" Danica muttered.

Scarlett had learned that somehow, someway, Laura and Danica were actually friends. Good friends at that. And they had a weird way of showing it with each other, throwing constant cracks and jokes about each other back and forth until one caved or Jayden was somehow made the butt of their jokes.

"We should do this again." Isabella said to Danica. "My house next time?"

Danica shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me. You Jay?"

"Laura and I will be there." Jayden answered before finishing his soda off. "By the way Angel, how's Stephanie? I hope I didn't ruin her day or anything."

"She's fine. A few people avoided her though…" Angelina said, hoping not to reveal too much of Stephanie's downcast day. "She's happy that you apologized though."

Laura rolled her eyes. "Shouldn't have gone in the first place. But _no_ he's mister, I have to show up because I'm famous."

"Hey, that's my brother you're talking about." Danica stated. "Show him some more respect than that. He's more of a, I have to show because I'm good-looking, kind of guy."

"And now that we're back on my case," Jayden said rising. "Come on Laura. Let's get you home lest you eat another steak." Jayden then looked at Scarlett. "Might as well get you home too. Can't have you sleeping here."

"As if I would." Scarlett said standing up. "Pull-outs don't make Scarlett Chessex."

"I'm sure he would've let you sleep in his bed." Danica said. Jayden, Scarlett, and Laura looked at the young woman. "He would've slept on the couch." Danica then smirked. "Right Jayden?"

"I knew having wine would make you like this." Jayden responded as he neared the door. "Izzy, Angel, so lovely seeing you two again. And I hope in the future we'll see each other in a less hostile environment where I won't be tempted in shooting my sister and her pregnant accomplice."

Laura pouted. "But you love us, don't you Dimples?"

"At times I love you to death." Jayden said with a wink before moving to help Laura stand, though she pushed him away. "One of these days I'm going to give you help and you're going to accept it."

"Get the car started." Laura said before giving Jayden a brief kiss.

"As you wish." Jayden said. "Come on Red. If I'm getting unnecessary exercise then you should know that I'm going to drag someone down with me. And since Laura's pregnant and Izzy and Danni could kill me without remorse, you're my victim."

"What about Angel?" Isabella asked.

"Don't you know the rule of the world?" Jayden said nearing the door again. "No one misses with the perfect child."

Danica shook her head as Jayden and Scarlett left.

"Dumbass…" Danica and Laura muttered in sync.

Scarlett kept up with Jayden, glad to finally spend at least a moment alone with him.

"So, how'd you learn to cook?" Scarlett began.

Jayden sighed. "Well, my dad learned to cook because his dad died and my dad assumed that he was man of the house. At seven. So years down the line, I come into the world thinking that to be better than my dad I'd have to sit and watch a few times."

"Oh…" Scarlett replied.

Jayden smiled. "No, seriously, Danni taught me. My dad just uses us when he doesn't feel like it and my mom's out of town, like now." Jayden's smile slowly faded. "Though he does cook more than my mom…"

"Laura's going off to England. You sure you can raise three kids until she returns?" Scarlett asked, getting closer and closer to what she wanted to say.

"Hey, I'm the guy that got close enough to actually start a relationship with Laura. I think I can handle three infants." Jayden said.

Scarlett rolled her eyes playfully. "Right J.T. Because everyone knows that Laura is easier to deal with than three babies who will cry all day and night."

Jayden smiled. "Well Scarlett, that's why I have you." Scarlett gave Jayden a smile. "Seriously, as my best friend outside of Shane and Dash, I'm looking for a little help, alright? Not a lot. Just enough."

"I can do that Jayden." Scarlett replied. "Um, by the way, you said that you had a surprise for Laura for this summer. Big trip or something?"

"Now that's something that I can't tell you." Jayden answered as the two neared his car. "But I will tell you this. I've been thinking about it since I came back from Newport after Christmas."

Scarlett nodded as she thought quietly. If the thought came to him when they talked on New Years Eve, then Scarlett was not going to like it all. It was the first time that they had really gotten into a heated argument over Laura.

"Red? You in there?" Jayden asked.

"Oh! I'm fine." Scarlett said with a small smile. "Just thinking."

Jayden nodded. "Alright. Just don't space out on me."

"I won't." Scarlett said. "Oh, and by the way," Jayden raised his brows at her words. "Congratulations on the triplets."

Jayden gave her a smile before getting into his car to move it closer to the building. Scarlett only moved in the backseat with one thought in mind. Whatever this surprise was, she was not going to like it. So she had to tell Jayden she loved him before the end of the year.

Or lose him completely.

* * *

**Author's Note:** So, one down and five more to go. And on a brighter news, the first chapter for the sequel is actually already typed! But that won't come 'til later... Anyway, I want to do a MiTunes for a pairing of the story (no matter the season), but I don't know who. Who do you think I should do it on? Let me know. Ciao!


	92. Webisode: MiTunes: Ashton

**Author's Note: **Since I have been getting quite the comments (reviews, PMs, and E-Mails) about this pairing, here's a MiTunes that I'm sure you can enjoy. It takes place at the end of If She Wants Me Pt. I. Enjoy!

* * *

**MiTunes: Ashton**

Song: Breathe Easy  
Artist: Blue

Ashton walked into his room and put his bag down. He had just returned from Wasaga Beach with his friends and just wanted to rest for a moment. However, a sting from his face caused him to move to his dresser and retrieve some healing cream that he had received from Gabrielle and sighed heavily.

_Cruel to they eye  
I see the way he makes you smile_

Ashton thought about Dustin purposely splashing around with Gabrielle, the two in their own little world.

_Cruel to the eye  
Watching him hold what used to be mine_

He then thought about how they both snuggled onto a beach blanket. He knew Gabrielle liked limited contact with people, other than himself, Aaron, and her brother. So Dustin sitting that closed to her made him feel replaced.

_Why did I lie?  
What did I walk away to find?  
Oh why?  
Oh why?_

He blamed himself for this. He should have never broken up with Gabrielle in the first place. Not even after she challenged him to.

_I can't breathe easy  
Can't sleep at night  
Till you're by my side_

He walked to his bed and shed his shirt and pants, now in the shorts he wore beneath his pants and dove under the covers. It was going to be another restless night again thinking of Gabrielle.

_No I, I can't breathe easy  
I can't dream yet another dream  
Without you lying next to me  
There's no air_

Ashton wondered why he only had dreams of Gabrielle, despite dating Vanessa at the moment. She was not a bad person, Vanessa, nor was she unattractive. Yet there was something about the quiet girl that drew Ashton to her. In and out of his dreams.

_Curse me inside  
For every word that caused you to cry_

He would never forgive himself for making Gabrielle cry when he broke up with her. He was only glad that Aaron was able to play peacemaker between the two and that they were still friends.

_Curse me inside  
I won't forget, no I won't baby I_

Nor would he forget her smile when he first asked her out in the hallway at school.

_Don't know why, don't know why  
I left the one I was looking to find_

He grunted before tossing and turning beneath his sheets. He would have to ask Chandra for some of her sleeping pills later.

_Oh why?  
Oh why? Why?_

_I can't breathe easy  
Can't sleep at night  
Till you're by my side_

Inhaling, he could somehow smell her scent that had rubbed off on him during their last hug good night. He quivered at the memory of her semi-moist skin in his arms for only ten seconds. Feeling a tug in the lower region of his body, he sighed heavily.

Damn hormones.

_No, I can't breathe easy (Breathe easy)  
I can't dream yet another dream  
Without you lying next to me  
There's no air_

Ashton ignored the perverted thoughts in his mind. He wondered where they even came from as of lately. Surely, he had these thoughts about some girls like Laura and Mary-Jane, only because of the way they dressed… And shamefully he admits Chandra too… But he only had these thoughts of Gabrielle when he was trying to sleep.

Weird.

_No, I can't breathe easy (Can't breathe easy)  
I can't dream yet another dream  
Without you lying next to me  
There's no air_

Ashton lied on his back now wondering if Aaron had this problem. Somehow he doubted it. Aaron clearly upgraded while he…

Sighing, he made up his mind and got out of bed.

_Out of my mind  
Nothing makes sense anymore  
I want you back in my life  
That's all I'm dreaming for_

He had to just hear her once more tonight, if nothing else at all.

_Oh why?_

Grabbing his cell phone he speed-dialed Gabrielle's number.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hey…" he replied. "Um… Why aren't you asleep?"

"I just can't." Gabrielle stated. "You?"

"Me neither. Want to talk?" Ashton suggested. She agreed and he made his way to his bed. "So… Did you enjoy the trip?"

_Tell me why  
Oh, won't you tell me why  
I can't dream yet another dream  
Without you lying next to me  
There's no air_

Two hours later, Ashton heard her yawn and they got off the phone. He was tired himself now and was finally ready for sleep to take over.

_No, no, no, no, no_

_I can't breathe easy  
Can't sleep at night  
Till you're by my side_

He was somehow calmed just hearing her voice. That, plus she had only said Dustin's name like twice during their whole conversation. He still had some hope in getting her back, which made him smile.

_No, I can't breathe easy (No I)  
I can't dream yet another dream  
Without you lying next to me  
There's no air_

Vanessa was a great girl and all, but Gabrielle just seemed better to him. He had admitted that to Aaron on more than one occasion now. Yet at the same time, he really did not want to be the one to break things off with Vanessa.

_There's no air_

Drifting off to sleep, he realized that there was not much room for both girls in his life. Eventually he would have to make his choice public.


	93. S3: Episode XX: His Mistakes

**Chapter XX: His Mistakes**

"I can't believe the exams are in a week!" Scarlett said as she stepped out of Jayden's car. "We don't even have time to prepare for this stuff!"

Jayden laughed. "Red, we've been preparing for them _all year_. It's not our fault you don't comprehend well." Scarlett gave him a fixed glare. "Sticks and stones may break my bones but glares will never hurt me… Unless you somehow get heat vision…"

"You and your imagination." Scarlett said as she followed her ex to the front of the building. "So, why does A.J still ride with your dad to school if you can just pick him up now?"

"He's weird like that." Jayden replied.

"Laura seemed kind of pissed that you had to draw me." Scarlett announced.

"Yeah, that's just her pregnant hormones mixing with her everyday rage. Scary isn't it?" Jayden said. "But she'll get over it soon." Scarlett hummed in thought. "Don't do that Red. We were doing so well without any Scarlett versus Laura stuff. Besides, aren't you on the run from your ex?"

"For the last time J.T, I am _not_ on the run from DeWayne!" Scarlett stated angrily, though Jayden only laughed to himself. "I wish you and Helen will stop saying that."

Jayden came to the front steps with Scarlett before looking at her.

"Earlier this year, you standing here with me would be all that I wanted." Jayden said before shrugging. "Oh well. Time's changed and we move on right?"

"Yeah…" Scarlett said. "See you in class."

"We'll finish up with the portraits today, alright?" Jayden said.

Scarlett smiled. "Yeah. See you later."

Jayden watched his ex go up the steps before he looked towards the sky.

"A few more weeks." Jayden muttered to himself. "You can make it until then."

* * *

Chandra smiled. "I don't know A.J. My dad hasn't really forgotten the whole March Madness thing. If you beat him in a game of poker then he make tell me we can't see each other."

Aaron only smiled at her statement, though he was questioning just how serious that statement was. Drew was pissed about how the tournament ended. While everyone was a little down about Duke winning- except Chandra who placed a smart bet on the school- it was USC that made it to the finals with the Blue Devils.

Of course, it would be the first time that Aaron and Chandra were "put against each other" since they began dating. Shockingly she won.

"Hey Chandra, hey A.J." Farah said nearing the couple. Aaron gave Farah a small wave while Chandra frowned. "Um, I came to walk to class."

"Why? You've been here for weeks now. Don't you know your way around?" Chandra asked with pure sincerity.

"It's just a routine…" Farah stated, looking at Aaron.

Aaron sighed. "Sure Farah." Aaron looked at Chandra who gave him a frown. "You asked me to do so, remember?"

"I forgot how easy it is to get you to do something." Chandra said before kissing him with a smile. "Big date Friday. Don't forget."

"I won't." Aaron replied. "So are you ready?"

Chandra nodded. "Yeah."

Now Farah frowned. "Where are we going?"

"I normally walk Bambi to first period and make it to ours before the bell rings." Aaron explained. "So are you coming?"

"Sure." Farah said, the three now walking towards Chandra's class. "We'll find out about the project in Mr. Isaacs's class today."

"About time! All those clues and hints were getting on my nerves!" Chandra said before grinning at Aaron. "I hope we get partnered together."

"I do too." Aaron replied. "It'll make the class easier on both of us."

"I know." Chandra stated before leaning against Aaron with a sigh. "We make a pretty good team, don't we?"

Aaron smiled. "The best."

* * *

Laura sighed heavily logging into her first period class. She wished she could be at school instead of at home on a stupid computer logging into class. But there really was no arguing with a tired and stubborn Jayden. Plus, she could "eat in class" now which made life all the easier.

That is until the doorbell rang.

"Dammit." Laura cursed quietly as she got to her feet and moved to the front door. She opened it to reveal Danica. "What do you want? I have class."

"I know." Danica said moving passed Laura into her house. "I came to give you company."

Laura sighed heavily, moving back to the computer before she got marked for "skipping". Again, she would rather be in school. But she had to do it like this now.

"So," Danica said sitting on the small futon in the room where Laura's computer was placed. "How're you doing? You seemed a little disturbed."

Laura pursed her lips as she sat at the desk.

"I'm fine." Laura said.

Danica sighed. "It's Jay and Scar's project, isn't it?" Laura did not have to say anything, knowing Danica picked up on it. "I figured it's better that he's drawing her fully clothed right?"

"Is that supposed to be funny because it's not." Laura replied.

"Who knew the second toughest girl in Toronto to be so envious and self-conscious?" Danica said. Laura cut the young woman a glare before returning to her work. "Seriously Fat Mama, you need to just let him do his work so he can graduate with the rest of you. Or do you want my children's father to be a bigger dumbass than he already is."

"You let your boyfriend draw his ex at school after school hours in said ex's _dad's_ classroom without supervision." Laura said. "Call me when you need me to bail you out with whatever money I can get at the time."

Danica smiled. "I wouldn't need it." Laura rolled her eyes. "Oh come on. Doesn't that just screams 'Danni murdered him'?"

"Not helping." Laura said doing her assignment.

"Hey, listen, I'm Scarlett's friend. So if she gets too cozy with Jayden, I'll tell her to back off. Okay?" Danica said.

"Life isn't that simple and…" Laura began. "It's really not her I'm worried about."

"Jay cheating on you? Don't see it." Danica responded.

"Oh come on. It's not like he's denied having feelings for her." Laura stated. "So what is it going to be like when I'm in England and she stops by to be an 'helpful friend' to help him watch the kids? Me getting mad will only worsen the situation and then-"

"Oh shut up. He's not leaving you anytime soon." Danica interrupted. "Seriously, sometimes you make me depressed with your little rants." Laura shrugged. "Laura, you and I will never see eye-to-eye on _everything_, for starters I really don't see Jayden as attractive as you do."

"Sucks you're related." Laura said with a smirk. "Your brother is an animal in the sack too."

"Shut up!" Danica screamed holding her ears, Laura laughing now. "I'm scarred!"

"Oh please. I didn't give you any details." Laura stated. "That I'll save for your mom the second she goes on another bitch-fit."

Danica removed her hands. "What are you trying to do, make her have a heart attack? That's violation of the Eighth Amendment!" Laura smiled and shrugged at the statement. "Listen you twisted demon, I said I'd give Scarlett a soft let down if she gets too close but if you keep talking I might just move back to L.A or even Venice."

Laura turned to Danica. "Thanks."

Danica was a bit shocked at Laura's words and demeanor, but took the appreciation anyway. And as Laura went to finish the assignment at hand, Danica realized just how uncertain Laura was of her brother.

"You know something Laura," Danica said. "How about you and I plan something special for the brat brother of mine?" Laura gave Danica a small frown. "You want to stop worrying about him and Scarlett right? Then let's show him how good he's got it with you."

Laura was stunned that Danica had suggested something like this, but eventually smiled.

"Yeah."

* * *

At Degrassi, Chandra and Farah were currently walking towards lunch.

"You know," Chandra said. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say Jordan was up to something. She's been quiet for a while. That's never a good sign."

"Really?" Farah asked.

Chandra nodded. "Yep. She started a rumor saying that I wanted A.J just because he's Jayden's brother."

"But that isn't true… Is it?" Farah questioned.

"How could you ask such a thing?" Chandra responded. "Sure Jayden's been a good friend for most of the year, but I've come to understand that I was born just a few years too late. That, and I'm not part of that cursed Coyne Conspiracy."

"Coyne Conspiracy?" Farah said with a smile. "Chandra, what's that?"

"Okay, so you know how-"

"Hey!" Vanessa said joining the two cousins with Gabrielle. "What're you two talking about?"

"I'm explaining to her how our school is controlled through the Coyne Conspiracy but-"

"Oh God, not this again." Vanessa interrupted. "Bambi, let it go, okay? So Helen and Scarlett dated Jayden and they're pretty popular and they run the clubs that they're in. There is no such thing as a Coyne Conspiracy."

"Brie believes me." Chandra mumbled.

Vanessa turned to Gabrielle who shrugged her shoulders slightly.

Vanessa sighed. "Let's get to lunch. Hopefully A.J can talk some sense into you." Chandra opened her mouth. "And I don't care if you somehow got him to believe you, there is _no such thing_ as a freaking Coyne Conspiracy!"

"Whatever Vanessa. Whatever." Chandra replied.

* * *

Kelly lied her head on the table.

"Tired?" Jayden asked. Kelly nodded. "Huh… You know, I find you a bit less attractive when you dress like everyone else." Kelly looked at Jayden, shooting him a spiteful glare. "Hey, I never said that you were ugly. I just think the Kelly with highlights beats this normal Irish chick."

Kelly scoffed. "This again? You're mad because you're a half-Asian pervert."

"My mom's Filipino." Jayden stated before Shane sat beside Kelly. "One Mason tired and the other energetic. If only the tables were turned would this be a normal day."

"Jay, why don't you let Kelly rest?" Dakota, who sat beside Jayden, asked.

"I don't know… Maybe because when _I_ wanted rest, she calls about some stupid party at her stupid rich friend's house." Jayden answered.

"I'm sorry Jayden. Satisfied?" Kelly asked.

"Very." Jayden told her as he rose. "I'll go get a soda now. You need anything Kelly?"

"Not unless there's a bed in there with a sugar-free mattress." Kelly said.

Jayden smiled. "With your body, you don't need to watch your weight. In fact, I'll watch it for you."

"Stop flirting with my sister and get your drink." Shane stated. Jayden laughed and walked away. "Seriously, why don't you two have sisters?"

"We do. They're just too young for Jayden to notice." Dakota said.

Shane sighed. "Great…"

Standing at the soda machine, Jayden reached to grab his soda, only for a small tap on his shoulder to stop him.

"Need something Red?" Jayden asked.

"Oh, nothing really. Next to you moving so I can get my soda." Scarlett replied.

Jayden only smiled, retrieving his bottled Sprite before eying Scarlett. There was something that was causing her to nearly glow in happiness. A happiness he had not seen in quite a while, but figured whatever it was would be trouble.

"Um, I'm going to go back to my table." Jayden said.

Scarlett frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"No. Just came to get a drink and head back to the table." Jayden said. "Why? Do you think that something is wrong?"

Scarlett shook her head. "No… Nothing at all."

"Good. See you later to finish your portrait." Jayden told her with a smile before walking away.

Scarlett watched Jayden walk away with a small smile that slowly faded. He was hiding something. She had known him long enough to know that. What it was, she did not know. But she would find out or her name was not Scarlett Joann Chessex.

Sitting at their normal table, Aaron could only smile as Vanessa and Chandra argued about the credibility behind Chandra's Coyne Conspiracy.

Ashton sighed. "Santos, please tell your girlfriend to write this in the Inquirer or some other loony paper."

"If I did that, I think she'd be mad at me." Aaron replied, Ashton nodding in concurrence. "Uh, Bambi, why are you even talking about that again?"

"I was trying to warn Farah here about the injustice at our school and _someone_ butted in." Chandra said shooting a glare at Vanessa. "But of course, she wouldn't know because she hasn't been affected like we have."

"We?" Aaron questioned.

Chandra looked at him. "Your brother was manipulated by them. Hence, you're affected through family members." Aaron nodded before shrugging towards Ashton. "And what about Helen making your life with your ex terrible? Conspiracy."

"Okay, okay, there is a such thing. Man, you really know how to argue a pointless battle." Vanessa said.

"Why did you even make that 'conspiracy' theory, Chandra?" Dustin asked.

Aaron sighed. "Bambi thinks that Helen and Scarlett run this school due to their clubs and sports and Scarlett being president. She believes that because they live with each other, they 'conspired' to keep Jayden to themselves."

"So," Dustin stated. "It's really irrelevant since she no longer cares for him, right?"

"Exactly." Ashton answered.

"Oh…" Dustin said.

"One day, you guys are going to wish you listened to me." Chandra told them.

"Yeah. That'll be the day." Ashton replied.

* * *

Nathan frowned at Damon.

"So she wants to have sex and you won't because…?" Nathan asked.

"Because. Just because." Damon answered. Nathan did not argue, just nod slightly. "So what about you and Stephanie? She still Lakehurst's most hated student?"

Nathan frowned. "No. That's still Tank or Steven or whoever. And don't say that-"

"Hey, Nate," Nathan and Damon spotted James nearing them, his hands in his pockets. "I was wondering if you had some of that drink. Amber's been giving me kind of a hard time and I just want to relax."

"Nah, none on me now." Nathan answered. "Stop by the ravine today or tomorrow and I'll see what I can do for you."

"Thanks man." James said before sighing. "Women right?"

"You do realize that both of us are dating someone, right?" Nathan said.

James looked at Nathan and then at Damon before sighing again. Turning around, he walked back from the direction he came from.

"And here I thought Laura was a lovesick loser." Damon said, gaining a nod from Nathan.

* * *

During sixth period, Chandra glanced over at Aaron as Toby began to explain the project to the class.

"Being that we try to do something different every year with the Gifted Program, this year will be no different." Toby said. "And while this is a Media Immersion class, your project will have very little to do with a computer. In fact, the only thing you will use your computers for is recording your progress."

"What's the project Mr. Isaacs?" Chandra asked.

"Well Miss Torres, you guys will be partnered up with another student and become… Parents." The class gasped as Toby revealed the life-like baby doll. "They will cry unless they get what they need, so I suggest you learn quickly. On your computers, you will have the timed cycles that they will go on. I suggest you read as much as you can."

Aaron sighed, remembering Jayden telling him about this specific project last year when Jayden had Life Education. Fortunately for Jayden, Jayden was able to pick his partner, which ended up being Kelly. But Toby had already picked the pairs, so Aaron did not know whether or not he would be paired with Chandra or not.

"Your partner's name will appear on you screen…" Toby moved to his desk and clicked on an icon. "Now."

Chandra groaned. "David…" Chandra looked at the glasses wearing boy at the end of her row. "Just my luck…"

"Um, I think there's a problem." Jordan said with her hand raised. "My screen says Dustin Hayes."

"Then it's working fine." Toby said.

"So who'd you get?" Chandra whispered to Farah, who sat beside her. Chandra looked at Farah's screen and groaned. "How'd you get A.J?"

"I don't know…" Farah replied as she glanced at Aaron's frowning face.

"Oh well. Better you than _Jordan Cameron_." Chandra said.

"Yeah… Better me, right?" Farah responded.

* * *

After the final bell, Aaron made a beeline for Jayden.

"A.J, what's wrong?" Shane asked.

"I need to talk to Jay." Aaron said, Jayden glancing over his shoulder and his younger brother. "I got partnered with Farah on that parenting thing." Jayden shrugged. "The girl who I said might have a thing for me and-"

"A.J," Jayden interrupted. "As much as I would love to help you scheme something up to put an 'access denied' sign on Farah's forehead, I have something much more important at hand."

"Seriously?" Aaron questioned.

"You drawing Jordan while Bambi carrying your child?" Jayden responded.

"I guess you're right." Aaron said. "Can you give me a ride home today?"

"You know I'm staying after to finish this stupid project." Jayden replied.

"I know. I figured I could just stay in Mr. Isaacs's class until you finish." Aaron said. "I really don't want to go home and deal with Chris and the twins." Jayden smiled. "It's really not funny."

"Hey, I know what you're going through." Jayden said grabbing his English text book and closing his locker. "But, honestly, we can only make the best of what we have. Why make lemonade when you can make lemon pie, right?"

"You need things to make the crust, right?" Shane asked. Jayden shrugged. "Right. Who am I talking to? Well, I have to get to work. Good luck. Both of you."

Jayden nodded before looking at Aaron.

"Hey, listen," Jayden said. "If you have any chance at getting out between two cousins, take it. Laura saved me in more ways than one."

Aaron smiled. "I bet she did."

* * *

"You're not listening to me," DeWayne said to his sister, following her down the hall to their rooms. "You've changed. All this time spent with those Masons have really changed you."

Deanna paused and looked at her brother.

"You like Mercedes, right?" Deanna asked.

DeWayne frowned. "Yeah."

"Oh, I was just wondering." Deanna said. "See, unlike you, I blend in with my enemies. For example, rumor has it that one Scarlett Chessex is still very fond of you."

"She is?" DeWayne asked.

"Oh yes. From what I hear, she stood up for you to Jayden. That's why she asked him to leave at our last party." Deanna answered. "But, I know that you like Mercedes more than Scarlett, right?"

"…" DeWayne stood silently, causing Deanna to gasp.

"DeWayne! This is my best friend you're playing with!" Deanna shouted.

"Dee I-"

"No! If you don't like her as much as you do Scarlett, you should just break up with her now and spare her the hurt later!" Deanna said storming into he room and slamming the door.

DeWayne sighed heavily, knocking on the door.

"You're right Deanna, but how do I-"

"Don't talk to me now DeWayne!" DeWayne sighed again before walking away.

In her room, Deanna was currently lying in her bed, flipping through a magazine while texting Kelly. She really cared little about DeWayne's current status with Mercedes. Mostly because she and Mercedes were not really friends anymore. But if she broke up Mercedes and DeWayne, knowing that Scarlett was completely over DeWayne and Mercedes would never forgive her brother, then who cared?

"Looks like I win again." Deanna said with a smile.

* * *

Scarlett watched as Jayden carefully finished his drawing of her. His eyes moved from her to his picture with profession, never wandering or scanning her like that once did. She felt slightly unattractive under his calculating gaze. But she said nothing in fear of losing her friend again.

"I don't know why you're frowning. It's I who isn't done." Jayden said to her.

"I'm fine." Scarlett said. "My arm hurts and I really need something to eat, but fine."

Jayden smiled. "Are you asking me to stop by somewhere to get something to eat before dropping you off?" Scarlett grinned. "I'm not paying."

"What?" Scarlett asked.

"Hey, sue me alright? You're lucky I don't charge gas money." Jayden responded, causing Scarlett to roll her eyes. "Keep that up and I'll draw a five o'clock shadow on you."

Scarlett sighed quietly. "You're really mean, you know that?" Jayden smiled. "But I guess you have a point. Wouldn't want anyone getting the wrong idea, right?"

"Right." Jayden said quietly.

Scarlett sneezed, a few strands of her hair coming onto her face. Jayden sighed heavily as he moved towards her.

"A 'bless you' would suffice." Scarlett stated as Jayden removed the hair from her face and straightened her chin with a finger.

"You'll get your 'bless you' when I'm finished. Now stop sneezing and hold still." Jayden said moving back to his easel. "You know, A.J is going through some similar things like me."

"Oh yeah?" Scarlett asked.

Jayden nodded. "Yep. Bambi's cousin has it in for him and now they're working on some sort of project together." Jayden paused and chuckled a bit. "I tell you, it's a curse amongst us McDuelle men. First my dad gets a crazed ex. Then his sons."

"I am _not_ crazy." Scarlett said.

Jayden looked at her for a moment before smiling softly.

"You're crazy in love with me, whether your want to admit it or not." Jayden said calmly. "Fortunately for you, unlike the vast majority of the people around you, I don't necessarily put it against you. Not even with Laura and the pregnancy."

"Wh… Why?" Scarlett questioned.

"Why don't I hold it against you or why did I say it?" Jayden responded, now finishing his drawing.

"I don't know. Both?" Scarlett stated.

Jayden sat the pencil he was using down and sat on the stool behind him.

"Scarlett, one day in the future, I'm going to probably marry Laura. But, that day won't happen until you and I can finally put to rest whatever it is between us." Jayden said, gaining a small frown from Scarlett. "I want you to know that at this moment, if I could blend you and Laura up into one girl, I would in a heartbeat. I mean, two of the most beautiful girls I know in one body? Added with my children, and their special something that draws me to them? That would be my dream girl and then some."

"But we're not. Actually, I'm not." Scarlett said.

"You will always be my girl next door. And if I had to be honest, if anything should push me and Laura away, you will always be that girl who I run to first." Jayden replied.

Scarlett frowned. "I'm not your replacement Jayden."

"You'll _always_ be my replacement Scarlett. Jackie, Helen, hell, even Marissa were all replaced by you." Jayden answered.

"Well don't say it like that." Scarlett said.

"You want me to tell you the _only_ thing Laura had over you before I knew she was pregnant?" Jayden stated. "Unlike you, she _told_ me she loved me. She told me, she told Dash, and she even told her mom. You? You wouldn't even admit it to yourself."

"If you knew it," Scarlett said. "Then why did I have to say it?"

Jayden laughed. "I thought that until I began dating Laura. So I guess I'll have to tell you the same thing she told me. I loved you and I don't think you're ready to love me back. So until then, have a nice life."

"And until then?" Scarlett said.

"I do what I always do. I can talk and laugh and chat with every girl in the world, but at the end of the day, I'm going home to the girl I love, getting into bed with her, close my eyes, and dream of her and our kids." Jayden answered. "And while I hate having this conversation with you, I figured it was needed. To clear the air, you know?"

"I would've preferred if you never said that." Scarlett said quietly.

"There are better guys than me Scarlett." Jayden responded.

"Well can you answer me this question." Scarlett said. "Was I right? Did you actually ever love me?"

"Yes." Jayden answered. "Now, can I finish my picture?"

"Sure…" Scarlett replied.

* * *

Aaron sighed quietly, looking at the log sheets on the computer. Mr. Isaacs had left minutes ago, trusting Aaron to wait for his brother to come out of the Art classroom.

"Hey," Aaron turned to see Farah. He gave her a small frown in question. "Oh, I had to do a make-up test for English. I didn't fail it, I just wasn't here to take it." Aaron nodded. "Um, how're you doing about the whole partner thing?"

"I'm okay with it." Aaron answered before pointing to the doll next to him. "It's sleeping."

Farah giggled. "I think 'it' is a he A.J."

"Farah, my dad owns a company that makes these AI chips. It's an it." Aaron stated.

"Well I'll take _him_ tonight." Farah said moving towards the doll. "Chandra called? I know she was a bit pissed off being with that David kid."

Aaron smiled. "Bambi will get through it even if she has to watch the thing herself. She's a fighter like that." Aaron then felt his phone vibrate. "Oh great. That's my brother. I have to go."

"Right, um, just one more thing." Farah said. "Chandra told me that you were kind and forgave people for a lot of stupid things."

"I wouldn't call them stupid but-" Aaron was hushed when Farah's lips connected to his own. His eyes grew wide for a moment before he moved back. "What was that for?"

"Please forgive me." Farah said quickly and quietly as she grabbed the doll. "Bye A.J."

Aaron stood in the room dumbfounded as to what had happened. While it was not a bad kiss, he refused to do to Chandra what was done to him, or worse what Jayden did to Scarlett. He was better than Jordan and Jayden. And with that in mind, he knew that he had to tell Chandra before Farah did. It was the right thing to do.

* * *

Shane knocked on the front door, seconds before Nicole answered it.

"Hey there!" Nicole said prior to kissing Shane. "Come on in! We just got the game hooked up." Shane frowned as he entered the house to see Nicole's younger brother Harry and Ethan. "Shane, this is my friend, Ethan. Ethan, this is my boyfriend Shane."

Shane only gave a small nod before looking at Nicole.

"How do you know him?" Shane asked in curiosity.

"Oh, we were friends at the ravine." Nicole answered. "But, I don't go there anymore, so Ethan thought he'd visit me here and here we are. My dad seems to like him though."

"Oh." Shane said quietly.

Shane looked at Ethan now. He really did not like someone from the ravine checking up on Nicole without him knowing. Not because the person was a guy, but because the person hung out at the same place Shane was trying to get Nicole from going back; the ravine.

"Thanks for looking after her." Shane said to Ethan.

Ethan frowned. "She doesn't need someone to look after her."

Shane nodded, biting his tongue as he did so. Again, he never knew the right things to say, but he figured that he had done something close to that just now and Ethan shot him down. But, let it go because Ethan had a small point. Nicole did not need to be watched… Much.

"How about we get this game started?" Nicole asked. "Ready Ethan? You are up first." Shane frowned, something Nicole did not miss. "He was here first."

"Oh. Right." Shane answered as Ethan grabbed the bat-shaped controller while Harry grabbed the baseball-like controller.

"Strike him out Harry!" Nicole cheered.

"Just like Spring Break." Harry responded.

Shane bit his tongue again. This guy has been coming over since Spring Break? And Nicole did not say anything? He took a deep breath, knowing Nicole was not the cheating type. Still, he told her about every would-be groupie he came across in Vancouver…

"Are you alright?" Shane blinked and saw Nicole grab his hand. He nodded as she pulled him into the kitchen. "While Ethan has Harry preoccupied, we can have a little time to ourselves."

Shane smiled lightly. "Yeah. Good thing he's here, huh?"

"Yep." Nicole said before kissing Shane.

* * *

Aaron was a little pissed that Jayden had stopped to get Scarlett something to eat before coming to Chandra's house, but brushed it aside.

"Hurry up. Laura's waiting on me." Jayden said as Aaron got out of his car.

Aaron moved towards the front door, surprise to see it open once his foot got on the porch. Chandra stepped out of the house, her eyes showing a bit of anger in them.

"How could you?" Chandra asked.

Aaron frowned. "How could I what?"

"Dustin says that he saw you making out with Farah and she said you did!" Chandra retorted.

Aaron went to respond until his mind tripped up on one thought. How did Dustin know?

"Bambi, please listen to me." Aaron said. "I was waiting for Jayden and Scarlett and-"

"We'll talk later." Chandra interrupted. "I have to make sure David feeds that stupid thing." Aaron only nodded. "Sometimes A.J, I really wish you weren't Jayden's brother. You're starting to act just like him."

As Chandra walked into the house, Aaron took in a quiet breath. Chandra was the _only_ person Aaron confided in to tell how Jayden got Laura pregnant. So he knew what she meant. And it hurt. Only because a part of him _allowed_ Farah to even get that close in the first place. Was he really turning into Jayden?

Returning back to his brother's car, Aaron sat in the passenger seat and turned to look out the window.

"What's wrong?" Jayden asked.

"Now you have time…" Aaron muttered.

Jayden frowned. "What the hell's got your panties in a bunch?" Aaron glared at Jayden but changed the look when he saw his brother's annoyed and angered eyes. "Aaron."

"Bambi heard about me kissing Farah." Aaron said. Jayden's eyes widened. "It happened during the _same time_ that you were doing Scarlett's project! And if you would've just talked to me _before that_ like I _asked_ maybe I would've dodged the entire thing!"

Surprisingly, Aaron saw Jayden give him an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry." Jayden said quietly. "I tend to screw people's life over nowadays."

"Jay that's not-"

"No. You have a right to be mad and I _should've_ given you more advice." Jayden stated. "I'll talk to Bambi tomorrow, okay?"

"Thanks." Aaron said.

Jayden grinned. "Can't have your life screwed up like mine, now can I? Then I _would_ be the favorite son because we both know how whiny Chris is."

Aaron only smiled as Jayden backed out of the driveway. The only thoughts that ran through his mind was how to get back at Dustin for this without anyone knowing. And as sick as he got for thinking this, he knew that there was only one thing to do, or rather play, at this time.

Human Chess.

* * *

Scarlett sighed heavily as she lied on her bed.

"Something wrong?" Helen asked coming into Scarlett's room.

"I just found out that I'm Jayden's 'replacement' girl." Scarlett said. "Oh, and he _did_ love me a while ago."

Helen frowned. "You just figured that out? Scar, why do you think he goes to you every time he breaks up with someone? Hell, he came to you after that Marissa chick."

"That's what he said!" Scarlett exclaimed. "Am I the only one that doesn't get this?"

"If it makes you feel any better, Tyler plays lacrosse and I have yet gained any understanding of the dumb sport." Helen replied. "Oh, and your cousin is here. In my room. Trying on clothes. _Again_."

"I don't want to see her now." Scarlett responded. "Why'd you let her in?"

"_I_ didn't. _Your_ _mom_ did." Helen told Scarlett. "So take that up with-"

"Oh there you are Scar!" Torrie said before moving into Scarlett's room. "Okay, so I did my research and it turns out that your ex actually likes girls with long hair and blue eyes like me!"

"Okay?" Scarlett responded.

"So I have a pretty decent chance with looks alone." Torrie replied. "Seriously Scar, are you that afraid of some competition or have you already been slapped with the sad reality that you had and lost your chance a _long_ time ago?"

Scarlett glared at Torrie. "I _did_ get slapped by reality by Jayden himself! And you want to know what he said? That girls like you has a snowball's chance in hell to get with him while I… I'll just be his good friend."

"Well, I'm going to step out of the room before I too start griping over one annoying neighbor." Helen said walking away.

"Huh. And here I thought you'd be somewhat of a competition with your perfect little smile and your 'gorgeous' hair." Torrie said. "That's really not fun, you know? Beating someone who's not trying."

"Why can't you see that there isn't any competition between us? The only competition I have is Laura and the kids she's carrying." Scarlett said.

Torrie smirked. "What happened to that 'I'm okay with being a friend' crap in New York?"

"I…" Scarlett paused before sitting up straight. "That's none of your business. Whatever J.T and I talk about is between us unless otherwise. Now if you want, you can either leave my room or leave my house. But you're going to leave me alone. Period."

"I get it. You're jealous that he's currently hanging off of my best friend and you're just some old flame." Torrie said nearing the door. "But in the end Scar, I will have him to myself. And again, it's not that I'm in love with him like you are… No… It's just to prove to you who the better Coyne Cousin is. And her name is Torrie Coyne."

"We'll see." Scarlett said. "Now get out. Now." Torrie gave Scarlett a small smile before leaving, Scarlett getting up and closing her door. "Whore."

* * *

Shane looked a the sky as he stood beside his dad's truck, Nicole standing beside him.

"I hate it when you leave." she said with a small smile.

"It is different with you living with your parents again." Shane replied. Nicole nodded. "Hey, can I ask you something? How long as Ethan been stopping by?"

"Um, it began during Spring Break and it just continued." Nicole answered. "Why?"

"Oh. No reason." Shane said.

"Shane," Nicole said with a smile. "Ethan is just a friend. One who I haven't talked to since I stopped going to the ravine. He's got _nothing_ on you."

"Well… I can't argue with you there." Shane replied gaining a laugh from Nicole. The two shared a brief kiss before Shane reached for the door to the truck. "I'll call you later, alright?"

"Sure." Nicole said as she began walking towards her house.

Shane started the truck up and watched Nicole enter her home before backing out. His mind was still on Ethan. How did he know where Nicole lived? Why didn't she tell him? While Shane was not worried about Nicole doing something regrettable, he knew little of this Ethan guy. And it was starting to bother him.

"Maybe Kelly can help me." Shane said to himself. "Yeah… Let's just talk to Kelly."

And so he continued his drive home listening to the radio in hopes for some good advice from his sister. Otherwise, he would have to find out more about this Ethan guy by himself.

Jayden frowned as he saw the candles lit around the apartment and the dim lighting. Neither Laura nor Danica were the over-the-top romantic type, so he was beyond confused as to what was going on.

"Hey." his eyes landed on his pregnant girlfriend as she neared him with a smile. "I've been waiting for you."

"Is something wrong?" he asked. Laura shook her head for no. "Okay… What's with the candles then?"

"Can't I do something nice?" Laura questioned.

Jayden let his eyes take in everything he could from his spot and thought about recent events. He then looked at Laura with a smile, moving to wrap his arms around what her. Or what he could at least.

"Thank you Laura." Jayden said quietly. "I love this."

Laura blinked. "Even the part where I ordered pizza because I burnt dinner?"

Jayden laughed. "Even that part. You want to know why?"

"Hell yeah." Laura responded.

"Because I love you." Jayden said before giving her a kiss. "All of you." Laura gave him a smile. "And the next time me spending time with Scarlett begins to bother you, talk to me before you go try cooking dinner."

"You know, you're not the easiest person to get in touch with." Laura said.

"I know. And I'm sorry about that." Jayden replied before frowning slightly. "Where's Danni?"

"I kicked her out so you and I could be alone." Laura told him. "Unfortunately I'm as big as a house and burnt dinner so…"

"Who says I'm not happy just holding you?" Jayden asked. He saw Laura look away with a small blush. "Come on, let's go sit on the couch and wait on the pizza to get here."

"Jayden," Laura said as he led her to the couch. "I… I want to do something for you." Jayden gave her a small questioning frown. "You know, for all the stuff you've given me. Like kids and my mom back in my life… Dash and Danni are pretty important… And your dad. And I haven't given you anything really."

"Well, you cured my obsession with one Scarlett J. Chessex." Jayden joked.

"I'm being serious." Laura retorted. "I want to do something for you."

"You know what you can do for me?" Jayden replied. "I'm feeling a little stressed out and I want to relax. So, will you sing to me?"

Laura, sitting beside Jayden, blinked in confusion.

"Sing to you?" Jayden nodded at her statement. "Jayden, newsflash, _you're_ the singer and I-"

"I've heard you in the shower Laura. And I don't care what my occupation is, I'd prefer to hear you sing to me." Jayden stated. "So, will you sing for me?"

Laura could only stare at Jayden for a brief moment. She could tell from the countless time spent with him that he was completely serious about this. So she just rested against the arm of the couch, her legs resting in Jayden's lap before she sighed.

_There's a fire starting in my-_

"Wait." Jayden interrupted her, causing her to glare at him. "We have this nice romantic setting and _that's_ what you're singing?"

Laura rolled her eyes. "You can't be a beggar _and_ a chooser Jayden."

"With you I can." Jayden answered.

"No you can't." Laura said.

"With you, I'm going to be your everything. Beggar, chooser, and giver." Jayden replied.

Laura smiled. "You're smooth."

"I know. Now, sing to me and the kids." Jayden said.

Laura could only laugh briefly with her boyfriend. If all days in the future ended like this, then she could not wait to actually give birth to her triplets and live happily ever after. However, from the words from her and Jayden's parents, she knew that that was not likely. Still, she could weather the bad so long as Jayden made her smile. And for that, she would sing for him just for tonight.


	94. S3: Episode XXI: What Goes Around

**Author's Note: **I was originally going to post this yesterday, but since today is my birthday I figured I'd give a present to the readers and then relax for the day. And, if you're keeping count, there are three (one episode and then the two-part finale) of Like a Record! Sigh... It seems like yesterday when I started... Oh well, here we go with Episode 21: What Goes Around.

* * *

**Episode XXI: What Goes Around**

Aaron walked through the halls with purpose. And for the first time class was not the reason. He found Dustin talking to some other students.

"Dustin." Aaron said gaining his "friend's" attention. "I need to talk to you."

"I'm talking to-"

"Now."

Aaron was never one to throw commands or demands, so Dustin knew that this must have been pretty serious. He waved the others away before looking at Aaron. He knew what this was about.

"What is it?" Dustin asked.

"You told Bambi that I _made out_ with her cousin? Why?" Aaron questioned.

"Look, I was going to see if Mr. Isaacs was still in his classroom and there you were kissing her cousin. Period." Dustin stated.

"Don't mess with me. I know what you're trying." Aaron said.

"Your point?" Dustin asked. "A.J, nothing against you, but you two don't work. Tevin and I can at least agree on that."

"Give up while you still can. You will _never_ have Bambi." Aaron responded.

"A bit possessive don't you think?" Dustin said.

"No," Aaron said. "Just realistic. Even if she does break up with me over something that _you_ probably set up, she'll hate you. Forever and more hate you. _Ashton_ has a better chance with her than you do."

Dustin frowned. "And why's that?"

"Because when she wanted to talk to you, you walked away. Remember? You came to our table when you though she and Steven were a thing _before_ they even started dating." Aaron answered. "In fact, it's basically _your_ fault that I date her now! If you would have talked to her then, she _wouldn't_ have left with Steven, thus stopping what he did to her and so on. So do you see how your 'brilliant' plans work out? You always screw yourself."

Dustin had never thought about it like that, mostly because he was pissed that she did date Steven even after he had kissed Chandra and told her basically that he liked her. He figured that Chandra only cared about who Steven's parents were and what kind of income they brought in at first. He had even _helped_ spread the gold-digger rumors about her! But now that he had heard this from Aaron, he saw just how stupid that was.

"You're lucky that I didn't inherit my grandmother's anger or else I would have done what my sister told me to do." Aaron said. "But I'm not."

"You never-"

"But I _will_ if you hurt Bambi _and_ Brie with this stupid competition." Aaron interrupted Dustin. "Don't make me Dustin."

Dustin nodded briefly before Aaron walked away. He now hated himself for being the reason he did not have Chandra now.

"Oh well." Dustin said heading in the same direction for class.

* * *

Chandra stood at her locker after closing it, thinking about what to say to Aaron. She had already yelled at Farah for a brief moment, but now it was to Aaron. And strangely it was much harder to find what she wanted to say to him rather than her cousin whom she had known all her life. There was just so many things running through her head when it came to Aaron, all but one of them being _great_ things.

Yet… He made out with her cousin…

"How's my favorite little seventh grader doing?" Chandra smiled as the voice reached her ears and turned to Jayden. "You know Bambi, I get that you're dating my brother and all, but you have completely ignored what we had before that and it hurts my feelings."

"Jay, we were friends." Chandra said. "You reminded me of that every day."

"Well duh. Wouldn't want the school finding out that Scarlett lost me to you, right?" Jayden said, gaining a small laugh from Chandra. "But, A.J said that you were mad at him for something? I figured that since I had time to be late to first period, I'd walk you to class and chat."

"It's… It's Farah." Chandra stated. "Dustin found them kissing yesterday."

"Ah. Farah." Jayden said walking down the hall with Chandra now. "You know, I've been in-between two cousins once. It was hell."

"Yeah, well, now your brother is doing the same thing and I have a feeling that the same thing will happen." Chandra replied.

Jayden frowned. "No. I don't think that's possible. Considering that he'd need to be in a band first and be as extremely good-looking as I am. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Jayden." Chandra said.

"Alright, alright," Jayden responded. "Look, the thing is, I basically put him in that situation." Chandra frowned and looked up at Jayden. "He came to me after school in need of advice and I kind of blew him off. And then when he wanted to come straight to you, I took Scarlett to get something to eat and then dropped her off."

"Oh." Chandra said quietly.

"Bambi," Jayden told her. "I don't think you fully understood what I told you _not_ to do when we talked in the gym. Don't change the way you look at him. A.J Santos wouldn't cheat on a girl if he tried and neither would A.J McDuelle."

Chandra sighed. "I know that Jayden, but he did. That much he will admit. Whether Farah kissed him or he kissed her is kind of irrelevant, don't you think?"

"Not really." Jayden said.

"Why not?" Chandra asked.

"Well," Jayden began. "I remember you kissing A.J on the cheek when he and Jordan were still dating." Chandra frowned in thought. "The Black Mist concert? We picked you up and when we dropped you off you gave him a kiss."

"Yeah." Chandra said.

"Yet," Jayden continued. "A.J never kissed you until _after_ he and Jordan broke up. So technically, he has _never_ cheated on a girl whereas you kissed a guy spoken for."

"But that doesn't have anything to do with him. A.J wouldn't let _anyone_ kiss him unless he wanted them to." Chandra responded.

"He's a bit of a pushover, don't you agree?" Jayden stated. Chandra smiled but nodded anyway. "Besides, he would hate you for life if I told him that you kissed me." Chandra opened her mouth. "Yet, he would be pissed at me if I told him the truth and said that I kissed you."

"I guess." Chandra said.

"Well I know he would. Which is why it is _always_ relevant about who kisses who first." Jayden said. "Something I will always live with for the rest of my life I guess…"

Chandra swallowed silently. "Are you talking about Laura…?"

Jayden nodded. "I love her dearly but how we came to be was… How do I say this? The sweetest sin, I guess."

"Jayden… How do you know that you love Laura?" Chandra asked.

"Is this an A.J related question or are you just asking me?" Jayden replied. When Chandra did not answer, Jayden sighed. "Bambi, I'm not going to tell you that you're too young for love because I'm sure I heard my mom say that Emma and Sean met around your age. Maybe a bit older…"

"But how do you know?" Chandra asked again.

"I know because I do." Jayden said. "Listen, I won't tell you that whatever you feel for A.J isn't love or not because I honestly don't want to get involved in that. But I can help."

"Really? How?" Chandra said.

"If I were single and childless and asked you out at the same time A.J did, and you didn't know that we were brothers, who would you choose?" Jayden asked.

"I'd choose-"

"Don't tell me. Tell it to yourself. Explain it to yourself. And if you can't think of a day that you'd like to live without the one you chose, then you know you've chosen the right one." Jayden explained.

Chandra smiled. "Is that how you feel about Laura and Scarlett?"

"Pretty much." Jayden said. "I would like to live just one day in the past with Scarlett. Just lying around in my backyard eating Doritos… But," Jayden looked at Chandra. "After I was given the chance to learn the real Laura instead of the mean girl you know her to be, I can safely bet that no day is worth having without her."

"Even with all the things she's done to you? She tried to seduce your brother." Chandra said.

"And you tried to seduce me. The only difference was she was doing it to get at me while you were completely serious." Jayden replied. "Either way, I love Laura. She loves me. The world rotates fine for me."

Chandra paused in front of her first period class.

"But, what if you found Laura kissing Shane? What would you do then?" Chandra questioned.

"That's a good question." Jayden said. "I guess I would be like you. Mad without a care who kissed who." Chandra nodded. "But I know that I wouldn't forget her. Even if I broke up with her and tried to fool myself otherwise. That, and I would get even with Shane. Probably end up with Kelly or something of that sort. Someone I know would get to him."

Chandra nodded. "I think I understand."

"Bambi," Jayden said. "Don't over think this and get stressed out, okay? The last thing I want to hear today is that you passed out in the halls again."

"I won't." Chandra said with a grin. "See you before lunch?"

"As long as the school doesn't know that I'm seeing my brother's girlfriend." Jayden joked as he walked away.

Chandra smiled, wondering about a life where she _did _date Jayden instead of Aaron. She then crushed those thoughts realizing that it could have been her that Jayden cheated on with Laura, or worse, her pregnant.

"I picked right." Chandra said to herself as she walked into her class.

* * *

Wiping down a counter, Gavin sighed heavily. He missed Jane so much and the more time he had to think about it, the worse he became.

"Uh-oh, I know that look." he looked up to see his ex-wife coming into the Dot. "Spinner, she will be back. I will go down there to get her for you if I have to."

"What do you need Em?" Gavin asked with a smile.

"Well, I was looking over our finances and such and realized that we have enough money to do your dream." Emma said. "We can actually open up the other restaurant that you wanted to do." Gavin's eyes widened in shock. "Now, before you go all idea-crazy on me, I won't you to know that we have enough to get a building and a few renovations. So if you're trying to build a five-star restaurant from scratch, forget about it."

"This is good news." Gavin said. "An extra income wouldn't hurt neither of us. I can manage one why you're at the other. And all we need is just a few extra…" Gavin paused and grinned. "Friends."

"Friends?" Emma asked.

"Who do you know that is really rich and really close to you?" Gavin replied.

"No." Emma said. "I've asked from Max and Manny too much as it is. The last thing I want to do is borrow money while they're waiting on their first grandchild and not having a secure way of paying it back."

"Em, it will thrive. I know so. And if you won't ask them, _I_ will." Gavin stated. "But I can't run the place by myself. When we took over the Dot, we promised to be partners for life. So are you with me, partner?"

Emma sighed heavily. Even before Manny had moved back to Toronto, she had been giving Emma money for little things that Emma wanted or needed. And she never asked for anything back in return. But, Emma knew her ex-husband would keep at it until he got what he wanted, which is where she believed Shane and Kelly got their stubbornness from.

"I'll call." Emma said. Gavin grinned at her statement. "But I do feel bad about this. From what I hear, Max is buried in work with business overseas and the new entertainment division. There's matters of Ellie's contract as well as Black Mist's and Juvenile Grace's. Then he has to watch five of his seven kids alone while his oldest son is preparing to be a dad."

"You do know how to suck the fun out of living a dream…" Gavin told her. "He'll probably be happy to do it. Watch."

"Let's hope." Emma said.

* * *

Shane spotted Nicole checking a text message at her locker, smiling before she replied.

"Jackie tell you something super gross about Scooter?" Shane asked.

Nicole shook her head. "No. Torrie going on another rage because some boy stepped on her shoes."

"How do you know that?" Shane replied.

"Ethan just text me." Nicole answered.

Shane frowned. "Ethan?"

"Yeah, Ethan. Who else do I know that goes to Bardell?" Nicole stated before pausing. "Well I guess I do know quite a few… But he's the only one I talk to."

Shane sighed heavily, starting to get annoyed by this Ethan character again. However, Nicole seemed to pick up on it this time.

"Shane, you really aren't mad that he sent me a text are you?" Nicole said. "It's kind of what friends do."

"Yeah, but I know most of your friends. Not him." Shane replied.

Nicole rolled her eyes. "He's a friend that went to the ravine. Of course you wouldn't know him." Shane frowned. "But, he's _just a friend_. You have nothing to worry about."

"Sure?" Shane asked.

"Do I have anything to worry about you being friends with your ex?" Nicole countered.

"Only if I wake up in Jayden's body." Shane answered. Nicole gave a smile before kissing him. "But I guess you're right. I can leave him alone. For the moment."

"Let's go to lunch." Nicole said taking Shane's hand. "And I promise I'll stay over this weekend so you won't have anything to worry about."

"Thanks Nicky." Shane stated.

* * *

Laura swallowed the pizza in her mouth before sighing.

"Damn brats." she mumbled causing Isabella to smile.

"Don't be like that Laura. Soon this will all be over and you'll wake up one day and watch them graduate." Isabella replied.

Danica saw Laura stiffen up a bit before sighing.

"Laura, I thought we got over the whole 'you're going to be a mother' thing?" Danica said.

"I did!" Laura shot back before speaking quieter. "Just not all of it."

"You know," Danica said. "You're going to keep worrying and keep worrying and then poof! Gray hairs all over. And people are going to mistake you for their grandmother instead of their mother."

"Don't tell her that." Isabella said before a knock came onto the door. "Coming!"

Laura watched Isabella move to answer the door at her apartment, they eating there instead of Danica's as norm.

"Raven! Hey!" Isabella said as the other woman came in. "We were just eating pizza."

"Oh. I'm not going to stay long because I have to get back to work soon. And my mom doesn't get off until three so I have to get my brother from the daycare in about an hour or so." Raven explained.

Danica frowned. "And why don't you ask one of us to do it?"

"I didn't think that you would." Raven answered.

"That's Raven for you. Always trying to do things on her own." Isabella said. "Look, I can get Kyle which should give you at least fifteen minutes of rest."

"Thanks." Raven said moving to the couch and sat beside Laura with a sigh. "It's so hard out there."

"You do realize that you sat beside a pregnant teenager right? I think she won that." Danica stated.

Laura saw Raven's eyes move to her and frowned a bit. As the McDuelle family has come to learn, Laura did not do well with strangers and tended to grow twice as defensive when pregnant. Hence, Jayden or Danica was always there to stop something wrong being said such as now.

"Laura, this is Raven. I used to baby-sit her." Isabella said returning to her chair. Laura gave a small nod and moved her head to finish the pizza on her plate. "That's Jayden's girlfriend. Danni's brother." Raven looked at Danica with shocked eyes. "You didn't know?"

"No!" Raven said. "Why didn't you guys tell me?"

"I thought we did." Isabella replied while looking at Danica.

Danica shrugged. "I did too. Oh well." Danica then snapped her fingers. "Say, Raven, you said your mom was a singer right?"

"Oh God, that again? She went on some teen idol show when she was like, a _teenager_, and really hasn't sung since I was born." Raven said. "I mean, she sings around the house, but she works as a clerk. So that's that."

"What if I told you that I could get her a deal with my dad and Ellie Lowry?" Danica said.

Raven sat up. "Are you kidding me? Danni that would be great!"

"Yeah, I know. I'm a nice person and all." Danica said, gaining a small snort from Laura. "You say something?"

"No. I was just praying that I didn't get hit by the lightning that was sure to strike you." Laura replied.

"Oh really? Well the next time you tell your dad that you're going to Dakota's, you're going to Dakota's whether Jay goes with you or not." Danica stated. "Ungrateful kids these days…" Danica then frowned. "And where the hell are my chips at?"

"I keep telling you that I buy them and your niece and nephews eat them up." Laura said feigning innocence. "Seriously Danni, it's not _my_ fault that they're hungry all the time."

Danica glared at her. "You're such a liar."

"Takes one to know one bitch." Laura shot back.

Raven looked at Isabella who only shook her head.

"I don't even try to understand their friendship anymore." Isabella said.

"Oh." Raven replied before leaning back and closing her eyes. "Wake me up in about thirty minutes, okay?"

"Sure, but you can take my bed if you want." Isabella suggested.

"Thanks." Raven said standing up and walking down the hall.

"Poor child." Isabella said quietly.

"Hmm, and you say that her dad is married to Darcy's sister?" Danica said to Isabella. Isabella nodded. "Wow and more wow. Your mom and all her friends should get a show done on their childhood and how it got here. I'm sure it would be a hit amongst teenagers like Laura."

"I hate dramas." Laura said.

"Well _normal_ teenage girls." Danica said. "Even though Laura does watch reality TV like _every _night."

"Nothing else comes on." Laura replied.

Danica waved a hand. "Yeah, yeah. Say what you want." Danica then looked at Isabella. "Your mom and her friends still need a show."

Isabella laughed. "I'm sure it would be _nothing_ compared to our own."

Danica grinned. "You're right."

* * *

The bell rang to signal the end of lunch, Aaron and Chandra walking out of the cafeteria in near silence. He knew she was still mad at him and he wanted nothing more than to make it up to her. Sure, it was Farah's fault that the kiss even happened, but that did not mean that he could not share some of the blame for just standing there.

"A.J," Chandra said quietly. "I know you told Jayden to talk to me earlier."

"I'm sorry." Aaron instinctively replied.

Chandra smiled. "It's nothing to be sorry about. I enjoyed the talk."

"Oh." Aaron muttered.

"I'm still mad about the whole situation, mostly because I know that Farah likes you and she's kind of easy on the eyes." Chandra stated. "But… I know you. There are not a lot of people that can get close enough to you to hug you if you don't trust them."

"I know, I'm sorry about that. I honestly didn't know what she was doing until it happened and-"

"Aaron," Chandra stopped him. "I understand. It was Farah's doing, not yours." Aaron frowned but nodded. "Don't let it happen again, okay?"

"It won't." Aaron said. "But… What did you and Jayden talk about? He wouldn't tell me."

"Oh nothing. Just things kept between two friends and not his annoying kid brother." Chandra said with a smile. Chandra spun in front of Aaron, now walking backwards in front of him. "But, if you want to know a little secret, I know I chose the right brother to date. Even if you aren't as daring as your brother."

"Daring?" Aaron replied.

Chandra nodded. "Yeah. Like when stood in front of the steps and told people that Laura was with him and that if they had a problem with that he'd deal with them? That's bold A.J, you have to admit."

"And you like that?" Aaron questioned.

"I like excite-" Chandra was cut off at Aaron pulled her to her, kissing her passionately in the midst of the halls, a few students stopping to stare.

"That bold enough?" Aaron asked once he pulled away. Chandra could only nod, a smile on her face. "Let's get to class. People are staring."

Again, Chandra's voice had left with her breath. Maybe, she thought, there was a bit of love between her and Aaron and not some high-school romance. But she figured she could think about that later. For now, she had to get even with her cousin.

* * *

Maxwell groaned as not one, but both twins sneezed. He had dealt with multiple sick children before, starting with his younger siblings to his children. But what made this worse was how whiny Renée and Jenée became when they were sick, complaining about not being able to breathe or taste things or going outside.

"I should've hired a nanny." he muttered to himself, though he was actually picky about who watched his kids when neither his wife nor he could.

Hearing the doorbell ring, Maxwell moved from his daughter's bedroom to answer the door downstairs. When he opened the door, he was not surprised to see Emma standing there.

"Hey, I need to talk to you." Emma said.

Maxwell frowned. "This isn't about any relationship tips because I can always call Manny if it is."

"No. It's something that you can answer for me." Emma replied. Maxwell allowed her inside before closing the door. "You picked your kids up early or something?"

"The twins got sick at school." Maxwell answered. "Making me believe that they share a common brain or body during some points of the day." Emma smiled. "But what's on your mind?"

"I need to talk to you about opening up a new restaurant." Emma said following him through the house. "I was checking through our finances and saw that we had enough to purchase an building up for lease. And you know how badly Spinner wants to start his own restaurant. But, I'm not that big of a gambler and I think he wants to start this from scratch meaning we're short on money."

Maxwell nodded as he walked to his and Manny's shared home office. He sat behind the desk while Emma sat in the chair in front of it.

"Max, you know I don't like asking for money which is why I want you to really think about this. Don't go squandering your grandchildren's money away before they're here." Emma said.

Maxwell sighed. "Emma, I'm going to be honest with you. With the expansion of the company, I'm a bit tight on money right now, especially on new businesses. Let alone restaurants that come and go with the days."

"That's what I said. But he obviously doesn't want to hear that." Emma said.

"Spinner's a very ambitious man." Maxwell said turning the flat-screen desktop on. "And knowing you, you have some sort of plan for this, right?"

"I do but I don't want to tell you. Just incase this completely flops." Emma responded. Maxwell gave her a fixed stare. "I'm not telling you."

"Alright, fine. I'll just have to call Spin and get it myself." Maxwell replied causing Emma to sigh.

"You two spend too much time together." Emma said. "I wanted to do a nice family diner. _However_, Spin wants a bar inside as well."

"Hmm... Kind of like Red Robins, huh?" Maxwell asked.

Emma nodded. "A bit. Not too fancy and not too cheap-looking. Red Robins is a perfect example."

"That's a very hard thing to pull off. The whole family pleaser thing." Maxwell said. "Heck, I have a hard time thinking of some alarm system that won't scare kids and keep people completely safe."

"Your company does a lot of things Max. I know that you can think of _something_ to help us out, even if it is just advice on why not to do it." Emma said.

"Hold on." Maxwell said pressing a button on an intercom to his left. Emma then heard a few coughs before Maxwell released the button. "Checking in on the girls."

Emma frowned. "You have an intercom system in their room?"

Maxwell nodded. "In everyone's room actually, mine included. It helps Manny and I to be working yet focused on our kids at the same time."

"I have to get me one of those." Emma said as Maxwell began typing something on the computer. "But, back to what I was saying. I'm hesitant about this and Spin is all out. Can you help us?"

"Emma, you know how I feel about family right? No one stands by themselves whether I like you or not at the moment." Maxwell said.

Emma smiled. "Quite like you said to your sister."

"Right. And that being said, you are my sister-in-law. I will provide whatever you need whenever you need it. All you have to do is ask." Maxwell replied. "So I'm going to ask you this. Do you want to do this? Added with the time and work that it's going to take plus the probability of failing. Do you really want to do this?"

"I… I guess…" Emma answered. "I want to do something for Spin. I mean, Sean may be my husband, but Spinner is my partner. He's the father of my two oldest kids." Emma then nodded. "Yeah. I want to do this for him. And it doesn't hurt that I would be making a profit as well."

Maxwell smiled. "Then let me call my daughter and so she can pick up her siblings and your kids so we won't be interrupted."

"Have I mentioned how happy I am that you married Manny?" Emma asked.

"Just remember that the next time Manny and I have a few hours to spare and we're home alone, don't just barge in and interrupt us." Maxwell said.

"Will do." Emma stated with a smile.

* * *

Laura watched her father open a bottle of water and take a few gulps of it.

"I'm going back in, in a few hours. Is Jayden or Dakota stopping by?" Mr. Reynolds asked.

Laura shrugged. "I'm sure Jayden is, but I don't know about Dash. I think she's working at the Dot later." The doorbell rang. "Someone here for you?"

Mr. Reynolds gave his daughter a shrug as he left for the front door. Opening the door he came face to face with one Bianca DeSousa.

"Is there something wrong?" Mr. Reynolds questioned.

"I need to talk to Laura." Mr. Reynolds moved aside after Bianca said this. "Have you gotten any word from her boyfriend's family? Talking about insurance and all that?"

"Uh, I had a talk with Jayden's parents about it before Spring Break." Mr. Reynolds answered. "Why?"

Bianca glared at him. "I get a call from my P.O telling me about new remedial classes that I will have so I can be eligible to watch my grandkids unsupervised."

"And you're mad about that?" Mr. Reynolds asked.

"What if I didn't want to watch my grandkids unsupervised John? Do you really picture them at my house without one or both parent?" Bianca shot back.

Mr. Reynolds sighed. "Bianca, I know that you aren't the best example one would use for the term 'motherly' but-"

"But nothing! You and your daughter's boyfriend are trying to change my life. I don't need you to do that. I like it the way it is!" Bianca stated. "I'm fine spending time with Laura and I've come to accept Jayden's presence, but newborn babies and I will _never_ mix."

"I understand Bee. Is that all?" Mr. Reynolds questioned knowing that there really was no arguing with her.

"No. I want Drew Torres as my lawyer again. I trust him." Bianca said.

"Drew, I got it. Anything else?" Mr. Reynolds asked.

Bianca frowned. "Why are you always so calm when I'm basically shouting at you?"

"It's how I deal with you. Let you have your way and leave you alone." Mr. Reynolds said. "Now is that all or is there something else that you want me to tell them?"

"No. That's it." Bianca said nearing the door. "Tell Laura to call her boyfriend ASAP to fix my life again."

"I will." Mr. Reynolds said before Bianca left.

Laura sat in the kitchen quietly. She was strangely happy for more than one reason. One, this had been the closest thing that Bianca has ever come to just saying that she wanted to at least see her grandkids. Laura was a little afraid that once the triplets were physically here, Bianca would keep a distance away from her. Two, Bianca admitted to actually liking her daughter _and_ her daughter's boyfriend. That made Laura especially happy so she could tell Jayden that her mother did not hate him like he speculated. And finally, she realized that her father still loved her mother. She only realized it because Jayden does the same thing to her. Whenever Laura was in her "Bianca rage" as Jayden calls it, he _always_ let her have her way and then gave her some space. He did not shout. He did not argue. He was calm and collected for the most part. Yet, whenever Laura asked Jayden why he kept doing the things that he did, he just outright said because he loved her instead of "it's how I deal with you," like her father had.

"Hey," Mr. Reynolds said coming into the kitchen. "Did you hear any of that?"

"I little. I was thinking about something." Laura lied. Mr. Reynolds nodded and sat at the table across from her. "Dad, do you still love Mom?"

Laura watched her father give her a baffled look before turning away from her completely.

"I'll explain it to you when you're older." Mr. Reynolds muttered.

Laura rolled her eyes, hearing this same response since she was eight. Then she just smiled lightly. She and her boyfriend had a lot to talk about later on tonight if she was actually going to play matchmaker.

* * *

After the final bell, Aaron, Chandra, Ashton, and Vanessa were walking towards the front of the building where Chandra's and Ashton's rides were.

"So, I'll see you later?" Aaron asked.

"Actually, I have to do something with Farah." Chandra told Aaron. "But I'll call when I'm done and you can come over, okay?"

"Sure." Aaron said before Chandra gave him a small peck. "See ya later!"

Aaron and his friends watched Chandra walk for her mom's car.

"Santos, I think you're in some serious trouble." Ashton said. "But I could be wrong."

"I have the same feeling Ashton." Aaron said.

"Well you're going to miss your ride if you don't catch your brother. Both of us will." Vanessa said before kissing Ashton. "Call me later, okay?" Ashton nodded as Vanessa took a hold of Aaron's wrist. "Come on you."

Aaron was pulled away from a smirking Ashton by Chandra's best friend.

"What was that about? You kissing Farah?" Vanessa asked.

Aaron sighed. "I didn't kiss her, she kissed me!" Aaron saw Vanessa's eyes narrow. "I'm being serious Vanessa. Why would I do to Bambi what Jordan did to me?"

"Hmm… I guess you have a point." Vanessa said. "But how does Dustin know?"

"I don't know and I've been trying to figure that out before-" Aaron was cut off by Gabrielle colliding into him. "Brie? Brie what's wrong?"

"I don't want to talk about it!" Gabrielle said as she moved past the two.

Aaron and Vanessa looked at one another before going to where Gabrielle was running from. There she saw Jordan standing with a hand on her forehead.

"What happened with Brie?" Aaron asked Jordan.

Jordan looked at Aaron. "Brie? Brie! Do you know what your friend just did to me?"

"My friend?" Aaron asked.

"Yes!" Jordan shouted. "Your loser friend just came out of the blue and kissed me! For now reason! I have nasty Dustin germs in my mouth!"

Vanessa laughed. "Dustin kissed you? I knew you two had something going on."

"I don't like him!" Jordan snapped back. "And now he's going off like _I_ did something wrong."

Aaron frowned. "Did you kiss back?"

"And ruin my reputation _and_ makeup? You think about that." Jordan said walking away.

"Where are you going?" Aaron asked.

"Home! I need a shower and to brush my teeth." Jordan replied.

"Well, you know what they say about karma." Vanessa said. "Dustin snitches on you about kissing Farah and then he gets caught sneaking around. Pretty ironic, eh A.J?"

"Yeah… Ironic." Aaron said with a small glare towards the direction he figured Dustin ran off to.

* * *

Shane pulled in front of Nicole's house, only to see Ethan on the front porch.

"Huh. He beat me here." Nicole said.

"Imagine that." Shane responded dryly.

Nicole sighed. "Shane, what did we talk about? Ethan is a friend. You are my boyfriend. Big difference."

"I know, I know. Sorry about that Nicky." Shane said. "Well I have to get to work and I think we might have practice today. So I won't be able to call until seven thirty, eight o'clock, alright?"

"Sure." Nicole said giving him a kiss. "See you later Shane!"

Shane smiled as she got out of his truck. He watched Nicole walk to her porch where she and Ethan exchanged words before she slipped in her house, leaving Ethan on the front porch.

"That's my girl." Shane said with a smile, starting the truck up.

* * *

Farah looked at Chandra, who was applying lip gloss to her lips.

"So…" Farah said. "Why did you want to meet here at the Dot? Why not your house or mine?"

"Huh? Oh I was meeting a friend here." Chandra said. "And there he is."

Farah frowned before she turned to see Oliver Ashoona coming into the establishment.

"There you are!" Chandra said with a smile. "Over here!"

"Chandra what is _he_ doing here?" Farah whispered as her old crush moved towards the table.

"Sit down." Chandra said, Oliver sitting in-between Chandra and Farah. "Boy, Farah said you were cute but she didn't say that you were _this_ cute."

Oliver frowned. "I thought you said you couldn't talk because of your boyfriend?"

"Do you see him around? Just me and my cousin who's had a crush on you but she doesn't anymore." Chandra said. "Her lost, right?"

Farah could not believe it. Not only was Chandra _purposely_ flirting with Oliver in front of her, but her cousin had just revealed a secret that Farah made Chandra _promise_ that she wouldn't! And worse, Oliver seemed to actually like Chandra back!

"Yeah. But her lost, your gain." Oliver stated.

"You can't ride a horse until you buy it." Chandra replied with a grin.

"Let's hope I have enough money." Oliver said with a smile.

Farah stood up.

"Hey," Chandra said tauntingly. "Where're you going? Don't you want to sit with _your_ crush? Who knows, you might even get a kiss from a single guy."

"Screw you Chandra! And I hope A.J sees you for the slut that you've always been!" Farah said. "Just like your mom was!"

Chandra bit her tongue as Farah walked out of the Dot, a few people watching her go. Chandra was seething that Farah had said something so sensitive out loud. It hurt her badly…

Literally.

Chandra began panting heavily, her vision getting blurred a bit.

"Hey… Are you alright?" Oliver asked.

"Water…" Chandra panted.

"I need some water over here!" Oliver called.

Chandra tried to regulate her breathing, though she really could not at the moment. Her mind continued to play all the ways Farah could have gotten that kiss from Aaron, some better than others.

"Here you go Bambi," Dakota said handing Chandra a cup of water. "I'm going to get in touch with Jayden. See if A.J can stop by."

"Thanks…" Chandra said, her forehead now sweating now.

Maybe, she thought, she got off her meds just a little too soon.

* * *

Jayden laughed before kissing Laura again.

"Your dad is such a pushover." Jayden said quietly.

"That's my dad you're talking about asshole." Laura said hitting Jayden in his shoulder.

"I know." Jayden replied. "But looking at his daughter, I'm wondering if she took his manhood."

Laura smirked. "You should know. You have seen me-" Laura was interrupted by a loud knock on the front door. "Answer the door and come back."

"Sure thing." Jayden said getting out of his bed and moving towards the front door. "Who is it?"

Jayden opened the door and Scarlett quickly moved past him into the apartment.

"No, 'hey, how are you?' You're just going to walk in?" Jayden asked.

"Save it." Scarlett said with a sigh. "DeWayne stopped by my house earlier." Jayden frowned. "I was out with Helen because she has some sort of date with Tyler after exams and when I returned, my mom tells me that my rich ex-boyfriend stopped by. Imagine my surprise when she _wasn't_ talking about you."

"Okay, not only is this becoming _really_ annoying," Jayden replied. "But why don't you just call him and tell him to leave you alone?"

"I did! You were right there when I did it!" Scarlett retorted.

"Oh yeah…" Jayden said before Scarlett's cell phone began ringing.

"And it's him. Again!" Scarlett stated. Jayden held his hand out. "Jayden, what are you going to-"

"Give it here already." Jayden said. Scarlett scoffed, but handed her phone to Jayden anyone. "Hey! If it isn't my least favorite Fitzgerald! How's it going?"

"Why do you have Scarlett's phone? And _how_ do you have it?" DeWayne asked.

"Hmm, to answer both questions in one answer," Jayden replied. "Because I'm me."

"I need to talk to her." DeWayne said.

"Look, she doesn't want to talk to you." Jayden said. "And believe me when I say, I'm dying for some alone time with my girlfriend. But I can't get it because you keep nagging Scarlett."

"You think you can have Laura and keep Scarlett too?" DeWayne asked. "That's not going to happen. She deserves better than you!"

"Well you're no better." Jayden said. "So why don't you just leave her alone and let her decide when she wants to speak to you. I'm honestly not giving her the attention she wants and if she gets desperate enough I'm sure she'll call you."

"Desperate? She wasn't 'desperate' when she left your sorry ass for me." DeWayne said angrily. "I will see her Jayden."

"For your sake, I hope you don't." Jayden replied with venom. "Because when you do so happen to cross that line again, I won't stop until the cops pull me off of you DeWayne. You through your little drink on Laura, that was enough to piss me off. Stalking Scarlett won't do you much justice either."

"Big talk from a guy with a bat." DeWayne retorted.

"For your health, you'd better hope it's just a bat or else, you won't walk away from the next meeting we have." Jayden said. "Final warning. Leave her alone."

"I'm going to find her." DeWayne responded.

"Good. Because she's with me." Jayden said hanging up. He handed Scarlett her phone back. "Just stay here for a while. I'll take you home."

"I have a cab outside and-"

"Stay." Jayden said leaving the apartment.

"Well," Laura said coming from the hall. "Here goes another day ruined by Princess Scarlett and her load of drama." Scarlett scoffed. "You know, I first thought that you really had so much drama in your life that you _needed_ someone to help you. Now I see that it's just Jayden. Always has been and always will be."

"FYI, he's my best friend." Scarlett said.

"No, FYI, he's your _ex_! Stop coming to him like you're married!" Laura retorted.

"How about you stop coming over like you live here!" Scarlett replied. "Maybe you wouldn't see my face as much!"

Laura gritted her teeth. "When I have these kids I will kick your ass from here to England and back." Scarlett opened her mouth but Laura continued. "You've been nothing but a spoiled pain in my ass for the past months now! Every breathing second it's got something to do with you! Well tough shit! You fucked up the moment you left Jayden for DeWayne!"

"I didn't leave him-"

"I was there. I saw you. You were basically fucking on the damn dance floor!" Laura shouted. "And you know what else? It was _I_ who talked to Jayden outside. Me! He was so pissed at you that he couldn't even look at you straight! Hell, he was so pissed that he actually talked to _me_!" Scarlett blinked, never hearing this before. "I told him before Winter Break that I didn't want to date him because he had feelings for you and he said it over and over again that he was done with you and I never believed him. Now I'm mad that I didn't. It's _you_ that keeps running back to him!"

Scarlett stood frozen for a moment. Jayden was going to date Laura _before_ Winter Break? She knew he was interested in Laura before the dance but…

"You should've known when you asked me," Scarlett said in a quieter tone. "You asked me if I loved him. And I said yes." Laura was now quiet, remembering the brief talk with Scarlett before Jayden's first performance. "You didn't love him then, _I did_. You didn't spend your first time in detention with him for sending love letters in class, _I did_. And you didn't learn how to be civil around others because of him, but _I did_! I respect that you're the mother of his kids, but you're going to have to learn to deal with the fact that we've been through too much for us to end like this!"

Laura scoffed. "I give up trying. I'm fucking pregnant with triplets Scarlett!"

"They could be _anyone's_ kids." Scarlett said. "In fact, the timing of your pregnancy is _way_ before you and Jayden got together so how could you-"

"Scarlett," Jayden said in a cold tone from the doorway. "Helen's here to take you home."

A cold silence washed over the room before Scarlett moved towards the door.

"See you later." she said quietly as she left.

Jayden closed the door behind her and locked it. He then looked at Laura who nearly cringed under his annoyed gaze. He moved towards her, his gaze softening with each step.

"Laura," Jayden said in a near-whisper tone. "I am so sorry about that."

Laura smiled. "You didn't do anything."

"You're mad and you shouldn't be. I want your pregnancy to be as peaceful as can be." Jayden said. "So, I'm going to talk to Scarlett Friday after exams are done and see what I can do to get it through her head that I'm with you."

"Jayden, you don't have to." Laura said.

"Yes I do. And I will." Jayden replied before kissing Laura's forehead. "And don't listen to what she said. Wherever I lay my head is your home too. And you know that the chances of me being homeless are pretty slim."

Laura giggled, despite hating the sound of her own laugh.

"Are you trying to tell me something Jayden?" Laura asked looking at him directly in his eyes.

"Nothing out of the normal I love you thing." Jayden answered with a smile. "And I can't wait for you to have our kids so we can raise them and I can give to you the family you've always wanted."

Laura felt tears coming to her eyes.

"Damn pregnancy." she said causing Jayden to laugh.

"I was going to tell you this later, but I guess I can tell you now since we're in a touchy mood." Jayden said to her. "My family is a real tight family on my dad's side. So your name and our situation is nothing new to any of my cousins and aunts and uncles. That's why I wanted to show you something I've never showed any other girl. Not even Marissa."

"Jayden… You don't have to…" Laura said quietly.

"Ssh, listen," Jayden said with a smile. "I talked to my parents and my dad's mom since she's a lot scarier than both of my parents, and they gave me the okay to take you with me to Italy for the summer." Laura's eyes widened. "You'll spend two months with just you and me."

"What about your parents and Danni?" Laura asked.

"I think they were going to Hawaii this summer. My mom's brother stays down there and all." Jayden said. "But I wanted to make up for every single time that Scarlett or someone else pulled me away from you. So what do you say?"

"I… I'd love to Jayden." Laura answered. "But are you sure that you want to risk getting into more trouble with me than going to see your uncle in Hawaii?"

Jayden smiled and brushed Laura's hair back.

"There's nothing more I want on this world than a family with you and the kids you carry." Jayden replied. "And this summer, I'm going to prove it to you by showing you the most private parts of my life. It's my home that no other girl in the world has even stepped foot in unless they were a friend of Danni's. And for this summer and the rest of your life, it will become _our_ get away house."

"Are you kidding me?" Laura squealed. "Jayden that's awesome!"

"I thought so." Jayden said taking her hand. "Come on, let's go back to my room and bounce ideas off the wall. We need baby names, ways to set your parents up, and things to do this summer."

Laura only nodded as she followed him. For some odd reason, she could not even be mad at Scarlett anymore because if Scarlett had not have done what she did, then it could have been Scarlett going to Italy for the summer. But she did and Laura was the one going there. Which meant she had one up on Scarlett and Marissa now. Plus, she unquestionably knew just how much Jayden cared for her now. She figured the only thing missing in their life together was that she was not his wife.

Yet.

* * *

Nathan watched as James downed the bottle handed to him. He only shook his head and began walking away.

"Hey," James said to him. "Why you leaving so soon?"

"Because I have to go talk to my girlfriend, something I'm sure you know all about." Nathan replied.

"Yeah, I do. Too bad Amber doesn't want to talk to me anymore." James said.

Nathan sighed. "Right… Hey, if you want me to get Torrie to hook you up with one of her 'clients' then just ask."

Nathan saw James think about the offer long and hard and could not blame him either. Torrie was not bad looking. In fact, Nathan found her prettier than her two cousins despite what many thought of Scarlett. However, Torrie cared more about her "business" than personal affairs, much like Laura was albeit Laura selling drugs, not other people's bodies.

"I'll be alright." James said. "Maybe tomorrow."

"Sure." Nathan said walking away.

"Hey Nate!" Torrie called. Nathan looked at the blonde moving towards him. "You speak to Nicky?"

Nathan frowned. "Nicky? Why would I talk to her?"

"Because she just stopped by with Ethan." Torrie said. Nathan's frown grew. "Oh… So you don't know that your friend is walking around with your should've been ex? Talk about your bro code violation."

"I don't care." Nathan said. "I've got to go find Stephanie."

"Okay." Torrie replied. "Just don't say that I didn't give you the heads up."

"I won't." Nathan stated as he continued to leave the ravine.

If Nicole was here, where was Shane? And did Shane know Nicole was here? With Ethan? Nathan only shook his head. He made a promise to himself that Nicole was no longer his problem, she was Shane's and he was going to live up to his word.

Feeling his phone vibrating, he answered the incoming call.

"Hey Steph, I'm on my way right now." he said knowing who it was and what she wanted.

"Good." Stephanie replied. "Because I have something important to tell you."

* * *

Emma sighed. "I think that covers that, right?"

"Yep." Maxwell said. "All we need is a permit from the city, a few workers, and it'll be up as soon as possible."

"Thank you so much Max. I'm so lucky Manny met you." Emma replied.

"No, I'm the lucky one. You just get the benefits." Maxwell stated with a smile. Emma grin and stood up. "Uh, come by Friday around eleven with Spinner and we'll finish almost everything else. I have to call Ryan and see if he'll cover me on this one because I _really_ don't want to pay the city to build something I can probably do myself."

"You and your connections." Emma said nearing the door to his home office. "Thanks again Max. I'm sure Spin will flip when he hears the news."

"Helping family is what I do." Maxwell said as Emma left.

Emma moved towards the front door of the house before spotting Aaron angrily enter the house.

"Hey A.J. What's the matter?" Emma asked.

"Ask my girlfriend." Aaron said walking up the steps.

Emma frowned. She has _never_ seen Aaron mad, even when he was in trouble for things he did not do. She brushed it aside momentarily, remembering all the teenage drama she had been through, and exited the house.

"Must've been bad." she said getting into her car. "Oh well. I'm sure he'll manage."

And with that, Emma got in her car and eventually drove away.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, that about wraps that up. And just for spoiler purposes, the next chapter is nothing but one huge buildup to the two-part finale, but it is intense. Also, a friend of mine pointed out another third generation story that is starting (gotta love them) called Degrassi: The New Generation by _Technoslasher_. Pretty large character list too. Check out that and the next chapter of this should be out Saturday/Sunday. Till next time!


	95. S3: Episode XXII: Keep It Together

**Chapter XXII: Keep It Together**

Friday marked the last day of exams causing many a great deal of relief. However, the events of the week had caused many a greater deal of stress. None more than one Scarlett J. Chessex.

"Scar, he'll talk to you. Just get over it." Helen said.

Scarlett sighed as the two walked into the building.

"Helen, he was so pissed at me. I feel like… You." Scarlett said. Helen shrugged at the comment. "How could I have said something so… So…"

"True? Because it is true. Laura's pregnancy is a bit suspicious… But if Jayden says it's his, I believe him." Helen said.

Scarlett sighed. "I wish I could."

"Think of it like this." Helen told her cousin. "You have all school year next year to basically to kiss up to him if your heart desires."

"You are so supportive." Scarlett replied dryly.

"Scar," Helen said. "I have a date tonight. A really important one." Scarlett frowned. "It's important because no one will interrupt it. So what I would like to do for the day is relax and get on with it. Besides, it's the last day of exams. Be happy."

"I'll try." Scarlett said as the two came to Helen's locker. Scarlett rested her back on the locker beside Helen's. "Why does my life suck?"

"I don't know. Maybe because you sulk too much." Helen said before the two heard a group of laughter.

"I hate you two when you're on the same page." Shane muttered to the laughing pair of Jayden and Kelly.

"You know, you should be glad that I like the oldest of your younger sisters because I really can't stand Jordan now." Jayden said.

"Yeah Shane. You should be happy that he likes me." Kelly responded with a laugh.

"If you three were any louder the people in Russia could hear you." Helen said as they passed by.

"Morning to you too ex of mine. How've you been?" Jayden asked.

Helen shrugged. "I guess I've been better. Dealing with the problem you've created with Scar."

"Helen!" Scarlett whispered.

"Oh please, I don't care about your love-hate relationship with our annoying neighbor." Helen said before glaring at Shane. "And just what did you say to Nicky yesterday? She messed up a routine during the game."

"Ooh, busted." Jayden said. "I'm going to go find my redhead sister to tell her that Laura's all hers tonight. I'll see you guys around."

"I'm coming with you." Kelly replied. "Shane, man up to what you did to Nicky and get over it. And you might want to do your homework before second period!"

Jayden and Kelly walked away from the Coyne Cousins and Shane.

"Well?" Helen asked.

Shane sighed. "I got mad because of this Ethan guy." Helen nodded. "You know him?"

"He stopped by. I figured you were alright with him since they seem to talk so informal with one another and your name comes up here and there." Helen said. "Nothing bad. Nicky just saying a lot of nonsense lovey-dovey things about you and he just saying how cool you were."

"He said that?" Shane asked.

Helen frowned. "I would love to start a fight between you two, but I can't. So he said it."

"Oh man… I really have to apologize to Nicky then." Shane replied.

"Why?" Helen asked.

"Because I…" Shane paused. "I have to go. See you around."

Shane began walking away, Scarlett catching up to her friend.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Scarlett questioned. Shane nodded. "Has Jayden been, I don't know, mad at me? Tuesday when I stopped by, Laura and I got into an argument and… Well, you know who's side he chose."

"Scarlett," Shane said. "I'm going to be honest with you. Jay's not real happy with you."

"I thought so." Scarlett muttered.

"Maybe you should give him some time to think." Shane stated. "He's got a lot on his plate now, now that Laura got accepted into that school and his dad and Dakota's mom are working on a deal about the band. You were supposed to be supporting him."

"I was supporting him!" Scarlett replied. "I've been there from the time he found out until he told me to leave!"

"No, you weren't." Shane said calmly. "To be honest with you, I think that you and Jay are better suited for each other. And Kelly, despite not really a fan of yours either, agrees. But," Shane looked at Scarlett. "I don't say these things because I know how frustrating his life is now. I help him when I can because that's what friends do. And any problem I have with Laura, I calmly tell him or don't say it at all if it's not that important."

"How can I say something to him about her when everything results to me leaving him for DeWayne?" Scarlett asked.

"I don't know. I never dated the guy." Shane said. Scarlett stepped in front of Shane and stopped, crossing her arms. "Okay, okay, wrong thing to say. But it's true. I don't know Jayden on a dating level because I never cared nor wanted to."

"You're his best friend, his brother from a different mother. You know what he thinks because he tells you!" Scarlett said.

Shane sighed. "Scarlett, here's my advice to you. Wait."

"Wait?" Scarlett echoed. Shane nodded. "What is that going to do?"

"If Laura and Jayden are bound to mess up somewhere down the line," Shane said. "I'm sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that you will be the first to know. Not me. Not Dakota. You. So if you just wait it out and things go like you say they will, you will have him again."

"I hope you're right." Scarlett said quietly. "I… I made a mistake about the whole DeWayne thing. I shouldn't have done what I did."

"I'm glad you believe that." Shane said. "If you ever get the chance with him again, don't screw it up because I'm tired of being your messenger boy to him." Shane moved around Scarlett. "And don't be so needy. He hates that."

Scarlett smiled. "I won't!"

Scarlett began making her way to the office to do the announcements. Maybe today would not be so bad after all?

* * *

Dustin sat in his first period class, trying to ignore the stares of Aaron and Farah, but could not.

"What?" he asked quietly.

Aaron said nothing, turning his attention away from Dustin. Dustin sighed before looking at Farah.

"What's his problem?" Dustin whispered to Farah.

"I wouldn't know." Farah replied.

Dustin only nodded before looking at Aaron. Wednesday and Thursday, it was clear that Aaron and Chandra were both a little annoyed. Gabrielle had completely ignored Dustin since then and Jordan gave him one hell of a slap Wednesday at lunch. Ashton seemed to be angered by whatever the reason, and Vanessa has been twice as busy trying to keep Chandra calm and Ashton happy.

And it was his fault…

Great.

* * *

Mr. Chambers stepped out of the class for a moment to talk to another teacher, giving Kelly and Dakota a small time to talk.

"Exams in sixth period today… Ugh." Kelly said, causing Dakota to grin. "So how's your constant house guest doing?"

"Laura's fine. And yours?" Dakota asked.

Kelly shrugged. "Deanna comes and goes as she pleases. I kind of figured that out a long time ago." Dakota nodded. "So is Jay like seriously not talking to Scarlett anymore or is this one of his 'I hate you' things?"

"I don't know." Dakota replied. "I mean, he wouldn't even tell Laura how he felt about that. She says that the other night when he called her, he avoided the subject completely. Like Scarlett didn't exist."

"I hope she does. Laura's…" Kelly's words slowly died as she saw the look on Dakota's face. "Look, I don't like Scarlett that much either but if I had to put the pros and cons list up, there are more cons on Laura's list."

"That's your opinion." Dakota responded.

"Dash, she got you drunk!" Kelly argued.

"It's not like she held a gun to my head and forced me to drink! I drunk whatever because I felt like it." Dakota retorted. "And just because you and her have some bad history doesn't make her a bad person. She's really not."

"Alright Dash. I'll believe you." Kelly said.

"Kelly, I don't say anything bad about Deanna." Dakota stated.

Kelly smiled. "She got you out of rehab for a night. What bad thing would you have on her?"

"Deanna isn't some saint Kelly." Dakota said. "If you really want to know, ask her former friend Mercedes, Laura, Jayden, Helen, Marc, or Scarlett. You can even ask her brother."

"They have something against her." Kelly replied.

"Like you do Laura?" Dakota countered with a smile.

Kelly thought for a moment before sighing.

"Okay. You got me there." Kelly said. "Either way, your friend is bad news and you know it."

Dakota shrugged. "Would be Laura if she wasn't?" Kelly shook her head. "Then let it drop."

* * *

Helen looked at Nicole before looking at Jayden. Neither of her normally talkative companions had much to say despite it being Friday and one of the last days of school.

"So, when we're finally allowed to talk, you guys have nothing to say." Helen said.

Jayden sighed. "Helen, I've had a _long_ week. I think I deserve a break. Even a small one."

"You're just bent out of shape because of the whole Scarlett thing." Helen said.

"So glad you care about my feelings." Jayden said sarcastically.

"Oh come on Jayden. When will you and Scar just bury this stupid drama and move on?" Helen questioned. "It's like every other day she's coming home saying you love her and the next she's shouting how badly she hates you. And I'm sure you do the exact same thing."

"I've never hated your cousin. You? I've come pretty close to." Jayden responded.

Helen scoffed. "Yeah right. You're incapable of hating women. That's how you ended up with Laura."

"True." Jayden said before looking at Nicole. "So what did Shane do so I may try to solve it?"

"Don't bother." Nicole mumbled.

"What? Why?" Jayden asked.

Nicole sighed heavily. "He's gone Jackie on me." Helen and Jayden frowned. "Ethan? Shane is completely obsessed with when or where Ethan is and to see if I'm with him. Neither of you are like that."

"Well… If Tyler and Mary-Jane were ever… You know." Helen said.

Jayden shrugged. "And I don't have to worry about that because my girlfriend is as big as a house now. Who would want her?" Helen and Nicole gasped. "Her words not mine."

"Okay but when you two were with each other you didn't care about-"

"Yes we did." Jayden and Helen said in unison.

"Scarlett can't be trusted with Jayden." Helen said. "I've known that from the start."

"And a lot of guys try to get an up-skirt shot of Helen." Jayden said. "I know because I'm a guy who dated her and saw her in those little cheerleading outfits. And I'm not talking about the warm-up sweats you guys wear either."

Nicole sighed. "But that's different. Every time Ethan calls it's a problem."

"Nicky, every time my grandma calls it's a problem but you won't hear me say that I'm going to stop being her grandson." Jayden said.

Helen snorted. "That's because you're afraid of her."

"Not the point." Jayden replied. "It's all about how you're supposed to weather anything that comes your way. Like Helen and Tyler." Helen frowned. "Everyone thinks she can't grow because the evilness in her weighs her down and he's a douche son of a rapist. But they still make it work."

"Right. And you're just some annoying Asian pervert with a girl who's slept with half the school. And you guys make it work." Helen retorted.

"Exactly." Jayden said as if that was a compliment. "So, as a firm believer in the Shaky movement," Nicole smiled. "Don't be rash."

"I'll try Jayden." Nicole said. "And I like that Lauren thing too."

"Thanks." Jayden said.

* * *

After first period, Aaron met up with Gabrielle on her way to her second period class that she had with Chandra.

"How're you doing?" Aaron asked her.

"Alright I guess." Gabrielle said. She smiled a bit. "I told Nate and he said he'd handle it, so I'm fine."

"I tried getting my brother to help too. I guess it worked only for a moment." Aaron said.

Gabrielle nudged him a bit. "Hey, don't give up on her yet."

"Brie, she was flirting with another guy and almost killed herself with a panic attack. And here I thought that 'something else' she had to do was that project." Aaron replied. "I don't know what I would've done if…"

"If what?" Gabrielle asked.

"I'm over thinking this." Aaron responded. "I mean, I know her condition is pretty bad but I shouldn't think of the absolute worst, you know?" Gabrielle nodded. "Besides, I'm hoping we can put this behind us and move on."

"I do too." Gabrielle stated. "I don't want to see you hurt by this either."

"What do you mean you want to break up with him?" Aaron and Gabrielle looked at each other before they rounded a corner, seeing Vanessa shouting at Chandra. "Bambi, have you hit your head too hard? A.J is like-"

"Behind you." Chandra said as her eyes landed on Aaron's.

Aaron said nothing as he stared at Chandra. He was seriously worried at the moment. Worried about her health. Worried about her anger towards himself and her cousin. And worried about losing her.

"Um, let's get going Brie. We don't want to be involved in this." Vanessa said before glaring at Chandra. "Think twice about this Bambi…"

Aaron watched Gabrielle walk away with Vanessa, giving him a sympathetic look. Chandra's face was completely void of any emotions at the moment though he could very well see through the front. Something was definitely upsetting her.

"Bambi I-"

"I can't talk to you right now." Chandra said in a neutral voice. "I can't be stressed for the rest of the exams."

"Oh… Okay…" Aaron replied. "Yesterday, you seemed so upset. I wanted to know if you're alright."

"That's why I can't talk to you now." Chandra droned on. "I had another episode when I got home and this one was worse than the one at the Dot. It's very important that you and I stay away from each other for a while."

"You want to break up?" Aaron asked.

"I…"

"Whatever Bambi." Aaron continued in a hurt tone. "I'm sorry about your cousin kissing me. I'm sorry for lying to you about who I really am. But if giving you space is going to help your health problems, then so be it. Don't let me be the one that's killing you."

"A.J…" was all she got out before he walked away in a brisk pace.

Chandra backed into a locker and slid down onto a seated position, tears spilling from her eyes. In truth, she was ordered to space herself from all of her friends, not just Aaron. Her doctor's words were to space herself away from Aaron and the others- Farah especially- until school was over for the summer. Afterwards, she could have her life back and she really wanted Aaron there.

Especially after she has come to terms into actually loving him.

* * *

"Alright," Coach Blue said to Jayden. "Let's see how you did on your portrait."

Jayden revealed his nearly perfect drawing of Scarlett, her eyes being a lighter shade of blue than they actually were. Scarlett gasped in her seat, the first time that she had ever seen the drawing. It was amazing to say the least.

"I call it Passionate Fury." Jayden said. "What do you think?"

"It's very good." Coach Blue replied.

Jayden smirked. "Oh come on. This is your daughter. I could've done-"

"Jayden, don't push it or you'll be running two miles today." Jayden hushed, though he was still smiling quite a bit. "Now, tell us why you chose her position and why you chose to use pencils instead of paint."

"Well, the position was the only one allowed in school." Jayden said, gaining a few snickers from the class. "And I chose colored pencils because of the subject I drew. She requested it and I did it."

"Nice job. And don't say that again." Coach Blue said, going from teacher to father in seconds. "Alright, let's see who's next."

"It's beautiful." Scarlett said.

Helen scoffed. " You're only saying that because it's you."

"No! I'm serious." Scarlett replied. "It's really good."

"Keep telling yourself that." Helen said. "You know, I talked to him earlier. And he doesn't hate you. So that's a good thing."

Scarlett sighed. "I guess that's good to know since he isn't trying to talk to me."

"Well, that's all I have. So that's all you can get and accept it." Helen said.

"You're right." Scarlett responded. "I just hope that I can do something before it's too late."

"Scar, if you want my honest opinion," Helen said. "It was 'too late' when he stopped by our place and said that he was dating Laura and you flipped." Scarlett sighed. "Yeah… You're out of luck now."

"So I see." Scarlett mumbled.

* * *

"This is great." Gavin said sitting the picture down on Maxwell's desk. "You and Em must've had one hell of a brain storm."

Maxwell shrugged. "Brains and beauty… And Emma of course."

"Hey!" Emma retorted, causing the two men to laugh quite a bit. "Whatever Max. Just tell me what you found out."

"Well," Maxwell replied. "I got in touch with Ryan and he's got quite the number of workers without work at the moment. That's a good thing. Manny heard about this already but one of her co-stars got a serious injury which means she'll be gone even longer. That's a bad thing."

"And about the time of construction?" Gavin questioned.

Maxwell sighed. "I really don't know. Anytime between two to four months probably. I know for a fact that Ryan can pull this off for me so it's not the construction of the building I'm worried about. It's actually you two." Emma and Gavin frowned. "Once the building is here, it's basically done whether you have it filled with food and customers or not. And from what Emma has told me, you two have a very… Vague idea about how you want this to go."

"Well, that's because Mrs. Cameron didn't want to do it in the first place." Gavin said gaining a scoff from Emma. "But now that it's in motion, we should probably get on that."

"My thoughts exactly." Maxwell said. "I advise that you guys talk to Isabella and Danni. They are almost as good as business moves as I am. Mia and Louis raised quite the businesswoman in Bella and Danni's inherited the family genes."

"Before that," Emma said. "You said yesterday about the limit on what you can spend. With all of this will we exceed the money we have?"

"We shouldn't. Now I can't tell you what that cap will be two months from now, so if you don't start soon that money granted might drop. You know, Manny and I are trying to set some money aside for Jayden's kids' college funds." Maxwell said.

Gavin blinked. "Already?"

"Hey, USC is looking for all McDuelles and they will be next generation." Maxwell responded. "But outside of that, you know Manny does those small beauty pageants for teens to keep girls out of trouble. And she pays that with money out of her pockets."

"Yeah, I know." Emma said before sighing. "Okay. Let's start this right now. Let's not wait."

"What? You want to do something without at least twenty-four hours of thought?" Gavin teased.

"I _did_ have twenty-four hours of thoughts Mr. Mason." Emma shot back. "Now do you want this or not?"

"Yeah." Gavin said.

"Okay." Maxwell stated. "Now, what really irked me and I'll let it slide this time, is sending me an idea without a name. I nearly fired half of my board for giving me an idea without a name. The name is what promotes the business, understand? So, give me a name."

Emma and Gavin looked at each other, causing Maxwell to see an older Kelly and Shane, before they looked at Maxwell.

"Mason's."

* * *

Going to lunch, Dustin rubbed his sore stomach. For whatever reason, Nathan had nearly punched Dustin's breakfast back up and then left. Dustin did not attempt to get even, believing that something could have happened between Nathan and Stephanie.

"Brie…" Dustin said as he caught up to Gabrielle and, surprisingly, Ashton. "Can I-"

"Leave her alone asshole." Ashton hissed. "I think it's pretty clear she's done with you."

"Do you ever shut up?" Dustin retorted. "I'm talking to-"

"My friend!" Ashton snapped back. "A friend who you cheated on in broad daylight! So I'm giving you this one chance Hayes. Leave her alone. Go find Jordan or whoever would accept a douche like you."

Dustin looked to see Gabrielle looking away. She seemed angrier than she did earlier. His thoughts were broken when he felt Ashton shove him away.

"Go!" Ashton ordered.

"Ashton," Gabrielle said. "Come on. Let's go to lunch. I think he gets that we're done."

Dustin could only watch as Gabrielle walk down the halls with Ashton. He now realized that he had not thought his plan through. Sure, kissing Jordan to get Gabrielle to break up with him was a plan to make him single, plus Jordan was most likely to run to Aaron and tell him which would irritate Chandra to no end, but the physical punishment that cam with it was torture. Literally. And now he had to watch Gabrielle walk away with _Ashton Manning_. Plus he still had to present that project with Jordan later on.

"Oh well…" Dustin said walking the other way.

He was still winning against Tevin, he figured.

* * *

Ever since people learned who his brother was, Aaron and Jayden have spoken more freely during school hours. Yet, they still kept a reasonable space between each other. So when Aaron found his brother moving to sit across him at Aaron's normal lunch table, Aaron knew that something was wrong.

"You want to tell me about what Bambi is texting me that you guys broke up or should I just do the older brother torture device when we get home?" Jayden asked.

Aaron sighed. "She can't be stressed and I caused her stress."

Jayden glanced at Farah, who noticeably flinched once their eyes connected, before he looked back at Aaron.

"You do know that she sent her presentation in to Mr. Isaacs already and went home right?" Jayden questioned his brother. "So unless you stop by her house, I doubt you'll see her for the rest of the day."

"I know." Aaron stated in a quiet tone.

Jayden frowned. "And you're okay with this?"

"Jayden," Aaron said with a sigh. "I don't know what to do. When I do wrong, it kills her. But when she goes out and flirts with some guy she met at a party, she's alright."

"Don't be selfish." Jayden told Aaron. "If you want her, go tell her so. Don't sit her and sulk like some pansy."

"I'm tired of you calling me a pansy just so I'll do what you want me to." Aaron said angrily. "I _can't_ see Chandra because she'll be stressed again! And it's not like I don't want to see her, because I do. Sure, I was mad when Dakota and Farah basically told me she was flirting with whoever at the Dot, but that was to be expected, right?"

"No. I think your anger just fed fuel to the flames. But, hey, you're better at relationships than I am, so you tell me." Jayden said.

Aaron sighed heavily. "Can't you just give me advice and go away instead of making this seem like it's my fault?"

"Fine, I'll give you advice." Jayden said. "Earlier this morning I walked by your girlfriend, or ex I should say, when she got dropped off. She said that she had to limit her time away from her friends because she couldn't get worked up. Meaning, I got the same speech she gave _you_ before she even found you." Aaron's eyes narrowed in question. "I told her that if putting space between you two will keep her alive, then do what you must. And she said that she would try because she _loved_ you and she didn't want to do that to you. Even at the expense of her own health."

Aaron sat quietly now, as did Farah and Vanessa who were there hearing this. While Farah had not spoken to her cousin all day, Vanessa did and also got the same speech Jayden did. But she did not hear the part where Chandra said she loved Aaron. And after hearing it, Vanessa felt worse about shouting and Chandra and not letting her say what she wanted to. Then again, Vanessa was so used to Chandra arguing and out-talking people that it was weird watching her bite her tongue.

"Seriously?" Aaron finally said.

Jayden nodded as he stood up.

"Yep." Jayden said. "So congratulations A.J. If you didn't kill her, you did now."

Jayden walked away from the table, Aaron resting his forehead on front of him.

"Are you alright?" Farah asked.

"Just let me sit here." Aaron told her. "I need to think."

Farah nodded before Ashton and Gabrielle sat down at the table, Gabrielle sitting beside Aaron while Ashton sat beside Vanessa.

"Are you okay A.J?" Gabrielle asked.

"Yeah Santos, you look like someone kicked your-"

"Not now Ashton." Vanessa stopped him. He gave her a curious stare. "I'll tell you later."

Ashton shrugged. "Whatever."

* * *

Alli watched Chandra sleep peacefully in her bed, a glass of water on the night stand beside it. She hated seeing her daughter like this but could do nothing about it. Her mind, as brilliant as it was, could not cure Chandra's problems. In fact the only person that could do that was Chandra herself. She felt a pain of guilt surge through her, knowing the pressure that she and Drew had put on Chandra about her grades, especially during the finals. This gave Chandra the choices of her friends or her exams as she was not mentally strong enough to focus on them both.

"Hey," Drew said coming towards the room. "Is she sleep?" Alli nodded. "Good. I have to run out and meet Bianca about some remedial class."

"Okay." Alli said before sighing. "I really don't like seeing her like this. Having to take drugs just to sleep? Drew, what are we going to do for her?"

"Do you know what she was crying for?" Drew asked.

Alli shook her head. "She wouldn't tell me. I hope it's not Farah and A.J."

"She's a tough girl Alli. Look who her mother is." Drew said gaining a small smile on Alli's face. "Whatever it is that's got her down, it'll pass. And I really doubt it was A.J that did this to her."

"Yeah, me too. He's such a sweet kid." Alli said.

Drew nodded. "Odd that I'm agreeing with you. I just hate those damn Trojans."

"Drew!" Alli chastised quietly at his choice of words.

"Hey, if Trojans were all good, Chandra might be a few years younger." Drew said causing Alli to stare at him with shock before pushing him out of their daughter's room. "Calm down Alli, she can't hear us."

"You don't know that!" Alli said. "Besides, it was clearly your choice in size. You got one just a bit too small."

Drew smiled. "Good days…" Alli rolled her eyes before smiling. "But, on a more serious note, I don't know what to do anymore Alli other then let her rest and pray for the best. Hopefully with the stress of exams and limiting the chances of her having to walk by _that_ place or see _him_ again will do her some justice."

"And Farah and A.J?" Alli asked.

"I don't know. I can't really tell Sav to stop bringing his daughter over but I wouldn't want Chandra to flip out just because she sees her cousin." Drew said. "And as for A.J, I'm sure he's sorry for what he did, _if_ he did it."

"What? You heard Farah." Alli said. "He kissed her."

"I don't know Alli. A.J hardly kisses Chandra… Or he hardly does it over here." Drew replied. "Either way, I just can't picture him doing that."

"You can't?" Alli asked arching a brow.

"It's a guy thing. We know other guys just by looking at them. And A.J does not strike me as… Well a younger me." Drew stated as they descended the steps. "Give them time. They'll fix things faster than your brother and Anya."

"I hope so…" Alli said. "She only smiles when he's here…"

"I know." Drew said quietly.

* * *

On her way to her last period class, Scarlett saw Jayden talk to some students who ran track with them. She hesitated, telling herself to just go to class and forget about him. However she found herself wandering over towards him.

"I'll see you guys later." Jayden said as the other two boys walked off, both giving Scarlett looks as they walk away. "Something on your mind?"

"Nothing but the usual." Scarlett responded. "You?"

Jayden shrugged. "Plans for the summer."

"Oh really? Taking Laura to fight Marissa on Marissa's turf?" Scarlett asked with a smile.

"No, but I'm sure if she wanted to, Laura will do it." Jayden said. "I'm taking her to Italy. Just the two of us."

"All summer?" Scarlett questioned.

Jayden nodded. "Yep. Me, her, the not-here kids. Two months of not hearing from anyone else until we return."

"Oh… Um, I'm happy." Scarlett said. "She deserves a break, you know? And you've been on your feet for too long too."

"I'm glad that you have enough restrain to lie to me face-to-face," Jayden replied. "But I'll take it."

"I'm serious. She deserves a break and-"

"But you're nowhere near happy." Jayden stated. "So tell me what you're thinking, let's talk about this, and then let's never speak of it again."

Scarlett sighed. "I guess… I don't know. With Helen and Torrie going to New York and then Miami, I don't have anyone to talk to next to Shane, and we both know that he works the most hours during the summer."

"Seriously? That's it?" Jayden asked.

"I'm sure you can add on whatever I won't say," Scarlett said. "But yeah. That's it. You'll be gone. Helen will be gone. And I'll be left alone."

"To save you some trouble," Jayden said to her. "Go with your cousins. You need family bonding time."

Scarlett grinned. "Have you seen my cousins? They're crazy."

"I know. But they'll keep you company and that's what you want, right?" Jayden said. Scarlett nodded. "Well then, everyone wins."

Scarlett stood silently, feeling foolish for her lame attempts at soothing things with him.

"You know," Jayden said. "You and Laura have done one thing in common that seems to anger me a bit." Scarlett's brows furrowed with worry. "You both seem to worry about yourselves when it comes to next year. She says how badly she wants to be with the kids and you with your dream of getting closer to me with her out of the way."

"Jayden…" Scarlett began but could not think of anything else to say at the moment.

"But," Jayden stated. "Have you ever thought to yourself about how _I_ will feel with her in England? I mean, I try and try to spend as much time with her now, but with all the appointments and things with the band and my dad's job and you, that time gets limited. And I don't want to come off as some super mean guy, but seriously Scarlett, can I just have one day to her. That's all I ask."

"Is that why you're going to Italy? Because of me?" Scarlett asked in a quiet tone.

"Do you want the truth or something that'll make you feel better?" Jayden responded.

Scarlett grinned slightly. "Something that will make me feel better than a home wrecker."

"My parents and Laura's dad play a role in this too. And Shane and Dash. Especially Dash." Jayden answered. "So it's not just you… Though I'm sure we can both agree that you've been quite the pain in Laura's ass, thus becoming a pain in mine."

"I'm sorry… I'll, uh, talk to you later? Maybe before you leave." Scarlett said backing away. "I'll call to make things easier on her."

"Scarlett, stop." Jayden said. She paused. "Your class is this way and so is mine. So let's walk together."

"I don't think that's such a good idea." Scarlett said.

Jayden smiled. "Come on. Besides, we both know that you've only got one friend standing here and Shane clearly isn't around."

Scarlett smiled. "I guess you have a point…"

"I know I do." Jayden said. "So come on and you can judge the names Laura and I were looking at. Though I must warn you, anything that has something to do with the color red was thrown out almost immediately."

Scarlett only smiled as she walked with him, not even letting that bother her. The smile was only to diver his attention from her inner thoughts though. He was leaving for two months with his pregnant girlfriend to get away from her. Worse, said girlfriend was probably going to have the kids there or come home just in time to have them. That meant that her Jayden was gone and Laura's Jayden would be here forever more.

What a life.

* * *

"And that's our report on being parents…" Jordan said, mumbling the last word.

"You two could've done better, but it's alright." Toby said as Jordan and Dustin took their seats. The bell rang causing the students to all release a sigh of relief. "Jordan, A.J, I need to talk to you."

Aaron groaned quietly. He knew that he had to talk to Chandra before it was too late. He was a jerk to her and should have given her a chance to speak. Instead, he over reacted and probably made her health worse. Much worse.

"Yes?" Jordan said.

"I know that your exams are over, but I want you guys to do a tougher task. One suited for your learning abilities." Toby said, gaining a collective frown from Jordan and Aaron. "I've talked to your parents and they believe that it's alright if I send you two to Japan this summer for the Student Ambassador Program."

"What?" Jordan and Aaron said in two different tones.

"I know this may seem like short notice, and if you don't want to do it just tell me now and I'll replace you. But, I feel like my top two students will do great studying abroad for the summer, learning new things and seeing new places." Toby stated. "So… What do you think?"

"Of course!" Jordan said before sighing. "And here I was thinking of ways to get away from my siblings and now this! This has got to be the best day ever!"

"A.J?" Toby said. "Now, I remember talking about this to you earlier this year and you were all up for it. Do you want this?"

Aaron thought for a moment. He had to separate himself from Chandra and this would be a great way of doing it. But he really did not want to part ways with her, not physically or emotionally.

"Oh, right. His girlfriend needs his attention." Jordan said.

"No," Aaron said to Jordan before looking at his teacher. "I'll go. When do we leave?"

"A week after school let's out and you're gone all summer just about." Toby explained. "We'll talk more Monday while you guys are clearing out your lockers, alright."

"Sure." Aaron said.

Toby grinned. "You two don't know how proud I am for having you. Not only are you kids of my high school friends, but you're probably the brightest two in the seventh grade, probably eighth and ninth as well. I know you won't let me down."

"We'll try not to Mr. Isaacs." Jordan said as she and Aaron took that as a sign to leave. As they exited into the nearly emptied halls, Jordan glanced at Aaron. "So where's your yappy girlfriend?" Aaron gave her a glare at the corner of his eyes. "Okay, I'm sorry. Wrong thing to say. But where is she? Seriously."

"At home from what I know." Aaron replied. "Why?"

Jordan shrugged. "Don't know. Just weird seeing you with her. Unless the rumors _are_ true and you _are_ trying to get with Farah. But I don't believe that. Even if you told me now I wouldn't believe that."

"And why's that?" Aaron asked with a frown.

"Uh, hello. Despite the new glamorous look, I'm still Jordan Cameron. I know you A.J and you would never cheat on a girl, Chandra or not." Jordan responded. "And if Chandra believes otherwise, well then that just proves that I'm smarter than her in every subject, including her own boyfriend."

"Thanks Jordan, but Bambi's at home resting. The stress of the exams got to her." Aaron said.

Jordan grinned. "Don't lie to me A.J. I know _exactly_ why she's at home." Aaron gave Jordan a questioning look. "You two broke up and it left her devastated."

"What?" Aaron questioned.

"Yep. She was just sitting in the hall, crying her eyes off. And as pleasing as that was, I felt bad for her. Like, seriously bad." Jordan said before shrugging. "Oh well. What's done is done. Can go back and change it."

"Wait, wait, how do you know about our break-up?" Aaron said. "Did she tell you?"

Jordan sighed. "Oh A.J, you still have lot to learn about women…" Jordan stopped walking, causing Aaron to stop as well. "You were talking to her, correct?" Aaron nodded. "You apparently lost some cool, right?" Aaron nodded again. "You walked away and she started crying. What does that sound like to you?"

"Me being a jerk." Aaron said.

"Dick. You were being a dick." Jordan corrected. "Besides, she wouldn't move until Mr. Walsh came and led her away."

Aaron sighed heavily. "Man… Why am I so stupid?"

"You're not stupid Aaron. Whatever you two were talking about, you clearly didn't see things from all angles like you normally do." Jordan said.

"What? That's stupid of me!" Aaron responded. "And how do you know how I think or what I feel? That was stupid of me to just talk over her and-"

"Aaron, calm down." Jordan said. "You're not an idiot or else we wouldn't be talking now. And I know how you think because you are the only person that understood what I was going through when my granddad died. You walked me step-by-step through the entire thing and didn't ask for anything because you got me, just like I'm sure you understand Chandra."

"So what do I do? How do I get her back?" Aaron asked.

"Well, since you dating Chandra keeps her away from Tevin, I'll help." Jordan said, Aaron letting that statement go seeing as it was Tevin who wanted Chandra. "Call her into the Dot and make up there. If she comes, then she wants you."

"If not?" Aaron asked.

Jordan smiled. "Give her time A.J. She'll come. Eventually."

Aaron watched Jordan walk away with mixed emotions. He wanted to be with Chandra, never experiencing a break-up like this firsthand. Yet, he did not want to cause her extra stress and pain. And worse, he just got advice from Jordan, someone he has not trusted in nearly six months.

"Your brother's waiting!" Jordan called to Aaron.

"Coming." he said quietly heading for the door. "Just hope he doesn't have anything to do for Laura…"

* * *

"Wow. That's big." Helen said to Scarlett. "You think he's going to propose to her?"

"Ugh, I pray not." Scarlett replied.

Helen smirked. "That would be so funny, don't you think? You keep walking around here saying 'they aren't married yet' and the poof! They're married!"

Scarlett did not answer her cousin who knew just how angry Scarlett would be if Jayden and Laura miraculously got married before graduation.

"Frick," Scarlett looked to see Helen looking at her phone. "Stupid prom…"

"Prom?" Scarlett asked.

"Yeah, Tyler asked me to go to his senior prom tomorrow." Helen answered. "Which means that you have the car all to yourself. Take care of it like your life depends on it because the next time Mercedes keys it, I use her spine to key you."

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Sure Helen. Anything else?"

"Yeah," Helen said going into her closet. "When you and Jayden get married, I can be the maid of honor, right? You know, since I know you and I dated him. Plus, my mom was yours maid of honor and vice versa. It's tradition."

"Jayden and I aren't dating, let alone getting married." Scarlett said before she heard Helen snort. "What was that for?"

"Because I know something that you don't know." Helen teased. "And I'm _so_ not telling you until… Well, I was going to wait for forever but I figured that that wasn't fair so I said for a lifetime."

"What?" Scarlett said loudly as she sat up on Helen's bed.

"Hey, a lifetime is a lot shorter than forever, right? Be thankful I cut it that short." Helen replied. "Besides, he will tell you when he wants to. And if not, oh well."

"Oh well? Helen, you know something that-"

"Calling my boyfriend, can't talk." Helen said with her phone near her ear. Scarlett sighed. "Hey, I was calling about prom tomorrow. You know I hate Lakehurst but, what else is there to do right?"

Scarlett got off of Helen's bed and moved out of her cousin's bedroom. She wanted to know whatever it was that Helen and Jayden talked about so badly that she was tempted on finding him and choking it out of him. Well, not strangle him but annoy him until he caved. Then she remembered that Helen said he would tell her, which kept her at home.

And then the doorbell rang.

"Scarlett! You have a visitor!" Fiona called.

Scarlett smiled going for the steps. She knew that he would not let her down. She knew that if it was as important as Helen said, Jayden would tell her. They were really good friends and…

All thoughts stopped once she saw DeWayne.

"What are you doing here?" Scarlett nearly hissed in anger and disappointment.

"I came here to talk." DeWayne replied. "I'm going to leave Mercedes for you."

"Don't. I don't want you." Scarlett said.

"Scarlett I know that you think that Jayden's Mr. Right, but he's not." DeWayne said. "I can be if you let me."

Scarlett snapped her fingers. "You're right."

Scarlett disappeared up the steps causing DeWayne to smile a bit. She said that he was right. She was going to get ready to leave.

Or so he thought.

"Here," Scarlett said handing DeWayne her tiara. "Take it back. Pawn it. I don't care."

"You're making a mistake." DeWayne said.

"I made the mistake already. Now I'm trying to fix it." Scarlett replied. "So take your stupid tiara, your cheesy lines, and get out of my house."

Dewayne sighed. "He's going to hurt you again. Don't let him."

"DeWayne," Scarlett replied. "I may end up single for the rest of my life because of you. If Jayden staying with the girl he loves and has kids with is 'hurting me' think of how I feel about you." DeWayne opened his mouth. "And when I actually put the effort in our relationship, you sleep with Mercedes! Why? You know how I value my virginity."

"I'm sorry about that and I thought you forgave me." DeWayne said.

"I am sorry. And I do forgive you. Now forgive me for listening to my heart and waiting this out. I know that Jayden and I aren't done and the next time we're together I don't want you to ruin it. Again." Scarlett told him. "Now, please, get out of my house."

"He doesn't want-"

"Scar! Phone!" Helen called. "It's your annoying neighbor!"

Scarlett smiled at DeWayne. "See your way out, okay?"

DeWayne watched Scarlett ascend up the steps. He fingered the tiara before turning around. Mercedes was pissed at him for blowing her off for the day and now he had nothing to show for it, other than the tiara. Yeah, he figured, he could give her Scarlett's former tiara and not tell her that he bought it for Scarlett originally. And then… Then he would get even with his sister for this embarrassing moment.

Yeah, that's exactly what he was going to do.

* * *

Shane looked up at his bed at Deanna.

"A surprise birthday? I don't know… Kelly's a little, how should I put this? Unstable." Shane said.

Deanna rolled her eyes. "Oh come on. She will be excited by this. Plus it's on a Friday where we have our last day of school. How could you say no to that?"

"Because I know my sister and she wouldn't like that." Shane said.

"Well I know that my newly appointed BFF will. So tough cookies, we're having the party." Deanna responded going to Shane's bed. "And you are going to help me do it. So get up."

"Deanna. Do I have to do it now?" Shane complained.

"No. We can actually plan it with your sister so it'll be that big of a surprise when she sees it." Deanna said sarcastically before pulling on Shane's arm. "Come on! Get up!" Shane smiled amusingly watching her attempt to pull him in vain. "Boy you're heavy… How much do you weigh?"

"Does it matter?" Shane asked before he got a text. "Oh great. My sister has sent me another complaint about her reporter job." Shane grabbed his phone and frowned at it. "What the hell?"

"What? What is it?" Deanna asked moving to look over his shoulder. "Oh my…"

There, on Shane's phone, was a picture of Nicole and Ethan kissing at, what appeared to be, the ravine.

"Yeah…" Shane said. "Now I'm going to kill him."

"Wait!" Deanna said as Shane quickly moved for the door. "Shane, Shane, you can't kill him!"

"And why the hell not? I knew, I _knew_, that this would happen!" Shane shouted. "I'm so… And at the ravine? I told her not to go back to the ravine!"

"Okay, calm down." Deanna said. "Deep breaths."

"What are you, a psychiatrist?" Shane asked angrily.

Deanna shook her head. "No, but I've sat in on one of my dad's group counseling in prison once. It keeps less fighting during a meeting in prison so maybe it'll help you."

"Why? Because I'm so prison-bound guy?" Shane said. "You know Deanna, I don't get you. You talk an enormous amount of trash about my friend and his girlfriend, you've stated your little care about me, and I don't think that you're really my sister's friend. So what are you doing here and why do I have a feeling that you have something behind this picture?"

"Shane, listen to me," Deanna said. "Ethan came to me and Mercedes over Spring Break and asked where Nicky was, but I swear to you that I didn't tell him."

"Right, like how I believe that you wrote those blogs or you bought Kelly that stuff because she's 'your BFF' or whatever." Shane retorted.

"Why are you taking this out on me?" Deanna asked.

"…" Shane stood quietly before pacing a bit. "I don't know. I just…"

"You're angry and I know that you have a great reason to be." Deanna said. "But the truth is, I would _never_ send you a picture like that because I know how much you care for Nicky. And Kelly is my friend. My dearest and sincerest friend in the world."

Shane moved towards the living room, sitting down on the couch and resting his head in his hands. Deanna watched him while her heart pounding a million beats per second. Her brain searched for all the possible ways to approach this. The Angelina way would be to just sit in utter silence and wait for him to say something, but that was really not Deanna's personality. The Scarlett way would be talking it out, which Deanna would do if she knew exactly what to say.

Now Deanna was frustrated. The guy of her dreams was in emotional pain and there was not a thing she could. She was stuck with random scenarios and failed attempts. Then again, she was putting every girl she knew in her position now. Mercedes's scenario and saying how much waste of a time Nicole was seemed to be the worst out of them all to do. And then her mind landed on one girl who _was_ in this situation. But it was risky.

Moving towards Shane, she gripped his face, raised it so that he was looking up at her, and kissed him firmly on the lips. She was shocked when he did not push away and took it a step further by straddling his lap. She had only had one make-out session in her life and that was with Alexander last year, so she was pretty rusty at it. But when his hands moved around her waist, Deanna smiled.

Laura Reynolds was a freaking genius.

* * *

Chandra woke up and stretched. She felt better than earlier, though she still thought of Aaron a lot. Looking to her right, she saw her phone on her bed and frowned. She wondered when she took her phone out of her bag earlier but brushed it aside. Going through it, she found that there were no missed calls, meaning one thing.

Aaron was seriously going to give her space.

"Oh, you're awake," Alli said coming into Chandra's room. "Are you alright? Do you need anything?"

"Mom, I'm find. I…" Chandra paused. "Did A.J stop by?"

"No. But your uncle did." Alli replied. "He, Farah, and Hakim came to see if you were alright. You gave us all a scare for a moment."

"Farah was here?" Chandra asked. Alli nodded. "What did she say?"

"I don't know. She came to see if you were awake and left to meet up with some friends. Why?" Alli answered.

Chandra sighed. "No reason."

* * *

Aaron grinned slightly. Even after Chandra rejected meeting up with him, he still had someone to count on. Though that someone was the reason he was put in this predicament anyway, it was good to have friends right now.

"That's hilarious." Chandler MacGregor said with a smile. "Did that happen A.J?"

"Kind of." Aaron answered.

Aaron sat with Chandra's two friends, Chandler and Nigel Betenkamp from Bardell. They seemed nice in his opinion.

"Great." Farah said after her cell phone began ringing. "Hello?"

"Where's A.J?" Chandra asked on the other line. Farah could tell from her voice that this was an un-medicated Chandra Torres. "Farah. Where is A.J?"

Farah bit her lip for a moment. A part of her wanted to space Chandra and Aaron for Chandra's health and the other part for Farah's own want of Aaron. She had forced herself to believe that this was a win-win situation. But her conscience would not allow her to continue with such a farce.

"He's right here." Farah said quietly. "A.J, it's Bambi."

Aaron gasped. Earlier, he had sent her texts and she had rejected him. But he wanted to speak to her. More like he _had_ to speak to her.

"Hello?" Aaron said as soon as the phone was handed over to him.

"You could've called." Chandra said.

Aaron frowned. "What are you talking about? I've been calling all afternoon."

"Then why don't I have any missed calls?" Chandra replied.

"I don't know." Aaron said. He honestly did not want to argue with her. "Um… I have some bad news."

"No, me first." Chandra told him. "I think… I think you're right. Breaking up will help me stay calm and collected and it'll give Farah what she wants and I know she can make you happy."

"What? No. No, don't say that." Aaron replied. "I have a better solution."

"What is it?" Chandra asked, hiding her hope from her voice.

"Japan." Aaron responded. He could practically feel her questioning look through the phone and continued to explain. "I, and Jordan, have been chosen to go to Japan for the summer. That's space, right? And then… Hopefully… When I return…"

"I don't need physical space A.J. It's much more than that." Chandra said. "I need you…" Aaron heard her sniffle a bit. "I need you out of my mind."

"Please don't say-"

"I'm sorry A.J." And with that she hung up.

Aaron sat quietly for a moment. He and Jayden had a lot of differences. He focused more on his books and Jayden focused more on everything else. He had a love for the private getaway in Italy while Jayden preferred going back to Newport and hanging around his plentiful friends. And of course their choice in women were two different tastes. But one thing that they shared in common other than parents were their knack for only crying in privacy. And no matter how much Aaron wanted to cry at this moment, he would not until he was safely home and in his closed bedroom.

"Are you alright A.J?" Farah asked as he slid her phone across the table to her.

"Fine." Aaron said in a hush tone. "I… I have to go."

"Oh. Okay." Farah replied. "See you later?"

"Sure." Aaron said heading out of the Dot.

He was hoping beyond hope that his brother did not plan something special with Laura later tonight. Because honestly, he needed him more than ever now.

* * *

Deanna lied beside Shane in his bed. They both had gotten redressed and were just lying in the afterglow. And as much as she tried to wrap around this phenomenon, she couldn't. She had just given her virginity to Shane Mason, a boy that has had her confused for the past months. She wanted to be with him, no doubt, but she would _never_ get his attention at the expense in destroying him and Nicole. Sure, she was glad to be present when Shane get that picture, but the pain that he was experiencing now was clearly something she did her best to avoid.

"Not like this." Deanna heard Shane say. "You have to go."

"What?" she asked.

Shane sat up and looked at her.

"This is exactly how Jayden and Laura got together." Shane said. "I don't want this to be me. I don't want this to be us." Deanna frowned. "Deanna, you are a good friend, but having sex with you was a mistake. I hope you can understand and-"

"Hey Shane, look who I found on her way here!" Kelly said entering Shane's room with Nicole. "Nicky!"

Deanna saw Shane's jaw clench. She chose that moment to slip out of his bed and search for her shoes. Instead of putting them on, she quietly slipped in-between Kelly and Nicole and left. Kelly frowned and moved after her friend, leaving Nicole and Shane there.

"Weird…" Nicole said coming towards Shane. "So, how was your day?"

"Eventful." Shane answered as Nicole sat beside him. "Nicky, I'm going to be honest with you because I want you to be honest with me, okay?" Nicole's brows furrowed but she slowly nodded. "I just had sex with Deanna."

"You what?" Nicole replied.

"I had sex with Deanna. I got angry about something and she… Well she attempted to make me feel better." Shane said. "Now, have you done _anything_ that you want to tell me?"

"No! And definitely nothing like that!" Nicole shouted. "Shane… How could you? I thought that-"

"You went to the ravine." Shane interrupted. "Worse. You kissed him, didn't you? Probably took it a little further than that but that's all I got."

"What are you talking about?" Nicole asked. Shane quickly moved to show her the picture sent to him and watched Nicole's face. "Shane… I…"

"Lied." Shane said. "I don't need you to be perfect Nicky. But I do want honesty."

"Yeah, well I knew you were going to flip if you ever found out. I didn't know you were going to sleep with Deanna." Nicole said rising. "And do you know _why_ I went to the ravine? Because Ethan got a call from you saying to stay away from me. Why would you do that?"

"I don't know. Maybe I wanted to stop something like this!" Shane responded, tossing his phone to the wall.

Nicole shook her head. "He kissed me. One time. I walked away…" Shane's eyes narrowed. "But this… What you did with Deanna… That's disgusting."

"Nicky don't-"

"No. You don't. Don't talk to me." Nicole said leaving his room.

Shane moved to his bed and lied there. He could still smell Deanna on his pillow but ignored the intoxicating scent. He did not want to be like Jayden and Laura. It was painful clear to Shane how much Jayden actually loved Scarlett, but due to certain events that would probably never happen again. Shane really did not want to go through that with Nicole or Deanna.

"So you screwed my friend and then sent her packing with tears." Shane only rolled away from Kelly, though she easily slid into the bed and hugged him. "Don't worry Shane. I still love you."

"Whatever." Shane mumbled.

"Oh come on. It's not the end of the world." Kelly said.

Shane looked at her. "Someone sent me a picture of my girlfriend, ex-girlfriend I should say, kissing some guy who I don't know but has been following her around for months now. And what do I do? I have sex with some girl who I hardly know!"

"Shane, it's fine. Deanna will probably…" Kelly paused. "Well she'll probably remember this until the day she dies… Probably longer." Kelly shook her head. "But that's not the point. The point is that she got you from going out there and getting into a fight and from what I hear you're not bad in the bed."

"I don't feel like joking right now." Shane said. "I just want today and this school year to end."

Kelly sighed. "You're confused, aren't you?" Shane nodded. "Okay, I'm going to tell you something that you can never repeat, okay?"

"Okay." Shane stated.

"Deanna has had a crush on you for the longest of times." Kelly said. "She didn't want to say anything to you to avoid any awkwardness that might occur especially with Nicky around."

Shane blinked. "Are you serious?" Kelly nodded. "And I just sent her out like she was…"

"A two-cent hooker, yep." Kelly finished. "But, hey, it's okay because she understands and says that if you want to talk, call her anytime. But… Due to her "ecstasy" she let it slip that you guys were supposed to plan a birthday party for me. I'll act surprise if you want."

"Kelly I just slept with a girl who has a crush on me and kicked her out! I'm not worried about your birth…" Shane stopped once he saw Kelly frown. "I'm sorry Kelly. I just… I don't know what to do right now. I hate Ethan. I hate myself."

"Well, hate yourself all night long because I have enough love to love you for my and yourself." Kelly said with a smile. "Listen, you did nothing wrong. You just… Did you. Or Deanna. Wow that can be said in so many ways."

"I did the _exact_ same thing Jayden did!" Shane stated. "You can't be okay with that. _He's_ not okay with it."

"Shane, Jay is in love with Laura. Whether he cheated on Scarlett or not, I don't know and I don't want to. But I do know that something great came out of that." Kelly said. "Laura showing her non-slutty side." Shane actually smiled at that. "So, maybe you can call Nicky and fix this whole thing."

"Or?" Shane asked.

"Or give Deanna a non-bossy side." Kelly responded. "It's up to you and I'll support you one thousand percent no matter what."

Shane grinned. "I have the best sister in the world, did you know that?"

"That's what my job description said." Kelly said, sharing a laugh with her brother.

* * *

Aaron looked in the bed next to him, spotting his brother lying while staring at the ceiling.

"So that's it? You're done?" Jayden said.

"I guess so…" Aaron answered.

Jayden sighed. "You're going to make a mistake. I get the whole Farah incident, but look at it through Bambi's eyes. Breaking up with you right now is nothing personal. She needs to get better."

"She sounded fine." Aaron said. "Plus, she said I didn't call when I sent her six texts. All of them that she answered."

"She could have been drugged." Jayden suggested.

"Yeah… There's that." Aaron replied. "But… I don't know Jay. It seems like this might be it." Jayden shrugged, his eyes closing. "Do you ever regret what happened between you and Scarlett?"

"Are you asking me because you're really curious or are you being an ass and trying to subtly piss me off?" Jayden replied. "Either way I'm really too tired to even care."

"I'm serious." Aaron said.

Jayden released a breath. "Scarlett… Is beautiful. I know this and so do you. She's a bit obsessive and let's not talk about how spoiled she can be, but she's an overall great person. Do I regret us breaking up? Not really."

"Why?" Aaron asked.

"Well look at it like this. I still cheated on her and Laura still got pregnant. So how would that look when Laura came to me pregnant and I was still with Scarlett?" Jayden explained. Aaron nodded. Jayden did dodge a bullet there. "Besides, our split taught Scarlett a very valuable lesson. Dancing around with a stranger is bad. And that's a metaphorical message that I'm telling you. Dancing around with a strange girl whom you've known for like two months is bad. Very, very bad."

"Well how well did you know Laura before you slept with her?" Aaron countered.

Jayden turned his head to glare at his younger brother.

"One more comment like that and this nap that I won't to catch will be put on halt for a very good reason." Jayden said before closing his eyes once more. "And I guess you're right to a degree. I didn't know anything but what she allowed people to know. But that's different."

"I really want to know how." Aaron said.

"Because I'm willing to admit that I did wrong, more wrong than Scarlett will ever do that's for sure." Jayden said. "And Laura… Well I'm glad I climbed into the bed with her. I mean, for the first time I have a sure future. It's not wondering what girl will randomly come up to me because they know that once Laura drops those three, she'll knock the first head that tries. I don't have to wonder how my kids will come out like because I have a great idea now that I know who their mother is." Jayden paused and grinned. "I know who I'm going to marry. I'm a little questionable about where we'll live, but I know what kind of houses she likes. And most importantly, I don't have to spend the next ten years searching for a soul mate, because I found her."

Aaron only listened to Jayden's words carefully.

"I have deep feelings for Scarlett, but they can't compare to what I feel for Laura." Jayden continued. "And ironically, she was the first one to say it."

"How's that ironic?" Aaron questioned.

A grin came onto Jayden's face.

"Because Bambi admitted her love for you first." Jayden said pointedly. Aaron thought for a moment before agreeing. "But, I guess I should tell you to stay away from her and yadda yadda. I really don't want you to be the reason she gets worse."

"I know…" Aaron said.

"Hey, do what I do to Scarlett. Just be there. Eventually she'll want you back." Jayden said before yawning. "Just stay single… And things will work out."

Aaron lied there in silence.

He had to let Chandra go momentarily until she got better. He knew that. It was not fair but it had to be done. And maybe they would end up like Jayden and Laura, sans the kids of course. Maybe, Aaron thought, one day in the future he and Chandra will be there to watch Laura and Jayden get married while planning their own wedding.

Or maybe he would end up with Jordan or Gabrielle? As much as he hated to think about it, but Jordan had released her "inner beauty" and it was really appealing. Her attitude, not as much, but that was about it. And she was quite helpful when she wanted to be.

No. He got those thoughts out of his head in a heartbeat. Jordan was annoying and untrustworthy. And Gabrielle was more like a sister than a girlfriend. That left Chandra who he could not longer be around. For now, that is.

Smiling, Aaron closed his eyes. He would have a son first and probably get into quite the heated argument about what college he should go to. He would make sure that his son has a pretty decent social life and good grades. And that avoids anyone that might do harm to him. And Chandra would probably help him all the way as the perfect mother. And on certain days they would go visit Jayden and Laura with their three plus kids. Laura would probably be a tough, yet loving, mother much like Aaron's paternal grandmother. Jayden would be the uncle that every played with, much like Chandra's uncle Adam.

Yeah… The future was looking brighter with each second that he slipped off into his dreams.

* * *

Deanna was boggled. Shane had sex with her and then he was mad at her. That did not make sense to her and she wondered if Laura went through this. She doubted it.

"Hey," DeWayne said as Deanna passed his room. "How was your time with your new buddies?"

"Great." Deanna said. "I'm going to go take a shower and lie down." Deanna spotted a smirk on Mercedes's face. "What?"

"Shane get that picture?" Mercedes asked.

Deanna gasped. "It was you!"

"Well duh. Who else?" Mercedes replied.

"You stupid-"

"We know about your crush on Shane." DeWayne said before tossing Deanna her diary. The book landed at Deanna's feet, the brunette bending to snatch it off the ground. "I'm seriously disgusted at what you wrote there, but I figured that if it was what you were really after, then I should spoil you just this once."

"And now you can leave Diner Girl and her loser brother alone." Mercedes added.

Deanna stood frozen. Originally, that was her plan. Pretend to be Kelly's friend and then get with Shane. Simple. But after countless of hours spent with Kelly made her rethink a lot of things. Kelly had actually become Deanna's friend to the point that some moments Deanna had almost forgotten about Shane. They shopped together, talked together, exchanged secrets, cooked together, and tons of other things that Deanna has never even dreamt of doing. And Shane… He was more than a crush to Deanna now. He, like his sister, was Deanna's friend. He had helped her flip her first omelet in a pan without dropping it on the ground. He had even painted her and Kelly's toenails one night due to Kelly's exhaustion!

Deanna felt her fists clench.

"You two are so dead to me." Deanna said angrily.

Mercedes frowned. "What? We go through the trouble of finding someway of breaking them up and this is how you repay us?"

"Even after you sent me on a goose chase with Scarlett?" DeWayne said.

"Is that what this is all about? You two wanting revenge on me?" Deanna shouted. "Because you didn't hurt me! You hurt Shane and Kelly! And they're my _friends_ not stupid pieces on a chess board!"

"Your opinion." DeWayne replied.

"You… I'm going to make you both pay for this." Deanna said.

DeWayne laughed a bit. "How, dear sister? You have one friend and she works for the majority of the day. We? We have what you used to and much, much more."

Deanna shook her head. "You're wrong. With Kelly comes Shane. With Shane comes Jayden. With Jayden comes Dakota. With her, Laura. And so on and so on." DeWayne grimaced. "I don't need either of you two anymore. I have friends now."

"Right," Mercedes said. "Do you honestly believe that they will believe you if you say that you didn't have anything to do with this? You just so happen to like Shane and your former best friend just so happens to take a picture of his cheating girlfriend. That wouldn't believe a word you said."

Damn, Deanna thought, Mercedes had a strong point there. Everyone knew how Deanna schemed and plotted for the majority of her down time.

"You lose." DeWayne said before Deanna walked away briskly.

She made it to her room where she slammed and locked her door. Moving to her bed, she climbed in it and retrieve her cell phone to dial a number.

"Hello?" Kelly answered.

"Hey Kelly, it's Deanna." Deanna said. "I need your help."

Kelly sighed. "Okay, what is it?"

And with that, Deanna Fitzgerald explained her plot for revenge. And she would not be denied that revenge on her brother and former friend. Shane was counting on her.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So here is the last chapter before the two part finale that should be posted in a week's time if things work like I planned. I bet there's some anger about the split of both Shane/Nicky and A.J/Bambi, but don't fret there are two episodes left. As I said last time, it's a buildup chapter, so expect a _lot_ of things in the upcoming two chapters. See you in a week and review!


	96. Webisode: Things We Remember

**Author's Note:** Hi there! Well, the two-part season finale is this Friday and Saturday and then the sequel will be out a week or two afterwards. I just wanted to take a small time out before this webisode to say thank you all (those who reviewed, those who favored, and those who alerted this story). I really appreciate all the support and I will try my hardest to find time to make the sequel even better than this one. And if you're interested in the prequel, check out _Songs in a Minor_ to find out how the parents even got together in the first place. Again, thanks for the support and I hope you will continue to show your support. Now, here's your regularly scheduled Webisode!

* * *

**Things We Remember**

So with the end of Like a Record slowly approaching us, let's go back and look at the memorable things that brought us here. Of course, there really isn't enough time in a day's work to talk about _all_ of the memorable things, so here is a list (in no particular order) of things we (me, the readers, my friends that read this, and the little people in my head that writes this) will remember.

**1. Ashton and Gabrielle: **Oh, this couple has become our favorite couple for different reasons. The rich and arrogant boy with the shy and not-so-rich girl, added with their original tutor-tutored relationship gives us Ashton Manning and Gabrielle Nunez. The couple, despite their short reign (2.09 – 2.19) has touched us all. And we'll never forgive Tevin for ruining them… Or will they get back together…?

**2. Chandra "Bambi" Torres:** Whether you like the Season 1 Chandra who constantly chased after Jayden, you felt bad for the Season 2 Chandra who dealt with Steven, or you're a Season 3 Chandra and A.J shipper, it doesn't matter. We are all Bambi fans. Even those who don't like her.

**3. ****The "bat scene":** Ah… Everyone should know not to mess with Jayden's girl, but one poor DeWayne Fitzgerald just pushed his buttons. And thus we have the fabulous bat scene in the episode titled "Jessie's Girl". And boy, did Jayden hit a home-run or what?

**4. Episode 2.04**: Season 2 had a bunch of memories, but none really compares to that faithful night. The night that Mary-Jane slept with Tyler (though that was bound to happen), Dakota gets sent to rehab, Nicky got kicked out (and ran to Shane which started the Shaky movement), and Jayden slept with Laura. Yep, I'm sure that episode four of season two will always be a favorite one to all of us.

**5. Laura Reynolds**: In Season 1, we couldn't stand her. She got Dash drunk, pissed off Jayden, and then tried to blackmail him. But since then, she's become a must-have in the story with her badass attitude, quirky combats, and that beautiful right hook that Mercedes caught for telling her pregnancy at Deanna's party. Laura will forever be one of my favorite characters to type.

**6. Aaron and Jordan**: Let's be honest, they were cute together up until Tevin (boy that guy ruins a lot of relationships, right?). The classic best friend turned dater theme could not have happened to a more innocent pair of kids, especially to Manny's son and Emma's daughter. It's too bad that Jordan's gone through that change because now... Well she's not as likable now.

**7. Snake's Funeral**: As sad as is was it had to make the list. His death is what made A.J and Jordan as well as Shane and Jackie (which ironically makes "Jane" when put together…). Plus, it was at his funeral that the canon characters had a reunion (the older characters that is). Oh, and Shane and Jayden's comments about their mothers' "show". Irony at it's best.

**8. The Fitzgerald Twins**: The twins of the great Fitz himself made the list for their cunning and sneaky ways. DeWayne's innocent flirting helped separate Jayden and Scarlett (some of you are probably happy for that one) and Deanna has practically gone after anyone in her way (even her brother!). So that just leaves one question: Will she get Shane? Hmm…

**9. Scarlett J**. **Chessex**: We loved her in Season 1 and then slowly put her in the dislike pile, but no one will ever forget Scarlett Joann Chessex. She is the daughter of the biggest crack pairing (Blue and Fiona) yet we don't even notice because she takes all the spotlight from her parents. And cousins. And limited friends. And exes. Madame President will always get what she wants. Always.

**10. Shaky**: Of course this was going to make the list. You take one bubbly ex-druggie and pair her with a down-to-earth football player and you get Shane and Nicky alias, Shaky. Despite the end of their journey, we are all aware that they're not done with each other. And in _Day the Music Died_ we will see (or maybe not) the rebirth of Shaky!

**11. Jayden T**. **McDuelle**: Where would the story be without a favorite male character? His perverted statements, annoying charms, and witty words have made him the center of two girls' universes. And even if he's dealing with a pregnant girlfriend, an obsessed ex, hardworking parents, numerous siblings, troubled friends, or just school work, we can always count on Jayden to give us a smile. Or beat DeWayne with a bat one…

**12. Stephanie's Blogs**: Yep, you nodded. I know you did. The mysterious blogs that appeared talking about random students shook not only the _Like a Record_ characters' worlds, but ours too. And it only got shocking when Stephanie confided in Nate and revealed she did it. One of the most unforgettable twists in the story, don't you think?

**13. Jayden and Laura**: The third of our top three favorite couples (Ashton/Gabrielle and A.J/Bambi takes the top two). We loved it when they "hated" each other all the way up to their first three kids. Even if we were a bit unsure about Jayden sleeping with her while dating Scarlett (thus their kids are born) we can all safely say that we're glad they're together now. Besides, they are the _only_ couple to go for an _entire_ season (2.24-3.24). Let's see how they will fair with Laura in England and Jayden watching their kids. And Scarlett having no one in her way…

**14. A.J** **and Bambi**: Two of our favorite characters together as one? Of course they make the list of memorable things! He was there for her during the Steven thing and she returned the favor by helping him once his secret got out. Their little crushes on each other grew to true sincere love. And no matter what happens to them, like Brie and Ashton, we'll always have room for a little A.J/Bambi time.

**15. Webisodes:** To make the story more like the show, I put in the infamous "webisodes". They added extra information about the older characters, such as "A Mile in her Heels" and humor relief such as "To Insure Success." The MiTunes have become quite popular as stated by the number of hits they have received. Thankfully, the webisodes will be the only things added once Season 3 is over, so the characters without MiTunes (A.J, Shane, and etc.) will get one even during the sequel. Oh, and other webisodes for holidays and parodies as well.

**16. The "setup":** First Dash gets framed, then Nicky, and finally Shane. And no one got blamed for it. It has faded into the background now that they've been cleared, but the question is: Who did it? And another question: Why? As I've been e-mailed, DeWayne seems to be the likeliest culprit and I won't give any spoilers on if that is true or not. But it _will_ be revealed in the sequel. Just a head's up.

**17. Great Returns:** Isabella Jones, Bianca DeSousa, and Jane Vaughn all made great additions to the story, don't you think? Isabella returned during Danni's housewarming in "Hate It or Love It", Bianca shortly followed in "Never Let Me Down" and Jane came back on Valentine's Day in "The One I gave My Heart To". And while Isabella has played a relatively small part, Bianca's words made us see how alike she and Laura are and Jane gave us a favored canon couple again. So let's see what they and the other returnees do in the sequel.

**18. The Mason Siblings:** One is a guy who just doesn't know what to say and the other his Irish adopted sister (which is a play on Irish Twins: to have two kids born within twelve months of each other) who dresses as she pleases. To be honest, Shane and Kelly's sibling bond is easily favored over the others (in my opinion). The two of them study, work, and plot together making us forget that they are not biologically related. And as for finding Kelly's real parents, one has been found while the other will make an appearance in the sequel. But they can handle it, right?

**19. Awkward Moments:** From A.J catching Jordan stuffing her bra down to Jacob kissing Kelly, there has been a ton of awkwardness going on. And so we honor them. Thanks to Scarlett's wardrobe malfunction and Spinner trying to sneak Jane in only to be caught by his daughter, her younger sister, and her friend, we all learned a pretty valuable lesson. It is very easy to laugh at other people's embarrassment than our own. So let's remember those times when Dustin called the wrong number in hopes to talk to Scarlett and the "psychic" telling Helen that he "sees" her as one hundred and thirty pounds and forget about our own embarrassing moments.

**20. Couples:** You know them like the back of your hand. We know how Mary-Jane got (and loss) Tyler. We were glad when little Jimmy (James) and little Hazel (Amber) got together. We watched Shane stand up to Nicky's parents for her while Jayden stood up to his parents for Laura. We will never forget Nathan sitting down with Stephanie on the curb talking or Ashton and Brie meeting Jay for the first time. So whether you liked Jayden with Scarlett better or just think that Vanessa and Jacob was a little weird, let's pay homage to the many couples that spun this story around like a record. No one (but me of course!) knows who will end up with who which is why we remember those that we loved and hated (as the author, I kind of disliked James being with Mary-Jane but oh well). And I hope that you as the reader get the pairing you want most in the end.

* * *

**A/N:** Now that you have a list of things to think about, I'm sure you're probably either nodding your head saying "I remember that" or adding on to the list of memorable things. If you want, you can make the list of the favorite characters… Doesn't matter to me really, just a suggestion… Anyway if you need to refresh your memory of certain events, go back and re-read it. And while you're at it, review what you forgot. You don't have to… I'm just saying I would…


	97. S3: Episode XXIII: Where I Wanna Be PtI

**Episode XXIII: Where I Wanna Be Pt. I**

Cleaning out his locker, Shane took in a deep breath.

"Good bye tenth grade." Shane said.

"You know," Jayden said leaning on the lockers beside Shane's. "I actually thought you were actually sad about that." Shane grinned a bit. "So, what's the plan for the summer?"

"Work. My parents and your dad have put this new restaurant into motion _and_ re-opening the space over the Dot." Shane said. "So we have a lot of work to do. You?"

"A private getaway with my girlfriend." Jayden replied. "What about Nicky? She talking to you yet?" Shane shook his head. "Are you going to tell me what happened or is this one of those 'Jayden can't know' things?"

Sighing, Shane looked at his friend.

"I got a picture of Nicky kissing Ethan. And then she denied it." Shane began.

"Ooh… Harsh." Jayden said.

"That's not the _half_ of it," Shane continued. "Because in anger and lust, I slept with Deanna." Jayden frowned. "Deanna Fitzgerald. Lakehurst cheerleader. Twin sister of-"

"Ew." Jayden sad.

Shane frowned. "Ew?"

"You've got evil cooties just running around you now. It's amazing Helen hasn't found you attractive yet." Jayden responded. Shane dropped his head and shook it in shame. "Hey, what's that for? Two wrongs don't make a right but that sure as hell make you feel better, right?"

"It's not that. It's the whole situation. It's too close to yours." Shane told his friend. "I don't want to end up like you."

"You know, not that I'm standing in front of you or anything," Jayden said. "But if I _was_, I _might_ take a small offense to that. Just a tiny bit."

"Dude, I'm serious. I haven't talked to Deanna in _days_ because of…" Shane paused and spoke quieter. "I found out she had a thing for me and stuff. Kelly didn't go into details but that doesn't really matter."

Jayden nodded. "Ah. So Scarlett does a small wrong, Laura comes to help Jayden, and then Jayden does a huge wrong. Yeah. I can see your point now."

"Worse, because I told Nicky what had happened." Shane said.

"Idiot…" Jayden muttered.

"Hey, sorry my conscience won't let me lie like yours does." Shane retorted.

"My conscience told me that since I did do wrong, I get what I wanted and not necessarily what I needed. And at the time, I only wanted Laura for the night and go back to Scarlett. But it didn't happen that way." Jayden said. "In fact, I let her go to DeWayne. Encouraged it actually."

"Like hell I'm going to do that. I hate Ethan." Shane said.

"You don't _know_ Ethan." Jayden countered. "But… I do." Jayden saw the question on Shane's face and grinned. "Ethan's dad is also Bella's dad. And while she never has anything good to say about them, she still sees them and talks about them."

"Where does he stay? I want to teach him-"

"No Shane, you can't fight him. Yet." Jayden interrupted. "Give him time and I'm sure he's bound to do something extraordinarily stupid. Bella says he's good at that."

"I don't know how you sat on the sidelines and watched Scarlett run off with DeWayne, but I'm not going to do it." Shane said.

"Let's be honest. It's a lot easier talking to Deanna than Nicky." Jayden told him. "I mean, let's be honest, only one of them _wants_ to talk to you now. And whether you tell Deanna it was a mistake or not is irrelevant. You get the weight off of your shoulders."

"I guess I should be listening to the guy who has more experience in the field." Shane commented. "Maybe I should talk to her, get her to understand that it was a one time thing."

"Let's hope so." Jayden mumbled.

Shane frowned. "Hey, if I had to put Deanna against Laura, I'd say Deanna's better." Jayden raised a brow. "Laura _blackmailed_ you, Deanna got Dakota released. Laura's been a pain in your ass for years, Deanna's my sister's friend."

Jayden place a hand on Shane's shoulder.

"If you were trying to _not_ be like me," Jayden said with a smirk. "You just lost it."

Shane sighed as Jayden walked off before placing his head into his locker.

"My life sucks now…" Shane said to himself.

* * *

Chandra laughed before the two girls walked away. Her smile slowly faded once she saw Aaron coming towards her.

"Hey…" Aaron said quietly.

"Hey," Chandra replied awkwardly. "I heard you took Farah out on a date."

"It wasn't a date." Aaron quickly stated. "But we did go to the movies with her two friends."

"One boy and one girl?" Chandra asked. Aaron nodded causing her to sigh. "A.J, didn't I do that earlier this year? Claiming someone so when someone asks you're on a date?"

"I… Yeah you have a point." Aaron said before sighing. "I'm such an idiot."

Chandra grinned. "I know you are." Chandra turned and threw some papers into the trashcan nearby. "But it's okay because we're not dating anymore."

"That's what I came to talk about." Aaron said. "Yesterday, I stopped by and your mom said you were being checked out. I got worried. I don't want to see you in any pain Bambi, so just tell me anything I can do."

"Nothing. I'm fine for the moment." Chandra told him. "Just… Have fun in Japan."

"I won't go if-"

"A.J, stop babying me." Chandra interrupted. "I'm fine now. I just can't think about…" Aaron frowned at her pause. "I just can't think about certain things."

"I don't want us to end like this." Aaron stated. "I really want another chance. Meet me at the Dot later on? We can go to the park or the movies before the Fitzgerald's party."

Chandra froze a bit before closing her eyes and taking in deep breaths.

"I'm sorry A.J. I have plans later on." Chandra said.

"With who?" Aaron asked. Chandra avoided eye contact which made Aaron sigh. "I get it… You're trying to get even with Farah."

"A.J, don't make a big scene out of this. I can't handle-"

"It's fine Bambi." Aaron said before moving to kiss her on the cheek. "I'll always be a call away if you need me though."

"Me too." Chandra said as Aaron walked away.

Chandra hated to see Aaron walk away, but she got what her cousin was doing. Aaron _did_ call her. Aaron _did_ come for her. But Farah would not lose that easily and Chandra really did not have the heart to put up much of a fight. Not with someone who she trusted like that. But meeting Oliver up at Little Miss Steaks and getting him to reconsider his lack of interest in Farah. If she could get Oliver to go out on a date with Farah, Aaron would be all Chandra's once again. And that thought alone brought a smile to Chandra's face.

* * *

Amber rolled her eyes.

"Whatever MJ. Just know that next year, we are graduating."Amber said before smiling. "And then…"

"California here we come!" Mary-Jane and Amber said in unison.

The girls giggled a bit, this being a dream of theirs for years now. They had made a pact that no matter what, they would always stay in touch and move near each other. And college in California was the start of their plan.

"Hey," Marc said coming towards Mary-Jane. The blonde smiled before kissing her boyfriend. "You guys see James around? I have a library book lost in his car or locker one."

"Have you looked anywhere away from the girl avoiding him?" Mary-Jane responded.

Marc grinned. "Yeah, I should've known." Marc then backing away. "I'm going to see if he's in the gym or somewhere. Catch up with you later."

"You'd better!" Mary-Jane called at him before looking at Amber. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…" Amber said quietly.

Mary-Jane rolled her eyes. "Hon, you can't _seriously_ do this to people."

"Do what?" Amber asked.

"Slap them and then miss them." Mary-Jane answered. "I told you that he was just drunk. He's been crying over you for the past few weeks. So give him a chance."

Amber sighed. "Fine. If he's at the party tonight, I'll talk to him. But if he's drunk, forget about it."

"Let's be honest Amber," Mary-Jane said with a smirk. "Even if he was drunk you'd run to him. You've been in love with the guy since grade eight!"

"I have not!" Amber protested.

"If I had my desperate lover radar on, I'm sure you'd pop up on it." Mary-Jane replied. "So just give him a chance and shut up about it."

"You're so bossy!" Amber claimed.

"Have you seen my parents? _No where_ near my full potential." Mary-Jane said with a smile.

Amber laughed. "You're so right."

* * *

"So you're not talking to him?" Jacquelyn asked Nicole.

"Nope." Nicole said bluntly.

"Do you want to talk to him?" Jacquelyn questioned.

"Nope." Nicole responded.

Jacquelyn sighed. "Nicky… I give up. You go through so much just be with Shane and at his first mistake you just give up on him."

"It wasn't a mistake though. He _meant_ to sleep with Deanna." Nicole said. "I don't know who Shane has following me, but they-"

"Following you? Come on Nicky, Shane isn't that kind of guy." Jacquelyn replied. "He may have overreacted, but we both know how Shane gets. He's just worried that you went back to the ravine. That's all."

"Do I look like I can't handle myself Jackie?" Nicole asked.

Jacquelyn shrugged. "There was-"

"That's in the past. I forgave you for the whole first Jayden then Shane thing, right?" Nicole said. "You forgave me for what I said to you outside right? So why can't he let go my drug addiction? My _former_ drug addiction, I might want to add."

"I can't answer that." Jacquelyn said.

"Hey Jackie, you ready?" Damon questioned nearing her with Nathan.

"Yeah." Jacquelyn said before looking at Nicole. "Don't make this worse Nicky. Talk to Shane."

"Where are you guys headed?" Nicole asked, completely ignoring the statement.

"I have rehearsals for a recital and they're going to the ravine." Jacquelyn answered.

"I'll tag alone." Nicole said. Jacquelyn frowned. "Oh come on, not you too. I'm not going to do anything but talk to some friends."

Nathan smirked. "Let me guess, Mason got overprotective again, huh?" Nicole nodded. "I told Ethan to stay away from you. Doesn't want to listen."

Nicole frowned. "You told Ethan to stay away from me?"

"Not important." Nathan said. "Come on. I have to make quick cash before meeting with Stephanie."

"Right." Damon said throwing an arm around Jacquelyn. "And tonight I get to see my girl dance."

Nicole smirked. "Is that a code for sex?"

Jacquelyn blushed. "N-no! Seriously Nicky, where do you get these ideas?"

Nathan laughed. "It is, isn't it?"

"Nah, it isn't." Damon said. "We haven't gone all the way. Yet."

Nathan whistled. "Really? You two waiting for marriage?"

"That's not it." Damon responded. "And I'm not telling you what we've talked about, so stop asking."

"Fine, I'll back off." Nathan said before stuffing his hands in his pockets. "So, Nicky… Ethan huh? Kind of a backwards step into going from bad girl to good girl."

"I'm not dating Ethan." Nicole said.

Nathan shrugged. "Whatever. Rumor around the ravine was that you two had quite the make-out. Must be if Torrie found it important enough to tell me."

"He kissed me." Nicole responded.

"I heard you kissed back. Over and over again." Nathan said. "But don't worry. Your secret is safe with me."

"Yeah…" Nicole responded.

* * *

Deanna was glad that it was the last day of school. The whispers about her and Shane were getting a bit annoying.

"Hey Deanna!" Stephanie said with a smile. "Last day. Feels like yesterday we were just coming in to the tenth grade, right?"

"I guess you're right." Deanna said.

"Hey, have you talked to Shane lately?" Stephanie asked.

Deanna sighed. "No… Kelly told me to give him space and time to think. So I am."

"That must be tough on you." Stephanie said. "But, hey, the chances of him coming tonight are pretty high, right?"

"You know, your poetic skills must be great if you can rhyme without trying." Deanna said with a smile. She honestly did not want to think of Shane's rejection.

"Don't change the subject missy." Stephanie said fixing her glasses. "I know you like Shane… Then again the whole school does…" Deanna inhaled deeply and glared at Stephanie. "_But_, I know you and you have a really good chance at him."

"How do you know?" Deanna asked.

Stephanie pointed to Angelina who was shutting her locker.

Deanna thought for a moment before snapping her fingers in her head. Angelina still dated Jacob. Jacob was a friend of Shane's. Of course Jacob would know what Shane has been saying about Deanna since that faithful day.

"Hey Angel!" Angelina looked up and moved for Stephanie and Deanna. "Hey, have you heard anything about, you know."

"Not much." Angelina said in her normal quiet tone. "Jacob says that Shane's been angry at himself for the whole thing."

"Great. At least I know it's not my fault." Deanna said sarcastically before walking away.

"Sorry…" Angelina said.

"It's not you Angel, it's Deanna." Stephanie responded. "I don't think she's ever had a crush on someone before and doesn't know how to deal with rejection."

"I guess DeWayne and Mercedes going around and telling people about it doesn't necessarily help either." Angelina commented. Stephanie shook her head. "I wish we could help."

"We… Can." Stephanie said before smiling. "Come on Angel! We have something to do before tonight!"

Angelina only had a split second to react before Stephanie grabbed her hand and ran off with her. She knew something had clicked in her friend's head. The question was: What?

* * *

"So long to this stupid place!" Helen said happily as she stepped out off her car.

Scarlett sighed. "Helen, you do know that we'll be back there next year." Helen shrugged. "But I guess you're right. It's good to be out for the next-"

"Tyler's graduation!" Helen said. "How did I forget that stupid frickin' thing? He's been telling me about it for… Aw who cares? He's just going to Smithdale."

"You really don't play the supportive girlfriend role." Scarlett said as she and her cousin walked towards the front door of her house.

"Nope. And I'm not going to start anytime soon." Helen replied. Scarlett only rolled her eyes, putting her key into the lock, and opening the front door. "So, how have things been going on Planet Scar? And by that, I mean how's that fantasy coming along that one day you'll be back with your annoying neighbor."

"Not much has been said since he told me he was going to Italy." Scarlett told Helen, who closed the door behind her. "I don't want to burden them, you know?"

"No, I don't. So why not explain it to me?" Helen said.

"This entire school year I've done nothing but interrupt his life constantly, even when I was a part of it." Scarlett said going up the stairs with her cousin. "I've been selfish and self-centered and I'm going to change that. Seriously."

Helen rolled her eyes. "Sure you are. And next I'll be nicer to the kiddies and give out kittens to the world."

"I'm being serious," Scarlett said nearing her room. "I'm not going to worry about just me and my feelings. I'm going to be more considerate about other people and their feelings. Such as yours."

Helen stood quietly as Scarlett entered her room. Truthfully, Helen did have a conversation with Jayden. A full, in-depth conversation with him about her cousin and his girlfriend. She knew how he truly felt about that, things he would _never_ say in front of Scarlett or Laura. And while Helen agreed with his mixed emotions, she did not agree with his decision on not telling Scarlett the truth about their break-up and Laura's pregnancy. Scarlett walked around thinking it was mostly her fault- and a bit of it was- but the truth was that Jayden slept with Laura in an act of vengeance. And now they would all have to live with the results for the remainder of their lives.

"Are you okay?" Scarlett asked as she took her hair out of the ponytail it was in.

"I'm fine." Helen said. "Just thinking." Scarlett nodded slowly and then turned to her mirror. "You know, you should really talk to Jayden."

"No I shouldn't." Scarlett replied.

"Seriously, you should-"

"Helen," Scarlett interrupted. "Don't you see that I'm nothing but a burden to him and Laura? No matter how much he jokes with me or laughs with me or even just talks to me, I'm nothing more than someone he would like to see less off."

"That's not true." Helen said angrily. "And if you give me the chance, I can say that he's told me different." Scarlett frowned. "Scar, talk to him before he leaves, okay?"

"Why won't you tell me?" Scarlett asked.

"It's not my place," Helen replied. "It's his."

Scarlett sighed. "Helen, I don't think that I should…"

"Scarlett, talk to him or I swear I will drag him here myself." Helen stated. "You're not going to bla…" Scarlett frowned as Helen immediately hushed. "You need to talk to him."

And with that, Helen slipped out of Scarlett's room, leaving Scarlett to wonder exactly what Helen was going to say.

"Oh well." Scarlett said as she searched for her brush.

* * *

"If I had a quarter for how many times you seem to question your judgment," Kelly said to her brother. "I'd have a bunch of quarters."

"That's not even a real number." Shane replied.

"Dash, calculate this up for me." Kelly said to her friend. "Two years of questioning every single-" Kelly immediately quieted down once Deanna entered the establishment. Deanna glanced at Shane and found an empty table instead of sitting at her normal seat at the counter. "I'll go deal with her. Just don't make her feel awkward."

"I'll try my best." Shane said as Kelly walked off. "Seriously Dakota, has it been that many?" Dakota nodded. "Seriously?"

"For every time Jayden has brought up a girl in conversation, you've stated at least one doubt about her." Dakota answered. "But it's not that big of a problem, right?"

"I guess not…" Shane said eying his sister talking to Deanna. "I wonder what they're talking about."

"Reading their lips… You." Dakota stated.

"I thought so." Shane said.

Kelly frowned at Deanna.

"What do you mean he'll hate you?" Kelly asked.

Deanna waved Kelly off. "Don't worry about it."

"No, tell me." Kelly said sitting beside Deanna. "Why would Shane hate you?"

"I don't know. Look at him. Does he look like he's pleased that I'm here?" Deanna said. "I bet he's only not shouting at me because it's your birthday."

"Well, as the birthday girl, I say you sit in your normal seat and we chow down on ice cream and fries." Kelly said. Deanna grinned, the unorthodox snack becoming one of her favored ones. "Come on."

"Actually, I came here to meet someone." Deanna informed. "But don't worry, I have no intentions in dating this guy."

Kelly shrugged. "Whatever. Just call when you're ready."

"Sure… And Kelly?" Deanna said in a quieter tone. "Thanks for… You know. Talking and everything."

Kelly smiled. "Friends will do that for you. The good ones that is."

Deanna returned the smile as Kelly walked back to the counter, talking to Dakota and Shane. Deanna gave Shane a glance before turning away. It was awkward being around him now, more awkward than before that was for sure. What made it worse was how the news of Shane sleeping with Deanna spread around, by Nicole and Ethan. So, now Deanna had to deal with her brother, her former friend, the girl she once viewed as an opponent, and a guy who she attempted to stop to get involved in the first place.

"Hey Jay!" Deanna heard Kelly call as one Jayden McDuelle walked into the Dot.

"Well if it isn't my favorite birthday girl." Jayden replied with a smile. "I would give you sixteen kisses but your brother looks like he'd shoot me if I tried."

"I will." Shane muttered, causing Deanna to smile.

He was so overprotective.

Deanna's smile slowly went away as Jayden's eyes landed on her. He made his way to her table and sat across from her, his playful attitude gone as well as hers. She never understood why she never cared for him, but figured it was mostly Scarlett's and Laura's doings. Deanna would never care to get to know them, and hence, she never attempted to learn Jayden. But from what she has heard- sans her brother's words of course- he was a pretty decent guy.

"So," Jayden said. "You sleep with my best friend and then somehow find my number and call me. Should Laura be worried?"

"I need your help." Deanna replied, ignoring the comment.

"And why should I help you?" Jayden asked.

"Because it's Kelly's birthday, I'm her friend, and she'd hate you for life if you didn't." Deanna answered. "Plus, I heard you hate owing people and I did get Dakota released."

"Point. What's the favor?" Jayden said.

Deanna sighed. "My brother and his girlfriend has put my personal business out to the public. My… Crush for Shane, more specifically. Now people think-"

"Before we get to that," Jayden said. "Let me get this off of my chest. I respect you. Like, a lot of respect." Deanna frowned. "Hey, as a rich spoiled conspirator myself, I have a lot of respect for anyone who can get by without lifting a finger. It's a little unfair to the rest of the world, but hey. If the world was too fair we'd complain about that, right?"

"I guess…" Deanna said.

"With that being said, I'm still a friend of Nicky's and Shane's. I can't condone either of their actions, but I really don't like your part in it." Jayden continued. "Being a, victim if you will, of the same thing, I know the consequences of it."

Deanna frowned. "It's not like I forced him to sleep with me."

"Duh. He could probably bench press you and toss you out physically. But Shane isn't that kind of guy." Jayden said.

"Are you?" Deanna asked.

"…Not really." Jayden responded. "Which brings me to my point, you knew when he was at his weakest."

"I panicked!" Deanna retorted. "He was pissed! He was shouting at me for things that I don't know why! He was going to go find Ethan and Nicky! What was I supposed to do?"

"Let him leave." Jayden said calmly.

"And risk something like Nate and Tank? Not going to happen." Deanna replied.

Jayden raised a brow. "It's just a fight Deanna. Shane's been in plenty of them, one over Nicky."

"Would you let Laura fight if you could stop her?" Deanna asked. Jayden opened his mouth. "I mean a non-pregnant Laura. Would you let her fight for someone who in your mind didn't deserve her?"

"…No…" Jayden said quietly. "You really like him, don't you?"

Deanna sighed. "It's frustrating to say the least. But yeah, I do."

Deanna was shocked when Jayden gave her a smile that she had not seen since he was dating Scarlett. It was nearly devoid of all impish thoughts and childish behavior, and was rather soothing to be on the other end of it.

"I remember you asking me about buying love and I told you that you couldn't." Jayden said. "Do you understand that feeling I was talking about?" Deanna nodded. "I'm sure a part of the feeling is you and Shane going at it like rabbits in heat, but that's beyond the point."

"Shut up!" Deanna said loudly before covering her mouth with a hand.

Jayden and Deanna looked over at Kelly, Shane, and Dakota who was staring at them.

"Everything is fine. Get back to work." Jayden said before turning back to Deanna. "Let's plan on how we solve your brother before I continue to pick and jibe at you about that."

"Why can't you just let it go?" Deanna questioned.

"Because I do all of my friends like that." Jayden said with a small smile, shocking Deanna. "Now do you want my help or not?"

"I do." Deanna said.

"Then let's get started." Jayden responded.

* * *

Chandra smiled at Oliver as he sat down across from her at the booth.

"So," Oliver said. "Ready to continue where we left off?"

"Actually… No. I have to talk to you about someone else." Chandra said before sighing. "Look, my cousin has a really big crush on you."

"Hakim's sister." Oliver stated.

"Farah. Her name is Farah." Chandra said. "And yes, she has a big crush on you. And I would like it if you would give her a chance."

Oliver frowned. "Why's that?"

"Because… The thing is…" Chandra paused and sighed. "The thing is, I'm not ready to move on from A.J just yet. In fact I really want to go back out with him. But that would make Farah sad unless she's with you."

"So, let me get this straight," Oliver said. "You want me to talk to your cousin so she gets off of A.J's back?"

"Exactly!" Chandra said happily.

Oliver sighed. "Fine… I guess that can work. Don't really know much about this Farah girl other than her older brother and you, but-"

"I'll tell you." Chandra said. "She likes going on dates and talking on the phone. Don't push the sex thing because it creeps her out. She's afraid of snakes. And-"

"Whoa, slow down. Start over and _slowly_ this time." Oliver said.

Chandra smiled. "Fine. But take notes this time because I won't do this again."

"Right…" Oliver said.

Unbeknownst to the duo, one Farah Bhandari sat a few tables away, texting Aaron. Earlier Aaron had told Farah that he and Chandra were going to work things out, yet here her cousin was, on a date with Oliver. Farah knew what Chandra was doing. She was trying to keep both Aaron and Oliver to herself.

Farah glared at Chandra's smiling face.

To think, they were such close cousins…

Key word: Were.

* * *

James looked around the ravine. There were a bunch of people there today, more than he has ever seen. They were all dancing around, making out, smoking and drinking, and other things that made the ravine what it is.

"Hey," Ethan said coming towards James. "Need something?"

"Yeah." James simply answered.

"Hold on." Ethan said, his eyes searching for someone. "Nicky!" To James's surprised, the girl came from a mass of dancing teens, a bottle in hand. "You didn't drink all of that, did you?"

"No." Nicole said. "I knew James paid for half a bottle, so here. Half a bottle."

James was shocked. Nicole Campbell had just downed half a bottle Ethan's Blood Mary and seemed to be just as sober as ever. She had a _very_ high tolerance of alcohol, James figured.

"Here." Nicole said handing James the bottle. She then handed Ethan some rolled up bills. "And here you go."

"Nah, that's on the house. Just because it's the last day of school." Ethan replied. Nicole smiled, pocketing her money before grabbing Ethan's hand. "What are you doing Nicky?"

"Dancing with you." Nicole said pulling Ethan to the jumping crowd. "Come on James!"

James took a large gulp of the alcohol before following them. He did not see the radio playing the music, but his body immediately got into the grove, jumping up and down with the others. There was a haze that settled in the air, a blend of the things being smoked right now. Most of it would probably get them all a one-way ticket to jail, but James did not care anymore. In fact, he has become quite used to the smell.

"Hey!" James flinched as the fingers danced around his waist. He turned to see Torrie. "Look who's back!"

"Just needed to have fun!" James said over the roaring music.

"How much fun?" Torrie questioned. James only laughed at her statement, knowing what she wanted from him. "A friend of mine has been asking about you! Brooke Johansson?"

James frowned at the statement. He did not know a Brooke.

"Stay right here! I'll find her!" Torrie said before moving away.

James smiled. He was starting to love going to the ravine. It did get his mind off of Amber and he has met a ton of new people. Maybe here is where he belonged?

* * *

Deanna smiled. "Nice doing business with you Mr. McDuelle."

"Likewise Ms. Fitzgerald." Jayden said rising. "I'll run this by my leader and we'll make it happen later on tonight." Jayden then smirked. "And might I say that you have a _wonderful_ gift for describing things."

"You're not bad yourself." Deanna said before Jayden moved away.

Exchanging stories about the night how Jayden and Laura came to be and how things happened between Deanna and Shane, Deanna was all too surprise to hear that Jayden was a virgin before he slept with Laura. She, like many others, believed that Jayden and Helen had swapped virginities while they were dating. But, then she realized that Jayden was right to a degree. They were not so different sans his almost perfect family and her divided one.

Deanna's eyes then traveled to a table of Bardell students. _Male_ Bardell students. And they were all murmuring to themselves while staring at Kelly. She did not like people talking about her friends, especially when said friend was in the area.

And then one of them rose and moved to the table that Kelly was currently wiping down.

"Ahem," Kelly turned to see Hakim. "Uh, hi."

"Hi. Can I help you with something?" Kelly asked.

"I was wondering if you were going to the Fitzgerald party later on." Hakim said. Kelly frowned. "I mean, if you're going, would you like to meet up?"

"Why?" Kelly questioned.

"I, um, I like your hair." Hakim said pointing to the French braids. "It suits you. I kind of like it better when you had the pink in it, but this is good too." Kelly frowned, a hand going to her hair. "I come by often, not really with my friends or anything like that. And you serve me." Kelly's eyes hardening. "I mean you're my waitress!" Kelly's eyes stayed the same. "When I'm here. You take my orders…"

"What are you trying to say?" Kelly asked.

"I would like to know you better. Outside your work clothes that is." Hakim said before rubbing the back of his neck. "Boy you're hard to talk to."

"Fine." Kelly said before continuing to wipe the table.

"Fine?" Hakim repeated.

"I'll be there." Kelly said. "But I warn you. Stand me up on my birthday at my party and I will tamper with the next burger and fries that you order." Hakim gasped causing Kelly to look at him with a smile. "I'm a waitress. I know my regulars."

"O-oh… Well, see you later." Hakim said.

"Name." Kelly told him.

"What?" Hakim asked.

"I'm going to need your name. I can't call you my 'regular customer'. That sounds wrong." Kelly said.

"Right… My name…" Hakim said, wondering how he had rehearsed how he was going to talk to her and then forget the entire plan. "My name is Hakim."

"Kelly." Kelly responded before giving him a smile. "See you tonight Hakim."

Hakim nodded and walked back to his table.

Deanna watched as Hakim released a heavy sigh, not hearing the conversation exchanged between her best friend and the boy. Obviously Kelly lived up to the nickname Jayden called her as the Ice Queen of Toronto, being that she was friendly around people but shot down every boy that showed a romantic interest in her, including Jayden himself. And then Hakim nodded, his friends cheering loudly, patting him on the shoulders and back.

"Milkshake." Kelly said sitting the treat in front of Deanna.

"What was that?" Deanna asked.

"My birthday cake." Kelly said with a wink.

Deanna laughed with her friend. Today was just full of surprises.

* * *

Scarlett smiled as she walked into Danica's apartment.

"You're not going to _believe_ who just called me!" Danica said with excitement. "Well, it doesn't matter because you don't know him, but we're meeting in… Wait for it… Miami!"

"Seriously?" Scarlett said excitedly. "So you're going to come with me to Miami?"

"I can't stay the _entire_ summer down there because my mom is filming in Hawaii and we're going down there to stay with her and visit my uncle." Danica said. "But… Yes! I am!"

Scarlett sighed. "Great. I thought I was going to be stuck with Helen and Torrie all summer long."

"I know." Danica said. "So, you talk to that brother of mine lately or have you been giving him space like he asked?"

"Space." Scarlett replied. "But lately Helen is pressing me to talk to him. Like there's something that she and apparently everyone else knows that I don't." Danica shrugged a bit causing Scarlett to frown. "Do you know what it might be?"

"There's a lot of things that I know that you don't. So who knows which one it might be?" Danica responded.

"I think it has something to do with Laura's pregnancy but I'm not sure." Scarlett said. Danica nodded, moving to her refrigerator. "See, when I told J.T that Laura's time doesn't really make much sense, he kicked me out. And the other day when I told Helen, she was hushed too."

"Uh-huh? Well birds of the same feather flock together." Danica said digging through her refrigerator. "Want a soda?"

"Yeah and what does that have to do with anything?" Scarlett said with a frown.

"Until you change your metaphorical wings to match theirs," Danica said handing Scarlett a bottled Pepsi. "You will never know." Scarlett nodded, seeing as that made sense. And since Danica saw her friend get temporarily diverted, she continued to push the subject aside. "And speaking of exes, what's with yours and Deanna?"

"You heard?" Scarlett asked, though she figured that Danica heard _everything_.

"Angel was talking about it." Danica explained. "So what's going on?"

"I don't know. Shane admits to sleeping with her, but he won't go into any further details so I stopped pushing. Unlike your brother, I respect Shane's privacy because he respects mine." Scarlett stated.

Danica smirked. "Well, you did flash him."

"It was an accident!" Scarlett responded before a knock came on Danica's door. "Expecting someone? A guy maybe?"

"If I was, you wouldn't be here." Danica said moving to open the door. "Oh… It's you."

Bianca scoffed. "You kiss your mother with that mouth?"

"Nope. Come in, but your daughter's not here." Danica said letting the woman into her home. "Scar, this is Bianca. Bee, Scarlett. Now what are you doing here?"

"My daughter left something here. A bag or something?" Bianca said.

"It's in Jayden's room on his bed. Can't miss it." Danica said as Bianca went to get the bag. Danica looked at Scarlett. "Amazing how much she and Laura look alike, right?"

"Yeah. Scary even." Scarlett said quietly.

"Alright," Bianca said with the bag in hand. "I'm out of here."

"How'd you like your first day in class?" Danica teased.

Bianca rolled her eyes. "Don't start with me princess. You and I both know that your dad pulled some underhanded strings to get me to take some damn remedial classes that I don't need."

"Yeah, well, take it up with him. I obviously had nothing to do with it. Hell, I was your side." Danica said.

"Sure you were." Bianca stated before looking at Scarlett. "So you're the girl who Laura's always talking about? The one that's forever after Jayden." Scarlett nodded, not ashamed at whatever Laura said because it was probably either completely true or true to an extent. "Stop it. The more you take him from her the more I have to hear her complain and whine about it."

"I'm sorry but-"

"Love someone other guy. Or girl. Or get a cat for all I care." Bianca interrupted Scarlett. "My daughter has one chance to have the happy family she's always wanted and I sure as hell am not going to let some Barbie-child from Princess Fiona herself get in the way of that."

Scarlett frowned. "Princess Fiona is a big ugly ogre. My mom isn't that."

"Looks aren't everything." Bianca said nearing the door. "Just stay away from him or else."

Scarlett said nothing else as Bianca left the apartment.

Danica whistled. "Talk about your first impressions. You make quite a few Miss Scarlett."

"Well how was I supposed to respond? And what does she means 'get a cat'? I don't like cats. Or dogs." Scarlett responded.

"Hey, I hear you," Danica said. "Why should you give up on your dreams for the sake of Laura?"

"Yeah." Scarlett said.

"Even though she's pregnant and deeply in love with guy and has never experienced a decent Christmas like you have and the only time she goes shopping without a budget is when she's with my brother." Danica added, ending Scarlett's smile. "I will be Team Scar until the day I die. But space is sometimes a good thing."

"Yeah…" Scarlett said with less enthusiasm.

* * *

Aaron walked into Little Miss Steaks half angry and half sad. He came to the table where Chandra and Oliver were laughing and talking, spotting the smile Chandra sported.

"What are you doing here?" Chandra asked him.

"I need to talk to you." Aaron said.

"It can wait, right?" Chandra replied.

Aaron shook his head. "No it can't. Chandra I-"

"Not that it matters," Oliver said. "But aren't you two done?"

"I'm not talking to you." Aaron said angrily.

"Don't raise your voice. People will stare." Chandra snapped at Aaron in a quiet voice. "How did you know I was here A.J? Are you using your money to hire spies to follow me or something?"

"What? No! Farah called and-"

"Farah called?" Chandra interrupted. "And how does _she_ know where I am?"

"I don't know. She was here. Someone called her." Aaron said. "Look, I just want to talk. That's all."

"Seems as if you've done enough talking with my cousin." Chandra muttered.

Aaron frowned. "She called me down here because you told her that you and I would work something out." Chandra sighed heavily. "You're giving me all these weird signals. You want to split and then you're sad. I get that it's my fault that we broke up in the first place but I want to fix it and I can't with you running off with him."

"Dude, you-"

"I'm not talking to you." Aaron repeated to Oliver. "I loss one girl to some random guy once before and I'm not going to go through that again. Especially not with you Chandra."

Chandra looked at Aaron.

"And Farah? What did you two talk about now?" Chandra asked.

"She's mad at you, that's for sure. She said that you lied to her about getting back with me and then taking the guy she originally had a crush on…" Aaron paused and looked at Oliver. "I'm guessing that's you." Oliver nodded and Aaron looked at Chandra. "But that's it basically. Nothing else."

"She made it seem like I was trying to keep you both to myself…" Chandra said quietly.

"It does look that way." Aaron muttered.

Chandra laughed quietly before standing up, her smile gone and her eyes glaring at Aaron.

"I was trying to hook him and Farah up so we can be back together!" she shouted at him. "But you and her just ruined that!" Aaron's eyes widened. "The next time I say don't make a big scene out of something, don't!"

Aaron was completely stunned as Chandra walked out of the restaurant.

"Well… I guess that ended that plan." Oliver said.

Aaron glared at the other boy.

"Shut up."

* * *

Later that day, Kelly stared at the dress in the mirror. It was a bit short, but she liked it nonetheless. Besides, it was one of few things she and Deanna agreed on. Which is why Deanna had a matching dress, though hers a dark purple while Kelly's being a dark red.

"You look stunning." Deanna complemented her friend. "Definitely the eye candy of the show."

Kelly rolled her eyes. "Whatever Dee. Just make sure your dress stays on when you talk to Shane, okay?" Deanna gave a smile. "I'm kind of nervous."

"About Hakim?" Deanna asked. Kelly nodded. "Hey, you're amongst friends. The moment he slips up, we stomp his sorry ass into the ground. As long as I don't break a nail, we're good."

"Hey," Mercedes said sticking her head into Deanna's bedroom. "Your brother wants to know-"

"I'm no longer talking to him so tell him to stop using you as a messenger." Deanna said. "He's never used Scarlett as a messenger and I can cope with seeing her more than you two."

Mercedes scoffed. "Fine then."

"I want you to know," Deanna said to Mercedes before she left the room. "That I always live up to my promises. And I promised to get even with you two."

"Say what you want. You're really nothing to me." Mercedes said walking away.

"Wow. What a bitch." Kelly stated.

"She'll learn." Deanna replied. "Now, where were we? Ah yes! Hakim. We will make sure that he is not moving too fast with you, yet not too slow. Sorry, but you won't be having sex on your birthday." Kelly feigned a pout. "Don't give me that look. You're not. Definitely not at _my_ house."

"You had sex at mine." Kelly countered.

"That's different. Besides, you have to be virtuous for the both of us." Deanna replied.

Kelly nodded. "Yeah, so what did you and Jay talk about?"

Deanna smiled. "Can't tell you yet."

"Fine." Kelly said. "I'm just happy that you guys are getting along. Who knows? Maybe I'll be friends with Laura?"

"Let's not get our hopes up." Deanna said before the two shared a laugh.

Kelly sighed with a smile. "Good luck with Shane tonight."

"Thanks." Deanna said.

* * *

Aaron sighed heavily as he lied on his bed. How could he have messed this up? She was coming back to him and he ruined it. This was his fault.

"Hey, the party starts in an hour and you're not even dressed." Jayden said. "Get up or pay for the gas wasted. Or both."

"I'm not going." Aaron said.

"The hell you aren't." Jayden said.

"I heard that!" Renée said. Jayden sighed heavily before handing her a dollar. "Thanks!"

"Brat…" Jayden said as his sister ran off. "Aaron Jordan McDuelle if you don't get up I'm going to drag you down there."

"What's the point?" Aaron said sitting up and staring at his brother. "I screwed up this time. Like bigger than before. Why would I go to a party when I know that all I'll ever do is screw things up."

"Look, I've known you to screw people over ever since you were born and thus made me not the youngest." Jayden said. Aaron sighed. "Lighten up, that was a joke. Partially… But never mind that! Because I know the one thing that you can't resist."

"Cheesecake?" Aaron stated.

"My fist. Now get moving." Jayden said turning around. "And for your information, Bambi will be there. This will be your last time seeing her before you leave in a week so… Make the best of it."

"You leave tomorrow." Aaron said.

Jayden smirked. "I know. So, let's live like it's the last day, right?"

Aaron smiled. "Right."

And with that, Aaron got out of bed with a new resolve.

* * *

Jacob shrugged. "I don't know."

"You're hopeless." Shane said. "How am I going to talk to Nicky _and_ Deanna?"

"Angel says that Deanna really likes you." Jacob said. "And I don't see why you can't date her. She's pretty. And rich. It'll be like Jay and Laura sort of."

"I don't want to be like Jayden and Laura." Shane replied.

"Why not?" Jacob asked.

"Because… Well, I don't have a real reason why not, but I just don't." Shane said. "I want Nicky. That's all there is to say."

Jacob nodded. "Okay. Well, we'll find out tonight, right?"

"Tonight is the night." Shane said with a grin.

* * *

Laura lied on her bed.

"Just make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." Laura said to Dakota.

"I will." Dakota said before sighing. "I really wish you were coming though."

"I'm too tired Dash." Laura replied. "And I have to get up at five to catch my flight. To Italy!" Dakota smiled at the squeal Laura added at the end. "I can't believe that he got us a trip like that! And his and _my_ parents agreed! His evil grandmother even agreed to it!"

"The power of love I guess." Dakota said.

Laura smirked. "Oh that's right… You're going to San Fran to meet your hubby." Dakota blushed a bit. "Hey, nail him once for me, okay? I'm not getting any so-"

"I'm leaving." Dakota interrupted nearing Laura's door. "And I hope this is the beginning of a lifetime of memories for you Laura. You deserve it."

Laura smiled. "Thanks Dash. And I hope Emmanuel is as nice to you as he sounds over the phone. You deserve it as well."

Dakota nodded before leaving. A summer in California was just a few days away. But for now she would have to attend the last Fitzgerald party of the year, only because it was dubbed as Kelly's birthday party. Well, _one_ of Kelly's birthday parties. The other one was to be held with her parents tomorrow even though Jayden would have already left by then.

"I hope nothing bad happens." Dakota muttered to herself as she left Laura's house.

* * *

Scarlett looked at herself in the mirror.

"Helen left already?" Fiona asked from Scarlett's doorway. Scarlett nodded. "Okay. Are you sure you're okay with going out tonight? You seemed a little upset when you came in."

Scarlett looked at her mother.

"Mom, I have a few hours to make things right with Jayden." Scarlett said with certitude. "I'm going to that party and nothing's going to stop me." Fiona raised her brows. "I have to tell him everything and not get mad whenever he says something to me. I just… I want closure."

Fiona smiled. "Go get him honey."

"I plan to." Scarlett said with a smile.


	98. S3: Episode XXIV: Where I Wanna Be PtII

**Author's Note:** Sighs... This is the last chapter of Like a Record. Below will be a sneak peak of the sequel as well as a _long_ note to the readers. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** For the last time (literally) I don't own Degrassi: TNG... Sadly, I don't own Like a Record either! The writers in my head have taken claim to it!

* * *

**Series Finale: Where I Wanna Be Pt. II**

Jordan groaned as she rubbed her sore toe through her sock. She swore her furniture was out to get her, this being the third time today that she has stubbed her toe against something.

"Stupid dresser…" Jordan muttered before placing her shoes on.

"Jordan! Tevin's here!" Emma called.

"Coming!" Jordan said before smiling. "Let's go Jordan."

* * *

Danica smiled as she placed a hand on Aaron's head.

"Oh I remember those days. " Danica said with a grin. "Little A.J is in love!"

"I know." Jayden said coming to the living room from the hall that led to his room. "Like S-P-R-U-N-G love."

Aaron glared. "That doesn't spell love."

"To a lot of men it does." Jayden responded.

"Hey, lay off because I like Bambi a lot more than I do Laura. She's easier to talk to." Danica said to Jayden. "And to you A.J, I say that she deserves better than you right now. All this 'it's my fault' crap doesn't fly with everyone. Apologize and leave her alone. Don't smother her."

Jayden smirked. "Tell him Mom."

"And for you," Danica said to Jayden. "It ends tonight Jayden. I'm done with this Laura versus Scarlett thing. When you come back, I want it so that Scarlett and Laura can come over and start nothing. Because if your baby mama can't deal with my friends, then she and her boyfriend can find somewhere to stay. Deal?"

"Whoa, what crawled up and died in your ass?" Jayden replied. Danica glared at him. "Okay, I'll fix it. Seriously." Jayden looked at Aaron. "Come on lil' bro. We have a lot of talking to do."

"Sure. See you tomorrow Danni." Aaron said as Jayden led Aaron out of Danica's apartment. "What's with her?"

"I don't know. I think it's that time of the month and she just hasn't said anything." Jayden said with a grin. Aaron smiled a bit at the statement. "But she has a point. Bambi doesn't deserve this. Not with her condition and all. But show her my little brother and I'm sure she'll come back to you."

"Seriously?" Aaron asked.

Jayden nodded. "The A.J I know is quiet and apologizes once before attempting to move on. He's forgiven and doesn't really look into the past. Pretty gullible and extremely smart. I know for a fact that this is the A.J that she likes."

"She told you?" Aaron said. Jayden nodded. "Alright. I'll do it then."

"That's all it takes." Jayden said. "So let's go do what we must."

Aaron nodded. "Right."

* * *

Kelly walked down the steps, her hands skimming over the railing. She could see quite the number of people already at the Fitzgerald Mansion and inhaled deeply.

"I can't believe it." Kelly smiled at Shane's words. "You actually do normal!"

"Shut up!" Kelly chastised as she slapped his arm.

Shane grinned and kiss Kelly's forehead.

"You look beautiful sis." Shane said before crossing his arms. "And you're lucky Jayden isn't here yet. We have to give this Hakim guy a talk."

Kelly glared at Shane. "Don't embarrass me on my birthday."

"You should've met him yesterday then." Shane said before the two Mason siblings saw Jordan moving towards them. "Oh boy…"

"Happy birthday Kelly." Jordan said. Kelly glared at her sister. "What'd I do now?"

"This is how you say that." Kelly said hugging Jordan tightly. Jordan actually reciprocated the hug, it being one of the few she had received since Christmas. "Thank you Jordan."

"You're welcome." Jordan said as the two sisters released each other.

"Now get out of here. You're still an annoying sister." Kelly said.

Jordan smiled. "Whatever."

Shane watched as Jordan went to join the rest of the party, his eyebrows raised.

"So, does this mean that whenever Mom calls about Jordan you'll answer?" Shane asked.

"Not tonight." Kelly answered before poking Shane in the chest. "And you have to go talk to Deanna tonight because I asked for it." Shane frowned. "And don't give me any lip. Just go."

"Fine, I'll talk to her before I leave." Shane replied. "But can I talk to Nicky first?"

Kelly sighed. "I guess it's only fair… Just remember not to make her feel awkward. She already feels bad enough as it is."

"I won't." Shane told her. "Go have fun. I'm going to go find Nicky."

"Alright." Kelly said before Shane walked away from her. "Good luck Dee…"

* * *

Helen glared up at Tyler.

"You know how I don't like you talking about my height." Helen said to him.

"I know. I'm just kidding." Tyler replied with a smile. "So what are we going to do tomorrow? Pre-graduation that is." Helen shrugged. "I thought you and I could go see my new place and celebrate."

"Can't. Leaving for New York and then I'm heading for Miami. You know that." Helen told him.

Tyler sighed. "You're a busy person."

"Always." Helen said before giving him a kiss. "Now, I have to find a certain friend of mine who has yet again gone off to a certain place that I told her _not_ to."

Tyler smiled. "Don't kill her Helen."

Helen grinned and walked away. Tyler watched her disappear before Jesse came beside him.

"Helen Sinclair-Coyne… That's quite the statement." Jesse said.

"Yeah. She's leaving tomorrow with her cousins, aunt, and uncle." Tyler responded before sighing. "I really wish she wasn't going."

"Where to?" Jesse asked.

"She's returning home to New York and then going to Miami." Tyler explained. "Gone for the whole summer just about…"

"Hey, I'm here." Jesse said. "We could find some… Others, if you get me."

"Helen will-"

"Never know. You'll be in college next year." Jesse stated. "Just saying. Think about what the old Tyler Walton would do. Or who."

Tyler nodded as Jesse walked off. Maybe Helen was changing him? No. He would not ruin something good. Not like the first time.

* * *

Scarlett looked around, a little down that she could not see either Jayden or Aaron. She knew Aaron would be able to find his brother if needed be, but she could not find either of the McDuelle brothers.

"Hey." Scarlett turned to see Shane. "You looking for someone?"

"Uh, yeah," Scarlett replied. "You?"

"Nicky." Shane said. "I heard she was out back." Scarlett nodded. "Jayden isn't here yet, by the way."

"Really?" Scarlett asked.

"You know him. One of the fastest guys on our track team, yet always late for important things." Shane replied. "So what were you going to tell him? Your unending love for him?"

"Shut up!" Scarlett said punching his arm. "And that's none of your business."

Shane laughed. "I know. But it is funny that you can't just outright say it to him, despite _everyone_ knowing. Even his kids know."

"You're such a loser." Scarlett said before smiling. "Where's _Deanna_?"

"I wish I knew because I have to talk to her…" Shane's words slowly died as his eyes landed on the other blue-eyed brunette. "I just found her."

Scarlett watched as her ex moved for a girl she had sworn to hate for the rest of her life. She then turned and moved for the back, hoping Jayden arrived sooner than later.

Deanna was happily chatting with Stephanie before she felt a hand on her shoulder. Even without turning around, she knew who it was on touch alone.

"Can we talk?" Shane said quietly in her ear, making her shiver a bit.

"Yeah." Deanna replied. Stephanie gave her a knowing smirk. "Go find Nate."

"Going." Stephanie said walking away.

Deanna led Shane out of the mass of teens and up the steps. She was pleased that he did not pull away once it became quite clear where she was leading him to. In her mind, the awkwardness between them had finally left and they could be open with one another. And this was good since she now had a clear shot at him without Nicole in the way.

Entering her room, Deanna turned the light on and guided him inside where she closed the door.

"So…" Deanna began.

"Deanna, I'm sorry." Shane said. "For the whole thing. I… I didn't know about how you felt about me and I… Well I kind of overreacted after we did what we did."

"I understand." Deanna replied. "But Shane, I want you to know that I only did it to get your mind off of going out there and fighting Ethan. I would never get in-between you and Nicky, even at the expense of my own happiness."

"Really?" Shane asked.

Deanna nodded. "Really." Deanna then took a small step towards him. "I panicked Shane. You were mad. You were mad at _me_."

"I know. And I'm sorry for that. For everything I said, that is." Shane said. "I know that you're a good friend of Kelly's. I shouldn't have said that either. Or blame you for the picture…"

"It's okay Shane. I get it." Deanna said with a smile.

"No. No you don't." Shane responded. "I like you, as a friend. Maybe more than, but I want to be with Nicky. You don't understand that."

"So… We just forget it ever happened?" Deanna questioned.

Shane sighed. "No. We can't do that either…"

"Then what are you saying?" Deanna asked. "I'm glad that you know what you want and happy that we can at least be friends. But I fail to see your reason behind going back to Nicky."

"Not going back. I'm just going to talk to her. I'm sure she'll probably blow me off anyway. Then again, I deserve-"

"No you don't!" Deanna interrupted. "You gave her your home, your family, your life basically. And the only thing you asked for in return is for her not going back to the ravine. She couldn't even do that for you."

"And you would?" Shane asked.

"Of course! Why else would I respect your wishes in talking to Nicky instead of all but raping you right here?" Deanna replied. "Shane, I like you so I'm going to side with you for the majority of the time." Shane frowned. "You don't need to know the times I won't… Now."

"Right," Shane responded before releasing a heavy breath. "Boy… I thought this would be so much harder."

Deanna smiled. "You're not the one being rejected."

"I know. And I'm sorry that I somehow am I attracted to Nicky beyond words. Even if I'm not good with words to even attempt to try and say what she means to me." Shane said. "But, it doesn't mean I don't like you too. Cause I do. Like more than everyone else but Nicky."

"That's not making me feel better." Deanna said.

"Crap… Um…" Shane stated. "How about I talk to Nicky and regardless of that outcome, you and I hangout Monday? Ice cream and fries at my place? With a movie?" Deanna nodded. "Good. I'm really glad you're supporting me. It's exactly what I need now."

Deanna took this opportunity to kiss Shane gently. Again, she was pleased that he did not pull away or respond angrily, and smiled at him.

"I'll always be what you need." Deanna said before leaving her room.

Shane could not help but to smile. There was something special in Deanna Fitzgerald, he knew that. He was just lucky that she was willing to show it to him regardless of his feelings towards Nicole. And with those thoughts in his head, he moved to find Nicole. They had a lot to talk about.

* * *

Hakim looked at Kelly and then back at Jayden.

"Well? You have my god-sister out on her birthday and you expect me not to ask?" Jayden said. "Seriously, I'm friends with your cousin and all, but that doesn't give you many points in my book. And if you date one of us, you get us all."

Kelly scoffed. "Seriously Jay, first Shane and now you? Why don't you do this to Dash's boyfriend?"

"One, he's in California, and two, I did." Jayden answered. "So Mr. Bhandari-"

"Leave us alone." Kelly interrupted, gaining a smile from Jayden. "Go find Dash or Jacob or Shane or even Scarlett. Stop interrupting us." Jayden frowned. "We're not having sex or thinking about it. We're not even dating!"

"Okay, okay, no need to shout. Then again, it's your party and you can cry if you want to." Jayden said before kissing Kelly's hand. "Happy birthday Kelly. And your friends and I have a surprise for you that… Well let's just say tomorrow will be a pretty eventful one for you."

Kelly smiled. "What is?" Jayden shrugged. "Oh come on Jayden! Tell me! I'd tell you."

"Like hell you would." Jayden said walking backwards. "Have a great summer by the way."

Kelly nodded and Jayden went to find some more of his other friends. He then found Helen talking to Torrie and moved for the two Coyne Cousins.

"Hello my dear ex and my girlfriend's friend," Jayden said to them as he neared them. "What a lovely night for a pair of lovely ladies."

Helen rolled her eyes. "What do you want Jayden?"

"Nothing really. I just got here." Jayden said.

"Really?" Torrie said. "Where's Laura?"

"At home sleeping. She's been having a rough time managing her sleeping, waking up for odd reasons and choices of food… But she's alright." Jayden replied.

Torrie raised her brows. "So you're here alone. Again."

"Subtracting the hundreds of others here, yeah, I'm all alone." Jayden said causing Helen to smile. "So, where's your graduated boyfriend at?"

"Uh, he went to talk with Tank and some of his other friends that are leaving for colleges elsewhere." Helen said. "And I've talked to Nicky who is being a bit bitchy now, so I walked away. I didn't even say anything hurtful."

Jayden gasped. "Get out… You didn't say anything hurtful? Are you drunk?"

"Go to hell. I'm not that spiteful." Helen said.

"You just told me to go to hell. How aren't you that spiteful?" Jayden replied. "But, I have to go find other people. See you two before I leave?"

"Count on it." Torrie said with a smile before Jayden walked away. "Okay, why does he always act like I don't exist?"

Helen frowned. "I think he knows you exist. It's your flirting I think he's ignoring."

"How? Guys can't resist me. I'm me." Torrie said.

"Yeah, well he did." Helen said. "Now I'm wondering where Scar is. She's usually looking for him or with him."

"Maybe DeWayne has her attention?" Torrie suggested.

"Let's hope not." Helen said.

* * *

The Fitzgeralds' home was huge. And Aaron never knew just how huge until he went searching for Chandra. He knew she was here, as Hakim had told him so, but could not find her. He had checked several of rooms, accidentally walking in on two random couples making out in two separate rooms, before coming to another closed door with several giggles and laughter inside.

Opening the door, he froze. There Chandra was kissing Oliver. Or she was until he entered. And then Aaron looked around. Jordan, Gabrielle, Dustin, Tevin, Ashton, Vanessa, Chandler, Nigel and another boy Aaron did not know sat around in a circle, a glass bottle in the center.

They were just playing a game.

"Wow. Nice timing Santos." Ashton said.

Aaron did not respond, his eyes solely on Chandra. He moved to her, seeing her rise to address him. He would never give her the chance though. Locking his lips with hers, he gave her a kiss that momentarily made up for all the missed time that the two had in the past weeks. His arms held her still just incase she fought back, but she did not. In fact, she pressed forward, deepening an already passion-filled kiss.

Pulling away, Aaron looked directly into her eyes.

"I'm sorry." Aaron said softly before looking at Oliver. "Take care of her over the summer."

Oliver had no clue on what to say as Aaron exited the room. He looked up to see Chandra standing with her fingers gently tracing her lips.

"Excuse me." Chandra said leaving the room after Aaron.

"That's my boy!" Ashton cheered causing Vanessa to laugh with him.

Gabrielle smiled at both Ashton's antics and Aaron's actions. She wanted him to be happy with Chandra only because he really liked her. More than he did Jordan, that's for sure. And while she knows that he will eventually forgive Farah, she probably would take a longer time to.

"Ashton," Victor, the boy Aaron did not know, said. "It's your turn."

"Right, right," Ashton said before giving the bottle a spin. "Please not Jordan."

"I wouldn't want to kiss you either." Jordan said with a scoff.

The bottle landed on Gabrielle, who had been thinking right up to the that point.

"Uh…" Gabrielle said.

Ashton sighed. "Well, let's get this over with. It's not like we haven't before, right?"

Gabrielle could only nod as Ashton moved to her and sat on his knees in front of her. For a brief second, she could tell that he wanted this just as much as she did. And soon he leaned in to kiss her. While it was merely a gentle kiss, Gabrielle could feel a tingly feeling throughout her body. A kiss of three seconds felt like forever.

"Alright," Ashton said as he pulled away. "Your turn."

"Yeah…" Gabrielle replied quietly as Ashton moved to sit beside his girlfriend.

Gabrielle reached for the bottle with one silent thought.

Please be Ashton.

* * *

Jayden found her. Or whether she found him as normal. But here he and Scarlett was in one of the guest bedrooms of the Fitzgerald's home.

"So, what's the big news?" Jayden asked.

"I talked to Helen," Scarlett said. "And Danni… And they both say that there is something that you want to talk about. Something important that you have to tell me."

"Right." Jayden mumbled.

"But before that," Scarlett said. "I want to tell you something. Something important." Jayden frowned. "Jayden Tyrone McDuelle, I love you so, so much. And I know I've been nothing more but a pain in your ass with my princess attitude and when I pretended not to care. But you mean so much to me."

Jayden stood quietly. He had to filter out how true that statement was. And although he wanted her to be lying, he could not find one lie in her words. So he just remained silent, trying to think of the best response.

"Jayden," Scarlett stated. "I know that you will never love me back… At least not like I want to. But if there is a ray of hope, just a small chance, then I'll wait for you until you can." Jayden closed his eyes for a brief second. "Say something…"

"I can't." Jayden replied looking at her. "I can't say anything to you because the truth is, it's too late for this conversation." Jayden sighed. "I'm sorry Scarlett, but my time with you is over."

"Then tell me what you told Helen." Scarlett said. "I want to hear it."

"I told her how some nights I stay awake regretting every single second of my life. What I've done. How I've lived it." Jayden said. "Truth is, I could've been in the Gifted Program like A.J. but I didn't put focus in my studies as hard as he did. There aren't many people who I have to trust like Danni does. And now I, my parents' oldest son, I have three kids on the way with some girl who I love so much but I know in my mind that I will slip up like I normally do."

"And what about me?" Scarlett replied in a hush tone.

Jayden sighed. "She asked what you did. If I ever remotely felt any love for you at all. I told her yes. She asked if I regretted Laura getting pregnant and I said no. Then she asked would I be happier if you were pregnant with my kid instead of Laura. I said I don't know. I wouldn't want you to go through the trouble with your parents and the media."

"Oh…" Scarlett said.

"I'm going to go speak to some more people before giving Kelly a piece of her birthday present and heading home. I have to be up by five so I need the sleep." Jayden told Scarlett.

"Wait!" Scarlett called to him, stopping him from leaving the room. "Tell me! I just have to know before you leave. Do you still love me?"

Jayden sighed heavily before turning to look at Scarlett.

"Before I answer that," he responded. "Let me tell you what I did on that Saturday."

"What Saturday?" Scarlett asked.

"The Saturday of the performance. When you danced with DeWayne and I left." Jayden explained. "I didn't go home." Scarlett frowned. "I went to Laura's. That's when she became pregnant."

"Wha… Are you… Are you serious?" Scarlett asked.

"That's what Helen I were talking about. Just how horrible I feel about that." Jayden continued. "Laura's life has turned for better and worse… And you… God knows just how bad I feel about what I did to you."

"That's… That's it… That's why you kicked me out. Why we broke up." Scarlett said. "Oh my… And I thought that it was something I did. I mean, I know I danced with DeWayne during your performance but I thought I did something big. Like huge." Jayden smiled sadly. "I'm glad you told me that Jayden. I feel so much better."

"I bet." Jayden said.

"No. I feel better because I know that I've gained your trust." Scarlett said before laughing a bit. "I finally got to have a meaningful conversation without being selfish or you not answering." Scarlett's smile slowly fell. "But you haven't answered my question."

"If I loved you or not?" Jayden replied. "I don't know if you're ready for that answer yet."

"Jayden, today is the last day before you start your wonderful life with Laura." Scarlett said. "I'll make myself ready."

"I guess you have a point there…" Jayden stated. "Well… To answer your question, yes. I do still love you."

"Good," Scarlett said stepping in front of Jayden. "Because I still love you."

Jayden watched Scarlett bring her lips to his. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to be with her. But he brought his fingers up to her lips, gently touching them to stop her.

"I'm sorry Scarlett." Jayden said quietly.

"I understand." Scarlett responded before kissing his cheek. "Good luck with her."

"I'm sorry about this." Jayden said.

"Don't be." Scarlett whispered with a smile.

"I am-"

"Ssh," Scarlett interrupted softly. "There's nothing to be sorry about. You're still the best thing that's happened to me." Jayden released a heavy breath. "Go sing for Kelly, okay?"

"Are you going to be okay?" Jayden asked her, pressing his forehead softly against hers.

Scarlett smiled. "I'm going to be fine. Go."

Jayden sighed before leaving the room. Scarlett combed her hair back with her fingers before smiling to herself. He loved her. Even through all the things she put him through, he still loved her. She did not even care if they kept in contact because she knew he loved her.

She still wanted a kiss though…

* * *

Chandra rest her head on Aaron's shoulder.

"So… We're friends with benefits?" Aaron asked.

Chandra giggled. "Yeah. Something like that." Chandra's giggles quieted. "A.J… After you return from Japan, I want us to try it again, okay? And this time no overreacting and no stress problems."

"I'd like that Chandra." Aaron said. "I just wished…"

"Don't ruin the moment Aaron." Chandra stated firmly as the two gazed up at the stars. "Let's just make peace."

"Yeah. Peace." Aaron replied.

* * *

Torrie and Helen exchanged glances before Helen looked at Alexander.

"Say what?" Helen said.

"Another chance. I want another chance with you." Alexander replied. "I know I posted some pretty bad things about your cousin, and I'm sorry. But other than that-"

"You do know that I have a boyfriend who could probably kick your ass in his sleep right? Helen interrupted. "And what he can't, I will."

"Helen, I said I'm sorry." Alexander said.

"Alex, I'm not in any rush to leave Tyler." Helen replied. "Get that through your head. And stop…" Helen paused. "There's Jayden. Let's go Torrie."

"See you around."Torrie said with a wink as she and Helen went to talk to Jayden.

Alexander glared at Jayden. This was yet another time that he had inadvertently gotten in-between Alexander and Helen. And in Alexander's mind, it would be the last. He would see to it to that.

* * *

Shane moved towards where Nicole and Ethan were dancing in the backyard.

"Nicky." Shane called to her. She paused and looked at him before smiling. "Hey, can we talk?"

"Sure. What did you want to talk about?" Nicole asked.

"Um, can we talk in private?" Shane asked.

Nicole shook her head. "No. Say it here."

"Fine," Shane said with a sigh. "I just talked to Deanna about… You know…" Shane saw Ethan raise his brows. "Look, can we really get this guy out of here? I have something important to say."

"No Shane. Say it in front of Ethan." Nicole said. "If it's that important, say it."

"I want to forget about everything and…" Shane paused and frowned. "Have you been drinking?"

Nicole rolled her eyes. "Only a cup, but yes I have." Shane's eyes looked at Ethan. "Hey, he didn't force me to drink. In fact, he hasn't had anything to drink himself!"

"Yeah but-"

"Shane, if you want me, you have to accept all of me. I like to party. I like to have fun." Nicole interrupted Shane. "I know that you want me to stay safe and sheltered, and it was great for a while. But I need to go out once and a while. Okay?"

Shane nodded, thinking of his previous conversation with Deanna. He expected Deanna to give him trouble and Nicole agree with him completely.

"Now, dance?" Nicole offered.

"I have to go find my sister." Shane replied. "Have fun."

"I will." Nicole said with a smile.

Shane placed his hands in his pockets and began walking away from Nicole, who resumed her dancing with Ethan. He had half the mind to just turn and give Ethan a nice mouse under his right eye. But Shane realized that fighting did not solve everything and he needed to learn to communicate better.

"Lonely too?" Shane's eyes moved to Scarlett. He nodded a bit. "Come on Shane. Let's go talk in the back."

"Sure Scarlett." Shane said moving after her. "So how'd your talk with Jayden go?"

"Well, I learned he loved me." Scarlett responded. "I also learned that he cheated on me with Laura."

"He told you?" Shane asked. Scarlett gave Shane a confused look causing him to sigh. "I really don't know how to say the right thing."

"It's fine. Yeah, he told me." Scarlett replied. "And Deanna?"

"Well, she's going to wait on me while Nicky is going to party it up." Shane answered. "Kind of my fault for both of their actions."

Scarlett smiled. "Shane, you're one of the sweetest guys I know. If Nicky can't see that then she's wrong for you."

"I'm not 'sweet.' I'm just nice sometimes." Shane stated. "And as for Nicky, I know she knows who I am. She's _lived with me_. But that's not what bothers me. She's drinking." Scarlett gave him a worried look. "I won't go to her parents unless it gets out of hand."

"Shane, this is serious. Who knows just how wild and out of control Nicky can get?" Scarlett told him.

Shane smiled. "People used to say that with your obsession with Jayden." Scarlett rolled her eyes. "But I guess, tonight, it's just you and I. Two loveless losers, right?"

"Loveless, maybe, a loser Scarlett J. Chessex is not." Scarlett said. "But, you can always be my loser."

"I'll take it." Shane said with a sigh.

* * *

"Where'd they go?" Braxton Turner asked as he searched for wherever Hakim, Jeanette, and Kelly ran off to. "Damn they're fast… And this house is huge!"

Braxton opened a door.

"What the hell?" Mary-Jane shouted.

Braxton stood slack-jawed for a moment before stepping out. Out of all the make-out sessions that were going on, he never thought he would actually walk in on someone actually having sex. Let alone one Mary-Jane Del Rossi.

"Wow…" he said to himself before walking away.

Moments later, Mary-Jane walked out of the room fixing her shirt.

"Damn perv… He'd better not have taking a picture of me or so help me God I will kill him." she said angrily.

"Hey would have a nice view of you." Tyler said coming out of the room behind her as he zipped his pants up and buttoned them. "Just mad we didn't get to finish."

"Doesn't your little play toy leave soon?" Mary-Jane asked. Tyler nodded. "Then we have plenty of times to finish." Tyler smiled as the two exchanged a kiss. "Now I have to go find Marc."

"Yeah. And I have to go find Helen." Tyler said before the two went their separate ways.

* * *

Amber sighed heavily. One second Mary-Jane was standing beside her and the next, she was gone! She mentally wondered if Mary-Jane would be okay with wearing some kind of tracer so Amber could find her in emergencies like this. Amber smiled realizing that Mary-Jane probably would so long as it went with her outfit.

"Woo!" Amber frowned. She knew that voice. Heading into the Fitzgerald's back yard, she stepped beside a shocked Scarlett and Shane to see James dancing with not one, but _two_ drunk girls. "No more school!"

The others around him seemed to be egging him on, Jesse probably the loudest.

"I can't believe this…" Amber grumbled under her breath as she moved for James. "Alright James, let's get you home."

"Uh, hell to the no! The party's just getting started, right!" James said, a loud cheer following him.

Amber glared. "James Brooks, let's go! Now!"

"Now why would I want to do that huh? So you can tell my mommy and daddy?" James replied. "Let's be honest Amber. You're just going to run to your big brother and cry to him." James threw an arm around Brooke's shoulder. "I don't need him. And if you're so close with him. I don't need you either."

"Woo! Let's go James!" Brooke told him.

"Come on Brooky! Show me what you got!" James said as they walked away from Amber.

"Wow. That sucks." Torrie, the second girl who was dancing with James, said to Amber. "I guess this is the part where you call me some sort of whore and storm away."

"Nope. Not tonight." Amber said. "Tonight I'm going to have a good time. With or without him."

"Right." Torrie replied stepping away. "I'll just be over here then."

Amber took in a deep breath before exhaling slowly. She was not going to get mad tonight. She had just completely her junior year in high school. It was time to celebrate. And no drunken James was going to ruin that. Now tomorrow was a different story and she knew that it would probably bother her tenfold then. But for tonight, there was just her.

"Here you are!" Mary-Jane called. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Amber sighed again. Tomorrow she would probably rip Mary-Jane's head off for that one. But for tonight, she would just smile.

* * *

DeWayne and Mercedes were both astonished at how well the party was going, even without them actually joining it. The two had pretty much stayed in DeWayne's room all night, this being Deanna's party for Kelly after all. They really did not want to get involved in that.

But as they joined, they saw people that had not came to DeWayne's party earlier this year.

"What a turnout." DeWayne said. "Seems my sister does know how to invite people."

"Well, well," Deanna said walking arm-in-arm with Jayden. "If it isn't my dear brother and his whore. I mean girlfriend." Mercedes glared at Deanna. "What can I do for you two?"

"So you're screwing Jayden now? How sluttish of you Dee." DeWayne said.

Deanna giggled. "Oh Wayne, that's funny. Shane's over there and I had to escort Mr. McDuelle here to where he is needed." Deanna calmed down, but smiled. "Seriously, is stupid that contagious that you caught it as an STD?"

"Har-har," Mercedes said. "Why don't you-"

"Come on Jayden. You're wanted this way." Deanna interrupted. "Oh, by the way Wayne, we're even."

DeWayne frowned as Deanna walked away with Jayden.

"What do you think she means by that?" Mercedes asked.

"I don't know. But we'd better find out sooner than later." DeWayne said following after Deanna.

They were soon in the front of the large mansion where DeWayne glared at the float in front of his house. Deanna had brought in another stage for Juvenile Grace.

"This first song is a song that I promised I'd never do again," Jayden said into the microphone. "But since a certain Irish birthday girl asked for me to do it, I think we can do it again."

DeWayne was fuming. It was bad enough that Deanna's party seemed to be doing far better than anything he has actually thrown together. But to have Juvenile Grace perform at _his_ house in _his_ yard was a disgrace.

Jayden sat on a stool that was on the float, smiling a bit.

"Now, I must warn you all, I'm going to sing it my way." Jayden said to the mass of people that surrounded him and his band. "But if you know the original lyrics, sing it yourself. Are you ready?" DeWayne was practically seething at the loud positive response Jayden received. "Alright then. Here we go."

_Players don't fall in love  
We all know the game  
Four of five or enough  
And they look all the same  
But the one walks passed  
You double take now you're frozen_

DeWayne hated the little laugh that Jayden put at the end of the statement, his eyes landing on someone in the crowd.

_Sent from heaven was my  
Very first thoughts of you  
My heart's melting to the ground  
Yeah this feeling is new  
Now everyone around is thinking I've gone crazy_

_Yeah,  
But I don't care what they say  
Cause I'm in love with you  
They tried to pull us away  
But they don't know the true  
My heart's crippled by the vein  
That I keep on closing_

Jayden smiled. "I want you all to sing along with me now."

_Cause I  
Keep bleeding  
_ _Keep, keep bleeding love  
I keep bleeding  
I keep, keep bleeding love  
Keep bleeding  
Keep, keep bleeding love  
You cut me open_

_You try not to hear  
__But they talk so loud  
__Their piercing fills your ears  
__Try to fill you with doubt  
__Let them know that my goal  
__Is to keep you from falling_

While Scarlett heard Torrie sing the original version with Jayden, she felt his eyes connect with her. And in that moment, she began to push her way through the crowd just to get closer to him. Just to be near him. Just to fix the mistake she made last time.

_There's nothing greater than that smile  
__When it comes to your face  
__And when the world is cold  
__I search for your warm embrace  
__Yet everyone around me  
__Thinks that I've gone crazy_

_Maybe, maybe_

_But I don't care what they say  
Cause I'm in love with you  
They tried to pull us away  
But they don't know the true  
My heart's crippled by the vein  
That I keep on closing_

_You cut me open and now I_

Deanna also stared at Shane as she stood next to Kelly and Hakim in front of the stage. In her mind, this song was for her. She was crazy for falling for Shane. He worked at a diner. He played football. He was a bit of a klutz in the morning. He was also a bit lazy. But… He was perfect for her. She knew it. And she would continue to believe that until better came along. If it ever did.

_Keep bleeding  
_ _Keep, keep bleeding love  
I keep bleeding  
I keep, keep bleeding love  
Keep bleeding  
Keep, keep bleeding love  
You cut me open_

Jayden actually saw Scarlett moving towards him and followed her with his eyes before closing them to picture Laura.

_And it's draining all of me__  
__Oh they find it hard to believe  
I'll be wearing these scars  
For everyone to see_

_I don't care what they say_  
_I'm in love with you_  
_They try to pull me away_  
_But they don't know the truth_  
_My heart's crippled by the vein_  
_That I keep on closing_  
_You cut me open and I_

_Keep bleeding_  
_Keep, keep bleeding love_  
_I keep bleeding_  
_I keep, keep bleeding love_  
_Keep bleeding_  
_Keep, keep bleeding love_  
_You cut me open and I_

_Keep bleeding_  
_Keep, keep bleeding love_  
_I keep bleeding_  
_I keep, keep bleeding love_  
_Keep bleeding_  
_Keep, keep bleeding love_

Opening his eyes to the sound of the applause, Jayden noticed that Scarlett was now beside Hakim. She had made her way from the center to the front of the crowd. He wished that he could see what would have happened if Scarlett had not have danced with DeWayne but left it alone.

Hopping up from the stool he put it aside before giving Dakota a look. She nodded, signaling she got the next song and twirled a drum stick. Jayden then looked at Jacob behind his keyboard ready and then at Shane with his bass.

"Hey Kelly," Jayden said looking down at her. "I think I know a song that you will enjoy being sung tonight. Problem is, I think everyone wants to see the birthday girl dance to it."

"No!" Kelly replied, thought it was hardly heard by the loud "Yes!" that the others said.

"Come on up here." Jayden said. "Bring your little friend." Kelly was completely embarrassed that the makeshift crowd had actually pushed her and Hakim on the stage. "Alright, rule is no grabbing below the waist. But other than that, I want you to dance birthday girl. Shane, start the bass me for."

As Shane began strumming, Kelly recognized the song, as did Jordan. A part of their sister bonding was singing this song during early mornings in their pajamas, using their hairbrushes as pretend microphones.

_Just shoot for the stars  
If it feels right  
And aim for my heart  
If you feel like  
And take me away  
and make it okay  
I swear I'll behave_

By now the group in front and around the stage had been dancing themselves, Chandra laughing as Aaron spun her around. He pulled her against him, surprising her a bit, though she did not dislike it. In fact, she loved the bolder him.

_You wanted control  
So we waited  
I put on a show  
Now I make it  
You say I'm a kid  
My ego is big  
I don't give a sh…  
And it goes like this_

DeWayne went back inside, no sooner did his sister get on stage, dancing next to Shane. If this was her plot of revenge, it was definitely unseen. And while he was looking for some sort of blackmail or embarrassing photo resurfacing, this was just as bad.

"You want to go lie down?" Mercedes asked.

"Sure." DeWayne said.

_Take me by the tongue  
And I'll know you  
Kiss me 'til you're drunk  
And I'll show you_

_All the moves like Jagger_  
_I've got the moves like Jagger_  
_I've got the moves like Jagger_

Scarlett giggled as she and Torrie danced with one another. She spotted Helen dancing with Tyler nearby, he spinning her around as she smiled. For once, Scarlett thought, everything ended okay even with all that has been happened. Then again, Laura was not here. Who knows how differently things would have been if she was.

_I don't need to try to control you  
Look into my eyes and I'll own you_

_With them moves like Jagger_  
_I've got the moves like Jagger_  
_I've got the moves…_

Jacob smiled as Angelina moved beside him as he played the keyboard. He would never thank Jayden enough for setting him up with the beauty from Paris, France. Fortunately he would not have to since Jayden seems so content with Laura.

_Maybe it's hard  
When you feel like  
You're broken and scarred  
Nothing feels right  
But when you're with me  
I'll make you believe__  
__That I've got the key_

Kelly had long gotten over her embarrassment and danced with Hakim under the glances of everyone. Two years ago she had found out she was casted aside. Tonight she felt as if that was all lies. As if she was actually the blood daughter of Emma Cameron and Gavin Mason. Truthfully, she had never felt so alive until now.

_So get in the car  
We can ride it  
Wherever you want  
Get inside it  
And you want to steer  
But I'm shifting gears  
I'll take it from here  
And it goes like this_

While Stephanie was actually grinding on Nathan, she felt a small tap on her shoulder. Looking down, she saw Gabrielle. Smiling, she stepped away and let brother and sister dance, breaking their code of limited contact outside of their father's house. She was happy to see the good side of Nathan, though she would be lying if she said she hated the bad side. She liked all of him and could not wait to spend a summer learning more about him.

_Take me by the tongue  
And I'll know you  
Kiss me 'til you're drunk  
And I'll show you_

_All the moves like Jagger_  
_I've got the moves like Jagger_  
_I've got the moves like Jagger_

Torrie led Scarlett on stage, the two dancing on either side of Jayden as he sung. Scarlett felt his hips give hers a little bump and returned it, causing him to smile.

_I don't need to try to control you  
Look into my eyes and I'll own you_

_With them moves like Jagger_  
_I've got the moves like Jagger_  
_I've got the moves like Jagger_

James jumped alongside Nicole, Brooke, and Ethan. Three of the four being nearly completely drunk, Nicole having a higher resilience than the other three. They were soon joined by a sober Jacquelyn and Damon, Jacquelyn singing along with her ex on stage.

"Dash, break the beat down." Jayden said as the beat quieted, nothing but Dakota's drumming heard.

_You wanna know how to make me smile  
Take control, own me just for the night  
And if I share my secret  
You're gonna have to keep it  
Nobody else can see this_

Scarlett felt her body uncontrollably rub alongside Jayden's. And unlike any other time, he returned with the same motions. She was starting to feel a burning lust for him like when they were dating. She figured he was just doing this for the performance, but did not mind. She had him.

_So watch and learn  
I won't show you twice  
Head to toe, oh baby rub me right  
But if I share my secret  
You're gonna have to keep it  
Nobody else can see this_

DeWayne was glad when the song seemed to stop right there. He was pretty much sick of the whole night and promised himself to _never_ agree to letting Deanna rent their house out for a friend's party.

Outside, Dakota's drumming had stopped momentarily, everyone staring at the band. Licking his lips, Jayden put his mouth near the microphone and continued.

_And it goes like this_

_Take me by the tongue  
And I'll know you  
Kiss me 'til you're drunk  
And I'll show you_

_All the moves like Jagger_  
_I've got the moves like Jagger_  
_I've got the moves like Jagger_

With the beat back, the dancing resume, and DeWayne groaned louder in his dining room, Mercedes and Alexander sitting with him.

_I don't need to try to control you_  
_Look into my eyes and I'll own you_

_With them moves like Jagger_  
_I've got the moves like Jagger_  
_I've got the moves like Jagger_

As the band finished the song, Kelly was surprised when Hakim kissed her. The others clapped and cheered for this before he pulled away with a smile.

"Happy birthday." Hakim said quietly.

"Thanks." Kelly said hugging him.

Shane smiled at his sister before glancing at her friend who was too busy clapping for her friend to even notice. Maybe Scarlett was right? Maybe Deanna, who has quite the résumé, was not so bad after all. If Jacob and Jayden seemed to be okay with it, then why not?

* * *

Two hours later, Aaron got in his brother's car, knowing that the party was over and it was time to go home.

"Dad is going to kill you." Jayden said starting his car up. "It's already passed one thirty." Aaron nodded. "So, what did she say?"

"We're friends until I come back from Japan." Aaron answered. "So, I failed." Jayden laughed. "What?"

"You got a woman to forgive you in less than twenty-four hours? Aaron Jordan McDuelle, you're my hero." Jayden laughed. Aaron smiled. "Come on. Let's get you home."

"Right." Aaron said with a grin.

* * *

_The book of love is long and boring  
No one can lift the damn thing  
It's full of charts and facts, some figures  
And instructions for dancing_

Scarlett was lying in bed when she heard Helen giggling up the steps. She figured Helen was talking to Tyler and closed her eyes to mute the sound out. The sound of her door opening caused her to tense until she felt a pair of lips pressed against hers and hands keeping her body down. Opening her eyes she saw Jayden and immediately began to kiss back. The two continued for what felt like hours, but was only a few minutes.

"Now I can move on." Jayden said with a smile. "See you next year."

"Yeah…" Scarlett replied.

* * *

_But I,  
I love it when you read to me  
And you,  
You can read me anything_

Despite getting fussed at for returning at a quarter past two, Gabrielle was up talking quietly to Ashton so she would not wake Alex back up.

"Vanessa was so embarrassed." Ashton said in a quiet tone as well. "Man, this year had some memories."

"Yeah…" Gabrielle replied.

"But I think tutoring you was the best." Ashton announced making Gabrielle gasp. "I turned someone like you to a B-average student. I must be an awesome tutor."

Gabrielle giggled. "Whatever Ashton."

* * *

_The book of love has music in it,  
In fact that's where music comes from  
Some of it is just transcendental,  
Some of it is just really dumb_

Deanna lied in her bed and sighed heavily. It was pretty evident that Shane had gone back off to Nicole. And when her phone began playing _Moves Like Jagger_, it saddened Deanna more knowing that she originally befriended Kelly to get with Shane.

"Hey Kelly." Deanna said answering her phone.

"…" Deanna frowned at the silence. "It's Shane. My phone is kind of dead right now."

"O-oh." Deanna stammered. "Um, what are you calling for?"

"Nothing really. Just wanted to talk." Shane said.

Deanna smiled. There was hope for her yet.

* * *

_But I,  
I love it when you sing to me  
And you,  
You can sing me anything_

Chandra knew how much trouble she was in. Drew had given her the "We'll talk about it in the morning" look and pointed to her room. Not wanting to risk further punishment, she turned her cell phone off. After changing into her pajamas, she grabbed a yearbook that she had purchased this year and opened it to a marked page. The page showed Aaron's yearbook picture, a red heart around him while she scratched out the name "Santos" and wrote "McDuelle" instead. Smiling, she closed the book, slid it under her bed, and took her pills to go to sleep.

* * *

_The book of love is long and boring,  
And written very long ago  
It's full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes,  
And things we're all too young to know_

Laura could not believe that as tired as she was, she could not go to sleep. She attempted to call Jayden only for his phone to go to voice mail. Annoyed by this, she attempted to think of everything she prayed he was not doing. That is until her bedroom door opened.

"You awake beautiful?" Laura smiled at his voice. "Got room for one more?"

"Always." Laura said as Jayden lied in her bed. "How was the party?"

"I told Scarlett about your pregnancy and kissed her good-bye." Jayden said. Laura nodded. "I'm yours now. Completely."

Laura grinned before kissing him. "You're always mine."

* * *

_But I,  
I love it when you give me things  
And you,  
You ought to give me wedding rings_

Mary-Jane looked at her text from Tyler and smiled to herself. She knew that they were not done with each other, there was too strong of a bond for sex to be the reason. She just felt bad for not telling Marc…

* * *

_And I,  
I love it when you give me things  
And you,  
You ought to give me wedding rings  
You ought to give me wedding rings_

Watching his granddaughter go to sleep, Snake smiled at Jordan's revelation knowing that she was going to do just fine now. He gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead, she murmuring something in her sleep as always. He thought back to the previous school year, thinking about all the drama the students went through. There were good times and bad times. Up-tempo and down-tempo. Times for joy and times for seriousness. And of course, times for love. In fact, the school year could probably have its own soundtrack or musical.

Grinning, he began walking towards a warm light.

"Maybe something else," he said to himself. "Like a record…"

And with that, he faded out into the light.

**The End.**

* * *

******Author's Notes (the last and longest one!):** Okay, first and foremost, thank you for reading _Like A Record_, whether you read just this chapter, just one season, or the whole thing. I thank you so much. I know the chapters were excruciatingly long, but thank you for reading it. Typing it was a drag too! Secondly, I want to point out something someone PM-ed me way back near the beginning and I think there is a review about it. I purposely did two things to differentiate a trend going on now. They were 1) focusing a third generation story around Eli/Clare's son or daughter (or children). I have nothing against the couple, I just like being a bit different. And 2) created all the characters and storylines myself. Again, I have nothing against the whole create-your-own-character stories out there where the author takes request on what each individual character goes through. But I find it lacking the element of surprise, right? I mean, if you knew that Laura was going to get pregnant by simply going through my reviews, then it wouldn't be half as exciting as when she found out. Uh, before I forget, the three songs in this chapter: _Moves Like Jagger, Bleeding Love,_ and_ Book of Love_ are properties of Maroon 5, Leona Lewis, and Peter Gabriel respectively. Let's see... I'd like to say that I had low expectations of this story and it actually surprised me that I reached my 100th review mark. Now, thanks to all of you who reviewed and favored this, I have a sequel coming for this! Okay! I think I'm done! And if you're reading this, here's a treat. Here's a sneak peek of the _already typed_ first episode of _The Day the Music Died_, which will be out by the end of this month! It is titled _The First Cut is the Deepest_. Enjoy and see you real soon!

-o0o-

Chandra Torres sat in her bedroom and sighed heavily. Over the summer she dated a guy named Oliver Ashoona and that turned out to be a big mistake. He was more trouble than he was worth. He was simply annoying or at least he was annoying once Chandra was virtually cleared by her doctor and counselor of her stress-related problems.

Oliver met one pissed off Chandra Torres that day.

Yet, during these past two months, Chandra has been thinking of one person constantly, Aaron. She wondered if he got there safely and just how much time he and Jordan spent together. She hoped that they did not reconcile but so much. Then again, she and Aaron were separated. He could date anyone he wanted to, including Jordan…

Or Farah.

Chandra's cousin, Farah Bhandari.

Chandra frowned slightly at the thought. Farah had been talking to her friends a lot about Aaron, something that bothered Chandra greatly. Sure, Chandra knew that Farah and Aaron spent time before he left for various reasons, but she did not know that much about the guy. Heck, Chandra did not know everything about him and she had been to the boy's house on several occasions!

"Chandra," Alli said holding the cordless house phone. "Telephone." Chandra frowned in question. "It's Vanessa."

Chandra wondered why Vanessa would call her house instead of her cell, but did not argue as she went to answer it.

"Hello?" Chandra said obtaining the phone from her mother, who walked away afterwards.

"Guess what!" Vanessa Brooks said excitedly.

Chandra smiled. "Uh, Ashton proposed and you two are running off to Vegas?"

"You wish," Chandra giggled at Vanessa's response. "But seriously. Ashton said that A.J's back in town." Chandra gasped. "Hello? Bambi? You still there, right?"

"H-he's… He's home?" murmured Chandra.

"That's why I'm calling you!" Vanessa replied. "Ash and I are going to meet up with him and Brie at The Dot in two hours. Are you coming?"

"I…" Chandra paused. Why in the world would she not want to go? "Sure. Let me go find something to wear."

Vanessa giggled. "Remember that A.J isn't all about those new boobs of yours."

Chandra blushed slightly. "Shut up. I'll see you later."

"Later Bambi." Vanessa said hanging up.

Chandra hung up and went to look at her reflection. True to Vanessa's words, she was developing more in the chest area. It was not bad, though she wanted to grow taller not bustier. Of course, perverts like Oliver and Dustin noticed.

Chandra sneered. She hated Dustin and always will. Only because there was a moment that she considered dating him and he up and left her without a word. Out of jealousy at that! In fact, she blames him for ever dating Steven, thus being abused, thus causing her stress, and finally her break-up with Aaron. It was all Dustin's fault. But that aside, she smiled.

"I'm coming A.J." Chandra said to her reflection.


	99. Webisode: Mr and Mrs Smith

**Author's Note: **For those of you who follow Like a Record, the sequel will begin next Friday, February 24. But here's a small little Webisode featuring one of our favorite couples. Enjoy.

* * *

**Mr. and Mrs. Smith**

The married coupled came into the marriage counselor's office, sitting in two separate armchairs that were near each other. The two sat down, the young woman with a small polite smile, though the counselor could tell she was irritated about something, while the young man appearing to be calmer.

"Alright Mr. and Mrs. Smith, is it?" the pair nodded. "Let's begin."

"Uh, can I start?" Jayden asked his wife, Laura, who nodded. "Good. First, I don't think we should be here. Just a few misunderstandings."

"Misunderstandings?"

"There were times when I just wanted to," Jayden pauses and imitates loading a gun, clicking his tongue for sound effects. "You know."

"It's not for the lack of trying…" Laura mumbled.

"Hm?" the counselor asked, not catching her statement.

Laura smiled. "Nothing."

The counselor sighed. "Alright. How long have you two been married?"

"A year." the man said.

"A year and a half." his wife corrected.

Jayden chuckled dryly. "Year. Year and a half. What's the difference right?"

"And on a scale of one through ten how happy are you?" the counselor questioned.

"Seven." Laura said immediately.

"Wait," Jayden replied. "Are you saying that ten is the happiest and one being the least happy or the opposite because-"

"Just respond naturally." the counselor interrupted.

"Oh. Seven and a half." Jayden said causing Laura to scoff.

"How often do you two have sex?" the man asked writing things on his pad.

"…" Laura shifted in her seat. "I don't understand the question. Is this another one-to-ten thing because if we didn't have it, technically speaking, that's zero and there's no zero on your scale."

"No. Just answer the question. How often do you guys have sex?" the counselor asked.

"Not enough." Jayden interrupted in a quiet tone. Laura shot him a small glare.

The counselor nodded. "I see… How honest are you two with each other?"

The two young adults both sighed, neither looking at the counselor now. Jayden stared at the wall, his finger tapping the armrest of the chair he was in while Laura stared at her nails. Seeing that the couple was not going to answer that question anytime soon, the counselor changed his question.

"When and where did you two meet?"

"New York." Jayden said.

Laura sighed. "Toronto."

"That's what I said. Toronto." Jayden responded, Laura palming her forehead. "Three years ago."

"Four." Laura corrected again. "And he didn't tell me his parents were the McDuelles at the time."

"If I remember correctly," Jayden said. "You ran into _my_ hotel after getting into a 'small scuffle' outside, remember?"

"I had Lucky on my side. And he- _it-_ didn't die until after I met you." Laura retorted.

Jayden grinned at the counselor. "My family doesn't believe in luck. That's why." Laura rolled her eyes at her husband's statement. "Shall we move on?"

"Sure," the counselor said grabbing some note cards. "I asked you two to write down things that you haven't told each other. I would like to see how many secrets you can work out right now." The pair nodded. "So, Jayden, turn to Laura and tell her one of the secrets that you've kept from her."

Jayden sighed before slowly turning towards Laura, who merely just turned her head to face him.

"My last name isn't Smith." Jayden said.

"I think I already know that." Laura said calmly. "But, I guess it's my turn. My last name isn't really DeSousa. That's my mom's. It's Reynolds."

Jayden frowned. "Reynolds?"

"Don't get me started on how weird 'McDuelle' is compared to Smith." Laura said.

"Fine, fine," Jayden said. "I never went to Harvard. Notre Dame. Music History." Laura snickered. "Hey, History is reputable."

"Jayden," the counselor said drawing the couple's attention. "Did you mention to her that you were married before?"

"What?" Laura growled.

"I don't know what he's talking about. I think he's-"

"Scarlett?" Jayden released a heavy sigh at the man's words.

"Here I thought we were counseled by another-" Jayden didn't get his words out as Laura began hitting him with a pillow. "Hey! What's your problem?"

"You! You're my problem Jayden!" Laura said before stopping and sighing heavily. "What's her social security number?"

"No… You're not going to kill her." Jayden said calmly. Laura glared at him. "She's under witness protection from gangsters like your parents."

"Or your mob family!" Laura snapped back.

"How are your relationships with the in-laws?" the counselor asked.

"They tried to kill me!" both Jayden and Laura said in unison.

"These guys?" the counselor asked showing pictures to the couple.

"Yep. Those are those two Hollywood fakes!" Laura said pointed to Jayden's parents.

"Wait…" Jayden said. "Who are these guys?" The counselor looked at Laura, Jayden following the man's gaze to his wife. "These are your parents?"

Laura sighed quietly. "Remember when I said I was an orphan and joined the gang that tried to hurt you?" Jayden nodded. "My parents run it. My _real_ parents that is. The one's you know are friends of the family…"

"I said. I said I saw your dad on Survivor. You said he was just a look-alike." Jayden said before sitting back. "Web of lies!"

"Don't get me started." Laura said. "First, you've been _married _before. Second, you've attempted to take me out yourself and-"

"If your aim was better than your cooking, you would have at least hit me once." Jayden said before looking at the counselor. "The one time she actually tried cooking, she almost succeeding in becoming a widow."

"So you two have been physically aggressive towards each other?" the counselor asked.

Jayden and Laura looked at each other before turning towards the man.

"No."

The counselor nodded, writing things down.

"Do you two work around the house together?" the man asked.

"Yes." Laura said. "Just recently we redecorated the house."

"The curtains were horrible." Jayden added.

"_And_," Jayden gave his wife a meek smile. "So we redid the house after some friends of ours blew it up."

Jayden emphasized this by making an exploding motion with his hand. The counselor looked at the two, both smiling and calmer now. He figured that they must have thrown a party and the house was a mess afterwards.

"Okay," the counselor said continuing. "Is that it?"

"She just had a tea party." Jayden said. "But of course you, being a man, should know that I wasn't a part of this meeting. The women there would gang up on me, you know?"

Laura smiled. "Baby, you know they're just playing around."

"Do you two have mutual friends?" the counselor asked.

"Uh, a few. Right honey?" Jayden said, Laura nodding. "She'll take them out one night and then I'll take out the others. We try to take out as much as we can."

"On friend-dates." Laura explained.

"We're a hit, or so I've been told." Jayden said, he and Laura smiling again.

"So," the man said. "You two are generally happy with each other?"

The pair glanced at one another before turning to the marriage counselor.

"I love my wife," Jayden said. "I want her to be happy. But sometimes she does things and I just want to," Jayden motioned himself strangling something. "But… Uh, nothing extreme."

Laura nodded. "There's just this space between us. Like I can't talk to him as much as I want to. And that space gets filled with things we don't say to each other, you know? Why's that?"

"That's marriage." the man said.

"Oh." Laura said quietly.

"Is there anything else that you want to tell each other before you leave?" Jayden and Laura looked at each other.

Jayden sighed. "Laura, I'm sorry for not telling you about my parents and Scarlett… And the fact that I'm not really American, I'm Italian. Oh, and Jackie isn't my cousin she was an ex… Yeah, that's it." Laura frowned. "Oh right! And I love you."

Laura sat quietly before sighing.

"Jayden… I'm Jewish."

Jayden did not move from his spot, his eyes focused on his wife's before rising.

"We're going to have to redo every conversation we ever had!" he exclaimed leaving the room.

Laura gave the counselor a smile.

"To answer the sex question," Laura said. "Ten."

The counselor only nodded before she walked out of the room after her husband. He had to wonder whether or not he did more good then bad. His mind then turned to a more important question.

Who were Mr. and Mrs. Smith?


	100. To The Readers

**Major Announcement!**

****Okay, so starting soon (I don't know when exactly) I'm going to remove The Day the Music Died. But don't worry, I'm just adding it's chapters to the original story Like a Record, continuing it from Season Three. This means that the first season of Day the Music Died will be Season Four and so on.

And while we're at it, the title, "Like a Record" will also change to D3G (Degrassi 3rd Generation) mainly because it _is_ the third generation and the title should reflect that. Hopefully there won't be any confusions when this happens because D3G won't be a new story, just the same story with a new title.

I will also be bringing back Webisodes and the MiTunes chapters because, well, they're fun to do. The story summary will change as well according to the recent updated episode plus I will have the long list of characters and episode guides for the first three seasons on my page. This will help the confusion as to who's who in the D3G world.

Anyway, that's all I have to say. The next chapter of Day the Music Died will be up soon, but of course the change should be made by then... I'm kind of lazy and have a busy schedule so I can't say how soon this will be (sorry!). Until then, read some other great fanfics, go enjoy the summer, and enjoy life.

With love,

DJ


	101. Season4 Episode I: The First Cut

**Season Four: Speak Your Mind**

** Episode I: The First Cut is the Deepest**

_I'm coming home  
I'm coming home  
Tell the world I'm coming home  
Let the rain  
Wash away  
All the pain of yesterday  
I know my kingdom awaits  
And they've forgiven my mistakes  
I'm coming home  
I'm coming home  
Tell the world I'm coming…_

Jayden inhaled deeply, the scent of his girlfriend filling his nostrils. Her head rested on his shoulder as the plane came in for a landing. He had spent the last two months with her in Italy, watching her grow bigger while carrying their triplets. A smile came onto his face as he opened his eyes to look at her sleeping form. Who would have thought that last year around this same time, he and her could not stand the sight of each other? And now they were hardly separated.

Seeing the sun from afar, Jayden sighed.

"Welcome home…" he said quietly.

* * *

Blue eyes opened to the world for the first time that day. Smiling happily, Scarlett Chessex sat up in her bed before turning her head to see the time.

"Crap it!" she said to herself before she quickly moved out of her bed.

Scarlett bolted out of her room, nearly knocking her smaller cousin, Helen Sinclair-Coyne, down in the process.

"Hey! Watch it Scar!" Scarlett paused before turning to give Helen a tight hug. "What's that for?"

"J.T comes home today!" Scarlett said happily. Helen frowned in confusion. What was the big deal? "Hello? The big confession? What happened after the party?"

Helen stood quietly. She, like Scarlett, was an ex of Jayden's to a different extent. Scarlett was in love with the boy while Helen… Well she thought he was attractive. And while Helen did not really condone Scarlett running off to him while he had his pregnant girlfriend, she was glad that Scarlett had finally come to terms that she did indeed love him and he seemed to have similar feelings.

Smiling, Helen winked at her. "Just don't overdo it, okay?" Scarlett nodded before backing for the bathroom. "And use a condom!"

Scarlett shrieked in embarrassment before giving chase to Helen. Helen made an instant beeline for the steps as their normal daily arguments were just beginning.

* * *

Shane Mason groaned as the hands shook him more and more. Opening his eyes he quickly closed them again.

"Kelly! Go away!" he groaned as he attempted to get more sleep.

Kelly Mason placed a hand on her hip.

"Mom called. Manny, A.J, and Jay are returning and she wants us all there for breakfast." Kelly said. "So get up."

"I don't want to…" Shane whined.

Kelly sighed. "Fine… I guess I'll just show Mom and Dad those pictures of you and Deanna…"

After a few seconds of silence, Shane sat up in his bed. His hair a bit longer now displayed wavy strings of sandy-blond on his forehead.

"You know blackmail is illegal right?" Shane questioned.

"Only to those who get caught!" Kelly replied pointedly before giving him a kiss on his forehead. "Come on big brother. Let's get moving. I want to thank Jayden for getting my other mom down here for my birthday."

Shane nodded as Kelly left his room. He then moved to retrieve his charging cell phone on his dresser and sent a text to Deanna. They had to get those pictures away from Kelly sooner than later.

* * *

"Mommy!" Renée and Jenée McDuelle called as Manny stepped foot into her house.

The woman laughed as her twin daughters, now six, hugged her legs. She had not seen them in a month since they left Hawaii and the film she was currently working on began shooting back in a studio in Los Angeles.

"And here I thought I was going to greet you first." Manny's husband, Maxwell McDuelle, said to her with a smile.

Once the twins released her, Manny moved to give him a tight hug. He returned it, giving the base of her neck a small kiss.

"Welcome home Dimples." he murmured into her neck.

* * *

Dakota Nash woke up with a yawn. She spent her summer in San Francisco where her boyfriend, Emmanuel Vazquez, lived. She was okay with a long-distanced relationship, knowing that this year would probably be the last year. It was his senior year and he had promised to apply for schools near her area.

"Dakota," Dakota looked to see her mother, Ellie Lowry, standing at the door. "Kelly called earlier. I guess you're wanted at Jayden's house."

Dakota's eyes lit. "Oh my God! I forgot!" Ellie laughed as her daughter shot from the bed. "He and Laura come back today!"

"I guess so." Ellie said. "You might want to get a move on."

"On it!" replied Dakota as she shot into her large closet.

Ellie shook her head and walked away as Dakota frantically found something to wear, a towel, and a rag to go to the bathroom with. How could she forget her dubbed brother's and her best friend's return? Had Emmanuel taken so much of Dakota's attention that she forgot about them?

She only hoped she beat them there or else Laura would probably be angry. And that was a bad thing.

* * *

"My feet hurt." Jayden laughed at his girlfriend's complaint.

"Laura, we've been walking for three minutes." he said. "They can't hurt _that_ bad. Besides, you just had two months off of them."

"Did anyone ask you that?" Laura shot back before smiling. "You're so lucky you're cute Dimples or I would think about going black widow on you."

Jayden raised a brow. "What? Months out of school has made you that much smarter that you know your species of spiders instead of just stomping on them while screaming like a little girl?"

"I am a girl asshole and I hate spiders." retorted the pregnant teen as Jayden just shrugged his shoulders. "I can't believe that we just left a whole year's worth of clothes back there."

"I keep telling you," Jayden said. "That place is our _home_. What point is it to buy clothes here, take them there, and bring back when we're just going to be back there sooner or later?" Laura glared at him. "Hey, it's not my fault you don't know the difference between a hotel and a vacation _home_. Two big differences."

"Whatever." Laura said as the two came towards Jayden's siblings, Danica and Aaron, as well as Jordan Cameron.

"Wow. I thought you couldn't get bigger." Laura gave Danica a middle finger for the statement before the two exchanged a hug. "How have you been? Jay's been treating you right, right? Or do I have to make him?"

"He's fine. His sons and daughter on the other hand, now that's a different story." Laura answered as they neared Maxwell's SUV that Danica was driving. "Your summer?"

"Summer things. Summer friends. Summer flings. Summer ends." Danica responded. "I did, however, get to meet someone from the Kennedy line."

"Really? Cute guy?" Laura asked.

Danica shrugged. "He was alright. Nothing to jump up and down about. Even if his family is like presidential royalty and stuff." Laura nodded as Jayden opened the back door for her, helping her inside. "And you? Meet anyone new that had Jayden all super-protective of you?"

"Yep," Aaron looked at Jayden after Laura replied positively with such a happy tone. Jayden waved him off before Jordan climbed into the seat beside Laura. "Jason and Jaylen."

"How do they look?" Danica asked from the driver seat.

Laura shrugged. "Don't know. Haven't seen them yet."

Danica frowned. "How the hel…" Danica then gasped. "Oh my God, you named the kids already?!" Laura laughed, but nodded. "And you didn't call?! You bitch!"

"Hey! It was your asshole brother's idea!" Laura shot back. "Besides, your ungrateful ass should be happy that our daughter's name will be Daniella after you!"

Danica turned her eyes to Jayden, who sat in the passenger seat before pulling him over and kissing his cheek.

"Say it, don't spray." Jayden grumbled as he attempted to get comfortable in the seat.

"You are so lovable some times during the day." Danica said starting the car up. "I don't know why I wanted to kill you so badly when we were younger."

"Aren't you glad that you didn't?" Jayden responded.

"Not really," Aaron and Jordan snickered at that. "But if I had to be honest with you, you didn't turn out that bad. Sans getting a girl pregnant in high school while dating another, you're pretty alright little brother."

"When I'm awake, I'll call you out of shape or something." Jayden said closing his eyes. "For now, Jayden is leaving the building."

"Go ahead." Danica said. "So Aaron Jordan and Jordan, how was your trip?"

"Long." Jordan answered. "It's good to be back."

"Tell me about it." Danica muttered.

* * *

Deanna Fitzgerald looked at herself in her mirror, her face twisted in a thinking fashion. Finally she smiled and nodded. Since Kelly's birthday party, she and Shane had grown noticeably closer. And by that, she means that they were practically dating even though neither has formally just come out and asked. They have gone on several dates, hung out whenever Kelly was working for The Core at the time, and have just lied around whenever he was too tired to do anything else. They had even had sex two more times since the first time, each time more memorable than the last. But Deanna knew that Shane really did not want to use her for sexual frustrations. In fact, all three times it had been her to initiate it. Yet, he was more than willing to make her happy. Strangely he did that without trying some times.

"Going somewhere?" Deanna saw her fraternal twin's reflection in the mirror. While they were on speaking terms now, there was still some hostility between them. More specifically; Mercedes Van Zandt.

"Out." replied Deanna as she turned to face him. "You?"

"Not right now." DeWayne answered. "Going to see him?"

Deanna rolled her eyes. "Shane and I are just good friends Wayne. The moment we start dating, I will tell you." DeWayne muttered something incoherent to Deanna. "Sorry. I don't speak jealousy."

"And why would I be jealous of him?" DeWayne questioned. "Have you seen where he lives? Where he works? No. I think I have a better life than that."

"Sad," Deanna said nearing her door. "Because only one of you has someone as perfect like me in their lives. And it's not you."

Deanna walked past her brother to exit her room smiling. Today was the first day of a stronger relationship with Shane, seeing as he sent her a text to join him for breakfast. She has had breakfast with Shane, Kelly, and their dad, but never their whole family.

Today she and Shane would probably formalize their relationship.

Finally.

* * *

"Emma!" Manny said hugging her best friend tightly. The two were in Manny's backyard where Manny's younger children (Katya, Christian, Renée, and Jenée) helped her set the tables. "It's been too long!"

"Yes it has." Emma said as the two woman separated. "So how's the movie coming along?"

"We _should've_ been finished by now but there were weather delays and injuries and stuck up actors. It'll be a miracle when this thing is finally over." Manny answered. "I really need a vacation. Just to relax and rest and not have to worry about anything."

"Well knowing your husband that won't be a problem as soon as you get home." said Emma before smiling. "You know he helped us with a new restaurant, right?"

Manny nodded. "I heard. I'm proud of him for getting back to his creative roots. So when's the grand opening?"

"Next Friday." Emma said with a sigh. "All that hard work… And reopening Above the Dot too? It's been a rollercoaster of a ride."

Manny smiled. "I bet." Emma's daughter, Anastasia, ran out to play with the twins, causing Manny to sigh. "Well, the girls are together. The guys are in the kitchen. That could only mean one thing."

"What's that?" Emma asked.

"Something is about to happen." Manny said before a knock came on the fence. She frowned before going to let the knocker in, only to see Scarlett and Helen. "Oh, hello. If you're looking for Jayden, he hasn't come back yet."

"Told you he wasn't back yet." Helen muttered to Scarlett.

"Oh… Thanks Mrs. McDuelle." Scarlett said.

"You're welcome to stay Scarlett. There really isn't a point in going back if you're just going to return." Manny stated.

"Thanks but-"

"I insist. Stay. Besides, Jay would love the company of more friends. Shane and Kelly are inside helping out if you wanted to talk to them." Manny interrupted Scarlett before allowing the two girls to enter her backyard. "So how was your summer? Danni says that she met you guys in Miami?"

"Yeah, she came for a few weeks." Scarlett said with a smile as Helen moved for the backdoor.

"I'm glad that you guys had fun." Manny stated. "Though… I heard something about some guys? You're not getting promiscuous are you Miss Chessex?"

Scarlett grinned. "No. Just waiting as normal."

* * *

Chandra Torres sat in her bedroom and sighed heavily. Over the summer she dated a guy named Oliver Ashoona and that turned out to be a big mistake. He was more trouble than he was worth. He was simply annoying or at least he was annoying once Chandra was virtually cleared by her doctor and counselor of her stress-related problems.

Oliver met one pissed off Chandra Torres that day.

Yet, during these past two months, Chandra has been thinking of one person constantly, Aaron. She wondered if he got there safely and just how much time he and Jordan spent together. She hoped that they did not reconcile but so much. Then again, she and Aaron were separated. He could date anyone he wanted to, including Jordan…

Or Farah.

Chandra's cousin, Farah Bhandari.

Chandra frowned slightly at the thought. Farah had been talking to her friends a lot about Aaron, something that bothered Chandra greatly. Sure, Chandra knew that Farah and Aaron spent time before he left for various reasons, but she did not know _that_ much about the guy. Heck, Chandra did not know everything about him and she had been to the boy's house on several occasions!

"Chandra," Alli said holding the cordless house phone. "Telephone." Chandra frowned in question. "It's Vanessa."

Chandra wondered why Vanessa would call her house instead of her cell, but did not argue as she went to answer it.

"Hello?" Chandra said obtaining the phone from her mother, who walked away afterwards.

"Guess what!" Vanessa Brooks said excitedly.

Chandra smiled. "Uh, Ashton proposed and you two are running off to Vegas?"

"You wish," Chandra giggled at Vanessa's response. "But seriously. Ashton said that A.J's back in town." Chandra gasped. "Hello? Bambi? You still there, right?"

"H-he's… He's home?" murmured Chandra.

"That's why I'm calling you!" Vanessa replied. "Ash and I are going to meet up with him and Brie at The Dot in two hours. Are you coming?"

"I…" Chandra paused. Why in the world would she _not_ want to go? "Sure. Let me go find something to wear."

Vanessa giggled. "Remember that A.J isn't all about those new boobs of yours."

Chandra blushed slightly. "Shut up. I'll see you later."

"Later Bambi." Vanessa said hanging up.

Chandra hung up and went to look at her reflection. True to Vanessa's words, she was developing more in the chest area. It was not bad, though she wanted to grow taller not bustier. Of course, perverts like Oliver and Dustin noticed.

Chandra sneered. She hated Dustin and always will. Only because there was a moment that she considered dating him and he up and left her without a word. Out of jealousy at that! In fact, she blames him for ever dating Steven, thus being abused, thus causing her stress, and finally her break-up with Aaron. It was all Dustin's fault. But that aside, she smiled.

"I'm coming A.J." Chandra said to her reflection.

* * *

Danica pulled up to her parents' house.

"We are finally here." Danica said before looking to her right to see Jayden asleep in the passenger seat.

"He's been up for two months," said Laura from the backseat. "At least let him sleep for five minutes."

"I suppose you're right." Danica replied. "Go ahead and go up there. I'll get him up."

Aaron helped Laura out of the car before he, Jordan, and Laura headed for his house. Danica looked at Jayden sleeping, a smile coming onto her face. She was proud at her brother and how he handled his past problems. Next to not telling Scarlett he cheated on her, he faced his other problems head on with as much composure as he could muster at the time.

But he still had to wake up.

"Wakey, wakey, little Jady!" Danica said pinching his cheek. He groaned and swatted her hand away. "Hey, we're home so get up."

Jayden glared at his sister. "_We_ live in an apartment."

"My foot is about to permanently move into your ass if you don't get up." Jayden sighed heavily, undoing his seatbelt. "Hey, if it was up to me, we'd be at home sleeping too. Unfortunately, your mom wanted to see you."

"That can't be good." Jayden said before yawning. "Who is in control with time? I need to talk to them about longer nights and no time zones."

Danica smiled. "How about when we get home, I make sure that no one bothers you except for Laura?"

"I'd give you a Purple Heart medal but people have to be wounded to receive those." Jayden joked getting out of his father's Escalade.

Danica grinned and got out with Jayden, the two moving for the open front door. Jayden paused at the first person he saw through the screen door; Scarlett. The last time he saw her was when he kissed her goodbye.

"She's not going to bite you." Danica said reaching for the screen door. "Well, unless she's into that kind of stuff."

Jayden followed his sister into their parents' house. As soon as they stepped in, he was greeted by a tackling hug from both Renée and Jenée.

"We missed you!" Jenée said with a wide smile.

Jayden grinned. "I missed you two brats too."

Danica rolled her eyes. "No. Danni didn't come in."

Maxwell laughed, moving to his oldest child and hugged her.

"I sure missed you Danni." he said before kissing her forehead. "And thank you for picking them up."

Danica shrugged. "You know me Dad. Always helping and asking for nothing in return."

"Come on," Maxwell said. "Wash your hands and let's go out in the back. Spin and I worked hard to make this breakfast and I don't want it getting cold."

"Let's go Jenée." Renée said.

"Okay." Jenée responded, the two scampering towards the bathroom to wash their hands with Danica walking behind them.

Jayden sighed before Maxwell placed a hand on his eldest son's shoulder.

"How was the honeymoon?" joked Maxwell, Jayden grinning in response. "I hear my precious mother went out there. How did that go?"

"In a twist of horrific events," Jayden said. "Grandma _loves_ Laura and pinned the whole thing on _me_." Jayden sighed heavily. "I think that woman has something against you and me for looking like you. Or Reggie…"

"Well son, my twin and I put our mother through a lot as kids, so you looking like us didn't do you any justice there." Maxwell responded. "But she did tell me how hard you were working for Laura. Housework that is. She says that she's proud of you. And I am too."

"Thanks Dad." Jayden said.

"Now," Maxwell began. "Go wash your hands and go out back."

"Sure." Jayden said moving for the bathroom, dodging his twin sisters who bolted out. "You two haven't learned how to walk yet?"

Out in the back, Scarlett sat quietly beside Helen at one of the few tables scattered about the McDuelle's backyard.

"And you ran?" Helen whispered to Scarlett. "Real smooth Scar."

Scarlett scoffed quietly. "Okay, his pregnant girlfriend is over there with her parents. What would you have done if you were in my shoes?" Helen stared at Scarlett. "Okay, so you would make a scene because it's you. But _I'm_ not like that."

"Whatever." Helen said as Jayden entered his backyard with a plate in his hands. "By the way, here comes the groom."

"Shut it." Scarlett said as Jayden sat at a table in-between his younger sister, Katya, and Aaron.

"We can eat!" Shane cheered. Deanna, who sat beside him, giggled quietly behind a hand.

"Before that," Jayden announced, Shane grumbling. "Laura and I have a very special announcement." Bianca frowned, looking at her daughter out the corner of her eyes. "We have named our kids."

"Really?!" the outburst came from Manny. "I wanted to help with that!"

Jayden smiled. "It's alright Mama, I think we handled it well without you." Manny nodded but still looked quite downhearted about that. "Um, first of all, our daughter's name will be Daniella Maxine after my big sis and my dad."

"Aw." Emma said. "That's sweet."

"Jaylen Sosa which is a very strange mix of my name and Laura's and Sosa came from DeSousa, her mother's last name." Bianca's eyes widened at that statement before Jayden continued. "And Jason Santos after my best friends' last name, Mason, Laura's dad's name, Jonathan, and my mother's maiden name."

"Alright, I got in there!" Gavin said, drawing a few laughs from the others.

Jayden smiled. "Yeah Spin, you're in there too."

"Now that I know what my grandkids' names are," Maxwell said. "You mind sitting down so we can eat?"

"Seriously Dad? Do you know how hard it is to come up with names that everyone will be happy about?" Jayden replied sitting down. "Least you could be is happy…"

Sitting with her parents, Laura smiled at Jayden's downcast expression, knowing that it was only a front.

"Thank you." Laura looked at Bianca with shock as her mother ate silently. Bianca paused in her eating and stared at Laura. "I'm not repeating myself so you'd best move on."

"You're welcome." Laura said eating as well.

John Reynolds shook his head. His daughter and her mother were so alike in so many aspects that he was actually worried about Jayden's well-being. Putting up with Bianca without living with her was hard. Putting up with a pregnant Laura… That must be hair-pulling stressful.

* * *

Mary-Jane Del Rossi rolled her eyes.

"Whatever Simon." she said to her best friend's brother. "Amber, are you ready to go?"

Amber Clarke nodded. "Yeah." she then looked at her brother. "So when do you leave for Banting?"

"Uh, a few days." Simon answered. "But I'll be here for your first day of your senior year."

Mary-Jane sighed contently. "Senior year… Doesn't that sound so great?"

"It does." Amber stated with a smile."Now are you coming or what?"

"And you call me impatient." Mary-Jane said smiling. "See you later Si. Hopefully your sister will be in a better mood."

"Me being in a better mood? You've been rushing me since you got here!" Amber retorted, though Mary-Jane just waved her off.

"Yeah, yeah," Amber rolled her eyes at her friend's nonchalant attitude now. "Let's just go."

The two walked out of the home leaving Amber's brother alone for a moment. A smile came onto his face as he chuckled.

"They're still the same." Simon said through his laugh.

* * *

Jayden looked around the room before sighing.

"I miss this place." he said.

"I bet." Scarlett said sitting on the bed. "But, I wanted to talk to you about what happened before you left." Jayden nodded, knowing she would. "I take it you didn't tell Laura."

"Told her once I saw her." Jayden answered. "I try not to keep secrets between us. Laura and I, that is."

Nodding, Scarlett smiled. "I see…"

"Dimples, out." Laura said moving to the room. "I need to talk to her alone."

Jayden stood silently, looking at Laura. He was thankful that she was pregnant and unable to get into a physical fight. Well, she would and has _attempted_ to do so, but Laura would never put her kids in jeopardy. He then nodded and left, letting current and ex talk.

"…" Scarlett sat on the bed quietly, her original plan now shot to pieces. "Hello Laura."

"We're not civil so don't start acting like it." Scarlett's eyes narrowed, remembering just why she never liked Laura in the first place. "I came here because I want you to do something for me."

"And why would I do that?" questioned Scarlett.

Laura sighed. "Do you want to be with Jayden or not?" The question seemed to throw Scarlett for a loop, but she was able to nod her head anyway. "Look, we both know that that idiot will probably waste his life away waiting on me to return from school in England. And an impatient Jayden is an annoying one."

"Okay… So what do you want me for?" Scarlett asked.

"Watch him while I'm gone." Laura said. She saw Scarlett's eyes widened and held up a hand. "Before you have an orgasm on his bed, let me tell you what you _can't_ do or else I'll have to fly back here, kick your ass, and then tell Helen the exact same thing."

"What is it?" Scarlett said.

"One," Laura said. "You are not and will never be the mother to my kids. If Jayden says babysit them, do so. But in any emergency, you'd best call his parents or mine or Dash's. And don't use them to get to him." Scarlett moved her head, agreeing with that. "Two, when I'm back, let go and move on. I'm only allowing you to do this because I know it'll make him happy as well. I can't be there for him like he is for me. I've learned that. So you will be my replacement until I get back, got it?"

"Is that it?" Scarlett said, attempting to mask the excitement in her voice.

"You are not allowed to have sex with him." Scarlett frowned. "Don't give me that look because he is still mine and I don't want _any_ of my kids' siblings to be yours. And finally," Laura paused. "Finally, you do whatever it is to make him happy. Again, don't spend your time building points up with the kids because they'll be too young to care, but Jay… He's special to me and I want to come back and see him happy. Do that for me and I'll drop the original ass-kicking you deserve."

"As if I needed you to do that," Scarlett replied. "But fine. I'll do it."

Laura smirked. "I knew you would. You may be spoiled and a bitch, but no one has called you dumb before. Well, except for dancing with DeWayne that led to this." Laura finished her statement by patting her enlarged stomach.

Scarlett took the jab for one great reason; she didn't have a comeback. If she did, then she would have used it.

Laura reached for the door.

"Oh," Laura said. "Don't go blabbing to Jayden about this, okay? I'll tell him later, alright?"

"Sure." Scarlett said as Laura left. She released a small sigh before smiling widely. The door opened again to reveal Jayden. "Oh, hey."

"You're alive? That's good." he replied. "So Red, what did you have to say?"

* * *

Chandra sat at the table with Gabrielle Nunez, Ashton Manning, and Vanessa. The four were at The Dot waiting for Aaron to get there.

"So," Chandra said looking around. "Where is he?"

"Gee Bambi, could you worry any more?" Vanessa retorted. "He'll be here. A.J always keeps his promises."

Chandra looked to see Gabrielle nod in concurrence. She realized that out of all of them present, Gabrielle would know him best. She's been to his house more than them and has known all about Aaron's background long before Jordan revealed it to the cafeteria.

"How's Steven?" Gabrielle asked Ashton.

Ashton shrugged. "I don't go check in on him. He might do something, I don't know. What alcoholics plus pill-addicts my do."

"Why do you have to be so negative?" asked Vanessa.

Ashton combed his bangs back with his fingers and gave his girlfriend a blank stare.

"I'm not 'negative.' I'm realistic. And realistically, Dakota threw-up all over the place so I'm not trying to find out what Steven will do." Ashton replied. "Besides, that's what parents are for, right? I sure as hell am not his parent."

"A.J's here." Gabrielle pointed out.

Chandra held her breath for a moment as Aaron walked into the café with Jordan behind him, both of them talking and laughing about something. For a moment, Chandra saw her worse fears. She saw Aaron and Jordan rekindling. And then he looked at her with the normal warm and welcoming smile that he, and admittedly Jayden, had.

"You know Santos," Ashton stated as Aaron neared them. "It's bad enough I was waiting for you with Bambi, but her too? You really are a magnet for annoying woman."

Aaron only laughed quietly. "Nice to see you too." Aaron then looked over towards Chandra. "All of you."

Jordan looked between Aaron and Chandra before placing a hand on Aaron's shoulders.

"I'm going to go get something to drink." Jordan said to Aaron. "Break the ice with you-know."

Aaron gave Jordan a nod as she moved for the counter. Aaron sat down at the remaining empty seat at the table.

"Wow… This is awkward…" Vanessa said, causing Aaron and Chandra to look at her. "It is."

"Looks like you've gained my ability to say the absolute wrong yet truly right thing at the time." Ashton said. "So how about we give them some space?" Ashton looked at Gabrielle. "Even you."

"Fine." Vanessa said rising. "But I want to hear about this." Chandra gave her friend a nod as Gabrielle and Ashton stood up as well. "This isn't fair…"

Aaron watched Ashton lead Vanessa and Gabrielle to another table, Jordan sitting at a table by herself. His brown eyes then turned to his ex-girlfriend, meeting her brown with his own. If ever there was a moment that he was truly vulnerable and exposed, it would be when Jordan announced that he was Jayden's brother. And Chandra helped him through that. It was those thoughts that kept his mind from scanning her developing body and focused on her eyes. Or as Jayden says, "The windows to a woman's soul."

"How was your summer?" Chandra asked, a sorry attempt to break the awkwardness as Aaron just shrugged. "You're going to have to be more specific."

Aaron sighed quietly. "We had lessons, like everyday. But we got to travel all of Japan just about. Made some new friends too."

"You and Jordan seem to be getting along again." Aaron nodded at Chandra's statement.

"Yeah. We realized that we only knew each other going on the trip and it was better to be together than against one another." Aaron answered. "I forgave her and everything. And she apologized countless of times."

"Oh…" Chandra said.

"Have you talked to Farah?" Chandra shook her head, causing Aaron to frown. "Why not?" Chandra sat quietly. "Bambi, you can't disown your cousin over what happened between us. She's your family. She's important to you."

"She also stole my phone, kissed my boyfriend, and did everything in her power to make me look like a bad girlfriend." Chandra responded. "Some family."

"You're talking to a guy with _six_ other siblings. I know how annoying family can be." Aaron said. "Besides, we're friends now. I shouldn't be a factor between either of you unless one of you is mad that I'm friends with the other."

Chandra could only stare at Aaron for a moment, wondering if he saw how bad the statement hurt her. She did not want to be just a friend to Aaron.

"I heard you dated Oliver." Aaron announced.

"Farah?" Chandra replied.

"No. Tevin sent Jordan a text. And Jayden told me." Chandra frowned. "He and Shane were chatting a bit while he was away. Said that you two came here quite a bit."

"Oh…" Chandra said. "A.J, I didn't date him because I knew it would make you or Farah mad. I just…" Aaron tilted his head to the side in a questioning manner. "It's hard to explain."

"I understand." responded Aaron.

"How? How can you _always_ understand me when I have trouble understanding myself?" Chandra questioned.

Aaron smiled. "I don't know. I just do." Chandra did not argue knowing he was right. He normally was. "I'm going to go talk to Jordan for a while, okay? I'll be back over here soon."

"Oh. Okay." Chandra replied as he rose. "You've gotten a bit taller."

"You've grown as well." Chandra sat with a shocked look on her face, though Aaron only smiled at her. "I guess you sometimes forget that I'm a guy Bambi. I do have eyes. But, I don't think you've changed much."

Chandra scoffed. "You've turned into a pervert A.J."

"What I mean is," Aaron said. "You are still as beautiful as you were before I left for Japan." Chandra blushed, turning away. She had _no idea_ where he had gotten this smooth side of him, but she loved it. "I'll be right back."

It took a full five seconds after Aaron walked away for Vanessa to be at Chandra's side.

"So, what did he say? What happened? Are you two back together or-"

"Nessa," Chandra cut her friend off. "You're talking too fast." Vanessa mumbled an apology before sitting in a seat. "And no, we're not together but he's gotten real smooth. Like better than his brother."

Vanessa smiled. "So do you want to jump him now?"

"No! Th-that's…" Chandra paused as she saw Jordan and Aaron laughing about a joke. "Just no. Not right now."

"Okay." Vanessa said. "Ta-ta for now."

"Uh-huh." Chandra said, still watching Aaron talking to Jordan.

* * *

Tyler opened his door before the redhead all but threw herself onto him. And after four or five heavy kisses, he then realized that it was Helen that he had in his arms.

"You're back!" Tyler said before frowning. "And how'd you know where I stayed?"

"Your dad." Helen answered looking around. "Not too shabby. I might be up here a lot."

"Well, there's plenty of room for you." Helen nodded and moved for the couch. "I have something for you. Just stay put for a second."

"I wasn't planning on going anywhere." Helen said as Tyler moved for his bedroom.

Helen looked around the apartment, noticing that the one-bedroom apartment was furnished with some expensive things. Her eyes then moved to the blinking light on the table and she reached for Tyler's cell phone. Being the nosy girlfriend that she was, she could not help but to see what was so urgent. So she read the incoming text message before frowning.

**MJ Del_Rossi: C U 2nite. Nu lingerie 4 u.**

Tyler moved into the room with a smile that slowly faded as Helen's glaring eyes landed on him.

"She's dead." Helen said getting up.

"Helen wait I-"

"If you get in my way," Helen said standing at the door. "You'll share a coffin with her."

And with that, the girl stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her. With each step she took, Helen's anger slowly morphed into sadness. She was actually going to try something with Tyler. Instead of dating just to be dating, she was going to attempt something like her cousin and Jayden. Something meaningful. But she lost out to Mary-Jane Del Rossi.

So this meant war.

* * *

Deanna rolled her eyes.

"I do _not_ snore and I do _not_ have a foot fetish!" Jayden and Laura looked at Shane as he merely shrugged.

"She's been checking her toenails and mine all summer long. It's either a concern or a fetish." Shane replied.

"It's not a fetish!" Deanna retorted.

"So," said Jayden as Laura nestled beside him. "Are you two dating or just friends with benefits?"

Deanna looked at Jayden. "The second one. But hey, that worked out for you two right?" Jayden nodded. "We're not in any rush."

"He's not." corrected Jayden looking at his friend.

Shane sighed. "You didn't see Nicky over the summer. She's gotten out of control again."

"Give up on her." Laura said. "Obviously she doesn't care about you."

"I'm not following her a lot." Deanna gave a quiet hum. "What was that about?"

"You've been worried about her more than you're saying." Deanna told Shane. "You try not to, but you do. I've seen it first hand."

Jayden smirked. "Well Shane, what are you going to do? Play hero again or are you going to count this as a lost?"

Shane was going to respond until he looked at Deanna sitting on the edge of the bed with her arms slightly crossed. He and Deanna have been growing closer all summer long, to the point where they had sometimes forgotten that Kelly was either with or not with them.

"You're up here." Dakota said with a quiet sigh as she entered Jayden's former bedroom.

Laura frowned. "Where have you been Dash?"

"I had things to do and I-"

"Forgot. It's a good thing that we didn't name any child after you. They'd probably be late for delivery." Jayden interrupted.

Dakota's shoulders dropped. "Jay, it's been a _long_ summer. Did you forget all the business with the band that you left me to do? I hardly had time to speak to Emmanuel and I was physically in San Francisco."

"Your godmother sucks." Laura said looking at her enlarged stomach. "Don't be like her."

Shane frowned. "How'd she get godmother?"

"Easy. I picked her." stated Laura. Shane looked at Jayden who shrugged. "Are you or Dimples going to do something about it?" Both boys shook their heads no. "I didn't think so."

"Where's Kelly?" Dakota asked.

"She stepped out. Story for The Core and all." Shane answered.

"Oh…" Dakota responded.

* * *

"They'll never find out." Kelly told Hakim Bhandari as the two walked down a busy sidewalk downtown. "They think I have a story and I don't."

Hakim nodded. "That's good." Kelly smiled as she leaned against him. "So, your parents' new restaurant opens up in a few days. I was thinking we could go there fore a date. Support your family while enjoying your day off?"

Kelly sighed. "It's like they made you for me." Hakim laughed. "Of course we're going. And you're treating."

"Sure." Hakim said with a smile.

* * *

Tevin Sharpe walked to his front door, pushing his dreads into a ponytail. This summer, he had actually gotten to know one Chandra Torres to a degree. Well, as much information as she was going to give him. Which was basically a "stay away from me" followed by an insult of her choice. But what he did find out was she was dating Oliver for a while, meaning she and Aaron broke up.

Opening the front door, Tevin was unprepared for the hand that went across his face. The resounding slap was enough to make Tevin take a step backwards to catch his balance. His eyes turned to the owner of the hand, seeing one pissed off Jordan Cameron.

"You can consider us done." Jordan said.

Tevin frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"You flirting with Chandra Torres, that's what!" Jordan shouted. "What? You thought I would never find out? You're a pig like A.J said you were!"

"A.J? What did he-"

"He told me _before_ school let out and I just didn't listen." Jordan said angrily.

Tevin frowned, rubbing his sore cheek. "You think he'll just take you back or something?"

"You always thought that I was that stupid, didn't you?" Jordan retorted. "You were competing with that loser Dustin Hayes over _Chandra Torres_! And the worst thing is, you have the _nerve_ to stand there like you didn't!"

"What do you want me to say?" Tevin asked.

"I want you to promise me something," said Jordan. "Promise me to stay out of my life until the day I die."

Tevin went to respond, but his words fell short from reaching his lips. He just stared at Jordan a bit. She had not changed much, a bit taller, a tad more developed, and her hair longer. She was beyond attractive and looked every bit of the beauty queen that she wanted to portray. But there was another side to Jordan Cameron and that was her intelligence. Many forgot that Jordan, as pretty as she was, was smarter than most people in her grade.

And as she walked for her cab, Tevin stood silently watching. He had lost a good one. But it was for a better one. And that's just the way his life was.

* * *

Farah Bhandari sat on her friend's bed. She was currently at Chandler MacGregor's house with Chandler and their friend Nigel Betenkamp.

"So you didn't go see him?" Chandler asked. "I thought you said that you two were close?"

"We are. We were at least. I think Chandra got to him first… Again." was Farah's response. "And if that happened then it's really no point in me trying."

Chandler frowned. "Farah, you really like him. Why can't you date the extremely cute and nice A.J McDuelle?"

"I don't know. Chandra just sees a big problem with that." Farah said.

"Maybe you should just go find A.J." Chandler said. "We'll help you, right Benny?"

Nigel nodded. "Sure."

Farah smiled. "Thanks you two. You're the best friends a girl could ask for."

"Come on! Let's go!" Chandler said excitedly.

* * *

"Seriously Santos, I don't think we care." Ashton told Aaron as Aaron finished his story about his summer. "Japan is what it's always been. Another island in the ocean filled with island people and volcanoes."

"I take it that you didn't have a good summer." Aaron said.

"Understatement of my life." Aaron laughed a bit at Ashton's response. "It was always 'Steven this' and 'Steven that' I was about to change my name!" Vanessa and Chandra rolled their eyes. "Oh and then there was the whole, 'Help me break Bambi up with Oliver before A.J comes back' thing. I have no idea how it's the people physically out of my life that causes me the most stress." Ashton paused. "Well except for you Brie. But then again, I doubt you cause anyone stress."

Aaron looked at Gabrielle as the group moved up his driveway to his house. She had been quiet for the majority of the time, especially whenever Ashton referred to her. Aaron realized that Gabrielle's crush on Ashton had done nothing but grown since school let out.

"Well," said Aaron. "Everyone's still here so expect a pretty hectic scene."

Chandra smiled. "I think I'm quite used to your family by now A.J."

Aaron only nodded before opening his front door, the noise of random chatting and laughter already reaching his ears. He had no idea when Isabella arrived, but he could see her and his older sister talking outside the kitchen.

Not wanting to be put in another headlock by Danica, Aaron led his friends upstairs. He was making a beeline for his bedroom before he almost bumped into his brother who was leaving the twins' room.

"Well, well, well," Jayden said looking at the younger kids. "What do we have here?"

Aaron sighed. "Hey Jay."

Jayden frowned. "Seriously Brie? We don't speak anymore?" Gabrielle smiled at Jayden's words before his eyes moved to Chandra. "And Bambi, I thought we had something special before A.J came and tore us a part. I am so, so very hurt."

"Hey Jay. How was your summer in Italy?" asked Chandra.

"Eventful and relaxing all at once." Jayden said. "I heard that you were dating some Oliver kid that Torrie knows. I hope you ended that."

"I did." Jayden nodded.

"Good."

"Dimples!" Jayden sighed heavily before Laura slowly moved out of the doorway. "We have to go."

"I said we could leave in five minutes so you can watch-"

"My water just broke!" Laura shouted.

"Oh damn…" Jayden said. "Uh, okay. A.J, get our parents. Shane! Help me get Laura to the car!"

"On it." Shane said taking one of Laura's arms around his neck as Jayden moved on the other side. "Deanna, can you call Kelly?"

"Already calling her." Deanna said, her phone already dialing Kelly's number.

"Dash, can you get my bag? It's in the closet." Jayden said leading Laura to the steps. "Why the hell do we have steps in this house?!"

"Jayden get me to the car and get me to the damn hospital now!" Laura growled.

"Okay, okay, I am. Just don't kill me in the process because I'm trying." Jayden said as they moved down the steps slowly.

"Whose car can get out fastest?" Manny asked moving for the door.

"I parked on the side so I can get out fastest." Isabella said following Manny. "Come on Laura, you'll ride with me."

Jayden felt his legs weaken, though he still carried Laura to Isabella's car, putting her in the backseat before getting in with her. In a few moments he would be a father. His mind could hardly process this. He had been preparing himself for this day for months now and yet it still caught him off guard.

"Jayden," Laura's voice broke him out of his thoughts as she continued her heavy breathing. "Please… Please don't… Blank out on me… Now…"

Jayden stared at her. Here was his girlfriend and she needed him. How she would have survived carrying his kids without him was something Jayden did not ever want to think about. Yet, Jayden doubted Laura knew how much he needed her. Despite all the cracks and jokes, he knew just how far gone he would be if Laura never accepted his offer.

Taking her hand into his, Jayden smiled at her.

"Breathe. We're almost there." he said calmly to her.

Even though she was sweating now and panting, Jayden could see a smile on her face. If only he knew what was coming next…

* * *

Seconds…

Minutes…

Hours…

Aaron waited patiently. Shane and Kelly waited patiently. Emma, Sean, and Gavin waited patiently. They all waited patiently for the news. Laura's screams had died down momentarily and Jayden was asked to leave the room for whatever the reason was. Dakota sat with him, rubbing his back as he prayed silently in his chair.

It was then that a doctor came to Jayden and led him into the room where Laura was. There was no noise. No fussing. Nothing. Another doctor went into the room, something that alerted Maxwell, who was stopped at the door from entering. Manny restrained her husband who was irate for not being allowed to enter, but he stopped nonetheless. Bianca, though seated, was not doing any better than Maxwell was. Every doctor and nurse that went by her got an earful of angered words.

Minutes later Scarlett, Helen, Fiona, and Blue arrived. Manny gave them a briefing of the delivery. It was Scarlett who first questioned what was going on in the room, a question that went unanswered.

Danica was the next to pop her lid. And while Isabella attempted to quell her friend's anger, Danica was having none of it. She had made it quite clear that she would physically force her way inside if needed be. A security guard addressed Danica for her behavior, but was soon shot down by the young woman and both of her parents. Even Manny's parents drove the man away with words.

A doctor came to allow only the grandparents to enter. The four present parents of the new teen parents moved into the room where the door was shut again. Danica let out an obscenity that many heard but none corrected her language.

Emma moved towards the door seconds before it opened and Manny stepped out. It was apparent that she was crying, something that caused Danica to move to door again. Manny's words were incoherent to those sitting down, but they all read her lips clearly.

One of the boys did not make it.

Scarlett released a breath. She didn't know that she was holding a breath until the words left Manny's mouth and a feeling of despair washed over her body. Jayden must be devastated. And Laura… Scarlett could only imagine just how bad she must be feeling.

Dakota was at a lost of words. Her two best friends just experienced the birth of two children and the death of one. She was glad that she would still be a godmother, and a damn great one at that. But one of her godchildren… Her "brother's" son… Her best friend's son… He was gone.

Aaron never saw his father coming out to comfort his mother, but there Maxwell was holding Manny in his arms, whispering something into her ear. He saw Bianca storm out, Mr. Reynolds at her heels pleading her to stay. Shane, Kelly, Scarlett, and Dakota, the four closest to the two still within the delivery room, moved for the door. Yet his body was frozen. This was the first time he had experienced a death since Mr. Simpson passed away. And now the death was in his family. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Chandra. She leaned against him, placing her hands on his. He only wished his brother was okay.

* * *

It would be hours before Laura was moved to another, more private room. While she did not spill any tears now, she was still crying over the lost of her second son, Jason. She felt Jayden climb into the bed with her, despite being told not to earlier. He pulled her to him and she began crying again on his chest.

"This is my fault!" Jayden cringed at her words. "I'm such an idiot! I don't deserve to be a mother Jayden!"

"It's not your fault Laura." Jayden said calmly.

"It was my body! My choices that killed our son!" Laura cried. "I'm so sorry! I'm so, so, so sorry!"

Even though he was crying softly himself, Jayden held her firmly against him. He knew what she was thinking. During their trip in Italy, Laura admitted that she blamed herself for her parents splitting up. She always blamed herself for the bad things in her life, something Jayden didn't like.

"Laura, don't say things like that." Jayden said quietly. "It's not your fault. It's never going to be your fault."

"Dammit Jayden! Our son died because I'm a whore like your mom said!" Laura shouted at him.

"You're not some fucking whore so stop saying that!" Laura gasped at his words, staring up at him. He looked more hurt than angry. "Laura… Jason is gone, and we will both think of this day for the rest of our lives. But it's not because of you. Stop blaming yourself for everything."

Laura only laid her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. She had done this so many times, loving how powerful his heart sounded.

"I hate it when you blame yourself for things." Jayden said to her quietly, now stroking her hair. "Let me take the blame for some things. I want to take bullets for you Laura. And someday, when we're married," Laura looked up at Jayden's face. "We'll have another son and we'll name him Jason, just like we planned. I know he won't be the same one but… But it's the best I can do."

Laura cried more now. Not just because of her son, but because of how devoted Jayden was to her. It killed her to know that he did all these things for her and in her mind Scarlett made a better match for him. She didn't deserve him.

Hearing him hum, Laura closed her eyes and hugged him closely. She hated moments where she felt as if she was dreaming. Her crush holding her in bed, humming her favorite song, stroking her hair. Those were things she dreamt about. But Jayden made those things a reality on more than one occasion. He had helped make two beautiful kids with her, no three. He had helped make three beautiful kids with her. He had said that they would get married. He had given her the most important thing in the world which is why she held him so tightly.

Because without him, she didn't exist.


	102. S4 Episode II: In The Arms of an Angel

**Episode II: In the Arms of an Angel**

Four days had gone by since the birth of Jaylen Sosa and Daniella Maxine, in that order. But the lost of their second son, Jason Santos, took away all of Jayden's gloating rights. He had done everything in his power to make Laura happy in the meantime, though that appeared to be in vain. She no longer outright cried. She now shouted and yelled at whomever about the smallest of things. One could only hear or see her crying if they visited her room at night.

However, it was nearing eleven in the morning. It was approximately thirty minutes until they held their memorial for Jason. It pained Jayden to see how wishy-washy Laura was about this. One moment she was so thankful for the idea even coming up. And then the next, she was shouting about how he didn't live long enough to even have memories. He just hoped she was in a better mood today.

Opening her bedroom door, Jayden saw Laura already dressed to leave. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, staring out of the window.

"Hey." his voice gained a small response from her. He was going to add on to his greetings until a ghost of a smile came on her face.

"A seven hundred dollar suit? Seriously?" Jayden smiled at her attempt of a joke and moved to sit beside her. "It feels… What's that word?"

"Surreal?"

"Yeah… This feels surreal." Laura said before placing a hand on her stomach. "My baby…"

"I bet he would've been the worst of us." Laura shot Jayden a shocked and angered look. "Our gambling. Your cursing. My nonchalance. He would have given us one serious headache and a half." Jayden paused and smiled. "And let's not start with him touching girls in preschool."

"You're such a pervert…" Laura replied with a smile. "Besides, it's Jaylen that's going to do that."

"What? Are you sure?" Jayden questioned. Laura nodded. "Well, I think our little Maxi will do twice as much on accident."

Laura raised her brows. "How so?"

"Because if she's anything like her mother," Jayden said smoothly. "She'll be the most beautiful girl of her time. And guys like me can't resist doing everything for her."

"You're trying to seduce me before our son's funeral?" Laura asked.

"Well we can't make another one until then, so yeah." Jayden said before kissing her. "He's in a better place Laura. One better than this chaotic place." Laura smiled sadly and Jayden kissed her forehead. "I love you Laura."

"I love you too." Laura said quietly as she felt his arm come around her shoulders to pull her towards him. "Uh, we should get going. Is the babysitter watching the twins?"

"Do you mean Dash's hired personnel?" Laura laughed quietly. "Yeah, they are. All there is left is one of our…" Laura looked to see Jayden looking out the window now, his lips pressed together before he sighed. "Our last son."

"Will you be okay?" she asked him.

Jayden gave her a smile. "I don't have much of a choice, now do I?" Laura frowned in confusion. "Someone's got to take care of the twins and make sure that you're alright."

"Why do you do that?" Laura asked him. "Take all the weight for me and then comfort me anytime I'm down or something."

"I told you. I work too hard for you to smile to let something prevent that from happening." Jayden said rising. "Come on. My parents said that they'll meet us at the church."

Laura nodded as she took his hand, walking out with him. She had noticed that he was now roughly five-nine now, and once over the summer she had seen his sideburns and mustache grown in. Now he was shaven, something she liked. She had not grown in height, something that slightly pissed her off. But she was happy that now she could look down and see her feet instead of her enlarged stomach.

"Laura," Jayden said, pausing at the front door. "Before we go out there, there is something I need to tell you." Laura nodded. "Last night, I was thinking about what you said. About not wanting to go to England. And I want you to go."

"What? Why?" Laura asked.

"My life is nothing special. Important, yes, special, no." Jayden said. "But yours… Yours is so, so special to me. And I want you to live your dream if only for a year or two. So I went ahead and booked your flight."

Laura wanted to be angry at him for doing something behind her back, but she couldn't. He was doing this for her after all. The least she could do was be grateful. And in reality, she was beyond grateful.

"Thank you Jayden." Laura said.

"Are you okay with that?" asked Jayden.

Laura gave him a kiss. "I'm okay with everything you do." Jayden raised a brow. "Well, _most_ of the things you do."

Jayden took her hand into his. "Well let's pray that it ends like that."

"It will." Laura said quietly. "I know it will."

* * *

Amber frowned as she made her way into Mary-Jane's house.

"Say what?" Amber asked.

Mary-Jane nodded. "One of Laura's triplets passed away. They said that it was alive for around five, six minutes maybe. Just wasn't strong enough to live on its own."

"That is so sad." said Amber. "I hope they're alright. Laura and Jayden that is. He was so happy when school was letting out."

"Well, you win some and you lose some." Amber gasped at Mary-Jane's words. "What? I'm sorry for the baby and all, but I'm never going to be Jayden's or Laura's biggest fan. And I just hate it when they're together."

"That's low MJ. Even for you." responded Amber. "How could you even think that?"

"Anyway," Mary-Jane said changing the subject. "I got a call from Tyler. Helen knows about us."

"I told you she would." Amber said. "Now what are you going to do about Marc?"

Sighing, Mary-Jane shrugged. "I guess I'll have to tell him before anyone else does. It's not like that'll be hard to do, right?"

"Let's hope not." Amber said.

* * *

There were a few things that Laura could never understand. Some of those things made her happy and the others made her depressed.

She would never understand her mother's deal. One moment they were the best of friends and the next, Bianca hardly wanted to see her. The woman was clearly wishy-washy on a lot of things, yet everyone but Laura seemed to understand this. Maybe, and Laura really hated to believe this, but maybe she and her mom were not so different after all. Maybe Bianca blamed herself just as much as Laura blamed herself. Or maybe it could be something completely different.

Another thing Laura never understood was how anyone could love her as much as Jayden did. It was absolutely awe-inspiring at some moments. Even before she knew she was pregnant he was there for her for the majority of the time, making sure that everyone knew that they were dating and if _anyone_ had a problem come to him about it. Of course no one did. He was temperamental like his sister at points. But, what was really so confusing, is how he never got angry at her anymore. Up until the time she found out she was pregnant, she was selling drugs, drinking a bit- which is why she blames herself for Jason's death, making rude comments about just about anyone, and other things that would annoy the normal person. And somehow, Jayden was okay with that. It was pleasurable, yes, but completely confusing.

Finally, Laura will never understand why bad things happen to her and those around her. She found out earlier that her mother had a miscarriage before her birth. Then her parents split after she was born. Dakota was sent to rehab for an addiction Laura gave her. Jayden was kicked out of his house when his parents found out that Laura was pregnant, which is another thing she blames herself for. Scarlett's probably lost out on the love of her life, although Laura hardly cared about that one. And finally Jason passed away. Her misfortune had finally taken its toll on her kids.

"Stop that," Laura's water-filled eyes looked at Jayden. His brown eyes focused on her unwaveringly. "Blaming yourself. Stop it."

She nodded but she saw that he doubted her response.

Then again, how could she _not_ blame herself? Every life that she has touched has been ruined from loved ones such as her parents and Jayden all the way to the hated ones like Scarlett. Every single one of them has turned for the worst. And it was all because of the one common factor that they had.

Her.

"You're doing it again." While his voice was hardly coherent to her, she could still hear how firm it was. It was almost like talking to his father while the man was barking orders at work. "It's not your fault."

"I…"

"Not. Your. Fault." Jayden said.

That seemed to end their dispute as he looked outwards. It was during that moment that Laura slowly grabbed his hand to hold it, her head lying on his shoulder. He did not look at her, but she knew she had his full attention by the way his hand gripped hers comfortably.

Her eyes scanned to Jayden's parents who were in a similar fashion. Was this what a happy family went through? If memories served her correctly, Maxwell always took time out of his outrageously busy day to talk and listen to his wife. They hardly ever argued and when they did it was dissolved pretty quickly. Laura knew from experience how Manny's parents felt about Maxwell, more specifically Manny's dad. He and Maxwell butted heads at almost every family gathering. Yet, and this was something Laura found amazing, Maxwell never seemed to hold it against the man. Sure, he joked about it, but in all honesty he knew that Joseph was just looking out for his daughter.

Laura's eyes found Jayden's paternal grandparents. She had met Jayden's grandmother, Mrs. MacKaine, in Italy when she stopped to "check in on them". Laura secretly idolized the woman. She was tough. She was beautiful even in her older years with not a gray hair in sight. She was insightful and could easily outwit Jayden and her husband, Maxwell's stepfather, Jonathan.

Laura's eyes narrowed in thought. Maxwell's mother and stepfather's relationship was completely different from Manny's parents. For one, Mrs. MacKaine was a remarried widow, her first husband passing away decades ago, while Manny's parents were still together. Then there was the lead. No one, and Laura meant _no one_, crossed Mrs. Ashley MacKaine when she was pissed. As soon as some of that Puerto Rican Spanish slips her lips, everyone ducks out of dodge. And at the same time, Manny's father was head of his household. While he and his wife made many decisions together, it was basically his final ruling that stuck.

But they were all happy with each other, which caused Laura to think about her and Jayden's relationship. It was a lame attempt to get her mind off of blaming herself, but she would do whatever it took for Jayden's sake. Jayden and she were clearly not like her parents; that was certain. They were different from Manny's and Maxwell's parents as they did not have one dominating the other in decision-making. So they could only be like Jayden's parents, something that made Laura's stomach churn. She was _nothing_ like the well-known actress who could sing pretty damn well, grace a red carpet just by showing up and smiling, and be the perfect mother all at once. Laura envied Manny because of that. Even while Manny was in Hawaii for a portion of the summer and Jayden was in Italy, she still checked in on them and made sure everything was alright. She even booked them a dinner on one of their first nights there without physically being there!

Laura sighed quietly. The women in Jayden's family were remarkable and she wasn't like any of them. They were strong, talented, beautiful, trustworthy, loyal, confident, and above all, great mothers and wives… Well, Danica was neither a wife or mother yet, but she was everything else. And while Jayden has called Laura most of the abovementioned words, she did not always believe him. How could she? She ruined most of the people's…

And now she was blaming herself again.

A squeeze of her hand brought her attention back to her boyfriend. Again, his eyes were focused on the pastor speaking in front of them, but his other senses were on her, including that sixth one she figured he had that could guess what she was feeling or thinking without her saying it. His eyes then drifted to meet hers where they held their silent conversation.

Nothing said, yet a million words interchanged between the two. She was telling him how sorry she was and he telling her that it was alright and not her fault. She argued until his eyes narrowed slightly, causing her eyes to momentarily leave his. He was getting good at winning arguments nowadays. Returning to their conversation, his eyes soften telling her those three words that made her smile all the time: I love you. Her eyes replied the same. The smile that came to his face told her that he had received the message loud and clear and his accursed dimples caused her to smile as well. The tears she had been holding fell down her face, a dark streak marring her cheeks. And his eyes dropped tears as well, proving to her just how in sync they were. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers, her eyes closed as well. Yet, she could still hear him and agreed with what he was saying, or rather thinking.

They would be alright.

* * *

Damon McBride yawned before getting out of the bed. He scratched his head, moving out of his bedroom at the same time. He noticed that his dad was not home, probably off at work, and his dad's girlfriend was no where in sight either. He shrugged it off, grabbing his cell phone from the coffee table in the living room.

"What does this woman want?" he asked himself, seeing as his girlfriend, Jacquelyn Haig, had called five times earlier, Nathan calling once. Damon called Jacquelyn first, knowing she would be angry if he didn't. "Answer Jackie…"

"Hello?" Jacquelyn whispered.

"You called?" he responded.

"Yeah," Jacquelyn said in a quiet tone. "I'm at Jason's funeral."

"Who?"

"Laura's son. One of the triplets didn't make it." Jacquelyn explained. Damon was not completely shocked, seeing as Laura did not have the healthiest diet. "I was trying to get you to come down here seeing as Laura's your friend and all."

"Laura really isn't my friend. We just hung out together." Jacquelyn sighed at Damon's words. "When is it over?"

"You're not coming down here? That's pretty mean Scooter." Jacquelyn replied.

"No I'm not." said Damon. "All she's done was picked on how my mom attempted to burn my dad's girlfriend's house down. Sorry for the kid but I hate Jayden and I really don't like Laura."

"Nate came. If he can come then so can you." Damon knew she was mad at him by the way she said that. "I'll call you when's it over. Bye Damon."

Damon winced when she hung up. She only called him by his first name when he was in trouble.

"Today sucks." Damon said to himself as he moved for the bathroom to take a shower.

* * *

Jayden and Laura stood quietly, staring down at the headstone.

"If you had one thing to say to him," Jayden said to Laura. "What would it be?"

Laura smiled. "Not to be like his parents, especially his father." Jayden laughed a bit. "Eat your vegetables, unless I don't. Don't focus on girls too much. And remember that you have a family for you."

"Those weren't the things I'd say." Jayden said. "I'd say things like, listen to your mother at all times, even when she's wrong. Make sure that no boy that I don't know talks to Maxi when I'm not around. And when you find the girl of your dreams, hold on to her." Laura smiled, her body leaning against Jayden's. "And most importantly, no matter how many times we would have argued with you, shouted at you, and in your mother's case, threw things at you-" Laura swatted Jayden's arm. "We love you. Always and forever."

"Yeah… That about sums it up." Laura said quietly.

"Are you two going to be here longer?" Maxwell asked the young couple as he and his wife neared them.

"Yeah," Jayden answered. "We're going to take another moment or two." Maxwell nodded, Manny moving to hug Jayden.

"Sweetie I'm so sorry about this." Manny said hugging him.

"We'll be fine Mama." Jayden replied as Manny released him.

Manny hugged Laura. "Are you going to be alright too?"

Laura, taken back by the woman's actions, only nodded as she hugged back. Manny removed herself from Laura before taking her husband's hand.

"We'll see you at the house." Manny said.

Jayden gave his parents a nod as they walked away. He then turned to Laura who had resumed staring at the headstone of their son. He felt a heavy pain course through his body as there was absolutely nothing he could to help her. She had lost another family member in her life, worst a son this time. He had no idea on which one hurt the most to Laura. Losing her mother at an early age and walking around as if it was her fault or losing a son.

"Jayden…" Jayden's brows rose. "Why…? Why do bad things happen to us? To me…" Jayden swallowed silently, failing to come up with a quick answer. Laura's eyes met his, hers holding so much suffering that it nearly made Jayden turn away. "Is there really something wrong with me?"

Jayden thought and thought but nothing came to mind. He then sat on the ground and patted the grass beside him. Laura eyed him for a brief moment before joining him. Jayden put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him. Taking a deep breath, his nostrils were filled with the scent that seemed to be forever imprinted in his pillows.

"I hear marriage is a lot scarier." Laura released a laugh as Jayden said this. "But we'll face it together."

Laura looked at Jayden. "You'd better be there for me or I'll kick your ass in front of the kids."

Jayden smiled. "Now there's my girlfriend." Jayden kissed her, one which she reciprocated. "And here's my wife."

Laura blushed slightly before kissing him once more. She then pulled away, putting a finger against his lips to stop him. For a split second, Jayden could see the girl that had teased him constantly until they eventually got together. And for one odd reason or another, he loved seeing this side of her.

"Not in front of the kids." she purred in his ear, her eyes drifting to their son's grave.

"Tease…" Jayden responded.

* * *

Stopping the movie temporarily, Mary-Jane angrily got up from her spot on the couch. She and Amber were currently watching _The Vow_ in her living room while waiting on a pizza to arrive.

"This better be the pizza." the blonde murmured as she went to her door. Opening, she smiled. "Marc, hey baby."

"…" Mary-Jane did not like the way he just stared at her. He looked pissed. "I talked to Helen."

That statement seemed to diminish any happiness Mary-Jane had for the day and her mind went to the redhead Coyne. This would be the second time Mary-Jane lost a guy because of Helen. She was becoming fed up with the New Yorker.

"What did she say?" Marc scoffed at Mary-Jane's question.

"Tyler? Ring any bells?" questioned Marc. "You know, when James told me that you'd do something like this, I called him a drunk. A wino. Alcoholic. Didn't believe him. But now… Now I'm pissed."

Mary-Jane's eyes went wide for a second. While she was just five-seven, Marc was now six-two, and around two hundred twenty-five pounds. He easily out-weighed, out-sped, out-strength, and pretty much out-matched her in the physical department. She doubted that Tyler could go pound-for-pound with the redhead boy.

"Marc!" Amber said happily from behind Mary-Jane. "I thought you were the pizza guy!"

"No. I'm not." Marc said.

Amber moved passed Mary-Jane, pushing Marc away from the door.

"I have to ask you something in private. Something I don't want MJ to hear." Amber paused and gave Mary-Jane a look over her shoulder. "So she should go pop some more popcorn. Right Mary-Jane?"

"Yeah, I'll do that." Mary-Jane responded before walking away.

She now owed Amber twice for that. And Helen as well…

* * *

Damon was not surprised when Jacquelyn came to his house. In fact, he was waiting on her to show.

"Hey," she stopped him from kissing her, a frown coming onto his face. "Is this about the kid?"

"Do you know how awkward it is for Nate, Nicky, and Shane to be in the same place with someone else?" Damon sighed heavily. "All you had to do was show up Scooter. Would that have killed you?"

"Why do you care so much? I thought you had some sort of grudge with Jayden for always thinking of Scarlett." Damon responded.

"That's different." Jacquelyn said.

"Sure it is Jackie." Jacquelyn glared at him. "Look, I don't like them. And I hate them together."

Jacquelyn sighed. "Why can't you just do this for me?"

"For you?" Jacquelyn nods. "Jackie, I think you're hanging around Nicky too much again. You're getting emotional like her."

"Please Scooter? Just stop by and say sorry or something." Jacquelyn said.

Damon sighed. "Fine, fine. I'll do it. But you owe me big Little Dancer." Jacquelyn smiled. "But I'm only going to say something mushy and stupid and then heading out of there. Nothing else."

"Thanks." Jacquelyn said kissing Damon. "I'm sure they'll appreciate it."

"Yeah," Damon said. "Let me tell Crystal I'm leaving."

"Alright." Jacquelyn said, Damon walking out of the room.

Sighing, Jacquelyn put her hands in her pockets. Dating Damon was not always easy, seeing as they were two very different people. But they were happy with each other, perhaps more than most.

"Ready to go?" Damon asked coming back into the room.

"Yeah." Jacquelyn replied.

* * *

Manny's laughed softly as she, Emma, and Liberty talked about some events that occurred at Smithdale.

"A high Emma? I think I would've loved to see that." Maxwell said with a small smirk.

Emma rolled her eyes. "It was one time."

"More than once." Manny added. "And, might I say, I was the _only_ one of us who didn't do anything outrageous during college. Except dating one of my professor's…"

"I need some more soda." Liberty said.

Manny rose. "I'll walk with you."

Manny and Liberty walked into Manny's house, dodging a large number of people on the way.

"Jayden and Laura arrive yet?" Liberty asked her friend.

"I don't know." Liberty noticed Manny's downcast expression. "I never wanted my son to go through this, you know? No parent wants to outlive their child, even if that child was here for just five minutes."

"They have a lot of support." Liberty stated. "Or is all of this just family?"

Manny eyed her crowded kitchen and dining room.

"No. Some of these are friends of the family." Manny said reaching into the cooler.

"Excuse me," Manny and Liberty looked at the man talking to them. While Manny merely looked at him, Liberty scanned him. He looked oddly familiar… "Hey, I'm Zach Schneider, Bardell's hockey coach. I heard about your lost through one of my players, Hakim Bhandari. Uh, I just want to say sorry for your lost."

"Thank you." Manny replied. "It's tough on me, but it's worse on my son and his girlfriend."

"I know. When I was sixteen I found out that I was adopted. My adopted parents gave me my real parents' names and I found out that my birth dad died like months after my adoption." Zach said. "I feel bad for him even if I never met him, you know?"

Manny nodded. "I understand you clearly."

Zach sighed. "Um, I just wanted to show my condolences. I have to run. It was nice meeting you."

"You too." Manny said as Zach exited the kitchen. "Nice kid… Though he doesn't look much older than Bella. Probably Danni's age. Feel sorry for him."

"It is…" Liberty said before pausing. "How old is Isabella?"

"She just turned twenty-seven in May." Manny said.

Liberty stood still, calculating the time in her head. She then gasped, catching Manny's attention.

"I think I saw my son!" Manny frowned at Liberty's statement.

"What? No." Manny replied. "You think?"

"He was born in April. J.T died that October. We put him up for adoption at birth Manny." Liberty said. "Plus, he looks just like J.T." Manny gave a small frown. "Okay, so if J.T was mix, but still. He looks like him."

"Liberty, if that's your son, then you should go find him." said Manny handing Liberty a bottled Dr. Pepper. "Trust me. Losing family hurts, especially when you never had the chance to know them."

Liberty nodded as Manny left for her backyard again. Instead of following her friend, she moved out of the kitchen and towards the front door. Outside on the front porch, Isabella sat on the porch with Danica while Danica braided her cousin, Mackenzie's hair.

"Hey, Danni," Liberty said. "Did you guys see where Zach went?" Both Danica and Isabella frowned. "Uh, kind of tall guy, six-one maybe. A little lighter than me."

"The guy that gave me his number?" asked Danica. Liberty nodded, not knowing when or if that event happened. "He hopped into his car and left. Told me to call him whenever I wanted to meet up with him."

"Oh. Okay. I kind of need your help." Liberty said. "You see, long ago I gave my son up for adoption when I was a teen."

"Wow… You don't look the part." Danica stated.

"Okay…" Liberty was unsure on whether or not that was a compliment, but continued anyway. "I gave him up for adoption and I think that Zach is my son."

"The one you gave up for adoption?" Liberty nodded, although she could hear the disdain Danica had of the idea. However, the eldest of Manny's children just sighed. "I'll look into it. If Jayden can find Laura's mother, I'm sure I can hack something to find his birth records."

"Thank you." Liberty said.

Isabella smiled. "Wouldn't it be funny if you ended up dating him? Your moms were friends and now this?"

"In that case," Danica replied. "I should prepare Jayden and Kelly's wedding and they're not even interested in each other."

"Let's be honest. Slap on a pair of breasts, a cute face, and…" Isabella paused and looked at Mackenzie before turning her attention back to Danica. "Other lady parts and Jayden will be all over her."

"Hey. Don't be mad because your sister lost out to Laura." replied Danica. "And by lost out, I mean, never had a chance."

"She's too good for him." Isabella said with a smile.

Liberty slowly left the two laughing women. In their own way, they reminded her of Manny and Emma.

* * *

Jayden watched Laura sleep, despite all the noise going on. He let her sleep in his sister's room, closing the door behind him quietly as he left, before reentering his former bedroom where his friends and cousins were at.

"So," Deion Mileston, his father's twin's daughter, began. "What else is new?"

Jayden sighed. "Well, I'm a dad, my parents love me again, and I think I got Grandma to accept my girlfriend."

"Right… Just remember to _never_ question _my_ boyfriend again Tyrone." Deion said angrily. "He told me all the things you told him during the Battle of the Bands. You're lucky I couldn't book a flight to come here and kick your sorry ass for that."

Jayden shrugged. "Hey, I'm just looking out for you."

"I'm not the one who's a parent. You should watch out for yourself." Deion shot back. Shane, Scarlett, Dakota, Helen, and Kelly turned towards Jayden. "What? No comeback?"

"Nope. No comeback." Jayden replied. "I'll let you sit here and fuss on your own today."

Deion frowned. "Are you sure you're going to be alright?"

"I just buried my son and my girlfriend leaves me in less than forty-eight hours." Jayden replied. "I would assume that the cousin I spent the most time with would know that. Maybe I should go talk to Kelani or someone else."

Deion sighed as she moved and hugged her cousin tightly, one which he reciprocated.

"Don't give me that tough-guy act Jay. I know you better than that." Deion said quietly. Jayden grinned before Deion released him. "I'm going to step out to call some friends." Jayden raised a brow. "Friends as in don't-ask-because-I'll-never-tell-you friends."

Jayden nodded as his cousin left the room.

"Are you sure you're okay?" It was Scarlett that asked. "You don't look like yourself right now."

"Didn't get much sleep last night… Or any night really." Jayden answered. "I'm just tired. That's all."

"Don't you think you should be taking a nap then?" Scarlett questioned. Jayden only shrugged. "J.T, we'll be fine without you, even for a few hours. Just go rest."

"I can't." said Jayden. "Believe me, I've tried several and several of times but I just can't go to sleep."

"That's problematic, don't you think?" Kelly asked. Jayden only shrugged. "Jayden, you can't go through the day without a decent amount of sleep."

Jayden sighed. "I'll rest when everything else is fixed, okay? Besides, who are you to talk? You have _two_ jobs."

"Look," Shane said. "Normally I'd remind Kelly about her overachieving problems, but she has a point. You need to rest Jay. So go in there and take a nap or something."

"I'm thinking you guys made some sort of conspiracy and are trying to kick me out to put it into play." replied Jayden.

"Are we going to have to drag you to bed?" Scarlett questioned. "Go in there and take a nap. Seriously."

"We'll make sure no one disturbs you two." Dakota added.

Jayden sighed. "Fine, fine, I'm going. You think you guys were trying to get rid of me or something."

Jayden backed out of his former room and moved for Katya's room where Laura slept. With each step, he could feel his feet growing heavier, his eyes drooping as well. He had not been lying when he said that he has gotten little sleep in the last four days. His mind was stuck on his son's death. He remembered watching Jason move and then… Nothing.

Jayden attempted to shake the thoughts out of his head as he entered the room, kicking his shoes off and taking a familiar position on Laura's side. And amazingly, she instinctively rolled to put an arm and leg over his body, though she was deep asleep. Stopping tears from falling, Jayden kissed the top of Laura's head. He hated the thought of Laura going to England, but knew that it was something that she truly wanted and he wanted her to be happy. He would have to wait until she returned on her breaks.

Yet his son… He will never return. And those were the thoughts keeping Jayden awake.

Forcing his eyes closed, Jayden attempted to think about his favorite song. This was a technique he used to use whenever he was mad at Danica when they were younger and she would embarrass him or piss him off in front of his or her friends. He learned that Manny used to hum to him whenever he cried as a baby and figured that's why he still did it. It was the only way he could get to sleep.

And thankfully, it worked.

* * *

Maxwell watched as his wife moved into their home office with a sigh. He moved after her, closing the door behind him.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

Manny turned to him. "I don't know." Maxwell frowned. "I have to leave soon to finish the movie but I don't want to leave you here. You shouldn't be the one that has to deal with all of this alone."

"I'm never alone." replied her husband. "Dimples, if you want to stop the production of the movie by refusing to return, I won't stop you. I never have and I never will. But remember, my mom raised one tough hombre. I can do just about anything."

"Our son just experienced the worst possible thing in his life. How are you going to focus on that as well as everything else?" Manny asked.

Maxwell shrugged. "I guess we'll just have to live it one day at a time. But Jayden's… He's like you kind of." Manny gave a questioning look at the statement, egging Maxwell to finish his proclamation. "He'll figure out a way to make it, whether he comes to us for emotional support or not."

"I'm afraid that he won't…" Manny said quietly.

Maxwell could only nod. It was no secret that Jayden, unlike their other children, hid most of his emotions from everyone. It got to the point where both Maxwell and his wife had to study their son looking for signs of a genuine smile and one he wears to ease their worry. Of course, they now knew which is which and could tell just how sad he was by the sound of his footsteps, but that was not the point. Jayden would keep his deepest of thoughts locked away and it scared Manny.

"I'll talk to him." Maxwell eventually said.

Manny shook her head. "No. I will." Maxwell raised a brow. "I was the one that fussed at him the most when Laura told us she was pregnant. I was the one that gave him such a hard time. I think I should talk to him. Alone."

"Alright Dimples. Do what you must." Maxwell said before the couple embraced each other.

"I'll try." Manny whispered.

* * *

Leaving his friend's house, Shane sighed heavily.

"That must suck." Shane said.

"'Suck?' Shane, he just lost his son, not a basketball game." Kelly replied as the two and Deanna neared their mother's car, Emma stating that she and Sean would ride back in Sean's car. "I feel really bad for him."

"Yeah, me too. When Grandpa died, he was the first one there, you know? It just feels bad that I can't offer him the same thing." responded Shane before looking at Deanna. "Are you alright? You've been quiet for a while." Deanna nodded. "Was it Scarlett? I know you two have a little rivalry or whatever."

"I'm fine Shane. Just thinking about how Laura and Jayden must feel right now." said Deanna. "I… I haven't lost anyone in my family. Well, my dad's been arrested, but that's about it. I just think about… I don't know. Life."

"Ah, the precious life," Shane said. "How many people take it for granted, I don't even know."

"Shane!" The trio paused as they spotted Jacquelyn, Damon, Ethan, and Nicole nearing the house. "Where're you headed?"

"Hey Jackie. We were just going to head to my place. Give Jay and Laura some alone time." Shane answered his ex before he eyed the other. "Nicky."

"Hi Shane…" Nicole responded before looking at Deanna. "Deanna."

"Nicky." Shane heard the disdain in the Fitzgerald's tone and chose to intervene then and there.

"You guys are a little late." Shane said to Damon and Jacquelyn. "They're asleep in there."

"I knew we should've come earlier." Jacquelyn said, her eyes glaring at Damon before looking back at Shane. "When I left the funeral, I didn't know he would just doze off. I guess he's been getting less sleep since the incident."

"Yeah…" Shane stated. "Um, we have to go. See you guys around."

As Deanna got into the backseat of Emma's car, she made sure to give Nicole one final glare, the blonde responding with the same dirty look.

"What was that about?" Shane questioned Deanna as he started the car up.

"Nothing." Deanna lied. She really did not want Shane to know that Nicole and Ethan helped spread rumors about her and Shane. It would just give Shane _another_ reason to go and fight Ethan, something she was still trying to prevent from happening. "So, what are we doing tomorrow?"

"We have to help our dad with some final touches on Mason's." Kelly answered. "Did you want to come? It could give you some well-needed work skills."

"I think you two drill me enough at your house. I'd hate to break a nail in a restaurant kitchen and everyone having to hear me shout about it." Deanna said.

Kelly smiled. "Yeah. Half of those words would get you fired anyway. And the other half might get you sued." Kelly then looked at Shane. "Speaking of which, Hakim is taking me to the grand opening. Can you imagine that?"

"Our parents watching their daughter take some guy to their new restaurant?" Shane asked.

"No. Hakim is taking me to the restaurant. Not the other way around." Shane shrugged, his eyes focused on the road. "Maybe you and Dee can go? It'll be like a double-date only we'll be at separate tables and forbidden to go talk to the other except for emergencies."

Shane sighed. "You know, you didn't throw these ideas when I was dating Nicky."

"Because they would be ignored. Now that you're trying to date my best friend-"

"Who is sitting back here." Deanna added.

"Right. Who is in the backseat," Kelly continued. "_We_ can control your life. Such as the picture on my camera that's hidden in a special place."

"I'd like to see you try." Shane muttered.

Kelly turned to look at Deanna.

"Hey, Dee, wouldn't you like to go to Mason's for free with my brother on a date?" Kelly asked in a teasing tone, knowing that all she really had to do was offer Shane on a silver platter and Deanna was hooked.

"I won't answer self-incriminating questions." Deanna retorted. "So how about you go learn your mother's native language or something?"

"Translating that," Kelly said to Shane now. "That's a yes. So you have to take her _or_ I'll have to resort to other means."

"Will you ever stop?" Kelly shook her head at Shane's question. "Fine Kelly. We'll be there. Unless Deanna has other plans."

Kelly looked at Deanna.

"I hate you." Deanna said before mouthing a silent "thank you" afterwards.

"I know you do and you're welcome." Kelly responded with a wink.

Shane spotted his sister turn around in her seat with a smile. He knew that she was trying to play matchmaker, yet he could not be angry at her. Deanna was a great person once one got to know her. And while she lacked the work ethics that the two Masons were born with, she was not above learning how to do simple things such as cooking and how to use Mr. Miyagi's wax-on/wax-off technique on tables.

Maybe he would take their relationship to the next level other than friends with benefits? If it worked for Jayden and Laura, who knows where Shane and Deanna could wind up doing?

* * *

It was near nightfall when Helen and Scarlett regrouped in Scarlett's bedroom. They had not said much to each other since Jason's funeral, Scarlett comforting Jayden and Helen plotting against Mary-Jane.

"So how was he?" Helen asked.

Scarlett sighed heavily. "Terrible. When he and Laura left, it looked like he had bags beneath bags." Helen smiled lightly. "What?"

"You find an ugly feature on our annoying neighbor? Must be a first." Scarlett playfully rolled her eyes. "I do hope he gets better. Both of them actually. They might come in handy when I need some bail money after ripping Mary-Jane's head off of her neck."

"School hasn't even started and you're already planning on killing her? Seriously Helen, we need to get you a hobby." Scarlett said.

"That is my hobby." Helen replied. "I wouldn't expect you to understand. But there's an art in plotting and planning. You need patience, a brain, more than one plans. You just wouldn't get it." Scarlett raised her brows. "Okay. So maybe you do. But there's an art to it. Believe me on that."

"If you say so." Scarlett said before sighing. "I just… I wonder what Laura's game is, you know? Telling me to date Jayden and then laying all the rules that would just make us friends."

"She loves him. That's all there is about it." Scarlett frowned at Helen's response. "Look at his parents, okay? I'm pretty sure Max could take out a number of people with that glare of his, let alone whatever martial arts he took as a kid. Yet, Manny goes on a movie set and if she _has_ to kiss a guy, she does without him going crazy. It's the same thing."

"How?" Scarlett questioned.

"Laura loves Jayden enough to know he's not going to do something completely stupid with you. Therefore, she trusts that you can make him happy _without_ crossing that line." Helen explained. "Seriously Scar, you have got to learn more about love or else."

"_Right_. Because you're the guru of love." Scarlett said sarcastically.

"I've been more successful than you are." Helen sang as she left Scarlett's room.

Scarlett only smiled before looking at her cell phone. Part of her told her to call Jayden to see if he really was alright. Yet she listened to the other half and sat there. He would be fine is what she kept telling herself. He would be fine.

* * *

Jayden released a heavy sigh as Daniella _finally_ went back to sleep. His mother watched with an amused smile as he gently set his daughter in her crib, her brother still sound asleep for the remainder of two-to-three hours.

"Tough, isn't it?" Manny asked. Jayden only shrugged. "Jay, talk to me. Please?"

"I'm tired. I'm borderline depressed. My girlfriend leaves soon." Jayden stopped and sighed. "I can't win, can I? I just can't go through one measly day without something over-the-top happening."

"If it means anything to you," Manny said. "Your father and I will always be there for you."

"But what about Laura?" Jayden shot back. "You guys make it seem like I'm just going to throw her away now that the twi… Triplets are out." Manny looked at the ground for a moment. "I don't want this curse of my family to continue on and on. You and your dad. Dad and his stepdad. Your dad and Dad. It seriously has to stop. And if I must, I will drop all my ties with my family just so I can be with Laura. Move to England with the twins if that's what it'll take."

Manny stared at her son. "You're willing to choose Laura over your entire family?"

"She's the mother of my kids. She _is_ my family." Jayden responded.

"Then I guess there's nothing to discuss then." Jayden felt his heart drop a bit. He wasn't bluffing about moving to England if he had to, but losing his _entire_ family for Laura was a serious lie. "I will give you my word, here and now, that I will do everything I can to make Laura feel welcome."

"Did Dad tell you to say that?" Jayden asked.

Manny shook her head. "No." Manny sighed. "Jayden, you're my oldest son. There are times when I have to remind myself that you're old enough to do most of the things you want on your own. But it doesn't mean that I don't want to protect you. And when I heard all the things that Laura has done, I didn't want that to happen to you. Any of it."

"You didn't even sit down to see what part was true or not." Manny saw how his eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke. "Dad, Danni, they both sat down and talked with her. But you? You never cared."

"What do you expect me to do? Buy you a car even though everyone's told me it's unfixable?" Manny questioned.

"She's not a car!" Jayden whispered in attempt to keep his kids sleep. "She's my girlfriend. And I would like it if she and my mother could at least look at each other without bad blood getting in-between them."

"I know, I know. And I'm truly sorry about that." Jayden sighed and looked away from Manny. "Jay, I'm trying. I really am. But you have to understand my side here. You _hated_ Laura, you've said it yourself. And then you two magically hook-up and she winds up pregnant? How did you expect me to react?"

"Angry and then supportive like always." Jayden muttered.

"I will always support you." Jayden looked at his mother with a critical eye. One that made her swear to herself that she was staring at a younger version of her husband. "And, if it'll make this all better, I'll support Laura. I promise."

Jayden shrugged. "What good is there to promise me? You like me. It's Laura who I have to worry about." Manny pinched the bridge of her nose. "Mama, she has no one but her dad. Her mom comes and goes depending on work. Dash is her only friend. Danni was probably the only person that walked her through the _entire_ pregnancy. I want to give her things that I was born with. A family. A happy Christmas. Friends. The stupid simple things in life that we overlook that she doesn't have."

Manny dropped her hand and swallowed quietly.

"I understand." she said quietly.

"Do you?" Jayden said. "I just spent an entire summer hearing things about how my 'irrelevant girlfriend' has a crappy life on the _European_ cable channels. I can only imagine what it was like here in Toronto."

Manny sighed. "I've been there Jayden. I know how it feels." Jayden raised a brow. "When Danni was born, the paparazzi didn't let me sleep much, especially when I was pregnant with her. They dug up things about me and wondered if I had 'struck gold' by having your father's daughter."

"Exactly. Do you really want Laura to go through that?" Jayden asked.

"No…" Manny said. "I'll talk to her Jay. Just me and her. But, I want you to forgive me. Completely and truly forgive me for what I've done." Jayden stood frozen. "I can't leave until I have all seven of my children with me. And if you're mad at me, you're against me Jay. And we've never argued. Never. I want that relationship with you again."

Manny saw Jayden take a hand a wipe a tear from his eye. She knew he was not much of a crier, so there must be something heavy on his mind. Possibly the death of Jason and Laura's departure, but she was unsure. But when he embraced her tightly, she could feel tears of her own building. It had been months since the two of them had hugged like this.

"Get some sleep. We'll talk more tomorrow, okay?" Manny whispered to her son.

Jayden nodded and moved off for his bedroom which was beside the twins'. He slid in, Laura turning to look at him. Her dad was a little skeptical about having Laura spend the remainder of her days with Jayden until she flew off for England, but agreed to it after countless of complaints from Bianca.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

Jayden smiled. "I will be."

Laura only nodded, resting her head on his chest to hear his heartbeat. She could feel his protective arms move around her, once again, thin waist. His breathing seemed to match hers perfectly. And when she laced her fingers with his, she could feel how their hands fit together flawlessly.

"Jayden?" Jayden looked at Laura. "Can you sing for me?"

Jayden frowned. "Sing for you? I didn't think you had to go to sleep like that anymore."

"I just want to hear it asshole." Laura joked. "Please? Sing Higher."

"Okay." Jayden said before sighing.

_You've never hoped before  
You've never seen a dream but  
You think about it  
Believe that you were made to be more_

As he continued, Laura closed her eyes listening to him. In truth, she was the girl in the song and he was what she prayed for. And for that reason, whenever she was with him, she felt higher.


	103. S4 Episode III: Move Along Pt I

**Episode III: Move Along Pt. I**

"Please go to sleep…" Jayden muttered to both of his twins, rocking them both in a chair.

Already his morning had been a busy one. Laura left earlier with his mom to England and the twins had been up since then. He had changed and fed them, the two only crying when he laid them back in their cribs.

"You're just like your mother." Jayden said to his son and daughter as they began quieting down. "Always having to be held."

"I remember saying the same thing about you." Danica said standing at the doorway with a smile. "Though, I think my line was something like, 'Does he ever shut up' or something like that."

Jayden grinned. "Look kids. It's your evil aunt."

"I've been promoted from evil sister to evil aunt? I feel honored." Jayden laughed quietly as Danica crossed her arms. "You miss her yet?"

Jayden sighed. "You know I do. And what's weird is that she tells me to go talk to Scarlett about something." Danica frowned. "Yeah, my thoughts exactly. It's probably about what they were talking about when we came back. I doubt I'll like it though."

"You seem to be getting into the father role a lot quicker than some would have expected." Danica noted as she spotted her niece's sleeping face. "Last night was H-E-L-L."

Jayden laughed. "Who are you telling? But I think they're going to be good today. I hope so."

"Are you going anywhere? I heard Dad say something about your band needing some practice, maybe some routines for a new show." Jayden shook his head at his sister's question.

"Nope. I'm going to spend the day with these two." replied the teen parent. "I feel sorry for Shane and Kelly though. I'm going to miss the opening for Mason's."

"I'll bring you something back." Danica said. "I'm going with our crazy family."

"Good luck. Between A.J doing the whole 'she loves me, she loves me not' thing, Chris being annoying, and the twins being hyper you're going to need it." Jayden said before looking at his children in his arms. "Though, I'm sure I'm going to need more of it."

"I'm sure." Danica said. "So are you going to talk to Scar?"

Jayden shrugged lightly. "I don't know. Are you going to call Zach?"

"I might." Jayden smiled at his sister's playful tone. "But then again, he seems… How can I put this? Incompatible with me. We're both fun-loving people, but I'm ten times as strict about my work as he is. And I don't need to speak of my credentials, which he does. A lot."

"He's trying to persuade you sis. It's called flirting." Jayden said.

"I call it pathetic. Talk to me as a normal person. I'm not anyone special to get nervous about." Danica said. Jayden raised a brow. "What?"

"You being modest? The world might blow up soon." Jayden joked. Danica only laughed a bit. "But, Laura said to call Scarlett so that's what I'll do. Wouldn't want her to come back and physically harm me for doing something so…"

"Easy?" Danica suggested. Jayden nodded. "Well, I'm going to step out of the way this time. I won't interfere in your love life at all this year. But Scarlett is still a friend of mine."

"Really?" Danica nodded.

"Yep. While I really didn't like Helen, Scarlett is a friend and Laura is…" Danica paused. "I don't know how to explain it. She's like the twin I never had. Except she was never part of the family until," Danica pointed at the bundles in Jayden's arms. "But it's weird that I actually accept her."

"She's got some charm about her. I really wish I could tell you what it is." Jayden said before looking at his two infants. "They're finally asleep. Would you mind putting Jaylen back in the crib?"

"No problem." Danica said moving to take the sleeping baby carefully from his father. "I don't know how you carry them both around like that."

Jayden grinned. "I wish I could tell you. I guess it's just a father's instinct."

"Well," Danica said. "If that 'father instinct' can make them sleep through an entire night, I'd love him more."

"We'll try." Jayden said. "Now, time to see what my dear sweet ex is doing."

Danica only hummed quietly as she slowly carried Jaylen out, staring at him all the while. Jayden looked down at the sleeping Daniella.

"When you're older," Jayden said quietly. "You're going to help your brother sort through the gold diggers and the real women." Jayden rose gingerly, smiling. "And then I'll teach you how to break every guy's heart out there so you can make your mom proud."

* * *

Aaron walked down the sidewalk beside Jordan.

"So are you going to grow your hair out this year?" Jordan asked. Aaron took a hand and smoothing his neatly cut hair.

"No. I like it short, you know that." Jordan only smiled. "So what're you going to do about Tevin?"

"I don't know." Jordan said with a sigh. "I feel so stupid now."

"I bet." remarked Aaron quietly. Jordan glared at him. "Hey, don't get me wrong, but we all tried to warn you."

"I guess you did." Jordan said.

"Hey! A.J!" Aaron and Jordan paused once they saw Farah moving towards them. She stopped in front of them and smiled. "Hey."

"Hey Farah." Aaron replied. "Did you want something?"

"Um, no, not really. I just wanted… To talk…" Farah said, her nerves slowly coming back to her when she felt him gaze at her.

"Oh brother…" Jordan stated.

"Jordan, I thought you said you'd be nicer?" Aaron questioned.

"I said to you and a few others. Not her." Aaron only shook his head with a quiet sigh. "I'll let you two talk or whatever. Stop by later so we can help set up Above the Dot."

"I will." Aaron said as Jordan walked away. He watched his blonde companion glare at Farah as she moved away before he looked at Farah. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"Well, how was your summer? I heard that you and Jordan went to Japan." Farah stated.

Aaron nodded. "Yeah, we went for some Student Ambassador program. It was fun, but the work was annoying. You? Did you have a good summer?"

"It was okay." Farah answered looking at the ground. "Chandra and I haven't talked much. I don't think she'll ever forgive me."

"…" Aaron had to stop himself for agreeing with his ex. After having a sit down with Chandra, he had learned on what Farah had done, such as deleting his calls on Chandra's phone or following Chandra whenever she was with Oliver. "She'll come around."

It was a lie that both picked up on instantly, but neither said anything about it.

"So," Aaron continued. "Did you want to help out? Jordan's mom is reopening Above the Dot for tonight. It's supposed to be a club for teens."

"Oh… Okay." Farah felt happy to be included.

"But," Farah's happiness deterred for a moment at Aaron's voice. "I don't know if Bambi will or won't be there. So if she is…"

"I won't start anything A.J." Farah promised.

Aaron smiled. "Good. Let's go then."

* * *

Deanna groaned. "I don't know what to wear!"

Stephanie Tucker sighed, moving a strand of hair from in front of her glasses.

"Dee, I really don't know why you're stressing so much." she said. "It's Shane. He won't be picky." Deanna glared at Stephanie over her shoulder. "Just relax, okay? We can find something together."

"Where's Angel? This would be so much easier with her around." Deanna grumbled. Deanna then moved back inside her large closet. "Ugh! Why did I let Kelly talk me into this stupid date?!"

"Because you love Shane Mason!" Deanna threw a shirt at Stephanie for her teasing.

"Go write a poem!" Deanna called, Stephanie only giggling as she removed the shirt from her face and fixed her glasses.

"Okay, okay," Stephanie said standing up and moving for the closet. "Let's see the things Shane hasn't seen you in."

"Okay. This is it." Stephanie's eyes widened as Deanna sectioned off a rather large part of her clothing collection. "What?"

"Nothing." Stephanie said. "Now, it's a date at his parents' new restaurant, not some five-star shindig. So nothing too fancy."

"Right." Deanna agreed.

"But," Stephanie was now scanning the clothes. "We want something that'll make him feel lucky to have you."

"If I had jugs like yours or legs like Nicky, this would be so much easier." Stephanie smiled at Deanna's statement. "Seriously Steph, what am I going to do? I've never been this nervous since the first time we slept with each other."

"Um, TMI, and I can help." Stephanie said. "Let's just start mixing and matching and pray something works."

"Yeah-" Deanna was interrupted by her cell phone ringing. "Hold on for a sec." Deanna moved to answer her phone quickly. "Hello?"

"Did I call at a bad time?" Deanna released a quiet sigh at Shane's voice.

"No. No you didn't." Deanna said. "Is something wrong?"

"Actually no. Everything is practically as it always is. Well, except for the empty stool here at The Dot, but other then that, nothing's new." Shane said. "Are you preparing for tonight? Because you know, it's just a grand opening. Nothing too… You know. The things you and Jay are forced to go to."

Deanna smiled. "I'm glad you told me that now before I wasted my life trying to find something appropriate to wear."

Shane laughed. "As long as you're not bearing it all to see, you're fine." Deanna giggled quietly. "Seriously Dee, I really don't want you over thinking this. When you do, you become quite bossy and snobby."

"Do I?" Deanna teased, knowing that she was indeed bossy and snobby whenever she became frustrated.

"Hey, I don't have a problem with it. I put up with it for most of the summer." Deanna smiled a bit. He was so considerate. "Besides, I think my dad likes having you around. He says that you 'keep me focused' or whatever. I think he's just a bit jealous that I follow your orders more than his."

Deanna giggled. "I don't order you around a lot Shane."

"Right… I'll pretend you didn't just say that." Shane said. "Well, I have to get back to work. Call me in an hour to tell me that you didn't spend an hour trying to find something to wear."

"So," replied Deanna. "You want me to spend an hour trying to find something to wear and then tell you a lie?"

"Pretty much." Shane said. "But my dad's telling me that break's over."

"Sure. Bye Shane."

"Bye."

With that, the two hung up, Deanna falling back onto her bed with a sigh.

"I love my life." Deanna muttered.

Stephanie smiled. "So I see." Deanna sat up to smile at her friend. "Hey, Dee, there's been something I've been meaning to ask you. I don't want you to get mad but… A few weeks back, I overhead Mercedes telling DeWayne that you only became Kelly's friend to date Shane. That's not true, is it?"

Deanna frowned to hide the shock off of her face. That was her original plan and she will never forgive herself for that. But that was then and this was now. Kelly was, in all aspects of the word, her best-friend.

"No." Deanna said. "Why would I do that to my best friend?"

Stephanie gave a small pout. "But I thought that I was your best friend?" The two girls shared a laugh afterwards before Stephanie sighed. "I knew they were lying. The old Deanna is long gone, right?"

"Right." Deanna responded.

* * *

Jayden opened the door quietly, Scarlett giving him a smile.

"Hey J.T." she said as he allowed her to come in. "The twins are asleep?"

Jayden nodded. "Yeah."

"Can I see them?" Scarlett asked.

Jayden motioned Scarlett to follow him with a hand. Scarlett moved behind him as he made it to his twins' bedroom. Stepping inside, he crept to the crib where the two were sleeping. Scarlett peered over at the sleeping infants.

"They look a lot like Laura." Scarlett whispered.

Jayden chuckled. "Lucky me, right?" Jayden slowly backed out of the room, Scarlett behind him. "So Laura tells me that there's something you're supposed to tell me. Something you two talked about?"

Scarlett's eyes widened. "She didn't tell you?"

"Tell me? Tell me what?" Jayden asked, his voice revealing a bit of concern.

"Laura…" Scarlett took a moment to think. The one time Laura didn't tell Jayden something, it would be something as important as this. "Laura told me to look after you."

"Look after me?" Scarlett nodded at Jayden's question. "Why would she say that?"

"I don't know…" Scarlett really did not trust her own voice right now. It normally betrayed her when talking to Jayden.

Jayden frowned. "Scarlett, tell me what she said already. The suspense is not doing me any favors."

"Okay, okay," Scarlett sighed. "When we were at your parents' place, Laura came to talk to me." Jayden sighed heavily, telling her that he already knew that part. Then again, how could he not? He was there. "She told me that you were going to be an 'idiot' and 'waste your life waiting on her to return.' She said that you're special to her and she wants you to be happy."

"With you?" There was something about his voice that made Scarlett think that Jayden was not happy about the idea.

"Yeah," Scarlett answered him. "She said that if I didn't, she would just ask Helen to do it."

"And you have to make me happy? How did she figure you'd do that?" Jayden said. Scarlett shrugged lightly before the sound of twins' cry caught Jayden's attention. "Well, if you want to help, you can start by learning how to change a diaper."

Scarlett frowned. "Is that necessary?"

"We wouldn't want to make Laura mad, now would we?" Jayden replied with a smile. "Besides, I'm thinking about ordering some pizza, a few wings. We can get Dash to lend me one of her exclusive DVDs and just relax her all day."

"Why?" Scarlett asked as Jayden went for his crying son.

"How else will we have a lazy day?" Scarlett was taken back by his response. "We have like five bags of Doritos in the kitchen, so the only thing we're missing is laying around all day. How about it?"

"Okay…" Jayden smiled as he laid his son on the small changing table.

"When you get older," Jayden said. "Make sure you never date someone like Scarlett. All she wants to do is lie around all day."

"That's one strike Mr. McDuelle," Jayden laughed at Scarlett's words. "Two more and I might have to tell your girlfriend that it will be Helen watching over you."

"I'll behave Red. Won't we son?" Jayden said, gaining a smile from Scarlett.

She would have to remember to lay off of Laura for this idea.

* * *

Chandra looked around the closed club, seeing several of people moving around to prepare for the opening later on that night.

"Hey," Chandra saw Aaron and smiled at him. She walked towards him. "I didn't think you would show. Ashton and Vanessa are having one of their arguments over there." Chandra looked to see her friend and Ashton talking in a corner. "Did they do that a lot over the summer?"

"No. Just the ordinary amount." Aaron laughed quietly. "So… Why did you come down here? Your parents?"

"No. They're at Mason's helping there. I came to help Jordan." Aaron said. Chandra gave a quiet "Oh" and nodded her head. "She's downstairs with Shane and Kelly and Spinner. Emma and Sean were here earlier but…" Aaron paused when he saw Chandra's frown. "Shane's dad is downstairs and Jordan's dad left with their mom for the new restaurant."

"That's not what I'm questioning." muttered Aaron's ex. His eyes followed hers to her target.

"Oh, Farah…" Aaron said, gaining Chandra's attention. "She caught me on my way here and tagged along." Chandra's eyes narrowed slightly. "Bambi, she wanted to help."

"No. She wanted to be around you." Chandra stated. Aaron sighed. "A.J, tell me you're not buying into her act. She's doing everything to make you think that she's some perfect angel and she's not."

Aaron looked at Farah and then back at Chandra.

"She's helping." Aaron said. "Do you want to help as well? We could use the extra pair of hands." Chandra glanced at Farah. "Chandra," Chandra frowned at Aaron, this being the first time in a long time that he has used her first name. "If you need to leave because of your cousin, then go. But we need to set this up before six."

"She's playing you." Chandra said quietly.

"So was Oliver." Chandra took the jibe and nodded. "So you'll stay? I'd really like it and I'm sure Jordan's mom would like it too."

"I'll stay… But if she says anything to me A.J…" Chandra paused.

"Can you put aside your rivalry for… Twenty minutes?" Aaron asked.

Chandra smiled. "Since when did you become so demanding?"

"When I was put as group leader in Japan and learned that sometimes taking control isn't a bad thing." Chandra's grin grew a bit. She liked this side of him a lot. "So, how about we get to work?"

"Sure Mr. McDuelle." Aaron laughed.

"That's still my dad." Aaron pointed out. Chandra giggled at his statement. "But… One day I might be the Mr. McDuelle."

"Wouldn't Jayden be that first?" questioned Chandra with a smile.

Aaron grinned. "We'll see."

As Aaron walked to grab a box, Chandra smiled at the back of him. He had become different since last year.

"Bambi, quick staring and help unpacking!"

Vanessa's voice caught Chandra off guard and she flinched. Her eyes snapped over at her friend who was standing beside Ashton, the couple sporting similar grins.

"Losers…" Chandra stated as she went to help.

* * *

Nicole smiled and she plopped onto Jacquelyn's bed.

"So… How was your night with Scooter?" Nicole asked.

Jacquelyn shrugged. "Same as always. You? You go to any new club and meet some new guy?"

"No and no," Nicole answered. "Do I always go find new guys at new places?" Jacquelyn nodded, causing Nicole to hit her friend with a pillow. "I do not!"

Jacquelyn laughed. "I'm kidding!" Nicole smiled brightly at Jacquelyn. "Say, what's going on between you and Ethan? You said that you two were just really good friends but have you two…? You know."

"Sex? No." Nicole said.

"Are you waiting on Shane to take you back?" Though Nicole smiled at this, Jacquelyn could see that Nicole thinking about the question.

"You know I'm not." Nicole lied. Jacquelyn only nodded skeptically. "Shane and I are friends. I mean, I haven't spoken to him a lot since she came into his life."

"Deanna?" Nicole nodded. "Nicky, you can't be jealous of her. They're not even dating."

"She's bad for him Jackie." Nicole stated. "She used Kelly to get him. She sent him that picture of me and Ethan. She'll just use him for whatever it is she wants."

"I don't know," Jacquelyn replied. "About a month ago, I saw them walking downtown. She didn't look like she was using him. In fact, they didn't even have shopping bags." Nicole frowned. "When I talked to them, Shane said that they were just getting out of the house so Kelly could rest."

"I don't like her." Nicole said.

Jacquelyn smirked. "Now who's the jealous one?"

"This is so different from what you were complaining about." Nicole said. "I have a reason to be cautious of her."

"Really?" Jacquelyn replied.

Nicole scoffed. "This is Deanna Fitzgerald we're talking about! She attempted to take Jayden away from Laura, who is my friend I might want to add. Her brother threw a drink on Laura and she and her friend were plotting against Helen! She's no good."

"Nicky, to be honest, I think you just want Shane." Jacquelyn said.

"I want Shane to be happy. Not used." Nicole responded. "There's nothing wrong with that, right?"

Seeing no other way, Jacquelyn sighed.

"I guess you're right." Jacquelyn said. "So what did you want to do today?"

Nicole shrugged. "I don't know. What did you want to do?"

"I guess we can just hang out here." Jacquelyn replied.

Nicole smiled while Jacquelyn could only sigh quietly. It was going to be a long day Monday… And that meant it was going to be a longer school year.

* * *

Chandra sighed heavily.

"Are we done?" Chandra asked sitting in a chair.

Ashton shook his head. "You give cheerleaders a bad name."

"Up yours Manning!" Chandra snapped back.

Jordan looked at Aaron.

"Your loser friends are at it again." she said moving for the door. "Make sure you guys don't break anything or else."

"I'll be glad when a piano lands on her." Ashton muttered as Jordan stepped out. "Maybe flaming piano…"

"A flaming piano?" Aaron parroted with amusement, Vanessa only rolling her eyes at her boyfriend's comment.

"In today's world," Ashton said with a shrug. "You can't take any chances. If the impact doesn't do it, the fire should finish the rest. With all that oil in her head she should light like a Christmas tree."

Aaron laughed a bit before he caught Farah standing alone in a corner, watching the others. He frowned before glancing at Chandra who was doing a pretty great job ignoring her cousin's existence.

"Hey Farah, why are you over there?" Aaron asked.

"A.J…" mumbled Chandra.

Farah slowly made her way to the others, Chandra glaring at her all the while.

"You two need to end this Bambi." Aaron said. "Especially before tonight."

Chandra frowned. "What? Are you going to blow me off for Farah?"

"No, but I don't like to see you two fighting. Plus, if you bury everything here and now, you'll be less stressed, right?" Aaron stated. "And that's what we want. A less stressful school year."

"But I don't want to make-up with her." Chandra said. "She is the reason why we aren't together."

"No. I am." replied Aaron. "And I'm sorry for that."

Chandra sighed. "You know, you still apologize for a lot of things that aren't your fault."

"Jordan says the same thing…" Aaron muttered. He caught the small glare Chandra sent him for comparing her to Jordan. "But you two need to at least be on talking terms. It would make me feel better."

"How so?" Chandra asked.

"Why are you so angry at her?" his response was quite blatant and said with a matter-of-fact tone. Chandra then turned to look at Farah. "Please Bambi? I don't want you stressed this year."

"Is that your only ammo?" Aaron nodded at Chandra's question. "Fine. I'll talk."

"Thanks Bambi." Aaron said with a smile. "Come on Ashton. You can explain to me how someone gets hit by a flaming piano."

"Gee Santos, I thought you were the smart one. You just light a piano on fire and drop it on someone." Ashton said walking away with Aaron and Vanessa.

"You make that sound so easy." Vanessa said.

Chandra looked to see Farah staring a hole into Aaron's back and noisily cleared her throat. Farah's dark green eyes met Chandra's brown ones.

"Let's be honest," Chandra said. "You ruined me and A.J."

"I didn't 'ruin' you two. You were going to break-up with him until after exams." Farah replied. "And then you flirted with Oliver. The guy who I wanted to date. You even told him I had a crush on him!"

Chandra scoffed. "Please. It was hardly a secret by the way you were staring at him."

"But you told him." Farah said. "That was our code, remember? Our promise to each other."

"You," Chandra said angrily. "You took advantage of my generosity. I asked A.J to show you around when I should've done it myself. I knew you wanted him but I didn't think you'd go to the lengths that you did."

"You were sick!" Farah exclaimed.

"I needed him!" Chandra retorted. "And you took him away from me!" Farah only glared at her cousin. "I cried my eyes out in the middle of the hallway because I loved him!"

"Loved?" Farah repeated. "What happened? Did you 'fall in love' with Oliver too?"

Chandra rose from her seat. "No, I didn't. I stomached the thoughts that he and Jordan would be away for an entire summer in Japan." Chandra now stood directly in front of Farah. "And I don't care what A.J says. You are nothing but a lying, conniving bitch! And that's all you'll ever be Farah!"

"Me?! You were flirting with Oliver while dating A.J!" Farah responded. "You told me that you thought that he was still into Jordan, yet that didn't stop you. If I'm conniving, then you're just like me. You'll do everything there is to make sure that A.J never dates Jordan again."

"You're wrong." Chandra said. "I'll do anything for the people I love. That's a lesson that you can only get from Jayden McDuelle, A.J's brother. Someone who you would be a friend of had you not did what you did."

Farah watched Chandra move for the door.

"I would've never dated Oliver." Farah called to her, making Chandra stop. "If you 'love' him so much, why didn't you wait? Or are you just lying to get out of trouble like you always do?"

Chandra looked at Farah for a moment. It was kind of hard for her to stare at someone who she shared so many secrets with, with so much hatred. She then reached for the door and left, leaving Farah's question unanswered.

Walking down the steps, she saw Aaron standing alone with his hands in his pockets. He was staring at a few clouds overhead, deep in thoughts as she approached him.

"I hope you're happy." Aaron looked at Chandra. "We've gone from bad to worse now."

"I'm sorry." Aaron said quietly.

Chandra went from angry to concern in seconds.

"Are you alright A.J?" Aaron nodded.

"Yeah… Just thinking…" Aaron's eyes returned to the passing clouds. "You know, you never answered her question."

"You heard?" Aaron nodded. "Oh… Well, I just didn't want to talk to her anymore."

"Uh-huh…" Chandra felt something amiss from his response. "Why did you date Oliver?"

"I…" Chandra paused. "It's complicated."

"It was to piss Farah off, wasn't it?" Chandra looked away. She knew sooner or later he would get the truth out of her. Aaron sighed. "Bambi, why-"

"Because she is the main reason that we're not together!" Chandra shouted. "Don't you see that A.J? I would've forgiven you and you would have apologized like always. But Farah. Farah would always stick her nose in our business. Always."

Aaron stood quietly before finishing his statement.

"Why did you lie to me?"

Chandra shrugged. "I don't know. I panicked, okay? I knew you'd be mad at me."

"I understand." Aaron said quietly.

The two stood in silence for a moment, Chandra looking at Aaron to see his reaction and Aaron looking at the clouds.

"Please. Say something." Chandra muttered.

Aaron looked at Chandra for a brief moment before looking back at the sky.

"Jordan lied to me once…" Chandra flinched at the statement for two reasons. One, she knew how Aaron's and Jordan's relationship went after Aaron found out that Jordan lied. And two, this would be the second time Aaron compared her to Jordan. "I forgave her though, like I forgive you."

"So we're okay?" Chandra questioned.

"Yeah but… I'm going to need time." Aaron answered.

Chandra frowned. "Why?"

"I want to know if you want me for me. Or if you just want to rub it in Farah's face." Aaron responded.

"How…? How can you even ask that?" Chandra stated. "Why would you ask that? Aaron, it's me. Chandra! I've been there for you through it all, remember?"

"I don't hate you Bambi or anything. I'm just confused." Chandra gaped. "When I met you and Oliver at Little Miss Steaks, were you honest with me then? Were you really trying to get him and Farah together?"

"Yes!" Chandra quickly answered. "I was really-"

"Hey, A.J," Jordan called. "Our dads need us at Mason's. Come on, my mom's here to take us. You can talk to Chandra later."

Aaron sighed heavily. "I swear she needs to lighten up." Aaron then turned to look at Chandra. "See you tonight."

"Sure." Chandra said with a small smile.

Aaron grinned at her until he spotted Farah standing a few feet behind Chandra. While he knew that Farah did a lot of underhanded things, a part of him agreed with her. The only two girls that Aaron knew that were interested in him other than Chandra was Jordan and Farah, and Chandra did her best to keep Aaron away from them. Her disdain for the two made Aaron think of Chandra's motives. Did she really want him or did she want to make them miserable?

Chandra watched Aaron walk away before she turned her head to see her cousin. Farah had stuck her nose into Chandra's business for the last time. And this year, with or without Aaron's approval, Chandra was going to make sure that it will end here.

* * *

Nathan Hogart was not one to care for "family meetings" but he knew that once his mom basically demanded that he see his dad, he was stuck. It didn't hurt that his girlfriend stayed around the corner from his father either. But here he was sitting in his father's apartment with his younger sister, Gabrielle, while their dad talked on the phone with someone.

"Alright Alicia, bye." Jay said before hanging up. "Women…" While Nathan smirked at the comment, Gabrielle apparently had a problem with it. "Anyway, your brother will be coming up here for a while."

"Here?" Nathan and Gabrielle said in unison.

Jay nodded. "Yeah… He's in some sort of trouble with his mom. So he'll be moving up here."

"I'm not being babied." Nathan announced.

"I doubt Randy will try to 'baby' either of you." their father said. "Besides, I doubt he'll want to stay up here for long. He's quite like you Nate. Unwilling to change."

"Wonder where we got that from…" Nathan muttered causing Gabrielle to smile lightly.

"Alright, you two can talk about your old man on your own time." Jay said. "I just wanted to run that by you."

Gabrielle sighed quietly. While no one really knew that she and Nathan were siblings, Nathan was still an overprotective brother. It got annoying at points, especially when she was talking to Ashton. Nathan knew that Gabrielle had a thing for Ashton and he knew that Ashton looked at his sister with a longing look. Therefore, Nathan made sure Ashton kept his eyes above Gabrielle's chin at all times.

Or else.

"I have to go to meet up with Stephanie." Nathan said rising.

"And I promised to meet up with A.J." Nathan's eyebrows rose. "No. I don't have a crush on A.J too."

"Too?" Jay questioned. "Who's the first person?"

"No one/Don't worry about it." Gabrielle and Nathan said in unison as they moved towards the door. More like as Nathan pushed his sister towards the door.

"See you later." Nathan said shoving Gabrielle out of the apartment and closing the door behind him. "You owe me squirt."

"Yeah. Thanks." Gabrielle said a bit angrily. She hated being called a squirt. "See you later Nate."

"Don't get too mushy with me." replied her brother with a small smile as he walked off.

Gabrielle only grinned and walked the opposite way. She had quite the family. It was just a shame that her brother had to be such a jerk at moments of the day.

* * *

Scarlett attempted to quiet her laugh with the back of her hand as Jayden fed his son with a smile. He was currently telling her a few funny moments that occurred over the summer in Italy, most importantly Jayden trying to please Laura with her weird cravings.

"That must've been tough." Scarlett said with a smile.

"If you think she was violent before, you should've seen when we ran out of chocolate ice cream." Jayden stated. "I think I broke a record trying to run to the nearest shop."

Scarlett giggled. "Maybe we should use that when you run track this year."

"I don't know if I am." Jayden said. "Or play basketball." Scarlett saw Jayden look down at his son. "With him and his sister around, I doubt that I'll have time for a lot of things that I want to do."

"I'm sure you will." Scarlett stated before Jayden removed the bottle to wipe his son's face.

"I'll be glad when you can say 'done.'" Jayden told Jaylen. "All this spitting up on me is getting annoying. And it's disgusting." Scarlett grinned. "Just remember all that I've endured in the future. I will not go to an old people's home."

Scarlett watched as Jayden positioned the oldest of the twins gently over his shoulder.

"Burping a baby? Jayden McDuelle has really become a father." Scarlett said with a smile.

"Does your back itch son?" Jayden said rubbing his son's back with just his middle finger. "Here, let daddy get it."

Scarlett smirked. "Is that an invitation? Laura said that we couldn't do any of that."

"Too bad for you I'm not that easy." Jayden remarked.

"Are you?" Jayden laughed quietly.

"You will never know." Jayden said with a smile.

Scarlett only smiled. "We don't know that."

* * *

Liberty rang the doorbell at her friend's house, though she knew that Manny was gone finishing up her current movie. The door opened to reveal Manny's daughter Katya, her long dark brown hair tied in a ponytail to reveal her bright brown eyes. Liberty hid the thought of how Manny bragged about her daughter's looks but there really was no denying it. In a year or two, Katya McDuelle will need bodyguards to keep the boys away from her.

"Hey, is your sister around?" Liberty asked. Katya only raised a brow making Liberty dread the number of sisters she must have. "Danni."

"Yeah," Katya said stepping aside. "Danni! Mom's friend is here!"

She had her father's voice, Liberty noted. Though it was clearly a feminine voice, it had so much authority in it that she could only get it from him.

Liberty moved into the house, seconds before Danica stepped out of the kitchen with an apple in hand.

"You're here for Zach's info, right?" Liberty nodded and Danica motioned her head for Liberty to follow her down the hall. "I got it the other day. I didn't know Jay had to literally go around the world to find Bianca. If I did, I would've just asked Zach instead of using the computer."

"I'm glad you helped." Liberty said following the younger woman. "I just have to know."

"I had time." Danica said stepping into the entertainment room and moving for the computer. "Now let's pull this file up."

As Danica began typing and clicking on the computer, Liberty made another mental note that both Emma's and Manny's children had work ethic. Between Danica, Jayden, Shane, and Kelly, they had more work hours in a week then most people do in a year! Okay, so maybe that was a lie, but they did work hard.

"Here we are," Danica said showing Liberty Zach's personal information. "You can read it for yourself."

"How did you guys get this information?" Liberty asked.

Danica sighed. "The computer program that sorts the birth records in America was created by my aunt, Ginger. All you need is the knowledge to use it and where to use it at." Danica pointed to Zach's picture. "For example, I would have to type that he's a Canadian born citizen before doing anything else or I'd have a bunch of American Zach's on the screen. You filter this thing out until there're only twenty, thirty people left. Then it's just picking the lucky one."

"But his social security and birth date… I didn't give you that." Liberty stated.

"That," Danica said with a smile. "Is hacking at its finest." As Danica rose, Liberty frowned and took the seat. "Think nothing of it. I've gotten in massive trouble for breaking into my parents' computer before. I doubt they'd care for a few hospitals."

Liberty only nodded as Danica moved out of the room, eating the apple she never set down as she worked. There in front of her was the information she had been looking for. Zach Schneider, born April 29, 2006. His parents were Robert and Carol Schneider. Liberty frowned and clicked an icon on the paper, a popup appearing. He had been adopted. His birth parents Liberty Van Zandt and James T. Yorke.

"That's what you wanted, right?" Liberty nodded, not even looking at Danica. "Well, I hope this has helped you out a lot."

"It has. Thank you Danni." Liberty replied.

"No problemo. My middle name is helpful…" Danica paused. "Well, my nickname is Helpful."

Liberty turned to Danica. "I thought you were helping Emma and Spinner set up their new restaurant?"

"Kitty is getting ready for soccer tryouts. She's going to be our meal ticket in the future." Danica explained. "If the company ever crashes, Kitty's going to be the only one with a steady job to support our lavish lifestyle."

"What about Jayden?" Liberty questioned.

Danica shrugged. "Sure he could get his band signed with someone else, but at the end of the day he's probably not going to make nearly as much as our little World Cup MVP."

Liberty did not argue with Danica. She just looked back at the screen. Zach Schneider was her long lost son. He was the only reminder of J.T's existence, his living, breathing heir. She had to talk to him soon.

Rising, Liberty looked at Danica once more.

"Thank you again Danni." Liberty said. "I feel so…"

Danica watched as Liberty struggled to find the right word and held up a hand.

"You don't need to tell me. Just go find your son." Danica stated. "And might I add that in a week or two we're going on a date. So if things become awkward between us, it's just your motherly instincts coming out."

Liberty smiled. "I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

Later that night, Aaron sighed as he rang the doorbell at Chandra's house. It had been such a long time since he has been here. And to think he spent most of his Spring Break here.

"Oh, A.J," Alli Torres once she opened the door to see him. "Are you here for Chandra?"

"Yes ma'am." Aaron said with a nod.

"She should be down any second." Alli moved aside. "Come in a wait for her." Aaron stepped into the house. "So how was your summer? Chandra says you went to Japan."

"For a program. It was alright. We had to do a bit of studying and a test." Aaron answered. "But I got to see some really great places."

"I bet." Chandra made her way down the steps as her mother said this. "Oh there you are. I thought you were going to leave A.J waiting."

"Mom…" Chandra still hated the way her mother "flirted" with Aaron. Though she knew that Alli was nowhere near interested in the boy, she still hated it. "Are you ready A.J?"

"We don't have to be there for another thirty minutes. I just came by to talk." Aaron answered.

Alli looked at her daughter and then at the boy said daughter cried and whined about for the majority of the summer.

"Well I'll be in the den." Alli said leaving the room.

Aaron sat on the couch, Chandra sitting beside him.

"So… You and Jordan are finally done helping out." Chandra said in an attempt to make small talk.

"Yeah. She's pretty mad because she chipped a nail." Chandra rolled her eyes while Aaron grinned. "Hey, at least she didn't sit out after ten minutes."

"It was longer than ten minutes. Besides, it's not my mom's club or restaurant so I didn't have to work that hard." Aaron only laughed quietly. "Earlier today you said that you needed time to think…" Chandra paused once Aaron's smile disappeared. "Have you thought about it? Us, I mean."

"No." Aaron said. "I'm still… Bambi I-"

"I know. You like to think things through and I'm perfect okay with that." Chandra stated.

"No, it's not just that. It's really what you said." Chandra gave Aaron a questioning look, her head tilting to the side a bit. "You said that you… You loved me. And I…" Aaron sighed. "I don't know. I just don't know how to respond to that."

A part of Chandra grew angry and fast. How could he not know what to say? He either did or didn't feel the same, right? But then she remembered what Jayden told her at the end of the school year last year. Aaron was probably not ready to say the same thing.

"A.J, it's alright." Chandra half-lied. "Let's just not even think about it."

"…" Aaron's silence caused Chandra to shift uncomfortably in her seat. "I know it's not alright Bambi because I want to. I just don't know if I can."

"Love me?" questioned Chandra.

"Now. I don't know if I can now." Aaron clarified. "But again, I really want to."

Chandra accepted his statement for several different reasons. But the one that stood out the most was the fact that he wanted to, which meant he would try sooner or later. Curiosity did get the best of Aaron for the most part.

"So I guess we'll be like Brie and Ashton?" Chandra said with a smile to lighten the mood.

Aaron smiled as well. "Yeah. Just like them."

* * *

As the people were seated for the first time, Emma nearly sprinted through the kitchen to make sure that everything was moving at a good pace. Sean, who watched his wife do so, only smiled in amusement before leaning towards Maxwell.

"Remember how I said that she gets really scary really fast?" Maxwell nodded. "This is it."

"I can't condone that. You forget that I run a company too." Maxwell replied.

Sean only shrugged. Sometimes Maxwell did appear too down-to-Earth that one forgot that he was as wealthy as he was.

Emma came to the two men with a huff.

"Okay, everything seems to be running smoothly. No complaints yet." Emma said. The two men only smiled at her. "Stop giving me that look. I'm not an overachiever."

"Kelly says the same thing. And she has two jobs." Maxwell said holding up his middle and index fingers.

"Speaking of which," Sean said. "Isn't she and Shane supposed to be here?" The three adults began to scan the area. "I thought she was bringing Hakim by."

"I reserved two tables for them and they're both late?!" Emma said angrily, taking her cell phone out of her pocket. "When I'm through with them-"

"Easy there Emma. There's Shane and Deanna right there." Maxwell said pointing to the couple as they entered the restaurant.

Deanna, now sporting a white blouse and a pink skirt, looked around.

"You guys did this?" Deanna asked Shane. Shane nodded. "It's… Got a bar."

"Yeah. Of course, we're not allowed to be anywhere near there. So let's go to our table that way." Shane said leading Deanna away, who only laughed.

"I'm not an alcoholic Shane. I just didn't know you guys would have it open now." Deanna stated before the two made it to their table. Shane pulled her chair back and she smiled. "Such a gentleman."

"More like so being watched by my mom is more like it." Shane replied.

Deanna rolled her eyes. "Oh Shane…"

As the two were seated, Deanna glanced around for one person in particular; Nicole. She was the only person in the world that could ruin this moment.

"Hey, are you alright?" Shane asked.

Deanna gave him another smile. "I'm fine Shane. Now let's see what's good on the menu."

* * *

Scarlett leaned in her seat to glance down the hall into Jayden's open bedroom. He had gone to change shirts after his daughter spat up on him without him having anything to protect his clothing. And while both twins were asleep again, their father was still slightly annoyed by that. As for Scarlett, she was attempted to get a glimpse at his body wondering if her assumptions were correct. She figured Jayden had grown a bit more tone over the summer. Unfortunately, Jayden stepped out of his room with his shirt on, forcing Scarlett to quickly retreat further into her seat.

"Red? Are you alright?" Jayden asked coming back into the living room.

"Fine." Scarlett said before looking around. "When's the pizza getting here?"

"I don't know. Let me pull out my magical glass ball and tell you where he or she is at this exact moment." Jayden sarcastically responded. Scarlett shot him a playful glare. "Do you know that this has been the longest time I've spent with you in…"

"Since we've been dating?" Scarlett said for him. Jayden nodded. "I know. It feels weird, doesn't it?"

"I guess it's just because no one is here from stopping me from making a bad mistake but myself." Scarlett smiled at his words though she was a bit saddened by that. And then his cell phone rang. "Well, well. If it isn't the mastermind herself." Jayden moved to answer his cell phone. "Hey Beautiful. How's England?"

Laura sighed on the other end. "It's not bad. I'm just tired."

"Orientation?" Jayden asked.

"No. Your mom and I went shopping earlier. She left a while ago though." Jayden hummed in response. "No, we didn't try to kill each other. We just talked. Mostly about you of course because that's the only way I can get through to her. Swear she has something out for me."

"I'm sure she doesn't. She's just overbearing." Jayden responded. "Hey, what did you and Scarlett talk about a week ago?"

"About me telling her to watch after you?"

"Yeah."

"Oh," Laura said as if it was nothing of importance. "I told her that she could, in a way, date you with some limitations. Such as no sex whatsoever and that when I return you're mine again."

"And you didn't run this by me because?" Jayden questioned.

"Call it payback for scheduling my flight even though I said that I didn't want to come here." Jayden smiled a bit. "Besides, you can't be complaining. Do you know how many guys in this world would die for their girlfriend to tell them that it's basically alright to cheat? You should be thanking me."

"I guess you're right about that. Though I would rather have the real deal instead of some last minute replacement." Scarlett huffed in her seat causing Jayden to glance at her and give her an apologetic smile. He had forgotten that she was here for a moment. "Anyway, I just wanted to ask since everyone is making plans without me."

"Are the twins asleep?" Laura asked.

Jayden nodded. "Yeah. Just put your daughter down not too long ago. I think I broke my elbow on the crib though." Laura laughed. "Hey, it's not funny. I went to lie her down and when I was pulling my arms out, I hit my freaking funny bone."

"Suck it up and shut up. It's better than spending a day with someone you think will kill you." replied Laura.

"My mom's not going to kill you. Not unless you're part of some group of mercenaries out to kill her." Jayden said.

"What?" Laura asked.

"Movie she did when I was like five. Not one of my favorites but, hey, she got paid." Jayden explained. "But thanks for explaining the whole thing with Scarlett. It has complicated much of my school year already."

"I'm not telling you to fall madly in love with her and make a break for Mexico," said Laura. "I just want you to have someone to occupy the little things that I can't give you now. Except sex." Jayden laughed. "If I'm going without, so are you."

"I can wait for you to return for that. A few months is nothing compared to sixteen years." Jayden heard Laura laugh softly at that statement. "Well, I have a pizza guy to kill. I'll call you back when I post bail."

"You do that." Laura said. "I'm going to rest until the driver gets here to take me to a little place in Italy so I can exchange some clothes there for school."

"What?" Jayden asked.

"Your house there? I figured if I'm going to be here, might as well show a little skin where you can't see me." Scarlett saw Jayden's eyes harden for a bit making her believe that someone was after Laura. He only had that look when he was trying to stop one person from seeing another. "Tease the hell out of these losers. Oh! And I got a webcam."

"Really?" Jayden's voice hid most of his anger and jealousy.

"Yep. I figured if you can't touch me, the least you could do is watch me change." Laura said before speaking quietly. "I hear people actually do that web-sex thing…"

Jayden smirked. "I hate to tell you but I'm a web virgin and camera shy."

"Well if you want to know just how I look now, you'll have to fix that." Jayden's smile grew a bit. "But I have to leave soon. Hey! Did you know it's only a two our flight from here to Venice? That's great because now I can leave school anytime I want and go to your place."

"Two things wrong with that." Jayden said. "One, skipping classes will give the twins a bad influence. And two, it's our home. I seriously hate reminding you of that."

"Yeah, yeah. But I seriously have to get going. I think your aunt's coming to get me. Reggie." Laura said. "I love you Jayden. And kiss the twins for me?"

"Who'd peg you for such the lovey-dovey mother?" Jayden responded.

"Just do it asshole! Seriously, why did I have to fall for such a half-ass loser?" Laura retorted.

Jayden smiled. "I'll do it Laura. Just stay safe, okay? Reggie may spoil you to death."

"I'll remember not to get more than I want." Laura responded. "Bye."

"Wait," Jayden stopped her from hanging up. "You didn't let me say 'I love you' back. So let's try this again." Jayden sighed. "Good bye Laura. I love you."

"Good bye Jayden and I love you too." Jayden could practically hear her smiling through the phone before she hung up.

He ended the call and looked at Scarlett. Even though she was checking her messages on her phone, Jayden knew she was more focused on his conversation with Laura. Smiling a bit, he moved to the couch and sat beside her. He stared at her until she looked at him.

"What?" Scarlett asked.

"I'm just looking." Jayden said nonchalantly.

Scarlett frowned. "What are you planning Jayden?"

"I'm just looking at you." Jayden replied. "Is that so wrong?"

"You're staring at me." Scarlett stated as Jayden smiled. "Jayden you're starting to creep me out."

"We're all alone, my girlfriend basically gave me a green card to cheat, and we have a lot of make-up time to make up for." Jayden said quietly as he leaned towards Scarlett. "And I'm telling you now, I really don't want to hear 'no' from you."

Scarlett felt her heart pace speed up, though she still moved to kiss Jayden. This would be her night with the boy she wanted and no one was going to ruin it. Not Helen. Not Laura. No one.

Well, no one except Jayden himself.

"Seriously Red, you are way too easy." Scarlett's heart sped up, but this time out rage. However, that rage was quenched when Jayden then kissed her. "We move at my speed, okay?"

"Like a couple?" Scarlett questioned.

"More like friends with great benefits." Jayden said. "And… If Laura allows it, I'll let you claim me as your temporary boyfriend if it pleases you. But again, it's her decision, not mine."

Scarlett suddenly felt bold. Not because she loved pissing Laura off, but because Jayden was basically telling her that he was okay with anything. And with that thought, she pushed Jayden's back against the couch and climbed into his lap. She went to attack his lips with her own until she felt his hands on her shoulder. Her blue eyes shot into his brown ones angrily.

"My speed." Jayden told her. Scarlett continued to glare at him as Jayden began to rub her shoulders. "Red, don't give me that look."

"But I finally have you to myself." Scarlett stated. "I don't want to wait anymore."

Jayden smiled. "Scarlett, don't be hasty. That's how things become more complicated." Scarlett sighed heavily. "I promise you, if you let me somehow get comfortable with this, I'll make it up to you somehow."

"She said it was alright." Scarlett said.

"Not to sound rude," Jayden replied. "But I don't care. Laura wants me to be happy and…"

Scarlett frowned. "I can't make you happy?"

Jayden shook his head, trying to find the right words to say. He did not want another year with him and Scarlett going through love and hate phases. Especially since Laura was not here to keep him from growing too angry.

"Scarlett, you can't expect me to be a hundred percent behind this idea." Jayden said. "I don't want to cheat on Laura."

"But it's okay to cheat on me and get another girl pregnant?" Jayden nearly flinched at her voice. "Did I mean that little to you?"

"No it's just… Things are different with me and Laura." Jayden said. "She's…" Scarlett crossed her arms. "Scarlett, I don't know if you understand the position I'm in."

"No. I don't." Scarlett said. "So why not explain it to me that you're having trouble cheating on a girl who gave you permission to. More permission than I ever did, that's for sure." Jayden sighed. "Might I add, this said girl was the same girl you cheated on me with and isn't one to give a speech on morality or being faithful."

"Don't say that about her." Jayden said sternly. "Laura may have been a lot of bad things in the past, but she isn't now."

Scarlett sighed heavily. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. It's just… I really love you Jayden. And I want us to be something more than friends. And now that we have that chance, it's like you don't want me."

Jayden groaned in his head. Danica always told him that he had a heavy conscience. Now he was stuck between telling Scarlett to just go home and actually admitting that she had a small point.

"Jayden," Jayden watched as Scarlett lowered her face so her forehead rested against his and her nose gently touched his. "Tell me to go and I will."

Jayden opened his mouth but nothing came out. His body was completely betraying him right now and he hated it. But his voice would not tell her to leave. Instead, he just simply rose slightly to kiss her.

The one kiss seemed to ignite something in both of them. Something that they felt during the night of the Black Mist concert. Back when they wanted something to happen yet nothing did. This was that something. This was what they were looking for. And as Scarlett's fingers danced under his shirt to test her assumptions about how tone he did or did not become over the summer, Jayden's hands left her shoulders to her waist. It felt weird to him to have Scarlett in his grasp again but nothing he couldn't adjust to.

As for Scarlett, this was her moment. This was everything she had waited for and then some. Not only could she feel his abs that must have become more defined over the summer, but she was slowly pulling his shirt over his head and he was letting her! This was going to be it.

And then a knock came on the door…

"Pizza." Jayden said quietly.

"Yeah… Pizza…" Scarlett replied climbing off of Jayden.

As Jayden went to answer the door, Scarlett took in a deep breath and huffed. Something beyond the normal realm of coincidences was stopping her from getting what she wanted. But as everyone knew, Scarlett J. Chessex always gets what and who she wants.

Always.

* * *

Shane was slightly annoyed that his sister had sat at his table with her date, but when Deanna allowed it, he let it go.

Kelly sighed. "My night has been so rough… I have a story to finish and I'm nowhere near done. And the editing… Ugh!"

"Maybe it's time to stop working at The Core and just keep your job at The Dot." Deanna responded pointedly.

"Journalism is my dream." Kelly said. "I can't give that up. Especially when it's a college paper which means it's basically a free ride to U of T." Kelly's eyes went to Hakim. "Besides, that's someone's dream school. So it works out to my favor really."

"Doesn't mean you should kill yourself to get in there." Shane stated. "Seriously Kelly, take a break before you end up passing out somewhere."

Kelly yawned, waving Shane off. "Yeah, yeah. I'll have plenty of time to rest tomorrow. After I do my story."

Shane looked at Deanna, who gave him a knowing look. He sighed heavily. He never understood how Deanna somehow became more worried about Kelly's well-being than he did. And he never did quite catch how Deanna gained the power to order him to force Kelly to stay home. However it came to be, this is what his life became. Kelly grew tired, Deanna glared at him, and he was forced to take care of his sister.

"Kelly, we'll edit your paper." Shane said.

"No offense," Kelly said. "But I've seen your English papers. I think I can do better than you asleep Shane."

"I can get Stephanie to do it." Kelly thought about Deanna's offer. "She's great at all that boring writing stuff. Besides, you need your sleep because I won't be seen with a best friend whose eyes have bigger bags that those I got from a store."

Kelly smiled. "Aw… That's so nice of you to say."

Hakim leaned towards Shane. "I don't get what was so nice…"

Shane shrugged. "Girls are weird. Just nod your head and stare at them." Hakim nodded. "But don't stare at the wrong places with my sister!"

"Got it." Hakim said as the two sat up straight.

"Now, let's finally order since someone has finally gotten here." Deanna said, she and Kelly looking at their separate dates.

Shane and Hakim just nodded, grabbing the menus in front of them.

"Shane," Shane lowered his menu down and looked at Deanna. He was so in trouble. "Don't do the nodding thing, okay? It's annoying." Shane was about to nod but Deanna's eyes narrowed. "Really annoying."

"Sure Dee…" Shane said while Hakim and Kelly snickered. "It's not funny… Losers…"

* * *

Chandra looked around the club, nodding in approval.

"So, what do you think?" Aaron asked.

"I like it." Aaron gave Chandra a warm smile. "Dance with me."

Aaron did not have a chance to agree or deny her request as Chandra dragged him to dance. And unlike their dance at the Winter Dance, this one was a lot more provocative in Aaron's mind. Then again, his parents have secretly called him something akin to a prude once.

"Watch your hands A.J." Chandra said to him in a seducing tone. Aaron had not noticed his hands trailing her back and pulled them higher, causing her to giggle. "You have become a pervert."

"I'm not a pervert. You're just beautiful." Aaron responded. It got the reaction he wanted as she just blushed and dropped the conversation. "I'm sorry for making you talk to Farah. I should've have forced you to do that."

"It's not your fault she's selfish." Aaron shrugged slightly. "Come on. Lighten up! I've made history here!"

"History?" Aaron was confused about her statement and his brain was near in overdrive trying to figure out what his ex had planned.

"I got the A.J San… McDuelle in a club!" Aaron only laughed. "That's got to be history somewhere!"

"Actually…" Aaron paused, not wanting to ruin this moment with something that happened over the summer with Jordan. "Well, I'll tell you that story later. But you're mostly right. Clubs are for my older siblings. Not me."

"I know." Chandra said pressing herself against Aaron more. "And I like that about you."

Aaron did not know if it was his heartbeat growing faster or hers knocking against his chest, but those "damn hormones" as Jayden would call them were working double-shift now. Thoughts that have only come to him in dreams were resurfacing while he was fully conscience and he could not get them out of his head.

"Um, ew, keep that behind closed doors." Aaron and Chandra glared at Jordan. "Look, you don't mind if I borrow the only thing we share in common, do you Chandra?"

"I kinda do." Chandra answered.

"Too bad. Get over it." Jordan said before looking at Aaron. "I need to talk to you. It's about… You know."

Aaron nodded before looking at Chandra. "I'll be back."

Chandra grunted but released Aaron nonetheless to let him talk to Jordan. She was starting to think that something was going on between them more than the normal friendship. Then again, what girl would give up Aaron so willingly? Money aside, he was smart, nice, helpful, and a ton of other things that Chandra had already listed in her diary. Of course, his physical features were a big plus in Chandra's books, the only thing Jayden having over his younger brother in Chandra's eyes was his dimples. If Aaron somehow grew them in, well, there'd be no contest.

"Hey," the voice of Oliver Ashoona reached Chandra's ears. "Can we talk?"

"I thought I made it clear that I'm done talking?" Chandra asked.

"No, it's not about that. I mean, it kind of is but…" Oliver paused. "Bambi, you can't expect me to be the perfect guy but I don't think A.J is over your cousin." Chandra frowned. "The things that Farah said about what she and A.J did earlier today? You haven't heard it?"

"No. Mostly because I was there." Oliver picked up the sarcasm and backed down from the argument. "She's lying again. Don't listen to her."

"But if he chooses her, I want to be there for you." Oliver said.

Chandra frowned. "Why would I want that?"

"Because when I look over at her," Oliver motioned his head towards where Farah was at, she talking to Chandler and Nigel. "And then I look over at you. Only one of you is truly alone. And it's not her."

"Oh great," Vanessa said nearing Chandra. "The unwanted one."

Ashton smiled. "Unwanted one. That's a good one."

"Guys…" Gabrielle said quietly.

"Hey, for once, it wasn't me." Ashton said before looking at Chandra. "Where's Santos?"

"I'm right here." Aaron said, his eyes locked onto Oliver. "I just stepped aside for a moment. That's all."

Oliver challenged Aaron to a momentarily staring contest before snorting in laughter and walking away. If Aaron wanted to think that Chandra was the same girl she was when he left, Oliver would let him. Sooner or later though, Chandra would grow bored with the Good Samaritan and soon want more excitement. And that is where he came in.

"Come back in town and making enemies…" Ashton stated. "You know something Santos, I think I'm rubbing off on you."

Aaron smiled. "Let's hope not."

"Yeah. I don't want to go through half the stuff they do." Chandra said with a smile.

While Aaron and Gabrielle laughed at the statement, Vanessa just crossed her arms.

"Least I'm not single." Vanessa muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing." Vanessa said with a smile at Chandra's question. "Come on! Let's dance."

Chandra let it drop this once. Besides, even she knew that Ashton wanted Gabrielle.

* * *

In Montreal, a man looked around his empty home with a sigh.

"Ari, are you ready?" he said.

A girl with dark hair in two ponytails and glasses came to him, her brown eyes pleading to stay.

"Do we have to go Old Man?" she asked him before lacing her fingers in a pleading manner. "Please?! I don't want to go somewhere else!"

"Ari, you know I have to." the man said to girl, causing her to pout more. "Hey, you're going to love Toronto. A few of my old friends are still in town. I'm sure they'll help you find some new friends." The teen's eyes narrowed. "Well, more friends."

"This is about that Clare girl, isn't it?" When the man didn't reply, the teenager known as Ariana Williams sighed. "Seriously Old Man, you have some issues."

"I wish you'd stop calling me that…"

Grinning, Ariana hugged him. "Eli Goldsworthy, you are my old man whether you like it or not."

Smiling, Eli patted her head. "I know I am. Now, let's get into the car."

"Aw!"

"How about a gummy-bear filled bowl of ice cream?" Ariana pondered before nodding. "Then let's get a move on. I want you registered in school before it starts."

"Oh great… More work…" Ariana said as she left her former home with Eli.

Eli smirked. "Yep. More work."

The two left the house together with one thing in mind. Tomorrow would be the first day of their new lives.


	104. S4 Episode IV: Move Along Pt II

**Episode IV: Move Along Pt. II**

Kelly yawned as she stretched in her bed. She attempted to open her eyes and sit up, but sleep was calling her again. So she dug back beneath her covers and sighed contently.

"I don't know Jordan," Shane said quietly. "I think she's dead."

Jordan scoffed. "She can't be dead. She just yawned _and_ moved."

"…" Kelly heard silence and smiled before Shane said one sentence that made her just as irritated as her sister. "Maybe she's a zombie?"

"I'm/She's not a zombie!" Both of Shane's sisters called at the same time, Kelly sitting up as she did so.

Kelly huffed as she saw her older brother and younger sister.

"What are you two doing here?" she asked them.

"Mom says that it's Sunday. You can piece two and two." Shane said. "Hurry up. I have a shift at work later on today _and_ possibly band practice at night."

"Alright… I'm up…" Kelly said slowly getting out of bed. "I'm just so…" Kelly yawned. "Tired…"

"I'll say. You look like a mess." Jordan said. Kelly glared at her sister. "I'll just step out."

Shane watched Jordan leave, Kelly's eyes only leaving from Jordan's retreating figure once the younger girl was successfully out. Kelly then looked at Shane, knowing his worried look.

"I'm fine." Kelly said.

"I didn't say-"

"Yes you did. You always do." Kelly interrupted. "Shane, I'm one hundred and fifty percent alright. Just worry about whatever it is Deanna has cooked up for you today. She might pop in when you least expect it."

"Okay, Deanna only 'pops in' at The Dot and I'm sure we have a seat reserved for her." Shane said. "So why not just get back in bed? I'm sure Mom and Dad will understand."

"I can't. I have to drop off…" Shane's eyes narrowed. "Don't give me that look Shane."

"Bed." Shane said moving to Kelly. Kelly only sighed and crawled back into her bed, knowing that Shane was going to just pick her up and put her there anyway. "I'll give your paper to Stephanie to edit and then drop it off myself. I'll have Dakota come in to do your shift at The Dot too."

Kelly smiled softly. "And Hakim?"

"I'll tell him to take a hike for all I care." Kelly's smile quickly disappeared. "Okay, okay, he gets visitation. But only for an hour. You need to rest Kelly. Like seriously stay put and rest."

"Fine Shane. Sheesh, you're becoming as demanding as Dee…" Kelly said.

"Whatever Kelly." Shane said leaving her bedroom. "Stay put."

Kelly nestled into her pillow with a sigh and closed her eyes. She knew that she was starting to become overworked, but she couldn't choose between her dream job and her job with her family. However, she soon slipped off into a well-deserved slumber. She would decide after her nap.

* * *

Ariana sighed as she opened another box of things.

"Where is it?" she asked rummaging through the contents of the box.

A whistle caused her to look upwards. Standing at the threshold of her bedroom, Eli stood with a bracelet in his hand. Ariana moved towards Eli to retrieve the bracelet.

"Thanks Old Man." she said reaching for it. Eli raised it higher causing her to sigh. "Please?"

"Smile." Eli said to the teen. She flashed him an innocent smile which resulted in him giving her what she wanted. "So are you going out to see some new people?"

"No." Ariana said quickly.

Eli frowned. "Come on Ari. You can't stay in here all year long."

"Seriously Old Man, what do you expect me to do? Read a book at the park?" Eli nodded causing Ariana to sigh. "Fine… I'll go grab my book. And then I'll head to this Dot place." Ariana then glared at Eli. "But don't go finding that Clare chick, Eli Goldsworthy."

"You sound like your mother when you say that." Eli stated.

Ariana smiled. "I try sometimes. Ta-ta."

As Ariana skipped for the door, Eli looked up towards the ceiling. For some reason, he had a feeling that today was going to be a good day.

* * *

Steven Manning lied in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. His mind was playing the events of his last meeting with his parents. Craig was still disappointed in him and Ashley was still very supportive. He heard that his father was working on a new song, meaning that Ashley had visited more than Craig. None of Steven's siblings had been here though. From what he heard, his parents didn't want Lillian to see her older brother in rehab and Ashton just didn't want to see him.

And then there was Dakota…

Steven scoffed at her name. Dakota Elizabeth Nash. She had been nothing but a thorn in his side for her entire life. She ruined his parents' relationship. She ruined his parents' happiness. And she made his life a living hell. And now… Now she was living _his_ dream. Somehow, someway, Dakota was the one that got to be in a band. Dakota was the one that people were talking about.

"Knock, knock," Steven sat up as he heard the voice of his aunt and grinned. "Hey there."

"Angie. I wasn't expecting anyone down here today." Steven said.

Angela Jeremiah nodded. "I understand." Angela stepped further into the room and closed the door. "Your sister is back in town." Steven shrugged. "Steven, one day you're not going to blame Dakota for Craig's doings."

"But she's-"

"She's done nothing to you." Angela interrupted. "And I would appreciate it if you didn't do anything to her. Anything that might put you both back here."

Steven sighed. "It's just not fair Angie. She was in here for like a month. I've been in here for four."

"Dakota still has check-ups that she has to go to." Angela said.

"But she's free." Steven replied. "And I'm not."

Angela huffed before moving to Steven's bed and sitting beside him.

"Steven," she began. "What Craig does with Ashley or Ellie has been happening years before your time. I was still in a car when it really began and back then, Manny was involved as well." Steven's eyes widened. He never knew his father dated Jayden's mother. "All in all, Craig has made some mistakes in his life. Mistakes that he's trying to fix. Don't make it that much harder on him by being spoiled."

"But why is it _my_ life that has to suck?" Steven questioned.

"Hey, hearing your father have sex with random girls in the garage was something no child should have to hear." Steven smiled slightly seeing as she had a point. "But remember Steven. You're not alone. Your parents and I will always be there. Even Ashton, Lily, and Dakota."

"I doubt that…" Steven muttered.

"Hey, they miss you Steven." Angela said with a smile. "I know so."

Steven only nodded, though he doubted. Lillian was too young to understand everything. Dakota never cared that much for Steven. And Ashton held a grudge that would probably be life-lasting. They didn't care. And they never would.

* * *

Ariana came to a bench in a park and sat down. There were several kids running around, laughing and playing at the playground. She smiled slightly remembering her childhood before opening her book up and reading it. She loved Eli's books, even if she practically knew the ending before they were published. Mainly because they told about real life and not some fairy-tale ending. She hadn't believed in fairy-tales since…

The thoughts of such an event caused her to lose focus of her story for a moment.

_Cause you are beautiful  
In every single way  
Words can't bring you down_

The sound of someone's voice further destroyed her focus. Frowning by the sound of a guitar and a singer, a pretty good singer at that, Ariana looked around until she found the perpetrator. He sat beneath a tree, two girls sitting in front of him, listening to him sing with smiling. The girls were obviously twins, and from physiques alone, they were clearly relatives of the boy with the guitar.

He was attractive, the boy with the guitar. He seemed to be so happy, smiling as if there was nothing wrong with the world. And for some reason, Ariana could only stare. His smiled was quite alluring, mesmerizing even. And she found his voice…

"…" Ariana blinked. Was he talking to her? "Hey, are you alright?"

If there was ever an embarrassing moment in her life, this would be it.

"I'm fine!" Ariana called back, ducking back into her book.

Frowning, Jayden rose from his spot to near the strange girl. He had never seen her around here earlier. Maybe she moved over the summer?

"Um, hi." Jayden said.

"Hi." Ariana responded.

"Are you, you know, okay?" Jayden stated. Ariana gave him a frown. "I'm just asking. You seemed to be spacing out and-"

"I was thinking." Ariana said quickly before covering her mouth with a squeal. Jayden raised a brow. "Oops… I'm sorry. I meant, I was thinking."

"Right…" Jayden said before turning to the kids playing on the swings and slide. "Hey, we're leaving in ten."

"Aw!" the twins from earlier said.

"Brats…" Jayden said before looking at Ariana. "Jayden McDuelle."

"Ariana Williams. But people call me Ari. And weirdo. Freak. Four-eyes. Just about everything that degrades me." Jayden frowned at her statement.

"And you answer to them?" Jayden noticed that Ariana glared at him again. "Just asking."

"Not all of us can be successful rock stars." Ariana said, hating the fact that she put so much anger into her voice. Jayden's eyes told her that he heard the resentment in her voice and obviously didn't like it. "Sorry…"

Ariana, in an attempt to save her the embarrassment, got out of her seat quickly.

"You're new around here, aren't you?" Ariana paused and nodded at him. "Where're you from?"

"Montreal… I moved down here with my old man… I meant godfather. He's my godfather but I call him my old man and sometimes my dad but-"

"I think I get it. He's your godfather." Jayden said with a grin.

"Yeah…" Ariana said.

Jayden's smile remained as he spoke. "You kind of look lost, that's why I asked."

"Jayden!" Anastasia called running towards him, her dark blonde curls flowing behind her as she ran. "We're hungry! When's the pizza coming?"

Jayden looked down at the girl with an amused look on his face.

"Who died and made you queen, Ana?" The youngest Cameron merely smiled. "Alright, wrangle up your friends and brother and we'll go back to the house for some pizza. How's that sound?"

Anastasia nodded. "I'll be right back."

She ran off to the others while Jayden turned towards Ariana.

"It was nice meeting you Ari. Hope you find something you like here in Toronto." Jayden said with a pleasant smile. Ariana nodded before Jayden walked away. "Alright you seven dwarfs, let's get a move on."

Ariana only watched for a moment. She had failed to tell him that his last song at the Battle of the Bands over Spring Break made her think about her parents. She had failed to tell him how her former friends bragged about actually being in Vancouver to see him personally while she was basically stuck at home.

Sighing heavily, Ariana began her tread back home. At least she found something she liked about Toronto.

* * *

Tyler opened his door to see a smiling Mary-Jane. Without as much as a "hello" she pulled him by his collar so she could kiss him.

"What was that for?" Tyler asked once she pulled away.

"Do I really need a reason?" Mary-Jane said with a smile. "But if you must know, I heard that Helen kicked you to the curb."

"That's kind of what happens when you get caught cheating." Tyler stated.

"Well it's not cheating anymore right?" Tyler frowned.

"What happened to Marc?" Mary-Jane shrugged at his question. "Mary, what happened between you two?"

"Nothing that Helen _didn't_ cause." Understanding what she meant, Tyler only smiled. "So, this brings me back to my earlier statement. It's not cheating anymore right?"

"I guess not." Tyler said pulling Mary-Jane into the apartment, she kicking the door shut after she was fully inside.

* * *

Deanna sat in her favorite seat at The Dot, Shane working as normal.

"Where's my best friend?" she asked.

Shane grinned. "At home and it's nice to see you too."

"Oh right. Where are my manners?" Deanna said. "Hello Shane, it's nice seeing you. Where's Kelly?" Shane laughed a bit as he sat a tray filled with burgers and fries on the counter. Dakota came and took the tray to a table. "So you finally got her to rest at home? That's good."

"It wasn't easy. She tried to sneak out twice." replied Shane. "Fortunately Hakim and our mom got there around the same time. One to keep her company and the other to keep her from leaving."

Deanna sighed. "She's such an overachiever."

"Says the girl who tried on thirty outfits for one measly dinner." Shane countered.

"It wasn't 'one measly dinner' as you so put it." Deanna told him. "It was…"

"It was…?" Shane parroted.

Deanna scoffed. "You're such a guy."

"If I wasn't, I'm sure we'd all have some questions." Shane replied, gaining a smile from Deanna. "So how're your brother and his annoying girlfriend? You two still not speaking?"

"Not until I have the final laugh." Deanna said while looking at her nails. "Mercedes can't get away for…" She paused and saw the curiosity on Shane's face. "What she did to me."

"And that was?" Shane questioned.

"Shane," Gavin said coming into the café. "I need you to stay here an hour longer today. I'm going to be stuck at Mason's longer than I thought."

"Sure." Shane said before his father stepped out. "This sucks…"

"Don't worry. I'll keep you company." Deanna said with a smile.

"I could use some help." Deanna frowned at Shane's statement. "Oh come on. I'll be right there."

Deanna sighed heavily before rising from her spot. Truthfully, had anyone else asked her she would kindly tell them no before not-so-kindly laughing in their face for such a thought. But this was Shane. And for some inexplicable reason (well, she knew why) he made her do things she normally wouldn't.

Walking into the back room to grab an apron, Deanna gasped when she felt strong arms move around her.

"You never tie these things right." Shane said quietly as he tied her apron.

Deanna turned around once he had finished and looked upwards to meet his gaze. Her fingers began to trace his arms, a feeling so familiar building up inside of her.

"Ahem," And like that, the mood was killed by one Dakota Nash. "Work before pleasure."

Shane smiled. "I think you forget that _I'm_ the boss here, Dakota."

"Kelly called." Dakota said showing her phone. Shane's smile dropped. "She said, 'work before pleasure.' I see what she meant now."

"Damn she's good…" Deanna mumbled beneath her breath.

"Hm?" Deanna heard from Shane before smiling.

"Nothing! Now, let's get to work." Deanna said moving for the door where Dakota stood. She paused and gave Shane a pleasant smile over her shoulder. "And then we can have pleasure."

"Lucky me." Shane responded.

* * *

Kelly smiled as she watched Hakim paint her toenails. He didn't have the steadiest hand, which was why this was so amusing.

"So why not just stop working for The Core?" Hakim asked.

Kelly sighed. "Because journalism is who I am. Do you know who Katie Torres is?" Hakim nodded. "Big fan of hers. I got to interview her a few months back."

"Not that it matters," Hakim said. "But do you _have_ to kill yourself to become like Katie Torres? Because if you do, I'm perfectly fine with Kelly Mason."

"Aw, that's sweet. How about a make-out session?" Hakim stared at his girlfriend wide-eyed before she let out a sigh. "And by that, I mean we _could_ if I didn't have to let these dry."

Hakim stared at her wiggling toes and dropped his shoulders. Kelly laughed at Hakim's expression. Her laughter was interrupted by a yawn.

"This is getting ridiculous." Kelly said as she rested her head on her pillow. "I can't even lie in bed ten minutes without falling asleep."

"Kelly, it's alright if you go to sleep. You deserve it." Hakim replied.

Kelly sighed. "I know, I know. It's just that I have so much to do that I can't go to sleep."

"Shane said he'd handle it." Kelly snorted in laughter. "What?"

"Shane has bad memory. In fact, _I_ have to remind him to do things for me." Kelly said before sighing. "But… Deanna's with him. So if she doesn't forget, then I should be in good shape. Hopefully."

"Is there anything I can do?" Hakim asked.

"Hmm, let's see…" Kelly said thoughtfully before smiling. "Tuck me in with a good night kiss?"

"I can do that." Hakim said with a smile.

Kelly only giggled quietly as Hakim moved so that he was lying beside her. He kissed her tenderly, though she quickly deepened it. While she was in no rush to lose her virginity, Kelly still loved kissing Hakim. It was something that she felt made to do and it came natural to her.

"Ahem." the two teens broke away at lightning speeds, Hakim falling off of the bed in the process.

"Ow…" the boy said as he just lied on the floor, Emma gazing at the two.

"Why is it that every time I look in here, I see you two making-out?" Kelly groaned at her mother's question.

"Mom, he was just giving me a kiss before I went back to sleep." Kelly said.

"Pretty sure Nicky has used that excuse on me once with your brother. I'm not really falling for it Kelly." replied Emma before looking down at Hakim. "Are you alright?"

"Great Mrs. Cameron." Hakim said through pain.

Kelly laughed before looking over the edge of her bed to view him.

"Sorry Hakim. I didn't mean to push you off of the bed." Hakim only gave Kelly a thumb's up in response though his back was seriously throbbing.

Emma sighed and walked away. "Teenagers…"

"You know," Kelly said to Hakim. "Another thing you could do is close the door for me."

"Could I lie here for a while? My back really hurts." Hakim responded.

"Oh never mind. I'll do it myself." Kelly said getting out of her bed. She moved towards the door, making sure not to ruin her toenails and quietly closed it. She then went back to her bed, stepping over Hakim once more, and crawling back up to her pillow. "Seriously, if you were _our_ quarterback, you could take more than one hit."

"I have great protection. Sacks aren't normal for me." Kelly shrugged. "Why does she check in on you so much anyway?"

Kelly sighed. "It all started last Christmas…"

And with that, she began to tell her tale of why her parents will never trust her or Shane home alone again. And it was all because of him and Nicole.

* * *

Danica smiled as she watched Jayden attempt to catch all six children in a game of Freeze Tag. She knew he could if he really wanted to, being someone who ran track, played basketball, and at one point in time, played soccer as well like she did. He was fast and had the acceleration of a natural-born runner. However, he only succeeded in freezing Maddox before Christian unfroze him and the game continued with the children laughing and taunting her brother.

"Your dad sucks." Danica said the sleeping twins in their carriers beside her. The doorbell rang causing her to rise from her seat. "I'll get it."

Danica moved inside her parents' home, heading through the kitchen for the front door. She really was not expecting anyone since Isabella was spending a day with Angelina and Raven was, unsurprisingly, at work.

Opening the door, she mentally slapped her forehead.

Of course it was Scarlett.

"Hi Danni. J.T around or is he in his father mode?" the younger brunette asked.

"He's in the back. Just don't wake…" Danica's words died as she saw a car pull in front of her house. "Go." Scarlett frowned but moved inside anyway. "This ought to be good…"

Zach got out of his car, a bit sweaty due to his earlier game in the field. He moved towards Danica who stood with an amused look on her face. He had to admit, she was undoubtedly sexy when curious.

"I heard your dad helped start a restaurant." Zach said.

"Reading up on me on the rumor mill, are you? That won't score you many points." Zach grinned at her response. "Have you talked to your mom since she's called you?"

"Not exactly." Zach said looking away from Danica. "I'm still trying to grasp everything."

Danica smiled. "I know what you mean. A year ago some guy claimed that he was my real father and made my life a living hell. But, that's behind me now."

"It sucks." Zach muttered.

"I bet." Danica replied in the same tone. She then frowned and looked at Zach. "And why are you here again?'

"Oh!" Zach said, the mood instantly changed. He then rubbed the back of his neck. "I, um, came to ask if you were free next Friday night. Maybe we could, you know, go out and see a movie. Maybe dinner?"

Danica crossed her arms. "Zach Schneider are you asking me out on _another_ date?"

"Is this a trick question?" Danica laughed quietly before kissing his cheek.

"Pick me up at seven thirty. And don't be late this time or else." Danica told him.

"Aye, aye Captain Danni." Zach replied.

"Hey, that's Lieutenant Danica to you." Zach grinned as Danica inched towards the door. "I have kids to watch in here. Call me later." Zach nodded. "And go take a shower. You're sweaty and smelly."

Remembering his previous football game, Zach nodded before going for his car. Danica only smiled before heading inside. Closing the door, Danica then began her journey back to the backyard where Jayden, Scarlett, and the children should be.

Stepping out onto the patio, Danica looked to see that the twins were still asleep, Scarlett sitting in one of the two chairs beside them.

"You seem to have him wrapped around your little fingers." the blue-eyed girl said with a smile.

Danica sighed. "Scar, I know I've said this once, but I'll say it again. Stay out of my love life. I won't tell you anything."

"I thought we were friends?" Scarlett faked whined.

"We are. But if you knew too much about me, I'd have to kill you." Danica said with a smile.

"I'm tired." Jayden said sitting in the grass. "You guys play without me for a few minutes."

"You're getting old." Katya announced.

Jayden glared at her. "You're hanging around your sister too much. Don't be like Danni, Kitty. It'll only ruin your chances at being the semi-perfect child you are."

"Excuse me Scar," Danica said to Scarlett in a quiet tone. "I have to go eliminate one of my siblings."

Scarlett nodded with a smile as Danica made her way to the seated Jayden. She did not hear what Danica said to Jayden, but it was something that got him to his feet and quick. Scarlett then looked down to the sleeping twins at her right and her smile disappeared.

They looked so much like _her_. The thoughts sickened Scarlett to no end. Sure, they were cute kids, but they had to look like _her_; Laura Reynolds. And what was worse was Jayden showing Scarlett a baby picture of Laura. Now every time Scarlett saw Jayden's twins, she had a vivid image of two copies of a baby Laura.

"Time to take them inside." Scarlett's eyes snapped towards Jayden, wondering how long he had been standing _right beside her_. "Everything alright Red?"

"Y-yeah. Everything's fine." Scarlett said.

"Could you get the door?" Scarlett rose and slid the sliding glass doors open, allowing Jayden to cautiously carry both carriers inside without disturbing the babies' sleep.

"Get any sleep?" she asked him, following him into the house.

"Yeah. Jaylen woke up twice and Maxi three times, but I had a pretty decent sleep." Scarlett nodded though she doubted a couple of hours of sleep could be considered "decent" by anyone. "I think I'm starting to get the hang of this."

"Being a dad? J.T, you're a natural." Scarlett said.

Jayden paused at the bottom of the steps and looked at Scarlett.

"No," he said quietly before grinning softly. "I think last night was the first night that I was completely focused on the twins. Not worried about a call from Laura. Not thinking about Jason. It was just me and them."

"You miss him, don't you?" Jayden nodded at Scarlett's question and began climbing the steps. "Jayden, I really wish I could do something for you."

"There's no earthly power that you can possess that'll stop that pain. Even bearing a child and naming him 'Jason' would do me no good." Jayden responded. Scarlett followed him. "But, I've accepted that the past is the past and it's only going to get worse if I just sit there thinking about it."

"Things will get better." Scarlett assured him.

Jayden laughed quietly. "That's what they all say. Doesn't mean it will. Well, not as fast as I want it to." Jayden told her nearing his former bedroom which now housed two respective cribs for his twins. "I just wish that one day I'll be happy. Like completely, not trying to ignore something, happy." Jayden gently sat the carriers down. "Me, Laura, and the kids. Somewhere quiet where I can play the guitar day in and day out, yet not too far from the city because… Well, let's be honest. I would literally die living in the backwoods."

"Seems like you know exactly who you want." Scarlett said quietly. Jayden frowned at her. "I meant 'what' you want. It seems like you know _what_ you want."

Jayden laid the two babies in their respective cribs tenderly before sighing quietly.

"I know what you meant Scarlett. I think I've heard it too many times last year." Jayden said with a sigh. "Listen, I know what you want from me. And a part of me wants to give you what you want but I know I can't. Not all the time."

"Which is why we should make this year our year." Jayden narrowed his eyes a bit. "Come on J.T. Laura told you to do it anyway. It can be everything we wanted it to be last year. Except kissing in the rain in front of your mom or the whole embarrassing moment that I won't go through again."

Jayden thought about responding to her statement. This year would not be what "they" wanted. No, Scarlett wanted what she wanted. But, he had known that for quite some time now. Scarlett was spoiled to a degree. Everyone knew that.

"You know Red," Jayden said with a smirk. "That 'embarrassing moment' of yours would _really_ make my day if it happened again."

Scarlett scoffed. "You would be thinking about that."

"Oh come on, you said it yourself." Jayden said nearing her. "Let's make this _our_ year. And what would _our_ year be without a little… Show and Tell?"

Scarlett could feel the warm feeling inside of her start again due to the close proximity of Jayden plus his tone of voice. His hands began to rub her shoulders and she was forced to swallow a moan.

"What's the matter Red? You look flustered." Jayden said with a sly grin.

Scarlett stepped away from him.

"Why do you keep taunting me like this?" Scarlett asked.

"Hmm, maybe because you let me or," Jayden instantly closed the gap between them again, his gentle breath on her neck as he spoke. "Maybe because you like it."

Scarlett momentarily closed her eyes. Of course she liked it. How could she not? But was he really going to torture her like this for the remainder of the school year or would he actually give her what she wanted? At the current time it was hard to tell.

"Come on," Jayden said taking her hand. "Let's get some ice cream."

Scarlett smiled. "Ice cream? You're such a big kid J.T."

"That would make you either a pedophile or a cougar." Jayden said before looking at her. "And somehow, you being a cougar is… Well, let's just say that it flows."

Scarlett said nothing back as the two made their way down the steps for the kitchen. It wasn't hard for her to tell that Jayden was thinking about Laura even while looking at her. No matter what she did she would never be better than Laura. Not to Jayden at least. If only there was something she could do that could change his mind.

* * *

"Are you sure?" Dakota asked Shane.

Shane looked around. "Yeah. It's pretty quiet here now. You can head home if you want."

"Good. I'll have the studio schedule soon." Dakota said nearing the door. "See you two later."

As Shane and Deanna waved at Dakota, the redhead slipped out of the restaurant, glad that one of her jobs was over for the day. She had half-expected on of her drivers to be waiting for her (despite her strong dislike for being driven around) but was shocked to see her aunt instead.

"Angie!" Dakota said happily with a smile. "What're you doing here?"

"I came by to see your brother." Dakota's happiness seemed to slowly dim out at those words. "He thinks that you and Ashton hardly care about him." Dakota sighed. "Dakota, you need to visit him."

"He never visited me." Dakota muttered.

"You're better than that." Angela said. "Dakota, go see him. One time is all I'm asking for. You can help him."

Dakota frowned. "Me? I barely managed to help myself."

"Dakota, please. I don't want you two going through life like the other one doesn't exist." Angela said.

"I didn't." Dakota said. "When I transferred from Lakehurst to Degrassi, it was _he_ that pretended like _I_ didn't exist. When everyone was there laughing at me and making me the butt of their jokes, it was _he_ that laughed with them. I didn't even know what I did to him."

"It wasn't you, okay? I know why he hates you-"

"I do too, now. But back then I didn't." Angela nodded at Dakota's words. "Angie, he's my brother, I know that. But he doesn't want anything to do with me and I'm not going to sit around and wait for him to accept that we're related."

"Please. Do it for me." Angela said quietly.

Dakota released a heavy sigh. Her aunt was the only person on her dad's side that she spoke on a daily basis. But on the other side, Steven was the _last_ person on that list.

"Fine." Dakota said. "But I can't go this week. I'm pretty much busy and school will just add to that."

"I understand." Angela said with a smile before hugging her niece. "Thank you, Dakota."

Dakota nodded, silently thinking about why she had promised such a taxing thing. With the band and her job at The Dot, not to mention that school is coming and her boyfriend resides in California, spending her downtime with someone who wanted her out of his life was pointless. But if she could help Steven, then she would. Again, he was her brother after all.

* * *

Nathan and Gabrielle exchanged looks before looking at the young man standing in their father's doorway. He resembled their dad greatly, though he had skull tattoos covering his left arm and dark green eyes. Plus, he was a bit taller than Jay was with lighter hair. Other than that, a Jay Hogart replica.

"Brie, Nate," Jay said. "This is your older brother, Randy. Randy, this is Brie and Nate."

"'sup?" Randy replied.

Neither Gabrielle nor Nathan said anything, still trying to figure out just who this guy was. Well, they knew _who_ he was, but they had non clue if he was going to be a complete pain in the ass or not.

"Are you two alright?" Jay asked his two younger children.

Nathan shrugged. "Fine. Just don't see the purpose. Could've met him any other day."

Gabrielle did not react to Nathan's statement. She knew that this was just his way of saying that he was glad to see his brother and now he wanted to do something else.

"Brie?" Gabrielle looked at her father with questioning eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." she said. It was kind of strange for her, a girl with just a mom, to gain _two_ older siblings and a dad in a year's worth of time. "I'm just in a rush today."

Jay raised his brows. "Really? With who?"

Gabrielle, unlike Nathan, was a terrible liar. Truth be told, she had nothing planned for the day. She just wanted to get out of this awkward situation.

"A.J…" Gabrielle said, praying that Jay bought it. But from the way he looked at her, she knew he hadn't.

"You had something planned with A.J? Since when?" asked Jay.

"Um, since…" Gabrielle's cell phone rang, cutting her off. She stood up. "Excuse me."

Nathan could not believe it. His sister had to have the best luck in the entire world, no, universe! How was it that during all the times Stephanie either called or stopped by, this would be the _one time_ that she didn't? And at the same time, Gabrielle had _nothing_ planned and should have been the one dealing with their brother, yet someone magically called one of the quietest girls in all of Ontario!

Sighing Nathan stood up.

"Gotta go. Things to do." he said simply, not caring if his dad bought the lie or not.

"Sure." Jay responded.

As Nathan left the apartment, Randy looked at his dad with a questioning look, fishing for a cigarette in his pocket.

"That went well." he said sarcastically.

Jay shrugged. "Better than how they reacted to me." Jay paused and grinned. "I think they like you."

"Really? I couldn't tell." Randy said. "So where is this garage you were talking about? I could use some extra cash."

"You gotta talk to Cameron about that. I don't own it." Randy nodded, putting the unlit cigarette between his lips. "Outside. Brie's very sensitive about smoke and you do not want Alex Nunez jumping down your throat."

Randy shrugged his shoulders lightly and stepped outside to smoke his cigarette leaving Jay in his apartment alone.

"Why did I have three?" he asked himself as he walked towards his bedroom.

* * *

Mary-Jane sighed contently, lying in her bra and panties against Tyler. He was currently holding her against him in nothing but his boxers.

"Aren't you glad that Helen ended it?" Mary-Jane asked. Tyler nodded though he secretly didn't. "Now we can just lie like this for however long we like."

"Until school." he pointed out. "But even then, we have some afternoons and most of the weekends." Mary-Jane smiled. "And the rest of the day…"

"How about a date?" suggested the blonde as she sat up. "You and me? We could have dinner somewhere to celebrate the lost of one annoying Coyne."

Tyler grinned. "Sure Mary."

"And if there's time before I have to leave we can finish what we started." Mary-Jane said with a smile, getting out of the bed to stretch.

"I like that." Tyler said as Mary-Jane made her way to the bathroom.

His happy demeanor slowly disappeared though. Mary-Jane was great in more ways than one, but she surely was not Helen. Helen was… No words really described her. Sure, she was a bit bossy and at most times just not a real nice person to talk to. But, there were times that she just understood Tyler without saying anything. And while Helen did not put out _every day_, when she was in the mood for sex, it was beyond amazing.

"Is everything alright?" Mary-Jane asked, standing at the doorway staring at Tyler.

Tyler nodded. "Yeah. Everything's perfect."

* * *

Eli watched as Ariana made her way to her room, humming. He was curious as to why she was humming but let it go. Ariana was a teenager, meaning if it was meant for him to know, she would have said something the moment she stepped into the house. Besides, with her moving away from her friends and her former home… He knew it would be a while before she was constantly smiling and humming like normal.

With the thoughts of his goddaughter momentarily pushed aside, he moved out the home to take in some fresh air. He had been unpacking for the majority of the day and the fresh air was something more than needed.

And then he saw something, _someone_, that he thought he wouldn't. More like, someone he was hoping he would not.

"Eli?"

Standing across the street, getting out of her car, was one Clare Edwards. Or Martin. Or whoever she married. He really had not kept in touch with her since leaving high school.

Smiling to hide his confusion, Eli stepped off of his porch and began moving towards the end of his front yard.

"Clare? Wow, it's been a while." Eli said.

"Years Eli. It's been years." she responded moving across the street to hug him. "I can't believe you're back in Toronto! And why haven't you called Adam or Fiona? They would've loved to know that you are back in town!"

"I know I-"

"Dad!" Eli saw Clare's eyes widened as Ariana came from the house and moved for him. "Hey Old Man, I can't find my notebook. Did you pack it? Did we leave it back in-"

"Ari, it's there. Check your drawers or the boxes in the kitchen." Eli interrupted, in an attempt to stop Ariana from going on another rant. "Um, Ari, this is a friend of mine from high school, Clare-"

"Edwards." Ariana finished. Clare watched the girl in awe as she fixed her glasses. "I thought we had an agreement Old Man?"

"We never had an agreement Ari." replied Eli. Eli looked to see Clare's shocked expression before continued his introductions. "Clare, this is my-"

"Daughter. Ariana." Ariana interrupted.

"I didn't know you had any children." Clare said absentmindedly before looking from Ariana to Eli. "I have one myself. A daughter named Abigail. She goes to a boarding school in California, her junior year."

"What a coincidence. Ari will be a junior this year too. Maybe I'll send her off to California." Ariana heard how Eli muttered the last part, telling her that he was not happy with her at the moment.

"Um, how about we catch up later?" Clare suggested. Ariana frowned when she saw Eli nodded. "The Dot sounds alright? I can call and see when Adam is off. It'll be just like old times."

"That sounds good." Eli said with a grin before looking at Ariana. "Come on Ari. Let's get you ready for school tomorrow."

Ariana arched a brow. "Sure, _Dad_." Ariana then gave Clare a smile. "See you later Miss Edwards."

"Guthrie. _Mrs_. Guthrie." Clare corrected, though Ariana had already begun walking towards the house.

Eli sighed. "Teenagers…"

"Tell me about it." Clare said. "It was nice seeing you again."

"You too." Eli replied. "But I do have to go in here before she attempts to cook again." Clare smiled and nodded as Eli began backing towards his new home. "See you soon."

"Yeah!" Clare called crossing the street.

Eli walked into the house to see his goddaughter giving him another look that reminding him of one young Imogen with longer hair.

"She's going to ruin you again. Mom always said that you were so helplessly in love with her." Eli rolled his eyes a bit. If someone came claiming that they were Ariana's real mother, he would probably laugh in their face. There was literally _no way_ that she was _not_ Imogen's daughter.

"Ari," Eli replied. "What I do isn't your concern." Ariana's frown deepened. "I promise I will not bring in some stray hooker that will try to get rid of you. I'm not that mean."

Ariana sighed heavily. "Sure Old Man. Just remember that when she breaks your heart again, I don't want any tears mister."

"Hey! I thought I was the adult!" Eli retorted following the teen into the kitchen.

"Not when it comes to love you're not!" Ariana said with a smile.

Eli grinned. "Speaking of which… I saw the smile you had on your face earlier…" Ariana avoided eye contact, fixing her glasses once more. "Ha! I knew it! So who is he? Come on Ari, tell me?"

"H-he's not a l-lover. I don't even know him!" Ariana retorted, though Eli's smirk remained on his face. "Stop that!" Eli's smirk grew. "Okay! So there's some guy who I might not end up scaring off with my weird habits."

Eli put an arm around Ariana in a comforting matter.

"You're not weird Ari. Don't let anyone tell you different." Ariana smiled at his words. "Now, since there you can't cook to save your life, I'll start dinner."

"Hey! I'm learning!"

"Sure you are Ari. Sure you are…"

* * *

Shane sighed heavily as he began closing up The Dot. Stephanie had recently stopped by to drop off Kelly's story a while ago, but now it was just Shane and Deanna.

Speaking of the only other person there, Shane looked to see Deanna wiping down the last table, grumbling beneath her breath. She had gotten popped by some grease earlier and was now debating on whether or not she would ever work the deep fryer again. He smiled slightly knowing that she probably would try it again. Deanna Fitzgerald was by all means no quitter.

"Are you ready to go?" Shane asked.

"Yeah." Deanna said.

The two moved towards the backroom where Shane quickly and easily disposed of his apron. He looked to see Deanna struggling a bit with the knot he put in it. Laughing quietly, he motioned her to come towards him and she did.

"You know," Shane said undoing the knot. "You really need to get out more. This is so easy to get off of you."

"For you…" Deanna responded with a smile. As Deanna was freed from the apron she looked at Shane with a playful smile. "But then again, you do have a knack for getting things off of me."

"I guess I do." Shane said.

The two stood in front of each other in silence. Deanna knew what she wanted to do at the present time, but chose not to force herself on Shane too much. She had done too much of that over the summer. But when she felt his arms around her waist, all thoughts of self-restraint went out the window.

"Shane… What if your dad sees us?" she whispered quietly.

"I can't hold my girlfriend?" Deanna blinked in confusion.

What did he just say?

"Wh-what?" she stammered.

"I said," Shane said nearing his lips to her ear. "I can't hold my girlfriend? Unless you'd rather us stay friends…"

"N-no! Of course not I just…" Deanna could not form sentence right now if she tried. And she was trying _hard_.

"I'll be back." Shane said leaving the room.

Deanna felt some unknown weight drop from her shoulders. She had done it. She had made Shane Mason hers. And it only took… Six months to do so. Well, it took a shorter period to sleep with the guy, but that's beyond the point. She could now officially call him hers. And that was enough to make her smile.

"You ready?" Shane asked.

"Where are we going?" Deanna questioned, noticing the lights were currently off.

"Nowhere." Shane said moving towards her.

Deanna met him half way, smashing her lips against his. She did not know whether or not it was completely sanitary to have sex at a café, but she was not about to complain now. She and her boyfriend were going to reenact a fantasy that some adults had, sex on the job. And that's all there was to it.

Her and the guy of her dreams.


	105. S4 Episode V: Wake Up

**Episode V: Wake Up**

"Scarlett! Helen! Get up! You have school!"

Those were the dreaded words that neither girl wanted to hear. Yet, as Scarlett slowly got out of her bed, she realized one thing. This was her junior year. There was only one year left after this. And somehow, in-between that time, she had to… No. She would not take Jayden away from Laura. But as long as Laura stayed in England, he was hers.

"Hey Scar," Helen said opening Scarlett's door a bit. "I need to borrow your new jeans." Scarlett frowned. "Oh come on. You know I have the _perfect_ shirt for it."

"Sure Helen." Scarlett responded getting out of the bed. "I guess it's time to get ready for school."

"Unfortunately." Helen stated. "But hey, juniors this year. That means one year left."

Scarlett smiled. "Yeah… One year left…"

* * *

Jayden groaned heavily. "Maxi… You just could not stay asleep for _five more minutes_?"

"And what? Miss her daddy leave without saying goodbye?" Jayden gave his sister a small glare as he took the warm bottle to feed his daughter. "Seriously Jayden, you shouldn't spoil your kids if you're not going to listen to them whine about you leaving."

"When you have kids, then you can tell me that spoiling my only daughter is a bad thing." Jayden retorted before looking at the infant in his arms. "Besides… I can't help it. I'm a sucker for dimples."

Danica rolled her eyes. "No wonder you're so in love with yourself…"

"Hardy-har-har." Jayden said. "Just jealous because mine are better than yours."

"Tch, you think because you have your little groupies that your dimples are better than mine? Mine are worldwide." Danica replied.

"I know." stated Jayden quietly, his eyes back on his daughter. "But yours aren't like hers. And the fact that she looks like Laura, I just can't help but to spoil her."

"Jaylen looks like Laura." Danica pointed out.

"He's my son. Teaching him how to beat the boys off of Maxi is what I'm supposed to do, right?" Danica shrugged, figuring Jayden had some point. "But do you know what? Having these two made me realize something. This year, the old Jayden comes back."

"The old Jayden? You sound as if you're some sixty-year-old man trying to get his groove back." Jayden scoffed at his sister's words.

"You know what I mean." Jayden said. "This year, I'm going to make the soccer team again. And I _will_ get detention at least once a month like I used to." Danica raised a brow. "I'll be more like my old self."

"More like Laura is more like it." Danica muttered before frowning. "More like Laura is more like it… Does that sound repetitive to you?"

Jayden shrugged. "Wasn't paying attention." Danica glared at him as he rose, gently moving to Danica. "Take your niece please? I have to get going."

"Sure." Danica said tenderly taking the weeks-old infant. "So when's the sitter coming?"

"Ten probably. You know how Dash's people are." Danica nodded as she just looked at her niece. "Hey, she's mine so don't go showing her or her brother off to the public."

"Aw. But they're so cute!" Danica whined playfully.

Jayden smiled. "I try."

As Jayden neared the door, grabbing his bag, he moved to give his daughter a kiss on her forehead.

"I wish you could understand me," Jayden said. "So I could tell you give the sitter he…ck. Give him heck and make your mother proud."

Danica rolled her eyes. "Leave Jayden." Jayden did as he was told with a smile on his face. Danica then looked at Daniella and sighed. "In the future you'll have to stay around me so you don't become like your parents. Aunt Danni will make sure that you become the best there is to be."

* * *

Kelly did not know what to make of her brother up and ready for school before she was. She was planning sneaking into his room and shouting into his ear to make him flail in his bed. But… He was awake first. He showered first. And now he was finishing his breakfast with this weird smile. Now, this was not weird as in creepy, but weird as in it wasn't Shane weird. And Kelly had to know what was making him so happy.

"We have to get Jordan soon." Shane said to Kelly. "You might want to hurry up."

Kelly only watched in utter confusion as Shane left the kitchen. She sat in her stupor until her father walked into the kitchen.

"Something wrong Kelly?" Gavin asked.

"Shane… He's… Awake." Kelly replied.

Gavin smiled. "People are normally awake after getting up from sleep. Unless they're sleepwalking."

"Dad, come on. Shane is more awake than I am! Doesn't that scream that something is wrong?" Gavin shrugged at Kelly's question.

"Maybe you've been sleep for so long you're the one that doesn't want to get up." Gavin reasoned.

"Yeah… That must be it." Kelly said. "Then that means that I will _never_ spend another day in bed again unless absolutely necessary."

"Come on Kelly. We're going to be late and Mom will have a cow." Shane said.

Kelly sighed. "It's like I stepped into the Twilight Zone."

Gavin laughed at his daughter's statement. Even he found it weird that Shane was awake and moving so early _without_ anyone doing it. He had already had money on Deanna being the reason of this. Somehow the girl that both of his children had been spending time with for two different reasons was behind this. And if that was the case then this year might be a great year for his children.

* * *

Sitting on the bus, Ariana realized several things that had gone back to normal. People were staring at her. Maybe it was because of her two buns in her head or the pink and black plaid skirt she wore with her black top. Or maybe the black and white knee-high socks were what they were staring at? Either way, they all watched her sit in at an empty seat, sliding towards the window to stare out of it.

"Do you see her socks?"

"Ridiculous…"

Ariana let out a quiet sigh. Another school year had just begun.

Aaron gave a heavy breath getting out of his brother's car.

* * *

"Hello Degrassi!" Jayden called getting out of the car. Aaron groaned. "Oh don't be like that little brother! It's only two years!"

"For you…" Aaron said causing Jayden to smirk. "Why wasn't I born first?"

"Do you really want to be the Queen of the Damned, Danica Mariella McDuelle?" Aaron paused before shaking his head. "Then be thankful that you weren't born first."

"You're probably right." Aaron said. "I'm going to go meet Dustin and Jordan at the front."

Jayden nodded. "Go ahead. I'll catch up later."

Aaron walked away, headed to meet his friends in the front of the school. Jayden sighed as he looked around, watching several other students getting out of their different vehicles with smiles on their faces. Some of those students he knew and some he didn't.

"Hey J.T!" Those two, however, he knew really well. "Junior year!"

"Red, you sound almost excited." Jayden replied to Scarlett as she and Helen neared him. "So this year what does Red and her redhead cousin have on the agenda? Plot to rule the world? Destroy all that opposes you?" Jayden paused and smirked. "Try to rape one of their _favorite_ and _only_ shared ex?"

"Don't tempt me." Helen said causing Jayden to laugh a bit. "But, not this year. I want a peaceful and sane year… Oh, and Mary-Jane to just fall off the Earth but that's everyday stuff, right?"

"One of these days I'm actually going to understand your sense of evilness Helen. I really am." Jayden told her before the three began walking for the front of the building.

"It's not really 'evilness'. She pretty much took Tyler away from me while I was in New York." Helen retorted.

"Weren't you sleeping with him while they were still dating?" Helen glared at Jayden, causing him to put his hands up in a surrendering manner. "Hey, I'm just saying. What goes around comes around, right?"

"Then expect Scar to cheat on you and wind up pregnant." Helen said.

Jayden smiled. "How about we stay in the realm of reality, okay? Red wouldn't do that. She's virtuous."

"Like showing her boob is 'virtuous.'" Helen commented under her breath, though both teens accompanying her heard her.

"We are going to let that incident drop or I'm going to beat the memory out of you both." Scarlett threatened.

Jayden smiled. "Now how do you think I'm going to forget that memory? It's one of my better ones of you."

Scarlett rolled her eyes and looked away to hide the spray of pink across her face. It was completely embarrassing that she had a wardrobe malfunction in front of Jayden of all people. She then settled that it could have been worse. It could have happened in front of DeWayne and then she _would_ have to beat the memory out of him.

Scarlett's thoughts were interrupted when an arm came around her shoulder and pulled her into Jayden's larger body.

"This year is going to be something to remember." Jayden said. Scarlett looked at him with an amused smile on her face. "Just you wait. I have a feeling."

"Let's hope so." Scarlett responded.

* * *

Mary-Jane caught up to Amber, who was currently looking at the other students pile into the halls. Amber spotted Mary-Jane coming and grinned.

"Senior year!" Amber squealed.

"I know!" Mary-Jane said before sighing heavily. "_And_ I don't have my dad for English!"

Amber rolled her eyes. "Gee Mary-Jane, your dad is only like the best English teacher we have. Why _wouldn't _you want him as a teacher?" Mary-Jane gave Amber a fix stare. "Okay, okay, so having a parent as a teacher can be a bit of a drag."

"You're telling me." Mary-Jane responded. "Um, have you talked to Marc lately? I mean, I know what I did was-"

"You." Amber cut her off.

Mary-Jane scoffed. "Okay, fine, I have a habit. Have you talked to him or not?"

"Yes and no." Amber's response made Mary-Jane frown. "Yes I've talked to him over the phone and no, not in person. He's still friends with the ex I'm trying to avoid, remember?" Mary-Jane nodded. Amber has done one great job at avoiding James over the summer. "So, yes and no."

"Well," said Mary-Jane. "I guess one of us will have to talk to them first, right? We're bound to have class with them."

"For his sake," Amber said moving away from Mary-Jane. "We'd better not."

* * *

Jordan huffed as she put her hand on her hip.

"And just how do you know that Mr. McDuelle?" she asked with a small glare. Aaron shrugged. "Well, I think that I can do a better job than Chandra could, thank you. And maybe you should sign up?"

"And spend more time with my brother? I'm fine." Aaron said. While he didn't hate Jayden, he still felt better with their mutual spacing while at school. "You know, this may sound weird, but I kind of miss Laura."

Jordan smirked. "Got the hots for your brother's girl?"

"N-no!" Aaron retorted. "It's just… I get used to having _three_ older people saying things about me now instead of two. And now it's just Jay and Danni again. I miss her inputs."

"You expect me to believe that you would rather some half-naked bombshell pick on you instead of flirt with you? Come on A.J, lie to me better than that." Aaron kept quiet knowing a pointless argument when he saw one. "I guess that's why you keep me around, right? Because I'm like totally hot and it makes you look twice as good."

"You're delusional." Aaron said drawing a small laugh from Jordan. Her new persona had taken some getting used to, but he was perfectly fine with it now. Well, except the _hours_ it took her to get ready to do something as simple as walk across the street to the park.

"A.J." Aaron and Jordan both stopped before Aaron nearly collided into Farah, the other girl rounding a corner at a quick pace. "Um… Hi."

"Great… My sister's in-law…" Jordan muttered, a smile threatening to show on Aaron's face.

"Hey Farah, where're you headed?" Aaron asked.

Farah took out her schedule and read it for a brief second before looking at Aaron.

"I have Mr. Isaacs for homeroom." she said.

"Oh. See you around then." Aaron replied as he and Jordan began walking away.

"Hey," Farah called to him, stopping him momentarily. "Do you want to…? Meet up later? After school? Chandler and Nigel are probably going to be busy so I was thinking…"

Aaron smiled. "Sure Farah. See you around."

As Aaron walked off with Jordan, the blonde beside him scoffed.

"I don't know what's worse," she said to her friend. "Chandra fawning over you or Farah. With Chandra it's the wannabe Mrs. McDuelle and with Farah it's little Miss Innocent. They're both pathetic if you ask me."

"Hmm… Kind of reminds me of an ex I know. She became like a combination of them. Little Miss Wannabe Popularity." Jordan rolled her eyes.

"Jokes… Nice…" Jordan said.

Aaron smiled. "We have an entire year, Jordan. And with you trying to be next Madame President of the eighth grade, we need to stay focus on work. Not my love life." Jordan shrugged. "So, need someone to be a campaign manager?"

"Depends. Are you going to involve either of the annoying cousins?" Aaron laughed at Jordan's statement.

"No. I was thinking maybe I can use my brother's powers and get Scarlett to help you too." Aaron responded gaining a gasp from Jordan. "Hey, you're not the only 'popular' kid, remember? I'm the second son of Manny McDuelle."

Jordan sighed. "It's such a shame you won't see how fabulous I am. We could run this school."

Aaron chuckled. "Whatever you say Jordan."

* * *

Zach walked into the office he shared with football coach, finding a list of potential hockey players. While looking at a list, he was oblivious to the door opening behind him until the person knocked on the door. Turning, he saw Liberty standing at the doorway.

"…" Zach stood frozen, not knowing what to say or do at the moment. Remembering his conversation with both Danica and Isabella the previous night, he spoke to her quietly. "Mom."

Liberty gasped. She was not expecting him to call her that. Well, not soon anyway.

"Um, hi Zach. Do you have a minute?" Zach nodded and Liberty stepped into the office. "You know, your dad liked working with children too."

"I, um, know. Isabella's mom had some old DVDs of him." Zach replied.

"Mia… I almost forgot." Liberty said with a sigh.

"Forgot?" questioned Zach.

"Your dad and Mia used to date before he…" Liberty paused. "Anyway, I came here to ask if you had any questions. I would like to know you and your siblings would love to know you too."

"I do have one question and I'm pretty sure you know what it is." Zach said. "Why? Why'd you give me up?"

Liberty sighed heavily. "It wasn't easy. Your dad and I were teens, still in high school. We weren't stable enough to raise a child."

"So you just gave me up?" Liberty heard the anger in his voice and turned her attention to the floor.

"Zach, I'm sorry. If I could go back and change that, I would." Liberty said before looking at him. "I just want to start over with you. Get to know you. Tell you things about your dad. Those kind of things."

Zach sighed. "I don't know if I can start new. I have team practice and my other job to worry about. But, I guess it's better to forgive than forget, right?" Liberty smiled and nodded. "So… Did my dad date both Danni's _and_ Bella's moms?"

"Your father wasn't as smooth with the ladies as you're probably thinking, but yeah. He did." Liberty responded.

With that statement, Liberty went on explaining J.T's love lives with herself, Manny, and Mia. She mentally had to thank J.T for being the reason she reunited with their son. Who knows? Maybe one day Zach would take his younger siblings out to spend time with them.

* * *

The bell rang for the change of class, the students going to their new second period classes.

"If I had a dollar for every time I had some long class with you, I'd be rich." Jayden said to Nicole, who smiled at him. The two were currently walking towards their World Literature class. "Don't give me that sweet look Nicky. It won't work this year."

"Really? What if I tried, really, really hard?" Jayden shook his head with a smile which caused Nicole to pout. "You're not fun anymore!"

"Oh I'm _tons_ of fun. You just can't find out." Jayden said with a smirk.

"I'm sure that that would get us both in a lot of trouble…" Nicole said as the two walked into the class. "Hey! Scarlett's in this class! Hi Scarlett!"

Jayden frowned as he saw the brunette sitting in a seat already. He moved towards her and sat in the desk to her left.

"I'm so glad I ran into you." Scarlett said.

Jayden smiled as Nicole sat behind Scarlett.

"Two things wrong with that. One, you're sitting down, you _can't_ run sitting down. And two, _I_ walked towards _you_." Jayden responded.

"Yeah, yeah, annoying introduction out of the way," Scarlett replied before sighing. "I want to take you to the Back-to-School Dance."

Jayden frowned. "How do you know that there'll be one?"

"President, duh." Scarlett said. "The announcement will be made at lunch. But I wanted to ask you now before anyone else does. So… Do you want to go to the dance with me?"

"I don't know," Jayden sighed. "I have this thing to do Friday… Plus I promised Danni I'd watch the twins so…"

"Oh. Okay then." Jayden smiled at Scarlett's reaction. "What?"

"I'll be at the dance Red." responded Jayden. "Just be lucky I don't do what you did to me last year and tell you that someone else already asked me."

Scarlett smiled. "Why do you think I asked you _before_ the announcements were made?"

"What announcements?" the voice of Shane caused Jayden, Nicole, and Scarlett to turn to the boy sitting behind Jayden. "What did I miss?"

"Nothing much. Scarlett just asked me to the dance." Jayden said. "So, another year where you and I have class together with our two most recent exes. Kind of funny, don't you think?"

Shane glanced at Nicole before looking at Jayden.

"Yeah. Funny…" he replied.

* * *

Danica smiled as she stared down at Jaylen, his brown eyes connecting with her own.

"You really do look like your mommy." Danica said softly. "But I bet you're going to act just like your dad. You're going to get all the girls and get into a ton of trouble." The phone began to ring, causing Danica to sigh. "Hold on little man. Let's see who this is."

After laying the quiet baby into his crib, Danica moved to grab the phone and answered it.

"Hello?"

"You sound happy. Must've gotten laid." Danica rolled her eyes at the voice.

"You know Laura, I liked you better when you were as big as a house and in Italy. Mostly the part where you were in Italy." Danica retorted. "And why are you calling now? Don't you have classes?"

"It's so in the afternoon right now and I don't have rehearsals for another thirty minutes." replied Laura. "So… How are things?"

"Laura, what have I said about now asking what you want to ask?" Danica questioned.

Laura sighed. "Okay, sue me. I'm worried about my kids. They're alright, right? And Jayden? How's he? Is, you know, Jason still on his mind because if it is I can-"

"Okay, okay, quiet down. Let me see if I can answer this in one simple matter." Danica said. "They are all fine. Sure Jay's a little rocked about the lost of your son and the babies cry because that's what babies do, but all in all, we're all fine."

"Good." Danica could hear Laura give out a small sigh and smiled at how worried she really was. No one would probably believe her if she told them that _Laura Reynolds_ worried. "I just wanted to make sure that everything is alright. You know sometimes Jayden doesn't really go to sleep when he's supposed to. He just stays awake and thinks."

"I think I know my brother." Laura scoffed at the statement.

"I'm just saying from my perspective. It worries me sometimes, okay?" Laura snapped back. "Geez, why can't you and I have a _normal_ conversation?"

"Other than the fact that you're not normal, I don't know." Danica replied. "So how was my mom? Last I heard you were off to Italy to get some clothes even though you two went shopping."

"She was cool. I still think she hates me though." Danica laughed.

"Yeah, that's Mama Bear for you. You mess with her cubs and she'll be all over it." Danica said before ending her laughter quietly. "How are you holding up?"

There was a moment of silence before Laura spoke.

"I don't know. At some parts of the day, I feel so empty. Lost even. And then others I'm just me." Danica nodded. "It's kind of weird having people come up to me and talk to me about how great my boyfriend is and how lucky or pretty I am. One girl even asked if Jayden was a good lay or not." Danica laughed at the statement, knowing that Laura probably gave a descriptive answer to such a question. "It feels weird being known for something… Well not necessarily _good_ but better than I was known for in Toronto, that's for sure."

"I don't know. You were known for sleeping around so…"

"I hate you sometimes." Danica laughed again at Laura's blunt statement. Strangely, after a while, Laura laughed as well. "One of my roommates is a mom too. Her ex-boyfriend is like a complete rich douche. Plays lacrosse at his rich-boy school."

"Aren't you in a 'rich-boy' school?" questioned Danica.

"Not the damn point. Point is, she's got a kid and the dad's a douche, end of story." Laura stated. Danica only sighed. No one would ever win an argument against Laura, she supposed. "And before I forget my mom has some mandatory visit with the twins this weekend. So remind Jayden to take them over there."

"Anything else, oh wife of the great one?" Danica asked.

"Yeah." Laura said. "Could you send me a picture of them? The twins that is. I… I don't have one so I was thinking…"

Danica smiled. "Laura, I know you have one. But I'll do it."

"Thanks Danni. I'm trying to get used to this whole family business. Normally my dad says he'll try and my mom tells me to fuck off." Laura said.

"You have a sister in me." Danica said.

"I better." Laura retorted before laughing a bit. "Your mom told me about your sixteenth birthday! You were such a whore!"

Danica's eyes narrowed. "I was such a _what_?"

"Do you even talk to the guy? I mean just throwing yourself out there at sixteen and-"

"Laura," Danica cut the younger girl off. "Don't make me find you. It won't end well." Laura's laughter quieted down, though Danica could still hear her giggles. "Besides, you had _triplets_ at sixteen. That beats mine by a _mile_."

"I'm also still dating said guy." Laura mocked in a sing-song voice.

Danica grunted. "Point?"

"Don't be mad _Mariella_. I'm just getting months of payback out right now." Ignoring the fact that she was called her middle name by someone other than her maternal grandmother, Danica only sighed. She figured Laura must have been bored out of her mind which is one of the reasons that she called. "I kind of miss you."

"So the spawn of evil does have a heart? Who knew?" Danica responded.

"Whatever. I have to go now. My roommate and I are going to get some things for a party and then I have rehearsal." Laura stated.

"Mm, Jayden is going to be a little angry that you're out partying when you should be studying." Danica said.

"When we were in Italy, we did what the Italians did." Laura replied, a smile coming on Danica's face.

"You sound more and more like one of us with each day." said Danica. "Alright, I'll send you those pictures. I'll even tell that braided loser to send you one as well. Just don't do anything stupid and get kicked out of that school."

"I'll try not to. I'll call later." Laura said before hanging up.

Danica sighed. "She has to be Jayden's girl."

* * *

Deanna moved out of her class with Stephanie and Angelina at her sides. The halls of Lakehurst filled with several students that she did and did not know.

"Isn't it great that we have classes together?" Deanna said with a sigh.

Stephanie smiled. "I think you're happy about one Mr. Shane Mason."

Deanna winked. "Not telling."

"Seriously Dee, there's no need. You're practically glowing right now!" Stephanie replied, Angelina nodding in agreement.

"Well, if you must know, I had a great night, that's all." said the rich girl. "Plus I get to go see the wonderful man of my dreams after a torturous day of school. I have a lot to look forward to."

"So… You and Shane _are_ dating?" Angelina questioned.

Deanna paused in mid-step before laughing and continuing.

"Yep." Her two friends looked at one another with smiles. "What are you two grinning about?"

"It's-" Stephanie stopped instantly once Deanna came face-to-face with one Mercedes Van Zandt.

Mercedes looked at her shorter former friend with narrowing eyes. This only caused Deanna to return the glare just as cold.

"Deanna."

"Mercedes."

Their voices reflected their disdain for each other. Stephanie saw the hatred in Deanna's eyes and chose that moment to pull her friend away. A fight on the first day of school would not make a good school year.

"You need to say something?" Mercedes asked.

"Yes I do." Deanna said shaking Stephanie off of her. "I got Shane on my own. No thanks to you or my meddling twin brother."

"Look at that. You finally lose your virginity and now you're Supergirl." Mercedes mocked.

Deanna crossed her arms. "At least I know everyone I've slept with."

"I do too." snapped the taller girl.

"You do, but what about DeWayne?" Stephanie and Angelina saw Mercedes' brow twitch suddenly. "Let's be honest Mercedes. If he'll cheat with you, he'll cheat _on_ you. Who's to say what happened with him and Scarlett when we weren't around?"

"Tch, is that your best ammo? Everyone knows that they didn't do anything." Mercedes said.

Deanna shrugged. "Suit yourself. We also thought that Jayden slept with Helen, but they deny it too. Difference is Scarlett and DeWayne had more privacy." Seeing the jawbones on Mercedes' face clench, Deanna smiled. "See you around, old friend."

As Deanna led Stephanie and Angelina away, Mercedes huffed angrily and walked the opposite way.

"It's good to be back." Deanna said to her two friends with a smile.

* * *

Running towards The Dot for lunch, Mary-Jane and Amber gave a heavy sigh once they saw that the line was pretty much nonexistent.

"First day of school and there's no line at The Dot? Could today get any better?" Amber questioned before the two moved to order a quick lunch.

While they ordered, James and Marc moved into the café, both boys talking about some of the new girls in their grade. Their conversation ended once their eyes met those of their respective exes.

"Well this is weird." Mary-Jane muttered before clearing her throat. "Hey guys. How's your first day going?"

James shrugged. "It's pretty alright. Got booked with some tough classes."

"Can you believe it's our senior year? It seems like yesterday we were those lame grade sevens." replied Mary-Jane before she sighed. "Those were the good days… But hey, only a few months left until we're free."

"Isn't that great?" James questioned with a smile. Mary-Jane nodded, a silence followed. Then James continued. "So… The Back-to-School Dance is Friday. Have either of you asked someone to go with you yet?"

"Um, not really." Mary-Jane answered, her eyes moving towards Amber.

"Oh, hi Marc." Amber said with a pleasant smile.

"…Hi…" Marc responded, unsure on what to say really. "So, um, did you ask someone to the dance already?"

"Nope. Just waiting for a while. Find someone who, how should I put this? Will be in their soberest of mind frames, you know?" Marc nodded, casually glancing at James as he did so. "Who knows? I might ask you out."

Now it was Mary-Jane who frowned a bit. While Marc _was_ Amber's ex first, he was Mary-Jane's most recent one.

"Well," Mary-Jane said. "How about you two join us for lunch? It'll be like old times. Well, without Steven."

"Yes," Amber said looking at Marc. "Join us."

James and Marc exchanged glances for a moment. They had both dated Amber and Mary-Jane, in that order, and had both been cheated on by Mary-Jane for Tyler. Sighing, they thought the same thing at the same time.

This was going to be a long senior year.

* * *

"So," Chandra said sitting at a table with Aaron, Gabrielle, Ashton, and Vanessa. "I have a _ton_ of work to do already. I'm starting to think that this Gifted Program isn't all that it's cracked up to be."

"It's been half a day and you're complaining already?" Vanessa responded. "Gee Bambi, you'd think you could hold out for a little longer." Chandra only rolled her eyes and sat across from Aaron. "So, going out for cheerleading again this year?"

"Of course. Since it's Mary-Jane's last year, she'll be scouting for a replacement so that Helen won't be the sole ruler of the squad. And if I can impress her, then that person will be me!" Chandra said with a smile.

"I will never understand cheerleaders." Ashton commented.

"And I will never understand the completely rich and self-centered." Chandra retorted.

Ashton smirked. "Well Santos, looks like your chances are shot."

"A.J isn't self-centered." Chandra countered. Aaron only shrugged at Ashton's smirk, knowing what his friend was really up to. "Besides, he's twice the man that you will ever be."

"Oh really? And how do you know how much of a man he is?" Ashton questioned. Chandra only scoffed. "You really had fantasies about the guy? This world, I tell you."

Jordan huffed as she sat down beside Aaron causing everyone at the table to look at her.

"Okay," Jordan finally said after a pause. "Let's see if I get this straight. No one dares run against Scarlett because they think being president is either boring or there's just no point in running against her, yet _everyone_ thinks that they can run against me? Why is that?"

"Because you're annoying." stated Ashton.

"Take a pill or a drink. It's what your family is known for." Jordan said before looking at Aaron's glare. "Fine… I'll be nicer. Someday."

"Whatever Jordan," Aaron said. "So how many are running against you?"

"Three. Three other people. All guys." Jordan answered. "And they have like tons of friends. _Real_ friends." Jordan sighed. "I really wish my campaign manager had a free afternoon instead of running off with… _Her_."

"Who's your campaign manager?" Vanessa asked.

Jordan did not verbally respond. Her eyes just trailed over to meet Aaron's.

"That's nice A.J. Though with the-"

"You're meeting up with Farah?" Chandra completely interrupted Gabrielle with her outburst.

Aaron sighed. "I promised her that I'd meet up with her and her friends. Not a date Bambi."

"Whatever." Chandra muttered.

* * *

Walking back to the building with cups in their hands, Helen laughed at the predicament her friend and cousin was in, Jacquelyn smiling as well.

"So," Helen stated through her laughs. "You both are in class with Jayden and Shane? That's hilarious!"

"I'm glad someone thinks it is." Scarlett responded angrily.

"Yeah Helen, I really don't think it's that funny." Nicole added.

"Let's see if I can make this funny then." Helen stated. "You and Scar have to be in a class with the two guys that you two once dated and love so dearly. And the real funny part is, those two guys are both dating some girl who doesn't even go to the same school and could still give you hell from where they're at!"

"As if I care what Laura does." Scarlett said.

"Besides," Nicole said. "Shane will soon realize that Deanna used Kelly to get close to him."

Jacquelyn sighed. "Nicky, I thought you were done with those thoughts?"

"Come on! When has _anyone_ said anything good about Deanna?" Helen, Jacquelyn, and Scarlett glanced at one another. Nicole had a strong point there. "Shane just trusts her because… Well, Shane trusts a lot of people."

"Like a strung out Nicky." stated Helen. Nicole glared at her shorter friend. "Hey, you brought that one on yourself."

"I just want to know how people knew about Marissa, knew about Helen, and now talk about Laura, but _no one_ has any knowledge of me and J.T dating." Scarlett said.

"Consider yourself lucky." Helen said.

Scarlett was going to respond until the four girls spotted Jayden and Shane talking at Shane's locker.

"Well, well, if it isn't our own personal ex-girlfriend club?" Jayden said to Shane. Shane only snickered at his comment while the four girls glared at Jayden. "So, what can we do for you lovely ladies and Helen?"

"You have _one more time_ to piss me off today and I'm going to break my promise and-"

"We're heading to class like you two should be." Scarlett quickly said, stopping Helen's threat. "And why aren't you two going?"

"I hate Art." Shane answered.

"But your girlfriend is such the artist. Did you see your picture she drew of you?" replied Jayden. "The apron really brings out your cooking side."

"I told her _not_ to do that…" Shane mumbled.

Nicole gave a quiet grunt that only her friends heard. Jacquelyn lazily rolled her eyes at the sound. To think that people actually had the nerve to say _Jacquelyn_ was the obsessive and jealous one.

"Hey Jayden," Jayden looked at Helen. "How about going to the dance with me? You're one of the few guys that I can actually stand being with in this school."

"Uh, I wish I could, but I can't. Unless you don't mind sharing me for the night." Jayden answered.

Helen frowned. "Who asked you to the dance already?" Jayden and Shane looked at Scarlett, Helen soon following their line of sight to her cousin to her left. "Scar? Really?"

"Why do you sound… Happy?" Scarlett asked.

Helen smiled. "No reason. Other than it's about time you did something right."

Scarlett's brows furrowed. "What do you mean it's about time I 'did something right'?"

"Nothing." Helen said still smiling.

"Not that I actually mind this," Jayden said. "But my class is on the opposing side of the building. And to dumb it down, I'm going to be late. So see you guys later and Red, don't stand me up Friday. I do know where you live."

Scarlett only smiled as Jayden walked away.

"It's like I don't exist with him around." Shane said aloud. "I'm taller, bigger, better looking. He just talks more."

"Come on Shane, I'll walk with you half-way to class." Scarlett replied.

Shane sighed. "Thanks Scarlett. At least you see me."

Scarlett smiled as she and Shane walked away from the others.

"Okay Miss Jackie," Helen said. "Since you're now the _only_ one who has dated both Plain Shane and my former annoying neighbor, who's a better date? Shane or Jayden?"

Jacquelyn stood quietly before shrugging. "Don't care. Scooter's better than them both."

"_Right_, nice lie." Helen said.

* * *

Chandra stepped by her locker, already late for class.

"Stupid hallway traffic." she muttered before opening her locker. A note fell out of her locker and onto the floor. "Oh great."

Bending down she picked the note up. She frowned as she began reading it.

"'Dear Beautiful, I hope you're having a good day. Your smile makes me have a good day. I hope we see each other soon.'" Chandra read before looking around. "Who could've…"

"Aren't you a little late?" Chandra felt her heart skip a beat as Aaron's voice reached her ears. She saw the boy walking towards her with a small smile. "I'm sure the bell rang."

"I…" Chandra paused. "I needed to put my English book up. It's heavy."

"Yeah, it is." Aaron replied.

Chandra smiled. "I got a note from a secret admire. Know anything about that?" Aaron shook his head. "Oh. Okay then." She then frowned. "And what are you doing here?"

"Evidently, there's an Erin Santos who somehow got my afternoon classes while I got hers." Aaron explained. "It's kind of hard using that last name now that everyone knows the truth."

"Oh." Chandra said putting her book in her locker. "So… Are you doing anything this afternoon? I thought we could tag along with Nessa and Ashton."

"…" Aaron stood quietly for a moment before speaking quietly. "I can't…" Chandra turned to look at him. "I kind of promised Farah that…" Aaron stopped once he read the anger on Chandra's face. "Bambi I'm sorry. She asked me earlier and I said I would."

"It's no problem. Seriously." Aaron would have believed her if she didn't nearly slam her locker shut. "Now I have to get to Ms. Parks' Algebra Two class."

"Me too." Aaron said.

Chandra sighed. "This day will never end, will it?"

"Bambi I'm really sorry. If-"

"You're always sorry for something someone else does." interrupted Chandra. "Just, just forget about it."

"No. Let's talk about it." Aaron said. "Just after school, okay? I'll call or stop by?"

"Sure." Chandra responded. "Now, I think we're both late, Mr. McDuelle."

"Note." Aaron said revealing the slip to Chandra. "So _you're_ late."

Chandra only smiled and began walking away. Aaron quickly made his way beside her, the two walking side by side down the hall. Chandra looked to her right at Aaron before smiling sadly.

"I guess you dating Farah will make us even." Aaron frowned at her statement. "Me and Oliver? It's only fair that I don't get involved with that, even though I _really_ want to."

"I'm not in any rush to date anyone at the moment Bambi, especially Farah." Aaron said.

Chandra gave him a playful glare. "Something wrong with my cousin? Is she not good enough for the new and improve Aaron J. McDuelle?"

"Whenever you and Jordan agree on something, I'd be pretty stupid to argue against you." Chandra laughed softly at the declaration. "Besides, I don't want to think about what it'll do to you." Chandra was going to say something but Aaron continued. "I know that we're not together and probably won't be for a while. But, no matter who you date or I date or who we hang out with, I'm sure in the end, it'll be just you and I. And I can finally be able to say those three words to you. Just wait, okay?"

Chandra smiled. "Okay A.J."

* * *

After school, Torrie made her way to her cousin's house. She had the intentions of getting Helen to drop her off at Jayden's since she knew Laura was now in London and he would not be bothered by anyone but Scarlett. But her plans were shot down when the boy was in Scarlett's room. More importantly, there he was pretty close up to Scarlett.

"Ahem," Instead of breaking away from one another, Jayden and Scarlett just looked at Torrie. "Well this is something gossip-worthy. Degrassi's number one power couple reuniting behind closed doors. Well, the door was opened."

"What do you want Torrie?" Scarlett asked with a sigh.

"I just came to stop by. Didn't know you had company." Torrie gave Jayden a small wink as she moved for Scarlett's bed and sat on it. "So, what are you two doing?"

"I, um, just stopped by to see how Red was doing. You know, small break in being a parent and all." Jayden said as Scarlett stepped towards her closet. "So how was your first day as a junior?"

Torrie smiled. "Well aren't you considerate? It was pretty good. Yours?"

"Considering that I get to see the most beautiful girl at school," Scarlett smiled at Jayden as he paused. "Every time I look at Laura's picture…"

"Jerk!" Scarlett yelled at him.

Jayden laughed. "I told you Red. You're too easy." Torrie didn't know what Jayden meant by the statement, so she kept tight-lipped in hopes that Scarlett would say something to shed some light on the mystery. "But, seriously, my first day was pretty alright considering my girlfriend is in another country and I had to wake up _two hours_ before I was supposed to because one of the twins was hungry."

"That must suck, being a teen parent and all." Torrie was shocked when Jayden shook his head no.

"Not really. It's just a schedule that you have to go by." he told her. Jayden then looked at Scarlett. "Alright Red, I don't have all day. Let's get this over with so I can go home and be a dad."

"Get what over with?" Torrie asked her cousin, their blue eyes meeting one another.

"A massage," Scarlett answered turning to look at Jayden. "And we can't because she's here."

A small smirk formed on Jayden's face. "Then I suggest you keep all your clothes on and the noise to a minimal."

Torrie did not know whether or not they were talking about a simple massage now what Jayden said and how he said it. Plus, Scarlett's reaction told Torrie that Jayden was right about his statement, which meant whatever they were going to do involved Scarlett removing her clothes and pretty much moaning loudly. So it was either a really great massage or something completely different.

"Yeah right." Scarlett finally stated walking towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Jayden asked with a smile.

"Helen's room! Let's go!" Jayden didn't argue, just following Scarlett with a quiet laugh.

Torrie's brows furrowed. Over the summer, Torrie had learned through Danica that Jayden was pretty much done with Scarlett. But that's not what it looked like here. It looked like Jayden was all but done with Scarlett and Scarlett was holding on to him for dear life.

And Torrie hated those thoughts greatly.

* * *

Aaron spotted Farah sitting at an empty table at The Dot. It would be stupid for him to even think that she was unattractive, because she wasn't. She was very pretty and a part of him wished there was a way to make her and Chandra happy at the same time. But he knew that it was impossible.

"A.J," Farah said happily. He smiled at her and moved to sit across from her. "Hi."

"Hey. Sorry about leaving you at lunch." Aaron said, watching her smile brighten a bit.

"No problem. Chandra will probably never forgive me. I get that now." Aaron nodded as she had a strong point there. "So… Are you going to the dance Friday?" Aaron thought about telling her the truth. He thought about saying that he _wanted_ to go, yet no one has asked him yet. But for some reason he pictured the truth causing more problems at the moment. "A.J?"

"Yeah, I am. I asked Brie since, well, no one ever asks her and I want her to have a good time." Aaron lied. He felt bad about lying, but still… He had to get Chandra back at all costs. "You?"

"O-oh, no. No one has asked me." Aaron frowned. "I m-mean, guys have asked but no one that I would've said yes to."

"Oh." Aaron said looking away from Farah for a moment. "Did you want to get something?"

"Sure." Farah answered as Aaron rose.

"I'll be back." he told her.

Aaron felt a bit indifferent about the situation now. It was bad enough that Chandra and Farah went back and forth causing one another problems, but now he was lying to Farah in her face. Sure, one could think that it was for the better to tell her that he was going with Gabrielle, but _if_ Farah had brought the statement around Chandra, the person who Aaron _wanted _to go to the dance with, then Chandra would probably back off as well and he would have to take Gabrielle.

Sighing, Aaron made his way to the counter where he was greeted by a smiling Kelly.

"Hey, what can I get you?" she asked.

"Advice." Aaron replied. "And two sodas."

* * *

Helen groaned as she walked up the steps at her aunt's home. She passed Scarlett's room without giving it a notice and went directly for her room. Although a little confused as to why her door was closed, Helen opened it to see one Jayden McDuelle lying atop of one Scarlett Chessex, the two making-out as if the end of the world was tomorrow.

"…" At this moment, Helen's initial response was to fly off the hinges and drag them both out by the ends of their hairs. Yet for some reason, Helen was quite happy that they were together. And then her mind trailed to _where_ they were again. "Get. Out."

A small growl came from Scarlett as Jayden stopped his wonderful kisses and slowly moved off of her.

"Oh, hey Helen. Just giving your cousin a massage and all." Jayden said with a grin.

Helen crossed her arms. "By kissing her on _my_ bed?"

"Torrie's in Red's room so…" Jayden trailed his words when he saw that Helen's face went from annoyed to piss. "I can give you one too if you like."

Helen only sighed heavily. "No. Continue. I'll deal with Torrie." Scarlett actually smiled before Helen glared at her. "But if you take it farther than kissing on _my_ bed, I'll kill you."

"Not a problem." Scarlett said in a sing-song voice. "Now goodbye!"

Helen rolled her eyes and left, closing the door behind her.

"Now," Scarlett said. "How about we finish the massage _and_ where we left off at?"

"I wish I could," Jayden replied staring at his cell phone. "But I have to go. Jaylen and Daniella need me."

Scarlett sat up. "I'm sure Danni won't mind watching them for a few more minutes. An hour at tops."

"Well, to be on the safe side, let me go just incase." Scarlett sighed, but nodded. "Stop by after school tomorrow, and I'll pick up where I left off."

"Sure J.T." Scarlett said as Jayden walked towards the door. She noticed that he was still looking at his phone with a small frown. "Is everything alright?"

"Perfect." Jayden said giving Scarlett a smile. "See you later Red."

As Jayden left, he turned his attention back to his phone. While he had several photos of Laura on his phone, the one he favored the most was her in bra and panties sitting in his lap in the girls' locker room last year. Sure, Laura had given him a more _alluring_ photo since then, but there was something about the photo that meant something to him.

Sighing, Jayden walked out of Scarlett's house and towards his car. No matter how hard he tried, he could not cheat on Laura. Kissing Scarlett was one thing, but putting emotion into each one was a different story. And it pained him to know that Scarlett was putting a hundred and ten percent while he was hardly putting in ten.

Jayden got into his car and dialed Laura's cell number. He waited for a moment, thinking that she was probably busy or sleeping.

"Hey." Laura said answering her phone after the fourth or so ring.

"Hey," Jayden said. "I just wanted to hear your voice."

"I've missed you too." Jayden smiled as he started his car up. "Hey, you're never going to guess what happened today."

"Go ahead and tell me. I have all day." Jayden replied.

As Jayden drove home, listening to Laura explain her day to him, he momentarily thought about Laura and Scarlett's deal. If Laura wanted him to be happy until she returned, he would. So long as he got to hear her talk to him everyday.


	106. S4 Episode VI: Cleaning Out My Closet

**Episode VI: Cleaning Out My Closet**

Amber smiled happily as she walked towards Mary-Jane in the parking lot.

"What is it?" Mary-Jane asked suspiciously.

"I heard through the grapevine that a certain MJ Del-Rossi won't be at the dance because of one Tyler Walton." Amber said.

Mary-Jane frowned. "Who told?!" Amber only giggled. "Fine, fine, I have a date out with him. But I'm not trying to promote it. The last thing I want is for Marc to hear and then be angrier with me. And I definitely don't want to her-"

"Who? Me?" Helen interrupted, she and Scarlett standing near their car.

Mary-Jane scoffed. "Great…"

"Look," Helen said. "Tyler wanted you and he got you. I understand too. I was gone and you were here and available. It makes perfect sense."

"I don't need sex to win him over. Especially from a bitch like you." Mary-Jane said angrily.

Helen snorted. "Yeah right. You obviously haven't talked to Tank recently. Apparently my pictures are still on his phone and yours are deleted." Mary-Jane glared at the shorter girl. "But, hey, you're right. You don't need sex to win him from a bitch like me."

"Announcements." Scarlett said moving away from the group. "Coming Helen?"

"Yeah." Helen said giving Mary-Jane one final glare as she walked away.

Mary-Jane sighed heavily. "And it was such a good day too…"

Amber only shook her head. She had no idea why Mary-Jane liked Tyler so much, let alone Helen. She figured Helen only wanted Tyler so that Mary-Jane couldn't have him, but that's not what it sounded like a few seconds ago. It sounded like Helen was genuinely in love with the guy. And from what Helen said, Tyler felt the same for Helen. This only seemed to prove Amber's theory.

The guy was a severe loser.

* * *

Chandra paused at the sight of Aaron and Farah laughing in front of Aaron's locker. She wanted to go over and talk to him, yet she wanted nothing to do with her cousin at the moment.

Taking in a deep breath, she began walking towards them anyway.

"Bambi," Aaron said with a smile. "Did you need something?"

"Just wanted to talk." Aaron nodded. "So… Did I miss the joke already?"

"No, it wasn't much of a joke. Just…" Aaron paused and glanced down the hall. "Jayden accidently grabbed a few pampers and instead of putting them in the twins' bag, he put them in his own and now he has to drive to my house and back before first period."

"Oh…" Chandra said. "Um, about what we talked about yesterday afternoon…" Farah's eyes narrowed. Once again, Chandra Torres was going to steal the spotlight. "I understand what you were saying so… I was wondering…" Aaron's brows rose at Chandra's uncharacteristic shyness. "I was wondering if you wanted to go to the dance with me."

"I…" Aaron paused when he remembered Farah standing by him. "I already told Brie I would go with her."

"Oh. Well, that's alright. Save a dance for me?" Chandra questioned.

Aaron nodded. "Sure Bambi." Aaron saw Farah's frown and mentally sighed. "Um, I have to go find Brie. Her older brother came in town recently and she wanted me to speak to him soon. See you two later."

"Bye A.J." Farah and Chandra said in unison before glaring at one another.

"Um, yeah." Aaron said walking away.

Aaron sighed heavily. He really did not like lying to Chandra, Farah too, but more importantly Chandra. So he had to make things right quickly.

"Brie!" Aaron called. Gabrielle, who was seconds from stepping into her first period class, stopped and looked at Aaron. "Hey, can I ask you for a favor?" Gabrielle nodded. "Could you go to the dance with me again?"

"But I thought you wanted to go with-"

"I know, I know. I just…" Aaron paused. "I lied to Farah and I feel really bad about it. I said that I was going to the dance with you instead of telling her no and now Bambi thinks I'm going with you as well."

Gabrielle sighed. "A.J… Why couldn't you have told the truth? You always tell the truth."

"I feel bad Brie. I really do. It's just… I don't know." Gabrielle saw the pain in Aaron's eyes and felt a bit sorry for him. "I want to be with Bambi, like really bad. But at the same time, we're different now and I don't know how to deal with the whole Oliver thing. And then Farah…"

"What about Farah?" Gabrielle asked.

"I don't know how to feel about her. Sure, she's pretty and smart and fun to be with. But there's something… I don't know. I liked Farah, but at the same time-"

"She's Bambi's cousin and a part of the reason you two aren't together, right?" Aaron nodded at Gabrielle's words. "A.J, maybe you should just let it go. The whole thing with Bambi and Farah. You should just put it in the past and start over. With both of them."

"So are you saying that I should forget about what Farah did and give her a chance?" asked Aaron.

Gabrielle sighed. "A.J, you once told me that despite what he's done, Ashton was a good guy. And he really is. He's just…" Gabrielle paused, Aaron understanding what she wanted to say. "So Farah can't be all bad. Who knows? Maybe you and Bambi will find some reason to get back together while you're focused on Farah."

"Or another reason to stay apart." Gabrielle nodded a bit sadly at the statement. "Thanks Brie. I have to get to class now."

"Sure." Gabrielle replied. "And A.J, don't let it get to you but so much."

"I'll try." Aaron responded before walking away.

* * *

After the bell rang for the end of first period, Nicole caught up to Jayden before he made it to their second period class.

"Hey Jay." she said happily.

Jayden eyed her. "What has you in such a good mood this morning?"

"Well," Nicole said. "I was thinking about asking Shane to the dance. You know, like I wanted to last year but Jackie asked him and all that stuff happened afterwards."

"You mean you running off with Nathan and then becoming his personal slut? Yeah, I know." Nicole rolled her eyes.

"Okay, so I didn't make the best choice." Nicole stated. "But I'm trying to make that better, see? So taking him to the dance will be like righting the wrong. Kind of like Scarlett is doing with you."

"I hate to tell you," Jayden said apologetically. "But Shane was planning on asking Deanna to come with him later on today."

Nicole frowned. "But she goes to Lakehurst!"

"I know, I know. Trust me, it took me a while to get used to saying Deanna's name without throwing up in my mouth too." Jayden said. "But the truth of the matter is, they're together and she's really not that bad once you get past her… Everything." Nicole's frown deepened. "There are a _lot_ of bad things I could say about Deanna. But I realize that it's those things that make her who she is. I had a lot of practice when it came to forgiving Laura a year ago."

"I'm glad you told me before I made a fool out of myself." Nicole said with a sigh. "Thanks Jay."

"Nicky," Jayden responded. "I know that you like Shane and you hate Deanna, but you have to accept the things that you and Shane did and move on from there. No point in wallowing in despair."

"Jayden, no offense, but I don't need your advice." Nicole stated.

"Yes you do." Jayden said. "Or else you'll turn into one Scarlett J. Chessex."

"Don't you like Scarlett?" Jayden smiled.

"One would say that." Jayden answered. "But Deanna and Shane are just like me and Laura. And for your sake, you better hope that they stop while they aren't like me and Laura completely."

Nicole smiled. "Yeah. I'd hate to see their kids."

"I was actually talking about them falling hopelessly in love with each other, but kids were a close second." Jayden said.

Nicole paused in her steps, allowing Jayden to walk into the class by himself. She took in a deep breath before walking into class as well. She was going to hate it if Shane and Deanna fell in love. Which meant she had to do everything to stop that from happening.

* * *

Ariana made her way to the principal's office. There sat the principal of Lakehurst, Mr. Smith.

"You wanted to see me sir?" Ariana asked.

Mr. Smith sighed. "I've noticed that some of the students have been giving you a hard time, Miss Williams. Giving your history are you-"

"I'm fine." Ariana interrupted quickly. "If that's all, I have a keyboard to be working on."

"I know that high school isn't the easiest years of your life," Mr. Smith told her. "But it would be much easier with friends. You could join a club or a sport."

"Like?" Mr. Smith heard the sarcasm in her voice and thought for a moment.

"There is a little group of students that talk to the students of Degrassi. They try to maintain the peace between the two schools." Mr. Smith said. "We're short two seats if that's alright with you."

Ariana sighed. "Will it make a difference?"

"It might." Mr. Smith said. "Give it a try and if it doesn't work out then we'll find something else."

"I have group therapy. Or at least I did. I was a counselor." Mr. Smith brows rose with surprise. "After I got over my problem, they had me talk to the other students because I could 'relate' to them more."

"I see. Well, you should be an expert in speaking then." Ariana snorted at his statement.

"Yeah. I always say the right thing at the wrong time." Ariana said.

"Ariana, I know life must be hard for you but-"

"May I go back to class now?"

Mr. Smith nodded, the brunette giving him a small bow and leaving. As she walked down the halls, Ariana kept her gaze in front of her as she walked down the halls. A friend would make her life easier, she admits, but just who would want to befriend her?

* * *

Amber sighed contently as she hummed a tune out loud. She was quite happy for some reason and really didn't want the day to end on a bad note. Then again, she hadn't heard much from Mary-Jane since that morning so anything was bound to happen.

"Hey Amber." Marc said nearing her.

"Marc! Hi!" Amber said happily before seeing his slightly annoyed expression. "Something wrong?"

"Not really. Just Mary-Jane stuff." Amber nodded.

"I understand." she said. "So, how many girls have asked our star D-lineman out to the dance?"

"Three and I've shot them all down." Marc replied. "Not that they weren't hot or anything, but I just didn't want to."

"Oh." Amber said. "Well would you go to the dance with me?"

"Um, I would, but wouldn't that be weird? I mean, last year Mary-Jane went with James and they ended up… Well you know. And now your friend is my ex and my friend is your ex and-"

"It's a simple yes or no Marc. Don't worry about Mary-Jane or James or anyone else." Amber stated.

Marc shrugged. "Since you put it like that, then sure. I'll go."

Amber smiled. "Great! We'll talk later!"

Amber closed her locker and walked down the hall. Marc watched her before taking in a deep breath. Amber was James's ex, but she was his first. So therefore, he had a right to date her again, right?

* * *

Lunch quickly came and for one Chandra Torres, she wandered down the halls to find Aaron, only to see Farah already with him. She watched the two smile and talk to one another before Farah gave Aaron a tight hug and then walked away. Swallowing a lump in her throat Chandra waved at Aaron.

"A.J!" she called. After he spotted her, he moved towards her. "Brie says that she'd allow me one dance with you earlier."

Aaron smiled. "Brie's nice like that, I guess. I just wish that there was someone who could make her happy all the time."

"You know who that 'someone' is. However he's currently dating my best friend." Aaron nodded. "Besides A.J, Brie's alright with them. She just wants Ashton to be happy."

"That wouldn't explain the whole Dustin thing, but okay." Aaron said, gaining a smile from Chandra. "Lunch?"

"To lunch." Aaron was a bit surprised when Chandra locked her arm with his and moved for the cafeteria. "So… What were you and Farah talking about?"

"Nothing much." Aaron answered. "Why?"

"Oh no reason." said Chandra. "No reason at all."

* * *

Shane glanced at the soda machine, noticing Jayden and Scarlett talking there as normal. Kelly, Jacob, and Dakota talked amongst themselves, leaving him to escape to text Deanna.

"Shane, wait!" Shane wanted to groan, but realized that it was Nicole calling him. How could he ever say no to her? "Hey! I wanted to talk to you earlier in class but… Not in front of Jayden and Scarlett."

"Okay… What is it?" questioned Shane.

"I wanted to know if you wanted to go to the dance with me." Nicole said with a smile. "I mean, Jay said something about you asking Deanna, but since we both know that she can't come, I figured I'd ask…"

"Um, I haven't talked to Mrs. Taylor about it yet. In fact I was going to do it today after school. And how'd you know that? Jayden tell you?" Nicole nodded. "Figures… I knew he didn't like Dee…"

"Oh, no! That's not why he told me. It was to stop me from, well, asking." Nicole quickly replied.

"Oh. Well I guess I owe Laura a break then." Shane said, Nicole laughing a bit. "But, sorry Nicky. I plan on spending the day with Deanna one way or another."

Nicole sighed. "I understand."

"Wait a minute. Are you jealous Nicky?" asked Shane.

"What?! No!" Nicole said quickly.

"Nicky, you're lying to me." Shane told her. "What's wrong with me trying to spend one day with my girlfriend?"

"It's not that. I just wanted to go to the dance with my friend. Or have we stopped being friends?" Shane sighed. "Shane? Have we stopped being friends? Are you really going to stop being my friend because I smoke at maximum, one cigarette every three days and I drink?"

"No. We stopped being friends the moment you grew jealous of Deanna." Shane retorted.

"Me?! You were jealous of Ethan and I don't even date him!"

"You kissed him!"

"You slept with her!"

The two stood quietly for a moment before Shane shrugged.

"You know what, I did. I messed up. And I don't care anymore." Nicole's mouth opened slightly. "Deanna is a great girl and regardless on how we got together, she's fun to be with and-"

"She doesn't do drugs or sleeps with Nate." Nicole cut him off.

"No. She's trying to be a better person. Nicer to others. She helped plan parties with her mom over the summer for important people. She wanted to start a charity but…" Shane paused.

Nicole scoffed. "Whatever Shane. I'd call you a gold-digger if I didn't know you. But whatever the reason you're into Deanna, I hope you see her for who she is before she ruins you."

"You sound just like Scarlett. Stop it." Shane said before his phone began vibrating. "Sorry. I have to take this."

Nicole watched Shane quickly head for the bathroom to talk on the phone in privacy. Her eyes narrowed as his last words came to mind again.

"I'm not like Scarlett." she muttered angrily.

* * *

At the end of the school day, Chandra made her way to her locker to put her books away and head to the gym for a meeting for cheerleading. Once again, she found another note in her locker that she read to herself. She looked around the halls, attempting to see if anyone looked suspicious of dropping off the letter, until she heard a familiar voice.

"…And I don't want to do that." Aaron concluded as he walked beside Jordan.

Jordan scoffed. "You're such a pushover."

"A.J!" Chandra called to him moving to him. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure Bambi. What is it?" Aaron asked.

Chandra sighed. "Okay… Are you the guy sending me these letters?"

"Sorry Bambi, but-"

"You're the only one that knows where my locker is and the first time it happened, you were just walking by." Chandra interrupted. "It's just suspicious that every time I get a letter from my 'secret admire' you're there."

"I haven't been by your locker all day except when I walked past it for six period." Aaron responded.

"So you _could've_ slipped it in there?" Chandra said.

"But I didn't." Chandra gave him a disbelieving look. "Bambi, I like you, and you know this. Why would I become your _secret_ admirer?"

"To avoid hurting Farah's feelings." Aaron gave a small thought. That made a lot of sense _if_ he was her secret admirer.

Aaron sighed. "I'm sorry Bambi, but it's not me. I've been caught up in helping Jordan's campaign that I haven't been giving it much thought to anything else."

"Besides," Jordan said looking at the letter. "This isn't A.J's handwriting." Chandra looked at the letter. "Wow. For A.J's estranged wife, you really know nothing about the guy."

"Shut up!" Chandra snapped before looking at Aaron. "Are you _sure_-"

"Yes he's sure now go away." Aaron and Chandra glared at Jordan. "We have presidential things to do and a ride to catch. So let's wrap this up quickly."

"Again, I'm sorry Bambi, but it's not me." Aaron said. "I really hope you find out soon though."

Chandra nodded as Jordan led Aaron away, he already chastising her about her attitude. She stood in the hall, slightly embarrassed for even thinking it was Aaron. She felt a small pain in her chest as a new thought crossed her mind. Did Farah really take Aaron away from her? Or was it Jordan? Either way, Aaron seemed distant to her now and she could only pray that it was neither of the two abovementioned girls.

* * *

"Hello fabulous friend!" Deanna said as she moved into The Dot with a grin. Kelly gave Deanna a wave as Deanna made her way to the counter where Shane stood. "And hello wonderful boyfriend."

Shane smiled as the two exchanged a kiss. "Hey Dee. I take it that you had a good day."

"Mr. Smith is picking a new five for those little group meetings and I was one of them. I just hope it doesn't cut into my cheerleading or art." replied Deanna before sitting on her normal stool in front of the counter. "So… What did you want to ask me?"

"Well, I was wondering what you were doing Friday night." said Shane.

Deanna shrugged. "I have nothing planned. Why?"

"I wanted to know if you wanted to go to the Back-to-School Dance with me." Deanna frowned. "I talked it over with Mrs. Taylor and she said it was perfectly fine, so long as you don't start trouble. Kind of great that she and my dad dated, right?"

"Wrong." Gavin said. "I have to check on things at Mason's. Don't blow the place up like your mother."

"We won't. Bye Dad!" Kelly said as Gavin left. "Finally! I thought he'd never leave!"

"Wait," Deanna said, looking at Shane. "You want me to go to the dance with you? A dance at your school, I might want to add."

Shane shrugged. "It's not the dumbest idea I've had, but yeah."

"He's telling the truth about the dumbest idea thing." Kelly said before spotting a couple sitting down at a table. "Excuse me. I have to work."

"So?" Shane said to Deanna as Kelly walked away. "Would you like to come? Jay and I promise to be your secret service protection until the night's over."

"You know, when you drag him into something, you two end up in deep trouble." Shane grinned at Deanna's words. "But… I guess since you've done all this for me, I should at least go."

"You're awesome." Shane said before leaning to give her a kiss.

"I know." Deanna replied after Shane pulled away with a smile. The door swung open to reveal Nicole. "Oh goodie…"

Shane gave Deanna a smile before spotting Ethan entering behind Nicole, the two moving to an empty table.

"Now who has to be on their best behavior?" Deanna taunted.

Shane didn't say anything, he only watched Nicole for a moment before turning his attention back to Deanna. He saw her smirk and went towards the grill.

"Whatever Deanna." Deanna only giggled at her boyfriend's defeated tone.

* * *

Jayden sat down beneath a tree at the park where he had taken Laura days after Christmas. It had become his private getaway now. He sat with his guitar in his lap and began strumming before a quiet sound caused him to look upwards. There, sitting in a branch above him, was Ariana reading yet another book.

"Um, hello Jayden McDuelle." she stated.

"Hi yourself." Jayden said before frowning. "Is it comfortable up there?"

"It keeps me hidden." Jayden's frown grew.

"From…?" he asked.

"Don't worry about it." Ariana snapped before gasping. "Oops! I mean, people. They seem to, um, pick on me." Jayden laughed a bit. "What?"

"Nothing. I just came out here because school and fatherhood was getting the best of me. I have thirty minutes to myself today and I wanted to just relax." Jayden said with a smile. "In a way, you can say that people were picking on me too."

Ariana scoffed. "Like the great leader of Juvenile Grace gets picked on for striped socks."

"Suit yourself." Jayden told her. "You don't mind if I play a bit?"

"Do you normally ask before playing?" Jayden grinned at her.

"The normal girl, no, I wouldn't. But I can tell that you're nowhere near normal." Ariana glared at him.

"Are you calling me weird?" she questioned.

"Ari, I think we've both established that you're a bit different. Not necessarily weird, but definitely different." replied Jayden.

Ariana stared at Jayden with a shocked expression. Her shock was something Jayden noted and paused before he strummed the first tone on his guitar.

"Something wrong Ari?" Jayden asked.

"Oh n-nothing. I just…" Ariana paused. "I didn't think you remembered my name."

Jayden grinned. "Why is that? Because I'm the lead singer in a band and you're the quiet girl that people pick on? Because if that's it, then I need to remind you that I bleed like you. Nothing special about me." Jayden then smirked. "Well, other than my charming good looks."

Ariana only nodded and went back to her reading as Jayden played a tune beneath her. She smiled a bit, thinking about how stressful the day in school had been before coming to the park and getting a free concert by one of her crushes. Lady Luck was clearly on her side today.

* * *

"I won't do it!" Jordan growled angrily at Aaron.

"You have to." Aaron told her.

"No I don't and I won't." Jordan huffed. "I don't care about this stupid card game! Who even taught you how to play anyway? They must be _great_ cheaters!"

"I didn't cheat Jordan and I didn't make the stipulations either. I just won fair and square. Now you have something to do." Jordan glared at Aaron's smiling face.

"You love this, don't you?" Aaron nodded a bit as she took her cell phone out of her purse. "I swear you were a lot better to deal with when you were a quiet loser."

"People say the same about you." Aaron muttered as Jordan dialed a number.

He watched her for a moment as they sat on her front porch, playing cards. Of course, when Jordan began winning, she grew arrogant and wanted to make a simple bet. If she won then Aaron would have to take her to the dance. But if he won, which he did, she would have to ask Dustin.

"Hey, Dustin… Of course this is Jordan!" Aaron smiled at Jordan's words. "Look, I know we've been on different sides like all year, but I was wondering…" Jordan sighed heavily. "I was wondering if you wanted to go to the dance with me. And don't be afraid to say no…" There was a moment of silence before Jordan dropped her head. "Great… I'll see you then. Bye."

Aaron attempted to stop the laughs from escaping him, but he couldn't. Jordan's face was nearly priceless. Jordan glared at him, which caused him to calm down a bit.

"You're a really bad friend." she pouted. "Now I have to go to the dance with Dustin Hayes."

"Come on Jordan, let's continue working on your campaign. It'll get your mind off of Dustin." Aaron replied.

"Fine." Jordan said with a sigh. "But this is the last time I play cards with you."

"Fine." Aaron said with a smile.

* * *

Scarlett moved into her room with a quiet sigh. She wondered where Jayden was and why he hadn't called her. Her thoughts were interrupted when she got a call. Smiling, she moved to her vibrating phone, only to see it was from DeWayne. Hesitating, she eventually answered it.

"Hello?"

"…" Scarlett was a little annoyed that he remained silent after she answered. "Hey Scarlett."

"What do you want DeWayne?" she asked.

"I wanted to hear from you. It's been a while and, um, I just wanted to call." Scarlett rolled her eyes. "I take it that Jayden's using you since his girlfriend went off to London, huh?"

"He isn't 'using' me. I'm helping him out with his kids since their mom isn't here." Scarlett retorted.

DeWayne sighed. "Scarlett, I really wish you'd see him for who he is."

"Did you call me to talk about someone I'm mad about for not calling me? Because if you are, then you're wasting your and my time." Scarlett said.

"I'll go Scarlett." DeWayne responded. "Just answer me this. What do you do when Laura returns and he kicks you to the curb again? He wouldn't want you and you're pushing me away."

Scarlett remained silent for a moment. That question had been one haunting her since Laura asked Scarlett to "watch over" Jayden. When Laura returned, Scarlett would be nothing to Jayden once again. He and Laura would probably run off to Italy or somewhere with their kids and leave her in the dust.

But a part of Scarlett would not believe that. He would still be there for her. She just knew it.

"If you're done," Scarlett finally said. "Then it was nice talking to you."

Scarlett didn't give DeWayne a chance to say anything else, hanging up on him quickly. She then moved out of her room, going to the steps quickly.

"Hey," Helen called at her when Scarlett grabbed her keys. "Where are you going?"

"To J.T's." Scarlett said at the door.

"Wait for me!" Helen said moving after her cousin. "And why are you walking so fast? Slow down!"

Scarlett paused in front of the car she and Helen shared and turned to her cousin.

"Slow down?" she parroted. "Helen, we're not going to have the conversation as to why I won't slow down. You know. I know. He knows. I just… DeWayne called and really screwed up my whole afternoon!"

Helen rolled her eyes. "Of course. Your _other_ annoying ex." Helen then looked at Scarlett. "You know what? Go ahead. I wouldn't want to be in-between you and your love-crazed haste. I might get hurt or catch a reflex."

Scarlett smiled. "Thanks Helen." Scarlett walked to the driver's door and opened it. "Tell Mom I'll be back in about an hour or so. I don't want to overstay my welcome."

"Will do." Helen said as Scarlett got into the car. "Poor child…"


	107. Webisode: Mitunes: Jacquelyn

**Author's Note: **So with the merging of the two stories over, the Webisodes are once again back, which includes MiTunes such as this one. The following MiTune actually takes place in Season 3 during the episode, The One I Gave My Heart To. As always, I don't own the song or its lyrics. Enjoy.

* * *

**MiTunes: Jackie**

Song: E.T (Futuristic Lover)  
Artist: Katy Perry

They never went all the way, yet she always begged for him to. It was strange, but ever since that first date, she had wanted more and more of Damon. And soon, she would either get it or take it.

_You're so hypnotizing  
Could you be angel? Could you be the devil?_

She knew him being in her room without her parents home was wrong. But she needed him. And plus, it was Valentine's Day.

_Your touch magnetizing  
Feels like I am floating, leaves my body glowing_

He laid her down, their lips never separating. A year ago, Damon was one of the most disgusting people she knew. Now? He was her Jayden plus Shane.

_They say be afraid  
You're not like the others, futuristic lover_

Helen and Scarlett did not know just how great Damon was. They were stuck on Tyler and Jayden. Losers.

_Different DNA  
They don't understand you_

Even Nicole didn't fully grasp why Jacquelyn liked Damon so much.

_You're from a whole other world_

He was new.

_A different dimension_

He had little regards for rules.

_You open my eyes_

He took risks.

_And I'm ready to go, lead me into the light_

And he knew just what she wanted.

_Kiss me, k-k-kiss me  
Infect me with your love and  
Fill me with your poison_

Their lips parted long enough for her to remove his shirt and he to remove hers. Again, they never went all the way because he always stopped them. But he always made her feel good.

_Take me, ta-ta-take me  
Wanna be victim  
Ready for abduction_

She moaned his name as their bodies collided in tight embrace. She had heard about sex from Helen and Nicole and would love nothing more but to feel what they felt. If only Damon would actually give her what she asked for…

_Boy, you're an alien  
Your touch so foreign  
It's supernatural  
Extraterrestrial_

His hands roamed on the revealed flesh. He never took her bra off. He never took her panties off. And somehow, Jacquelyn saw stars with just touches and kisses. If only she could get him to take her where her friends had been.

His body on hers felt like a mixture of her exes. He had Shane's power and Jayden's passion. And unlike the other two, Damon knew her better than them.

_You're so supersonic  
Wanna feel your powers, stun me with your lasers_

Her pants were removed before he attacked her neck. Her eyes rolled as she felt his hands dance along her stomach.

_Your kiss is cosmic  
Every move is magic_

She bit her lip, knowing what was coming next. Again, they never went all the way. But he always, _always_, made sure she felt good.

_You're from a whole other word  
A different dimension_

His fingers skipped around its target, rubbing her thighs. His body weight kept her from moving much, making her annoyed.

_You open my eyes  
And I'm ready to go, lead me into the light_

Helen, Scarlett, and Nicole didn't know this side of Damon. And Jacquelyn sure as hell was not going to share him with them. She shared too much with her friends as it is.

_Kiss me, k-k-kiss me  
Infect me with your love and  
Fill me with your poison_

She did not know what sex felt like, but his fingers were pure magic. Her breath always left her even though all she said was his nickname. Not loud, just enough to tell him not to stop.

_Take me, ta-ta-take me  
Wanna be victim  
Ready for abduction_

"Dance for me." he would always mutter as her body writhed and squirmed beneath him.

Forget what others thought, Damon was the right one for her in more ways than ever.

_Boy, you're an alien  
Your touch so foreign  
It's supernatural  
Extraterrestrial_

Even if they were different, their bodies mingled with one another as if they were two halves to a whole. And again, this was without them being "whole" as Jacquelyn overheard Laura say to a friend nearby.

And as she hit her high, she momentarily dreamt of that day when they were.

_This is transcendental  
On another level  
Boy, you're my lucky star_

Removing his fingers from her, he kissed her passionately. When he pulled away, she stared at him, wondering just how did it happen and why so fast. When did she start caring for Damon McBride?

_I wanna walk on your wavelength  
And be there when you vibrate  
For you I'll risk it all_

She leaned up to kiss him again. There was something about Damon that made her feel bad. More than Jayden ever did, despite him doing similar things to her. Maybe it was because she knew that Damon was not thinking of Scarlett or Nicole. He was thinking of her.

All of her.

_Kiss me, k-k-kiss me  
Infect me with your love and  
Fill me with your poison_

Damon placed his shirt back on, causing Jacquelyn to groan. She would like to go the distance, but he always stopped her. So she just reached for her shirt as well.

_Take me, ta-ta-take me  
Wanna be victim  
Ready for abduction_

Putting on her pants, she rose to stand in front of him, he towering over her by nine inches. He used a towel that she called her "dirty towel" to wipe his hands, a small on her face.

_Boy, you're an alien  
Your touch so foreign  
It's supernatural  
Extraterrestrial, extraterrestrial, extraterrestrial_

"Let's get out of here." Damon told her and she just nodded, doing anything to repay him for the act.

Anything but what she wanted, that is. And he knew that it was killing her inside to wait, but Damon never cared about people's feelings. Even when it came to her wanting to have sex with him.

_Boy, you're an alien  
Your touch so foreign  
It's supernatural  
Extraterrestrial_

Leaving her home, she grabbed his hand and the two walked down the sidewalk as if nothing had just happened. A year ago, she would be disgusted at the thought of Damon just _kissing_ her, let alone anything else. Then again, Jayden and Laura were that way. So maybe dating someone extremely different made it all the better?

"Happy Valentine's Day." Damon said gaining her attention.

"Yeah… Happy Valentine's Day." she responded to her alien lover.


	108. Webisode: Mitunes: Shane

**Author's Note: **This MiTunes takes place between seasons 3 and 4. Read and enjoy.

* * *

**MiTunes: Shane**

Song: Bigger Than Us  
Artist: White Lies

Sometimes forgetting about Nicole was a lot easier said than done. Even with Deanna attempting to turn his attention away from his ex, it wasn't enough some days. But she was a stubborn girl that Deanna Fitzgerald.

_You took the tunnel route home._  
_You'd never taken that way with me before._  
_Did you feel a need for change?_

Sitting in a cab with her, he was confused as to why she was taking the longer, scenic route to his house after he had walked around the mall with her.

_Apologies on your fingernails,_  
_Love flickered in the city of lights_  
_Like intermittent radio waves._

Shane casually eyed the dark-haired girl sitting to his right over the bags in-between them. She had a small sparkle in her eyes as she stared out of the window. A sparkle that always pained him inwardly.

_I don't need your tears_  
_I don't want your love_  
_I've just got to get home._

Deanna wanted to be Nicole, in a sense. She would kiss him and apologize for Nicole's doing. It was comforting, but he never got time to deal with it alone. And he did much better thinking alone than having some beautiful girl kissing him.

_And I feel like I'm breaking up_  
_But I wanted to stay._

He hated to think that he was falling for Deanna. He really wanted another chance with Nicole someday in the future.

_Headlights on the hillside_  
_Don't take me this way._

But he was falling for the rich girl and he was really trying to fight it.

_I don't want you to hold me_  
_I don't want you to pray,_  
_This is bigger than us._

As the cab slowly pulled into the driveway and Shane aided Deanna grabbing the bags out of the back, he saw her give me a million-dollar smile. He wished she would stop smiling some days. Especially on days that he didn't think that there was nothing to smile about.

_You went where the horses cry_  
_You'd never taken that way with me before._  
_Did you feel a need for a change?_

Deanna avoided watching any girly movie when they sat on the couch. She let him choose an action-packed one instead. But Shane knew why she didn't pick a movie. She normally picked movies Nicole did.

_Guilt smeared across your lips_  
_I was tired and cold from the window._  
_You're tired nothing has changed._

Shane slightly wondered why Nicole had even kissed Ethan in the first place. Was she really that high or drunk or was it a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing? And why did Deanna willingly give herself to him? He, of course, was still with Nicole and wanted to be with her. Even if Nicole did appear to want something more.

_I don't need your tears_  
_I don't want your love_  
_I've just got to get home._

Of course he had three possible reasons for Deanna's actions. They were: she pitied him, had lust for him, or was truly in to him. Either way, he felt that she was trying to force Nicole out of his mind. And Nicole was someone he could easily forget.

_And I feel like I'm breaking up_  
_But I wanted to stay._  
_Headlights on the hillside_  
_Don't take me this way._  
_I don't want you to hold me_  
_I don't want you to pray,_  
_This is bigger than us._

Deanna would soon get up and lead him to his bedroom. His body followed while his reminded him of Nicole. How passionate and fun Nicole was. Deanna had her great qualities, but Shane was still in love with his ex. Or at least, that's what he continued to tell himself.  
_  
And I feel like I'm breaking up_  
_But I wanted to stay._  
_Headlights on the hillside_  
_Don't take me this way._  
_I don't want you to hold me_  
_I don't want you to pray,_  
_This its bigger than us._

He wanted to run back to Nicole, even after having sex with Deanna. But of course, Deanna would not let him go so easily. Every move that she made was precise and it drove his thoughts further and further away from Nicole and back to his original guilt for sleeping with Deanna in the first place. And then she would give him that final kiss that further fogged his mind about his sister's new best friend.

_I feel like I'm breaking up_  
_But I wanted to stay._  
_Headlights on the hillside_  
_Don't take me this way._  
_I don't want you to hold me_  
_I don't want you to pray,_  
_This is bigger than us._

After the act was done, his mind began to replace Deanna in a lot of Nicole-only scenarios. How he would want to wake up beside Deanna on Christmas or sit on a rooftop New Years Eve and do the countdown into the new year. And every time she told him how she hoped that they would be more than friends someday, he wanted to reply the same. But he just could not let go of Nicole so easily. Or he just wouldn't one.

_I feel like I'm breaking up_  
_But I wanted to stay._  
_Headlights on the hillside_  
_Don't take me this way._  
_I don't want you to hold me_  
_I don't want you to pray,_  
_This is bigger than us._

But today would be different. Instead of watching her leave, he pulled her back inside and prepared a meal for them. Truth was, he wanted to break with Nicole and he wanted Deanna to stay. He wanted to be able to repay Deanna for her attempts to get his mind off of Nicole in everyway possible. He loved how she held him post-coital or just when they were just lying around and loved the perfume she wore. So maybe there was some sort of bond between him and Deanna bigger than his severed bond with Nicole. Maybe something on a whole different level?


	109. S4 Episode VII: You Are My Sunshine

**Author's Note: **So here is chapter seven of season 4. While going over this story earlier today, I thought about either centering the newer chapters, aligning the earlier chapters to the left, or leaving it alone. Review or PM me if you have an idea. Oh well, onward with the story!

* * *

**Episode VII: You Are My Sunshine**

The bell rang to start the day, Nicole groaning heavily as she made her way to the front steps. Her week had been ruined when she realized that Shane was planning on taking Deanna to the dance. Not that she could really blame the guy, they were dating after all. But Deanna didn't go to Degrassi, so why get her into a Degrassi-only dance?

A car horn broke Nicole's thoughts. She turned to see Ethan sitting in his dad's car, a grin on his face.

"Ethan?" Nicole said as she neared him. "What are you doing here?"

"My parents went off for some family emergency and won't be back until tomorrow night." Ethan answered. "So I planned a little trip for myself. Did you want to join me?"

"Now?" Ethan nodded at her question. "I don't know Ethan…"

"If you don't, that's fine. I just thought with your anger towards Shane and Deanna, you could use a break away from them. Both of them." Ethan said.

"You're right. I do." Nicole said going to the passenger door and opening it. "But maybe I…" Nicole paused before getting into the car. "Who cares? Let's go!"

Ethan smiled. "Sure Nicky."

Nicole stared at the school as Ethan drove off. She remembered last year when Nathan got her to cut a few classes to have sex or smoke. Those times were pretty easygoing, but she always regretted it. She regretted it because Shane always looked at her with disappointment. Would he be disappointed in her again when she didn't show up for second period or would he simply ignore her for Deanna, who was not even there? That was a question Nicole wanted to know.

"Hey," Ethan said. "Are you okay?"

Nicole smiled at him. "Now I am."

No, she thought, she wasn't.

* * *

James spotted Amber in the hallway. His mind told him to just turn around and walk the other way to avoid being ignored face-to-face. However, his body just moved towards hers and before he knew it, he was speaking to her.

"Hey." James said, only for Amber to hum her tune louder. "I, um, wanted to know if you were going to the dance. And if you wanted to go with me…"

Amber's humming abruptly stopped and she stared up at James.

"One," she said. "Girls ask guys out to this particular dance. Two, I've already asked someone and he said yes."

"Oh. Who?" James questioned.

Amber smiled. "Marc of course. Didn't he tell you?" James stood quiet. "Your best friend didn't tell you that he was taking your ex to a dance? Wow. Why does that seem so familiar?" James now bit his tongue, knowing she was mocking his and Mary-Jane's decision last year. "Oh well! Hope you have a nice day."

With that, Amber walked away from James. James felt his jaw clench and his fists tighten. She was going with _Marc_? His _best-friend_? Sure, James has known Steven for ages, but Steven wasn't here. Marc was. And they, he and Marc, had a pact. Amber was James's, not Marc's. And she would be once again.

* * *

Steven sighed as he did his class work whilst still being in rehab. It was the only way to make sure that he didn't fall behind in his classes. This only angered him because he would have to put in extra hours for make-up time anyway.

The door opening drew his attention away from the book in front of him.

"_Lord of the Flies_? Not really one of my personal favorites but, whatever." Angela said with a smile.

"Angie." Steven said with a sigh.

Angela frowned at her nephew. "Are you alright Steven? You look stressed."

"Just doing my work. Alone." answered Steven. "Nothing out of the usual. Except for the work."

Angela knew what Steven meant and moved to sit on his bed while he sat at his desk. While the room was not spectacular by any means, it was large enough to house a small desk and bed.

"Dakota hasn't stopped by?" Steven shook his head for no. Angela sighed. "I thought she would've… I asked her to."

"Don't worry about it. Like I said, she and Ashton don't care." Steven said.

"They do Steven. They-"

"I'm not a kid Angela. You don't need to lie to me." Steven interrupted. "Besides, who needs them, right? As soon as I'm out of here, I'm going to graduate and then move out. Start my own music career."

Angela sighed silently, though she smiled at Steven's words. She knew that deep down he wanted his younger siblings to be present, despite that he literally never came to see Dakota when she was in a similar predicament. However, Dakota was more forgiven and Ashton was… Well Ashton was a different case. Either way, Angela had to get her niece and nephew down to see their brother. She just had to.

* * *

Back at school, Jacquelyn was heading towards lunch with Damon at her sides. She knew that he would run off with Nathan and their other friends soon like she would go off with Helen and their friends. So she wanted to spend as much time as she could with him.

"So," Damon said. "After your next practice, we can hang at my house?"

"Is your uncle going to be there?" Jacquelyn asked.

"He's not my uncle," Damon retorted. "And he doesn't get out for another month or so."

Jacquelyn smiled. "So you're trying to get me to your house _alone_?"

"Duh." Jacquelyn giggled at Damon's words before they came to the cafeteria. "Well, this is where we split, right?"

"Yeah." Jacquelyn said before giving Damon a quick kiss, though he responded with a deeper one. And while she was okay with that sort of thing behind closed doors, in school was a different scenario. "Alright Scooter. Don't get carried away." He sighed. "I'll see you later on."

"Sure Tiny Dancer." Damon replied before moving away.

Jacquelyn sighed happily before going to her normal table where Scarlett and Helen sat. While Scarlett gave her a curious stare for her smile, Helen gave her a knowing smirk.

"Finally gave it up, Miss Jackie?" Helen teased.

"What? No!" Jacquelyn replied louder than she expected. "I mean, no, we didn't Helen."

"Sure you didn't." Helen responded before her eyes landed on Scarlett. "And what has you so happy today?"

"Nothing." Scarlett answered. "Now if you don't mind, I have a soda run to make."

Helen smiled. "Just get a soda."

"Oh, you know I won't." The two cousins exchanged smiles before Scarlett stood up and walked away.

"So," Helen said looking at Jacquelyn. "Where's your bubbly friend?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing." Jacquelyn replied. "I just hope she isn't doing something stupid."

Helen frowned. "Nicky's stupid, but she isn't _that_ stupid. Not anymore."

Jacquelyn nodded. "I hope."

* * *

Nicole sighed heavily as she lied in Ethan's bed.

"So," Nicole said. "Bella is your older sister and is friends with Jay's sister?"

"Yeah." Ethan replied lying next to her. "But I don't really talk to Bella like that."

"Really? Why?" Nicole questioned.

"Because her mom is seriously annoying and she isn't any better." Nicole frowned and looked at Ethan. "Look, it's a family thing. My dad and her mom do not get along and we don't either. It's best if we keep our space."

"Aw, come on Ethan. Your sister is one of the coolest people I know." Ethan scoffed at her statement. "She is! Like this one time-"

"I really don't want to know Nicky." Ethan interrupted. "No offense, but she's different with me. She doesn't care for me and I don't care for her. Simple." Ethan paused and glanced at Nicole. "Kind of like how you are with Deanna."

Now Nicole's demeanor changed. Her happy expression was quickly replaced with a more serious one.

"I hate Deanna for a very good reason." Nicole stated.

"Even if you did spread the rumor that they were sleeping around?" Nicole thought for a moment before shrugging, causing Ethan to laugh. "Seriously Nicky, my reason for Bella is better for yours for Deanna. Besides, I say let her and Shane stay together. You'll move on, eventually."

"_Eventually_?" Nicole parroted with a smile. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Ethan shrugged. "You women have this thing with the whole 'move on' thing, so I'm just playing along with it." Nicole's smile widened a bit. "Look, I used to date this chick who always gave me these 'inspirational' speeches."

"Well, it worked." Nicole said giving Ethan a small kiss. "Thanks Ethan."

Ethan stared at Nicole for a moment, her dark blond hair cascading freely behind her while her green eyes were shining with exuberance. This was the Nicole Campbell he had met a year ago when she was with Nathan. The girl who made quite the fuss by just being there. And while he and Nathan had been friends for years, it was the first time Ethan had been envious of Nathan when he brought Nicole there for the first time.

But now she would be his.

Leaning up to get another kiss, Ethan was thoroughly pleased when she accepted it with more vigor. If only he knew she was thinking of Shane.

* * *

After lunch, Shane found himself walking to class with Scarlett, the shorter girl telling him about how her day had been so far.

"Say," Scarlett said. "Have you heard from Nicky today? When she didn't show up for class, I thought that maybe she was running late or something." Shane only shook his head. "Oh… I figured if anyone would have heard from her, it would be either your or Jackie."

"I haven't." Shane stated. "And I'm not even going to worry this time."

Scarlett gasped. "Really? Shocker."

"Ha-ha, Scarlett. I really need to keep focus on my life this year." Shane replied. "Last year, I ran after Nicky time and time again and I even tried to make her as comfortable as comfortable can be. And how did that end? Her going _back_ to the ravine and making out with some guy."

"And you sleeping with Deanna Fitzgerald of all people." Shane smirked a bit.

"Were you going to sleep with me?" he questioned.

Scarlett scoffed. "Don't get ahead of yourself Shane. We're friends."

"Well… I did hear Jay telling me that the other day you had become-"

"Tell anyone and I'll tear you a new one Mason." Scarlett threatened.

Shane laughed. "You're starting to sound like your cousin."

Scarlett didn't say anything. She knew just how riled up she had become during her and Jayden's Lazy Day at his apartment. She had put it in her mind that she would have raped him if needed be, believing that he would soon get with the program. And if he didn't… Well, he would forgive her sooner or later.

"Speaking of which," Shane's voice brought her out of her thoughts. "He seemed to be in his normal, annoying self today. What did you do to make him that happy?"

Scarlett frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"You did go to his place yesterday, right?" Scarlett nodded at Shane's question. "Then what did you do?"

"That's none of your business." said the girl as she walked a bit faster. "And get to class before I have to report you for skipping Mr. Mason."

Shane laughed. "Whatever Scarlett. I will find out sooner or later!"

Scarlett continued walking away before her eyes caught a flyer for the Back-to-School Dance. Flashbacks of the previous year hit her, more importantly, when she was too stubborn to admit her feelings for Jayden. He had run off to the dance with Helen which led to them having quite the healthy relationship. And if it wasn't for Helen breaking up with Jayden, who was to say what could have been?

Sighing, Scarlett moved for her next class. There were several guys that she found physically attractive. Heck, she would be lying if she said that she was not physically attracted to her other two exes, Shane and DeWayne. However, there was something about Jayden that clouded up her brilliant mind and made her act on basic instinct instead of knowledge. And she wanted to feel more of this raw passion for him.

And she would.

* * *

Nicole finished the cigarette, blowing the last cloud of smoke into the air. Her mind was a bit fuzzy at the moment and she really wanted to clear it. She wasn't high or drunk. She just had Shane on her brain.

A smile graced her face. Shane on her brain? That rhymed.

"So," Ethan said joining her on his back porch. "What else is there to do?"

Nicole shrugged. "Don't know. Helen's going to kill me for missing the meeting later on today though."

"I wouldn't let her kill you." Nicole smiled at Ethan's words, only wishing that they were from Shane instead. She hated the fact that she was still sprung over Shane, but it was the sad reality, she supposed. "Besides, this is the first time in a long time I've seen you just cut loose and not give a damn about anyone. I like you like that."

"Not everyone does though…" her words trailing gave him a hint on who she was talking about.

"Nicky, give up on Shane." Ethan said. "He's not right for you if he can't accept who you are. _All_ of you, I should say." Nicole nodded. "Besides, from what I hear and know about her, Deanna will be done with him in a week's time. Relationships aren't her thing."

"How do you know that?" Nicole asked curiously.

"She dated this guy name Braxton for a while. And by that, I mean like ten days tops." Nicole gave another nod, her mind playing all the scenarios in which Shane would be enraged and she would be there. "So don't worry. It's bound to fail."

Nicole then kissed Ethan. "Thanks Ethan. I needed that."

Ethan sat silently, not knowing why she had kissed him. Was she that happy to know that Deanna and Shane wouldn't last? Was that the reason that she kissed him?

"No problem Nicky." Ethan said, hiding the defeat in his voice.

She loved Shane and he was nothing more than a replacement. Well, he would have to just fix that soon.

* * *

The final bell rang, the students cluttering the hallways. There were many times when one student accidentally bumped into another, but for Jordan, that problem rarely happened. To her. She could bump into others but no one bumped into her.

Or else.

And while walking down the hall in her normal carefree attitude about who was in her direct line to her locker, she spotted a familiar face that she normally would not have at the moment.

"What are you doing here?" Jordan hissed at the boy.

Tevin looked at Jordan. "Um… My cousin goes here."

"You're trespassing!" shouted the shorter girl. "Get out of my school before I have you arrested."

"Right, right," Tevin said before a boy came out of the classroom and joined Tevin's side. "Ready?'

"Yeah." the second boy said. "H-hi Jordan…"

Jordan did not respond to the newcomer, not knowing or caring who he was. Her eyes just stayed on Tevin's. She wished that she had heat-ray vision for just an hour so she could melt the boy into the ground. But then she realized that that would be murder and she wouldn't fair well in jail. Or hell.

"Um, did you drop off the you-know?" Tevin's cousin asked.

Jordan frowned. "What is he talking about?"

"Nothing." Tevin said moving away. "See you around Jordan."

Jordan's eyes narrowed. There was something suspicious with the way Tevin came and went. And then he did something strange. As his cousin or whoever had trouble opening a locker, Tevin simply broke into it, allowing the other boy to access the contents inside while voicing his gratitude.

"It was him…" Jordan's voice escaped her as she neared Tevin. "It was you!"

Tevin looked at Jordan strangely. "It was me what?"

"You framed my brother!"

Tevin looked bewildered. How in the hell was she even this smart? It didn't seem natural and contradicted all blond jokes there were in the world. But then he spotted two more people he would like to avoid so he schemed of a way to get Jordan away.

"You don't know what you're talking about." Tevin said. "Come on Ronnie. Let's-"

"Don't you dare walk away from me!" Jordan shouted as she grabbed Tevin's wrist. "You planted those drugs in Nicky's locker and then framed my brother for it! Why?!" Tevin stood silently. "If you don't answer me now Tevin Sharpe I swear that I'll-"

"Because you told me to!" Jordan blinked. "Remember? You asked if I could do something to make him and Kelly 'go away'? Those were your words, not mine. I just did it to make you happy. And you were, weren't you?"

Smack!

By now, Aaron and Dustin, who were just walking by, had stopped to see what the fuss was about. Neither were surprised that Jordan was in another hallway showdown, but they were curious as to why Tevin was there. Neither boy liked Tevin and had great reasons as to why.

"Jordan… Is everything alright?" It was Aaron who asked while Dustin was too busy wincing at the slap.

"I just found out who framed Shane." Aaron's and Dustin's eyes met Tevin's. "And for your information, we're siblings! We always say things like that! It doesn't mean that we want it all the time!"

Tevin growled. "You have _one more time_ to slap me and I'm-"

"You framed Dakota and Shane?" Aaron interrupted. "Why?" Tevin's eyes moved to Jordan. "You know the reason for this Jordan?"

"No. I…" Jordan paused. "I said that I wanted Shane and Kelly out of my life."

Aaron frowned. "So you _didn't_ say _how_ you wanted them out of your life and he just acted on a whim?"

Jordan turned to face Aaron. "I'm not that conniving A.J. Surely you know that."

"Some days…" Jordan gaped at Aaron's words.

"I don't know A.J," Dustin said. "This doesn't seem like Jordan's thing, you know? Her abilities include annoying people to death, not framing them."

"I'm out of here." Tevin said. "Come on Ronnie."

Ronnie, Tevin's cousin, moved behind him as they escaped down the hall. Jordan's eyes stayed on Aaron, who had gone from watching Tevin to back to Jordan.

"I can't believe you." Jordan said angrily. "How could you think that _I_ would frame Shane for Nicky's drug possession or Dakota's alcohol?"

"To be honest Jordan, it wouldn't be the _worst_ thing I've seen you do." Aaron stated. "And I should know. You did your worst on me." A flash of hurt appeared in Jordan's brown eyes. "But… I've forgiven you. And the majority of me believe that you didn't play a part in that little fiasco."

Jordan rolled her eyes. "Whatever A.J." Jordan then moved to grab his hand. "Come on. We have a lot of campaigning to do. And bring Dustin just incase we need someone to wear a poster."

"But I don't want to wear a poster." Dustin replied.

Aaron smiled. "Better you than me."

Dustin followed the duo with a small smile.

"The three of us, once again back together." Dustin stated. "But this time we're all a bit better, right?"

"No." Aaron and Jordan said in unison.

* * *

Dakota had no clue as to why Angela had asked to meet up with her at Little Miss Steaks, but once she saw her aunt, and brother, she realized that Steven must be the reason why. There literally were no other reasons for Angela to take out Ashton and Dakota and leave Lily behind.

"Hi Angie." Dakota said with a smile before looking at Ashton's unhappy face. "Ashton…"

"Why am I here?" Ashton questioned his aunt as he sat at the table.

Angela sighed. Why was he so negative?

"I wanted to talk to you two about Steven." Angela had never really seen the resemblance between Ashton and Dakota until they both gave her the same dull expression that just screamed "Duh" out loud. "He's having a hard time and he really wants you two to at least visit. One visit. That's all."

"Can't." replied Ashton. "New Gifted Program and all. Busy with homework and class work and work period."

"And I've tried," Dakota half-lied. She did try once. "But with the band having a performance soon and work at The Dot… It's been crazy Angie."

Angela shook her head. "You two are the worst liars in the world."

"Seriously Angie, why would I want to see him? So he can punch me in the face again?" Ashton retorted.

"Or blame me for ruining his life?" added Dakota.

Angela realized that Steven pretty much shaped out his siblings scorn for him. It wasn't like they disliked him for nothing.

"But he's still your older brother, and despite what Craig put my dad through, he was still there for Craig." Both Ashton and Dakota gave a small snort beneath their breaths. Their granddad, Joey, was just a nice guy. Everyone knew that. "Come on you two. Please? For me?"

Ashton frowned. "What's in it for us?"

Dakota nodded, noticing Ashton said 'us' instead of 'me'. She wondered if her little brother actually cared for her well-being as, like with Steven, he didn't visit her at all.

"Other than seeing your older brother?" Neither Ashton nor Dakota bit for the statement, causing Angela to sigh. "Look, I have kids to raise and I surely don't need this from either of you two. Grow up. I know Steven's not the _easiest_ guy to get along with but-"

"But nothing." Ashton interrupted. "Mom and Dad didn't even _notice_ me when Steven was there. Now they believe that I've been this hidden genius! Well guess what? I don't care. Why? Because for once I actually get _some_ recognition. I'm not a drummer for some amazing band and I don't want to be. I'm just smart. That's it. And it _finally_ got to them."

"Besides," Dakota continued. "I know when I'm not welcomed and I doubt Steven will welcome me with arms wide open. He never does. Plus, Ashton's right. Dad never really cared about me. It took me to go to rehab just to have a normal talk with him!"

Angela saw their points and released one more, heavy sigh. This was becoming too much for her.

"Look, just go see him. One time. That's all I ask for. If you can do that, then I'll lay off for the rest of your lives." she said.

"I will. Once I'm free." Angela accepted Dakota's answer and looked at Ashton.

"No." he said defiantly.

"Look," Angela said. "You can either go on your own or I'll drag you there myself."

Ashton opened his mouth to retort, but Angela's glare quickly beat him to the punch. He was stuck going whether he liked it or not. With a heavy breath, Ashton gave up.

"Fine." he said. "But I don't know what he did to deserve it. Loser…"

"That's all I ask for." Angela repeated. "Now, what would you two like? My treat."

"Um, excuse me," a young waitress said nearing them. "You're Dakota Nash, right? Drummer for Juvenile Grace?"

Ashton lazily rolled his eyes as Angela smiled at Dakota.

"Yeah…" Dakota said, the girl sighing afterwards.

"I'm Leona Parker and I'm a _huge_ fan of yours. Seriously." Dakota nodded. A lot of people liked the drummer of the band, so this wasn't too surprising. "See, my dad died about two years ago and I heard that your dad pretty much left you with your mom and now your stepdad and thought that we had something in common. I mean, I want to be like you. Sort of. But I don't play instruments or sing. I…" Leona paused and saw the amused faces on Dakota and Angela. "I'm talking too much, aren't I?"

Dakota smiled. "It's fine."

"I just… I like that you learned how to get over losing your dad even if you didn't lose him like I did, he still missed an important part of your life." Despite the smile on her face, Dakota felt a bit of her former depression returning as she thought about all the things Craig had missed from her life. "That's why… You're kinda my hero."

"Um, thanks." Dakota said quietly, her mind still reliving the past.

"Oh! Your orders! I totally forgot!" Leona said.

"Yeah, you kind of did." Ashton stated.

"So," Leona said taking a pad out. "What would you like?"

* * *

"I'm serious," Shane said leading Deanna into his kitchen. "She wasn't at school today so it's not like I had to deal with her giving me the evil look all day." As Deanna sat at the kitchen table, Shane moved to the refrigerator. "Which is kind of a good thing, because I said I wouldn't worry this year. Nicky is her own person and is capable of taking care of herself."

"Or destroying her life, but whatever." responded Deanna. "So… When does Kelly get off?"

"What? You don't like spending time with me?" Shane questioned.

"Uh, not when I'm picking out the perfect outfit to go to the dance with you." Shane's eyebrows rose as he turned to look at Deanna. "What? You think I was playing? I'll show up to your little dance because you'll be there. And as I said earlier, I'm going to side with you for the majority of the time. Deal with it."

"Honestly, best girlfriend of the year goes to you, hands down." Deanna smiled as Shane. However, a knock on the door ended her smile. "Oh great…"

Deanna watched as Shane, who was preparing to make a quick snack, leave the kitchen to answer whoever it was banging on the door.

Shane grunted, opening the door. "What is it Jordan?"

"I know who framed you!" she said to her brother in a quick breath. Shane frowned as Jordan took a few deep breaths, regulating her breathing. "I mean… I know who framed you, Nicky, and Dakota. It was Tevin."

"Tevin?" Jordan nodded at Shane's question.

"Yeah," she said. "See… He kind of heard me say that I wished that you and Kelly were out of my life and took that to the extreme…" Shane crossed his arms. "I didn't tell him to do anything, I swear! I just-"

"You didn't?" Shane asked with uncertainty.

"No!" Jordan answered. "I was just mad at the time and… And you don't believe me. Just like A.J."

"Well it's kind of hard when the past few months have been nothing but more and more problems when it comes to you." Shane replied. "So don't take it personal, but past experience tells me that trusting you isn't always the smart thing."

Jordan sighed. "I understand…"

Despite his stern face, Shane mentally caved. For some reason, his sisters always got him to do things against his will. He never understood why considering that he was the oldest of all his siblings. Yet, somehow, they did. And they always would.

"Come on Jordan, I'm making Dad's deluxe sandwiches, open a few bags of chips, and watching a movie with Deanna." Jordan frowned at Shane. "I figured that the best way to torture you is to force you to spend a day watching me all hugged up on my girlfriend."

Jordan didn't have time to reject the offer as she was pulled inside by her stronger brother.

"Look who's joining us!" Shane said as he pushed Jordan into the kitchen against her wishes. "It's my baby sis, Jordan."

Deanna raised her brows amusingly. "Why does she look like she wants to run?"

"Because she gets to watch all the little disgusting things we do when no one is around to watch." Jordan groaned.

"And why are you making her suffer?" asked Deanna.

"Because I love my sister _so_ much that I would end a day alone with my girlfriend and add her to the list." Shane said. "Plus… To show her gratitude for finding out the loser who framed me. I don't know what I'd do without my sisters."

Jordan's groans of displeasure ended at that. Did that mean that Shane believed her?

"So Jordan," Deanna said gaining the young girl's attention. "Why not put on a movie?" Jordan nodded and left the kitchen, Deanna moving from her seat to near Shane. "Have I ever mentioned that I have the greatest guy that I can call my own?"

"Never." Shane joked before the two shared a kiss. "Okay, maybe once or twice."

Deanna giggled. "Well, I should do it more often."

"I think I'm okay with you just being there." Shane said.

"Aw! You're so sweet!" Deanna said hugging him tightly.

Shane only smiled. Snobbish or not, he was glad to have Deanna by his side. She truly did complete him no other.

* * *

James sighed heavily, the alcohol slowly doing its job on his problems. He could literally feel his anger towards Amber and Marc slipping from his mind. And having Brooke up against him was a plus too.

"Hi James! Hi Brooke!" James gave Nicole a small, lopsided grin. She seemed to be in a good mood. "Where's Torrie?"

"Who knows?" responded James. "We've just been lying around."

Nicole's shoulders slumped. "Great… I needed to ask her for a favor."

"Ask me." Brooke said sitting up.

"Um, well, you see it has something to do with… The Fitzgerald Twins…" Brooke, drunk or not, knew where Nicole was going with this. She knew Nicole wanted to end Deanna and Shane more than anyone else. "But since she's not here, I'll-"

"I'll talk to DeWayne and then we'll see if we can't remove Deanna that way, 'kay?" Nicole grinned and nodded. "But until then you should really take a look at Ethan. I know he wants you."

Nicole giggled a bit. "Well he had me earlier."

Brooke gasped. "You didn't!"

"I did." The two girls smiled at one another as James merely rolled his eyes. Women.

"So! How was he? Torrie didn't give out any information and Jeanette wouldn't have sex with him due to her abstinence. So you have to spill, like now!" Brooke said.

Nicole sighed. "Fine, fine. I'll tell."

And as Nicole began telling her day with Ethan, James soon grew angry again and took a heavy gulp of the booze with him. Is this what Amber and Marc did when he wasn't around? Had sex? Maybe they didn't because Amber wasn't that outgoing, but what if they did? His mind really couldn't see the logic in his thoughts that supported or disprove his accusations. He just settled with getting drunk enough so that he wouldn't remember what he was mad at. And maybe…

James glanced at Brooke. Maybe he should cut loose as well?

* * *

Helen was beyond shocked when Scarlett merely called Jayden instead of going to his apartment. But then she realized that maybe Scarlett has slowly accepted the fact that Jayden was a parent and his kids came first.

Then again, Scarlett was probably just too tired to leave her room.

"So what are you going to do Friday if you're not going to the dance?" Scarlett asked Helen while lying in her bed.

Helen sighed, leaning against Scarlett's door. "Don't know. Go shopping maybe? Check in with my parents is a for-sure thing. If I blow my mom off one more time for some guy or some non-existing Power Squad meeting, she's going to kill me."

Scarlett nodded. "Aunt Holly J is like that." She then sighed with a smile. "Wow… We've been through a lot, you know?"

"And that thought came from…?" Scarlett shrugged.

"I don't know. I just thought about when we were kids and we hated each other but couldn't stand anyone else. You were bossy and I was… Well let's be honest, I was perfect."

Helen rolled her eyes. "Whatever Scar." The two shared a laugh for a moment before settling down. "You know, next year we'll be graduating. It doesn't seem like it, but we will."

"I know." Scarlett said with a sigh. "I just don't know what I'm going to do."

"For college?" Helen asked.

"No. J.T." Helen nodded. "I mean, a part of me wants to be with him forever and pretty much have my way with him for at least two straight days." Helen smirked at the statement. "But… Every time I look at his kids, I see Laura. And then, I don't know. I just stop."

"You could always find someone else. Preferably someone less annoying." stated Helen.

Scarlett smiled. "Now you know that I'm deeply in love with him and forgetting him will be near impossible." Helen watched as Scarlett sat up in her bed. "You know, yesterday he told me that he used to think that me and him would get married? He said it would've been in Italy where his dad's house is and all of our friends and family would've been there."

"And then came Laura." Helen said, ending Scarlett's smile. "Scar, I get where you're coming from, but eventually it's going to be Jayden and Laura. And I doubt that the bride-to-be will be sending _you_ an invitation."

"Hmm…" Helen frowned at Scarlett's response.

"Scar, what's going on through that head of yours?" Helen asked.

"Jayden says that Laura got pregnant during his show at Jimmy Greene's, but she didn't start showing until later. Like, _way_ later. And she was with _triplets_." Helen's eyes narrowed slightly in thought. "What if she lied to him? What if she slept with someone else and pinned the babies on J.T? He wouldn't question her because he thinks she loves him, and she probably does. I'm just saying that this is Laura we're talking about. The possibilities of those being Jayden's are… Kind of slim."

"Normally I would agree with you," Helen said. "But I can't. They're his."

"…" Scarlett only stared at Helen before smiling. "We'll see."

* * *

Danica walked in Jayden's room to see her brother talking to his sleeping infants, a smile gracing her face.

"…And your baby brother left us to go to a better place." Jayden muttered quietly. "He, uh, didn't like the weather here I guess. I don't blame him. California's weather is so much better." Jayden sighed. "But he's watching you both, probably picking on both of you without you knowing. Don't worry though. My granddad will catch him. Dad says that Granddad _always_ stopped my aunts and uncles from fighting."

Jayden paused in his talk before laughing a bit.

"And then there's your mother who's in London. She goes to school there." Jayden said playing with Jaylen's fingers. "You two are going to have to learn how to behave when she comes home. She doesn't have patience like I do. In fact, when you're both way older, I'll tell you about a special night we shared that ended in three beautiful little kids. Well… Two handsome guys and the most beautiful girl this world has ever seen. But that's just the world's opinion."

"Don't blow their ego up." Danica said stepping into the room. Jayden laughed quietly. "So, what do you want to eat? My treat."

Jayden shrugged. "I don't know. Anything will be fine." Jayden sat up, making sure not to disturb his sleeping children on his bed. "I guess I was just thinking about Jason."

"Oh…" was all Danica could say at the moment. She had never experienced the joy of child birth or the pain of losing a child, so she could only guess the level of sadness that Jayden and Laura felt. "Um, I'm free Friday so if you were planning to go to the dance, you can."

"I don't want to honestly," Jayden said moving out of his bed. "But Scarlett asked me."

"Ah, the ex you can't refuse." Danica stated. "Well, just make sure you cover that tattoo on your forehead before she gets discouraged."

Jayden frowned. "What tattoo?"

"The one that says 'Property of Laura Reynolds' right there." Danica said tapping Jayden in his forehead, a smile coming on her younger brother's face. "Because we both know that she's fit now and ready to fight for the guy who is rightfully hers."

"Laura doesn't have to fight for me. Not that me saying that will stop her. Ever." Jayden responded before looking at his twins. "Putting Maxi in her crib is going to be a pain in the butt. She _never_ stays asleep when I try moving her."

"Why not let them sleep in your bed until they wake up later? You could put them to bed after they go to sleep again." suggested Danica.

Jayden sighed. "I don't know. I just worry about them rolling over and falling."

Danica smiled. "You worry about them coughing Jayden." Jayden grinned with a shrug. "Stay put while I go get us something to eat." Jayden nodded as Danica neared the door. "Oh! And don't forget to tell them about how much their mother loves them. A mother's love is essential for child development."

Jayden's smile widened as Danica left before he looked at his sleeping children.

"That was your aunt and my older sister. She is mean most of the time, but that's only because your grandparents put so much pressure on her, kind of like they do me but I don't get as much as Danni does." Jayden said quietly. "And she's right. Right now, your mom is working her butt off so she can be someone you two and your brother will be proud of. I think she wants me to be proud of her too, but I already am. These past few months, she's been…" Jayden sighed. "Simply amazing. She's dedicated in being a great mom, she's an awesome girlfriend, and the most beautiful person I've seen ever. Especially when she wakes up and she rubs her eye, kind of like you, Maxi."

Jayden stopped momentarily and sat at the edge of his bed, careful not to disturb the two sleeping infants.

"You two don't understand how much your mom and I love you right now, and that's okay. I'd be worried if you did." Jayden said laughing a bit at the end. "But… We do. And the only thing we both regret is that you two will never get to meet your brother. He looked a lot like you two." Jayden smiled sadly. "Only… He didn't have dimples. And he never stopped crying to open his eyes. Well, he did stop crying but then… Well, it's too soon for me to tell you guys that story now. You're too young."

Jayden was going to think of something else to say, but his cell phone began vibrating on his nightstand. Moving quickly, he grabbed it and answered the phone.

"Yeah…" he said.

"Hey Jay," he frowned at hearing Dakota's voice. "I think I need your help."

Jayden smiled. "I got all night. Shoot."


	110. S4 Episode VIII: Dance, Dance

**Episode VIII: Dance, Dance**

Dakota stood at her locker.

"Are you sure you're okay for this weekend?" questioned Jayden, who stood beside her. Dakota nodded. "Dash, you almost relapsed. If thoughts of your dad abandoning you makes you think about drinking, then we'll postpone."

Dakota sighed. "Jayden, I'm fine. Besides, I have to do this."

"For this Leona girl, huh?" Jayden replied. "Look, I'm sure she's a nice girl and all, but-"

"But nothing Jay. She looks up to me. _Me_. Of all people to pick as a role model, I get to be hers." Jayden gave Dakota an amused smile. "What?"

"I'm just curious as to what you're going to do when you have _hundreds_ of little girls trying to be like you." Jayden said. "You'll go from great drummer to the leader of Make-A-Wish list."

Dakota smiled. "And I'm sure that you and Laura will have at least four kids by then. You're already half way there."

"If you're done picking," Dakota smiled at Jayden's words. "We have class, Miss Role Model."

"Whatever Jay. Just remember that you promised me that you'll think about what I said." Dakota said.

Jayden nodded. "Always sis. Now, let's get to class before we're both in trouble."

"Sure." Dakota said.

* * *

Scarlett stood in front of Darcy's desk with a small smile.

"Sure Mrs. Taylor, I'll do it again this year. But I doubt J.T will be all up for it." Scarlett stated.

"Well maybe you can use some of your womanly charms to persuade him to do so." Darcy said with a smile, Scarlett giggling a bit at the statement. "I wanted to use some new blood this year as well. I understand that Mary-Jane was not as productive in our meetings as I thought. Maybe Mary-Jane's friend, Amber Clarke? She seems to be a pretty bright girl with a lot of potential."

"Sure…" Scarlett responded. "But, Amber and James are currently at each other's throats. And Chandra has that illness that I don't even want to get into." Scarlett paused. "But I know the _perfect_ solution for Chandra, Jordan Cameron."

"The girl running for grade eight president?" Scarlett nodded. "Hmm… Okay. That's three spots."

"Jacob Isaacs?" Scarlett suggested. "He's smart and he is in a healthy relationship with Angelina De Chaplin, a student at Lakehurst. So he would see their points of view."

Darcy sighed. "I've tried Jacob, but Toby- I mean Mr. Isaacs- has reminded me that his son has a lot of other extracurricular activities, being on this year's Quiz Team, Chess Team, he tutors in Media Immersion, and the band. Adding one more activity will be pushing it."

"Oh." Scarlett said. "So maybe James and Amber are our best picks. They are both smart and athletic and seniors. Plus, I hear Amber is on student council this year so it'll give me a chance to work with her more."

"See? You are a bright girl Scarlett. And you make my job a lot easier." Scarlett smiled at the praise. "The dance is tonight, Scarlett. I'm aware that you have everything planned out and ready to go, right?"

Scarlett sighed. "It wasn't easy, but with the help of everyone onboard and a few extras, we got it up and running, chaperones completely filled. Everything will run as smoothly as it should."

"I see. Thank you Scarlett, I will write up our new line-up. We'll speak more after lunch?" Darcy asked.

"Yes ma'am." Scarlett said leaving the office.

As Scarlett made her way to the hallways, she thought about how wonderful today should be. She and Jayden will finally get to have their uninterrupted dance that they should have had by now, but didn't.

Her eyes landed on Aaron, who was getting some water from a nearby fountain.

"You're a little too far from the seventh and eighth grade classes, aren't you?" Scarlett stated with a smile.

"Ninth grade Biology." Aaron answered.

"Oh…" Scarlett said. "Say, something wrong with J.T? Last night he was kind of… Out of it, I guess."

Aaron sighed. "Danni says he was just really down about Jason's death. But you know he'd never just outright say it. Well maybe to Laura but…" Aaron paused after realizing that he had hit a nerve in Scarlett. "Anyway, he'll bounce back soon, I'm sure."

Scarlett smiled. "I know so. Thanks A.J."

"You're welcome." Aaron said walking away.

Scarlett's smile soon faded away as she thought about her crush and his recent loss. She needed to do something for Jayden, even if he didn't want her to. The only question was: What?

* * *

How long has it been since he's been here? Years? Decades? If only he had stayed around this place, it wouldn't feel so new to him.

"Eli!" Eli's eyes met where Clare and Adam were sitting at The Dot and moved to their table.

"Wow, I can't believe it's really you." Adam stated. "It's kind of like our reunion only with Eli here."

"You still have jokes." Eli responded. "But… What about the radio show you were supposed to be hosting now? You said you'd get one before I graduated and now you're at Tech Support?"

Adam sighed. "Sometimes things don't always go as they're planned. Kind of like…" Adam's words died as he alternated glances between Clare and Eli. "Still, pay is good and I can always start a show."

"So… Clare says you married Monster Matlin-"

"Katie." Adam interrupted.

"Her." Eli said. "How's that going?"

"It's great actually." Clare and Eli smiled at Adam's words. "She's pretty much what Webster intended when he invented the words 'awesome', 'amazing' and 'best.' Well… I'm sure he was thinking of me too…" Eli smirked at Adam's statement. "We have two kids, Eddie and Audrey. She wants another one but with the two we have, it'll be hectic."

"Hell is more like it." Eli said, Adam nodding in consent. Eli then looked at Clare. "And you?"

"I already told you I had a daughter." Clare responded.

"I meant, how are things with K.C?" Eli stated.

"Oh…" Adam looked at his two best friends with an amused grin. "Well… Things are good. Better than I expected, that's for sure." Eli nodded at Clare's words. "You?"

"No wives. No kids, well, except for Ari." Now Adam frowned in question. "My goddaughter. Imogen's daughter."

"Imogen? How is she?" Adam asked.

Eli's change in demeanor was picked up by the other two adults at the table.

"Imogen… She and her husband were caught in a house fire." Eli announced, gaining a gasp from Clare. "It's been tough on Ari, but she's managing. Still wish she would just be a teenager for once and go out with her friends again."

Clare smiled. "Not so easy raising a teenage daughter, is it?"

"I'd rather train a dog to speak Japanese." Eli stated, gaining a laugh from Adam.

"Glad Audrey isn't at that age yet." Adam said. "Then again with Katie around I doubt that I'll have much trouble out of either of them."

"Wait until they ask about sex." Eli said.

Adam smiled. "I'll tell Audrey how horrible it is and then tell Eddie how great it is!"

Clare rolled her eyes as the two shared a laugh. "Men."

* * *

"Son of a…" Jayden paused and sighed heavily as he squatted to lift the books that fell out of his locker up.

"Bad day?" Chandra asked Jayden as she stopped to help him.

"Just one of those days where everything goes bad yet I keep going." Jayden replied. "You?"

"Um, it's been alright." Jayden's eyes narrowed a bit. "Okay, okay, there's something seriously-"

"A.J." Jayden stated.

Chandra sighed. "Is it that obvious?" Jayden nodded. "Jayden, I… I miss him like crazy and I see him _every day_. And then those letters. I almost prayed that they were from him. And when they weren't I just felt so stupid."

"Bambi," Jayden said rising to put the books in his locker. "Somewhere down the line you're going to learn how to live a stress-free life."

"Jayden! Please help me!" Chandra said. Jayden laughed. "I'm serious. He's your brother."

"Yeah, well I can't give you dating tips unless he somehow becomes a blue-eyed brunette girl and not my brother." responded Jayden. Chandra pouted. "Okay, okay. Enough with the face. Seriously Bambi, you're going to make me look like a pushover parent."

Chandra smiled. "I just need some advice."

"Okay, what is your question and let's hope that I have an answer." Jayden told her.

"Well, a part of me wants A.J to date Farah because in the end, everyone will be happy. She'll get the guy she has a crush on and he gets a _decent_ girl. Better than Jordan." Jayden nodded. "But… I hate the thought that I'll lose him, especially to Farah. So what do I do?"

"Hmm… Good question." Jayden replied. "To be honest, I think this is one of those sit back and watch things. A.J has to make decisions for himself and if he can't, then it's his fault. Not yours."

Chandra frowned. "I don't see how that answers my question."

"Okay, my naïve eighth grader friend," stated Jayden. "Let's see if I can rephrase this. You do nothing. Whether we like it or not, this isn't our place to say. You want A.J's decision to go your way, Farah wants A.J's decision to go her way, hell, I want A.J's decision to go my way. But it is ultimately his last say. So stop thinking too much about it or else turn into another girl that I know."

"Who?" Chandra questioned.

"My ex." Jayden answered.

"How's that working?" Jayden frowned at Chandra's words. "Laura gave you the okay to date Scarlett, but you said that you loved Laura too much to even do it. So how do you do it?"

Jayden chuckled. "Oh Bambi, you are going to be one hell of an interrogator when you grow up. Or a reporter one." Jayden settled down and smiled. "Listen, I know how it feels to let someone dear to you go for reasons out of your control."

"Laura-"

"My son," Jayden interrupted Chandra. "Is my prime example. Even with two kids giving me quite the headache because they can't tell me what's wrong with them, I still miss my son so very much. And so, I find myself helping people like you and Dash because it gets my mind off of it sometimes."

Chandra said nothing, realizing her mistake there. It would take Jayden and Laura forever to get over the fact that they lost their son.

"Look, I'm going to be blunt with you. I can only sway A.J's mind but so much and lately I just haven't had the time to do so. Farah… She's good." Chandra frowned at Jayden's words. "Not good for him, but good enough to keep him preoccupied. Besides, he made his mistakes, you've made yours, and now it's time to live with them. Simple as that."

"But… What about all that stuff about if you love someone enough then-"

"My mom thought she was in love with Nathan's dad and before that, Steven's dad," Chandra's eyes widened. "But as you can see, neither worked out for her."

"Couldn't that happen to you and Laura? I mean, what if she ends up with Nathan or Scooter in the future?" Chandra retorted.

Jayden smiled. "I know that wouldn't happen because I know my girlfriend. She hates Nathan and hates Scooter more."

"Now. Who's to say what ten years will bring us?" Chandra said, rephrasing the same words Jayden had used on her the previous year.

"Ten years from now," Jayden said closing his locker. "I'll be with Laura and she will be with me and we'll probably have more kids. Scratch that. I _know_ we'll have more kids."

"You're sure of that?" Chandra asked.

Jayden put a hand on her shoulder.

"Which is what makes me different from you." he told her. "I'm certain that I'll end up with the girl I'm in love with today. You? You question A.J and you're questioning yourself. Love is a certainty, not a mystery."

Chandra dissolved his words as Jayden began walking away.

"Hey!" she called to him. "How can I be sure?"

"I think you're in the Gifted Program and I'm not," Jayden answered. "So apparently there are some answers that you can give me and not the other way around." Jayden turned around. "See you around Mrs. Santos."

Chandra smiled before heading the opposite way. While she may not have been sure about her future like Jayden obviously was, she did know that she had a friend in Jayden for a lifetime. And apparently, he had a strong feeling that she and Aaron would be together in the future.

Why else would he embarrass her by calling her Mrs. Santos?

* * *

"Hey Scarlett," Scarlett paused as she went to take the money from the ticket sale at lunch to the office, looking at Amber. "Hey, um, can we talk for a second?"

"Sure." Scarlett answered.

"Good." Amber said. "I heard that you wanted me to sit with you guys when we start talking with Lakehurst again."

Scarlett nodded. "Mary-Jane kind of ruined it last year and we need someone level-headed."

"Right… But, I don't think that person should be me." Scarlett frowned. "Don't get me wrong, this would look great on a college application, but-"

"James, I get it." Scarlett interrupted before sighing. "Which means I have to find someone else to do it in a short matter of time."

"I'm sorry Scarlett, but the thing is…" Amber paused. "The thing is…"

"You're trying to date Marc while you are very much in love with your ex. Been there, done that." Scarlett stated in an unenthusiastic voice.

Amber smiled. "Yeah, but now you're taking your lover boy to a dance, right?"

"I want to… But he's been acting weird today. Calmer and yet not J.T calm." Amber only nodded, knowing Scarlett would know Jayden better than many. "Anyway, that's not the point. Point is, I need you Amber. In fact, I'd take James off of the board before I take you off. So what do you say?"

"How did you handle it last year?" questioned Amber.

"I don't know. I just forced myself to stay focus on what was important, the topic of the meeting." Scarlett answered. "But, hey, spoiled princess talking. Getting what I want and whining what I can't have is what I do, right?"

Amber chuckled. "I guess." Scarlett grinned. "You know what, I'm on. If I can't handle being near James for a few minutes then I'm a weaker person than I thought."

"See? Everything will work out for the better." Scarlett said. "And now if you don't mind, I have errands to run and class to be late for."

"Right." Amber said. "Say, Scarlett, there's one more thing I've been meaning to ask." Scarlett gave Amber a small nod, urging Amber to continue. "Does Laura know about you and Jayden, you know."

"As completely derange as this is going to sound," replied Scarlett. "But she _encouraged_ it. Told me to 'watch out for him' until she returns. Though I've been banned from having sex." Scarlett smirked. "Or so she says."

"You're such a bitch." Amber said jokingly.

"I've been called much worse." Scarlett responded before walking away. "Au revoir."

Amber only smiled as Scarlett walked off. In Amber's opinion, no one went through as much drama in a year as Scarlett went through in a day. It only amazed Amber that Scarlett could maintain such a flawless composure when handling most of it. Amber slightly envied the younger Chessex until she realized one important thing. When Laura returned, Scarlett would be back to being the lonesome person that she was around Valentine's Day last year. And Amber did not want to be like Scarlett on Valentine's Day.

* * *

After school, Aaron went to Gabrielle's dad's apartment first before heading home to prepare for the dance later.

"I don't know," Aaron said to Gabrielle. "Jordan's got a big debate Monday and we've been preparing it for a while now. So if she does well, then we have a good chance."

"Well I hope she gets it. If she's busy with Student Council, then she won't have reasons to be…" Gabrielle paused as she thought of a word.

"As annoying?" Gabrielle gasped but nodded, causing Aaron to smile. "It's alright Brie, I call her annoying all the time. I think she accepts it now."

Jay listened to his daughter and her friend talk. He seriously questioned if there was any romance going on between them, which would not have been such a stretch since he had been engaged to Aaron's mother. They say that history repeats itself.

"Hey Dad," Randy said coming into the room. "Stepping out. I have an interview with Mr. Mason to work at the new restaurant."

"Um, Randy," Gabrielle said quietly, though he heard her. "This is my friend… A.J."

Randy had come accustom to Gabrielle's passiveness, though he had no idea where she got it from.

"So, you're A.J, huh? Randy." Randy said. Aaron was going to respond before Randy neared the door. "I need a lift."

"I'm coming." Jay said going towards the door. "Brie, lock up when you leave, alright?"

"Sure." Gabrielle said as her older brother and father left the apartment. "See what I mean? He hates me and Nate."

Aaron smiled. "Up until you found out he was your brother, _you_ hated Nate." Gabrielle sent Aaron a small glare. "Sorry Brie."

"What are you going to do about Farah and Chandra?" asked Gabrielle.

Aaron sighed. "What can I do? I like them both while I'm partially mad at them as well. And I've met both of their parents and stuff. I just don't know what to do about them."

"A.J," Gabrielle said. "What do you want?"

"Honestly I just wish I could make them happy." Aaron answered. "And I can't do that because I only have one of me and it's two of them."

Gabrielle released a quiet sigh. "Maybe you should find a way to date one and not the other. Afterwards you can find a way to make amends to the other one."

"But… How do I do that? Do I tell Farah that I want to be with Bambi or-"

"Just pick the one that's there." Gabrielle stated. "Isn't that what you told me? Before Dustin… Did _that_, you told me that I should pick the one that was there. Now I'm telling you to do the same thing."

Aaron thought quietly for a moment before nodding.

"You're right." Aaron said rising. "Well, I'm going to go home and get ready for tonight. Thanks again for agreeing to go with me."

"No problem." Gabrielle replied before looking around. "I really wish my dad would've left the spare on the counter. Now I have to search everywhere to find it."

Aaron smiled. "Don't worry. I'll help. It's the least I can do for all the help you've been giving me."

"Sure." Gabrielle said with a smile of her own. "You look around the kitchen and I'll check is bedroom. It's bound to be here somewhere."

Aaron only watched Gabrielle exit the living room, heading for the bedroom down the hall. He mentally pictured both Farah and Chandra and the events that occurred last year. Shaking his head free of those thoughts he began looking for Jay's spare key. He really wished there was a way to please both girls without hurting one or the other. If only there was a way…

* * *

Hearing a knock on the door, Jayden grumbled as he sat his guitar down and went to open the door.

"This better be…" he paused once he saw Torrie's smiling face. "Good… What are you doing here Torrie?"

"I heard you were having a bad day so I decided to stop by and see if I couldn't cheer you up." she said, smile still on her face. "Are the twins sleeping?"

"Along with my older sister." Jayden said moving aside. "Come on in. I'm sure your cousin will be here sooner or later."

Torrie nods as she steps inside. Her eyes travel around the area before catching Jayden sitting back down, picking his guitar up once more. He began to strum quietly, his fingers moving at a graceful pace across the strings.

"You're really good." Torrie commented.

"Um, thanks." Jayden responded. "I guess Helen told you where I stayed."

Torrie smiled. "You really do know your exes. How'd you even guess that?"

"Laura never brought you over for whatever the reason and I doubt Scarlett would ever show you where I stay for reasons we both know," Jayden said. "So that leaves Helen and why she did it."

"So," Torrie said sitting beside Jayden. "How is my best friend?"

"She's fine. Partying more than I'd like, but she's taking her studies seriously so it's a fair trade." Jayden answered. "Why?"

Torrie shrugged. "Can't a girl miss her best friend?"

"Wouldn't said girl call said friend instead of hitting on her friend's boyfriend?" retorted Jayden.

"Okay," Torrie said with a smile. "You caught me. But hey, it was a great try, right?"

"Torrie," Jayden sighed. "Let's get one thing straight, okay? You're very attractive. But the thing is you and I… We'd never work out."

"You never know until you try." Torrie said before removing Jayden's guitar from his hands. "And we have enough time for you to try me right now."

"Um," Jayden was interrupted by the sound of the door. "I have to get that." Jayden slipped off the couch and moved for the door. Opening it, he grinned. "Well, well, I was worried that you wouldn't show."

Scarlett sighed. "You wouldn't believe how my afternoon's been." Scarlett stepped inside before spotting Torrie. "Why is my cousin here?"

"Jayden and I were just getting to know each other," Torrie responded. "Weren't we Jayden?"

"You two stay here, I'm going to shower and change." Jayden said before looking at Scarlett. "Danni's trying to get some rest before Zach shows up so when the twins wake up, change them for me?"

"Sure." Scarlett said before Jayden exited the room, heading for his bedroom. Scarlett glared at Torrie. "You couldn't help yourself, could you?"

"He called me sexy." Torrie replied.

"J.T thinks a lot of women are sexy." Scarlett told Torrie.

Torrie smiled. "Oh Scar, if you're afraid of a little competition then say so."

"I'm not afraid of competition. I am the competition." Torrie's smile widened. "And I don't need you ruining things between us."

"Oh don't worry Scar. I'll make sure that I leave you in the loop." Torrie said teasingly. "Who knows? I can be the one that carries his next-"

"No you will not!" Scarlett shouted before sighing heavily. "Leave Torrie. Now!"

"Not your house, now is it princess?" replied Torrie.

"Why in the _hell_ are you two shouting so damn loud?" Scarlett and Torrie both turned to a tired looking Danica. "Scratch that. Why are you even here?"

"I'm-"

"Not you dumbass. You're always here." Scarlett bit her tongue, not trying to test Danica for calling her a dumbass. Danica's brown eyes met Torrie's light blue eyes. "You."

"Jay-"

"Enough. Stay. But be quiet." Danica said moving for the refrigerator. "And if either of those twins wakes up from either of your shouting, I will be a very pissed off woman. One that neither of you wants to see."

"I'll keep it down Danni." Scarlett said as Danica grabbed a canned Sprite and headed back for her bedroom. Scarlett then looked at Torrie. "Stay if you want. But I won't let you get your slutty hands on J.T."

"Hmm… Isn't that what you said to Laura? How's that going by the way?" Scarlett sneered. "Now don't mess up your pretty little face. It's practically all you have against me."

Scarlett said nothing, trying to keep calm for Jayden's kids' sake. Torrie was pushing her buttons and was doing a great job at it. Thankfully the dance was coming and Torrie wouldn't be there. And Scarlett would _finally_ have Jayden all to herself again.

* * *

Sitting at Little Miss Steaks, Stephanie watched as Nathan idly checked his phone every five seconds.

"If you're so worried about her," Stephanie said gaining Nathan's attention. "Why not just go to the dance?"

"Because dances are for losers." replied Nathan. "Besides, I don't want Dustin anywhere near Brie."

Stephanie smiled. "You're such an overprotective brother." Nathan snorted with a smile. "Say, can I ask you something?"

"Sure." said Nathan as he put his phone down.

"Would you…" Stephanie paused, fixing her glasses. "I mean, you don't _have _to, but would you _ever_ take me to the ravine? You know, just to show me your friends and all that."

"No." Nathan answered firmly.

"But…" Stephanie trailed off.

"Steph, nothing good happens at that place. I don't want you to get involved with that." Nathan said.

"…" Stephanie knew when Nathan was being his stubborn self, so she just smiled. "Sure Nate. Though I guess you'll never get me drunk enough to take my virginity…"

"You won't be drunk when I do that." Nathan said confidently. "Or high. Or forced." Stephanie's smile grew, knowing that she meant so much to Nathan that he would wait until she was ready. "Besides, nothing good ever comes from me taking girls to the ravine. Best case is Nicky."

Stephanie nodded. "I understand."

Nathan sat quietly, thinking of his first love. While he had been seeing Nicole more and more since she and Ethan had become friends, he still wish it was him that was walking with her instead of Ethan. Well, he had those thoughts _sometimes_. Yet, for the majority of the time, he was glad that he met Stephanie Brown. She was quite different from a lot of girls that was for sure.

"Let's catch a movie!" Stephanie suddenly said.

Nathan frowned. "A movie? Now?"

"You can worry about Brie later!" Stephanie said standing up. "Come on! Pay the waitress and let's go see a movie!"

Sighing, Nathan dug into his pocket. "Fine, fine. We'll see a movie. Just don't pick some cheesy romance flick because I might hurl."

"Oh be quiet. You'll be too busy trying to make-out with me like always." Nathan didn't deny it, but he was grinning about it already. "And if you're really good, I might kiss you back. Once or twice depending on how I'm feeling."

Nathan laughed. "Then I might want to be pretty good."

"You sure do Mr. Hogart." Stephanie replied.

* * *

At Degrassi, Aaron and Gabrielle were talking while dancing.

"You keep looking at Ashton." Aaron pointed out.

Gabrielle blushed. "Sorry."

"It's alright Brie. I understand." Aaron said. "I'm wondering where Bambi is. I promised her a dance."

"I don't know," Gabrielle said. "But here comes Farah." Aaron sighed. "Hey, remember what we talked about. Not everyone is a bad person."

"Um, A.J," Farah said quietly as she approached them. "Mind if… We dance..?"

Aaron exchanged glances with Gabrielle before looking at Farah.

"Sure Farah." Aaron said, Gabrielle smiling before walking away.

As the two began to dance, Aaron still searched for Chandra. But she wasn't there… Aaron frowned at the thought. Chandra _wasn't_ there. His talk with Gabrielle earlier seemed to fit this moment perfectly. She told him to pick the one that was there and Chandra wasn't.

"A.J I…" Aaron looked at Farah. "I'm sorry for… You know. Everything. Deleting your calls on Chandra's phone and, well, everything else."

"It's alright Farah. I'm passed that." Aaron answered.

"No, there's one more thing you have to forgive me for." Now Aaron frowned.

"What is it?" he asked.

"This." Farah said before kissing Aaron.

* * *

Scarlett watched quietly. When Jayden said he had to do something instead of the dance, she had expected something spectacular. Visiting his son's grave was not what she had in mind. Still, it didn't bother her much.

Jayden rose and then gave Scarlett a smile.

"Sorry about this Red. I've ruined your night." Jayden said.

"The only bad part of my night is when I came by and Torrie was there." Jayden smiled. "Seriously J.T, it's fine. You need to grieve."

"I hate the fact that it had to happen on the _only_ night we had off together." Jayden said.

"The night's not over yet." Scarlett said. "And we're still dressed good." Jayden frowned. "How about dinner? That'll make up for me being such a bitch to Torrie."

"Oh no you don't. I dragged you out here. I'm paying." Jayden said.

"Fine, you can pay." giggled Scarlett. "But I get to give the goodnight kiss."

"Have I ever mentioned how lucky I am to have you?" Jayden asked.

"It doesn't hurt hearing it from time to time." Scarlett stated with a smile. Jayden grinned and led her towards his car. "But, there is one thing I've been meaning to tell you Jayden. Well, tell you again."

"I'm sure it's got something to do with my charming good looks and lovely personality, so just put it on your tab and tell me later." Jayden said.

"No," Scarlett said turning him around. Jayden was caught off guard as she kissed him deeply. "I love you Jayden."

Jayden only stared at Scarlett. His mind was trying to find a way out of this. Should he respond the same and feel guilty about Laura or should he just ignore her and pray that she did not take it personal.

"Scar-"

"Ssh," she said quietly while hugging him tightly. "Don't respond to that. Not yet."

Jayden nodded, reciprocating the hug. He could feel his heart beating faster than it has in a long time and wondered why. As Scarlett nuzzled against him, he soon got his answer. Her statement was sincere. She was seriously in love with him, much like he was with her earlier. Before Laura. The question he was now nervous in finding out was if he still loved her and how that love would affect his life with Laura.

As he said, love was a certainty, not a mystery. So why was he now questioning his love for Scarlett and Laura?

* * *

Spotting Chandra talking to Vanessa, Aaron moved towards her.

"Bambi," she looked at him. "I thought you wanted a dance."

"Oh! Um, I, uh…" Chandra paused before sighing. "I didn't want to interrupt whatever you and Farah were 'talking' about."

"Oh… You saw-"

"Everyone saw you, A.J." Chandra said. "And I think it's pretty obvious that this time, it wasn't a mistake. You wanted her to kiss you." Aaron opened his mouth, though Chandra would not let him voice his thoughts. "It's fine, A.J. You've made your decision. Just know that I'll always be there for you, okay?"

"Sure…" Aaron said. "Well, I'm going to go find Brie again."

"Yeah, sure." Chandra said.

After Aaron walked away, Vanessa looked at her friend's saddened face.

"Let me go find James. We're finished." Chandra was ready to protest but Vanessa continued. "Sleepover at my place. Pizza, ice cream, all the fatty foods that makes up your guilty pleasure."

Chandra smiled. "Thanks Nessa."

Aaron made his way towards Gabrielle, who stood quietly beside Jordan.

"So I take it that that didn't end well." Jordan said. "Then again, I would be pissed if you had your tongue down my cousin's throat."

"My tongue wasn't in her throat." Aaron remarked.

Jordan rolled her eyes. "_Right_. Her tongue was in _your_ throat."

"No one's tongue was- Where's Dustin?" Aaron quickly changed the subject. Jordan's eyes narrowed. "What?"

"Your loser friend had his hands a little too far down so I threw some punch on him and walked away." Aaron sighed heavily after Jordan finished.

"Good grief…" he mumbled.

* * *

Putting a cigarette out on a nearby spot on the sidewalk, Nicole inhaled a breath of fresh air and looked up at the stars.

"Smoking right across from the school? That's bold Nicky. Even for you." Nicole quickly turned her attention towards Ethan.

"What are you doing here?" she questioned.

Ethan smiled. "I heard you wanted to go the dance at your school but Shane shot you down. I guess I'm kind of late, huh?"

"Yeah, you are." Nicole replied as she stood up. "But thanks for coming. Seriously."

"Nicky? What are you doing out here?" Shane asked, a giggling Deanna walking beside him, hand-in-hand.

Nicole glared. "Why does it matter?"

"Because Jackie was worried about you." Shane said pointedly. "She said you were supposed to be inside. Why weren't you?"

"Because I had other things to do… With Ethan." Nicole lied. "Besides, you were with Deanna, right? Shouldn't you be happy with her?"

"Whatever." Shane said leading Deanna away. "Let's go De-"

"Wait." Deanna said releasing Shane's hand. Deanna faced Nicole. "I get it Nicky. You're jealous. But you don't have to be an ass every time someone asks how you're doing."

"Shut the hell up! It's your fault-"

"It's not my fault!" Deanna retorted. "It's yours you stupid-"

Deanna would never get to finish her statement as Nicole tackled her to the ground, attempting to strangle the Fitzgerald girl with her bare hands. Ethan and Nathan quickly went to separate the two clawing girls, having a great deal of trouble despite both being physically stronger than the two rolling on the ground. However, after several attempts, the two boys were able to separate Nicole and Deanna.

"Deanna calm down!" Shane said struggling to keep his smaller girlfriend in his arms.

"Let go of me Ethan!" Nicole ordered.

"Not until you calm down." Ethan responded, holding Nicole tightly.

Deanna eventually calmed down first, realizing that there was no point in fighting against Shane. Once he had her in his arms, he had her. There really was no way getting out of his arms- and usually that was not a bad thing- until he released her.

"Okay, I'm calm." Deanna said with a sigh. She turned to look at Shane. "Please. Let me go."

Shane slowly did as he was asked to, Deanna rising on her toes to give him a small kiss.

"I love when you're so protective. Even when it gets annoying." Deanna murmured with a smile.

Nicole's eyes widened as her mind registered three words. They were "I", "Love" and "You". Her worst fears were happening right in front of her and she couldn't do anything about it because Ethan wouldn't let her.

"Let's go Deanna. It's time for you and Kelly's movie night." Shane said before looking at Nicole. Instead of saying anything to her, he just shook his head and turned away.

Deanna moved at Shane's side, giving Nicole a glare over her shoulder as she walked away. Once they were out of range, Ethan released Nicole.

"I can't believe it." Nicole said. "How could he even believe her? She, ugh! She just makes me so pissed!"

"Nicky, calm down. It's-"

"Calm down? How can I when some slut sleeps with my boyfriend and then takes him from me?!" Nicole shouted. Nicole sighed heavily and sat on the sidewalk again, studying the scratches on her arm. "I should've known this was going to happen…"

Ethan sat beside Nicole. "Nicky… I don't know what to say."

"You're ashamed of me too?" Nicole asked heatedly.

"No! No, that was seriously hot." Nicole blinked. "I didn't even know you had a spiteful bone in your body. You seriously kick ass!"

Nicole smiled. "Well, I don't think I did a good job. Helen and Laura make it look so easy."

"They probably didn't do as good their first time as you did." said Ethan. "I only pulled you away because I felt bad for Deanna. Seriously."

"You're a good friend Ethan." Nicole said with a laugh.

"Maybe, someday, more than a friend?" Ethan asked a bit nervously.

Nicole sighed. "I hope so. You're the only one I have."

"And I'll always be there." Ethan responded as Nicole leaned her head on Ethan's shoulder.

* * *

"Jayden…" Scarlett whispered as Jayden kissed the side of her neck.

While both were almost fully clothed- neither had on their shoes or socks- she could still feel the heat from his body on hers and then some as he lied on top of her in his bed. They were going to use the time Danica was out of the apartment to their advantage.

As for Jayden, he was telling himself to stop. He was reminding himself over and over about Laura. However, his body would not listen. For reasons known and unknown, he could not keep his hands off of Scarlett. And the way she would quietly moan his name while arching into every single touch wasn't helping either.

Shirts being peeled off, Scarlett could feel her heart rate climb. As nervous about having sex as she was, she had put it in her mind that this was it. It would be the perfect way to cap off such a wonderful night, sans Torrie's appearance. She felt him push her back, a small smile on his face. She blushed in response. His fingers found her pants, undoing the button before unzipping them. Scarlett's eyes followed her tight jeans down her legs…

Before his cell phone rang.

Jayden sighed. "Hold on Red." Jayden retrieved his phone, getting out of his bed. "What do you want A.J? I'm kind of in the middle of something…"

Scarlett watched Jayden leave his room before groaning in misery. She was so freaking close!

Frustrated, Scarlett pulled her jeans up before getting out of the bed and moving towards the nursery next to Jayden's room. She realized that he had ventured into the kitchen to talk to his brother, giving his sleeping children peace. Scarlett moved to the separate cribs, peering over to look at Jaylen. The male Laura look-alike slept calmly, his chest moving at a smooth rhythm.

Smiling, Scarlett brushed his hair.

"Hey, you want to help Auntie Scarlett answer a question?" she said quietly. "All I need is a little something from you and a little something from your sister and then we'll all get the answers we need."

While tonight didn't end the way she wanted it to, it would still be a good night. So long as Jayden never found out.


	111. S4 Episode IX: We Are Family

**Episode IX: We Are Family**

Scarlett opened her eyes, hoping to see the sun shine through her blinds. However, there was no sun. In fact, there was no window.

Then it dawned on her.

"Oh crap!" she said, stirring the boy beside her. "Jayden! Wake up! I-"

"Fell asleep? No way." he responded as he turned on his side away from her. "Go back to sleep. I-"

"My parents are going to flip!" Scarlett said as she began to move frantically around his room, putting her shirt back on while searching for her jeans and socks. She paused when she noticed that Jayden had yet to get up. "Jayden!"

Scarlett regretted her tone as the sound of both babies reached the teens' ears. Jayden let out a heavy sigh before sitting up.

"Thanks a lot Red." Jayden said before standing up and stretching. "And for your information… You're at Dakota's house having a sleepover. I got her to vouch for me."

Scarlett released a sigh. "Oh… Sorry."

"No problem." Jayden said as he moved to quell his startled children.

Huffing in frustration, Scarlett fell on Jayden's bed face first, taking in his scent before smiling. Last night was as close to her losing her virginity to the boy she loved. And while he had agreed that they wouldn't, she had gotten over that when he gave her an alternative that involved the use of his treasured fingers. And not in the way that she was used to.

"Morning," Scarlett looked to see Danica standing at Jayden's doorway. Scarlett noted that Danica's hair somehow stayed perfect throughout the night and wondered how. "Nice night?"

"Just sleeping." replied Scarlett.

Danica raised her brows. "Oh really? So I was just imagining things when I heard those quiet-"

"You were _eavesdropping_?" Scarlett asked, making sure not to raise her voice again.

"When your friend is in the same bedroom as your brother, you tend to listen to what is going on." Danica told her. "Besides, it sounded like you were having a _great_ time."

"Whatever." Scarlett said. "I have to get home though. My dad is probably going to kill me if he ever finds out where I was."

"Then don't tell him." Scarlett smiled at Danica's words. "Before you go, why not stay for breakfast? It's Jayden's turn to cook and I normally like to call people over so I can get him to cook more than he's actually supposed to."

"I knew it." spoke Jayden from behind his sister. "You're using me! I feel so… So…"

"Oh be quiet. And wash your hands. Five times." Jayden laughed as he neared the bathroom.

"Can you warm up their bottles for me? Thanks sis!" Jayden said as entered the bathroom.

Danica sighed as she heard the door shut.

"I don't know how I put up with him some times." Danica said.

Scarlett smiled. "He does have an annoying charm about him. But that's what makes him who he is."

"Whatever. Wash your hands too. I could hear what he did to you. Now I'm questioning if you returned the favor." Danica said before walking away.

Scarlett sighed with a smile. Yes, last night was absolutely perfect.

* * *

Leona Parker did not feel fourteen. In fact, she still felt thirteen.

"Happy Birthday!" her mother, Jenna Parker née Middleton, said as she entered Leona's room. "How are you birthday girl?"

Leona smiled. "Mom, it's the same as always. I feel great."

"Well don't just lie there. Get up. Get dressed. You have a party later on." Jenna told her.

"Sure Mom." Leona said with a smile before Jenna exited her room.

"Hey Lee, how're you feeling?" Raven asked entering Leona's rooms seconds later.

"A day off of work? I feel great!" Leona said happily, her sister chuckling at her statement. "But… I kind of wish Dad was here."

"I know." Raven remarked quietly. "Speaking of dads, my dad will be here with Clare." Leona nodded. "Say, what did you want for your birthday? Anything. My treat."

"Raven…"

"No, name it and I'll get it. Promise." Raven said.

Leona thought hard before snapping her fingers. "The new Smartphone from Sony…"

Raven smiled. "Coming right up. Just stay put and keep that smile on your face."

"Sure." Leona said.

Leona watched her sister leave the room. She questioned if Raven could afford such a gift. They weren't rich, so she was probably asking too much from her sister and/or mother. Getting out of bed, Leona sighed. She still didn't feel like she was fourteen yet. But she would at least enjoy the day for her mother's sake.

* * *

Opening her front door as quietly as possible, Scarlett attempted to sneak upstairs without either parent seeing her.

"Hey Scar!" Helen called from the kitchen. Scarlett winced. Helen was doing this on purpose. "How was _Dakota's_ house? I heard she has an indoor theater and everything."

"It was nice Helen. But I want a shower and a change of clothes. You know I would never wear _Dakota's_ clothing." Scarlett retorted as she walked up the steps.

Helen, who was in the kitchen with Fiona, scurried after Scarlett.

"So…" Helen began.

"So?" Scarlett parroted.

"Oh come on. We both know that you'd never be caught dead going to Dakota's house, let alone sleeping there. So what did you and our annoying neighbor do?" Helen questioned.

Scarlett smiled. "I didn't know you liked to gossip Helen." Helen's eyes narrowed. "Okay, I'll talk. But it doesn't leave my room, got it?"

"Tell me." Helen said.

Sighing, Scarlett spoke. "He, um… Well he did this 'thing' with his fingers and-"

"Seriously?! Scarlett you naughty girl!" Helen interrupted with a loud gasp. "Oh my… Did you like it?"

"I didn't know happiness until last night." Scarlett said with a smile. "It was perfect."

"I bet!" Helen said before her smile disappeared. "But… Then there's the bad news." Scarlett frowned. "My parents will be here. Along with my siblings."

Scarlett groaned. "Seriously? What's the occasion?"

"I don't know, honestly. I just wish that they didn't." Helen paused and sighed. "But you know how our moms are. Aunt Fi was so into it and Mom had already gotten the plane tickets." Helen paused once more. "I wonder if Kim's coming."

"Well I know one thing," Scarlett said. "Torrie and her family aren't far behind."

Helen groaned. "I know." Helen then smirked. "But hey, maybe our annoying neighbor can give me a stress-reliever as well?"

"Sh-shut up!" Scarlett retorted as she began shoving Helen out of her room. "And go away! I have to find something to wear!"

"You-" Helen was cut off by Scarlett slamming the door in her face. Though Helen still smiled. "You have to go to the bathroom to take a shower!"

"I hate you!" Scarlett retorted.

Helen laughed. Sometimes it was really too easy to pick on her cousin.

* * *

Jayden softly brushed his daughter's hair with his hand, feeding her while doing so.

"Your brother eats so much." he said. "Hopefully you won't gain his appetite. Your mother would kill me if she found out her daughter grew obese under my watch."

"She'd kill you if either of them grew obese under your watch." Danica piped in from her spot at the small kitchen table.

Jayden raised a brow. "I take it that your date last night went well."

"You can say that. But I won't be dating Zach, if that's what you're wondering." Jayden gave Danica an amused look. "As nice as he is, there is something off between us. Maybe it's me."

"It's always you Danni." Jayden said lifelessly.

"Oh really? And what, pray tell, is the reason that you can't have a successful relationship despite all the hard-work and dedication you put in?" questioned Danica.

Jayden shrugged. "I wish I knew." Jayden then smiled. "Then again, I've been more successful at it than you have so…"

"As soon as you put her down, I'm going to strangle you." Danica said pointedly. "And speaking of your dates and such, you notice Scarlett acting a little strange when she left earlier?"

"Now that you mentioned it," Jayden said thoughtfully. "No. Sorry if I was too busy being a dad. You know, that kind of stuff takes your attention away from other unimportant things."

Danica scoffed. "Some brother I have." Jayden smiled. "But seriously, it was like she was in a rush to get out of here."

"Danni, we slept together. I think she was trying to wrap her head around that while making it home in time for breakfast." Jayden responded.

"Hmm… I guess you would know her better than I do." Danica stated. "But I still think she's hiding something. Then again, it's Scarlett Chessex. The girl overreacts to _every little thing_."

"Which is why I don't worry." Jayden said as he began to pat Daniella's back gently. "So stop worrying. She's just Scarlett." Jayden closed his eyes. "Besides, I have to deal with the evil mother-in-law later. So I might need you to be on stand-by just incase she attempts to murder me."

"Okay…" Danica said while deep in thought.

* * *

"Holly J!" Fiona said happily as she hugged her sister-in-law. "It's been forever!"

"It's been since the summer…" Helen muttered, obviously not as happy as her aunt.

Scarlett discreetly elbowed her shorter cousin before moving towards her aunt.

"Scarlett you're getting more beautiful everyday." Holly J said hugging her niece. "So, tell me. Have you gotten over your boy troubles?"

Helen snorted. "Yeah right."

"Helen…" Scarlett growled.

Helen only gave Scarlett a small smile before Declan put his arms around Helen. The strawberry-blonde looked up at her father.

"Hi Dad." Helen said.

"You can't pick on your cousin Helen." Declan stated. "Even if she acts just like her mother."

"Does she ever." Blue chuckled.

"Dad!" Scarlett whined, drawing a smile on Helen's face.

"Hey Dad, can we go out and walk around?" Helen's younger brother, Mark, asked Declan.

"Yeah, we're bored." Mike, Mark's older twin brother added.

"After breakfast," Fiona said to the twins. "Now you two and your sisters go wash your hands. You too Scarlett."

Helen groaned. "Couldn't we do without-" Helen was cut off when Lauren hugged her tightly. "The kids…"

"Helen, you're still a child yourself." Holly J reprimanded her oldest daughter. "Now go wash your hands."

"Sure." Helen said as she pried her sister off of her, though Lauren followed Helen closely.

"She really doesn't like them." Fiona told Holly J.

"Oh she does. She just can't let anyone know." Holly J responded. "She'll lose her fear factor over her brothers."

"Ah…" Fiona said with a nod. "That makes sense."

Holly J only nodded, knowing that her oldest child would probably have a fit if that news ever reached her brothers' or sister's ears. Sometimes, Helen acted a bit too much like her aunt, Heather.

* * *

Steven sat up in his bed when he heard the door to his room open. He was shocked when Ashton stepped inside, but was even more awed when Ashton stepped in alone. The two brothers stared at one another for what seemed like hours before Steven spoke.

"Angie?"

Ashton nodded. "Yeah…"

There was another pause that settled between them.

"Look," Steven said. "I'm sorry about whatever I did to you, okay?"

Ashton frowned. "For whatever you did to me? Wow. That's a lot to be sorry for."

"I'm trying-"

"No you're not. You just want out of here so you can go back to doing whatever it is you want to. It's who you are." Ashton said. "I only stopped by because dad's sister is riding me about it. I wouldn't otherwise."

"So why are you here? I don't want here." Steven said.

Ashton snorted. "That's not what she says. She says that you wanted us to visit." Ashton shrugged. "I guess Dakota hasn't stopped by. Not that I blame her or anything."

"So you've conspired with her?" questioned Steven.

"While it was tempting, I really don't like her either. Though, she is a better older sibling than you are." Ashton said pointedly.

"If you're done-"

"I don't understand why Angie was so uptight about me and Dakota seeing you, knowing that you will _never_ return the favor." Ashton interrupted. "But hey, I'm the idiot, right?"

Steven sighed. "What do you want Ashton?"

"I want you out of my life, but that's asking for too much." Ashton retorted.

"Hey, it's not like I asked for you." Steven said angrily. "I was completely happy being an only child before you and Lily came into the picture."

"How could you have been an only child when Dakota came a year later?" Ashton argued. "That's one of the dumbest things I've heard you say!"

Steven stood up. "Don't say that again."

"Go ahead. Hit me. That's what I really want so they can throw your ass in jail." Ashton said. "That way I won't have to visit you any more."

"You act like I ruined your life." Steven said. "It's the other way around."

"Oh really? Tell me, when has Dad left your performance to check on Dakota in rehab?" Steven opened his mouth. "When has Mom forgot that you passed one of the most important tests in your life because your brother hit your friend's girlfriend? Never. So think who has ruined whose life. Besides, it's not like you make the top-ten of my greatest older siblings list."

"Go." Steven ordered.

"Gladly. Just tell Angie that I held up my end of the bargain. Oh, and that you're still an asshole." Ashton said as he left the room.

Steven angrily threw a book at the door. If he wasn't already in trouble with the law, he would have gone after Ashton. However, he was stuck in this godforsaken room trying to think of a way to get even with his brother.

Because in his mind Ashton was talking complete and utter nonsense.

* * *

Mary-Jane lied in Amber's bed, stretching out.

"Glad you find it as comfortable as I do." Amber joked. Mary-Jane smiled. "So… How was your night with Tyler?"

Mary-Jane sighed. "It was great until I saw those pictures of Helen on his phone. Don't worry though. I deleted them. _All_ of them."

"Maybe Helen's got a point. Maybe he just wants…" Amber paused when Mary-Jane sat up. "Okay, so you don't want to hear that."

"No, I don't." stated Mary-Jane. "But what I do want to hear was your night with Marc."

"It was great." Mary-Jane smiled. "What?"

"Amber, it's me you're talking about. Details!" Mary-Jane responded.

"You're so annoying Mary!" Amber chided. "Besides, nothing happened. So ha."

Mary-Jane rolled her eyes. "_Sure_ Amber. _Nothing_ happened."

Amber stood with a smile before it slowly disappeared. She crossed her arms and glanced at her feet.

"Actually, something unrelated to Marc did happen." Amber said softly. "James stopped by and was drunk out of his mind. He accused me of sleeping with Marc."

"Oh…" Mary-Jane said. "Amber, I know you're probably going to disagree with me, but we need to do something about this."

"Mary-"

"Seriously. Regardless if you really love him or hate that you do, he's still our friend. And he needs help. Do you want him to end up like Steven?" asked Mary-Jane.

"…" Amber avoided eye contact before sighing heavily. "No. I don't want him to end up like Steven."

"Then we need to help. Okay?" Mary-Jane said.

"Fine… But don't have any expectations other than me helping him." Mary-Jane smiled at Amber's words.

"Now when have I done something with an ulterior motive?" the blonde questioned.

Amber was going to respond until she realized it was a rhetorical question. So instead, she just smiled at her long-time best friend.

* * *

Bianca DeSousa was never in a happy mood. Or so that's what he thought whenever he went to see her. But, much like her daughter, Jayden would not be himself if he did not do anything to annoy the living hell out of them. He annoyed Laura by pretty much spoiling her. Laura did not know what to do with the gifts that he gave her, which pretty much made her angry. And now he would annoy Bianca by acting happier than he normally was.

Because that's just who he was.

Bianca sighed as she opened the door.

"You're early." she said.

"I'm late." Jayden replied as he carried the two carriers with his twins in them inside. "But I see you've been up long enough to make coffee."

"Don't talk a lot. Just be here for five minutes and leave." Bianca said as she sat on her couch. Jayden sat beside her, taking Daniella out of the carrier. "What are you doing?"

"She looks a lot like Laura, doesn't she?" questioned Jayden. "Mr. Reynolds let me see some of Laura's baby pictures. They look like her, right?"

"I think I know that." Bianca retorted. "I was there."

"Hold her?" Jayden offered.

Bianca let out a huff, but gently took her granddaughter away from Jayden. Jayden took out his phone quietly before snapping a picture.

"What the hell is your problem?" Bianca hissed.

"I bet Laura five dollars that I could get you to hold one." Jayden replied. "You'd think that after the birth of these two and-"

"Three." Jayden was a bit startled by how quick and fierce Bianca's tone was. "You have three kids."

"I was going to say these two and their brother…" Jayden said. Bianca said nothing, her eyes moving to the tiny girl in her arms. "You took his death hard, didn't you?"

"Don't commiserate me." Jayden smiled at her words.

"Commiserate? When did you learn that word?" Jayden questioned with a smile.

"High school. You should pay more attention in English." replied Bianca. "And of course I took his death hard. I know how it is to out-live a child. Now a grandchild?"

"Bianca…" Jayden began as he took Jaylen out of his carrier. "I know what you're feeling because Laura's feeling it. Neither of you know how to deal with emotions properly."

"Oh, and you're Dr. Phil now?" Bianca joked.

"I think I love my hair a bit too much to idolize him." Bianca grinned slightly. "But, being that I am one of the greatest people that walked this planet," Bianca scoffed. "I will bless you with my presence with and without my kids until you're back to antagonizing me and your daughter on a whim."

"Antagonizing? Where did you learn that?" Bianca mocked Jayden.

Jayden smiled. "Laura used it on me when she was studying last year." Bianca smiled at the statement, going back to staring at her granddaughter in her arms. "You have a really amazing daughter, you know? Since she's met you again, she's become… I don't know. Happier? I guess that's the best word to describe her now."

"Seriously?" Bianca asked.

"Seriously." Jayden stated with a nod. "And I know that you have your own life with your own problems, but I want you to be part of Laura and the twins' lives. Because that would make Laura happy. Even if all she'll do is roll her eyes and tell me to shut up about it."

"I messed up." Bianca said. "After high school… I could've done something. I _should've_ done something with my life. And I pretty much messed up Laura's life."

"Yeah, and you also gave her that thing that you're doing now where you blame yourself for every little thing." Jayden said. "I fear that one of these two may have that gene."

"You're such a-"

"Not in front of the kids." Jayden interrupted with a grin.

Bianca sighed. "If my daughter didn't love, I'd kill you."

"And that's the nicest thing you've said to me in ever." Jayden stated.

Bianca only smiled, giving up trying to win against him. She had known way back when that Laura and Jayden would be together. Since the day that the two came to her apartment, Bianca knew that Jayden would probably be the one that her daughter fell for. And Laura did. Hard. And thankfully, Jayden showed Laura that same love.

It only pained Bianca that they were starting to remind her so much of herself and Laura's dad.

* * *

Scarlett left the clinic with a small smile. As she made her way to the car that she and Helen shared, her phone rang.

"Hello?" she answered it.

"Where are you Scar? My sister is driving me insane!" Helen replied.

Scarlett laughed. "Helen, I'm on my way right now. I just had to take care of something important."

"It better be life or death or this will be the last time I let you drive _my_ car without me!" Helen retorted.

"Calm down Helen. Lauren just wants to be around her big sis. There's nothing wrong with that is it?" Helen scoffed at Scarlett's statement.

"Wait until you find out your mom is pregnant. Then you'll see." Helen muttered.

"What?!" Scarlett screeched.

"Come home and find out." Helen said before hanging up.

Scarlett sat quietly in the car before starting it up. She would be damned if some brat took her parents away. Not even Helen could successfully do that.

* * *

"Dad!" Danica called into the house, leading her guests towards Maxwell's home office. "Dad, guess who's here!"

Maxwell looked up to see his daughter and the woman she brought into his home with Isabella.

"Well, this is a surprise." Maxwell said raising his brows. "I hate to tell you this Mia, but you already missed Manny."

Mia Jones-Chaplin, née Jones, stepped in with her daughter and Danica.

"It's fine Max. Danni pretty much kidnapped me and dragged me here anyway." Mia said before glancing at Isabella. "Well, she and Bella did."

"I still stand by my decision. Those two should have never met." Maxwell stated with a grin.

"Dad!" Danica whined.

"Yeah Mr. McDuelle. You act like we get in trouble _every _time we get together." Isabella added.

"Anytime you two are together, some boy comes around. And you know how I feel about that." Maxwell said as he stood up. "Call me hypocritical for being lenient on Jay, but my girls are my girls. And no boy gets in-between that."

Danica sighed. "As you can see, my dad is still the same and thankfully my mom isn't here or you'd see that she too is still the same."

"So what brings a high-profile model like yourself into my humble home?" Maxwell said. "Giving the fact that you normally come to run off with Manny, I doubt that that's it."

"Well," Isabella said before Mia could get a chance. "While my dad talks to Angel and her new boyfriend…"

"Izzy and I are going to cook dinner for both our families!" Danica finished with a grin. Danica then moved to Maxwell and hugged him. "To show our undying love for you, of course."

"I don't know Max. I'm starting to think like you. They're up to something." Mia said. "Bella _hates_ to cook."

"You're right." Maxwell replied before looking at his daughter. "So tell me what you've done and how much it's going to cost to fix it."

"Since he offered…" Isabella stated.

"Yeah…" Danica began. "See, we have this friend, Raven, and her mom is like super talented in the field of singing and playing the guitar."

"But she works as a clerk instead of putting her talents to good use." Isabella said moving towards Maxwell. "So we _really_ need a _big _favor from you."

"Hear her out so you can sign her? It would mean a lot since she's a single mom with _three_ kids." finished Danica. "Please Daddy?"

Maxwell sighed heavily. "You two…"

"Come on Dad. She's really good. I heard her myself." Danica said.

"Plus your daughter promised that she could get Mrs. Parker signed." Isabella responded.

"We'll see." Maxwell stated. "In the meantime, how about we round up the others and get started on that dinner." Danica and Isabella dropped their shoulders. "If you're going to bribe someone, at least go through with it. Who knows? This Mrs. Parker could be as good as you say and you would've done a great thing."

Danica smiled. "Thanks Dad. You're the best."

"Only when you need something." her dad told her. "Now, where are your brothers at?"

* * *

Jayden watched the scene with a smile on his face, Dakota standing beside him with a similar grin.

"John, for the _thousandth_ time," Bianca nearly shouted. "I _don't_ need help changing a diaper! I was better at it than you were!"

"I'm just saying you should be more careful if-"

"God, you're so annoying!"

Jayden sighed quietly and looked at Dakota.

"Do we really sound like that?" he asked the godmother of his children.

Dakota nodded. "Afraid so. So get a good long look at what you have to deal with in the future."

"So," Jayden said, ignoring the two arguing adults. "What's this about that Leona girl again?"

"It's her birthday today." Jayden frowned a bit. "I got it off of her Mumblr. All her friends have it posted."

"Uh-huh… And we're playing this because…? She's your biggest fan?" Jayden questioned.

Dakota sighed. "Jay, when have I asked you to do something you didn't want to?"

"Let's see… Most recently you used my mother's house to spend the summer with your boyfriend." Dakota grinned at his statement. "And before that you played the guilt-trip thing when me and Laura were butting heads. You pretty much told me to forget about Scarlett. You-"

"Okay. So I do it quite often. But this is important." interrupted Dakota. "It would mean a lot to her. And we're not doing anything major until then, right? We could use the practice."

"John, you're spoiling her." Jayden's eyes glanced over at Laura's parents and then back at Dakota.

"I guess you're right. Besides, I can drop them off at my dad's and get them away from those two before they're mentally scarred." Jayden muttered, Dakota laughing quietly at the statement. "Um, Bianca, Mr. Reynolds, we have to go. We have a show tonight and-"

"You're taking them to your parents, aren't you?" Bianca cut Jayden off.

"Uh… Yeah. I mean, you two don't want to watch a bunch of babbling babies all night, do you?" stated Jayden. "So I'll just take them off your hands and let you have the afternoon all to yourselves."

"Jayden, please, let them stay with me for the night." Bianca said. "I can do this. I _need_ to do this. For Laura."

Jayden sighed. "Something is going to go wrong, but sure. I'll let my dad know."

"Um, Jay, we have to get going. Jacob's at Angelina's place and I think Shane's at home." Dakota said.

"Fine, fine," Jayden said before looking at Bianca. "Please. Don't hurt my kids."

Bianca scoffed. "I made the girl that had them. I think I know what I'm doing."

Jayden smiled as he left with Dakota.

"You somehow planned that, didn't you?" Dakota asked.

"What are you talking about?" Jayden responded. "How could I use my two irresistible children to change the mind of one stubborn woman who was really dying to meet said children? I mean, I'd have to be a genius of some sort to plan that."

Dakota rolled her eyes. "Let's go Jayden."

"You see, it's things like that that makes me think you've been around Laura too much." Jayden said as they got to his car. "Evil somebody you are."

"Leona's party first, jokes second." Dakota stated. "I really want to give her something she'll never forget."

Jayden smirked. "Then I know the perfect song."

Dakota went to ask what it was, but Jayden had gotten into his car. Seeing that she had rode with Laura's dad to Bianca's house, Dakota got into Jayden's car after him. Whatever he was smirking about could not be good.

But it was definitely going to be memorable.

* * *

After yelling at Helen for such a cruel joke, Scarlett made it back to her bedroom with her cousin, leaving Helen's young siblings to do whatever they wanted to.

"So," Helen said closing Scarlett's door. "Where did you go? Finish what you started last night with our annoying neighbor?"

"N-no…" Scarlett said, cursing herself for stuttering. "I, um, I think I did something bad. But I feel good about doing it."

"I'm all ears." Scarlett sighed and sat on her large beanbag.

"I submitted DNA of Jayden and his two kids." Helen's eyes widened. "I just wanted to be sure."

"What the hell do you have to be sure about? They're not your kids!" Helen exploded.

"Quiet!" Scarlett retorted. "Besides, you've seen them. They don't look him. At all. Sure, they have dimples, but that could've come from anyone."

Helen sighed. "Scarlett, you're becoming obsessive again."

"I'm looking out for my best friend." Scarlett argued.

"Do you know what he'll do when he finds out?" Helen said. "He's going to go ballistic! And then do you know what Laura will do? Hell, Danica might even take a shot at you!"

"I had to do it Helen. Jayden would never doubt Laura even if she woke up tomorrow and told him she was a billionaire heiress from Mars." Helen shook her head. "Her time doesn't add up. And they both say that they always used protection. So they can't be his."

"Okay, okay," Helen said. "Let's say that they aren't his. Then what? Do you expect that he'll just come to you and spill his heart to you?"

"You said it best. I will always be his fall girl." Scarlett stated.

Helen inhaled deeply before exhaling slowly and calmly. Her cousin was going to get them both killed if this ever hit the fan. What was worse was the fact that Helen and Jayden were good friends and only kept their intimate lives out of their conversations. She would have to lie to him in order to cover her cousin's tracks.

"Scar," Helen said nearing the door. "I'm going to go lie down. Don't do anything this stupid again without talking to me first."

"I don't think it's stupid. In fact, I think I did the right thing." Scarlett stated.

Helen opened the door. "For your safety, let's pray that you're onto something. A pissed Jayden and Laura aren't healthy for a princess like you."

Scarlett watched Helen exit her bedroom and before looking at the ceiling.

Had she done the right thing?

* * *

Leona was not that big on surprises. In fact, things always surprised her. So when her older sister blindfolded her and led her into a car, her heart began to race. There were several telltale signs around the house that her mother had planned something, but Leona did not know what exactly.

"Alright," Raven said to her sister. "I'm going to get out of the car before getting you out. Stay still and don't touch your blindfold."

"It's one of my dad's ties, not a blindfold." Leona replied.

There was a moment of silence that was interrupted by the sound of a car door opening, closing, and then opening again.

"If it blinds you, it's a blindfold." Raven countered as she helped Leona out of the passenger seat. "Besides, we're almost there. Just be patient."

Leona nodded, letting her sister lead her to somewhere. Her heart was pounding against chest terribly. But not in a bad way. She was anxious to get this all over with, like waiting on the big drop of a rollercoaster. She knew it would probably scare her half to death, but once it was over, it was over.

"Alright Leona, take it off." Raven said.

Leona took her shaking hands to the necktie that covered her eyes. Once it was away from her eyes, that's when they got her.

"Surprise!" Leona, though ready for this, still jumped. She could see some friends from school, along with Raven's dad and his family, and a few others that she did not know. They were in some large restaurant with a stage and several tables where the guests sat, a small area in-between the tables and the stage that was meant for the dance floor.

"How…?" was all Leona could say.

"So you're the birthday girl?" Leona nearly jumped out of her skin as Jayden approached her with Shane, Jacob, and Dakota.

"Oh my…"

Jayden smiled. "Hey, don't get awestruck. Your sister and mine are good friends. That makes us friends by association, right?"

"I heard it was your birthday." Dakota said, gaining Leona's attention. "So I figured we'd give you a birthday performance."

"Thank you!" Leona said excitedly as she hugged Dakota.

"It's like we don't exist…" Shane muttered to Jacob.

Jacob only nodded, though he was glad that he was away from Angelina's dad. The guy was not noticeably big or anything, but he did lay down a few rules about his daughter and what Jacob could and could _not_ do with her.

"Seriously," Dakota said to Leona. "Happy Birthday."

Leona only smiled, being able to hug one of her idols on her birthday was great enough. But the fact that they would perform was even better.

"Oh, Leona," Raven said, gaining her sister's attention. "This is from me."

Leona's eyes widened more when Raven held out the phone that Leona had wanted, encased in a pink case.

"Raven…" Leona said.

Raven smiled. "Hey, I said I would get it for you, right? Here. It's yours."

Jayden grinned and put an arm around Dakota.

"You're a real good person, you know?" Jayden said.

Dakota smiled. "Yeah, I do."

"Now that we have that out of the way," Jayden stated. "Where's _my_ birthday gift? I've known you for years and you've given Laura _and_ my kids more things than me."

Dakota only laughed. "Whatever Jay."

"Hey," Shane said. "Even if it is some eighth grader's birthday, it's still a party. So how about we have some fun, do the show, and then I can go see my girlfriend before she and my sister find something else to force me to do?"

"Go ahead." Jayden said. "I have to make sure that my little brother doesn't do something against a code."

"And what code is that?" Shane questioned.

"A code amongst friends." Jayden stated as he walked away.

Shane ignored his friend walking away and turned to Jacob.

"Free food is this way." Shane said.

Jacob only grinned, walking away with Shane.

Dakota sighed at her male band members before going after Jayden to make sure he did not do anything to embarrass her or the band. Or Laura. Laura would kill them both if that happened.

Attending Leona's party was one Ariana Williams. She was dragged there by Eli, since Clare was married to Raven's dad, K.C. Ariana really had no care about the ongoing of the older people's lives, especially Clare's, and was a bit peeved that she was there.

Until her eyes landed on one guy she had been dying to make a good impression on.

"Hello Jayden." Ariana said.

Jayden looked at the girl before turning his attention back to Aaron and Farah talking. Ariana, not liking the idea of being ignore, opened her mouth and was prepared to scream at him.

"You remembered my name." Jayden stated before Ariana could even get her yell out. "I thought you ignored us famous people."

"I do. Normally." Ariana responded. "So… Your band got paid to play?"

"Nope. Birthday girl is a friend of the band. This is for free." Ariana nodded before sitting at the table with Jayden. "And why are you here?"

"My old man is friends with Clare Edwards." explained Ariana. Jayden frowned. "Clare is married to K.C who is the father of Raven who is the half-sister of the birthday girl."

Jayden chuckled. "Now that sucks."

"Tell me about it." Ariana said.

"You know," Jayden said as he looked at Ariana. "I've never stated this before, but you have nice eyes. Your glasses somehow… I don't know. Brings them out."

"They're glasses. They help me see." Ariana argued before gasping. "Why do I keep doing that?"

"Snapping at me? I don't know." Jayden said rising. "I just figured it was who you are."

"Wait-"

"I really have a show to do." Jayden interrupted.

"I'm sorry…" Ariana said quietly. "I just… I got picked to do this stupid thing at my school where I have to-"

"Go to Degrassi and listen to their 'ambassadors' talk to you? Meet one of them." Jayden said pointed to himself. "Second year doing it. It's not that bad." Jayden then grinned. "Besides, it'll be nice to know I'll be working with someone like you."

"Really?" Jayden nodded at her words.

"While you're odder than the number three, you'd bring new and different ideas to the table." Jayden said backing away. "And I like new and different. Sometimes."

Ariana did not say anything at the boy walked away. She could hear her inner self screaming at her for being so weird and driving him away. But on the other side, he admitted to liking…

"I'm not odd!" Ariana shouted after him once she realized what he had called her.

* * *

Scarlett lied in her bed later that night, hearing her neighbors talk and laugh outside. Helen had gone over there once Dakota and Jayden appeared, but Scarlett dared not. How could she face Jayden, and Danica for that matter, after she did what she had done?

And then it hit Scarlett.

What if Helen told?

What if Helen even _hinted_ it?

Helen and Jayden were great friends so…

"Scarlett!" Fiona called before entering Scarlett's room. "There you are. Why aren't you next door with your neighbors? They've been asking for you."

"I'm just really tired." Scarlett lied.

Fiona raised a brow. Holly J had left about an hour ago meaning she could put her full attention on her only child.

"Scarlett, is there something wrong?" Scarlett mentally cursed her mother's detective ways as Fiona moved to sit on the edge of her bed. "Come on Scarlett. Tell me what's wrong."

Scarlett sighed. "Mom… What if I…" Scarlett paused. "What if I didn't believe that Laura's kids were Jayden's?"

"I'm sure you're not the only one." replied Fiona.

"I know… But I'm the only one that means something to him that doesn't believe it." Scarlett stated. "And sometimes I just, I just want to prove it."

"That they aren't his?" Scarlett nodded. "Scarlett, you and Jayden have been up and down for the past two, three years. You know as well as I do that he believes that they're his kids, so they always will be. DNA or not." Scarlett winced at her mother's words. "Besides, Jayden really cares about you. He doesn't care if you believe that they are his kids or not. He only cares if you care enough to help him."

"Wouldn't finding out the truth be helpful?" Scarlett asked.

"Think of it like this. You find out that they aren't his. And then what? He'll be just as mad at you as he would Laura. You for taking away two beautiful kids that he loves and Laura for lying to him in the first place." Fiona stated.

"I guess you're right…" Scarlett said, now thinking about how she would get the results and hide them from Jayden. "Thanks Mom."

"You've been up here because of that? Come on. Get up." Fiona said.

"No. I'm really tired." Scarlett lied again. "Dakota is a night owl."

Fiona smiled. "Sure." Fiona kissed Scarlett on the forehead. "Listen to me. If you love Jayden, then support him all the way. Or else you'll just do something outrageously stupid and lose him for good." Scarlett smiled. "And trust me on this one. I've seen a lot of girls do a lot of stupid things in my day."

"In your day? Wasn't that like fifty years ago or something?" Scarlett teased.

Fiona gasped. "I am not fifty years old young lady!" Scarlett laughed, causing Fiona to laugh as well. The two soon settled down, Fiona with a smile. "Just, support him, alright? And make sure you two aren't seen by your dad at school. You know how he gets."

"Yeah. Thanks Mom." Scarlett said hugging Fiona.

"You're welcome sweetie." Fiona responded.

As Scarlett hugged her mother, she began to regret everything she had done. However, it was done and now she had to get the results without it alerting Jayden and/or Laura. And that was going to be easier said than done.

* * *

Kelly watched as Shane lied in his bed tiredly.

"Those kids were so hyper!" Shane said.

Deanna, who stood beside Kelly, crossed her arms.

"I guess that means that children are out of our future, huh?" she joked. Shane sat up and stared at the brunette. "What?"

"You want kids?" asked Shane.

"Not now nitwit." Deanna said. "Later. Like way later when I'm probably married and living somewhere in Paris… Or Hawaii…" Deanna paused and thought. "No. Not Hawaii."

"You two are so cute." Kelly said before sighing with a smile. "I can see it now. You two are going to have a magnificent wedding in a chapel where Mom will be crying her eyes out and Dad'll say, 'That's my boy.'"

Shane laughed. "Yeah, I can see Dad saying that!"

Deanna only smiled as the Mason siblings picked on their father, a habit that Deanna had not picked up from the two. Deanna actually had a lot of respect for Shane and Kelly's father, Gavin, for a number of reasons. One, and most importantly, he always put fatherhood above everything else, even with Shane and Kelly's half-siblings. And another reason that made her top-five was he was an exceptional cook. That was a _big_ plus in Deanna's book.

"Oh great." Kelly said as her cell phone could be heard ringing from her room.

"How are we going to have a sleepover when your boyfriend calls every five minutes?" Deanna asked in an annoyed manner, though Kelly knew she was not serious.

Kelly left Shane's room quickly to answer her phone. Once she did, she was surprised to hear the voice on the other line.

"Hello?" Kelly answered.

"Hey Kelly." Kelly gasped.

"J-Jane?"

"Yeah… Can we talk for a second?"

Kelly went to close her door while smiling. Finally, she thought, Jane was coming back home.


	112. S4 Episode X: Lover I don't have to Love

**Episode X: Lover I don't have to Love**

Chandra woke up for school that Monday with a heavy sigh. Her two younger siblings were probably awake and annoying now and she did not want to be bothered by them. Not after she had heard a rumor from Vanessa last night.

"Chandra! Time for- Oh! You're awake!" Alli said as she opened her daughter's bedroom. Reading the distraught look on Chandra's face, Alli neared her. "Is everything alright?"

Chandra shook her head. "No… It's Farah."

Alli frowned. "Farah? Is something-"

"She's dating A.J!" Alli immediately hushed at Chandra's words, knowing how deeply Chandra actually cared about Aaron.

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry." Alli soothed to the best of her motherly abilities. "He'll wise up sooner or later. Or maybe you'll find someone better. Like the guy that's been writing you those letters."

Chandra got out of her bed.

"Yeah," Chandra said heading for the door. "Because everyone can be as good as Aaron freaking Santos."

With that, Chandra walked out of her room, leaving Alli to stand there with a tired expression.

"I'm getting too old to be dealing with teenage drama…" Alli said to herself before preparing for her day ahead.

* * *

Shane groaned. "Kelly my brain hurts. Do you really have to quiz me now?"

"Just guess!" Kelly nearly hissed.

"Um… That Katie Torres lady." Shane said.

"Wrong!" Kelly said with a smile.

Shane sighed. "Okay, okay. I give. Who called you last night?"

"Jane." Shane blinked, his brain replaying the name he believed his sister just said. "And do you want to know what we talked about?"

"If I had to guess," stated Shane. "I'd say that she was planning on moving back up here. For good."

"So Dee was telling the truth. You aren't just all muscles and no brain." Kelly picked. Shane grinned. "But guess where you come into this?"

"You have some romantic plan for her and Dad's reunion and you want to use me and my girlfriend." Kelly nodded. "Well sorry sis. I won't do it. Not this time."

"What? Why not?" Kelly questioned.

"Do you know how wrong it is trying to get my dad laid? It's like those old Just For Men commercials." Kelly pouted. "Stop giving me that look Kelly. It won't work."

"Please big brother? I won't ask for anything-" Shane interrupted Kelly, clearing his throat. "Okay. I won't ask for anything _else_." Shane shook his head, causing Kelly to sigh. "Fine, fine. I won't ask for anything else of _that_ extreme. Gosh, you act like I come to you for _everything_."

"You do." Shane said pointedly.

"I do not." Kelly countered as she thought of a time she didn't.

"Face it sis. The only time you didn't come to me is when you kissed Jacob." Kelly now glared at Shane for bringing up an event she would rather erase from their minds. "And that's about it."

"Alright, whatever. Just help me hook our dad up with Jane, okay?" said Kelly. "She's nice _and_ makes us all happy."

"With a nice rack." Shane added, gaining a punch to the shoulder. "Ow! Just an observation."

"Stop hanging out with your perverted Asian friend." Kelly told him before grabbing his arm. "Come on. We're going to be late picking Jordan up."

Shane only grinned. Whether or not he was gaining Jayden's perverted mind was irrelevant to fact that Kelly would eventually drag him into some sort of plot to get Jane and Gavin together. And whether he liked it or not, Deanna would force him to help as well. The least he could do was get a good look at Jane before she became his stepmom, right?

* * *

Later, Aaron stepped out of his brother's car with a quiet sigh.

"What's wrong?" Jayden asked. Aaron shook his head. "Let me rephrase that. What's wrong with you dating Farah and having to tell Bambi?"

"It's amazing that you're not in the Gifted Program." Aaron mumbled.

Jayden shrugged. "It just didn't seem like me, you know?" Aaron shook his head with a sigh. "Hey, since you're not willing to talk now, I want to remind you that I have soccer tryouts later. So if I don't get in touch with you in-between then, you're just going to have to wait."

Aaron frowned. "And what about the twins?"

"Already taken care of." Jayden stated with a smile. "Now, don't you have a girlfriend and a fiancée to find?"

"I'm not engaged." Aaron said walking away.

"Tell that to Bambi!" Aaron heard his brother call to him.

Aaron groaned as he made his way to the front steps. There waiting for him were Jordan and Dustin. From the looks on their faces, he already knew what they were going to say. So instead of greeting them, he just walked up the steps.

"So," Jordan said. "You're dating Farah now?"

"Yes." Aaron told her.

"And you didn't feel the need to run this by me because…?" Jordan questioned, she and Dustin following Aaron into the building.

Aaron stopped and looked at Jordan.

"Listen," he said. "I have a lot to think about now. So if you're not going to throw suggestions to my obvious problem, don't talk."

"Did you tell me to shut up?" asked Jordan.

"I think he did." Dustin answered, gaining a glare from the blonde girl. "Just saying." Aaron turned and walked away. "Whoa, do you think going to find Bambi is the brightest idea?"

"No. But it's the only one I got." Aaron said heading for Chandra's locker.

Aaron spotted his ex talking to Vanessa. Once again, he could look and tell what they were talking about. But he didn't care. He had to talk to Chandra now.

"Bambi…" Aaron began, but lost his voice once she looked at him.

"I don't know where Farah is." Chandra responded.

"I don't want to talk to her now." Aaron told her. "I want to talk to you." Chandra gave Vanessa a small nod, the other girl moving away from the two. "I'm sorry. I really am."

"What are you sorry about?" asked Chandra.

"I'm sorry for hurting you." Chandra glared at Aaron. "I should've listened to you instead of assuming that you were going to automatically break up with me. I'm sorry for letting Farah kiss me back then. I'm sorry for-"

"You're sorry for a lot." Chandra said. "And why's that? Why are you sorry about all of that?"

"Because I don't-"

"You can't have us both A.J. Isn't that what you told Jordan?" replied Chandra. "I'm going to be late for class."

"Bambi wait-"

"You know," Chandra interrupted. "I actually thought that we were going to work something out when I believed it was you writing those letters."

"What? They're from Tevin." Aaron stated.

"Tevin? As in Tevin Sharpe?" Aaron nodded.

"Yeah. His cousin goes here and he's been putting them in your locker." Aaron said. "But, that doesn't have any to do with us. I still care about you Chandra. A lot."

"Prove it." Chandra said before walking away.

As Chandra walked away from Aaron, Jordan walked towards him. When she got beside him she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's count this up as a loss and go back to working on my campaign." Jordan said before looking up at Aaron. Seeing his face, she sighed. "Hey, I was kidding A.J. Sort of. I'll get Dustin or someone to work on my campaign and in the meantime, we'll find your creepy friend Gabrielle and see if she can help you more than I can."

"…" Aaron stared at Chandra's retreating figure until she rounded a corner before speaking. "Thanks Jordan."

"What are best friends for?" she replied with a grin.

* * *

After first period, Jayden found Nicole at her locker, the girl obviously not having a good day.

"Something wrong pretty Nicky?" she glanced at him quickly. "Whoa. Sorry I asked. What's the problem? And who scratched your face?"

"This," Nicole said pointing to the _only_ scratch on her face. "Came from your friend's girlfriend. We had a fight after the dance."

"Wow. You really are Helen's right-hand woman." Jayden commented. "And what caused this fight?"

Nicole shrugged. "Beats me." Jayden raised a brow. "What?"

"Nicky, you do know Shane has already told me this, right? I kind of know what happened." Jayden told her. "I'm just wondering if you're alright. Mentally and emotionally."

"Other than my hatred for Deanna Fitzgerald, nothing is wrong." stated Nicole. "Well, I really don't want to be here today, but nothing out of the usual."

Jayden sighed. "Nicky, I really, _really_ like you more than Deanna. I mean, we're part of the same group. I've dated your friends and you've dated one of mine. But Shane really likes Deanna." Nicole grunted. "I know it sucks. Believe me, I get envious when I'm around someone with more money than I do. That's why I stopped going to Dash's house everyday and stopped Laura from hustling by sending her to England."

"Jay…" Nicole said with a smile.

"I know, I know. Selfish me, right?" he said with a smile of his own. "But seriously, I'm worried about you. I don't want you running off with Nate or anyone else that's going to make you do something stupid. I seriously can't handle any more hostility between my friends. Laura and Scarlett pretty much did it for me."

"You don't know what it's like to make one simple mistake and then everyone making you live with it for the rest of your life." Nicole said. "Ethan kissed me. Big deal. It's not like I had sex with him or anything. But Shane… Shane doesn't see it like that. He sees it as me breaking my promise by going back to the ravine and making out with some random guy."

"First and foremost, celebrity teen parent here. People are going to make me live that for the rest of my life." Jayden responded. "And second, I think it's the 'breaking your promise' part that gets to Shane more. You_ promised_ him you wouldn't go back there and you _promised_ him that Ethan was only a friend. Obviously, Ethan has a different idea."

"He's not that bad." Nicole said.

"And there it is. The first step in a different direction." Nicole sighed.

"Whatever Jay. But what should I do? Let Deanna flaunt Shane around after she used Kelly to even get with him?" Nicole stated. "I mean, anyone who would pretty much use someone else to get a guy's attention and then sleep with him while he's with someone else is just… A slut. A whore. And they will never be anything else but that."

Jayden thought about reminding Nicole about his and Laura's affair last year that occurred while he was with Scarlett, but let it go. Nicole would be in her own little world until Shane and Deanna broke up. And as much as he would _want_ that, he wanted Shane to be happy more. Besides, Deanna and he had become pretty close, as friends of course. He still would not hangout with her without Shane and/or Kelly present.

"We're going to be late for class." Jayden said.

Nicole nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

Also headed to the same class were Scarlett and Shane, the two exes also talking about the fight between Nicole and Deanna.

"Seriously Scarlett, I don't know what got into her. She snapped." Shane concluded.

Scarlett smiled. "What's the matter Shane? Your new girlfriend can't handle Nicky?"

"Scarlett…" Shane said.

"Okay, okay, I'm kidding." Scarlett said. "But, come on Shane. I think you're overreacting."

"I didn't get into a fight." Shane inputted.

"True. But this is Nicole Campbell. During the years that we've known her, Helen's verbally abused her, not to mention she slapped her before, Jackie's taken _two_ guys from her, and I've pretty much ignored her everyday existence, yet she still claims us as friends. She doesn't hold grudges." said Scarlett.

"Well you obviously didn't see her Friday night." Shane responded. "She pounced on Deanna. Like a tiger."

Scarlett shrugged. "I'm pretty sure Deanna had it coming. I mean, when I dated DeWayne, she made my life hell."

"That's the _old_ Deanna." Shane said.

"Come on. You expect me to believe that Deanna did _absolutely_ _nothing_ to Nicky and Nicky just grew angry?" questioned Scarlett.

"Other than a few words, no." Shane answered. "And to be honest, Deanna was right. I asked Nicky what was wrong and she snapped on me for no reason. Plus, it is Nicky's fault that I slept with Deanna."

"Right. Because she held a gun to your head and said: 'Screw her or else.'" Scarlett droned on.

"Scarlett, I'm being serious here. Something is wrong with her and I'd like to know what it is." Shane said. "How would you like it if DeWayne just up and jumped Jayden?"

"Wouldn't I be the one jumping on Laura since my actions 'caused' Jayden to sleep with her?" Shane sighed. "I'm just saying. It fits the scenario better."

"Just answer the question." Shane said.

Scarlett shrugged. "If DeWayne ever jumped J.T, then yes, I would be pissed. But a part of me would have to believe that J.T had it coming."

"Oh really? When have you _ever_ thought that Jayden had it coming?" asked Shane.

"Well," Scarlett began. "Considering the fact that while I was dating DeWayne, Jayden made little subtle comments about us here and there, as well as tempting DeWayne to several fights… He asked for it." Shane only shook his head. "But, I know J.T. He only did it because he couldn't admit that he loved me."

"Is that why he did it?" Shane asked.

Scarlett smiled. "Oh come on. I'm the most lovable person on the planet!"

"Really?" the duo paused as Jayden and Nicole met them in front of their class. "The most lovable Red? I think my kids are shooting for that title to share amongst themselves."

Scarlett smiled before she and Jayden walked into the class, leaving Shane and Nicole in the hall together.

"…" They stared at one another before Nicole spoke. "I hope you're happy." Shane opened his mouth. "With Deanna. I hope you're happy with her. Because you're going to lose out on me. Your friend. The girl who took your virginity and spent Christmas with. I _lived_ with you."

"I am happy. I just wished you were happy for me." And with that, Shane left Nicole in the hallway. The girl hesitated before going into the class. She would smoke her cigarette later.

* * *

Farah Bhandari was happy. She had finally gotten the boy she wanted since arriving at Degrassi last Spring. However, whenever she glanced at her cousin, she could see that not everyone was happy for her.

"Miss Bhandari," Farah looked at her teacher. "You will be working on this project with your cousin, Miss Torres. That won't be a problem, will it?"

"Um, n-no." Farah stammered as she saw Chandra's brown eyes lock onto her.

"Good. You two will be working on Spain." Chandra and Farah both nodded, neither saying a word.

Farah, realizing that Chandra was not going to move towards her, moved beside her cousin.

"H-hi Chandra…" Farah began. "Um, when did you want to work on this?"

"Never." Chandra muttered before sighing heavily. "But we have to. So how about you come over after school and we can work in my room?"

Farah smiled. "I'll be there." Chandra's face told Farah to stop smiling, and slowly she did. "Chandra, I know you know."

"I wonder what gave you that totally and completely correct idea…" Chandra responded, her voice full of sarcasm.

Farah sighed. "I didn't want it to happen like this."

"Oh really? Is there _another_ way you can seduce someone else's boyfriend?!" Chandra questioned, her voice raised.

"Ssh, we don't want to make-"

"What? A scene?" Chandra interrupted. "With Jayden I lost my dignity, with Steven I lost my sanity, and now I've lost the only good thing in my life to you."

"What are you talking about? Your parents shower you with good things." Farah stated.

"I can't buy Aaron and you know that." Chandra snapped back. "But… I don't care anymore. He obviously chose you so I shouldn't cry about it forever. It won't even last forever."

Farah watched as Chandra look elsewhere for the moment.

"Chandra, please, forgive me." Farah said quietly.

Chandra looked at her cousin before sighing once more.

"You're my cousin. I'm going to forgive you. Eventually." Chandra responded. "Let's just get this project done, okay?"

"Yeah." said a grinning Farah.

* * *

The bell rang for lunch, the hallways once crowded again.

"So, anything special planned for my spoiled cousin?" Helen asked Jayden.

Jayden grinned. "Which one? Scarlett or Torrie?"

"You're not mad that I sent her over there are you?" Jayden nodded at her question. "Come on Jayden. With everything you've done to me, that doesn't even scratch the surface of payback."

"I guess you have a point. A very small and mostly irrelevant point, but one nonetheless." Jayden responded. Jayden looked to see a smile on Helen's face and grinned himself. "Never understood how so much evil could be in a body so small."

Helen glared. "What have we said about talking about my height?"

"You have a Napoleon Complex with the height to match?" Helen scoffed.

"No wonder people tell you to dodge Psychology. You suck at it." Helen snapped back, gaining a chuckle from the taller boy. "Say, can I ask you a question?" Jayden nodded. "What is going on between you and Scar? Is she just your replacement for Laura or have you gone back to your 'I want Scarlett and no one else' phase?"

Jayden was silent for a moment before letting out a heavy breath.

"It's not easy to answer, you know." he began. "But the truth is, I'm telling myself _not_ to fall in love with Scarlett and I'm losing. Badly, at that."

"She's going to be hurt when you kick her to the curb once Laura returns, you know that right?" Helen questioned him. Jayden remained silent. "Are you going back to Laura when she returns?"

"Of course!" he answered. "I just… I don't know. Scarlett is a special person to me and I'd hate myself if I did something unforgiveable to her."

"Jayden, you have to remind her of these simple things or else-"

"Everyone has their right to dream, Helen." Jayden interrupted. "I mean, hell, I'm doing it right now. To be able to stay with Scarlett until Laura returns and then switch between the two? I dare any guy say he would hate that dream."

"But you know where to draw the line." Helen said. "Or at least, you did."

Jayden shrugged. "What can I say? New year, same old me."

"You're hopeless, you know that?" Helen stated.

"I'm hopelessly in love with my redhead ex but since she's ignoring me, I'm with her cousin." Jayden remarked.

Helen rolled her eyes. "Whatever Jayden…"

* * *

Aaron smiled at how happy Farah seemed to be. She was practically glowing as she talked to Gabrielle. It was as if for a moment he had forgotten about Chandra. Though, his mind was still concentrated on one Chandra Torres.

Speaking of which, his ex soon arrived at the table and sat beside Vanessa with a sigh.

"You know," Vanessa said to her best friend. "You seemed to be the only one that's ever stressed with _half the day_ over with."

"She's also the only one of us who has passed out in the halls due to said stress, but that's a different conversation, right?" Ashton piped in.

Vanessa sighed. "Ashton… What have we talked about?"

"Oh come on. That wasn't wrong or mean or anything. Right?" Ashton stated, looking at Aaron.

"Um…" Aaron's voice trailed off as he glanced at Chandra.

"Don't worry about it." Chandra said before huffing a bit. "I think I have a small problem."

"What is it?" questioned Aaron.

"…" Chandra and Aaron just stared at one another before she looked at Vanessa. "I'm going to meet my 'secret admirer.'"

Jordan, who had been paying attention to a scene across the cafeteria, brought her eyes and attention towards Chandra at that moment. A part of her wanted Chandra to go after Tevin, knowing that Aaron and Farah were bound to end soon. But then she realized just what kind of guy Tevin was, leaving her at clubs and standing her up, and felt slightly bad for Chandra. He would just do to her what he did to Jordan.

"You're kidding." Jordan stated.

Chandra shook her head. "Nope. This year, I'm going to try something new."

"_Something_ or _someone_?" Ashton questioned.

"Mind your business." Chandra said. And despite the harsh words, she appeared calm. "Besides, everyone else seems to be trying it."

"What are you- Oof!" Ashton's words were cut off by Vanessa's elbow to his gut.

"If that's what you want." Vanessa said. "But who is this 'secret admirer' of yours?"

"Tevin." Chandra answered. "Tevin Sharpe."

The name seemed to cause an eerie silence to fall over the group. Chandra soon looked over to see Aaron's masked face. She had seen it several of times when one or the other younger sibling of his barged into his room unannounced and did something he found annoying. He was calm on the outside, but ready to explode on the inside.

"Well?" she asked her friends, still looking at Aaron though.

"Are you sure that's what you want?" Aaron asked.

"Yes." Her answer was quick and direct.

Aaron knew she was lying, but nodded anyway. This was his fault, after all. But the only way to fix it would be to completely ignore Farah's feelings and go after Chandra again. And that would go against several of his own ethics.

"So when were you going to meet him?" Vanessa questioned.

Chandra shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe today?" Chandra saw the smallest flare of anger and jealousy in Aaron's eyes and chose to look away then and there. "I have a meeting with Mary-Jane and Helen later. So I don't know exactly when I'll be able to."

"Just be careful Bambi." Aaron stated. "Stress or not, I don't want you to get hurt."

"It's a little too late for that, right?" Aaron swallowed silently at Chandra's response before she looked at her cousin. "And you should be at my house around six. We'll work on the project then, okay?"

"Sure Chandra." Farah said before looking at Aaron.

Chandra watched the look shared between her cousin and her ex. Sure, she was hurt that they were together now, but she was angrier about the entire ordeal. Farah knew how much Aaron meant to Chandra, just as Aaron knew how much Chandra would hate it if he and Farah dated. Yet, neither of them apparently cared.

"It's going to be a long school year." Ashton stated.

Vanessa only nodded in concurrence.

* * *

The final bell rang for the day, giving the students and teachers a brief relief for the rest of the day. And for one Jayden McDuelle, his schedule was tight. He had soccer tryouts now, a brief band practice, and finally going home to his kids in time to make dinner because it was his turn to cook. Yet, his day would not be complete if _someone_ didn't come to him for advice.

Chandra let out a heavy sigh as she leaned on the lockers beside him. Jayden pretended to ignore her, continuing exchanging the books he would need for homework with those in his hands, as well as grabbing his cleats. Chandra let out another sigh, this one causing Jayden to smile.

"You're really cute when you're frustrated." Despite herself, Chandra blushed. "What can I do for you now Bambi?"

"My cousin and your brother are an item." Chandra stated.

Jayden shrugged. "Not really my problem."

"Jayden!" Chandra complained.

"Hey, I tried, and I mean I literally tried to separate them at Leona's party, but it wasn't happening." replied Jayden. "Believe me Bambi, I would rather for you and A.J to be, but it's not up to me. So I stopped worrying."

"You can't stop worrying. No one else will worry with me!" Chandra pleaded before tugging on his arm. "Worry with me!"

Jayden laughed. "No. I have tryouts later and then band and then dinner. Pretty booked this week." Chandra pouted. "Oh come on Bambi. You and I both know that despite what he says, A.J gets just as jealous as the next guy. Find someone else, rub it in A.J's face, and then go back out with the little pansy."

"He's not a pansy Jayden. And just who would want to date me?" questioned Chandra. "I'm starting to get the 'hoe' rumors again."

"Hmm…" Jayden hummed as he looked around. "What about that guy?"

Chandra scoffed. "I'm trying to make A.J jealous, remember?"

"Bambi, you're not making my life easier." Jayden said.

"I'll babysit if you can help me." Chandra almost regretted her words when Jayden's left brow rose.

"Really? Alright. Tell me your entire problem." Jayden stated. "And I want you to know that watching my kids with Danni, my parents, or Laura's parents does not count as babysitting."

"Fine," Chandra said. "But the thing is, Tevin is the guy that's been sending me those notes. Plus he's someone that would piss A.J off so-"

"No." Jayden interrupted.

Chandra frowned. "No?"

"Yeah, no." Jayden said. "I said to make A.J jealous, not pissed. Besides, I just congratulated Jordan for breaking up with the guy. Why would I tell you to date him?"

"Is he bad?" questioned Chandra.

"Not necessarily. Just bad for you." Jayden stated. "Look, Bambi, I like you. You're a beautiful woman in the making with a good head on your shoulders. So I'm going to tell you that your decision is your decision. Whatever you do is all on you. Not me. Not A.J. And not Farah. If you think playing Tevin's game will get you closer to A.J, then go for it. I won't think anything less of you."

"Well if I knew what to do, I would've done it by now." replied the younger girl.

Jayden smiled. "I'm sure it'll come to you Chandra." Chandra smiled at his words as he closed his locker. "Come by the apartment Friday and we'll have a movie night with some of Danni's friends. No A.J and no Farah. How does that sound?"

Chandra smiled. "Great! But… Why would you invite just me and not A.J? Wouldn't Danni just have something to pick on you about?"

"Well, I never said that you couldn't babysit my kids with me there, now did I?" Chandra's smile widened. "Besides, when's the last time we even got together after school? Those meetings with Lakehurst? If we're going to be friends, then we should at least have one day to ourselves, right?"

"Yeah." Chandra said as Jayden began walking away. "See you later!"

Jayden waved at her as he walked away. Meanwhile, Chandra's mind had already settled on her decision.

She was about to piss Aaron off and find Tevin.

* * *

Aaron fell on his bed, back first, and stared at the ceiling.

"Tsk, tsk," Jordan said as she sat beside him. "In love with one cousin but with the other. You're a sad person A.J."

"Is that what's going on?" Both kids turned to see Aaron's father at the doorway with an amused smile. "You know, I think it was around this same time last year that another son of mine had the exact same problem."

"Dad…" Aaron sighed.

"I'm just saying, own up to your mistakes or make bigger ones. That's the way life is A.J." Aaron was only half-listening now due to the fact that Jayden _was_ in the same predicament last year after the dance and had given him a similar speech earlier. "I have to step out real quick so don't go anywhere, alright? Danni says she'll be here in ten minutes, but I doubt it."

"I'll be here. Unfortunately." Aaron stated.

Maxwell grinned. "A.J, it's not the end of the world. They will both learn to find a way to make it your fault. Every woman does."

Aaron groaned as Maxwell walked away, Jordan frowning a bit.

"What does he mean when he says 'every woman does'?" she asked Aaron.

"You know," Aaron said. "Sometimes I don't even try to know."

"I don't blame you for anything." Jordan stated, still peeved at the statement.

Aaron sat up. "Jordan, we just spent an entire summer together where you couldn't blame anything on anyone _but_ me."

"Oh… Yeah…" Aaron fell back again with a sigh. "You know what I do when I'm stressed?"

"Manicure, pedicure, a magazine, and a Chandra voodoo doll." Aaron said pointedly. "And none of those things will help me."

"I don't play with dolls A.J," Jordan responded. "And I'm sorry if I don't have my A.J stress kit on me. Didn't know I was going to need it."

"…" Aaron was silent before Jordan lied beside him. "I wonder how we ever became friends Jordan."

Jordan smiled. "Because we were two nerds along with Dustin that everyone seemed to pick on." Aaron laughed a bit. "Come to find out, he becomes Scooter's and Marc's lackey, I'm Mary-Jane's right hand, and you're the son of Max and Manny McDuelle."

"But we have _nothing_ in common anymore." Jordan thought about Aaron's comment before grinning.

"Well, there is that _one thing_ we all still do." she said causing Aaron to look at her. "If only we had some staples and a hammer…"

"We're going to get in trouble." Aaron said.

"But you're still going to do it." Jordan said in a sing-song voice.

Aaron smiled as he went to retrieve the desired items. Jordan may not be the best person in the world at the moment, but she did make one of his best friends. Now, if only he could find that hammer…

* * *

Scarlett impatiently paced around her room. Three more days. She had to wait three days and then, somehow, she would have to get Jayden's _and_ Laura's reports back through the mail. She was glad that Jayden's results would go to his parents' house, which was only next door. But Laura's? How would she sneak to Laura's father's house and get their mail without being spotted?

"Hello dear cousin." Scarlett sighed, not looking at Torrie.

"Go be annoying somewhere else. I'm trying to think." Scarlett responded.

Torrie smiled. "You have to try to think? That's sad. It comes naturally to most people." Scarlett shot her blonde cousin a glare. "So what are you 'trying' to think about?"

"It's none of your business." Scarlett stated. "So just leave."

Torrie sighed. "I can't do that." Scarlett frowned as Torrie made her way to Scarlett's bed. "You see, I have this small problem. I want your boy-toy. Now, I know you're not the caring or sharing type, so I'd literally have to take him from beneath you." Torrie paused. "Or… I could wait for you to do something drastically stupid like get a DNA test and wait for him to explode on you."

Scarlett gasped. "H-how did you know?!"

"I didn't. I just assumed that that's whatever you did that Helen won't tell me and see your reaction." Scarlett was now mortified. "Seeing as I guessed right…"

"Get. Out." Scarlett hissed as she pointed to her door.

"You seriously don't know how blackmail works, do you?" said Torrie. "Let me prove a point to you and Helen that I can get Jayden and I'll pretend like you didn't do something so… So Scarlett."

Scarlett's blue eyes darkened. "Torrie. Get. Out."

"Fine, I will." Torrie replied as she stood up. "Just prepare for hell dear cousin. I do intend to deliver it."

Scarlett watched as Torrie left her room before releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding. Torrie now knew, which jeopardized her entire plan. That meant that no matter what, she had to keep Jayden away from Torrie and preoccupied. And that plan would make a lot more sense if she had a car to drive to his place at the moment.

And then it dawned on her…

"Soccer! Duh!" she said palming her forehead. "Just stay calm and think this through. You're a smart girl. Smarter than Torrie. He will never know."

* * *

Brooke Johansson huffed heavily. She had recently gotten a job at Mason's as a waitress and it was beyond tough, especially with cheerleading practice. However, she saw a familiar face walk in and went to great him with a warm, seducing smile.

"Why hello there," she said, completely ignoring Marc's existence as she flirted with James. "Anything on, and off, the menu that you like?"

James grinned. "I'm just here for a quick bite. Marc says your wings are the best in town."

Brooke smiled. "Are you a legs or breast kind of guy?"

Marc glanced between his friend and their waitress. If Amber were to see this she might go off the deep end. And that would be potentially harmful for Brooke, James, and everyone that got in-between the two and Amber.

"How about you give us some of those wings and I'll see you at the ravine later?" James said.

"Remember to bring condoms and I'm yours." James nodded as Brooke scribbled their orders down on a pad and walked away.

"So," Marc said gaining James's attention. "She your new girlfriend or something?"

James shook his head. "No. Just… A really good friend."

"So you're just screwing her in the back of a van? That's cool." Marc stated.

"Speaking of sex," responded James. "Have you and Amber…?"

"Done it? No. We're not even dating." Marc answered. "Why? Did she tell you we were? Because if she wants to, I'm giving you a head's up now, I will do it."

James laughed. "No, she didn't tell me that you did. I was just curious." Marc nodded. "But, hey, if you want, I can introduce you to Brooke's friends. There's this one girl, Torrie… Oh my God. So worth living life. And Brooke's not bad either. And from what I hear, neither is Nicky but-"

"Wait, Nicky as in Nicky Campbell, Shane's ex?" James nodded. "How'd you hear that? Nate?"

"And Ethan." James explained. "All those legs in all their glory…"

Marc smiled, though he was not thinking about Nicole or her wonderful legs and thighs. In fact, most of his thoughts went into Amber for some reason. Spending time with her had become one of his more favored things to do as well. But he couldn't help but feel that James was growing jealous of Marc and Amber's growing friendship.

Then again, those were James's problems, right?

* * *

Groaning in slight soreness, Jayden sat down on the bleachers. Bianca was holding his kids hostage, metaphorically of course, and was insisting that they stay at her place again. Unfortunately, that went against her reformation policy and Jayden really wanted to spend time with his kids after he was done with his band practice.

"You looked great out there." Jayden raised his eyebrows as Helen Sinclair-Coyne had given him a compliment. "You know, for someone who's a dad and all. You still move like one of us young people!"

Nicole and Jacquelyn, who had undoubtedly accompanied Helen, giggled with their ringleader. Jayden just lazily rolled his eyes before standing.

"I thought you had the car Helen?" Jayden said.

"Oh I do." she responded. "It's just that I never saw you play soccer before. You're actually not half bad."

"Yeah Jay, you're great!" Nicole said. "Why didn't you do this last year?"

Jayden shrugged. "I don't know really. Soccer has always been a part of my old life back in California. Danni and I both played it, but she never quitted like I did. I think she still tries to practice on me but…" Jayden paused and shook his head. "Either way, I just wanted to get some part of my former self back and this was it."

Jacquelyn smiled. "You did look pretty impressive out there."

"Now you're making me think something is up. So, why are you three lovely ladies, invading my personal space with Cheshire grins?" questioned Jayden.

"We have a bet going on," Helen explained. "You see, Miss Jackie here believes that you're beginning to love Scarlett just a little bit more than you do Laura. But Nicky strongly disagrees. I said we'd settle it by talking to you. And here we are."

"What brought this conversation on?" Jayden asked.

Helen shrugged. "Boredom."

"Well, I guess it's only fair if I answer your question." Jayden said. "I wouldn't necessarily say that I love, or will ever love, Scarlett more than I do Laura. There's a lot more between Laura and I and it's not just the kids."

"I told you." Nicole said to Jacquelyn.

"But," Jacquelyn said. "You _do_ love Scarlett, right? I mean, it's completely obvious to everyone."

"Now why would a nice girl such as you throw around such a heavy accusation at me?" Jayden responded with a grin.

"Do you?" Helen asked.

Jayden looked at Helen and then at the other two. His smile slowly left his face as he sighed quietly.

"What I and Scarlett have talked about in private stays in private." Jayden responded. "Besides, I don't tell her what we talked about when we were dating." Jayden paused and looked at Nicole. "Well, you don't get that kind of confidentiality because we never dated. But Jackie and Helen did and they get the boyfriend confidentiality policy."

Helen rolled her eyes. "Why do you have to be so… Chivalrous?"

"Would you like me better if I weren't?" Jayden asked with a smirk. "You know, I wouldn't mind breaking a few rules with you Helen."

"Stick with Scar. I doubt you could handle me." Helen said.

"I got time. Wanna find out?" Helen turned around.

"No!" she said. "Now go away."

Jayden crossed his arms. "Seriously Helen, you blushing and walking away gets annoying after a while. I thought you liked me this way." Helen began storming away in embarrassment, causing Jayden to grin. "See you at home!"

"What's the secret about getting Helen so worked up?" Nicole asked.

"Like before," Jayden responded. "I can't tell you." Jayden spotted Chandra nearing him. "Sorry you two, but I have to take a certain eighth grader home."

"Aw, you and Bambi would make such a cute couple!" Nicole squealed.

Jayden smiled as he walked towards a tired Chandra. He could tell that she was tired, but also still worried about his brother dating her cousin.

"Ready to go?" Chandra nodded at Jayden's question. "What's wrong Bambi? You've lost your glow."

"Mary-Jane's evil and Helen's not better. Plus I have to go home now and face Farah." she answered before sighing heavily. "My life might as well be a TV show."

Jayden laughed. "Really? Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but my show goes into syndication before yours. So you have a few years to get your material together."

Chandra smiled. "Fine, I can wait a year or two." The two began walking towards Jayden's car when Chandra's smile slowly faded. "What did they want?"

"Ah, you know Helen. One of my closest friends, yet one of my biggest annoyances." Jayden replied.

Chandra let it drop. Obviously he was not going to tell her anytime soon. But she had a feeling that something was obviously bothering Jayden. Whenever his smiles left his face, he had a determined look that she had seen once or twice before. Half of her mind said to just ask Aaron, but then she realized that she was angry at him. That meant that for once, she would have to uncover Jayden's problems by herself.

But first, she would have to get her revenge on Farah and Aaron.

* * *

Marc watched as James talked to Brooke again, the girl having a small break as they were leaving. It was painfully obvious to Marc and any who saw that Brooke was quite comfortable around James. And by comfortable, he meant the two were opening flirting with one another with little to no regards about who saw. Yet, oddly, they both agreed that it was just a physical attraction.

"Hey, you got something planned later on?" James asked Marc as he neared the larger boy.

Marc shrugged. "I might."

"Well, if you don't, you should stop by the ravine." Marc frowned. "Yeah, yeah, I know. It's the same place where Steven got his weed. But seriously, it's not a bad place. Kind of like a nightclub without rules."

"If Amber found out-"

"About me going to the ravine?" James interrupted. "Listen, she's her own person and apparently, she doesn't like me too much."

Marc sighed. "Dude, she's still into you."

"She could've fooled me." James retorted. "In fact, as of lately, I'm starting to think she's more into _you_."

"Is that a problem?" Marc asked, his voice filled with both curiosity and anger.

James shook his head. "Nope. If you want her, go get her. Just don't be surprised when you realize that you're not good enough for her brother." James put his hand on Marc's shoulder. "And then you'll see that I was right."

Marc removed James's hand.

"You need some serious help James." Marc said. "Come on. Let's go."

* * *

Danica shook her head.

"I can't believe you two did that! In my parents' house no less!" she exclaimed, Jordan and Aaron glancing at one another. "Whose bright idea was it?" The two pointed at the other one causing the young woman to sigh. "I should've never showed Jayden that trick…"

With that, Danica walked out of Aaron's room. The two teens waited before bursting with laughter.

"I told you that would help!" Jordan said through her laughs. "And you feel much better now, don't you?"

Aaron sighed. "A little bit… But now I feel bad about doing _that_."

"You're right… We should've used a can-opener." Aaron nodded in agreement. "And now that our fun is over, how about we get back on subject? You and Farah."

"But-"

"Let's face the facts A.J. You asked Chandra to wait for your return and she didn't. She chose to date some guy from Bardell. She's not the perfect little girl you think she is. She's actually a bigger slut than… Well a lot of girls actually." Aaron glared at Jordan. "Okay, I take that back. Only a few girls."

"Jordan-"

"_Plus_," Jordan continued. "You're with Farah. And we both know that the _faithful_ A.J will always put his focus on his girlfriend first and the rest second."

Aaron sighed. "I know. And again, I don't want to hurt Farah by ignoring her for her cousin but I can't help it."

"Yes you can." Jordan told him. "You just have to put some thought into it." Aaron only shrugged. "Hey, my ex is after yours and I'm completely okay with that."

"Jordan, you took a cab to his house so you could slap him. How 'okay' with that can you be?" countered Aaron.

"Not the point," Jordan stated. "The point is you're with Farah Bhandari. Did you hear that? Farah Bhandari. No longer are you with Chandra Torres. So stop worrying about it. The hard part is over with."

"I wish it was…" Aaron muttered.

Jordan sighed. "Well, I tried. Just don't turn into Danni when you find Chandra and Tevin making out somewhere."

Aaron smiled. "I promise." Jordan got off of his bed. "Where're you going?"

"Home. I don't want to be here when your dad hears what _you_ did." Jordan said moving towards the door. "See you tomorrow."

Aaron sat on his bed, slack-jawed. He was going to get pinned for doing _that_ and Jordan was pretty much going was going to get away with it. Worse, he had to deal with Danica alone until Maxwell or Jayden arrived.

"Good grief…" Aaron said to himself.

* * *

That night, Chandra sat in her bed thinking to herself quietly. Farah had come and gone, their project moving along rather smoothly. Aaron had not called once, something that bothered her. And to top it off, Ashton took Vanessa out on a 'not-really' date. All of these things just reminded Chandra how lonely she was.

"Having trouble falling asleep?" A slightly worried Alli asked.

Chandra shrugged. "Just thinking."

"Does this have something to do with A.J?" Chandra ignored her mother's smiling face. "Oh sweetie, there are more guys out there for you."

"But…" Chandra paused. "I found someone, but everyone thinks he's wrong."

Alli frowned. "Wrong? Wrong period or just wrong for you?"

"I don't know." said Chandra, though she clearly remembered Jayden say that Tevin was just bad for her.

"Well, only one way to find out right? Call him. Meet him in a public place where people are there." Chandra rolled her eyes slightly.

"Mom, not everyone is like _him_," Chandra said referring to Steven. "Besides, this guy is pretty alright. I mean, from what I've heard about him. He's in a band and pretty smart."

"Chandra, if you really want to meet this new boy, I'm okay with it." Alli said. "But," Chandra groaned a bit. "I get to meet him before the first date _and_ I want you to tell me that this has _nothing_ to do with A.J dating Farah."

"Why would it have something to do with them?" Chandra replied. "Seriously Mom, I think you over-think things." Chandra yawned and stretched. "I'm going to go to sleep now. Nice talking to-"

"Chandra," Alli said firmly. "Don't-"

"Alli, could you come here for a sec?" Drew called from downstairs.

Alli sighed. "Coming!" Alli then looked at Chandra. "Don't do anything stupid. We've raised you better than that."

"I won't." Chandra said as Alli left her room.

Closing her eyes, Chandra's mind was on one thing. And that was revenge.


	113. S4 Episode XI: Black Hole Sun

**Episode XI: Black Hole Sun**

"Football."

"Soccer."

"Football!"

"Soccer!"

Kelly sighed as her brother and his friend went back and forth in the hall about which one of them had the harder training. She brushed a purple bang out of her face before looking at Dakota.

"Look," Jayden said. "You guys get a break between each down. This is a constant battle to score, and sometimes, that one goal is all there is."

"Have you tried going after a quarterback while pushing and shoving your way through guys twice your size?" Shane countered. "Better yet, have you tried to keep your eye on a guy and the football he's trying to catch at the same time _without_ getting a pass interference?"

"Say," Kelly said, stopping their debate momentarily. "What was with Jordan and A.J the other day? Your dad seemed pissed at them."

Jayden smirked. "They did the thing with the staples and the hammer, but it works better with a can-opener and-"

"Pickles! It works best with a jar of pickles." Shane stated.

Kelly gasped. "They did _that_?"

"You taught A.J that is a better question." Dakota said. "Jayden, why would you teach him that?"

"It's a stress reliever." Jayden shrugged. "Now, where were we? Oh yeah! Which one of our sports is seen at the Olympics?"

"Cheap shot." Shane stated.

"Okay boys, let's just agree that they're both called football and are hard sports." Kelly said, ending their dispute. "Now, I want to know why A.J and Jordan know how to do that thing."

"What exactly is _that_?" Jacob, who stood quietly, asked.

"Well you see-"

"J.T," Jayden closed his mouth, ending his explanation as Scarlett neared him. "Mind doing me a small favor?"

"A favor for a neighbor? Sure." Jayden said.

"Okay," Scarlett said. "So Student Council is doing a pep rally soon for soccer and football. However, we need a list of all the players and a small little clip."

Jayden frowned. "I'm not the captain of the team Red. That's going to be hard, even for me."

"But you'll do it, right?" Jayden sighed, but nodded. Scarlett kissed his cheek. "Thanks. I knew you would." Scarlett looked at Shane. "As for you, you're lucky my dad's the assistant coach or you'd be in the same position."

"Does the kiss come with it? Because if it does, I'll do it anyway." Shane said, earning a snicker from Jayden.

"You two are so annoying together." Scarlett said before playfully slapping Jayden's shoulder. "And stop laughing!"

"Ow! Why'd you hit me? He said it." Jayden stated.

Scarlett smiled. "Because it's always better to hit you." Scarlett began backing away from the group. "And I want to go out tomorrow Mr. McDuelle."

"Then I suggest you call someone who cares. After you've abused me, I'm not obliged to do you any favors, Miss Chessex." Jayden retorted.

"I'll stop by." Scarlett said walking away.

"Man," Shane said patting Jayden's shoulder. "I am so glad that I don't have to put up with that anymore."

"Shane, your girlfriend is not only a blue-eyed brunette, but could pay someone to kill all of us if she wanted to." Jayden replied. "I think I got the better end of that one."

"Did you forget that you were dating Laura Reynolds? When she returns, you lose. Bad." Shane stated.

Jayden nodded, causing Dakota to punch him in the other arm.

"Ow! What was that for?!" he asked.

"Because Laura's my friend and that would have been the 'Laura way' to handle that." Dakota said.

"She's got a point." Kelly said before punching Shane's arm. "Dee wouldn't like you speaking badly about her either."

Jacob grinned.

"What's so funny?" Shane asked.

"Angelina isn't like either of them. So I guess I win, right?" Jacob stated.

Jayden and Shane looked at one another before laughing, leading Kelly to join. Dakota just looked at her friends with a smile. It was going to be a great Friday. She just knew it.

* * *

"Oh come on Bambi, you can't be serious." Vanessa said to her best friend. "Tevin Sharpe is a class-A jerk. You know it and I know it."

"He was only a jerk to Jordan and can you blame him? It's the Princess Diva we're talking about." replied Chandra. "Besides, when I was going through those stressful days, he actually worried about me."

"Yeah, so did A.J." Chandra sighed heavily. "Look Bambi, I just don't want you to do something remotely stupid. Your plans always have a way of falling to pieces."

"Oh really?" Chandra asked.

"Yes." Vanessa said quickly. "Remember breaking into Ashton's locker to prove that he was taking pills, only to find out that it was his brother, who you eventually dated, that led to-"

"Okay, okay, I get it. I don't always think ahead." Chandra cut Vanessa off. "But I have to try right? I mean, what if he's not a complete loser? I'd never know. _And_ he's in a band."

"I give up Bambi. If you want to meet up with him, then go ahead." Vanessa stated. "But when this goes wrong, I'll be right there ready."

Chandra rolled her eyes. "Fine. Now can we go to class before I run into my near perfect ex and my annoying cousin?"

"Sure." Vanessa stated. "You know, you never seem to listen to my problems."

"That's because they're boring." replied Chandra as she and Vanessa walked down the halls together. "Really Ashton-related boring."

* * *

Raven smiled as Danica led her into the studio where her mother was currently at.

"I don't know how many times I can say 'thanks' but thanks Danni." Raven said.

Danica shrugged. "No problem. Think of it like this. I help my dad by helping you. And all is right with the world isn't it?"

"Bella was right. You do incorporate yourself into everything." said Raven.

"I didn't get the title Californian Princess for nothing. Very spoiled and very uncaring about who knows it." Danica said before stopping by a vending machine. "Sweets are so bad for the body, but so right for the soul."

"Can I ask you something?" Danica nodded at Raven's statement as she scanned the vending machine for something sweet. "How do you manage your life with your parents, siblings, and now, niece and nephew? It just doesn't seem natural for one person to do all of those things."

"Years of practice and patience I guess." Danica said as she put her dollar in, wanting the honey-bun she saw. "Why?"

"Two nights ago, I was talking to Jayden about why you're always so hard on him and why he didn't mind." Raven answered. "I just never knew that you did so much."

Danica looked at Raven. "I had a busy childhood."

"So I hear." Raven stated. "And people have the nerve to tell _me_ that I work too much."

"You do." Danica said blandly.

The door to Ellie's office opened, Jenna walking out with a smile.

"So how'd it go?" Raven asked.

Jenna's grin widened. "I'll be coming back. A lot." Raven squealed in joy. "Now Ray, calm down. We don't want to get too excited about this."

Danica glanced at her friend. "I think it's too late for that."

"Mom, I'm so happy for you! Like seriously, this is the best thing that's happened since they brought back _24_!" Raven exclaimed.

"I'll let you two talk. I am down here on the clock. Somewhat…" Danica said moving for Ellie's office.

"Danni," Raven said. "Thanks again."

Danica smiled. "For the fiftieth time, you're welcome."

As Danica walked into Ellie's office, Raven looked at her mother once more.

"You have really good friends." Jenna said.

Raven sighed. "Yeah, I know. Just wish she wasn't such a pain at moments."

"You and me both." Jenna said while laughing.

* * *

The bell rang, signaling the end of first period. Aaron found himself, once more, thinking of Chandra while searching for Farah.

"A.J!" Aaron paused in mid-step and turned to see Vanessa moving quickly for him. "We need to talk."

Aaron frowned. "Is everything okay?"

"Not unless you count Bambi going to meet up with Tevin 'okay'." Vanessa answered. "You have to stop her."

"I…" Aaron paused. "I can't."

"You can. You-"

"No, Vanessa, I can't." Aaron interrupted. "I can't stop her because me going to her will only make things worse. Much, much worse."

Vanessa frowned. "Who told you that? Look, Bambi still likes you and is very much into you. If you can't get to her, then who can?"

"No one can." stated Aaron. "But… I'll try. I do know someone who's still very close to Bambi and they talk often. Or so he tells me."

"I just don't want her around Tevin. Bad enough you left her for her cousin." Aaron's brows furrowed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Aaron asked a bit angrily.

"You think I like seeing my best friend hurt because you're dating her cousin? I don't." Vanessa said. "You're a good guy, but you make some bad choices."

Aaron stared at Vanessa, his anger trying to come out. But he remembered his promise to himself. He would _not_ become like his older siblings, no matter how tempting it sounded.

"How do you think I feel when I have to watch you kiss all over Ashton when Brie's around?" Vanessa's face showed her initial shock to his response. "I don't like it either, but I don't go to Ashton and tell him to break up with you because of that, do I? No. Or how do you think I feel when I return from Japan and have to hear that some guy I don't even know dated a girl that told me that she _couldn't_ date anyone for medical reasons?"

"A.J-"

"No, you listen," Aaron cut Vanessa off before sighing. "I will _always_ care about Bambi. But she's her own person. I can't string her around while being with Farah and I'm not going to just abandon Farah because of that. I do like Farah, a lot. I know that Bambi's your friend, but Farah's my girlfriend. You need to understand that."

"Chandra was right," Vanessa said. "You are a dick now."

Aaron said nothing as Vanessa walked away. He only sighed heavily and wished the day would end sooner than later.

"She's right, you are a dick." Aaron's eyes cut to his older brother. "Hey, no need in giving me that look. Especially seeing as you just told her that I would talk to Bambi for you, and I won't."

"Why not?" Aaron asked.

"Because I'm going to stop you from doing what I did." Jayden replied as he patted Aaron on his shoulder. "So grow a pair and find Chandra before it's too late. You and I both know that Aaron McDuelle may be dating Farah, but A.J Santos is in love with Chandra Torres."

"You're not helping." Aaron told him.

Jayden smiled. "Of course I am. I'm just not saying things you like to hear." Jayden's smile slowly disappeared. "By the way, Danni sent me a text saying that you're still pretty much in trouble for doing _that_ and that our precious mom said to call her."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" questioned Aaron.

"Am I enjoying Vanessa calling you a dick in public? No. Am I glad that our parents are finally off my back for knocking up my girlfriend? You better believe it." Jayden answered. "See you later bro. Oh, and by the way, nice comeback with the whole Ashton and Brie thing. Even I didn't see that one coming."

Aaron smiled briefly before walking towards his class. Dating Farah was becoming harder and harder, but he was determined to make it last for at least a week. Maybe more. The last thing he wanted was for Farah to get hurt in the crossfire of his and Chandra's problems. But then again, she put herself there a long time ago.

Why did love have to be so complicated?

* * *

Amber smiled as Marc neared her.

"Hey." she said brightly before reading his facial expression. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Marc stated. "Well… It has something to do with James and you-"

"Tell me Marc." Marc sighed.

"Alright," he began. "I think he thinks that you and I are having sex." Amber nodded slowly. "It's annoying and I seriously want to-"

"Would you be happier if we were?" Amber questioned.

"I-" Marc stopped himself. His mind had to replay what Amber said before he said what he was _originally_ going to say. "Of course I would. But…"

"But…" Amber echoed with a smile.

Marc released a breath. "Thing is, I like you Amber."

"Duh." Marc's brows furrowed at her comment. This caused Amber to laugh. "I mean, it's obvious right? You like me, I like you. Everyone can see that. Jordan Cameron even asked me about it."

"Oh…" Marc said.

"So," responded Amber. "Without sex, would you still be interested in dating me?"

"Sure." Marc responded.

"Then it's settled." Amber said closing her locker. "See you around."

Marc watched the shorter girl walk away flabbergasted. Had she just asked him out? Did he agree? He sighed. Sometimes he wished she would just tell him these things instead of leaving him to figure it out. It would help him a lot.

* * *

The bell rang to signal that it was time for lunch. Chandra was one of the many that was relieved for the break. Her day seemed a lot harder since her talk with Vanessa earlier.

"Bambi." And now it was about to get much harder.

Chandra glanced at Aaron. "What is it A.J?"

Aaron sighed. "I'm not going to beat around the bush. Vanessa came to me earlier and said to talk to you."

"About Tevin?" questioned Chandra. Aaron nodded. "I knew it…"

"Bambi, I can't tell you who to talk to or-"

"You're right. So don't bother trying." Chandra interrupted quickly.

"I'm not." Aaron said. "I just… I just want you to be happy." Chandra scoffed. "I'm serious Bambi. I always wanted you to be happy."

"Oh really?" Chandra replied. "Did you think about my happiness when you were swapping spit with Farah?"

"No, which is why I wanted to find you _before_ someone else told you and tell you then and there." Aaron answered. "Bambi, I attempted to hook you up with my older brother, even though I knew it was pretty much impossible."

Chandra paused in her response. He was right there. Despite the fact that she had beaten him in a game of Blackjack, he could have reneged and never told Jayden about it at all.

"Please be careful." Aaron said softly. "If Tevin or Oliver or anyone ever hurt you I'd…"

"Show them the side that I grew to l- Like." Chandra stated, quickly changing the word "love" for "like".

Aaron smiled. "The side I only showed you." Chandra smiled as well, nodding. "I'm serious about being worried though. I want you to be happy and if you think Tevin will make you happy, go for it. Just, I don't know. Don't force yourself into doing something you don't want to."

"Isn't that what you're doing?" Aaron's eyes shot towards the ground. "If you don't want to be with Farah, tell her. I know you like her, and to be honest, a lot of guys do. She's nice and pretty. Not to mention smart. But if you-"

"A.J!" Aaron and Farah sighed heavily as Farah's voice reached their ears. The girl walked up and hugged Aaron tightly. "Hey…" She then looked at her cousin. "Hi Chandra."

"Hey." Chandra replied before looking at Aaron. "I get what you're saying. But it's not enough."

"Is there anything I can do that would-"

"No. So stop asking." Chandra stated before walking away.

Farah looked at her boyfriend.

"She still mad about us?" she asked.

Aaron shook her head. "No. This was about her meeting someone else." Farah's face morphed into a curious frown. "Someone who we didn't like, me and Bambi that is. And now…"

"You think she's going to be with that someone?" Aaron nodded at Farah's words. "Well, if you think you can stop her from making a mistake, go ahead. I'll help if I can."

"Thanks Farah." Aaron said smiling.

Farah kissed Aaron. "Anytime.

* * *

Scarlett frowned when Jayden looked at his cell phone and stepped outside. In her worst fears, she thought that the clinic had called him to tell him about the results of his paternity test. Struck with that fear, she went to follow him, ignoring the stares she was receiving from her cousin and Nicole.

"…What do you mean?" Scarlett gasped as she neared him. Apparently he was not happy about something. "Laura, calm down, you have to do this recital. It's a grade right?" Scarlett released a breath of relief. It was only Laura. "So what if they're strangers? Dance in front of them because your grade depends on it."

Scarlett only smiled as she neared him. He gave her a glance before looking at the sky.

"Listen to me Laura, you got this. I know you've only had three days to prepare, but you forget who you are. So go out there and blow them away." Jayden said before laughing. "Well, yeah, it did take you longer than three days to be with me, but…" Jayden paused and glanced at Scarlett. "Well, let's be honest. You had me many, many times before we began dating."

Scarlett's smile did not falter, though she had the vision of slapping Jayden for reminding her of that. Why did her two recent boyfriends have to cheat on her?

"Alright beautiful, here's the deal. If you go out there and do well, I'll… Do something special for you when you come home for break." Jayden said before laughing once more. "Okay, fine, that's a deal. But I want you to know that A.J already got in trouble for doing that so we can't do it at my parents' place. Maybe your mom's?" Scarlett sighed quietly. "Alright, I'll talk to you later then. Of course I still love you, what did you expect? I'd run off with the first pretty girl I see and get married? Give me more credit than that Laura."

Now Scarlett rolled her eyes. This conversation was becoming more and more of a nuisance to her.

"Alright, bye." Jayden said before hanging up.

"You know using your phone on campus is still against the rules right? Even with your mom's friend as the principal." Scarlett told him.

Jayden shrugged. "What's life without risks?" Scarlett smiled. "So what are you doing out here Red? Come to check on me?"

"Well," Scarlett began. "I wanted to properly ask you out tomorrow since this morning I was a bit… Hard on you."

"Abusive is the word you're looking for and I don't know if I'll be free all weekend long." Jayden answered. "Between my life and relaxing, I'm pretty much booked."

"Oh J.T, I am part of the relaxation." Scarlett said putting an arm around his shoulders.

"Are you now? Well then, let me just say that I have a few kinks in my neck and back and I can't give myself a massage so anytime you want to get them out, I'm all yours." Jayden replied.

Scarlett smiled. "You're always mine. I just let you off the leash. Sometimes."

"I hate leashes." Scarlett laughed at Jayden's words.

"Then I suggest you behave for the rest of the day and I won't put it on you later." Scarlett said before leading him towards the door. "Come on. Let's go back inside and we can continue this talk at the soda machine. Talking to you outside seems so weird."

Jayden grinned. "I know what you mean."

As Scarlett led him back inside she thought about the test results. She would have to get them before anyone else, especially Torrie. The last thing she would want is for Torrie to obtain them. Heck, she would prefer Laura finding out than Torrie getting them.

"Scarlett," Scarlett paused when she realized that Jayden had stopped, thus stopping her as well. "Is there something wrong? You're acting weird. And coming from me, that's saying something."

"You're not weird J.T." Scarlett told him.

"No, but I know a lot of weird people and you're somehow reminding me of all of them. At once." Scarlett scoffed, but smiled afterwards. "So what's wrong?"

"I just…" Scarlett paused. "It's really nothing that you and I should be talking about. More of a girl thing."

Jayden nodded. "Right. Well, when you stop lying to me, I'm ready to talk about whatever." Scarlett gave him a nod. "Good. Now, stop with the weirdness and let's head to our talking spot. I'd like to talk about how tight your pants are."

"You sound like my dad." Scarlett told him.

"Well maybe because we see what you can't, your ass." Scarlett gaped that Jayden said it in such a calm manner. And yet, he walked off as if nothing was said wrong. "Coming? It will be our conversation for lunch."

"Pervert!" Scarlett said before following him.

* * *

Chandra was glad when lunch ended. She could not take another minute of the glances Aaron was sending her. Though, to be honest, they were nothing outside of his normal glances that could always tell when she was feeling sad or stressed about something. It was his normal looks of concern and protectiveness. And while she was happy that she had his attention, she knew that she would not be able to do so much without him watching over her.

Chandra looked beside her and noticed Jordan now walking beside her.

"What do you want?" Chandra asked. "Better question: What does A.J want?"

"He doesn't know that I'm talking to you. He's too busy being Casanova to your cousin." Jordan responded. "I'm here to tell you about Tevin."

Chandra gasped. "Really? I wouldn't have guessed it."

"Seriously," Jordan said, trying to ignore Chandra's sarcasm. "I know what you're doing."

"Oh really?" asked Chandra.

Jordan snorted. "Of course. The whole 'date Tevin because it'll piss A.J off' never works." Chandra blinked in surprise. Maybe Jordan did know what she was talking about. "I mean, Tevin's not ugly or anything, but when you're with him, you'll understand just how stupid that plan is."

"Okay, first off, it's not stupid and secondly, I'm not doing this to piss A.J off." Chandra lied.

"Chandra, hon, listen to me. There are _hundreds_ of guys in this school and yet you somehow pick the one guy that A.J has announced that he can't stand. He may not be able to see it, but I know that plan all too well." Jordan said.

"Except that Tevin is interested in me." Chandra shot back.

Jordan sneered. "You know what? I hope you do get Tevin. Hopefully he'll slap the sense back into you. You know, the sense that Steven slapped out of you."

Chandra and Jordan were now face-to-face.

"You have _one more time_ to bring that up." Chandra growled.

"Bring what up?" Jordan responded. "The fact that you're a gold-digging slut, the fact that you lost one of the greatest guys to your spineless cousin, or the fact that your ex-boyfriend not only shut you up with one swing, but knocked your ass out."

"Bitch!" Chandra said tackling Jordan to floor.

"Hey!" Marco shouted spotting the two girls rolling and fighting on the ground, pulling each other's hair.

Unfortunately for the English teacher, several of other students came to circle around the fight. This caused Marco much trouble getting to the incident. Thankfully, more teachers came to disperse the crowd and Marco was able to get to Jordan first, pulling her away from Chandra. Shockingly, he found the one that was pulling Chandra away from Jordan was Jordan's older brother, Shane.

"Alright, let go already!" Marco ordered. It would be several attempts that the two girls finally released one another. "Office, now!"

Jordan huffed, fixing her shirt before storming off towards the office. Only after Jordan had rounded a corner did Shane release Chandra who looked at those around her. Marco watched as Chandra briskly walked between her peers to leave.

"Alright, get to class." Marco said breaking up those that were still lingering around.

"Gee Dad, angry much?" Marco gave his daughter a stern look. "I'm going to class."

"Don't be late either, Mary-Jane." Marco said before sighing. "She's so like her mother…"

* * *

Aaron was shocked when the news of Chandra and Jordan fighting reached his ears. Despite knowing the violent side of both girls and their dislike towards one another, he never really pictured them fighting in school.

Rounding a corner to head to the sixth period that he shared with Chandra, he found his ex at her locker, slamming it angrily.

"Chandra…" He wasn't sure if she heard him so he spoke again. "Chandra wait."

Aaron jogged after her only for her to quickly turn and slap him.

"This is your fault!" she shouted angrily, tears spilling from her eyes. "All of this is your fault!"

"What…?" Aaron mouthed, his hand on his stinging cheek.

"You! You did this! If you would just leave me alone none of this would be happening!" Chandra yelled at him.

Aaron was now confused. Did she want him to leave her alone or leave Farah for her? And how did that have anything to do with her fight with Jordan?

"I'm sorry." Aaron instinctively said, not knowing what else he could do. "Just… I just want to help you Chandra. Please. Let me help you."

"You want to help me?" Chandra hissed before pushing him away. "Stay at least that far away from me Aaron. I-"

"You don't want me this far away from you." Aaron cut her off, stepping a bit closer. "I know you don't."

"I don't want you that far. I _need_ you that far away." Chandra replied before backing away. "You've changed Aaron. You're not good for me anymore."

Those words hit Aaron, hard. His mind, as brilliant as his parents made it out to be, failed to come up with some sort of response to the statement, those physical and verbal. He could only watch Chandra walk away with a large weight in his stomach.

"What have I done?" Aaron asked himself quietly before slowly making his way to class.

* * *

After the final bell, Aaron quickly made his way to where his brother should be. Of course, with Jayden staying after for soccer now, Aaron saw Jayden lesser and lesser with each passing day. But today, he would need more than a minute of his brother's time.

"…like Jordan to snap. I say it was bound to happen." Aaron heard Shane say to Jayden.

"You're probably right. Jordan's a bit like Kelly." Jayden responded. "Who I'm glad isn't here to hear me say that or else I'd be in the office nursing a bruised eye."

"If you're lucky." The two older teens laughed as Aaron neared them.

"Well, well, if it isn't my younger brother." Jayden said. "What can I help you with?"

"Do I need to ask?" questioned Aaron. Jayden shook his head. "Jay, I don't know what to do. I can't be friends with Jordan, Bambi, and Farah for some reason. They just hate each other that much."

"Yeah, well, I can't help you out there." Jayden stated.

"Yes you can. You _always_ have some advice." Aaron retorted.

"Yeah and you _never_ listen, so I can't do but so much." Jayden said to Aaron. "Look, you want me to give you the best advice? Here it is. Stop looking for the 'logical' way out of things and go with the flow."

Shane nodded. "Never know what will happen until you do."

"You always have this thing about you that over-thinks every moment of your life and it's that that caused, well, this." Jayden said. "So just relaxed, calmly talk it out with Jordan and Bambi, and then go about your way. Okay?"

"That's not going to work." Aaron started but stopped. "Fine… I'll do it."

"Great. Now if you don't mind, I have an errand to run for Madame President. Last thing I need is to be in your shoes." Jayden said before walking away.

"Hey," Shane said gaining Aaron's attention. "Why not go to The Dot and tell my dad to get you anything on my tab?"

"Thanks… But I've got somewhere else to be." Aaron answered.

"Hey, A.J," Shane said, stopping Aaron's departure. "It's not easy, trust me, but you're way smarter than Jay is. So if _he_ can figure something out, I'm sure you can."

Aaron smiled. "Thanks Shane. I really needed that."

* * *

Marc sat his bag down in the locker room, prepared to change for practice.

"So," Marc frowned and turned to James, shocked to see the boy there. "I hear that you and Amber are dating now."

Marc shrugged. "I guess. She was speaking in girl code."

"Right, right," James said nodding a bit. "Think you're going to get lucky?"

"That's not what I want from her." replied Marc. "Seriously man, why are you so set on me screwing your ex?"

James shrugged. "No reason."

"Right, whatever." Marc stated. "I have practice to get to."

"Sure man. Catch up with you afterwards?" James questioned.

"Can't. Amber." Marc answered. James nodded once more before leaving. "Weird…"

* * *

Chandra groaned loudly as she trudged into the basement.

"The next sound better be sweeping or dusting!" Audra Torres called from the top of the stairs.

Chandra rolled her eyes before she went to the bookshelf and stared at the countless of books there. Groaning again, she began to take them off so she could dust the stupid thing.

"I hate my life." Chandra mumbled.

Stacking the books neatly on the couch, Chandra looked up to see her grandmother descending with a basket full of clothes.

"I can't understand why you would get into a fight Chandra," Audra said sitting the basket down. "But I must say, an extra pair of hands is exactly what I need."

"Sure thing Grandma." Chandra said lifelessly, going back to removing the books.

"Why did you do it?" Audra questioned.

"Because I hate Jordan Cameron." Chandra stated.

Audra sighed. "Chandra, this has something to do with that A.J, doesn't it?" Chandra didn't answer. "Listen to me. Any guy that you have to fight for isn't worth it at all."

"Wow Grandma. It's almost like you didn't want my parents to be." Chandra said.

"I didn't." Chandra, again, rolled her eyes out of Audra's sight. She had heard the story time and time again and could not bare another time. "But I've been wrong before. Not so much with your uncle, but definitely with your dad."

Chandra released a quiet breath. Here comes _another_ story that she did not want to hear again.

"You know," Audra continued. "I talked to your parents about A.J."

"What did they say?" Chandra asked, now obviously more interested in the conversation.

"Well," Audra said separating her whites and colors. "They said that he was quite respectful and calm. A smart boy who knows the proper time and place for certain comments." Audra paused and laughed. "Your dad tried to find out if A.J had a wilder side or not. He even met up with A.J's dad to-"

"He talked to Mr. McDuelle!" Chandra nearly yelled.

"He didn't tell you?" Chandra shook her head for no. "Oh… Well I guess I shouldn't tell you the rest."

"You have to!" Chandra said before clapping her hands together. "Please Grandma! Tell me what happened!"

"No, no, I am sworn to secrecy to my son." Audra replied. "But I will tell you this. No matter what your parents say, A.J hurt my oldest grandchild. Therefore, he can't be all that great."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Chandra stated. "He's really smart. He even plays checkers and chess, though I hate chess. He can be quiet and listen to all of my problems or doing everything in his power so I won't even think about it. He's an alright older brother though, because he normally just tells the twins to leave him alone." Chandra paused. "He has one of the greatest smiles that I know… He's rich but doesn't use his money to get by. He's always considerate of others, even when they're people he doesn't like. His eyes…"

Audra raised her brows. "For someone you didn't want to talk about in the car, you sure are defensive about him."

Chandra blinked out of her stupor.

"I-I just don't want people to get him confused with others. He's a totally different person once you get to know him." Chandra said before sighing. "But it doesn't matter now. He's with Farah and that's all that matters."

"You sound just like Bianca." Chandra frowned. She had heard of the name Bianca before, but there was no way that they were talking about the same lady. "Every time she saw Drew with Katie she sounded a bit like that."

"Maybe this 'Bianca' girl should have stayed away from my dad." Chandra said.

Audra laughed. "Trust me. I tried everything." Chandra smiled a bit, remembering how her parents stated that Chandra had Audra's stubborn side. "But it was only after Drew left did she settle down with… What was that guy's name?"

Chandra shrugged. "I don't know. I just know that A.J is the ultimate gentleman and if Farah felt uncomfortable around me, he will make sure that we never meet unless it was absolutely necessary."

"Sounds like your fairytale dream." Audra stated before sighing. "Now what was Bianca's daughter name? Lana, no. Laura! Laura Reynolds!"

"Laura's mom dated Dad?!" Chandra said loudly.

Audra nodded. "Yep. A long time ago." Audra frowned. "You know her daughter?"

"Laura is the mother of Jayden's kids!" Audra's frown deepened. "A.J's niece and nephew's mom!"

"Oh… Well I guess her daughter's doing-"

"Better than you think. She got into this really great school in London. And Jayden absolutely loves her even after all the things she's done to him. I mean, he _really_ loves her." Chandra said.

Audra smiled. "Well then, I'm happy for her. Seems as if she's got someone good."

"Yeah. She does." Chandra said quietly, going back to removing the books on the shelves. "She's lucky like that."

Audra watched as her granddaughter had continued her task. Her mind went back to the day that Chandra lost her first tooth. The little girl was so sad that it had fallen out that Audra had a hard time explaining the whole Tooth Fairy story while she was crying. Only after Alli had come to calm Chandra down did Chandra stop to hear the story, though she was more worried about her tooth growing back in than a dollar under pillow. Somehow, Chandra's demeanor reminded Audra of that event. Nothing would make her smile until she had someone equal to or greater than this Aaron Santos boy.

Sighing, Audra went back to the laundry. Dealing with teenagers was something she left for her sons and their respective wives.

* * *

Helen, Scarlett, and Torrie walked into The Dot with Scarlett in front of her two cousins. As the three sat at a table, Dakota came towards them.

"What can I get you?" she asked.

"Where's Plain Shane?" Helen questioned.

Dakota shrugged. "Don't know. I thought his practice would be over by now, but I guess it isn't."

"Well, we want our usual." Dakota gave Helen a blank stare. Helen sighed. "Ask Kelly."

"Be back then." Dakota replied, a bit angrily.

"What's her problem?" Helen asked her cousins, both of them only sighing. "What? Was I really that rude to her?"

"You're _always_ rude to people." Scarlett answered. "I just don't know how I put up with you anymore."

"Right. Because hearing you talk about 'J.T this' and 'J.T that' is _so_ much pleasurable." responded Helen with sarcasm.

Torrie simply sighed before Hakim and his friend, Braxton, walked into the establishment. As the two boys went to sit down, Torrie realized that her cousins had stopped arguing and glanced at them. Unsurprisingly, both Scarlett and Helen were looking over at Braxton, someone Torrie sees everyday and was not all that interested in.

"Gee, could you two be more obvious?" Torrie finally said.

"Friends of yours?" Scarlett asked. Torrie nodded. "Hmm… Now we all know that Kelly has the quarterback wrapped around her fingers but the other guy…"

Helen snorted. "Seriously want to do that Princess? What would your dear 'J.T' think?"

"Laura won't be in England forever." Scarlett stated, a smile on her face. "But, you're right. J.T will probably have some small problem with me talking to some new guy. And since you're a lot more desperate than I am, go ahead."

"You two are dead serious, aren't you?" spoke Torrie before sighing and standing up. "Watch a pro and thank me later baby cousin."

"I'll take you off my hit list." Helen replied as Torrie walked to Hakim's table. Helen then leaned towards Scarlett. "Ever wonder why she knows more guys than girls?"

"I try not to think of all the reasons." Scarlett answered. "You?"

"Ditto." Helen said sitting up straight as Torrie returned to their table. "Well?"

"Braxton says meet him outside before you go." Torrie said. "Though, I might want to warn you. Sister Taylor might have a problem with you taking away her boy-toy."

"Who?" Helen questioned.

"Jeanette Taylor. Cheerleading nun of Bardell?" Helen frowned at Torrie's words and looked at Scarlett.

"She's Mrs. Taylor's daughter." Scarlett added.

"Ah…" Helen said before laughing. "This'll be too easy."

"Ooh! You've got a plan that fast?" Torrie said. "What is it? And let me help! Anything to get back at that righteous-"

"Your fries." Dakota said returning to the table and sitting the plate in front of them before their separate drinks.

"Thanks." Scarlett said with a smile. "And thanks for the whole cover story. My parents completely bought it."

Dakota shrugged. "Just looking out for my friend."

As Dakota walked away, Helen and Torrie gave Scarlett a small smirk.

"What?" Scarlett asked.

"You never went into detail about what you and Jayden did." Helen answered.

"Yeah Scar. Tell us." Torrie responded. "_Or_, we'll go up to Aunt Fi and just 'let it slip' that you have _never_ stepped foot inside of Dakota's house. In fact, I bet you don't even know where it is."

Scarlett's blue eyes went back and forth between Helen and Torrie before she sighed in defeat.

"This is the _last_ time I'm telling this story." she said. "Got it?" Helen and Torrie nodded. "Well then… It started when we stopped by his son's grave…"

* * *

Dustin was more than uncomfortable at the moment. Here was someone that his mom said was his older brother, yet he had never heard of the guy. However, his mother said that they were brothers and his dad agreed, so it must be true.

Maybe this is how Gabrielle felt when she met Randy?

"So…" Zach said as he sat across the table at Little Miss Steaks from Dustin. "You play any sports?"

"Not really." Dustin answered. "You?"

Zach nodded. "A lot of them." Dustin's brows rose. "Basketball, football, soccer, and a little golf. But hockey is my main sport. I coach the team from Bardell."

"Wow. Mom didn't tell me that." Dustin stated.

Zach gave a short laughter. "There're a lot of things she can't tell you if she doesn't know herself. The sports things she knew though." Zach then looked at Dustin. "A friend of mine said that you were dating some girl name Gabrielle Nunez. What happened there?"

"Oh, um, something just came up." Dustin quickly responded, not trying to reveal too much to a stranger. "I've, uh… I've been trying to date this girl name Chandra but-"

"Your best friend's ex?" Dustin's eyes went wide instantly at Zach's words. "A.J? He is your best friend, right?"

"How do you know this?" Dustin asked.

Zach sighed. "I went out on a few dates with Danni, A.J's older sister."

"No way!" Dustin said a bit too loud.

Zach laughed. "So it is true! You do think she's hot!" Dustin attempted to look away from his brother, but for some reason, he could only idolize the young man for even going on _one_ date with _the_ Danica McDuelle. "She is pretty though. Isn't she?"

"Well, yeah…" Dustin paused. "Did you…?"

Zach's laughter returned and much louder than before. Dustin found himself grinning as well, though he was embarrassed by the fact that a few people were staring. Finally, Zach calmed down and sighed heavily.

"No. No, I never got that far with her. Though, only time will tell if we ever go that far." Zach answered. "When Danni said that A.J's friends always stared at her and Bella, I didn't know she meant you _fantasized_ about her. Then again, I guess it's only natural. I still fantasize about her mom."

Dustin now laughed with his older brother. If Liberty were to hear him talk about fantasizing about _anyone_, he would have to sit through a _long_ lecture about hormones and puberty and all the other things an overbearing mother said to her son. Thankfully though, he now had an older brother to talk to. And more importantly, an older brother who knew one of the girls that Dustin fancied quite a bit.

"You know something," Zach said to Dustin. "I think having a little brother won't be so bad after all."

"I thought that too until Mom had Chris." Dustin joked. Zach grinned. "But having a big brother won't be so bad. At least I can get out of the house and have somewhere to go to."

"My door is always open for you bro." Zach responded. "Always."

* * *

It was late at night when Chandra had replayed the events of today. Her parents were still pissed at her, but that was a given. Alli hated her children fighting period while Drew had always said to fight when necessary.

Her cell phone began vibrating. Sure, she was grounded from using it. But she had never been caught before right?

Looking at the screen, she paused at seeing Aaron's name. She hesitated before hitting the ignore button, silencing it once and for all. She could feel her body physically ache for doing such a thing, but she needed him to break up with Farah before he attempted to help her again. She would not settle with being a friend.

Forcing her eyes shut, she began counting in her head. It was one of the doctor's lame attempts to get her to fall asleep better. It worked when there was nothing stressful going on in her life, but failed, like now, when there was. So, getting out of her bed, she moved for her door. Listening to the silence of night, Chandra made her way to the bathroom where she opened the cabinet behind the mirror to grab her pills.

"Can't sleep?" Chandra nearly dropped the bottle in the sink as her father's words reached her. She looked at him and nodded. "Those aren't going to help you."

"But…" Chandra began, knowing her dad was right.

"Come on," Drew said. "Your mom has some ice cream in the fridge. How about we just watch some movies?"

"I'm grounded though." Chandra replied in confusion.

Drew laughed. "I won't tell your mom if you don't." Chandra smiled and nodded, placing the pills back in the cabinet. "Besides, I've been where you have and believe me, nothing helps. Not even science."

"Right." Chandra said. "Um, Dad, do you think that…"

Drew's brows rose when Chandra's words stopped. He then gave his oldest daughter a smile.

"Ice cream is supposed to cure women of their problems, so how about we just eat ice cream and sleep tomorrow in?" Drew's words brought a smile on Chandra's face.

"Deal."

While father and daughter made their way down the stairs silently, Chandra felt a bit better about ignoring Aaron's call. In fact, from what her grandmother had told her earlier, she should forget Aaron altogether and move on. And while she would call Tevin as soon as she could, she would never just forget Aaron. Even if she had a full tub of chocolate ice cream in her lap.


	114. S4 Episode XII: Lovers and Friends

**Author's Note: **Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Instead of posting this on Friday, I figured I'd do it today, mostly because I won't be able to do it tomorrow! Personally I want to thank all of my readers (for this and all the other stories) and those who have reviewed/favorite/follows/etc. Honestly, thank you. So, here is the next chapter, enjoy your day, enjoy your meal, and enjoy the chapter! See ya!

* * *

**Episode XII: Lovers and Friends**

Today was Friday, fifteen days since Chandra and Jordan's fight in the hallway. And during that time, Chandra had run off to find Tevin and the two were seen having a casual conversation. Of course, that caused a fuss amongst her friends, but that was Chandra's main goal. Plus, Tevin was not as bad as Jordan and everyone else made him out to be. He even paid for the two meals that they had.

Walking towards her locker, Chandra spotted Jayden leaning against it. He was currently talking to another student before the other boy walked away and Jayden's brown eyes landed on her. She slowly made her way to her locker, sure not to take her eyes off of his.

"Are you free tonight?" Chandra blinked at his question. He looked downright annoyed, yet he sounded as calm as ever.

"Um. Yeah?" she answered.

"Good," Jayden stated as he moved off of her locker. "Because I had to delay our movie night for _two_ _weeks_ Bambi. I can't do it again."

Chandra smiled. "I'll be there Jay. But, what about your brother and his girlfriend?"

"Your ex and your cousin?" Jayden restated. Chandra nodded. "Don't know. Probably having a date or something. Why?"

"Oh, no reason. I just thought that you'd change your mind and invite them as well." Chandra lied as she opened her locker. She actually _wanted_ Aaron to be there.

"Yeah, well," Jayden said looking down the hall. "My brother's got his hands preoccupied at the moment. Sometimes he makes me so proud."

Chandra glanced to see what Jayden was talking about. Her eyes scanned everyone but eventually gave up when Aaron was not in sight. Her attention returned to getting her books for her morning classes before Jayden placed a hand on her shoulder.

"If I could make you search for him by saying that," Jayden said quietly. "Imagine what I'll do when I run into you and Tevin again."

"You wouldn't!" Chandra said looking at him.

Jayden smiled. "I _shouldn't_, but I would."

"Why?" Chandra stated. "Why can't you just let us handle this on our own?"

"Because collectively, you and A.J have given me a bigger headache than soccer, my parents, my grandparents, Laura's mom, my kids, and Danni altogether." Jayden answered. "Hell, I'll even throw in Scarlett _and_ Helen for that matter. So I thought about returning the favor."

Chandra sighed. "Jay… Please don't do that. I actually like Tevin. Not as much as A.J, but you get the picture, right? Aren't you doing the same thing with Scarlett?"

Jayden seemed to be thinking about her words before removing his hand and leaning on the locker next to Chandra.

"I'm not perfect, so anyone who mimics me will be just as imperfect as I am or worse." Jayden stated. "However, I've sat and watched you and A.J a lot. Between you two and Brie and Ashton, I honestly don't know a couple better than me and Laura."

"You really think that?" Chandra asked in awe.

Jayden nodded. "Yeah. You two didn't fight. You had your play arguments, but that's about it. His first meeting with your parents and your uncles was awkward, but nowhere near my first time meeting Laura's parents on separate occasions." Jayden sighed. "I guess, I'm just a sap for romance and would like to see my brother and my favorite eighth grader back together before something bad happens."

"Jayden, nothing bad will happen with me and Tevin or A.J and Farah. I promise." Chandra said.

"I'm going to hold you to that." Jayden said standing up straight again and then stretching. "I'll take you home today so you can babysit the twins later. Is that alright?"

"It's perfect." Chandra said before smiling. "I bet they're just like you and Laura are."

"They've got _years_ to master our art." Jayden said with a chuckle. "But who knows? They may turn out like their Aunt Bambi?"

Chandra felt her response die in her throat as Jayden winked at her and walked away.

"Why do I like the sound of that?" Chandra asked herself before closing the door to her locker.

* * *

Scarlett released a sigh as the announcements were finally done. After a small chat with Darcy, she left to go to her first period class. But before that, she would have to go to her locker. Once there, she opened it and stared at a closed envelope.

Jayden's paternity test.

She had gotten them all, the one for Jayden and the one for Laura. Laura's copy was completely burned and trashed, but Jayden's… Scarlett had kept them. What was worse was she had not even opened them, either of them. She still did not know if Jayden was indeed the father of Laura's kids.

Trembling fingers went to the envelope and gripped it. She has had a week to open it and find out the truth. However, Scarlett knew that _someone_ would hate the results. Jayden would hate to find out that Laura lied to him and he wasn't the father. Scarlett would hate it if he was.

"Dammit." Scarlett muttered as she stuffed the envelope into her purse. "I'll read it later."

Slamming her locker door shut, she took off for her first period class. Her cousins were nothing but a liability when it came to keeping this secret from Jayden. Scarlett knew that Jayden could probably sense something wrong if he talked to Helen for too long and Torrie was nearly _dying_ to tell Jayden just to piss Scarlett off. Thankfully, soccer and his kids had kept Jayden away from Scarlett's cousins. Now if Scarlett could find out the truth and _somehow_ tell him what she had done.

"Hey Scarlett," Nicole said as she passed Scarlett in the hall. Scarlett glanced at Nicole. "Something wrong?"

"No." Scarlett replied before realizing how cold her tone was. "I mean, no. Nothing to worry about that is. It's just…" Nicole's head tilted to the side in curiosity. "With this meeting with Lakehurst Monday, I don't know who I'm going to do to fill in Chandra's spot."

"Oh." Nicole said. "Well… How about…?"

"Trust me, I'm going through _everyone_. So hopefully I'll have a replacement before lunch." Scarlett continued with the lie.

Nicole nodded. "Yeah. Well, see ya later!"

"Sure." Scarlett said with a smile and walked away.

Crisis avoided.

* * *

Jordan tapped her pencil against her cheek in a bored manner. Her attention was on the clock, watching it slowly tick. She hated first period as well as hating the fact that she lost her opportunity at being class president.

The bell rang, causing her to sigh in relief. Quickly grabbing her things, she made her way out of the class.

"A.J!" Jordan called as she neared him and Farah. "I am _so_ glad its Friday. I don't think I can handle another day of this!"

Aaron grinned. "Jordan, what could have happened in the past half-hour that has you this angry?"

"Let's see," Jordan replied. "First, my teacher is boring. Second, the class is boring. And third, um… I'm bored!"

While Aaron laughed at Jordan's apparent boredom, Farah only smiled. These two made the oddest of friends.

"Well today is Friday, so you won't have to do the same thing tomorrow." Aaron pointed out. This seemed to calm Jordan down as she sighed with a smile. "Besides, shouldn't you be happy that you made it on the little debate team or whatever it is that you guys have to do?"

"It's not a debate team Aaron. It's an ambassador team." Jordan countered. "And yes, I am happy about that. Because now I have a legit reason to skip class and _you_ don't."

"Whatever Jordan…" Aaron muttered before Aaron caught Vanessa walking by.

Vanessa paused before turning to face the trio.

"I hope you're happy." Vanessa said as she glared at Farah and Aaron. "Because of you two, and _you_," Jordan scoffed at Vanessa's words. "Bambi's done it. She's finally going to date Tevin. And why is that?"

"Vanessa, I tried-"

"Who cares?" Jordan interrupted Aaron. "_We_ all tried to talk to her but what happened? She dissed A.J and got into a fight with me. Do you know how long it took for me to hide her scratches?"

"I don't care. You of all people should know that Tevin is a giant loser." Vanessa retorted. "And I can't let my best friend date someone like that." Vanessa looked at Aaron. "Something I thought _you_ could understand, but I was wrong. You didn't do anything."

"I did. And do you know how that ended?" Aaron said. "Listen Vanessa, we all worry about Bambi, me more than anyone else. And that's all I can do now. Watch and be there when she needs me."

Vanessa frowned. "That's not good enough. You-"

"You aren't listening to me. Again." Aaron cut Vanessa off angrily. "Bambi _told_ me to stay away from her. And I'm _forcing_ myself to do just that." Jordan and Farah were both staring at Aaron with shock on their faces. "If you want me to help Vanessa, you're going to have to do it by Bambi's terms. And she doesn't want me near her. You, on the other hand, can be. So be there. And I'd appreciate it if you told me things, especially things that she doesn't want to tell me herself."

"I'm not spying on my best friend A.J. Just…" Vanessa's words died when she looked at Farah. She then looked back at Aaron. "Just don't make things worse."

"You know," replied Aaron. "If I would've just stayed away from her like I said, she wouldn't be as mad at me as she is now."

"Not everyone is like that A.J. And Bambi isn't one of those people." Vanessa stated.

"And not everyone is as forgiving and easygoing as Brie." Aaron said. Vanessa sighed heavily, already tired of Aaron using her relationship with Ashton and friendship with Gabrielle as ammo. "I don't mean to sound mean Vanessa, but you're really not helping anyone now. You won't listen to me, you won't just be there with Bambi like now, and you don't care that I have a girlfriend. It's not me that's making things worse, it's you."

"When she's in some coma or something," Vanessa said angrily. "I hope then you'll see what you've done."

Jordan and Farah looked at Aaron to see if he was angry. However, he remained calm.

"If you're done, we're going to be late." Aaron said quietly. "See you around Vanessa."

Aaron walked away without Jordan and Farah, leaving them with Vanessa.

"You know," Jordan said glaring at Vanessa. "That was a real bitchy thing of you to do." Vanessa scoffed. "You don't know what he's going through right now!"

"And you know what Chandra is going through?" Vanessa questioned.

"Yes!" Jordan snapped. "You forget that I had to watch her date A.J last year? Did you forget all the stunts I did just to get even with them? Do you know how _miserable_ I was?"

As Vanessa shook her head, Farah walked away in an attempt to catch up to Aaron and cheer him up.

"You think Chandra is the only person in the world that matters? For what? A mental condition?" Jordan continued. "I will probably never get another chance in this world to date A.J and it's because of her. Hell, Farah can't even enjoy the guy because of her! And yet, somehow, _you_ think that it's _his_ fault." Jordan's eyes narrowed. "Then again, you're that bright, are you?"

"I'm going to walk away before you make me do something I don't want to." Vanessa said.

"I dated Tevin to get even with A.J." Jordan announced. "And as much as it'll kill you to think for once in your ignorant life, I am the only person that knows what Chandra is doing. The difference between Chandra and I, is that I lost most of my friends to tell me that Tevin was bad. Chandra's friends are too busy throwing stones at a guy who, not only wants to take care of his girlfriend, but his ex as well. And if that makes A.J a bad guy, then you might as well break up with Ashton now."

Jordan turned on her heel and walked away. Vanessa watched as many students got out of her way as she marched off. Thinking about Jordan's words, Vanessa thought about the entire situation. Despite her dislike for the blonde that walked off, Vanessa realized that Jordan was right. There was only _one_ person in the world that has dated Tevin Sharpe out of vengeance and that was Jordan. And that ended terribly. Vanessa did not want that to happen to Chandra, but how could she stop her? Aaron was no help and Farah just made it worse. Plus, Ashton and Gabrielle would side with Aaron on this, leaving Vanessa's only hope being Dustin, and Chandra had a large dislike for him.

So who could help her now?

* * *

Emma hummed quietly as she finished the dishes. The house was a bit too quiet for her liking at the moment and she was only hoping that Sean returned sooner rather than later. When the doorbell rang, she half-expected it to be her husband, as he did not _always_ use his key.

Opening the front door, she got a larger surprise.

"Manny!" Emma squealed as she hugged her longtime friend. "Are you back for good?"

"Yep!" Manny replied as the two women broke away. Manny sighed. "It's been _too_ long. I don't even want to think about the next one."

"Come in and tell me all about it!" Emma said pulling Manny into her home. "So… What's got you so down? You should be happy that you're getting paid!"

"It wasn't just the shooting. I've worked with the director before so I know what he wants and he knows what I will and will not do." Manny stated. "It's actually been tough because I haven't had a chance to talk to Jayden since I left again. It's sad, but I've talked to Laura more times than I've talked to him."

"He's doing fine. I don't know why he hasn't called or answered your calls." said Emma.

"Because he probably hates me." Manny replied. "I did the same thing to him what my parents did to me and got the same results."

"Manny, Jayden doesn't hate you." Emma told her friend. "He's probably just too busy. Kelly told me that he was going out for soccer this year and-"

"He didn't tell me that." Manny interrupted.

"Max didn't either?" Manny shook her head. "Then maybe you should take that up with your husband and not your son."

Manny sighed. "For what? It wasn't Max that outright blamed Laura for her pregnancy and called her every name in the book."

"But he should be the one telling you how Jayden's doing. Not me." Emma pointed out.

Manny shook his head. "That's just his way of telling me to talk to Jayden. I told you how he got me to look at Danni, right?" Emma nodded. "Em, the last time I spoke to Jayden face-to-face, he was so pissed at me. Even though he was smiling and joking, I could see it. It was worse than the silent treatment Danni gave us when Max and I grounded her for her sixteenth birthday party."

"Then get him out of class and talk to him Manny. Worrying about it isn't going to do you any good." Emma said.

"You're right. Just wished my kids were a bit like yours." Emma smiled at Manny's words. "So, how's the restaurant business?"

Emma sighed. "It's been one wild ride. Let's start with the customers."

* * *

The bell rang, signaling lunch.

"A.J!" Aaron paused at the sound of Chandra's voice. She neared him with a smile, one he had not seen since school began. "Hey, can I ask you for a favor?"

"Does it have to do with my homework or notes for a class?" Chandra nodded with a smile. Aaron sighed. "Sure Bambi. I'll get it for you after lunch."

"Great." Chandra said as the duo began to walk towards lunch. "So… Where's Farah?"

Aaron shrugged. "Probably at lunch with Brie and Jordan. Where's Vanessa?"

"Same I guess. Except with Ashton of course." Chandra answered. "She, uh, she told me that you said some pretty hurtful things to her earlier." Aaron sighed. "Oh don't worry. I've seen you at your worse. Besides, I'm sure she probably deserved it."

"It doesn't mean I should've said it. Twice." Aaron said.

Chandra gasped. "Twice? How dare you A.J!" Aaron, despite himself, laughed at her mock anger. "Seriously, lighten up. I'm fine."

"Are you?" Chandra nodded.

"Yeah. Tevin's not as bad as Jordan made him out to be." Chandra stated. "Plus, your brother offered pizza and a movie at his place later today."

Aaron's eyes narrowed. "He did, huh? That makes sense now…"

"What?" Chandra asked.

"Jayden didn't want me to stop by today, despite it being the _only_ day where he would be free and I could talk to him." Aaron explained. "I guess he didn't want us together."

"Maybe he does…" Chandra mumbled. "But it doesn't matter. Come by if you want to!" Aaron looked at Chandra strangely. "Just remember that this is a single-people only kind of thing since Laura is in England and Jayden has forbidden me to bring Tevin anywhere near the apartment."

"So no Farah?" said Aaron before sighing. "Sure. Why not?"

Chandra's smile widened. "See? Everything is okay." Chandra's smile quickly went away. "Except that I _really_ need your homework or my dad won't let me out to get the mail."

Aaron chuckled. "How about we get it now so you can copy it at lunch?"

Chandra grinned. "You're still the best A.J."

"I know Bambi." Aaron replied.

* * *

Maxwell frowned when he heard the front door open and close. He was in his kitchen, preparing dinner.

"Danni?" he questioned before Manny walked into the kitchen. "Now isn't this a nice surprise?"

Manny smiled as her husband moved to hug her. She responded with a tight hug of her own before he leaned in to give her a passionate kiss.

"I missed you." Maxwell said with a grin.

"I missed you too." Manny replied. "But… I have to ask you something." Maxwell gave her a curious glance. "Has Jayden… I don't know. Said that he's hate me or-"

"This again." Manny frowned at her husband, he going towards the stove. "I'm going to be honest with you Dimples, I didn't push."

"I know you wouldn't. I just… I don't know what to say to him, you know? It's kind of like after we punished Danni and then wanted to go on vacation that following summer and she still wouldn't talk to us." Manny stated.

Maxwell grinned. "We did kind of embarrass her in front of her friends."

"Max!" Manny stated.

"Okay, I'll be serious." Maxwell said. "He hasn't shown me any signs of hating you since you left after the funeral. But, at the same time, he hasn't really cared to bring your name up in conversation either."

Manny sighed. "I don't know what to do Max."

"I do." replied her husband. "It starts with you going over there and talking to him. That's the best solution instead of me talking to him." Manny smiled. "No one ignores my beautiful wife. Not even our son."

"You can't do that. You're the cool parent, remember?" Maxwell laughed a bit. "Seriously Max, I'm afraid that if I go over there he's going to be distant. Kind of like how you are with your stepdad."

"Right, because my dislike for a guy would magically disappear when he marries my widowed mother." Maxwell muttered.

Manny smiled. "No. You're stubborn and won't give him a chance."

"I did. I gave him a chance to stay the hell away from my mom and look what happened. They're married." Manny's smile grew into quiet giggles. "It's funny to you, but it's not for me, okay? Do you know how embarrassing it is for your mom to have _nine_ _kids_ and then have to explain that your twin's dad is alive but yours isn't? I think I was better off with people debating if Reggie looked like a boy or if I looked like a girl."

"But you've grown past that." Manny said. "Just like I want my son to grow past my mistakes and forgive me already."

"I know," Maxwell sighed. "Look, how about we have dinner somewhere tomorrow night? You, me, the kids, and grandkids?"

"And what will that do? Prove why you're the cool parent and I'm the evil monster-in-law?" asked Manny as she sat in a chair at the table.

"It might." Manny stuck her tongue out at the man for the reply. "But, it will also be a good time out. Or we could eat here since his twins are twice as loud as ours." Manny nodded in concurrence. "So, what do you say? We'll even toast to your homecoming."

"Max," Manny began with a grin. "Why do you always try to make me happy even when I don't deserve it?"

"Because if I didn't see your smile at least once a day," Maxwell answered. "I'd question if I was doing my job as a husband."

"You're doing a fine job." Manny stated. "Especially if you make an apple pie."

Maxwell smiled. "One apple pie coming up."

Manny smiled as she watched him walk towards the refrigerator. While she still questioned her son's feelings towards her, she was glad that she could always count on her husband to help her out. Her mother would always look on the bright side of the situation and her father would always look at the bad side of a situation. Neither would help. And Maxwell's mother would probably flip and order Jayden to spend a day with Manny, which would create more resentment on Jayden's side. There was the whole, tell Danica thing, but Manny would rather her daughter be as calm as possible. So having Maxwell was probably one of the best things that she had in her life, especially right now.

* * *

"The day is finally over!" Jayden laughed at Chandra's words. "I thought it was going to take _forever_!"

"It is the same length as yesterday and what it will be Monday." Jayden answered. "Seriously, I don't understand how you magically have longer days than everyone else."

"Unlike you," Chandra retorted. "I have a _lot_ of pressure on me. My parents are only letting me out because you somehow talked them into it." Jayden grinned a bit. "How do you do that anyway? Get parents to trust you."

"It's a little secret called courtesy. It works every time." Jayden answered as the two exited the building. "Flash a smile here and there, laugh at a not-so-funny joke, and always make eye contact. If you do that and say the right thing, you'd never have problems."

"Seriously J.T," Scarlett said leaning against his car door with Aaron standing next to her. "We're out here waiting on you and you're hitting on your brother's ex."

"Well Red," Jayden replied. "I've always had an eye for beauty. Can't help it if A.J and I have the same taste." Jayden then smirked. "Kind of reminds me of what he said about Laura."

"Let's not…" Aaron remarked.

Jayden sighed heavily. "Alright, here's how this is going to go." Jayden thumbed towards Chandra. "I have to drop Bambi off first and then we'll swing towards Dad's to drop Red off. Afterwards, we'll go _back_ to Bambi's, pick her up, and head over to my place. Oh! And a pit-stop to the gas station."

"Sounds good to me." Scarlett said moving for passenger seat.

"What are you doing?" Scarlett paused and looked at Jayden's face. "Don't you know the code? Bros before… Not bros."

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Whatever J.T."

"Sorry A.J," Jayden said looking at his brother. "Looks like you're stuck with your ex in the backseat. Don't do anything that I wouldn't." Jayden paused, an evil glint in his eyes. "Or in this case, don't do anything that I _would_."

Aaron sighed heavily as he and Chandra got into the backseat. Jayden got into the driver seat and checked his phone momentarily.

"Huh." Jayden said sitting his phone in his empty cup holder.

"Everything okay?" Scarlett asked.

"Perfect." Jayden said lifelessly.

* * *

Having the car to herself meant that Helen was free to do whatever she pleased. And while half of her said to find Tyler and make his and Mary-Jane's day terrible. But she chose against it only because Torrie had asked Braxton to meet up with her.

"Hey," Braxton said sitting at the table at The Dot. "Helen, right?"

"The one and only." Helen answered.

"Torrie said that you had a 'thing' for me. But I didn't know what she meant by that." Braxton stated.

Helen smiled. "You shouldn't always listen to Torrie. She's a bit of a, manipulator."

Braxton laughed a bit. "And you are too, or so I've heard." Helen shrugged. "It doesn't bother me. I did date the Ice Queen of Toronto."

"And who might that be?" Helen questioned as a person entered the café.

"Hello wonderful friend and…" Deanna's words died once they landed on Braxton and Helen.

"That," Braxton said pointing to Deanna. "Is the Ice Queen of Toronto."

"_Former_ Ice Queen of Toronto," Deanna said as she made her way to the counter where Shane stood. She leaned and kissed him. "And hello my king."

Shane grinned. "I could really good use to this."

Helen stared at Deanna and Shane before looking at Braxton.

"If you don't mind me asking," Helen said. "But what made you date _her_ of all people?"

Braxton shrugged. "It seemed like the perfect thing at the time. But it only lasted for a week."

"Actually," Deanna said nearing the pair. "It lasted for ten days."

Helen frowned. "Sorry. Didn't know that talking to your ex would bring unwanted company."

Deanna sat in-between Helen and Braxton.

"Let's be honest Helen," Deanna said. "You and I had our rivalry where we wanted the same thing; Scarlett away from DeWayne. So in a way, we _shouldn't_ hate one another."

Helen crossed her arms. "What are you trying to say?"

"That I lost a bet and rules were that I would have to make 'amends' with one of my former rivals. Laura's in England, Scarlett's not the easiest to talk to, and I'll be damned if I talk to _Nicole_." Helen nodded at Deanna's words.

"Okay." said the shorter girl. "So apologize already."

"Never." Deanna said plainly. "What I will do instead is say that whatever you order today is on me. So don't order a lot or you might be washing dishes on my behalf."

"That's not a real apology." Helen pointed out.

"I respect you Helen. But I still don't like you." Deanna said standing up. "But since I still think your cousin is spineless and, again, Laura's in England, this is as far as I'll go."

Helen's eyes narrowed in thought. "You lost a bet to Shane _and _Jayden, didn't you?"

"And that's why I respect you. You're a lot smarter than Scarlett." Deanna said. "Have fun."

Helen watched the posh girl rejoin her grinning boyfriend at the counter. Her attention then turned to Braxton who was shaking his head in disbelief.

"I thought I'd never see the day." Braxton said. "You must be a miracle worker Helen."

Helen grinned. "I'd like to think so. But enough about me." Helen leaned on her elbows. "Tell me something Torrie hasn't told me."

* * *

As Aaron walked up the steps to drop his book bag off, Jayden made his way to the entertainment room. There his mother was, talking to his twin sisters, Jenée and Renée. He stared at Manny for a second until she spotted him.

"Are you going to stand there or are you going to give me a hug?" Manny said with a smile.

Cautiously, Jayden crossed the room to hug his mom. His mind replayed the last time they hugged, which was the night of Jason's funeral. And the time between that one and the one before that was months.

Breaking away, Jayden put his hands in his pockets.

"I'm just waiting on A.J and Red to get ready. We're heading to my place for some downtime." Jayden said.

"Oh. I'm glad you're spending time with your brother." Manny said before looking at her daughters. "Girls, give me a second with your brother."

"Aw! But we had you first!" Jenée complained.

Jayden smiled. "I was born first twerp. _I_ had her first."

Jenée and Renée glared at Jayden, challenging him into a staring contest. Jayden sighed before handing both girls a dollar. Smiling, the two left the entertainment room. His eyes then trailed to his mother's, seeing the same brown in her eyes that he did in his and his kids.

"Have you forgiven me yet?" Manny asked.

Jayden shrugged. "I haven't thought about it a lot. Busy with my kids and-"

"Soccer?" Jayden nodded at her words. "Jayden, I'm done asking for your forgiveness."

"I never said-"

"Let me finish." Jayden hushed at interruption. "I was just looking out for my oldest son, and to this day, that's still my prime concern. That my kids and grandkids are okay. Do you understand that?" Jayden nodded. "I know what I said to Laura was wrong, but I was angry. I do have a right to be mad, don't I?"

"I guess…" Jayden mumbled.

"You're sixteen Jayden, too young to be having sex, let alone kids." Manny continued. "And I'm angrier at myself for that than I am you."

"Why?" Jayden asked.

"Because I know that it was what I did. I did the same thing with the only difference being my abortion and Laura's…" Manny paused, realizing that bringing up her grandson's death would lead to more problems. "I'm angry at myself Jayden. Probably more than you are at me."

"I'm not mad at you anymore." Jayden said. "I just want you and everyone else to please back off. I have too much to worry about to stop and listen to-"

Manny giggled. "You sound like an old man Jayden and you're not even eighteen."

Jayden sighed. "I just want support, especially from my family."

"I know. And as I promised, I would include Laura in that until the end of time." Manny stated.

Jayden grinned. "I don't think you get it." Jayden sat down beside Manny. "Mama, one day in the future, I will marry Laura." Manny's jaw dropped. "I know that you see us as two kids together for the moment, but I can safely say that I love Laura more than anything. In a way, she has the same characteristics that Dad says that you have. And that's all I want, honestly. A life like my parents. Well, I can do without a Danni…"

"Jayden, marriage is a real serious thing." Manny said. "Your dad and I didn't just wake up one morning and say, 'Hey, let's get married.' And even then, we had a lot to think about."

"I know." Jayden responded. "Which is why I want to plan ahead. We don't want to get married right after school for several of reasons and we're going to need a house of our own. Preferably one in an area where English is the main language and I don't have to learn _another_ one."

Manny pursed her lips. "So you've already talked to her about this?"

Jayden nodded. "Yeah, I have. It's one of the three things that we both agree on."

"What're the other two?" Manny asked.

"Well," Jayden began. "She wanted a family dinner in Italy, one that would have our families. I said that I would see if I could make that happen because it's no secret that Dad and Bianca hardly get along." Manny nodded. "And the second thing is that we agreed to have another son and name him Jason."

"Jayden…" Manny began.

"I know that he won't be the same, but it's all I can do to try and fill that hole inside of her Mama." Jayden said. "I don't know another way to do it."

Manny smiled, putting her son's hand in hers.

"Love her Jayden." Manny said. "That's what you do to fill that gap. And whether you have another son named Jason or not, she will be happy because she has one of the greatest guys in the world all to hers."

Jayden smiled. "I bet you say that to everyone that strongly resembles your husband."

Manny rolled her eyes. "Way to kill the mood." Jayden laughed with his mother, the first time in nearly six months. "Jayden, when you are ready to get married, do it. But until then, put all your focus on making Laura happy. The family having dinner together is all she really wants."

"But-"

"No, listen," Manny cut her son off. "She wants a son and to be married to you because it's what _you_ want and she wants you to be happy. Do you understand that?" Jayden nodded. "I was perfectly fine being Manny Santos. But I just couldn't say no to your dad. That's the same thing Laura is doing to you."

"Oh…" Jayden replied. "Thanks Mama."

Manny smiled. "I've learned a lot about your girlfriend Jay. She's a lot smarter than I originally thought, I'll admit. And she cares a great deal about you. More than you know."

Jayden only nodded as he thought about what his mother was telling him. He then looked at Manny's smiling face and released a breath that dropped a lot of weight off of him. If Manny and Laura could get along for now until the end of time, then his life was that much easier. He would no longer be the peacemaker between his mother and the mother of his kids.

"Hi Mama." Manny and Jayden looked at Aaron who walked in to hug Manny tightly.

"Hey A.J. I forgot you grew over the summer!" Aaron smiled as he released Manny. "Jay says you two are hanging out today."

"We're supposed to." Aaron stated as he looked at his brother.

Jayden frowned. "Don't rush me twerp. I'm busy."

"No, Jay, go with your brother. You need to spend time with him." Manny stated as she stood up. "And as for me, I'm going to go lie down. I've been up all day and I deserve a rest."

Aaron smiled. "Sure Mama. I'm glad you're home."

"Me too sweetie." Jayden rolled his eyes as Manny placed a kiss on Aaron's forehead, the boy giving Jayden a small glance out of the corner of his eyes.

"I hate to break it to you _Aaron_," Jayden said rising to hug Manny. "But _I'm_ top Mama's Boy in this family so back up or die." Aaron and Manny laughed at Jayden's declaration, though Aaron did take a step back. Jayden kissed Manny's cheek. "It's great to have you back and _I_ love you more than any of your evil children. Especially that Danica. She's the worse of them all."

"I'm sure you do. Now let go so I can go to bed!" Manny laughed.

Jayden did as he was told, Manny leaving her sons in the entertainment room. Aaron watched as Jayden's smile slowly went away, the two staring at each other.

"Nice try." Jayden said.

Aaron shrugged. "I figured if you and her were still arguing, I'd be the son that she let's off the hook if I did something."

"Ha-ha," Jayden said lifelessly. "Wait until she finds out that _you_ destroyed your relationship with Bambi. _And_ that you did that thing that we're not supposed to do because-"

"You wouldn't tell." Aaron said before frowning. "Would you?"

Jayden smirked. "It's call blackmail. Now, I'll allow you to 'kiss up' to her, but I'm the favorite. Just remember that." Aaron nodded with a grin. "Now, let's go. I really don't want to hear your estranged wife complaining about us being late."

Aaron sighed. "She's not my estranged wife Jayden."

"Keep telling yourself that." Jayden stated.

* * *

Nicole let out a cloud of smoke and sighed.

"It feels so good to just unwind. Right guys?" Ethan and Brooke nodded in consent while James just shrugged. "What's wrong James?"

"My best friend screwing my ex." James said pointedly.

Nicole pouted. "Aw. That's so sad. Need a drink?"

"Nah, I'm good." replied James. "Just wondering how long it's going to take him to own up to it, you know? Just come out and tell me."

"I'm sure they'll tell you soon." Nicole said.

Brooke snorted. "I doubt it. People nowadays are all secretive and manipulating." Brooke looked at Nicole. "Kind of like one Deanna Fitzgerald."

"Ugh! Why would you go and bring her name up?" Brooke smiled at Nicole's response. Nicole then leaned back against Ethan. "But I guess that today, Shane and Deanna can do whatever. I have all I need right here."

"Isn't that cute?" Brooke cooed.

"Shut up Brooke." Ethan muttered, James laughing at his friend's embarrassment.

"Come on James," Brooke said as she stood up. "Let's give these two some time alone…" Brooke paused and gave James a suggesting look. "And I spy with my little eye something that looks like an empty van…"

James looked at Ethan. "Duty calls."

"Duty calls." Ethan replied as James stood up. "Don't overdo it. Last thing any of us wants to hear is her screaming."

"No promises." Brooke said with a wink before leading James away.

"So…" Ethan said once his two friends were gone, leaving him alone with Nicky. "Does that mean that I'm more than a friend now?"

Nicole giggled. "Do I have to spell it out for you?"

"I'd like you to." Ethan said before leaning in to get a kiss.

"That do it?" Nicole asked when they broke away.

Ethan shook his head. "Nope."

Nicole smiled before kissing Ethan again and again. Her mind could erase Deanna from her thoughts, but not Shane. And like her first time with Ethan at his house, she was thinking of her times with Shane now. But she would use these thoughts to her advantage, putting more passion into each kiss as she envisioned Shane.

"Ahem," Nicole and Ethan broke away at the sound of Jacquelyn clearing her throat. "I came to see if my _single_ friend wanted to go out for a girls' night, but I see that I've mistaken."

Nicole smiled brightly. "Of course we can hangout tonight Jackie!" Nicole got up before turning to Ethan. "I'll call later, okay?"

Ethan went to respond, but Nicole gave him another breathtaking kiss. He settled with just nodding as Nicole walked away with Jacquelyn. He then heard snickering and looked to see Damon standing a few feet away.

"Wait until Nate hears this." Damon said. "Ethan Valieri, sprung over Nicky Campbell."

Ethan grinned. "Not sprung. Dating."

"Seriously?" Damon stated. "Man, am I the only guy here that she hasn't dated, flirted with, or had sex with?"

"Don't know," responded Ethan with a shrug. "But I know that you, and those who haven't, won't ever get the chance. I'll make sure of it."

"Any smart man would." Damon said. "That's why I'll be the only one with Jackie. You can count on it."

* * *

Helen smiled. "You're pretty funny Braxton."

"Every time I hear that, I'm reminded of why I'm just friends with someone." Braxton said.

"Well, I'm not just _someone_." Helen said. "And I'm positive that you'll have another chance to sway my mind one way or the other."

"Another date? Lucky me." Braxton replied with a grin. "Honestly, from what Torrie told me earlier in class, I didn't stand a chance."

"That's just Torrie trying to keep all the guys to herself. Don't listen to her." Helen told him while rolling her eyes a bit. "She's a great cousin when you need someone to go into a fight with. But she's completely useless after that."

Braxton chuckled. "I don't think she's _completely_ useless. She does make a good scene when class is completely boring."

"I bet." Helen stated as she rose. "I must say, you're one of three guys that I have ever enjoyed sitting with. And by that, I mean next time you'll be picking me up and you're paying. Not your ex."

"Only problem is," Braxton responded. "I don't know where you live."

"Ask Torrie. She'll tell you." Helen said nearing the door. "Oh! And don't be like an ex of mine and just show up. Call ahead of time."

"Will do." Braxton said as Helen left the establishment. Braxton sighed a bit before Deanna took the seat Helen was previously in. "Is there something wrong?"

"No. In fact, everything is perfect." Deanna said. "So… How did it go?"

"Why do you want to know?" Braxton questioned.

"Because I have a bet with my boyfriend and if you tell me the wrong words I'll be _very_ upset. So," Deanna said before speaking carefully. "How. Did. It. Go?"

Braxton exhaled. "Well… I got another date with her so-"

"Ha!" Deanna said.

"Yes!" Braxton heard Kelly say before spotting Shane put his head down in defeat.

"Uh…" Braxton began.

Deanna stood up. "Don't worry about it. Thanks for your help!"

Braxton could only watch as Deanna return to Shane and Kelly, the two girls giving the boy quite the lip about something. Braxton wondered if dating Helen was the most impossible thing in the world for a second date to cause this much commotion.

He then smiled though. He had a date with Helen Sinclair-Coyne. And that was all that mattered at the moment.

* * *

Scarlett sighed. "Why do _we_ have to go to the store?"

"Because Danni is especially scary when she's angry." Jayden replied grabbing two two-liter sodas. "But, on the flip side, we can get some Doritos."

"Don't you need the money for pampers and such?" questioned Scarlett.

Jayden shrugged. "It's Friday which means payday so I'm good. Plus, did you forget who my kids' godmother is? I hit the freaking jackpot." Scarlett only scoffed. "Now let's get a move on. I really want to get home and stay there."

"Your needs." Scarlett returned as the two went to check-out the items in hand.

"Isn't this unexpected." Jayden groaned at the sound of DeWayne's voice. "How are you doing Scarlett? The last time we talked you sounded a little annoyed."

"I'm fine." Scarlett said with a sigh. "Thank you for worrying DeWayne. But I seriously need to get going."

"Still playing his replacement girl? You're better than that Scarlett." DeWayne said.

"And you're still cheating on your girlfriend." Scarlett retorted. "I'm sure Mercedes would have a problem with you speaking to me. I know J.T does."

"And I do." Jayden added.

"So," Scarlett said to DeWayne. "How about you just walk away while we finish shopping for our movie night. Together."

DeWayne nodded. "I understand. I still think you're better than someone's number two."

"Wasn't I your number two?" Scarlett asked.

"Okay," Jayden said. "The line is moving and you two are either talking about cheating or going to the bathroom. Either way, I want to move along. Like now."

"Yeah." Scarlett stated. "See you later DeWayne."

Jayden and Scarlett moved to purchase the chips, dip, and sodas that they held in their hands. As Jayden pulled out his wallet to pay for it, he spotted Scarlett lean against him a bit. Realizing that DeWayne's words had probably done more than intended, Jayden gave her hips a small bump with his. Seeing the smile on Scarlett's face caused him to grin as well.

"Thank you." Jayden said to the cashier, taking the bags. "Ready to go Red?"

"Yeah." Scarlett said with a smile.

"Hey," Jayden said to Scarlett. "Don't let him ruin our year. Laura will be seriously pissed if I called her and said that you couldn't do it because of DeWayne."

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Whatever J.T." Scarlett then looked at him a smiled. "And I know that I'll never be number two for you."

"Seriously, that does not sound like something you should be shouting out loud." Jayden stated, causing Scarlett to sigh heavily.

"Only you Jayden…"

* * *

Randy was entering The Dot when he nearly ran into Mary-Jane and Amber who were exiting.

"Whoa, sorry about that." Randy said.

"No problem." Mary-Jane responded. "You from around here?"

"Mary…" Amber began.

"No. Just moved up here." replied Randy. "Randy. Randy Morning."

"I'm Mary-Jane and this is my friend Amber." Mary-Jane told him as Randy extended his hand. She took his hand into hers. "You have such a firm grip."

Randy smiled. "Comes with being a mechanic." Randy looked at Amber. "Shy?"

"No. Taken. As she is." Amber replied. "Come on MJ. We're going to be late."

Mary-Jane rolled her eyes. "You are so bossy nowadays." Mary-Jane retracted her hand. "Hopefully we'll see you around."

"I'd like that." Amber, despite herself, felt a smile tug at her lips when Randy's eyes landed on hers instead of Mary-Jane. She'd be stupid to deny some sort of physical attraction towards the guy.

"You rush me and now you're the one standing in one spot!" Mary-Jane called, snapping Amber out of her thoughts. "Seriously Amber! You're embarrassing me!"

Amber only muttered an apology for her friend's behavior and walked after Mary-Jane. Meantime, Randy watched as Amber walked away. He had to admit, there weren't many girls like that where he was from. She was beautiful and apparently headstrong as well.

"Amber…" He said her name to himself before going into The Dot.

* * *

Ethan watched Brooke walk away from James, a smile on the girl's face.

"Feeling better?" Ethan asked.

James smirked. "What do you think?"

"We _heard_ everything." Damon retorted. "Seriously, were you trying to murder her or something?"

"Nah, nothing like that." James laughed. "Brooke's just loud."

"Sure." Damon muttered.

"You know," James said. "Maybe I should be like you two."

"And what? Date Brooke?" Damon responded, he and Ethan laughing a bit. Their laughter stopped once James nodded. "Little Jimmy, you're insane. Brooke isn't the settle-down kind of chick."

"Yeah. Just be glad that she's latched onto you physically." Ethan added.

James hummed in thought. "Maybe you're right…"

"Of course we are." Damon said. "So how about some beer and a guys' night out while Jackie and Nicky does whatever they do alone."

"Wouldn't it be hot if-" James began.

"Don't even go there." Damon interrupted. "I still have a burn from the last time Jackie slapped me for even thinking that."

The three guys laughed, while James secretly disagreed with his two friends. Brooke might make a great girlfriend. Better than Amber, that is.

* * *

Chandra held her stomach as she laughed on the couch beside a laughing Aaron. Scarlett sat next to Aaron, giggling, while Jayden sat in a chair, laughing at the end of the movie. There were two pizzas on the kitchen table, one a supreme and the other a meat-lover's. Several bags of chips were opened on the coffee table in the living room with dip next to them. And four cups sat on the table, three completely empty while one almost empty of soda.

"That was good." Jayden said as Danica entered the apartment with Isabella and Raven.

"We missed it, huh?" Danica stated. "Oh well, put on another one."

"On it, Queen of Evil and Discord." Jayden said rising from his seat. "You'll never believe it, but the twins have been peacefully sleeping while Bambi woke the neighbors up laughing."

"I did not!" Chandra protested.

"So," Isabella said walking into the kitchen. "Heard from Laura?"

Danica scoffed. "Fat Mama? She calls _every_ _five seconds_. I'm going to start telling her to call Jayden from now on."

"One, she's not fat, and two, she does. Every _three_ seconds." Jayden replied looking through the collection of DVDs that they had. "Hey what's on pay-per-view?"

"Who knows?" Danica said. "Why? Are you paying for it?"

"Might as well." Jayden answered taking the remote.

"When's your next show?" Raven questioned Jayden, who shrugged.

"Dash would know. I've been too busy with Thing One and Thing Two in there." Jayden paused. "Not to mention Bambi coming to me for _every_ little thing and Red being, well, Red."

Scarlett crossed her arms. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"That sometimes I would like you to be… Blue?" Jayden stated.

"That's my dad." Scarlett said.

"Well in that case, maybe yellow? You know, the only primary color that you're not." Danica smiled at Jayden's words.

"Are you saying she's not bright?" asked Danica.

Aaron and Chandra could see Scarlett's eyes harden as she stared at Jayden. Jayden only smiled though, flipping the channels to find a movie to order.

"Sometimes." was his response.

"Says the guy who had trouble changing a diaper." Isabella pipes in. "You should be nicer to Scar. She's helping you with the twins and you're being inconsiderate."

"You haven't _heard_ what he's done to-"

"No one has to hear that!" Scarlett said quickly, causing Danica to end her statement and snicker.

"What did they do?" Raven asked.

"Well from what I heard Jay-"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Scarlett repeated.

"Seriously Danni, there're kids present." Jayden added.

Danica looked at Chandra and Aaron before waving them off.

"It's nothing compared to what I've walked in on them." Chandra was ready to argue against the young woman while Aaron had simply buried his face in his hands. "Seriously Izzy, you will _not_ believe what my brothers and they're so-called exes have done. Some of it would be too much for HBO!"

Isabella only laughed, knowing how imaginative her friend could be. And from the looks of the teens in the room, this was all just a good-natured joke.

"You know," Jayden finally said. "We could always talk about what you did."

"Talk and die." Danica replied, the laughter in the room growing. "Jerks…"


	115. S4 Episode XIII: Got to Give It Up

**Episode XIII: Got to Give It Up**

The days were beginning to go by quickly for some reason, and for Scarlett that was more than alright. Having James and Amber as two of the chosen five students to talk to Lakehurst was a bit of a problem, but neither flirted with the enemy as much as Mary-Jane had. Plus, Jayden seemed to be in better spirits as of lately. He doesn't have an air of despair anymore, which was good. Actually, that was probably the best part of the entire week.

"…hear me?!" Scarlett blinked out of her thoughts as she sat in the passenger seat in the car she and Helen shared. "I said Braxton and I are going out this weekend and depending on his mom, we might need the car."

"Oh, that's fine." Scarlett said.

Helen huffed as she continued driving for the school.

"Seriously Scar, what's got you so preoccupied?" Helen asked.

"Everything." Scarlett said. "You know, things were a lot easier when I had my cousin helping me instead of running off with some guy from Bardell."

"Right, right, where are my manners? Maybe I should let _you_ take the car so you can run off with some guy that has _children_. Not one, but two of them." retorted Helen.

Scarlett scoffed. "Whatever Helen."

"Have you even told him about that you did you-know-what?" Helen questioned. Scarlett shook her head. "Scar, one of these days he's going to find out and he's going to be really pissed at you. If I were you, I'd get it over with now."

"You're right. I'll just walk up and say: 'Hey J.T, guess what? I didn't think Laura's kids were yours so I plucked a hair from your son, swabbed your daughter, and ran off with their DNA! Oh, did I mention that I took a lock of your hair as well?'" Despite herself, Helen laughed at Scarlett's enactment. "It's not funny and it's not going to happen. He would flip and fly off to England with Laura."

"No he won't. He'd probably forgive you. Well, he'd be pissed first, but after a month or two-"

"I don't want to wait a month or two." Scarlett interrupted as Helen pulled into the parking lot at school. "By then, she will be back."

"Well you know the cliché phrase. Find a _single_ guy next time." Helen said parking her car. "Any after school things today?"

Scarlett sighed. "Unfortunately…"

"Well I'll send our annoying neighbor to pick you up." Helen said while smiling. "I'm sure you're going to love riding with him to eternal happiness!"

"You know, sometimes I hate you." Scarlett said opening her door. "And for your information, we won't be riding out to eternal happiness until _after_ we're married in Paris!"

Helen laughed as Scarlett got out of the car with mock anger. Whether she was serious or not, Helen always found Scarlett's fantasies quite humorous at most points of the day.

* * *

Ashton sighed. "And why do I have to go again?"

"Because it's a _double_-date." Vanessa explained. "Therefore, you _must_ go with me."

Ashton glared at Chandra's smiling face. "I liked you better when you were single and miserable."

"And I liked you better…" Chandra paused and hummed. "I can't seem to think of a day that I actually liked you period!"

Ashton was going to respond until he spotted Aaron and Farah walking by.

"Hey Santos!" Aaron paused and stared at Ashton. "How about a triple-date with Vanessa and me?"

"Ashton, what are you doing?" Vanessa questioned.

"If you're going to drag me with _your_ friend, I'm going to drag you with mine." Ashton responded as Aaron neared the group with Farah.

"A _triple-_date?" Aaron asked.

Ashton nodded. "Yep. Just you, me, Vanessa, your girlfriend, your girlfriend's cousin, and your ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend."

"Wow. You should become a car salesman with the way you can word things…" Vanessa stated lifelessly.

"Actually," Aaron said. "Farah and I already have plans. My parents are forcing us to have dinner at their place tonight."

"That sounds boring." Ashton said. "Come on Santos. Do you really want me to go out with Vanessa and Chandra together _and_ Tevin?"

Aaron shrugged. "Sorry Ashton. We already have somewhere to be. Maybe next time."

"Whatever." muttered Ashton in a defeated tone. Ashton saw a small, hardly noticeable, smirk on Aaron's face. "You're loving this, aren't you?"

"No. But I do wish you luck. You're going to need it with these two." Chandra huffed at Aaron's comment.

"And what is that supposed to mean, Mr. McDuelle?" she asked.

Aaron smiled. "Nothing Bambi." Aaron turned his attention towards Farah. "Come on Farah. I'm sure Jordan's got a bunch of stuff to tell us."

"Yeah. See you around Chandra." Farah said.

Chandra only waved as Aaron and Farah walked off. She watched the couple for a moment before her eyes landed on Vanessa's and Ashton's faces.

"What?" she asked.

Vanessa shook her head. "I don't know how you do it Bambi."

"He's happy and I'm happy. So let's just drop it, okay?" While Vanessa nodded, Ashton muttered "Whatever" under his breath. "Anyway, I'm positive that Tevin doesn't want A.J to be _anywhere_ near us. The last time I saw them in the same place…" Chandra paused as she thought about the meeting Tevin had with a very tired Aaron. "It wasn't one of A.J's better moments."

"What happened?" Vanessa asked.

"Well, let's just say that a tired A.J is worse than an angry Jayden." Chandra answered. "And let's leave it at that."

Ashton smirked. "That Santos… What a character."

"Yeah. He is." Chandra said quietly.

* * *

At Lakehurst, Deanna received her essay back from her English teacher, smiling at the large A on the paper. She looked over at her twin, more prideful when she noticed a large circled D on his paper.

"Mom won't like that." Deanna commented nonchalantly.

DeWayne shrugged. "English isn't my thing. Or yours for that matter." Deanna smiled. "What? Did Diner Girl write that for you? Or maybe your friend Stephanie?"

"Neither. In fact, Shane helped me do it." Deanna said.

"Oh really? What does that-"

"Choose your words carefully." threatened Deanna. She still hated it when someone other than Kelly or herself talked bad about Shane.

"Dee," DeWayne stated. "I'll be glad when you're done with this phase."

"Phase?" Deanna parroted.

"Yes. Phase." DeWayne said. "It's obvious that Shane likes you for one reason and one reason only. Easy sex." DeWayne saw his sister about to explode and continued. "Not saying that you're easy, I'm just saying that it was just convenient for him after Nicky broke up with him."

"Shane isn't using me for sex." Deanna stated.

DeWayne snorted. "Really? Has he even cared about meeting Mom and Winston?"

"Why would he?" DeWayne just sighed.

"Dee, I'm a guy. I know what we think like. Don't you remember why I was seeing Mercedes behind Scarlett's back? It's because, although she is a perfect girlfriend, Scarlett just wouldn't scratch a certain itch. An itch that if left alone for too long will have Shane right back to Nicky. Or someone else."

Deanna only smiled. "We'll see about that dear brother."

DeWayne said nothing else, watching his sister smile as if there was nothing wrong in the world. Unfortunately there was. She was still dating Shane Mason of all people. And in DeWayne's book, Shane was only behind Jayden and Tyler on his most-hated list.

In other words, nowhere near good enough for his naïve sister.

* * *

James groaned as he made his way for lunch. He was experiencing the worst hangover since he first began drinking months ago. He and Brooke had partied longer than normal last night for reasons unknown. Or rather, he couldn't remember. He did remember nearly falling asleep after they had sex with her curled at his side. And Vanessa helping him sneak in afterwards…

"James," James looked at the two girls approaching him, the blonde speaking. "We need to talk."

"Mary-Jane, I'm not bothering Amber in anyway possible. And I don't care about you and Tyler. What do you need to talk about?" James replied.

Mary-Jane looked at Amber, who only nodded.

"Listen," Mary-Jane began "We're worried about you. You're-"

"Worried?" James interrupted.

"Yes. Now shut up and listen." Mary-Jane stated. "You're going to kill yourself if you keep this up. Whether you actually kill yourself or your parents do it one."

"What MJ is trying to say is that we want you to stop drinking. Or at least drinking this much." James stared at Amber before laughing.

"Rude much?" Mary-Jane said with a scoff.

"You two must think I'm stupid." James said. "For once in my life, I'm free of you two." Both Mary-Jane and Amber reeled their heads back as if they were struck physically. "I don't have to worry about _you_ cheating on me." Mary-Jane rolled her eyes as James looked at Amber. "And I don't have to worry about _your_ brother. I'm free."

"Newsflash. Slavery ended ages ago." Mary-Jane said.

"Besides," Amber said. "I'm not doing this for _us_. _We're_ doing this for _you_." James scoffed. "We already have one friend in rehab James. We don't need another."

"Steven, huh? Well let's see…" James said before striking a thinking pose. "He had a thing for Mary-Jane and she shot him down. Sadness. He wanted to date Amber and she shot him down. Depression. Drugs. Alcohol. Rejection. Adds up to me."

"What?" Mary-Jane questioned.

"Steven's the way he is because of you two." James stated. "Just like I am."

James said nothing else, walking away from his two exes. His head was starting to get worse just by being around them. He needed to get away from them and lie down somewhere. And later, he would find Brooke. Not necessary for sex, though he would not object if she really wanted to, but just to have her near. She did understand him unlike the two he was trying to forget.

* * *

Farah giggled a bit. "It wasn't like that."

"Sure it wasn't…" Vanessa muttered as she listened to Aaron's day with Farah. She was really starting to hate them as a couple more and more.

"You say something Vanessa?" Now Vanessa was slightly embarrassed as she thought that no one had heard her. Obviously Gabrielle did.

"Oh nothing!" Vanessa said with a smile. "Just talking to myself!"

"You're not going to be doing that all day are you? Because doing so in public outside of school is slightly embarrassing. And creepy." Ashton stated.

"No, I won't be doing it all day." Vanessa replied.

Ashton sighed. "Good. Bad enough Santos pretty much _tricked me_ in to doing this alone."

"Honestly Ashton, I don't know what you're talking about." Aaron said.

"Ugh, you sound like your sister when you said that." Chandra commented. Aaron grinned. "Seriously A.J, Danni is not the best role model for you."

"She's my sister Bambi and she only picks on me and Jayden because it makes her day easier." Aaron stated.

"Really? My brother just punches me and everyone he doesn't like." said Ashton.

"What's her deal anyway?" Vanessa questioned. "She's always mean to you whenever I see her."

Aaron sighed. "Danni grew up with my parents and grandparents breathing down her throat every second of the day. She took Tae Kwon Do and had to be perfect in it. She played soccer and they were looking for her to score every time and then be rested enough to go to a track meet the same day. There were times that she would have to work with my dad and then find time to do her homework and get to a soccer practice at the same time."

"Wow…" Farah stated.

"She has never stayed still and that's because most of her childhood was either dodging paparazzi, traveling with my parents, watching me and Jay, or helping our parents with their respective jobs." Aaron said. "In fact, if Jayden didn't have kids, I'd say she had it the worst out of all of us. In fact, in a way, she still does since she watches his kids whenever he can't and they're at home."

"Still doesn't give her an excuse to be such a jerk." Vanessa said.

"Have you ever worked with my dad?" At his statement, Vanessa noticed that Jordan had paled quite a bit as the memories hit her. Vanessa merely shook her head. "My mom uses it as a punishment while my dad normally gives us the 'light work' to do."

"It's hell." Jordan finally stated. "I would rather wash Chandra's feet than work with him again."

Vanessa, as well as the others who had never worked with Aaron's dad, were all thoroughly shocked by Jordan's statement.

"Either way," Aaron continued. "If I had to live Danni's life or endure her verbally picking on me, I'd take the taunts any day."

"Ditto." Jordan added, hearing this story years ago from Manny.

"And that's why," Chandra said. "Danni's _my_ hero." Vanessa frowned. "She has her own money, one of the most beautiful women I know-"

"Agreed…" Ashton mumbled, causing Aaron to glare at him.

"_And_ she's super tough and normally gets what she wants." Chandra finished. "To be like her would be great!"

As Jordan rolled her eyes at Chandra's admiration, Aaron smiled a bit. Friday night, Chandra did remind him a lot of how Katya acts around Danica. Always listening to Danica's stories and laughing at the funny and not-so-funny-but-hurtful jokes. He just didn't see Danica in the same light as his sister and his ex-girlfriend did, but he was proud of what Danica has done.

Lying his head on the table, Jayden attempted to ignore Scarlett tapping his shoulder, but her persistence trumped his resistance.

"What?" Jayden asked her.

"Helen says you have to drive me home after the student council meeting later on." Scarlett stated, Shane smirking while Jayden groaned. Scarlett looked at Shane. "Something funny Shane?"

"Next to someone annoying the master of annoying? Nope." Shane replied.

Jayden looked at Shane. "Remember that the next time you ask me to pay off some bet with your sister."

"Did you forget that he was dating Deanna Fitzgerald? Stepdaughter of Winston Hughes?" Scarlett said. "He doesn't need you anymore."

"…" Jayden sat up. "If I argue and say that he will always need me, this will seem very wrong, won't it?" Dakota, Kelly, Jacob, and Shane nodded. "Fine, so moving on. Why is your short-statured and shorter tempered cousin ditching you today?"

"New boyfriend." Scarlett said casually. "Bardell's running-back."

"Am I the _only_ guy in Degrassi that Helen has dated?" Jayden asked. Scarlett nodded. "Man… That seriously makes me feel…" Jayden paused. "Good actually."

"Either way," Scarlett said. "You're taking me home today. So don't forget."

"Is there anything else I can do for anyone else while I'm up?" Jayden asked his other friends.

"Help me hook my dad up with his ex." Kelly stated.

"Help me keep my ex away from my current." Shane added.

"Call Laura for once so she'd stop calling me." Dakota said.

Jayden nodded at all three of them before his eyes settled on Jacob.

"You got me and Angel together. I don't think I could ask you for anything else." Jacob stated.

Jayden sighed. "And that's why at this moment you're the only friend I really have." Jayden glared at the others. "Jerks."

* * *

The bell rang for the end of the day, James trudging for his car where Vanessa should be waiting for him at.

"James," James sighed heavily at Amber's voice. He spotted his ex coming and mentally prepared himself for words he didn't want to hear. "Can we talk for a second?"

"I have to meet up with Vanessa soon." James said.

"I know." Amber replied. "Um, Scarlett wanted me to remind you that we have one of those meetings Monday. We're talking about an incident that happened at the last dance."

"Sure, sure, I'll be ready." James said.

Amber smiles a bit. "Mary-Jane says that Tyler's throwing a party at his place Saturday. I don't know if Marc told you or not but we-"

"I don't want to go." James interrupted. "Is that all?"

"No." Amber said angrily. "I want to talk to you about you ruining your life!"

"I think you've already gotten a head start on that." James countered. "So do you mind if I go out and find someone who cares?"

"…" Amber stood quietly before whispering the girl's name that Marc had told her earlier. "Brooke?"

"Yes. Brooke." said James. "Someone who doesn't nag or whine about what I do every five seconds." Amber nods. "So? Can I go now or do you have something else unimportant to say?"

"No. I have to meet up with Marc anyway." Amber said. "James, before you go, I want to tell you something. I…" Amber paused. "I'm still your friend. If you need to talk about anything-"

"I have Brooke." James cut off as he walked away.

Amber sighed. "You still have me too…"

* * *

Deanna exhaled noisily as she waited for Shane or Kelly to pick her up. While she realized that they had to prepare for work and/or after school programs, she really did not want to be cooped up with her brother and her ex-friend.

"Waiting for your boyfriend?" DeWayne questioned, his mocking voice ringing in Deanna's ear.

"Don't you have a slut to look after?" Deanna returned.

"Dee, listen," DeWayne said. "I know you think that what I'm saying is complete nonsense but-"

"It _is_ nonsense." Deanna interrupted. "And if you don't mind, I would like to wait here in peace and silence."

"Tell me this," DeWayne continued. "What's one thing he likes about you?"

Deanna's brows furrowed. "I'm guessing a lot. Shane isn't someone who puts up with others he doesn't like."

"So you just assume that-"

"I don't assume anything, dear naïve brother." Deanna said before her phone began vibrating. "Because unlike what Scarlett did to you, Shane doesn't use me to keep him preoccupied from his ex. We are perfectly happy right now and that's all that matters." Deanna quickly slipped on her shoes. "And for the record, I always ask him for sex, not the other way around."

DeWayne's face showed his disgust at the thought of his sister with _any_ guy. Worse, she initiated it. But he was also angry at the fact that Shane, another ex of Scarlett's who Scarlett could not do without for some reason, was dating Deanna. It didn't make sense to him really. Shane was a commoner compared to him and Deanna. They shouldn't be involved with people like that.

"Stay out of my room DeWayne." Deanna said as she walked passed him. "You've already made that mistake once."

"Kelly know you used her yet?" Deanna stopped dead in her tracks before looking at DeWayne over her shoulder, her eyes giving off a frosty stare. "It's true, isn't it? You used Diner Girl to score her brother."

"Kelly Mason is my best friend. If you somehow get in-between us or me and Shane," Deanna said. "I will give Jayden my key to the house and ten bats to beat you. Do you hear me?"

"Beating me with a bat won't stop the truth from coming out." DeWayne replied. "So I'll let you choose: Your best-friend or your boyfriend."

Deanna chest heaved with frustration before she smiled sweetly at DeWayne.

"You don't want to do this Wayne. You know you won't win." Deanna stated.

DeWayne smirked. "I'm sure I do, Dee."

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Deanna said walking down the hall. "Shane won't be happy when he learns that you're after his sister _and _girlfriend…"

DeWayne did not move from his spot as he watched his sister disappear round a corner, heading for the stairs. Shane was the least of his problems now.

"Hey," Mercedes said nearing DeWayne. "How'd it go?"

"I got her." DeWayne replied.

"So dinner?" DeWayne nodded at Mercedes' words with a smile.

"Yeah Mercedes. It's going to be one of the greatest dinners ever."

* * *

Torrie huffed as she sat on Helen's bed. Helen eyed her cousin suspiciously before sighing herself.

"I give Torrie. What do you want?" Helen asked.

"I just want to know," Torrie stated. "How you feel about Scar keeping Jayden's paternity test away from him."

"I don't like it." Helen said pointedly. "Jayden's a good friend of mine and I don't like it when she does stupid things like this." Helen frowned. "But of course, I have to ask how _you_ know."

Torrie smiled. "Scarlett told me. Well, not on purpose."

"Maybe we are related…" Helen muttered, Torrie's smile widening. Helen then shook the thought out of her head. "Anyway, we can't tell Jayden. Not yet actually."

"What? Why?" Torrie questioned.

Helen held up three fingers. "One, because it will ruin our dumb cousin. And by 'ruin', I mean she might go off the deep end and attempt suicide." Torrie nodded. Scarlett would do something extreme like that. "Two, they are happy now. No whining to me about this or that. Happy. And a happy Jayden and Scarlett mean a happier Helen. And everyone likes me better when I smile." Torrie nodded again. That made sense. "And finally, three, Danica M. McDuelle will take your pretty hair, tie it around my throat, and shove us both into Scarlett if she ever got whiff of this."

"His sister? She didn't look that tough." Helen rolled her eyes at Torrie's words. "What? She didn't."

"Don't let that cute act fool you, okay? I would have to be pretty pissed to take Danni on. Let alone Danni _and_ Laura." replied Helen. "Laura's probably the only girl to go toe-to-toe with me, so if Danni puts fear in her by smiling, she freaks me out just by breathing."

"Hmm," Torrie hummed in thought. "But you do want to tell him, right?"

"Every second of the day!" Helen exclaimed. "It's bad enough that I see him every frickin' second of the day!"

Torrie smiled. "So help me tell him Helen. And we'll even leave Scarlett." Helen crossed her arms. "Come on. You and me? We can make a lie that he'll believe. It worked on your aunt, Heather."

"Jayden isn't Heather and I'm not lying to him. Not for Scarlett's sake." stated Helen. "Besides, I'm not dumb Torrie. If you're going to get _my_ ex, you're going to have to play fair. And using Scar's stupidity against her is against the rules."

"Isn't that what you did?" Helen shrugged at the question.

"Point? It wasn't a rule when I did it." Helen said before Scarlett stepped into her doorway. "And speak of the she-devil herself."

"Hey, just here for a little bit. J.T's at his parents'." Scarlett said. "What's going on?"

"Just talking to our lovely cousin." Helen pointed out.

"And we're talking about DeWayne's undying love for you and why you choose to ignore him. Right Helen?" Torrie stated.

"I hate DeWayne." Helen said.

Scarlett looked at Helen and then at Torrie. While a part of her was screaming to her about this scenario, the other part said to let it die and just go hangout with Jayden. And that was the part she was listening to.

"Whatever," Scarlett said. "So I guess I'll see you guys later?"

"Sorry. Long date with the new guy." Helen said before smiling. "Who knows how lucky he'll get today?"

Torrie scoffed. "What are you going to do? Let him carry your purse?"

"No. Just pay for my meal." Helen answered.

Scarlett giggled. "Gee Helen, you make him sound like the luckiest guy on the planet."

"Says the girl who got a freaking _tiara_ for Christmas and gave it _back_." Torrie said. "Seriously Scar, if I were you-"

"But you're not. So let it drop." Scarlett replied. "Besides, we all know you just want me out of the way so you can score your friend's man. And that's just dirty. Even for you."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm a slut and all that stuff," Torrie said as she waved Scarlett off. "But DeWayne gave you a _tiara_! That's like… A tiara!"

"I have to agree with Ditzy," Scarlett looked at Helen as the redhead spoke. "A tiara isn't something that you just come across everyday. Especially the real-deal like you had." Scarlett sighed. "But DeWayne's a loser and you're better off without him."

"Who's a loser and why are we better off without him?" Jayden's voice was followed by his body as he stepped behind Scarlett. "Oh, hey Torrie. I didn't know you were in this episode of Red and her Redhead Cousin."

Helen rolled her eyes. "And that's my cue to leave. Three annoyances in one place isn't my idea of relaxation."

"Speaking of which," Jayden said to Helen. "You mind talking to me for a bit? Kind of one of those things that I just have to let off my chest." Helen sighed heavily. "Please Helen? I promise I won't talk about your Napoleon Complex or-"

"I do _not_ have a frickin' Napoleon Complex!" Helen shouted.

"You know, Napoleon had a short fuse too." Jayden said. "Some called him _short_-tempered. Had something to do with his _little_ patience."

"One more short joke…" Helen threatened.

"I just want to tell you something. It's about what you've been talking to me about since the dance." Jayden said.

"I thought it was." Helen murmured before walking towards the door. "Come on annoying neighbor. Tell me what's wrong."

"Well it all started with my parents…" Jayden began jokingly as he and Helen walked away from Helen's room.

"Well that's odd." Torrie said. "He leaves with the cousin that _doesn't_ want him."

"They're talking." Scarlett snidely said. "Seriously Torrie, why in the _world_ would you even bring that up?"

Torrie shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe because whatever they're talking about is serious and _he_ doesn't want _you_ to know."

"And I'm perfectly fine with that." Torrie, now suspicious as to why Scarlett would respond with that in such a calm manner, raised her brows to show her shock and disbelief. "I am. Helen and J.T are friends and they have some kind of code that stops them from blabbing secrets on each other. They are children of celebrities, you know? It's how they stick together."

"Uh-huh? Well, say what you want, but I'm not buying it." Torrie stated.

"Whatever Torrie." Scarlett said.

"Hey," Both girls looked at Jayden as he came back to Helen's room. "Are you ready? I have to pick the twins up from Bianca's and then go to some dumb dinner with my parents."

"How is it dumb? They're your parents and they want to spend time with you." Scarlett said.

"Because when I went over there I smelt set-up from the kitchen." Jayden replied. "And that's something I don't want to be around, let alone dine on."

"I don't think it's a set-up." Torrie piped in. "Maybe they just want to check in on you. Make sure that you and my daring and naïve cousin hasn't done anything too promiscuous? You know, things that you are rumored to be doing."

Scarlett read the look on Jayden's face as it had changed drastically. In just two short seconds, he went from how he is in school- calm, collected, and generally happy- to how he is whenever Jason's name is brought up- tense, annoyed, and angered. And then, just like that, he laughed.

"Maybe you're right." Jayden said through small chuckles. "But I'd like to have dinner in peace, just for once. And Mr. and Mrs. McDuelle do _not_ know peace. Seven kids and parents that bug them everyday? Nowhere near peaceful."

Torrie smiled. "There's peace at my house."

"From what Laura tells me, I doubt it." Jayden returned with a grin of his own. Scarlett watched as Torrie's smile went from pleasurable to forced and creepy. "Come on Red. I promised I'd help you with your homework and that's exactly what I'll do. Just remember this isn't free."

"When is it ever?" Scarlett questioned as the two walked away.

"Homework…?" Torrie said to herself quietly before scowling. "Like hell Scarlett. What are you _really _doing?"

* * *

Aaron smiled as he, Gabrielle, and Jordan walked down the sidewalk with Farah and her two friends, Chandler and Nigel.

"This isn't just _any_ pair of shoes," Jordan said. "It's _the_ pair to get!"

"And you'll just go and get them dirty." Aaron countered. "So why spend all that money to get them?"

Chandler raised a brow. "Boy A.J, to be so rich, you're really cheap."

"I'm not 'cheap'. I just know how to spend wisely." Aaron said.

Jordan smiled. "And you like to spend wisely for your friends, right? I mean, we're technically siblings A.J."

"No we're not." replied Aaron.

"Yes we are." Jordan argued.

"Then we've committed incest." Jordan's face dropped at Aaron's words, he grinning in victory. "Again: No we're not."

"Okay, okay, point taken. But come on! When's the last time I've asked you to buy me _anything_?" Jordan asked. "Let's see… We were dating so I was entitled to ask for things. And before that, nothing. So therefore, it's like a sum price of all the birthdays and Christmases you haven't gotten me anything."

Aaron sighed. "Good grief…"

"A.J, what time did your parents want us over?" Farah asked.

"You're having dinner with his parents?" Chandler nearly squealed. "Oh my God! Fare, are you kidding?! His dad is only the hottest dad in the world! And Manny is…" Chandler's excitement died once she looked and saw Aaron's small scowl. "I'm sorry A.J…"

"No, it's fine. I have to learn how to deal with people's opinions of my parents." he replied.

Jordan smirked. "And their opinion of your brother."

"And Jay and Danni…" Aaron added.

"I don't think those thoughts about your family A.J." Gabrielle finally said, knowing how much he detested people fantasizing about his siblings or either parent.

"That's because you're so hell-bent on Ashton Manning." Jordan told Gabrielle.

"Um, back to a more important conversation," Chandler said before looking at Farah. "You're having dinner with his parents?!"

"Um, yeah?" Farah responded softly. "It's just dinner Chandler."

"Dinner at his house with his family? I don't think so." Chandler said before sighing dreamily. "It's like those stories where the guy-"

"Get real." Jordan interrupted Chandler.

Chandler frowned. "Sorry. Did my daydreaming somehow ruin yours?"

"In a way, yes." said Jordan. "Because I already _know_ how this thing will go and whether you or Farah has a problem with it doesn't matter." Aaron gave Jordan a warning stare. "…Ashton will eventually leave Vanessa and go right back to Brie."

Although Jordan heard a grunt from Aaron that told her he was not okay with her saying that as well, she brushed it off as a win. Of course, she wanted to say Aaron will eventually leave Farah for Chandra. But she saved that comment for a day where Aaron was being unbearable.

"Okay…" Chandler said before shaking her head. "Anyway. His parents are going to love you Farah! I just know it!"

"I hope so. His mom and Chandra were real close so…" Farah's words slowly died as she tried to imagine just how Aaron's family acted when they were all there.

"Um, I'm going to walk Brie home." Aaron said to the group, causing them all to stare at him. "I'll meet you at Jordan's house, okay Farah?"

"Sure but…" Again, Farah did not say what she wanted to. Instead she just grinned. "Never mind. See you soon."

Aaron nodded and began walking away with Gabrielle by his side. He stopped once Nigel called out to him and pulled him to the side away from Gabrielle. At first he thought that Nigel was going to say something Farah and/or Chandra related and was prepared to become angry, fast. However, Nigel's words completely drained any anger that was in Aaron's body as soon as they came out of his mouth.

"Can you hook me up with Brie?"

Aaron blinked once and then two more times. Had he heard him right?

"Seriously A.J. How do I not look like a nerd in front of her?" Aaron was still slightly dazed since _every male friend_ he had has now asked _him_ for advice on how to date Gabrielle.

"Um, just be yourself?" The statement came out in the form of a question somehow as Aaron was still puzzled by, not only the directness, but the odds of Gabrielle dating Ashton, Dustin, _and_ Nigel. "She doesn't like people who try too hard."

"But she's probably looking for another Ashton right? I mean, you heard what Jordan said. How can I compete with someone as rich as you and has tons of experience in dating and-"

"Okay, I get it." Aaron said laughing quietly. "Seriously Nigel, just be yourself. Who knows? She'll probably ask about you in no time."

"You think?" Aaron saw the faraway gaze in Nigel's eyes as he pondered about that. What was he missing? Was Gabrielle that irresistible?

"I'm pretty certain." Aaron finally said backing away. "I'll talk to you later about it, okay?"

"Sure. Thanks A.J." Nigel said.

"No problem." Aaron returned as he neared Gabrielle.

Gabrielle frowned at Aaron's puzzled face.

"What is it?" she asked.

Aaron stared at Gabrielle for a moment. Sure, she was pretty, but the way Nigel or Ashton explains it, she was some sort of goddess amongst girls. Kind of like how Aaron looked at Chandra and, begrudgingly, Laura. Maybe this is what Jayden was talking about when he explained his feelings for Dakota and Kelly. Aaron, like many other boys, found Kelly attractive. Weird, but overall beautiful. And Dakota was pretty in a dark-chick kind of way. Plus, because of both girls lack of care for what they wear, Aaron has seemed them pretty much in clothes that would have most guys drooling in seconds, Kelly more times than Dakota of course. But Jayden did not see them in that light, or he did and will not admit it.

Was that the brother-sister feeling that Aaron felt for Gabrielle?

"Nothing." Aaron answered. "Just thinking."

Gabrielle nodded as the two continued for her apartment complex. There was something wrong with Aaron and she had a pretty good feeling that it has something to do with what Jordan was going to say. Sadly, Gabrielle agreed with Jordan. Aaron would leave Farah for Chandra. It was predestined.

* * *

"Shane stop it!" Deanna laughed as Shane continued tickling her, holding her down onto his bed. She continued to squeal and laugh loudly as she attempted to get him off of her. "Okay! Okay! Cheese puffs are better than Pretzels!"

"And that's all I wanted to hear." Shane stopped his assault, Deanna gasping hard to regain her breath. Shane looked to see her slightly red face and grinned. "You're beautiful Dee."

"Are you asking to have sex? Because you know we can't while Kelly's in the house." Deanna said.

"No, no, I'm serious. You are." Shane stated. "I guess, in a way, whenever I see you smiling without forcing it, it makes me realize just how beautiful you can be instead of the girl that was attempting to fight Helen back then."

Deanna bit back a gasp. Kelly had told her that Shane, unlike his friend Jayden, had a problem with saying things bluntly. Sometimes Shane something without fully thinking and it could offend people despite him not trying to. However, this was completely opposite. He had inadvertently made her feel _way_ better about herself.

"Thanks Shane." Deanna said quietly.

Shane grinned. "It's true Dee. I honestly thought that you would be a rebound for Nicky but I was wrong. Really wrong. It's kind of like Nicky was a preview to something better. Or-"

"Okay, stop before you say something wrong." Deanna told Shane with a smile. "You've said enough already."

Before Shane could respond, Deanna leaned up to kiss him. When Deanna pulled away, she smiled up at Shane's face, he still hovering over her.

"DeWayne thinks that you're using me for sex." she announced.

Shane frowned. "Really? Why's that?" Deanna shrugged despite the fact that she knew her brother still read her diary. "I guess he still sees you like Nicky and the others do. The ones that actually believe that you used Kelly to get to me."

"Idiots." Deanna said, Shane nodded at her words.

"Yeah. They're all idiots." Shane said leaning in to kiss her again. He was stopped when her finger pressed against his lips. "What?"

"I want to know," Deanna said. "What do you like about me?"

"Well…" Shane began. "You're really pretty, beautiful even. You're smarter than I am and you can draw better than everyone I know, Scarlett included. You're fun and its fun to watch you try to cook. Sex is great and you always have this little glow afterwards. You've been honest to me since-"

"Okay," Deanna cut him off. "That's enough." Shane smiled. "I guess there's only one thing I can say."

"What's that?" questioned Shane.

"I think it's time you met my mom and stepdad."

"What?" Shane replied.

"Oh come on Shane. I've met _your_ parents and stepdad." Deanna returned.

"Yeah but that was different. You were just Kelly's friend when you met my mom and dad." Shane stated. "This is totally different. I don't like your brother and from what Scarlett tells me, I'm not going to like your stepdad either."

Deanna frowned. "Shane Mason, you will have dinner with my parents and that's final. Clear?" Knowing that he either did or died, Shane nodded. Deanna was quite fierce when angered. "There. That's better."

"I'm not going to like it." Shane mumbled before Deanna reversed their positions, putting him beneath her now.

"No." Deanna said. "But you'll like what I do before and afterwards. I promise."

Shane smiled. "What's that? Buy me a new car, princess?"

"I might." Deanna replied before leaning downwards. "Or I might do something a little cheaper."

"You're worth a lot more than a car Dee." Shane said as he put his arms around her. "Way more."

Smiling Deanna kissed Shane once more, this one leading to several more. Her mind continued to remind her that Kelly was in the home and Deanna was indeed a screamer. However she could not care anymore. Shane's comments had shattered her concern and she only wished to repay him. Though a part of her worried what he would do if he ever found out that she did use Kelly in the past. And those thoughts gave her more reasons to enjoy what she had now because she was sure that she would lose him if he knew.

* * *

Aaron took in a deep breath and slowly released it. While his dad and older sister had been what they have always been, Jayden and Manny were a bit distant from Farah all evening long. He figured that they were both on Team Chandra and were diehard loyalists to his ex. Thankfully, Katya and the twins were more than enough to keep Farah preoccupied with question after question, and Scarlett's appearance at the dinner also helped.

"So," Manny began. "How is Chandra? She hasn't stopped by since I've returned."

"She's fine." Farah replied politely. "She's on a date tonight."

"A date?" While Manny's voice showed that she was interested at the topic, Jayden's voice showed his shock.

Farah nodded. "Yeah. She went on a date with this guy named Tevin."

Now it was Danica who had stopped eating.

"Wait a second," she said. "Tevin as in the guy that left Jordan, Tevin?" Again, Farah nodded. "Well that's just dumb."

"I keep trying to tell people that doing dumb things isn't going to solve anything." Jayden said. "But does she want to listen to me? _No_."

"When's Laura coming back?" Jenée asked Jayden, causing him to choke on the food in his mouth.

"Yeah. Laura was fun!" Renée added.

Aaron watched as Jayden secretly looked at Scarlett before clearing his throat to address their younger sisters.

"Laura will be back before Christmas." Jayden said.

"And she will _only_ be staying with you Christmas night." Manny stated. "After Danni told me of the number of times you snuck her over there," Jayden gaped as Danica smirked. "You'll only be spending _one_ night with her or vice versa. I will not be having any more grandkids from you until you graduate."

"But I didn't sneak her over." Jayden pleaded, Danica's grin widening. "I hate you sometimes."

"I love you two little Jay-dee!" Danica cooed.

"Danni," Maxwell spoke. "You'll be watching your siblings and niece and nephew all Christmas Eve. By yourself."

"What? Why?" Danica asked as Katya smiled at the idea.

"You can't out-cheat a master of cheating." Maxwell said, Manny's brows knitting together. "I mean 'cheating' as in not playing fair not infidelity, cheating."

"Uh-huh… Nice save." Manny replied with a small smile.

Aaron watched as Danica and Jayden stared at one another before Danica closed her eyes and straightened her posture.

"Jayden," Danica said in a clear and proper voice. "Would you be a dear and help me watch our siblings and your children _before_ Christmas Eve while I help plan a romantic getaway for you and Miss Laura?"

"Why yes Danica, I will." Jayden responded in the same tone of voice. "And you are forgiven for _lying_ on me."

"And you are forgiven for being born."

"Danni!" Manny chastised.

"I'm just playing." Danica said. "I wouldn't want Scarlett to suffer as well." Scarlett's face asked her question. "Oh come on. A world without that loser beside you is a world that you don't want to live in. Do you?"

"Hmm, I guess you're right." Scarlett said with a smile. "Though I can do with some of his perverted comments."

Manny smiled. "You sound like another girl I know."

"Are you saying that I have a lot of perverted moments?" questioned Maxwell.

"Yeah Mama, are you?" Danica said.

"Not only that," Manny answered. "But a certain Laura Reynolds said the same thing about you, Jayden." Jayden's eyes showed his shock. "Are they wrong?"

"What? I mean, I'm sure they believe that they're right and I'm some sort of pervert but…" Jayden paused. "Laura really put me under the bus like that?"

"She's told me that and much, much, more son." Aaron smirked as he saw Jayden silently gulp at the look Manny gave him. "Just know that your father and I have already talked about it."

"It's only fair to give you a thirty-day head start." Maxwell said. "But I'm sure that's been cut in half by now plus your mother might take it out on me."

"Sorry Jay. Looks like you lose." Danica teased.

Jayden sighed. "Just my luck…" Jayden then looked at Aaron. "Oh don't think I'm going down alone. If I go, we _all_ go."

"I have my own parents to be in trouble with J.T." Scarlett returned.

"You're right." Jayden said. "What's that thing you always say A.J? You know, when things don't really go your way."

"Good grief." Aaron said.

"Yeah. Good grief." Jayden responded.

* * *

Ariana sat up late that night, reading her book while she waited for Eli to return home. Her godfather had left earlier with some guy named Adam, one of his old friends from high school. Ariana had no problem with Adam. Her problem was the thought that just _somehow_ Eli managed to run into Clare on the way to or from wherever Eli and Adam went to.

Seeing a car light shine through her blinds, Ariana got out of her bed and tiptoed towards the window. There she saw all of her fears come together. Standing in the driveway, one Eli Goldsworthy was busy kissing one Clare Edwards! Or Guthrie…? Ariana shook her head. Now was not the time to remember what the woman's legal last name was at the moment. Now was the time to take action.

Throwing her book somewhere near her bed, she stormed out of her room. Her godfather was kissing a married woman, one her mother always told her could get Eli to do things he did not want to. Though, Imogen did specifically say it was out of love, Ariana had created a different approach to this. Clare was manipulative. Clare was time-absorbing. Clare was selfish. These were traits that Ariana got from the old stories Eli and Imogen used to tell her. And these were the traits that Ariana did not want in a stepmom, or step-godmother, or whatever.

Eli was opening the door quietly as Ariana was rounding into the living room. The two stared at one another for a moment before Eli grinned.

"Ah, you're awake. I thought you went out with some friends." Eli stated.

"Drop the act Old Man. You know I don't have friends." Ariana replied.

Eli smirked. "What about _Jayden_."

"He's not a friend. He's a guy that hardly knows me." The teenage girl snapped. "And what were _you_ doing with _Clare_?"

"Spending time with an old friend?" Ariana's eyes hardened.

"Really? I thought you were checking her tonsils with your _tongue_!" Ariana called. "She's _married_ Eli!"

"What I do with Clare is none of your business, Ari." Eli said, his voice becoming the fatherly tone Ariana had grown used to. "So let it drop."

"She's married!" Ariana protested.

"…" Eli knew he lost that argument. "Let it drop Ari."

"Mom was right," Ariana said. "You really do stupid things for Clare."

Eli could not say anything before Ariana stormed off to her room. Sadly, he understood what Ariana's problem was. She didn't want to be alone. In fact, that was her only reason for not wanting to come back. The people that knew and cared about her were Montreal. Her father's family didn't really want Ariana and she knew very little about her mother's side of the family. Eli was literally the only person Ariana had to go to at the moment. But he hoped, more like prayed, that that would change soon. Whether it be this Jayden character or someone else, he just wanted Ariana to find a friend. A true friend at that.

Because only then would she lay off of Clare.


	116. S4 Episode XIV: Need You Now Pt I

**Episode XIV: Need You Now Pt. I**

Steven sighed as he counted the days down in his head. It was taking forever for him to be released from this hellhole, but he could manage. On the bright side, there really wasn't anything for him to complain about anymore. People just seemed to leave him alone now. No questions about his dad or mom or sister. Just peace.

That is, until his door opened.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Steven asked.

Dakota sighed. "I came to talk to you."

"Why? Did Angie tell you to come too?" Dakota nodded. "Well you're here. Now go."

"Steven look-"

"I don't want to talk to you." Steven interrupted.

"Good. Then shut the hell up and listen." Steven was taken back a bit at Dakota's words, sitting up in his bed. "I don't expect you to like me anytime soon, nor do I really care. I just want to remind you that as much as we hate each other, we're siblings."

"Half-siblings." Steven corrected.

"Siblings." Dakota continued. "And we're stuck with each other for the rest of our lives." Steven scoffed. "I don't know why you're so angry at me. I've done nothing to you except watch Ashton and Lily when you didn't want to."

"Why am I so angry at you?" Steven hissed. "Because when you were in here, they let you go within a few weeks. I've been in here for _months_!"

"I was in here on a first-time basis. You've already been arrested for pill usage, and now they have you for weed and alcohol. What did you expect was going to happen?" Dakota argued.

"Oh shut up. It's not like-"

"You beat a little girl? Because you did." Dakota interrupted. "Steven, I don't get it. _You_ are the favorite child. _You_ are the one that always gets off easy. Why isn't that enough?"

"I don't want to be the 'favorite' child," replied Dakota's older brother. "I want to be the _only_ child."

"Well that's too bad. Because you're not." Dakota said.

"But _you_ are." Steven pointed out. "Your mom only has one child, you. And you get everything you want with your new rich dad and your rich friends."

Dakota sighed. "I give up."

"Then go." Steven stated.

"Fine," Dakota responded. "Just know that as much as I can't stand to see your face, I still love you as my brother. And I don't want anything too bad to happen to you." Steven was shocked at her words, her hand already on the doorknob. "But I don't expect you to think the same about anyone else."

Dakota left Steven in his room, closing his door behind her. Steven stared at the door for a moment before lying back on his bed.

"Good riddance." he muttered as he closed his eyes.

* * *

Aaron groaned at the sound of his cell phone vibrating. He had planned on sleeping in today due to the massive headache he gained from last night's dinner. Fortunately Farah thought that his family was somewhat normal. How, he didn't even ask. But his headache was coming from his parents and older siblings, collectively known as Team Bambi. They were the cause of his migraine.

"Hello?" Aaron said, not even caring who was on the other line.

"Hey A.J." Aaron's eyes immediately opened at Chandra's voice. "Did I wake you?"

"Sort of. Danni and Jay were pretty annoying last night." Aaron replied, gaining a giggle from Chandra.

"Glad that some things haven't changed." Chandra responded.

"Is everything okay?" Aaron questioned.

"Yeah! Yeah, everything is great. Too great actually." Aaron frowned at Chandra's words. Could that mean that her date with Tevin went flawless? "I'm going out with Tevin later on and I wanted to get out before then. _But_ Vanessa's doing something with her parents and I don't really want to listen to Brie's silence all day." Aaron smiled at that. "So I was thinking you could come over? Possibly without my cousin, if you don't mind."

"Sure Bambi. I didn't have anything planned today anyway." Chandra released a held breath.

"Good. The last thing I wanted was you changing your day with Farah or Jordan just to be with me." she said. "So be here soon? You know, after you find a ride and get dressed and all that good stuff."

Aaron smiled. "Yeah, I'll be there soon Bambi. Just don't have a panic attack waiting for me."

"Watch it Santos. You're starting to sound like your friend." Chandra reprimanded jokingly. "See you soon A.J."

"Sure Bambi." Aaron said before they hung up. Aaron threw his head back on his pillow and sighed heavily. "And now I need to talk to Jayden… Good grief…"

* * *

The doorbell rang once more, this one followed by another impatient ring.

"Coming!" Clare said before opening the door. "Oh! Hello Ari. How are you?"

"Save it." Ariana said. "I came here to tell you one thing." Ariana pointed to Clare. "Stay away from my dad. You're married and you drove him to brink of insanity once. Stay with your husband and leave him alone, understand?"

"Ari your dad and I are friends. We-"

"I saw you last night in the driveway." Clare's lips pressed together at Ariana's statement. "Just stay away from him."

With that, Ariana turned around and stepped off of Clare's porch, heading back for her house across the street. Clare stood motionless before closing the door and sighing heavily. What was she doing? Would she really do the same thing her dad did to her mom? Was she really one to commit infidelity even though it went against all her principles as a woman? Was Eli worth it?

Clare paused in her thoughts. Wasn't he always worth it? But Ariana's involvement could cause more problems than there already was. And that was something Clare did not need, more problems.

Clare moved and grabbed her cell phone from the table and pressed three. The phone dialed the number assigned to the speed-dial setting and Clare smiled once she heard someone answer.

"Hey, Alli," Clare said. "Can you meet me up somewhere? We really need to talk."

* * *

Dahlia Hughes watched her daughter float around the house with a wide smile before giving her mother a peck on the cheek and her stepdad a hug.

"Morning!" Deanna said happily before sitting at an empty seat at the table, waiting to be served whatever the cooks had prepared for breakfast.

"You seem awfully pleased," Mr. Hughes said. "Anything you want to tell us?"

"Nothing to say." Deanna replied, her mother and stepdad just staring at her while DeWayne shook his head. "What?"

"Deanna, you're practically glowing." Mrs. Hughes stated. "I haven't seen you this happy in a long time."

Deanna smiled. "I guess it's because I've been having a pretty good school year."

"Uh-huh? Who is he Deanna?" Deanna's smile did not falter, though DeWayne could see his sister shift a bit under their mother's gaze.

"His name is Shane Mason. His parents own The Dot and Mason's." Deanna answered, the two adults exchanging glances. "He's simply the greatest! He's Kelly's brother and plays on the football team at Degrassi. He's the guy that's been helping me learn how to cook. Well, he, Kelly, and their dad, that is."

"A business man? I like that." Mr. Hughes said.

"And one that seems to put a smile on Deanna's face," Mrs. Hughes added. "So when do we meet him?"

"Oh, uh, I don't know. He's kind of busy so…" Deanna paused as she saw DeWayne's nearly hidden smirk. "But I think I can work something out real soon."

"Good. He sounds like a nice young man." Mrs. Hughes responded. "So long as he isn't like half the other young boys in the world, then I'm alright with you two. You know, the type that only likes sex and other things."

"Shane is nothing like that." Deanna assures. "In fact, he's almost perfect."

"Almost?" Mrs. Hughes parroted with a grin.

Deanna face scrunches up. "He snores."

Oddly enough, the two adults at the table laughed at Deanna's obvious hatred for snoring. Neither seemed to care how Deanna knew Shane snored or why she would even be bothered by his snoring if she was supposedly wide awake and not in his room. There laughter caused Deanna to look at her brother for an answer, though she was sure he would be just as clueless- if not more- as she was.

"Weird." Deanna said quietly.

* * *

Chandra opened the front door to her house, smiling at Aaron's appearance.

"For a second there I thought you left me for Japan again." Chandra joked, allowing Aaron to enter.

"I thought you said your mom was here?" Aaron questioned.

"Oh she'll be back." replied Chandra. "She said she had an emergency, which translates to her friends in need." Aaron nodded. "So… Want to go watch a movie or just talk or something?"

"…" Aaron stood silently as he thought about his choices. He then settled with asking one question before watching a movie. "You're happy with Tevin, right?"

Chandra, unprepared for the question, stopped in her progress towards the stairs. She figured that the thought of her dating Tevin was enough to rattle Aaron just a little, but he did not sound jealous at all. In fact, he sounded as if he just really wanted to know. But he had to be a _little_ troubled by her dating Tevin, right?

"He's pretty great. Even pays for whenever we go out." Aaron nods at Chandra's words, following her into the den. "Plus I do have a backstage pass for whenever Alternate Zero plays. And nothing beats hearing a song made for you."

"So you're happy with Tevin?" Aaron repeated.

Chandra looked at him. "Why do you want to know so badly?"

"Because it's what I want to talk about." Aaron said. Chandra sighed and moved for the couch, Aaron following her. "Bambi, I know I've been everything but helpful to you these past weeks. In fact, I wouldn't be mad if you just outright stated you hated me."

"I don't hate you A.J." Chandra said, the two now sitting on the couch.

"I kind of wish you did." Chandra's eyes widened. "I've done bad things to you Bambi. Dating Farah is something that I should've never done, least not to you. But I… I don't know. I just really couldn't say no to her."

"I really don't want to know that." Chandra muttered.

"I know," said Aaron. "But I need to know one thing from you." Chandra gave him a questioning look. "Are you done trying to make me mad Bambi? Because it worked."

Chandra could see a reflection of herself in Aaron's eyes. He was beyond hurt by her choice of boyfriend, much like she was in his choice in girlfriend. There was anger in his eyes as well, plus a bit of loneliness. These are things she felt when he had danced with Farah instead of her.

"I'm sorry A.J." Chandra said quietly.

Aaron smiled. "I'm the one that's supposed to be sorry Bambi."

Chandra returned his smile with one of her own. They sat with small grins before Chandra felt a familiar attraction pulling her towards Aaron. Likewise, Aaron leaned in as well and they found their lips pressed together lightly. Both of them knew that the light kiss was wrong yet neither cared as they pressed their lips harder against one another, deepening their kiss. And the one after that. And the next couple afterwards. Soon Chandra had found herself pushing Aaron against the back of the couch, her body moving onto his lap. The hormones raging through their bodies right now had completely overridden any form of common sense as they kissed frantically on the couch, Chandra's body grinding into Aaron's. Not knowing what he was doing and just going with instincts, Aaron found Chandra's neck and gave it a nice wet kiss, sucking on it a bit.

"Aaron…" Aaron snapped back into reality when he heard Chandra's mewl. His lips paused on her neck and he stared up at her. "A.J?"

"Bambi… We can't." Aaron replied.

"No. No!" Chandra said. "We can! We just have to stop before we go that far."

"But Farah and Tevin and-"

"I love you Aaron Jordan Santos." Chandra told him, cupping his face. "Why can't that be enough for you to break one rule?"

Aaron only stared at Chandra's pleading face. They were both in the eighth grade, nowhere near the age that his parents met. But something told him that this was the same. They loved each other like Maxwell loved Manny and vice versa. They loved each other just like Jayden and Laura did.

Aaron closed his eyes. "You'll only make me as bad as Jayden."

Chandra smiled. "You'll always be better than your brother A.J." Aaron looked at Chandra's smiling face. "Even if you do actually walk away right now."

"And you'll always be better than your cousin, Bambi."

With that declaration, the two resumed their previous make-out session. While Chandra has been in a similar position with Oliver over the summer, Aaron had not. He was simply just doing what felt right. His hands went up and down her sides and he was pretty sure that his lips would be bruised by the time he left. But nothing mattered. Not Drew or Alli showing up or Farah and Tevin finding out. Not even Aaron's own morality mattered at the moment. What felt right at the time was Chandra in his hands, rocking into each kiss.

Yet, he knew that he would have to talk to Jayden about this later. Cheating was something his brother had grown good at over the last year, so this would be Jayden's forte.

* * *

Scarlett knocked on Danica's apartment door quietly, unsure if Jaylen and Daniella were sleeping or not. She waited for a moment before the door opened to reveal Danica. Scarlett gave the young woman a small smile.

"You look pissed. J.T leave you with the kids today?" Scarlett said, Danica's face forming into a familiar scowl. "Seriously Danni, what's wrong?"

"Jayden's not here and I really don't have time to talk to you." Danica said snidely.

"Okay, seriously, what's going on? What did I do?" Scarlett asked.

Scarlett's heart rate climbed tenfold when Danica's hand quickly shot out and grabbed the girl by her collar, roughly pulling her into the apartment. Scarlett felt the wind from the door as Danica slammed it and pointed to the couch. Scoffing silently, Scarlett sat down while Danica stormed off for her bedroom. Danica soon reentered the living room, holding something in her hands.

"You know Scarlett, I thought you were one of the few people in this world that knew that when it came to my family, I will beat the living hell out of anyone who tries to harm them." Danica spoke. "Sure, I can be real mean and bitchy to Jayden and the others, but I'm their older sister. It's what I do. Bitch and protect them. Are you understanding this?"

"Yeah but-"

"And then comes along Laura." Danica continued. "And, oh, how Jayden was _so_ in love with her. I gave Laura hell because, at first, I didn't think she was worth him. I thought of her as some whore that just wanted to score big by fucking some rich guy's son, no matter who it was. Fortunately, I was wrong about her and she's a better person than half the people I know."

"Okay but-"

"Do you know why I trust Laura now?" Scarlett shook her head until Danica revealed a piece of paper that caused Scarlett's eyes to widen. "Because of this. This is the DNA test my grandma forced Laura to take while still pregnant to ensure that her children were Jayden's. And do you know what the real funny part is?" Again, Scarlett shook her head, too afraid to say anything. "The funny thing is that Jayden said _regardless_ of the results, he would _always_ be the kids' father. He loved Laura that much that he didn't care about some dumbass paternity test or what the public thought. Hell, he didn't care what our mother thought and Jayden treasures her opinion more than anyone's in the world!"

"Okay Danni but-"

"Don't act like you don't know, _Scarlett_." Scarlett flinched at how Danica hissed her name out. "You went to get another test done and didn't think that _I_ would find out about it? I should kill you now and save Laura the trouble!"

"But I had to know Danni! I just had to find out if they were his or not!" Scarlett pleaded.

"For what?!" Danica roared. "They are not your kids! Hear that? They. Are. Not. Your. Kids! They're his with Laura!"

"But I didn't know that at the time." Scarlett said quietly.

"Why does it matter?" asked Danica. "Why can't you be glad that he actually gives a damn about you? That he would actually go through with being here instead of paying his way through school in London with Laura? Because of you."

"I'm sorry Danni. I really am." Scarlett stated.

"You're _sorry_? What are you sorry for? Tell me." Scarlett opened her mouth but no words formed. She pressed her lips together and thought while Danica began pacing. "And do you know how _I_ feel about this? You're not just Jayden's ex, you're my friend Scarlett. You didn't just go behind his back, you went behind mine as well."

"I…" Scarlett began. "I love him Danni and I didn't want him to be stuck in a relationship that he didn't want to be in because he thought those kids were his."

"He's not stuck in a damn relationship!" Danica snapped.

"Then why does he look at me the way he does?!" Scarlett retorted. "Why does he push Laura in the farthest part of his mind when we kiss or when he just holds me? If Laura was so important, he would just walk away like he did when she was here. But I don't think she is. I don't think-"

Scarlett immediately hushed when Danica's fist slammed on the countertop. The woman glared at Scarlett angrily before taking in a deep breath.

"I want you to get this through your skull," Danica said lowly. "Jayden does not have any intentions of leaving Laura for you. Not now at least. I know so from experience when I was actually trying to break them apart and failed miserably, just like you, just like my mom, just like everyone else."

"But-"

"No. You may think that he pushes Laura to the farthest part of his mind or whatever dumb shit you just said, but in reality, he doesn't." Danica interrupted. "In truth, every time, and I mean _every freaking time_, he leaves you or whoever he was with, he comes home and calls her. If she doesn't answer, he leaves a message, texts her, and leaves her an e-mail or something. You are nothing more but a small break away from him worrying about his girlfriend. Nothing more and nothing less."

"No. I'm more than that." Scarlett said standing up. "And I'll prove it."

"You can't prove something as nonexistent as that." Scarlett glared at Danica.

"Yes I can." Scarlett spoke angrily. "Just because you _think_ that he's more in love with Laura than he is with me doesn't mean it's true."

"You're starting to sound like a little bitch." Scarlett scoffed at Danica's words. "He loves Laura. And trust me, I really did try to find some way to make it so that you and him _might_ have a snowball's chance. But it isn't happening. Not now, not ever."

"Then I just have to try harder." Scarlett said.

"Dammit Scarlett! Stop trying to split them up!" Danica shouted before sighing heavily. "Just don't. Not now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Stop trying and settle with having him until Laura returns."

Scarlett crossed her arms. "And what if I don't want to?"

"Truthfully, I will use all the knowledge of the human anatomy and martial arts that I possess and find some way to kill you in ten seconds or less." Danica threatened. "Because I know that _if_ Laura got in trouble killing you, Jayden would never forgive Laura for getting caught, you for being an ass, and me for not stopping Laura."

"So you're saying that you're doing this all for him?" questioned Scarlett.

"The only reason Jayden doesn't know about it now is because he woke up in a fairly good mood and I didn't want to ruin his day." Danica answered.

"You don't care for him that much. Even I know that." Scarlett said.

"Don't you _ever_ say that again!" Danica snapped. "I do more for my siblings than most people do for their damn kids! And _you_, the most selfish of them all, really shouldn't speak about caring for others! If you did _half_ the things for your family rather than being your selfish self, Jayden wouldn't even _have_ kids in the first place!"

"How-"

"Because I helped you get him from _your_ cousin? Or do you not remember that?" Scarlett heard the sour tone Danica was using and truly hated every second of it.

"Helen and I have gotten over that." Scarlett stated.

"Gotten over it? There shouldn't be anything to get over in the first place." Danica said. "I bust my ass making sure that A.J stays a Santos and Kitty has her older sister around even though I _need_ to be on the other side of the world and what do you do? You whine when your cousin gets a guy you didn't have the spine asking out in the first place."

"It wasn't even like that." argued Scarlett. "It was because I didn't want to go to the dance with him. But I've changed since then."

"We all change Scarlett. Doesn't mean you've changed for the better." Danica pointed out.

"I have." Scarlett stated.

"Then prove it." Danica said. "Do me, a _friend_ of yours, a favor and take the burden of telling Jayden that you got a paternity test done off of my shoulders."

"I…" Scarlett began.

"Or face the fact that you're still spineless and that after I tell him, I will ruin you." Danica said. "Physically, emotionally, mentally. I will do it all. I will put every unflattering secret of yours on every TV show. I will make sure that dirty slut songs are made in your honor. And most importantly, I will use my two hands and hurt you. Do you hear me Scarlett? I will hurt you in ways that you'd wish that I would've killed you."

"And why wouldn't you?" Scarlett asked.

"Because I know you too well," Danica answered. "The thought that Jayden truly hates you is worse than death in your opinion." Scarlett inhaled deeply. Danica was right about that. "You will be left with no one but your parents. And even then, I would ruin their reputation just so you would suffer."

"Why? Why go through all this if Jayden is ultimately going to be with Laura and I'm ultimately going to be the one that loses?" Scarlett asked.

"Because he's my baby brother." Danica said. "And I would hurt anyone that tries to harm him, Aaron, Katya, Christian, Jenée, or Renée."

"Really?" Scarlett questioned.

"Really." Danica said. "Now see your way out my apartment and the next time you come back, Jayden better personally invite you over. No more stopping by whenever, understand?"

"You can't stop me from-"

"Scarlett. Don't push me." Scarlett only stared at Danica, seeing a side of the woman that she had never personally seen before. She has heard about it from Jayden, but never seen it for herself. "Go. And don't forget that you will have to be the one that tells him what you did."

"I don't want to." Scarlett spoke.

"You tell him or I do. And you don't want that." Danica said moving for the door. She opened it. "Now get the hell out of my apartment."

Scarlett sighed heavily, but walked into the hall. She stopped and turned to see Danica in the doorway, the woman's face still showing her anger.

"Danni, I'm truly sorry. I-" The door slammed in Scarlett's face, causing her to sigh. "Never mind."

* * *

Ariana sat at a park bench, angrily tapping her fingers on the table.

"Well, well, well," Jayden's voice slowly calmed Ariana down for a moment. She looked to see him pushing his twins in a stroller towards the table. "If it isn't Miss Martian herself."

Ariana scowled. "You're calling me weird."

"Martians aren't weird. They're different and mostly nonexistent." Jayden replied with a smile. He sat beside her with a sigh. "So why are you out here alone without any friends?"

"I was out here with my only friend. Myself." Ariana shot back. "And why are you over here? Don't you have somewhere you need to be? A concert maybe?"

"Today I'm just being a dad. Though these two fell asleep a while back and I've been talking to myself." said Jayden before he sighed. "I'm really going to like it when they're able to talk back to me. I feel kind of stupid talking to two babies all the time."

"Well at least your dad isn't cheating on your mom. You have the perfect family." Ariana returned.

Jayden laughed. "I have a perfect family? Really? Did you happen to see that my last name is the most abnormal one there is?"

"Point?" Ariana said. "My dad-"

"Is seeing that Clare woman? So what? She's the cheater, right?" Ariana huffed angrily. "Okay, okay, wrong thing to say. But hey, look on the bright side."

"What? You're rich and famous?" Ariana asked.

"No. You get to see my perfect kids." Jayden stated with a smile. "And it's a beautiful day outside."

Ariana looked at the passing clouds above her before looking back at Jayden.

"You have a small point there." Ariana said hotly. "But I still don't want my dad seeing Clare Edwards."

"But do you know what you do want?" Ariana frowned. "Ice cream. Lots and lots of ice cream. And I just so happen to be on my way to get some. So what do you say?"

"No. I don't go on dates with strangers." Ariana stated.

"Uh, it's not a date and I thought we were passed the stranger stage?" Jayden said.

Ariana stood up. "No, we're not. You're just some guy that I have to see. And I don't want to see you all the time. So stop finding me."

"I can't be a friend?" Jayden asked.

"No!" Ariana snapped at him.

"Why?"

"Because!" Ariana stopped and looked at his sleeping infants. "Because we aren't. No one wants to be friends with me."

Jayden stood up, standing directly in front of Ariana. She gasped when his hands landed on her shoulders gently and then guided her to sit back down at the bench. He sat beside her once more with a smile.

"Ariana, you are my friend. You're one of the easiest people to talk to." Jayden said calmly. "So just tell me about your old man and Clare and we'll find something out together."

Ariana snorted. "Right. Because you're a master manipulator."

"Ah, you would be surprised." Jayden said before looking at his children. "In fact, these two are products of an illicit affair gone well. So I might be able to give you some insight on what may be a great thing in disguise."

"I don't want them to fall in love. I don't want Eli anywhere near her!" Ariana said. "I just want them to be separated and Eli won't be messing with some married woman."

Jayden sat quietly, staring at the sky, before he looked at Ariana.

"So… How about that ice cream?" Ariana stared at Jayden before sighing heavily.

"You're paying." Ariana responded.

Jayden smiled. "Sure." Jayden's smile disappeared at the sound of one of the twins crying. "But right after they get fed and changed first."

Ariana huffed. "Whatever."

* * *

Scarlett sat on her bed and sighed. Her eyes drifted to her window that faced the McDuelle household. She had no idea on how Danica found out about what she had done, but she knew she had to tell Jayden before Danica did. Not that it would really matter, since he would be pissed either way. But if Scarlett could get to Jayden first, she would at least be able to explain to him why she did it.

"Hey Scar, thought that was you." Helen said. "Hey? What's wrong?"

"Danni knows." Scarlett said. "She knows and she's pissed and I'm thinking if she tells Jayden how he'll react plus there's Laura and-"

"Okay! Slow down!" Helen stated. "Start with Danni found out and work your way from there."

Scarlett sighed heavily. "I screwed up Helen. I should have never gotten that stupid test." Helen nodded. "The least you could do is be sympathetic."

"I don't have sympathy for those who choose to be stupid, Scar." replied Helen. "You knew that it was stupid _before_ you did it. I just hate that Danni knows and not Laura. Life just went from bad to worse."

"Why would I want Laura to know? That's worse than Danni knowing!" Scarlett questioned.

"Because Laura isn't going to do anything but tell Jayden. But Danni… Danni's going to use that information against you for the rest of your life." Helen explained. "And I really do feel sorry for you, but you kind of brought this onto yourself. It's not like I can do anything about it."

"You can talk-"

"Scarlett, I'm not fixing your mistake." Helen said. "You did it so you can fix it."

"But how?" Scarlett asked.

"I don't know." Helen responded. "Look, if the worst thing happens and Jayden never forgives you, at least you know DeWayne still likes you."

"This is serious Helen." Scarlett told her cousin.

"I was being serious…" Helen deadpanned.

Scarlett sighed heavily. "What am I going to do? Danni's pissed at me, Jayden doesn't know, and Torrie's just…" Scarlett paused. "Wait a minute. Didn't you say you talked to Torrie today?"

Helen nodded. "Yeah. She said she was going to go hangout with some friends. Totally Jayden unrelated."

"Then you know that it _is_ Jayden-related right?" Scarlett said.

"Oh I know," Helen responded. "I just don't really care considering that you two look like lost fan-girls chasing him around. It's sad really but that's what you're born for. To give people like me entertainment."

"I'm glad you think my life is entertaining now help me figure something out." Helen smiled at Scarlett's statement.

"Scar, my dear cousin, do you know why I think you're so slow sometimes?" Scarlett nearly growled at Helen for the comment. "Because you put yourself in these situations without thinking. And now, once more, I bring up the fact that Torrie knows, _Danni_ knows, and I'm doing my best to keep something this big away from him."

"Helen I don't need you-"

"He's falling in love with you Scarlett and you don't even realize it." Helen announced. "That's what we were talking about. He's having problems accepting his love for you."

"Damn…" Scarlett muttered.

"Yeah," Helen said quietly. "It's one of those things that you're not supposed to know. He fears that Laura may suspect something and he's afraid of losing her. But at the same time, he doesn't want to lose you either."

"How do I get him?" Scarlett asked her cousin. "How do I finally make him mine again?" Helen stood quiet. "Helen please. If there's a chance, I need to know."

"I'm not going to be the one that tells you." Helen answered. "For once, ruining Laura's life isn't on my agenda."

"Why?" Scarlett nearly growled.

"Because I know how she feels." Helen said a bit angrily. "Tyler? I was happy with him and he was happy with me. Heck, if I went back up to him I'm sure he'd take me back. But as soon as I left for Miami, Mary-Jane came back into his life and took him. She did to me what you're doing to Laura. The only difference is Laura is confident enough that in the end Jayden will choose her while I never gave Tyler the choice in the first place."

Scarlett sat quietly now. She hardly cared about Tyler or Mary-Jane, but Helen's happiness was of some importance to her. At the same time, she honestly thought that Jayden, as well as Tyler, has the right to say who they do or do not want to be with. If Tyler cared for Helen, he would not have let Mary-Jane in his apartment in the first place. Just like if Jayden cared for Laura, he would not have agreed to Laura's plan at all.

"You should probably get to writing," Helen remarked. "When Danni kills you, I'd like to own my car completely."

"There won't be any killing." Scarlett said. "I'm going to get Jayden once and for all."

"Scar-"

"No buts Helen." Scarlett stated. "I'm sick of all this Laura talk and how deeply in love with her everyone thinks he is."

Helen frowned. "Well genius, how do you plan on telling him about the paternity test?"

"You let me worry about that." Scarlett answered before rising. "In the meantime, I'm going to do what I should've done from day one. Go to him and tell him."

"Good luck." Helen said walking out of Scarlett's room. "You're going to need it."

Scarlett sighed quietly. She prayed that Jayden was still in a good mood and that Danica had left the apartment by now. Only then would she have good luck.

* * *

Aaron walked out of Chandra's house, Chandra coming out behind him and closing the door quietly.

"Well, that could've gone better." Chandra said.

"Your dad hates me now, doesn't he?" Aaron questioned.

Chandra laughed. "A.J, it's not like he hasn't walked in on us kissing before." Aaron nodded causing Chandra to think. "He hasn't? Ever?"

"Never." Aaron simply said.

"Oh…" Chandra said. "Well, then he might hate you just a little bit." Aaron sighed. "But, hey, look on the bright side. At least he didn't kick you out. He doesn't let Tevin out of his sight when he stops by."

Aaron smiled lightly. "I guess I should feel good about that." Chandra smiled until she saw Aaron's smile fade. "But… You do know that now we're cheating. And I'm not a cheater."

"You are now." commented Chandra. "So deal with it Mr. Santos or else."

"How did I let you talk me into that?" Aaron questioned, Chandra just smiling. "You're really something else Bambi. You truly are."

"You should probably get going. Tevin'll be here in about ten minutes and I really don't want you, him, and my dad at the same place at the same time. Especially not after that." Aaron nodded at Chandra's words.

"Right." Aaron said. "Um, call me?"

Chandra smirked. "Well look at you. Already planning on cheating on my cousin Aaron?"

"I…" Aaron started to say but failed to come up with a response.

Chandra giggled. "Of course I'll call you. Who else do I have to call except Vanessa?"

Aaron sighed and then smiled. "Whatever Bambi. I'll talk to you later."

Aaron began walking down the walkway towards the driveway. Chandra noted that he, unlike Tevin, never cut through the lawn to get to the sidewalk. Which was good considering how picky Drew was about people walking through the lawn.

"A.J!" Chandra called as she caught up to Aaron. Aaron turned around before she gave him one final kiss. "See you later."

"Yeah…" Aaron responded as Chandra jogged back to the door to get inside and face Drew.

Despite feeling guilty about cheating on Farah, Aaron smiled. He had never thought about doing something so scandalous in his life such as infidelity or the lower form, but this seemed different. To him, he was more or less rebuilding a stronger relationship with the girl he truly wanted while keeping Farah pleased and in the dark about what had just occurred. His only problem now was finding a way to break-up with Farah, which meant he had to talk to the right person for the job.

Jordan Cameron.

* * *

Dakota sighed as she flopped on the bed, her cell phone in hand.

"I don't know Laura," Dakota said. "He's just… Difficult."

"Most men are Dash. I thought you knew that now." Laura responded.

Dakota rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. I can't even say hello to him without him blaming me for our dad's affair with my mom."

"I say you just forget him Dash. It's not like he or your dad really gives a damn anyway." Dakota nodded at Laura's words. The girl had a point. "Besides, I like Silas _way_ better. He's definitely one of the greatest dads in the world."

"You're just saying that because you're a fan of his music." Dakota pointed out.

"And your point is?" Dakota laughed a bit at Laura's response. "Seriously Dash, as much as I _loved_ listening to your family issues, I think you should just live for yourself just once."

"I did, remember? I ended up in rehab and my face in tabloids." Dakota replied.

"But I have a better idea." Laura said. "How about you hop on a plane and meet me in Italy? I'll show you _my_ new house down there and everything!"

"Don't you mean Jayden's house?" Dakota questioned. For some reason, she could practically see Laura rolling her eyes or waving her off at the statement.

"His house, my house, same damn thing. He's the one talking about marriage and all that stuff." said Laura.

"You don't want to marry him?" Dakota asked.

"God, if I could do it tomorrow and not miss school so my teachers would hop off my back, I would. Honestly." Laura said. "The only problem is we're so busy. I want to be married when we're both ready and there's nothing in our way."

"Scarlett?" Dakota said.

"Exactly," Laura responded. "But enough about that. My boyfriend slash baby daddy slash soon-to-be fiancé is still half-ass and has to make sure that no one feelings gets hurt." Laura paused. "Maybe you two are related. Only you two and A.J worry so much about everyone else."

"Gee Laura, thanks for the compliment." Dakota blandly stated. "Why not tell me how perfect your life is than mine?"

Laura sighed. "I wish I could but I have tests to prepare for. Oh! By the way, I saw _your_ hubby performing at some small concert thingy in Cali. I must say great pick!"

Dakota laughed. "Yeah, he's kind of-"

"Drop-dead sexy? You bet your ass!" Laura laughed. "Seriously Dash, I always knew that you had some sort of minx side of you but damn! You scored the ringleader!"

"And you didn't?" Dakota responded.

"Again, not the point." Laura returned. "You have this great guy and yet you're worried about your douche bag brother."

"Douche or not, he's still my brother." Dakota said. "And I would just like to breathe one moment of my life where I'm not breathing his air or occupying his space, you know?"

Laura laughed a bit. "Yeah, I hear you."

"Then why are you laughing?" Dakota questioned.

"Picturing how your kids will look like." Dakota blanched. "I could so see you having a kid that wears those big squared glasses with tape in the middle, fiery red hair that stands out and-"

"They'd be your godchildren so you might want to take that back." Dakota said, ending Laura's rant.

"You're right." Laura said before sighing. "Damn, that sucks."

"What's wrong?" Dakota asked.

"I…" Laura said. "I just miss lying with him, you know? I may not care for all of that mushy stuff, but there seriously isn't any better way to wind down than to lie in Jayden's arms and hear him hum. We'd crack a few jokes, kiss here and there, but ultimately would fall asleep. Wake up and joke with Danni while he cooks. And every time Danni would look away he would grab my-"

"Okay, too much," Dakota interrupted before sighing herself. "Man, was it always that peaceful with him?"

"Yeah, it really was." Laura responded. "In fact, the other day, I was thinking about coming back. Permanently." Dakota gasped. "Don't worry. Danni and my dad talked me out of it. Plus Danni assured me that Jayden's not really into Scarlett like he once was, but I doubt she's telling the truth."

"Hmm…" Dakota hummed.

"Shit, I have to go." Laura said. "Dammit Sarah! I'm coming!"

"What's wrong with her?" Dakota said.

Laura groaned. "She's about to kill the douche that doesn't want anything to do with her son. Gotta go make sure that my friend doesn't get arrested."

"Go ahead. Call me later?" Dakota said.

"Like always." Laura stated. "Tell that asshole of a brother of yours I said call me or else he won't see the lingerie I bought."

"Ew." Dakota said. "Bye Laura."

"Bye." Laura said hanging up.

Dakota lied in her bed before shivering.

"Man they're gross." Dakota said to herself, trying to erase all thoughts of Laura in lingerie.

* * *

Jayden sighed as he heard the knocking on the door. With Danica currently sleeping away some headache, it was up to him to answer the door if anyone should stop by.

"Hi there," Torrie said to Jayden once he opened the door and saw her. "Just came by to check on my best-friend's boyfriend."

Jayden sighed. "Torrie, let's be honest, okay? You're not Laura's best-friend."

"I guess you're right." Torrie stated. "So… Can I come in?"

"Twins and the big sis are sleeping, so that's a no. If you somehow scream and one of them wakes up, I'm in for hell." Jayden said stepping outside of the apartment and leaving the door slightly ajar. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I need you to be honest with me," Torrie replied. "Why don't you like me as much as you do Scarlett?"

"Well that's an easy one," Despite hating what he said and how he said it, Torrie remained calm on the outside. "You see, Red and I are really close while you and I are not. See? Simple."

"But how do you know that I'm not better if you don't try to get close to me?" Torrie asked.

"Why does it matter? Laura's not staying in England forever." stated Jayden. "Scarlett knows just as much as you do that once Laura returns that's who I'm going to be with."

"Is that really why?" Torrie questioned, standing closer to Jayden.

"Honesty is my middle name." Jayden replied.

"Then you won't mind kissing me?" Jayden now frowned.

"Kissing you? Uh, let's not and say we did, okay? The last thing I need is for Laura-" Jayden would never get his words out as Torrie latched her lips onto his. Her arms gripped the back of his head tightly as she pulled him deeper into the kiss.

And while Jayden was loathing every second of it, he did not see Scarlett standing in the hallway shocked. In Scarlett's mind, Danica had told Jayden about the paternity test and now Jayden was out to get even. Tears in her eyes, she left the scene.

Torrie stepped away from Jayden with a wide grin.

"Nice, right?" Torrie asked as she untangled herself from Jayden.

"Half of my mind says to just walk away," Jayden began.

"But you want more right?" Torrie added.

"And the other half says to risk it and kick your scrawny ass for that." Torrie's smile immediately dropped. "Get this through your head Blondie. I. Don't. Like. You. We can be friends, great, whatever. But don't you _ever_ kiss me again. Hell, don't even dream about it."

"Why? What-"

"Why? Why! Because Scarlett's your cousin, Laura's your 'friend', and I'm just not that interested in you." Jayden interrupted. "Go home Torrie and please, don't come back."

Torrie grew angry as Jayden walked back into his apartment, closing his door and locking it.

"Fucking jerk!" she called out. "I hope Laura's fucking every guy in England!"

After hearing nothing but silence, Torrie stormed off. She could already hear Helen and Scarlett mocking her about this, not to mention Laura. This would be another failure of her life and it was practically killing her. Well, more like pissing her off. And a pissed off Torrie Stone was one that _no one_ wanted to see.

* * *

Eli frowned. "When'd you get ice cream?"

Ariana looked up from her book before shrugging and reading again. Eli sighed heavily and moved to sit at the kitchen table next to Ariana.

"Ari," Eli said. "I've been thinking about what you said."

"This is a really good part." Ariana replied.

"Ariana," Ariana groaned and sat her book down in front of her, marking her page with a bookmark. "This is serious."

"Look, if you want Clare, go ahead. Ruin your life and mine while you're at it." Ariana said. "I don't care. I just have one year left anyway."

"Ari, I'm not going to kick you out of my life because Clare reenters it." Eli told her. "You just have to understand that-"

"I _understand_ that you're obsessed with her and-"

"I love her Ariana." Ariana went mute at Eli's words. "I've loved Clare for many years and your mother was one that knew that very well." Ariana huffed a bit. "Ari, my love for Clare will not affect the way I look after you. You'll always be my new grasshopper."

"I don't want to be your grasshopper. And I don't want her around. You'll just snap again or something." Ariana stated.

"I won't snap. I promise." Eli said. "So what do you say? With me on this one?"

"Nope." Eli hated Ariana's stubbornness, but figured she would come around sooner or later. Hopefully sooner than later. "So are we done?"

"I guess we are." Ariana went to pick up her book before Eli continued. "So when are you going to date again?"

Ariana flinched before glaring at the man. "Never."

"Never? Why's that? Miss Andy that bad?" Eli teased.

"No! Just that no one in Toronto can measure up to Andy, that's all." Ariana refuted.

"Not even _Jayden_?" Ariana's cheeks began to turn pink before she propped her book in front of her.

"No. And I don't even know why his name came out of your mouth. He's a total dick." Ariana stated behind her book to hide her face. "He's sarcastic and never takes things seriously. The only good trait about him is that he's a good dad."

"And we don't need you worried about that now, now do we?" Eli replied. "But come on. There's got to be tons of injury-prone skateboarders with a bad sense of humor."

"Andy was funny!" Ariana protested.

"Uh, yeah. Sure." Eli deadpanned. "You're one of two people to ever laugh at Andy's jokes."

"Funnier than _Clare_ is." Ariana argued, hissing the woman's name.

"Now that's not fair. Clare has absolutely no sense of humor whatsoever!" A small, but evident, smile came on Ariana's face. Eli then rose. "Come on kid, we have to meet up with Bullfrog and Cece later."

"Can I drive Morty?" Ariana asked, seeing Eli's face nearly drop at her suggestion. "I was only kidding."

Eli gave Ariana a warm smile before moving to kiss her in the center of her forehead, something she grew to enjoy while at home. Outside, it was clearly annoying.

"Don't worry about a thing Ari. I won't let Clare or anyone else tear you away from me." Eli said before standing up. "Now let's get going. I promised to pick up some ice cream on the way there."

Ariana groaned. "Could we skip the ice cream? Jayden already bought me-"

"Ah-ha! So it was Jayden!" Eli called.

"N-no! No it wasn't! It was another Jayden!" Ariana argued as Eli walked out of the kitchen. "It wasn't! I swear! It was… It was…" Ariana stopped once she heard Eli's laughter blended with the sounds of his keys clanging together. "Whatever Old Man!"

All the while she shouted, Ariana could feel her cheeks burning up. Cursing her father for being a heavy blusher, Ariana rose from her chair and trudged after Eli. It was going to be a long evening.

* * *

Later that night, Chandra gave Tevin one final smile before slipping into her house. She didn't bother calling to either or parent as she ascended the steps while dialing a number on her cell phone.

"Hello?" Aaron answered.

Chandra released the breath she was holding. "Hey A.J. Got time to talk?"

"…" There was a silence that caused Chandra to hold her breath again. Did Aaron feel too guilty about what they did earlier? "Sorry about that. I was playing a game with Chris."

"Oh! If you need me to call back later I-"

"Bambi, its fine," Aaron chuckled. "Besides, I think we need to talk about earlier."

"Oh… I thought so…" Chandra said going into her room and closing her door.

"We never finished watching our movie." Chandra was shocked by his words and smiled before flopping on her bed. "How about we watch it next week at my place?"

Chandra's smile widened. "It's a date."

* * *

Scarlett sat in her bed, staring at her cell phone in her hand. He hadn't called. That was the only thing playing in her head. Jayden had not called. That could only mean that Torrie was still there.

And that made her blood boil.

How could he do this to her?! Just when it seemed that they were getting back to where they had left off, he goes and cheats on her again! And this time it was with her cousin no less! And Torrie was no better. She knew as much as anyone how deeply in love Scarlett was with Jayden. Yet, she still had to take Jayden for her own. Torrie was no better than Laura!

"Hey Scar! Guess what?" Helen laughed opening her door.

"Go away. I'm thinking." Scarlett growled.

"But-"

"I said go away!" Helen instantly hushed at the outburst before scoffing.

"Whatever." Helen muttered.

Scarlett heard her door slam and went back to her thoughts. They would pay. Jayden and Torrie. She didn't care who got in her way or what Helen would have to say about it. She just wanted Jayden to realize what a dumb mistake he has made, again. She _could_ have been the perfect stepmother to his kids and she _would_ have been the perfect girlfriend for him. But of course, he was always thinking with the wrong head.

And if she still didn't love him and picture a future with him, the thoughts of cutting that certain head off would have been _exactly_ what she would've done.


	117. S4 Episode XV: Need You Now Pt II

**Episode XIV: Need You Now Pt. II**

His phone rang once. Twice. Thrice. And finally he answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey DeWayne. Got a minute?" DeWayne sat up in his bed.

"Scarlett?"

"Yeah… I need to talk to you." Scarlett said. "You were right. Jayden… Jayden's not who I think he is."

DeWayne sighed. "I tried warning you. Are you okay?"

"Like hell I am. He slept with my cousin." replied an angry Scarlett.

"Helen?" DeWayne guessed.

"No. Torrie." DeWayne nodded. He hated to admit that he and Alexander had both thought about sleeping with Torrie once or twice before. "I just need to talk to someone who I can trust." Scarlett paused. "Are you busy today?"

"Uh, no. Not at all." DeWayne stated.

"Good, I'll stop by." Scarlett said. "Oh and Dewayne?"

"Yeah?" DeWayne replied.

"Thank you." Scarlett said.

DeWayne grinned. "No problem Princess."

* * *

"She did not!" Danica said with a smile.

Jayden nodded. "Yeah, she did." Danica's smile widened. "Oh laugh it up sis. I hope that one day you have a crazy raping stalker too."

"Yeah, well as soon as your baby mama is back, the better." Danica stated. "No more of this nonsense. Just you and Laura like it's supposed to be and peace. Lots and lots of peace."

Jayden frowned. "Is something wrong? Normally you throw in one joke about me screwing something up and ended up with Scarlett."

"I figured today you get a break, especially considering what your brother did." Jayden smiled a bit at Danica's words. "You're such a bad brother, telling A.J to cheat on his girlfriend."

"I didn't tell him to. I said that I'm glad he did with Bambi. I would've flipped if he did it with someone like Vanessa." Jayden said.

Danica rolled her eyes. "Oh right. Because cheating on Farah is different when he does so with Bambi."

"It is." Jayden replied. "Look at it like this, A.J and Bambi are like peanut butter and chocolate. Sure, jelly goes good with peanut butter and there're a lot of things that goes good with chocolate, but I don't know one person that will turn down a Reese's. Why? Because peanut butter and chocolate work best together."

"In your own world I'm sure that made sense," Danica stated. "But that's not getting you out of trouble anytime soon."

"Sure it will. Our parents will somehow hear about this, forget all about me knocking Laura up, and bam! Out of trouble." Danica found herself grinning at her brother. "Besides, I have to do something if I want Laura to spend all of her break with me."

"I'll help you." Jayden lifted a brow. "What? You don't believe me? I helped you two sneak around before, didn't I?"

"What's going on?" Jayden questioned. "You're acting strange, A.J has actually grown a pair, and Scarlett hasn't called or stopped by in more than twelve hours."

"Maybe the universe is correcting itself." Danica answered.

"Uh-huh?" Jayden said nearing the door. "Well, I have to stop by our grandparents' and then heading off to practice with the band. Don't worry about dinner, I'll stop and get something."

"No, I got it. Besides, it's my turn to cook so it's only fair if I get dinner." Jayden stared at Danica incredulously. "Don't just stand there. Go so you can make some money that I may or may not spend without you knowing."

Jayden grinned. "Now there's my lovely sister."

And with that, Jayden left, closing the door quietly to keep his children's sleep undisturbed. Danica sat at her seat at the table for a moment, putting a hand through her hair. She wanted to tell Jayden about Scarlett's betrayal so badly, but she knew what that would do to him. As much as Danica hated to admit it, Scarlett was an important part of Jayden's life and Danica did not want to just rip that away from him. But at the same time, Scarlett could not get away with this. Scarlett's obvious obsession was getting out of control once more and Danica had to be the one to put it in check or let Jayden get stuck between Scarlett and Laura all over again.

Letting out a breath of frustration, Danica grabbed her phone from the table and dialed Isabella's number. She waited a few moments before Isabella answered.

"Danica McDuelle," Isabella said in a quiet whisper. "There had better be a good reason you're calling during church."

"I need to talk to you." Danica said. "It's… It's bad Bella."

"…" Danica heard Isabella sigh. "I'll be over there in an hour Danni. Stay calm until then."

Danica smiled. "Thanks Bella. Bye."

"Bye."

* * *

Amber sighed happily as she, Simon, and Mary-Jane sat at a table at Mason's. She was pleased to be spending some time with her older brother and her best friend for the morning. It seemed to be the only thing that had been peaceful that morning as Mary-Jane had stopped by to talk about the party at Tyler's place last night. And their talking caused Amber's mother, Hazel, to talk about some of the parties during her younger years with Mary-Jane's mother, Paige. All in all, while it had been a pleasant morning, it had been everything but peaceful.

"Can I get you guys anything?" Brooke asked as she approached the table.

"Uh, nothing right now. Thanks." Simon said before the girl walked away. "So, your boyfriend plays lacrosse?"

Mary-Jane nodded. "Yep. Best there is too."

"You don't even know what he does." Amber said blankly.

"So? It's not like you know what position Marc plays." Mary-Jane countered.

"Defensive tackle." Amber said with a smile.

Mary-Jane stared at Amber before rolling her eyes playfully. This caused Amber to giggle quietly and Simon to sigh.

"You two haven't changed a bit." he said before growing more serious. "So what's going on with James? Has he, you know, come around or…?"

"He's changed Si." Amber replied. "I try talking to him, but he never listens. He's always pinning the blame on me somehow. And he swears Marc and I are having sex."

"Which you would've if-"

"But we didn't." Amber cut Mary-Jane off. "And that's that." Mary-Jane gave Amber a small smile. "Besides, James is stuck on some girl named Brooke who-"

"Yes?" Brooke said nearing the table. "Are you guys ready to order now?"

The three at the table stared at Brooke for a moment before Mary-Jane cleared her throat.

"We didn't mean to call you, Brooke," Mary-Jane said. "We were just talking about a friend of his, James. You wouldn't happen to know him, now would you?"

"Brooks?" Amber, Mary-Jane, and Simon nodded. "Yeah, I know him. Why?"

Mary-Jane waved Brooke off. "Oh no reason. We were just saying how he's been in a good mood lately."

Brooke smirked suggestively. "I'd like to think that I'm the reason for that."

"So you two have been…?" Amber could not even finish her question, but Brooke caught on and nodded.

"Oh yeah. Shocks me really. He's really a stamina freak but he says he does a lot of sports and rock climbing and all that." Mary-Jane saw Amber give Brooke a hardened stare.

"So you're the girl he's dating then, right?" Amber stated with a small hint of anger evident in her voice and demeanor.

Brooke snorted. "Dating? No! We're just good friends. Real good friends." Amber gave Brooke a fake smile, though the younger girl seemed to buy it. "Now, what can I get you?"

* * *

Scarlett descended down the steps in her house to spot Nicole and Jacquelyn seated on the couch, waiting for Helen.

"Morning Scarlett." Nicole greeted her in her normal cheerful way.

"Hey." Scarlett responded with less enthusiasm. "Where's Helen?"

"Kitchen." Nicole answered. As Scarlett went to find her cousin she heard Nicole call to her. "Is everything okay?"

"Perfect." Scarlett replied.

Helen capped her bottle of water and watched as Scarlett entered the kitchen. Scarlett watched as Helen's eyes avoided hers and let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry Helen." Scarlett stated as the shorter teen put her bottle of water back into the refrigerator. "I've just been stressed out with the whole Danni knows thing."

"Sounds like a personal problem." Helen said.

"It is." said Scarlett as she neared Helen and hugged her tightly. "But I can't do it without you. Seriously."

Helen stood still in the embrace for a moment before shrugging her cousin off of her.

"I have friends that are waiting for me." Helen said. "And I'm using the car so if you need to go somewhere-"

"I do." Scarlett interrupted. "Could you drop me off at…" Scarlett paused and mentally questioned if she should have Helen drop her off at the Hughes Mansion. "Never mind. I'll call a cab or something."

"Surprising Jayden?" Helen asked.

"Something like that." Scarlett answered as Helen began to exit the kitchen. "Helen," Helen paused and looked at her cousin. "What was so funny yesterday?"

Helen's eyes narrowed. "Now you want to know? Tough. I'll tell you when I feel like it."

Scarlett only nodded as Helen left the kitchen. For the umpteenth time in her life, Scarlett felt her world crashing once again. Helen and Jayden were pretty much all she had now that she and Shane had seemed to stop talking as much as they once did. Unfortunately, Jayden and Helen's friendship was probably stronger than Scarlett's relationship with either of them. And that thought brought her back to Danica's words from the previous day.

Danica, despite every mean and spiteful thing she has done, would always be Jayden's shoulder to lean on if he needed it. She actually did a lot for her siblings. Actually, she did a lot for her family in general. Yet Scarlett had done nothing but act selfish towards Helen for the majority of their lives, making sure Helen realized the line that separated Scarlett's things with Helen's. And at one point, that division included Jayden, the very boy that was the reason for Scarlett's resentment now.

"Hey Mom!" Scarlett called as she searched the house for Fiona, only to find the woman in a small studio where she did most of her work as well as where Blue did his drawings.

"Yes?" Fiona asked, not looking up from her sketch.

"Could you take me to DeWayne's?" Now Fiona looked at her daughter, removing the glasses from her face. "We have to work on something for our schools. You know, the whole ambassador thing?"

"I'm busy Scarlett." Fiona said, gaining a pout from Scarlett. "But you can take my car." Scarlett smiled, only for Fiona to give her a leveled stare. "Do not make me regret this Scarlett."

"I won't Mom, promise." Scarlett responded before blowing Fiona a kiss. "See you later!"

"You're not stopping by Jayden's are you?" Fiona asked with a small smile.

"No." Scarlett said quickly. "I'll be coming straight home."

With that, Scarlett walked away leaving Fiona to silently question if there was something going on between Scarlett and her crush. The woman shook it off and went back to the dress she was currently designing. She would let Blue handle it when he came home.

* * *

There were many things that Isabella knew about her friend. Things such as Danica hated being seen anywhere beneath decent and Danica only drinks coffee when something is bothering her in the morning. So when Isabella entered Danica's apartment and saw Danica's hair not as tamed as it normally was- though it still had its natural beauty to it- and that Danica was drinking coffee, she realized that this was a bigger emergency than she suspected.

"Where's your brother?" Isabella asked. Danica gave a small shrug of her shoulders. "Danni, are you alright? You look terrible."

Danica's eyes hardened. "I know."

Isabella smiled a bit. Like herself, Danica hated it when someone verbally noticed their disheveled appearance.

"So what's wrong?" Isabella asked sitting on the couch.

Danica sighed and moved towards the couch, sitting beside Isabella. The older of the two watched as the eldest McDuelle child closed her eyes and thought quietly. And when Danica opened her eyes, Isabella swore she saw flames in those doe-brown eyes, but kept quiet about it. Whatever it was, Danica was not pleased about it.

"I found out that Scarlett illegally acquired DNA from my niece and nephew and their father and then went to get a paternity test done." Isabella's eyes widened for two reasons. One, Scarlett had done such a horrible thing. And two, Danica spoke without any emotion whatsoever. "Now I have to find some way of telling Jayden but…"

"But what? Just tell him." Isabella said.

Danica shook her head. "I can't." Isabella frowned. "It would destroy him. Mainly because I know how naïve he can be when it comes to putting his trust in people. Especially spoiled girls like Scarlett."

Isabella sat quietly before releasing a silent "Oh" under her breath.

"Danni, she betrayed you." Isabella spoke quietly. "I can understand if you're angry at her. I'm angry at her too. But you can't keep this from Jayden."

"Do you know what he's been through in a year?" Isabella finally heard some emotion in Danica's voice and was more relieve that it was worry for her brother instead of anger for Scarlett. "He's forced himself to leave Scarlett, forced himself to hate Laura, got Laura pregnant, kicked out, and then some. I mean, he just lost his son and couldn't cope with Laura because she had to leave for England. So naturally he turns to Scarlett and she probably only did it to make sure that his kids are his."

"Maybe we should've told Scarlett that your grandma already got one done." Danica nodded at Isabella's words. "And you're right. He probably would flip a switch… Or do a you."

"Do a me?" Danica repeated. Isabella smiled causing Danica to huff. "I am not that vindictive."

"I know. You're worse." Danica scoffed and sipped some of her coffee. "Seriously Danni, what are doing? Tell him now before he finds out on his own and realizes that you knew all along."

"I know." Danica said with a sigh. "But I don't know how. It's kind of like telling Angel that Jacob kissed you with the intent of sleeping with you. That would destroy her right?"

Isabella nodded. "Yeah, but she would still want me to tell her."

"Not if you wanted to sleep with him too and the only reason why it didn't happen was because someone stopped you two." Isabella nodded again, understanding what Danica was saying. "Jayden loves this girl, you know? He may not be in love with her like he was, but he does. I mean, when we first arrived here all I could hear was, 'Danni she's so beautiful' and 'Can you believe that she actually smiled at me today?' Every time he called me I knew it had something to do with her."

"So it's that bad?" Isabella questioned.

"It's that bad Izzy." Danica answered. "And what's worse is if this should come out and the media hears it then my parents will be angry at Scarlett's and everything will go to hell thereafter. I mean, we're neighbors."

"I know Danni but you can't always expect the worst of things." Isabella said. "Jayden might just laugh it off and move on."

Danica sipped some more of her drink and smiled a bit.

"It's better to be prepared for the worst than to have a premature celebration party set-up. Isn't that what happened when we thought our parents wouldn't hear about us going to the prince's party?" Danica's words caused Isabella to smile as well, remembering her and the then nineteen-years-old Danica attempting to sneak into her parents' house in Paris.

"To be honest," Isabella said. "I still think your dad flew without a plan." The two women giggled a bit at the memory. Isabella watched as Danica finally sat her cup on the table and smiled at her friend. "Tell him Danni. And if it'll help, I'll give Jayden one of my risqué photos."

"Great. So now he won't be pissed. He'll just die with a smile on his face." Danica said with a smile. Isabella returned the grin until Danica hugged her. "You know if this blows up in my face, you're the first person I'm dragging down with me, right?"

"You really need to learn how to say 'thank you' Mari." Isabella stated, though responded to the hug.

"You're welcome Izzy." Danica responded.

* * *

Deanna was shocked when she saw Scarlett standing at the foot of the stairs. Something was definitely up and Deanna wanted nothing more than to figure out what it was and kick Scarlett out. Despite Shane stating that Scarlett was one of his best friends, Deanna still hated the young Chessex.

"What are you doing here?" Deanna asked.

"I came to talk to your brother, not you." Scarlett retorted. "So if you don't mind-"

"But I do." Deanna interrupted. "Don't you have another ex to be bothering? My brother isn't interested in you…" Deanna paused as she came across a simple thought. Who did she hate more: Scarlett or Mercedes? And after coming to the conclusion that Mercedes won that match, she smiled. "Never mind."

Scarlett frowned as Deanna walked by her, moving towards the large kitchen in the Hughes' home. That girl had some serious issues.

"Hey," DeWayne said descending the steps. "Come on up."

Scarlett moved up the steps with DeWayne, each step making her have more and more butterflies. She was not nervous about talking to DeWayne, but the consequences that came from everyone, if anyone should hear about this. Though those butterflies left as soon as she pictured Torrie and Jayden kissing. And nothing was left inside of her but a hundred pissed off hornets ready to attack.

"So," DeWayne said leading Scarlett into his room. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Um," Scarlett said as she began to formulate her lie. "I've been thinking lately and you're right. I will always play second when it comes to Jayden. But now… Now it's too late to turn back to the only guy that truly wanted me for me, you."

DeWayne gaped at first and then recomposed himself. He cleared out his throat, trying to find the words to say to his crush. In truth, he wanted to leave Mercedes anyway.

"Scarlett I…" DeWayne began, only for Scarlett to cut him off.

"Please DeWayne. Please just… Do this for me, okay? We'll start over clean. Just break up with Mercedes. For me." Scarlett pleaded.

DeWayne was really beside himself now, especially when Scarlett neared him the way she had done nearly a year ago.

"Please…" the brunette girl said before kissing DeWayne.

DeWayne's mind nearly shut down as he kissed back. Scarlett's kisses seemed beyond the normal level as they once were as her tongue demanded entrance to his mouth immediately. It was her that pushed him against his door, pressing their bodies together. He tried not to fool himself into thinking that Scarlett would give up her virginity so soon, but it was hard to think otherwise with her actions now.

Finally Scarlett pulled away, spotting the flustered appearance of her ex.

"Will you do that for me?" Scarlett whispered.

DeWayne slowly, but surely, nodded. This caused Scarlett so smile. Her plan was already working.

* * *

"So what was wrong with Scarlett earlier?" Nicole asked as she, Helen, and Jacquelyn walked through the mall.

Helen shrugged. "Beats me. She missed the funniest thing ever though."

"Funny or someone's misery?" Jacquelyn questioned, knowing Helen's sense of humor quite well.

"Both." The Sinclair said as the trio came to a table at the food court and sat down. "So, yesterday Torrie goes off to seduce Jayden again, right? And when she gets there she kisses him! He was so pissed that not only did he tell her to go home, but he even threatened to destroy all his morality and beat her ass!"

"And that is funny because…?" Jacquelyn replied, though she was smiling a bit.

"Because that stupid whore couldn't get him, that's why! She had to walk home thinking that she isn't as irresistible as she thinks." stated Helen before sighing contently. "Life is good."

"Helen, I don't think you should really pick on Torrie because of that. She's not that bad." Nicole inputted. Helen and Jacquelyn just gave her a leveled stare. "What? She isn't."

"Right, right, because you're close to breaking her record." Helen said.

"I am not! Torrie's screwed-"

"And I rest my case." Helen said sitting her bags down and rising. "I'm going to go get me something to drink. Be back."

As the shortest of the trio walked away, Nicole huffed.

"I still wish she wasn't so negative all the time." Nicole said before glancing at Jacquelyn. "So how was your Saturday with Scooter? Do anything special?"

Jacquelyn rolled her eyes. "For the last time Nicky, we're not having sex. Not anytime soon."

"You say that now…" Nicole responded in a sing-song manner.

"I know that." Jacquelyn stated. "Like I said, it's not really me. It's him. And I like it that he knows how to just stop. It's different from Jayden and Shane."

Nicole's brows rose. "Really? How so?"

"Well," Jacquelyn began. "You know how Shane can be a bit aggressive…" Nicole nodded, a small smile coming to her face at the memories. "And Jayden has this thing that makes you-"

"Hot." Helen interrupted as she came back to her seat with a bottle of Diet Coke. "Trust me. I know from experience."

Jacquelyn nodded. "Yeah. Well, Scooter can be both of those things at the same time. And then he tells me to stop because my thoughts are being clouded and I'm not thinking straight."

Helen snorted. "He's a softy."

"I don't think so. I think it's sweet." Nicole said. "But from what he says at the ravine, it sounds like he's more than ready. So why not give him something for you anniversary?"

"Anniversary?" Helen and Jacquelyn parroted in unison.

Nicole nodded. "Yeah. The day you guys started going out? You know it was-"

"I know that!" Jacquelyn said. "But… That isn't that far away and…"

Helen rolled her eyes. "The friends I have…" Helen snapped her gaze towards Jacquelyn. "Screw the guy or don't. It won't kill us." Helen then looked at Nicole. "And you. Stop instigating sex. It's against some law somewhere."

"But Helen don't you want Jackie to be happy?" Nicole asked.

"Miss Jackie can do anything she wants. But stop putting thoughts in her head." Nicole sighed in defeat at Helen's motherly tone. "Seriously you two, is this what you do all day when I'm not around?"

"No." Nicole answered.

"Nicky's right," Jacquelyn added on. "Sometimes we talk about the 'what-ifs' with any random guy. Things from Nathan all the way to Jayden."

Nicole and Jacquelyn saw Helen shift in her seat a bit, a thoughtful frown coming onto the redhead's face. Then Helen took the familiar position of placing her elbows on the table and leaning forward with a smile on her face.

"Tell me everything."

Nicole and Jacquelyn smiled as they went through their most recent scenarios.

* * *

As Scarlett left DeWayne's room, she gave a small breath of relief. They hadn't gone all the way, thankfully, but DeWayne had hinted it on more than one occasion. Still, she knew that her plan was going rather smoothly. Now all she had to do was get home and freshen up a bit.

"Scarlett?" Scarlett's body froze at the voice. She slowly turned to see Kelly Mason. "What are you doing here?"

Scarlett's voice completed died at the sight of Kelly. And her insides began to scream louder when she saw Deanna appear next to Kelly.

"Oh, you're finally done," Deanna said. "Have fun?"

"I…" Scarlett began before controlling her nerves. "I think that's none of your business."

Kelly nodded skeptically. "And the reason you're with her brother despite supposedly looking out for Jay is…?"

"None of your business." Scarlett said.

Kelly crossed her arms. "It is my business. My god-brother, remember?"

Scarlett seethed mentally. Jayden and Shane never pulled the "god-brother" card unless they were trying to guilt the other to tell some secret. In fact, the last time Scarlett remembers the two using that line on each other was when Jayden tricked Shane into telling Jayden that Shane and Scarlett were dating.

"Well this has nothing to do with Jayden." Scarlett said. "And what were you two doing?"

"Talking with Angelina on the phone. You know, our boyfriends play for the same band and are currently working." Deanna responded before her face scrunched up. "You didn't come for a quickie before returning to Jayden, did you?"

"No!" Scarlett quickly retorted. "Just… Just don't worry about it."

Scarlett turned on her heels and began to leave, but not before she heard Kelly's voice.

"You're no better for Laura. At least she never cheated on Jayden."

That statement caused Scarlett to stop dead in her tracks. A former fury inside of her grew before she turned to glare at Kelly and Deanna.

"That no-good slut took him from me!" Scarlett yelled. "And then got pregnant! So what do you know?"

"I know that you were in a room for an hour with DeWayne." Kelly said.

"So what? I can talk to whoever the hell I want!" Scarlett replied. "It doesn't stop Jayden for doing this to me!"

"I think you should leave before I have someone throw you out." Deanna said. Scarlett continued to glare at Kelly. "Um, that wasn't a suggestion. It was a polite way of saying get out of my house, now."

DeWayne, hearing the ruckus outside of his bedroom, opened his door to see Deanna and her friend having a stand-off with Scarlett. Not caring who was right or who was wrong, he sighed and looked at Scarlett.

"Come on Scarlett," DeWayne said. "I'll walk you out. Dee and her friend will always win. Or at least, they'd like to think so."

Deanna rolled her eyes. "Seriously Wayne? She was the one shouting on and on about whatever Jayden did to her."

"He slept with her cousin." DeWayne announced.

Kelly frowned. "What are you talking about? Jay and Helen are just friends and she's currently dating Hakim's best friend. They would never-"

"Not her." Scarlett snapped. "Torrie." This caused Deanna to gasp while Kelly just stood with a larger frown on her face. "And you have the nerve to accuse me of hurting him. He's the one always hurting me!"

"It's not like my brother is any better." Deanna said.

"So who's worse: You or Shane?" Scarlett returned.

Kelly saw Deanna's mood change drastically and remembered that talking bad about Shane in Deanna's presence was not necessarily a good thing. The cold aura coming from Deanna could only prompt Kelly to stop this argument before it got out of control.

"Come on Dee, we have to go pick Shane up." Kelly said. "Let's go. Dad's making cinnamon rolls today, remember?"

"Right, right, but first," Deanna stated. "Get one thing straight Scarlett. Shane Mason is a good guy. What happened between he and I that day happened because of me. But if you think for a second that I'm nearly as bad as you or Laura or even DeWayne, then you're wrong. I went to comfort a friend, not get revenge. Because I will always be there to help the guy I love." Kelly's eyes widened at the declaration. "And that's more than I can say about you. You're always trying to do something to get Jayden's attention instead of just going to his house and talking to him. Which is why Laura will always be a better person that you ever will be."

"Laura is a bitch who-" Scarlett was interrupted by the sound of Deanna's cell phone ringing.

"Hi Shane," Deanna answered, devoid of any anger. "We are on our way. I had to tell my brother to take the trash out." Scarlett scoffed at Deanna's words. "Alright. Bye." Deanna hit the end button and looked at Kelly. "Come on Kelly. Your brother awaits."

"Sure," Kelly said before looking at Scarlett. "I'm shocked that you would believe that Jayden would just up and sleep with someone we all know he doesn't like. You of all people should know that he's not that shallow."

"I thought that too until he slept with Laura." responded Scarlett.

"Say what you want," Kelly said. "But I don't think Jayden would ever sleep with Torrie. Mainly because she's your cousin and he doesn't want to do that to you."

"You act like I'm his everything or something." Scarlett said with a small scoff.

Kelly pursed her lips. "You were."

And with nothing else said, Kelly followed her shorter friend passed Scarlett to get to the steps. Scarlett only stood with a scowl on her face. She knew that Jayden had slept with Torrie. She had practically seen them suck each other's faces off! And Kelly somehow believes that Scarlett means that much to Jayden?

"Are you okay?" DeWayne asked, breaking Scarlett's thoughts.

"I will be." The girl said as she departed. "I will be."

* * *

Mary-Jane only looked at Amber with an amused look. Amber's anger was something that was quite entertaining. Both Mary-Jane and Simon both knew what Amber was mad about, but the girl just would not admit it aloud. Though Mary-Jane knew that if she picked hard enough and long enough, eventually Amber would blurt it out. Mary-Jane's mother always said that the first step is admitting the problem.

"So…" Mary-Jane began. "That was unexpected…"

"What? James screwing another girl or me knowing her? Because neither seems new." Amber retorted as she flopped onto her bed with a loud sigh. "Why do I hate him so much?"

"Because you love him." Mary-Jane stated.

Amber huffed. "But that doesn't make any sense at all!"

"Hon, your life hardly makes any sense and I still consider you as my best friend. Then again, you're really the only one that I call a friend so that's not saying much." Amber sat up and glared at Mary-Jane. "But on a more important note… James is a pig."

"You know," Amber said. "I don't really care. I can just have sex with Marc."

"And then you'd be a regular whore to his man-whore." replied Mary-Jane. Amber let out a scoff that caused the blonde to smile. "Seriously Amber, what would you do without me?"

"I'm starting to ask myself the same question." Amber stated.

"Seriously," Mary-Jane said while moving towards Amber's bed. "You should let it go or face the fact that you're in love with your ex. And if you are, then you're no better than Scarlett and I _hate _Scarlett."

"I know, I know, but she's really not half-bad." Mary-Jane shrugged at Amber's words.

"Yes she is and that doesn't stop you from being just as bad as Scarlett." said Mary-Jane. "Think about it. She's so desperate for Jayden that it's actually sad. And he's just using her until Laura returns." Mary-Jane paused and thought. "Hmm… Maybe that's what James is doing. Using Brooke until you return to him."

Amber scoffed. "I'd rather him be lonely and drunk than drunk with a skank like that."

"Oh, so she's a _skank_ now." Mary-Jane teased. "Whatever brought this on?"

"Shut up MJ." Amber said with a small smile.

Mary-Jane laughed. "You are so pathetic Amber! Why not just go up to him and say: 'James, my love! Come back to-'" Mary-Jane was cut off by a pillow to her face. "Hey!"

"Like I was saying," Amber said rising from her bed to dodge whatever retaliation Mary-Jane was sure to throw her way. "I don't like her."

"You miss him." Amber flinched at Mary-Jane's words, but nodded anyway. "Amber, you know that you can't keep pretending. Think about what you're doing to Marc."

Amber sighed once more, realizing that Mary-Jane was telling the truth. Then again, Mary-Jane had cheated on both Marc and James with Tyler, so she would know.

"I need help Mary-Jane. Bad." Amber said.

"I know," Mary-Jane replied. "Which is why I'm going to help you." Mary-Jane then glared. "But don't hit me with another pillow."

Amber smiled. "I promise."

* * *

Jayden smiled as he watched Shane fix burgers at his house.

"You know Deanna," Jayden said to the girl sitting at the table with him. "I'm starting to like having you around."

"Likewise Jayden." Deanna replied.

Shane glanced at his friend. "You know Jay, you can fix your own food. Your dad isn't that bad of a cook either."

"Oh I know, but _everything_ tastes better free." Jayden said. "And if all it takes is to have Deanna bat a few eyelashes, then I say, party on."

Shane sighed. "It really isn't fair."

"Life isn't fair." Kelly said as she and Dakota entered the kitchen. "So what are we going to watch? Dash brought her collection over!"

"Action." Shane said.

"Romance." Deanna countered.

"Comedy." Jayden added.

Kelly and Dakota looked at one another before Kelly turned to the others.

"Romance it is." Deanna smiled at Kelly's words.

"What? No!" Jayden said.

"Yeah Kelly, you and Dee _always_ watch sappy romance movies." Shane added.

Jayden nodded. "And Dash and Laura aren't any better. So today the guys get to pick the movie."

"Uh, did you forget that we were at _my_ house and that there are _two_ guys and _three_ girls?" Kelly replied.

"Isn't Hakim on the way?" Shane questioned. "So that's three guys once he gets here. And we can wait, right Jayden?"

"Right." Jayden said.

Kelly let out a heavy breath. "_Fine_, we'll watch what you guys want to watch. Just this once. But," Jayden and Shane gulped quietly. "You _both_ will pay me back someway, somehow."

Shane only turned his attention back to cooking while Dakota and Kelly joined Deanna and Jayden at the table. Kelly looked at Jayden for a moment while he carried on a conversation with Shane. She wanted to tell him what Scarlett was doing to him, since Jayden was still wondering why he hadn't heard from her all day. Of course, Deanna had voiced not telling Jayden to avoid problems between Jayden- Shane's best friend- and DeWayne- Deanna's brother. Kelly really did not blame Deanna, but still wanted to tell him.

"So, no word from Scarlett?" Kelly questioned.

Jayden paused in whatever he was saying and turned to Kelly. He simply shook his head causing Kelly to hum, Deanna's eyes meeting Kelly's briefly.

"It doesn't matter." Jayden eventually stated. "Laura's practically kept me company all day. And my sister, parents, and kids. Not to mention you guys. So one day without Scarlett isn't that bad Kelly."

"I guess you're right…" Kelly said.

"Besides," Jayden said with a smile. "Seeing your beautiful face without your boyfriend around makes it all the better."

"Dude," Shane stated as he turned to face Jayden. "Stop flirting with my sister!"

Deanna found herself giggling at the running gag between the trio. Dakota also laughed while Kelly smiled at Shane.

"Shane, he's just playing." Kelly said though Shane still grimaced slightly.

Jayden only smirked. "Call us even for you flirting with _my_ sister."

"Jayden, Danni's hot. Get over it." Jayden raised a brow.

"Are you trying to say that Kelly's ugly?" Shane gaped at Jayden's question when he saw Kelly and her two closest friends stare at him, waiting for his answer.

"Well?" Kelly said after a moment of silence.

Shane only turned around. "Jayden, I hate you."

Deanna watched Jayden grin, apparently pleased with himself. While she was against the idea of Jayden getting over on Shane, she was content to know that it was just for fun. Plus, she was always curious to how Jayden weaseled his way out of trouble all the time. He was as good as she was.

Well, almost as good.

* * *

Hearing the laughter from upstairs, Scarlett realized that Helen came home with her friends or at least Nicole. Nicole's laughter was always easy to pick out of the group since she laughed so much. And as Scarlett ascended the stairs, she could hear not only Helen's laughs, but Jacquelyn's as well. Going to Helen's slightly closed door, Scarlett gave it three quiet knocks before opening it more.

"It must be a great day if Princess Scarlett has come to join us." Scarlett ignored the teasing tone Helen used and realized that it must have been for Scarlett's actions yesterday. "What do you want Scar?"

"Oh nothing really. Just getting back and I wanted to see if you weren't busy." Scarlett said. It wasn't a complete lie, as she did want to see if Helen was busy or not, but she really wanted to talk to her cousin about what she had done.

"We're just playing this 'game' that Nicky and Miss Jackie made." replied Helen. "You can join us if you want."

"Okay," Scarlett said entering Helen's room and closing the door behind her to lean against it. "What's the game?"

"Oh it's easy!" Nicole chirped. "You just pick _any_ guy that you know and tell us just _one_ fantasy about him!"

Helen smirked. "You should be a natural at this Scar, seeing that you had all those dreams about our annoying neighbor."

Scarlett pursed her lips into a thin line. It was as if the universe itself was against her today. Helen's anger towards her could be chalked up as Helen just holding a grudge, but the fact that Deanna _and_ Kelly had caught her leaving DeWayne's bedroom was something that made Scarlett think a higher power was involved.

And now this.

"Before that," Scarlett said. "Can you tell me what was so funny yesterday?"

"I guess I could." Helen responded sitting up against her headboard. "Well, yesterday your dumb slutty cousin went to see Jayden, right?" Scarlett nodded, trying her hardest to not show how pissed she was catching Torrie and Jayden kissing. "And she goes up there to flirt with him and somewhere during that time, she kisses him!"

"I don't see what's so funny." Scarlett nearly hissed.

"Oh come on Scar, you and I both know that Jayden hates Torrie. He flipped!" Scarlett frowned in confusion. "He actually threatened to beat a girl! Torrie at that!"

"He… He did?" Scarlett said.

Helen frowned. "He didn't tell you?" Scarlett shook her head. "I thought you were going to go see him today?"

"I…" Scarlett began.

"Where'd you go Scarlett?" Scarlett nearly gulped at Helen's voice, knowing Helen was going to flip if she found out.

"I, um, had something else to do." Scarlett answered, Helen's eyes narrowing. "Don't worry about it Helen. I promise it has nothing to do with taking Jayden from Laura."

Helen's eyes only narrowed further. "Are you sure?" Scarlett nodded. "And the reason you didn't call him 'J.T' was because…?"

Scarlett cursed in her head, realizing that Helen was a lot smarter than many gave her credit for.

"Who cares?" Nicole piped in. "What was your dream about him Scarlett?"

Scarlett realized that she could reveal a very intimate dream to Nicole and Jacquelyn or reveal to Helen that she had spent most of the day with DeWayne. She had a debate in her mind about which secret was worth keeping more. She decided to play their little game, considering the fact that Helen already knew and it was no secret that she had feelings with Jayden. Hell, all of them in the room have had a moment or two with the guy.

"Well, it started when we were lying in his backyard…" Scarlett began to retell her dream.

As Helen heard the dream for a second time, she thought about the possible places that Scarlett could have gone. Since Jayden's place was out of the question, that really limited Scarlett's choices since Scarlett did not have many friends. She had already snuck and obtained the DNA results and Helen severely doubted that Scarlett would be dumb enough to go speak to Danica alone. Her mind searched through all the people that she knew that Scarlett knew and it eventually settled on one guy.

DeWayne.

* * *

Coming home, Jayden was not surprised that at least one of his children were awake.

"Hey Princess." Jayden said as he moved towards his sister who was holding his daughter.

"She's never going to learn her real name if you keep calling her that." Danica said with a smile while her niece continued to feed from the bottle. "Your son is getting lazy."

"He'll grow out of that." Jayden replied sitting beside Danica with a sigh. "It's been a long day, but it's finally over. Well, mostly over. Oh! And Laura says something about Sarah's baby daddy and Sarah something… I've really stopped caring about that."

Danica sighed. "Sarah, _your_ girlfriend's friend, has a son and her son's dad is some rich douche that plays lacrosse. You should pay attention to that."

"Sorry if I'm more worried about Laura and not her friend. I'll try to care less about _my girlfriend_ later." Danica smiled at Jayden's words and watched as he gently brushed Daniella's hair. "Scarlett stop by today?"

"No…" Danica answered him. "And I don't think she'll be coming over here in a long time."

"What? Why?" Jayden asked.

Jayden saw the look in Danica's eyes and recognized it well. Normally this look came from his parents when they had decided something that the kids would not like, like moving to Toronto. Danica had schooled herself to use that look mostly for business associated things, but Jayden knew that this had nothing to do with the company.

"I'm going to put her down first before telling you, okay?" Jayden nodded at Danica's words and watched his sister slowly rise to burp his daughter and lay her down in her crib.

In his head, he panicked. If something happened to Scarlett, he would never forgive himself. Mostly because he still blamed himself for their break-up in the first place. He even hated that he did love Laura more than he did Scarlett seeing as Scarlett was there for him a lot more than Laura has been. Then again, Laura was with him for a lot more severe things than Scarlett has.

When Danica returned, he noticed the pose that only his grandmother had perfected in his mind. His dad's mother had the air of grace and power with a hint of gentleness whenever she entered the room. And Danica was slowly adapting that manner.

"Jayden," Danica said calmly. "I, uh, I was called from a friend of mine the other day."

"Does this have anything to do with Scarlett?" Jayden asked.

"Yes." Danica continued, not at all bothered by his interruption. "She…" Danica bit her tongue gently before speaking again. "She got a DNA test done on the twins." Danica saw Jayden's eyes widened. "Jay, listen to me. I've only known for about a day and I've been debating on how to tell you."

"She got a test done on my kids?!" Jayden's voice startled Danica a bit. Normally he was very aware of his sleeping babies. "Who the hell does she think she is?!"

"I-"

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?!" Jayden questioned as he rose from the couch.

Danica sighed. "You were having a good day and I-"

"A _good day_? Danni, she had a test done on my kids. I have more of a right to know that you do." Danica nodded at his words, taking it all in. "I'm… My God… I'm going to kill her. Literally kill her."

"No you're not." Danica said simply.

"Danni you don't understand." said Jayden. "I trust Scarlett with my life, hell, with my kids' lives. And she does this to me?"

"It…" Danica paused before taking in a breath. "I've done everything I could think of but…"

"Don't tell me." Jayden said.

Danica grimaced. "Some media outlet has hold of it. I have Bella trying to get a hold of it before it gets nationwide, but…"

"Fuck!" Jayden shouted, startling his kids in the other room. Jayden paused and put a hand on his forehead. "Laura's going to be pissed. Our parents. Our grandparents…" The sound of the twins crying louder caused Jayden to blow out a breath of frustration. "I can't do it anymore Danni."

"Do what Jayden?" Danica asked as her brother went to get his kids. Danica quickly rose to follow him. "Jayden talk to me. What are you thinking?"

"I think you already know." Jayden said lifting his son into his arms gently. "Hey, daddy's sorry for waking you."

Danica attempted to move to pick up her niece while looking at her brother.

"Jayden if you don't tell me what you're going to do, I'm going to beat it out of you myself." Danica said comforting the crying Daniella. "So tell me."

"I can't keep doing this, Danni." Jayden said. "I can't keep running back and forth between Scarlett and Laura. I can't return to being me when I have two kids who need me more. And I can't keep relying on you to make things better for me."

"Tough shit because that's what I'm going to keep doing until the day we're both dead and gone." Jayden smiled a bit. "I told you once that no matter what, I'll always have your back. And I will Jayden. Remember that."

"But… What about Laura?" Jayden stated. "How do I tell her that I was so dumb as to let Scarlett get so close to our kids and let this happen? I can't. And Bianca…" Danica flinched involuntarily, kicking herself for forgetting about Laura's more temperamental mother. "Danni, I want Laura's family to be happy. And no matter how hard I try, stupid things like this happen."

"Jayden you can't blame yourself for this. I mean Scar-"

"Scarlett couldn't have gotten their DNA if I wouldn't have let her into my home." Jayden interrupted.

Danica sighed. "Jayden. You love her." The words seemed to slap Jayden and Danica regretted saying them. "You wouldn't expect this from her, and neither would I."

"Helen told me," Jayden said quietly. "That her break-up with Tyler still gets to her. She says that she and Tyler were actually solid. But when she learned about him and Mary-Jane, she felt kind sad." Jayden chuckled a bit. "Imagine that. Helen Sinclair-Coyne, feeling sad."

"Jay…" Danica said.

"Betrayal is a tough thing to get over Danni." Jayden stated. "Especially when you're so close with the person."

"I know." Jayden hardly heard Danica's voice. His attention was now on his quieting kids. "Looks like they're finally calm."

"Yeah." Jayden said.

The two would stay silent for several of minutes before laying the twins in their respective cribs. Danica watched as Jayden watched over them for a moment before slipping out of the room quietly. She followed him to his room where he lied on his bed.

"Danni," Jayden said to her. "Thank you for telling me."

Danica grinned. "I guess now would be a really bad time to tell you that I was going to try and fix this without telling you, huh?"

"I kind of figured you would. You hate a problem you can't solve on your own." Jayden replied before sighing. "And now I have to find out how to solve the problem known as one Scarlett J. Chessex."

"I'm really sorry that this-"

"You didn't do anything Danni." Jayden interrupted. "Scarlett did and I did. Now we have to fix this once and for all." Danica nodded. "And you're right, I do love her. And a part of me believes that I _deserve_ something like this. I cheated on her Danni. I got another girl pregnant while I was supposed to be with Scarlett. I even lied about going home that night."

"Jayden Tyrone McDuelle, if you don't return to me in the next three seconds I'm going to show you number three of my hundred ways of castration." Jayden gulped and closed his legs a bit. "You don't deserve things like this. No one does. Not even Jay."

But-"

"No buts." Danica said. "Now go take a shower and get ready. I'll start dinner."

"Actually," Jayden said. "I have to call Laura." Danica frowned at this. "Danni, I don't hide anything from Laura, which is ironic because out of all the people I find myself obliged to tell things like this to, I'm sure she'd physically hurt me the most if it went drastically wrong."

Danica pouted. "What? I've been knocked down that to number two?"

Jayden laughed. "Sorry sis, but we both know that I only sleep next to one of you. So if I had to rank the fear factor, Laura's beating you." Danica's brows rose. "Doesn't mean that you're not truly frightening in your own way. It just means that if Laura's pissed, it's better to keep an eye open while asleep instead of just locking my door and waiting for you to kick it down."

"I guess I can settle with that." Danica said. "Oh, and tell Fat Mama I said hi!"

"Sure." Jayden said as Danica walked away.

Retrieving his cell phone, Jayden paused when he glanced at Scarlett's missed call. His fingers tapped against his bed before he completely erased it and dialed Laura's number. Sighing heavily, he lied on his bed and closed his eyes. Sometimes, he knew exactly how Aaron felt. Being children of celebrities, not to mention a rising celebrity himself, was tough. Little things such as an affair or teenage pregnancy always blew up when a celebrity or their child was involved. And having Scarlett, a girl he has done his best to keep out of the mainstream for personal reasons, being seen getting his paternity tests while Laura was away did not bode well. The media would twist and turn that so it makes it look like he set her up to do it. Again, he really could blame no one but himself if Laura chose not to believe him. He did cave into Scarlett a lot whether they were dating or not.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Jayden smiled at Laura's voice.

"After all those late night cravings _and_ your kids, I thought you'd be more grateful that I called." Jayden replied.

There was a small sigh before she spoke again.

"Is this about what Scarlett did?" Jayden lied frozen. "Hello? Jayden?"

"How'd you know that?" Jayden asked.

"Danni called me earlier. Said that if she didn't tell you in time and something blew up that I had the right to be prepared." Laura explained. "Your sister is like a hawk when it comes to trouble Jayden, I swear. She sees all and prevents many things from living."

Jayden smiled. "Yeah, I guess I'm lucky for having her."

Laura snorted. "Yeah right. She's still evil incarnated." Jayden let out a quiet laugh, the first real one since learning of the paternity test. "But I'm glad that you called to tell me. Let's me know where your head is."

"Where my head is?" Jayden repeated.

"Yeah," Laura stated. "You're the only half-ass guy I know that actually wants to carry his world and everyone else's on his shoulder alone. For once, it's me telling you that it isn't your fault and everything will be okay."

Jayden grinned. "I wish that were true…"

"It is." Laura said before speaking in a quieter voice. "Because I love you and I will kick her princess ass if she ever hurt you. You know that, right?"

"I know."

"No, I don't think you do." Laura continued. "I'm one hundred and fifty percent serious Jayden. If I felt that Scarlett has done something completely unforgivable, I will get in a boat and row back to Toronto if needed be and beat her ass. Just so that when I return, you'll be smiling."

"So you like me smiling?" Jayden questioned in a teasing manner.

"Among other things, but yeah. A girl could just _die_ in those dimples." Jayden laughed once more as Laura continued. "Do you need me to stay up with you tonight? I can, you know. We're doing absolutely nothing tomorrow since it's really just a review day and I think Sarah's two seconds from entering the loony bin."

"I am not!" Jayden heard in the background.

"Yes you are, not stay the hell out of my conversation!" Laura shot back before sighing. "I'm sorry. _Some people_ just like to eavesdrop on _everyone's_ conversation."

"You two sound like sisters." Jayden commented.

"I know. But, as I've told her, I'm an only child and I'll be damned if I don't stay one." Jayden smiled. "Bad enough I have kids to share my Christmas _and_ my boyfriend with, but not my parents. Dash is as close as it gets."

"Don't be selfish Laura." Jayden said.

"Whatever." Laura replied before shrieking. "You little bitch!"

"What?" Jayden asked.

"Nothing, it's nothing! And don't go-"

"Did you just send me a picture?" Jayden questioned hearing an alert come from his laptop.

"Don't look at it!" Laura said, though Jayden was already up to retrieve his laptop from his dresser. "Jayden I'm serious! Do not look at-"

"Is _that_ what you're wearing?" Jayden asked staring at a picture of, not only Laura, but her friend Sarah in matching corsets. "And… Are you in to girls too? I mean, if you are then there's no problem with me but-"

"Ugh! Stop being perverted!" Laura interrupted. "And you get the hell off of my computer! Asshole!" Jayden smiled as he heard Laura sigh to calm herself down. "I swear you two are going to make me do something that only the old Laura would."

"I like it." Jayden announced.

"Like you wouldn't." Laura responded. "And it was a picture taken at this small little fashion show."

"Since when did you do fashion?" Jayden said.

"I don't. Sarah does. I was just feeling in for one of the models." Laura answered. "I honestly have better things to do than starve myself or worry about my douche boyfriend."

"Plus you're way prettier than those other girls." Jayden added.

"…" Laura was silent before speaking again. "It's things like that that makes it hard to stay mad at you."

Jayden grinned. "Oh, I know. Why do you think I only say it when I'm in trouble?"

Laura only laughed. "You're still an asshole."

"Hey, that's half-ass, thank you very much." Jayden corrected.

"You're right," Laura said. "My half-ass baby-daddy-slash-boyfriend-slash-soon-to-be-fiancé." Jayden grinned. "The guy who I so took his virginity."

Jayden only grinned. For the most part, he wasn't even thinking about Scarlett now. He just wanted to talk to Laura until she had to go or the twins would wake. She made him feel calm, even if he thought about her drinking or partying. Laura made him calm. And at a time like this, he seriously needed that calm feeling or else he would do something that the old Jayden would do.

And he doubted that anyone would be able to live with those repercussions.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So here is part two of Need You Now. Next chapter should be posted sometime after Christmas with a Webisode or two. Now, review and enjoy your holidays!


	118. S4 Episode XVI: Two Wrongs Pt I

**Episode XVI: Two Wrongs Pt. I**

Nathan walked down the halls a little annoyed. He had spent yesterday with his younger sister since Aaron had something else to do and Gabrielle wanted to get out of the house. So when Stephanie called and he told her he was unable to pick her up, he figured that she would go find Angelina. Instead he gets a call from Ethan that practically made him seethe.

"Scooter," Damon looked at the guy calling his name. "Were you at the ravine yesterday?"

"Yeah." Damon answered. "Jackie had some girls' day with Nicky and Helen."

"Was Stephanie there?" Nathan questioned. Damon hesitated, remembering Stephanie clearly asking him to keep that a secret. "Well?"

"Yeah man, she was." Damon answered. "But it's not like she-"

"I told her _not_ to go there." stated Nathan.

"She just wanted to see what the fuss was about. And a lot of people know not to mess with your girl. Clearly different from Nicky." Damon said.

"That's not making me feel any better." Nathan replied while shoving his hands in his pockets. "I'll talk to her later about it."

Damon nodded as Nathan walked away. He really did not know why Nathan was so pissed that Stephanie had ventured to the ravine. Damon had taken Jacquelyn there several of times and nothing bad has happened. But Damon just pushed it aside as he realized who he was talking about. Nathan, as Gabrielle has pegged him, is overprotective at moments.

* * *

Clare walked into her kitchen where she found her stepdaughter, Raven, sitting at the kitchen.

"Oh, hey Raven. I didn't hear you come in." Clare said.

Raven's lips thinned before she sighed.

"Clare, answer me something." Raven said.

"Sure. Anything." Clare replied.

"Are you seeing Eli behind my dad's back?"

Clare stood quiet for a moment, thinking that somehow Ariana had a part in this. But, she soon realized that blaming Ariana for something she could not prove was wrong and shook her head.

"No. I'm not seeing Eli." Clare answered.

"Dad thinks so." Raven stated. "I heard him talking to Dave last night." Clare gasped a bit. "Clare, please, be honest with me. Is there _anything_ going on between you two?"

"No!" Clare protested. "I mean, I will always care for him but nothing that would jeopardize my marriage with K.C."

"I hope you're right." Raven responded calmly. "Because Dad thinks otherwise. And you both can't be right."

Clare now regretted kissing Eli in the first place. It was bad enough that Eli's daughter had caught them, but now Raven and K.C were starting to think otherwise. She told herself then and there that she had to put space between herself and Eli. They could only meet by random in public places. No longer could they just hangout without anyone else there.

"Clare," Clare snapped out of her thoughts and looked at her stepdaughter. "When is Abby's next school performance? I wanted to be there."

"It's in two weeks." Clare answered. "Your dad and I wanted to go down there, but with Jenna's new schedule there's no telling if we'll have to watch Leona and Kyle."

Raven nodded. "I understand. Mom's been in and out of the studio a lot." Raven then smiled. "I can't wait to hear her on the radio!"

Clare grinned. "Me neither. But we'll have to."

"Yeah," Raven said. "But in the meantime, how about we go out?"

"Sure Raven. Just let me get ready." Clare said before leaving the kitchen.

Raven watched her stepmother leave the kitchen before releasing a small sigh. She made a mental note to talk to Isabella whenever they were both free. With the growing rumor that there was a new paternity test done on Jayden's kids, she doubted that Danica would have any free time anytime soon.

* * *

Walking to his second period class was something Jayden did not want to be doing. So he took the longest route there at the slowest pace possible. His mind could not wrap around being near Scarlett and trying not to say anything. Of course, there was the possibility that she would ignore him just as much as he would her as well.

"Jayden!" Jayden paused in mid-step and allowed Helen to catch up to him. "Where the hell is my cousin?"

"I'm trying to ignore both of them so I wouldn't know. Why?" Jayden questioned.

Helen frowned. "You mean that you haven't heard?" Jayden shook his head. "Turns out that Princess Scarlett reunited with her charming prince in more ways than one."

"DeWayne?" Helen nodded. "And what do you mean 'in more ways than one'? Are you saying that they…?"

"Rumor has it." Helen stated. "And when I find her I'm going to beat the hell out of her for doing such a thing!"

"Don't." Jayden said.

"But-"

"No, don't." Jayden interrupted. "You know how she is. So just let her do whatever she wants. In the end she'll just crash and burn. And I want to be the one there."

"To help?" asked Helen.

"To watch." Helen was a little taken back by Jayden's remark and was more unnerved when he glared at her. "Did you know about her getting this paternity test done?"

Helen sighed. "Yeah, I did." Jayden nodded. "But Jay, hear me out alright? I was going to tell you the day I found out."

"But you didn't." Jayden said. "And that's all that matters."

"Sorry if being a great cousin comes at such a price. You should know that by now." Helen stated.

"Then maybe you should stop trying to be such a great cousin to a spiteful little girl." Jayden replied. "She's ruined us, Helen. Us. Do you know that I might not be a father had Scarlett just let us be?"

"Are you saying that you'd leave Laura for me?" Jayden shook his head.

"No I'm just saying-"

"Then she did _us_ a favor." Helen said. "Look, you and I both know how this will play out. DeWayne's bound to get tired of her and cast her aside and that's where _we'll_ come in to cheer her up." Jayden grunted. "Don't make that noise. You know just as much as I that she depends on us. And even when we both want to kill her… Well, when _I_ want to kill her and you just want to ignore her, we have to be there."

"No I don't. And I won't." Jayden said walking away.

"Hey!" Helen said moving behind him. "What's your deal?"

"Everyone apparently." Jayden remarked. "How is it that _everyone_ knew about the test but me? Hell, Laura knew before me!"

"It's not the end of the world." Helen stated.

"With Laura in England and my son gone forever," Jayden said. "Having Scarlett doing this to me is pretty damn close." Helen let out a quiet breath as Jayden turned towards the ceiling. "You just don't know what I would've done for her…"

Helen remained silent as the two continued to walk. They both knew that they were late for their respective classes, but neither cared. The silence in the hallways gave them enough peace to think.

Arriving at Helen's class first, Jayden paused in his trek towards his class.

"Jayden, it's really not the end of the world." Helen said. "You have to noisy twins to prove that. And when Laura returns you'll probably be back to your old annoying self."

"And in the meantime?" Jayden asked.

"Play with your band, be a dad, don't skip classes, and," Helen said. "Every now and then we can talk. But it _better not_ interfere with my time with Braxton."

Jayden smiled. "I like it when you're mean and demanding. It reminds me of Napoleon."

"I'm going to let that height joke slide just this once." Helen said.

"Sure thing Angry Smurf." Jayden said walking away.

"Say that again! I dare you!" Helen called as Jayden laughed and continued walking. She smiled before slipping into her class where everyone, teacher included, was staring at her. "What are you guys looking at?"

* * *

Sitting in his class at Lakehurst, DeWayne glanced at his sister.

"So I take it that you're the one behind these rumors." DeWayne said.

"Is that a problem Wayne? I mean, you did break-up with Mercedes for Scarlett and then spent nearly two hours in your room alone with her." Deanna stated. "Even you have to wonder what she did to persuade you."

DeWayne shook his head. "You don't care about that. You just want to get even with me for what happened last year."

"Oh! You mean that little thing about my diary and Shane?" Deanna said. "Why DeWayne. I'm shocked that you would think that."

"It's true." DeWayne muttered.

Deanna smiled sweetly. "Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't. We'll never know, now will we?"

"Stop it." DeWayne said. "This isn't funny."

"Really? And telling my secrets was?" DeWayne scowled a bit. "Next time, dear brother, remember to leave me alone and this will never happen. Ever."

"When Scarlett hears this-"

"You should be more worried about her dear ex Jayden and what he'll do when he hears this." Deanna interrupted with a smile. "Good luck brother. I'm sure you'll need it."

DeWayne did not respond. He knew that his sister was plotting something since yesterday, he just did not know what. His mind began playing several scenarios for payback as well, until he realized one thing. He had not spoken to Mercedes to day at all. She would probably make this worse, much, much worse. And that was something he did not need at the moment.

* * *

"Jayden wait," Scarlett said as the bell rang. Jayden was surprisingly the first one out of the class, leaving Shane and Nicole behind with Scarlett. "Jayden please!"

"What do you want?" Jayden asked.

"I need to talk to you." Scarlett replied.

"Not here." Jayden stated. Scarlett opened her mouth. "I will deal with you later. Until then, I suggest you stay the hell away from me before you drive me off the deep in, got it?"

Scarlett only nodded as Jayden walked away. Shane neared his ex and sighed.

"He's back to his old pissed off ways, huh?" Shane asked.

"It's my fault." Scarlett muttered.

"What? You sleeping with DeWayne?" Scarlett looked at Shane in confusion. "People are talking about how you went to his house yesterday and… Well you know."

"I never slept with him!" Scarlett protested. "Shane I swear I never did anything with him!"

"Kelly says that you two were in his room for a while and Deanna agreed." Shane said. "It sounds fishy Scarlett."

"They hate me Shane!" Scarlett said. "Obviously they're the ones passing this around because-"

"Kelly doesn't spread rumors." Shane stated defensively.

"And what's Deanna's excuse?" When Shane did not reply, Scarlett huffed. "This is getting out of hand. I messed up Shane. I thought that he and Torrie slept together. That's why I went to speak to DeWayne."

"That's stupid. You should've just talked to Jayden." Scarlett sighed heavily. "You know I'm right Scarlett."

"I know that now. But at the time I was just too angry to even think properly." Scarlett said. "Shane, what am I going to do?"

"Honestly, I don't know. You've already screwed up talking to me after school now that Kelly and Deanna are mad at you. And Jay's pretty pissed too." Scarlett rolled her eyes. "No point in doing that, I'm right. And now I have to get to class before Mrs. Taylor calls my mom and tells her that I've been tardy again."

"Sure. And Shane, I'm sorry for what I've done." Scarlett said.

Shane shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me. I've been used to you."

Although Shane meant no harm with the statement, Scarlett's heart sunk worse. It was practically the same thing Danica was talking to her about, being selfish and spoiled. And now she had no one but herself to talk to.

"Just get through today," Scarlett mumbled to herself. "Tomorrow will be a lot easier… I hope."

* * *

Eli watched as Ariana walked calmly to her room, her clothes soaking wet.

"Ari… Do you want to talk about it?" Eli asked.

"Water balloons. Talks over." Ariana said closing her bedroom door.

Eli moved towards her closed door and sighed. Ariana was not the most normal kid in the world, but he applauded being different. Of course, other kids did not see it that way. They saw a girl that dressed differently and acted a bit differently and they go off to throw water balloons at her.

Kids were truly evil nowadays.

"Are you hungry?" Eli asked.

"Not really." Ariana said from the other side of her door. "I just want to rest for a while."

"Ari, are you sure you don't want to talk? You know that keeping it-"

"Locked inside is bad and stuff. Yeah, I know." Eli waited for a moment before he saw the doorknob twist. He grinned when he saw her in a large grey t-shirt and jeans, her hair now worn down. "I just want to relax for the rest of the day. Maybe go to the park and read or something."

Eli grinned. "That's fine. And hey, maybe we'll go visit Andy and the others this weekend?"

"Why? So they can tell me just how much I've missed." Ariana said walking towards her bed.

"Ari-"

"And half of this wouldn't have happened if you weren't busy with Clare." Ariana said.

Eli frowned. "What does Clare have to do with this?"

"Everything. She has _everything_ to do with how I feel right now." Realizing an argument beforehand, Eli only nodded. "So can I take that nap now or do you still want to talk?"

"No. You can go to sleep now." Eli said.

Ariana did not waste any time getting into her bed and throwing the comforter over her body. She heard Eli close her door and walk away before closing her eyes. She wished that things could go back like they once were. Days when she had a mom and dad and a godfather who all loved her and surrounded by friends instead of strangers. Yet she knew that those days were long gone and nothing would ever be that perfect again.

And those thoughts only made her cry silently before dozing off to sleep.

* * *

At the sound of the final bell, Aaron quickly made his way to his brother. Danica had texted him the news about Jayden's "mystery" paternity test during lunch and now he had to make sure that his brother was alright. And with the rumors of Scarlett sleeping with DeWayne, Aaron knew that Jayden was probably seconds away from exploding on the first person that slightly resembled DeWayne.

"A.J," Aaron paused in step when Chandra called him. "What's the rush? I've been calling you for minutes!"

"I'm sorry Bambi but I'm trying to get in find Jayden." Aaron said.

"Oh, well doesn't he have soccer today?" Aaron shook his head. "Band?" Again Aaron shook his head for no. "So he should be waiting at the parking lot."

"I hope so." Aaron said.

"I, um, wanted to talk to you." Chandra began. "About… You know." Aaron nodded. "A.J, I want you to know that I feel bad. Like, really bad. And not about what happened but because I changed you. I made you do something you didn't want to do."

"Bambi, it's fine." Aaron replied. "But, I have to run. Something serious is going on and I really need to talk to Jayden."

"Oh. Is it about us or…?"

"If Laura returns," Aaron said. "It might be life or death." Chandra let out a silent "Oh" and Aaron grinned. "But I'll call, okay? We can meet up at The Dot or somewhere."

"What about Farah?" Chandra asked.

"She and Chandler are having a day out today. I'm pretty much free." Aaron said nearing the exit. "I'll call, okay? I really need to find my brother though."

"Yeah, sure." Chandra said before sighing. "Yes!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Chandra turned to see Jordan shaking her head. "Having an affair with your cousin's boyfriend. You really are some kind of whore Chandra." Chandra was prepared to say something but Jordan held up a hand. "If you wondering how I knew, it's because he told me. Not that you should be surprised or anything. I am his best friend."

"If you tell I'll-"

"You couldn't do anything. Do you remember how easy it was making you into a gold-digger or revealing A.J's heritage? I am pretty good at gossip Chandra." Jordan said before sighing. "Fortunately for you, I've called a truce with A.J, which would include anything that has something to do with his family, you, or Farah."

"So what do you want?" Chandra asked.

"Nothing." Jordan said. "Just know that we both know that A.J really doesn't want to be with Farah and if you just 'so happened' to be with Tevin at the time that A.J and Farah split, I won't hesitate to take him back." Chandra glared at Jordan. "So I suggest you end whatever it is you have with my other ex fast."

"Are you saying that you want me to be with A.J?" Chandra questioned.

"I'm saying that despite my disregards for you, I would like my best friend to be happy with whoever. I just know who makes him happiest." Jordan stated before walking away.

Chandra stood with a mixture of happiness and confusion. She and Jordan were never friends and she doubted that they ever will be, but they did agree on one thing. Aaron deserved happiness. He was there for both of them when they needed it most and then some. It only pained her to know that Jordan was probably going to have some weigh-in on his final decision, especially if Chandra had to live with the fact that she owed the annoying blonde…

* * *

Stephanie was a little shocked that Nathan had beaten her to their normal meeting spot, but brushed it aside as she neared him with a smile.

"Hey Nate." she said before giving him a small peck. "How was your day?"

"You went to the ravine?" Nathan asked.

Stephanie gasped. "H-how'd you know that? Who told?"

"Don't worry about it." Nathan said. "You went there after I told you not to. Steph, do you know what they could've done to you?"

"Scooter was there and he made sure nothing bad happened." Stephanie replied.

"It doesn't matter. I…" Stephanie smiled at Nathan's words. "What's so funny?"

"You! You're so worried about me!" Nathan scoffed. "Oh come on, you are. And I think it's sweet."

"Yeah, well," Nathan stated. "I just know those guys to have you around them. If you want give them what they want, they'll try to take it."

"I had mace on me." Stephanie stated causing Nathan to grin. "Yeah, I'm more gangsta than you think."

Nathan laughed, putting an arm around her.

"Yes you are." Nathan stated before kissing her.

"You know," Stephanie muttered. "I would like to hangout with my boyfriend's friends if he'd let me."

"Why? To see my not really ex and Scooter?" said Nathan. Stephanie gave him a small pout. "Fine, fine, we can go. But I swear that the _first_ guy that says something to you gets my fist in his face."

"What if it's a girl?" Nathan nearly stumbled on Stephanie's words and stared at her. "What? You don't think girls find me attractive?"

"I…" Nathan paused. "Whatever Stephanie."

Stephanie only smiled as Nathan led her to the ravine. She thought it was nice to have someone look out for her at all times, even if he was not physically there. However, she had to agree with Gabrielle. Nathan was overprotective and it could get annoying at points. She only felt bad for his younger sister who had to deal with this for most of the day.

* * *

Scarlett cautiously stepped into the apartment and looked around for Jayden's older insane sister. When she realized that Danica was not there, she followed the boy to his room.

"Jayden, about the DeWayne thing. I-"

"DeWayne? Who in the hell gives a damn about him? I'm pissed about the paternity test that you somehow obtained." Jayden interrupted. "Why? That's all I want to know Scarlett. Why?"

"I thought you wanted to be sure. I thought-"

"Then stop thinking!" Jayden snapped. "Do you know the shit you've put me in? There are tabloids with this shit, running around thinking that I didn't believe Laura!"

"I'm sorry, okay?! I just wanted to make sure that you knew what you were getting into!" Scarlett replied just as loud. "You act like this is the end of the world Jayden! But it's not! I only did this because I was worried that Laura had somehow conned you into raising someone else's kids!"

"No, you did it because you're a jealous little bitch with a terrible self-importance complex!" Jayden argued.

"Don't call me a bitch." Scarlett told him. "And do you even care that I did it out of-"

"No! Because you still did it!" Jayden cut her off.

Scarlett glared. "Why is it that when I try to do things out of love and compassion, you turn it into a fucking nightmare!"

"Because _I_ have to live with _your_ mistakes!" Jayden shouted.

"Like your kids were on purpose!"

Jayden's face dropped as he stared at the angry brunette in front of him. Scarlett, realizing her mistake, instantly calmed down.

"Jayden I'm sorry. I didn't mean that." Scarlett said.

"No. You meant every word of it." Jayden replied. "And I guess I walked right into that one. Danni said that I loved you too much to choke you, and she's right. I do. So just leave."

"Jayden, no, wait," Scarlett began. "I don't want us to hate each other. I don't want us to fuss and fight like we did last year." Scarlett sighed. "I just… I was worried, okay? I was worried that you'd find out that your kids weren't yours and do something suicidal."

"I live with pressure everyday Scarlett. I really don't have the patience to carry your weight as well. Go." Jayden said.

"Please let me make this up to you." Scarlett stated as she stepped closer towards him. "I really am sorry and I-"

"What are you going to do? Whore yourself out to me like you did with DeWayne or bitch your way out like you did to me earlier?" Jayden responded.

Before she could stop herself, Scarlett's hand went across Jayden's face, hard. The sound resonated throughout the room. There was a small pause before Jayden roughly shoved her against the door, his hands around her collar.

"When you leave," Jayden hissed angrily. "Don't come back, don't look back, and don't think back. Stay the hell out of my life Scarlett Chessex!"

His words met his mark as Scarlett froze in his grip out of, not fear, but regret. She could see the small red mark on his face and regretted everything she had done to him.

"Jayden, please!" Scarlett pleaded before he released her.

"Now." His voice was firm and unwavering.

Scarlett could practically feel his hate for her now. It was if all the warnings and jokes were starting to come true. Her life, her existence, meant very little if the one person she wanted despise her. She could feel herself become sick and desperate for his approval.

"No." Jayden was shocked at her words and spotted the tears falling from her eyes. "I won't leave you. Not again."

Swallowing the growing feeling in his stomach, Jayden moved to grab Scarlett's hand. Like a child, he began to pull her out of his room with her struggling against his grip.

"No! Jayden please don't!" Scarlett cried.

It pained him greatly to see her like this. She was literally begging him to forgive her, to keep her in his life. And he wished he could. He wished so badly that he could wake up one morning and realize that he never cheated on her and that they were still together peacefully. But it wasn't meant to be. He was meant for Laura, and Laura was meant for Jayden. Scarlett… She would always be a close second.

"Jayden! No!" Scarlett continued as he neared the front door. "Please! Let me make it up to you! Please stop!"

Jayden bit his lip to stop himself from saying anything. He used his free hand to unlock the door before he felt Scarlett push up against him, kissing him. And while he could still unlock the door, he found himself kissing her back. His grip on her wrist slowly weakened until she was able to put her hands on his face.

Finally, he pushed away.

"Scarlett," Jayden said quietly. "You have to go."

Scarlett was stunned. She felt it. She felt the passion that they once had, the love that she dreamt about. And yet, he could still look at her with so much anger and hatred that it nearly killed her. The open door let in a cool wind that sent shivers down Scarlett's spine. Was this all her doing?

Scarlett took a few steps towards the door before turning around. She went to kiss Jayden again and was shocked when he met her halfway. She cried harder as they kissed, knowing that this might as well be the last time that this happened. Stepping away from him, Scarlett stared at him across the threshold and sniffled.

"I love you Jayden." Scarlett said.

"I love you too Scarlett." Jayden stated as he closed the door between them.

With nothing else that could be done, Scarlett slowly sank to the ground and pressed her back against the door, crying. How did it ever come to this? How did she let one simple dance with DeWayne turn into Jayden cheating on her, impregnating Laura, leaving her for Laura, and now hating her completely? These were the thoughts in her head as she just sat there crying her eyes out by his door, hoping that he'd open it and forgive her.

But he wasn't. In fact, Jayden sat in a similar position as Scarlett on the other side of the door, though he refused to cry. He sat quiet, listening to her while staring at the ceiling. He blamed himself for all of this. He blamed himself for Laura's pregnancy, Scarlett's actions, and even Aaron and Chandra breaking up. He just wanted to take it all back. To stop Laura from ever liking him. To stop Scarlett from dancing with DeWayne. Stop Steven from raising a hand to Chandra. Just to stop it all. He wished he could get up and forgive Scarlett for what she had done, but something inside of him wouldn't let him.

So he sat there listening to her cry. And she sat there crying her eyes out. And they both sat there wishing that they could've prevented any of this from happening.

* * *

Chandra entered The Dot to find Jordan there waiting tables at her siblings request. She sat at a table by herself, knowing Aaron was on his way.

"A.J!" Chandra called to him as he entered the establishment. He gave her a grin and walked towards her table. "So did everything work out?"

"Not hardly." Aaron said sitting across from his ex. "Apparently 'someone' leaked out a paternity test that this 'someone' had done a while ago. Jayden is pissed about it and Danni said she'd handle it, but our parents are not pleased about this entire thing and Laura is far from okay."

"I'm sorry." Chandra replied.

Aaron smiled. "Now who apologies for things they didn't do?" Chandra smiled at his statement. "But, from what I was told, we will fix this as quickly as possible. Strangely enough, gossip at Laura's school spreads faster than it does here, so we're trying to make her as comfortable as possible."

"Wow," Chandra stated. "I see why you wanted to find Jayden so badly. I bet he's pretty pissed." Chandra paused. "Wait. Do you guys know who did it?" Aaron nodded. "Who was it?"

"I can't say." Chandra pouted. "Seriously Bambi, I gave my word that I wouldn't."

"Sure A.J. I think you're trying to call me a blabber mouth." replied Chandra with mock sadness.

"That's the _other_ ex." Aaron said with a smile.

"What's the other ex?" Jordan questioned as she neared the two. Aaron shook his head. "Aaron Jordan McDuelle, you'd better not be talking about me."

"What do you want Jordan?" Chandra asked.

"Let's see," Jordan said. "I have a pen, a pad, an apron, and you're sitting at my mom's café. Think about it. Don't worry, I'm paid to wait while you do."

"How about the normal?" Aaron stated.

Jordan gave him a nod. "Sure thing," The blonde then smiled. "Have fun on your date!"

Aaron glared at Jordan as she walked to the counter. His attention then turned to Chandra who only sighed.

"You have some weird friends A.J." Chandra said.

Aaron smiled. "Tell me about it."

* * *

"Hey Princess, how was…" Blue's words died as soon as he saw his daughter. "Scarlett, what's going on?"

Scarlett merely shook her head as she climbed the steps. She felt completely numb at the moment and just wanted to lie down for the rest of eternity. Well, at least until Jayden forgave her. She found her bedroom and moved to climb beneath her sheets.

"Scarlett," Scarlett heard Fiona call. "Scarlett, I need to talk to you." Scarlett turned her back to the door in time for Fiona to see her. "Scarlett, did you get a paternity test done on Jayden's kids without his permission?"

"She did what?" Scarlett winced at the sound of her father's voice. "Fi, tell me you're kidding."

"No, I'm not." Fiona said before sighing heavily. "Is that the thing you did?"

Scarlett only threw the comforter over her head, completely submerged in her sheets while she cried what little tears she had left. She could hear her parents talking at her door and could only think about what Danica had said. Physically, emotionally, mentally, Scarlett was in much pain. Her parents and Helen were angry at her, Jayden hated her, and whatever friends she had would soon leave once they heard what she had done.

"Hey Scar," Scarlett's breath hitched at the sound of Helen's voice. "Can I come in?" A paused followed before Scarlett heard her door close. "You know Aunt Fi is pissed, right? But I'm sure you're more worried about Jayden, huh?"

Scarlett did not make sound, envisioning the look of anger on his face. The thought of him never being able to forgive her ran through her mind and she felt that much sicker.

"You know," Scarlett felt Helen sitting on the edge of her bed. "I won't leave you Scar, ever. We're cousins." Silence. "Come on Scarlett, talk to me. Cry. Do something that lets me know you'll get over it."

Scarlett slowly removed the sheets from her distraught face, Helen gasping at the sight. Scarlett had never looked _that_ bad and that was including the time after her scrap with Mercedes.

"Scar…" Helen began, but could not find anything else to say.

"He hates me Helen." Scarlett said. "He truly hates me now."

"You don't-"

"He threw me out! Physically!" While Helen could not blame Jayden's anger towards her cousin, she was a little shocked to know that he would actually physically remove Scarlett from his home.

"But he doesn't hate you, I'm sure. Just… Mad?" Helen said. "Look, just give him some time and-"

"I don't _have_ time!" Scarlett replied. "Laura comes home for Winter Break!"

Helen sighed. "Scarlett, I tried warning you a long time ago, but you obviously didn't want to listen to me."

"Helen, he called me a whore _and_ a bitch."

Now Helen was completely speechless. Jayden had refrained from using that "B" word towards a female unless he found it absolutely necessary and never had he thought about saying said word to Scarlett. Maybe he _did_ hate her?

"Scar I…" Helen paused. She really had no idea on what to say now. "I'll talk to him. Maybe I can calm him down."

"For what? He is right. My actions turned his life to hell. And for what? Because I hate Laura? Because I want him that bad? All of it backfired!" Scarlett said before throwing the covers over her head. "I just want to sleep the rest of the day away. Please go."

"Sure Scar." Helen said rising from the bed. "If you need me…"

Helen did not finish her statement, hearing Scarlett crying all over again. While she had never been in the position before, she figured that Scarlett must have been in an extremely amount of pain. And while she wanted to comfort her cousin, she knew Scarlett had this coming. Scarlett had done this to herself despite all the warnings from Helen. And now he hated her.

Walking out of Scarlett's room and shutting her door, Helen looked at her aunt and uncle and sighed.

"Is she okay?" Fiona asked. Helen only shook her head. "What are we going to do Blue? I don't want our daughter turning into one of those depressed girls that end up committing suicide."

"Scarlett's stronger than that." Blue said. "I don't think she'll do that."

Fiona looked at Helen. "Keep a close eye on her Helen."

"I will Aunt Fi." Helen said moving for the stairs. "But first, I have to find that annoying neighbor of mine and see if I can't calm him down first."

* * *

Ariana sighed contently. It was late in the evening and no one was out at the park to bother her. She could read in peace and spot the first star before going home.

Well, she thought she was alone.

"Oh great," Ariana said spotting Jayden sitting against a tree, his eyes scanning the sky above them. "You again." Ariana huffed when he did not even acknowledge her. "Are you just going to sit there and annoy me? Jackass."

As Ariana neared him, she realized that he had his earphones in, listening to his iPod. She nearly blushed in embarrassment before he looked at her and took one out.

"Is this your tree," he said. "Because if it is, I'll just go somewhere else."

Ariana frowned. "What's wrong with you? You're usually annoying and-" Ariana stopped when Jayden sighed heavily and stood up. "You're weird."

"_I'm_ weird?" Jayden responded, his anger heard in his voice. "How about you look in the mirror!" Ariana gasped before Jayden's eyes widened. "Ari… I'm sorry. I just-"

"Go to hell." Ariana said turning around.

"No! Wait!" Jayden said catching up to her. "I've just had a real stressful day."

"Tell me about it." Ariana said with a scoff, trying to move around him.

"My ex got a paternity test done on my kids and now some tabloid has it and will probably be publishing it soon." Jayden told her. "So I've been a little testy for most of the day." Jayden paused. "And I don't think you're weird at all. Different maybe, but not weird."

Ariana stared at him before sighing.

"Seriously Ari, I'm sorry." Jayden stated before moving back to the base of the tree where he leaned against again. "Though I can understand if you just want me to leave."

Ariana mentally kicked the boy in the face before moving to sit beside him. The kick was for calling her weird, a pet peeve of hers. But she realized he must have been in some sort of mental anguish as his dimples were hardly visible.

"So you're just going to look out for stars?" Ariana questioned him.

Jayden shrugged. "It keeps me calm." Jayden looked at her. "You want some music with that book? I promise it's nothing loud or anything."

"Sure." Ariana said.

The pair set there, listening to Jayden's playlist while staring at the darkening sky. For Jayden, he hardly even acknowledged Ariana's presence as he was too deep in thought to even care. His main objective was stopping his world from tumbling down as quickly as possible without the use of force or Laura finding out.

And as for Ariana, she found this rather soothing. Jayden was not talking to her, which was the first time she'd seem him silent in general. His music chose, despite being rather depressing, had slow and soothing beats to them. And most importantly, they were alone. This had to be one of the best evenings she has had in a long time.

Well, until her stomach decided to rumble quite loudly.

"You hungry?" Ariana nodded at the slightly rhetorical question. "You want to get something to eat? My treat?"

"I…" Ariana paused before declining and sighed. "Sure Jayden. But if my old man asks…"

Jayden chuckled. "Trust me, this isn't a date. You're just the only person at the moment that understands my need to just runaway." Ariana saw his attention go to the stars. "Maybe one day that's what I'll do…"

"Running never solves anything." Ariana admonished him.

Jayden looked at the girl at his right, hearing a bit of himself in her voice. He had said that exact phrase to Aaron countless of times in the past. Now it was being used on him.

"Maybe you're right." Jayden said before rising. "But I'm sure you've wanted to run off as well. To get away from the rest of society?"

"Yeah…" Ariana replied before rising. "Jayden, I'm sorry about your ex."

"Just let's me know the select people in this world I can trust." Jayden stated.

Ariana only nodded as she followed him to his car. In her head, she knew how he truly felt. Since moving, her life has been a complete hell and she wanted nothing more than to run away somewhere quiet. And while she was dealing with her peers at school, he was dealing with the larger group known as paparazzi. Maybe they were not but so different?

"You have anywhere particular that you want to go to?" Jayden asked.

Ariana shook her head. "No. You?"

"Not at all." Jayden stated.

"I guess we should just ride around until we've decided then." Ariana said.

Jayden smiled. "Sounds like a plan to me."

Ariana ducked into the car to hide her blush. Once again, she cursed her father for being such a heavy blusher.

* * *

Later that night, Clare quietly entered her home where she ran into Raven.

"You lied to me." Raven said sternly.

"Raven I-"

"Save it Clare." Raven interrupted. "How can you do this to Abby? To Dad?" Clare opened her mouth to speak though Raven was not done. "Clare, doesn't he know that you're _married_? Doesn't he-"

"I told him to stay away from me." Clare finally said. "No matter how much I…"

"Love him?" Raven finished and Clare nodded. "Clare, he just moved there. There is no way that you could actually be more in love with him than Dad."

"Eli and I dated after I broke up with your dad in high school. We were together until I," Clare paused. "Until _we_ did something stupid. He moved afterwards and I did too. We haven't spoken since then."

Raven only sighed. "Just don't hurt Dad. And don't have me explain to Abby that _you_ had an affair."

Raven moved for the door to leave for her mother's house before Clare stopped her.

"Raven," Clare said. "Thank you for not telling your dad."

"Step or not," Raven said. "You're still a mother to me."

Clare felt her heart sink at the words, remembering the little girl that used to make dating K.C so hard. It was _months_ before Raven accepted Clare and K.C dating and afterwards, Raven made sure that no one got in-between them, not even Jenna.

Hearing the door close behind her, Clare moved to sit on the couch. She could call Alli now, but the woman would be a bit irate if Clare was interrupting her sleep or anything with Drew. Talking to Jenna about this was not in her best interest either, and Adam would probably tell Clare to forget about K.C without listening to the pros and cons. That only left one person to talk to, which she planned on doing so tomorrow. She just hoped that said person wouldn't be too busy to help her.

* * *

**Author's Note:** So here is the first chapter of 2013. Hope you liked it. There are two more chapters before the two-part season finale. Please review and I'll update as soon as possible. Later.


	119. Webisode: Mitunes: Dakota

**MiTunes: Dakota**

Artist: Boyce Avenue  
Song: Broken Angel

Dakota lied in her bed, thinking of her earlier encounter with Leona Parker. The girl had seemingly brought up the depression and hatred Dakota held within her as she thought about her father. And while Dakota knew that that wasn't Leona's intentions, it still happened.

_You showed him all the best of you  
But I'm afraid your best  
Wasn't good enough_

Dakota thought back to when she was younger. She understood fully that Silas wasn't her real father and always seemed to try to reach out to her real dad. But he never seemed to care. Or at least, he never cared enough.

_And I know he never wanted you  
At least not the way  
You wanted yourself to be loved_

She would always see how Craig looked at Steven, Ashton, or Lillian with a huge smile whenever he came home, always given Dakota this look. What this look was, she had just recently found out. The look of regret. It was the look that he had made her out of a mistake and now she lived with this everyday.

_And you feel like you were a mistake  
He's not worth all those tears that won't go away_

Dakota turned in her bed, feeling the urge to drown herself in whatever alcoholic beverage was in the house. Sometimes she really wished that she hadn't been born. Or at least not born into the situation she was in._  
_  
_I wish you could see that  
Still you try to impress him  
But he never will listen_

Sighing, she sat up. Maybe if she listened to some music she would feel better? However, when she turned on her radio mounted on her wall, she regretted it as the song filled her room.

_Oh broken angel  
Were you sad when he crushed all your dreams  
Oh broken angel  
Inside you're dying 'cause you can't believe_

Unable to even turn the radio off, Dakota closed her eyes tightly, a vain attempt to stop tears from falling. Why was she the unwanted one? Why did it take Craig so many years to even acknowledge her without Ellie telling him to? Why couldn't she just have a normal family?_  
_

_Oh, you can't believe_

_And now you've grown up  
With this notion that you were to blame_

Staring at her reflection, she could literally see her answer. She didn't have many of Craig's features like her siblings. And it was her birth that seemed to shake Craig's happy marriage with Ashley, especially when the media got a hold of it. So maybe it was her fault?

_And you seem so strong sometimes  
But I know that you still feel the same  
As that little girl who shined like an angel  
Even after his lazy heart put you through hell_

Dakota thought about her performance at the Black Mist concert. It was Juvenile Grace's breakout performance, some people said. Yet, Craig wasn't even there. And while she walked around feeling proud of not screwing up on stage in front of a massive audience, she would have preferred him to be there. Even with a new guy in her life to take the father role, she still wanted Craig there and she would always want him there.

_I wish you could see that  
Still you try to impress him  
But he never will listen_

Dakota threw her head back onto her bed, falling on her pillows. Why did she still want Craig there? He didn't want to be and she was fine without him. Even after their small father-daughter bonding before Spring Break, he still seemed to leave her and only her when she tried to reach out to him._  
_  
_Oh broken angel  
Were you sad when he crushed all your dreams?  
Oh broken angel  
Inside you're dying 'cause you can't believe_

The song was really doing nothing to lift Dakota's spirits and she felt the cravings to drink grow stronger and stronger. But she was stronger than that now. She wouldn't have to drink because Craig wasn't there. Well, that's what she kept telling herself.

_He would leave you alone  
And leave you so cold  
When you were his daughter_

But the urge seemed to prove stronger as she found herself leaving her bedroom. The thoughts of all the Christmases and birthdays that Craig had missed fueled the desire to drink. And she knew _exactly_ where her mother hid the wine in the house.

_But the blood in your veins  
As you carry his name  
Turns thinner than water_

Walking by another mirror, Dakota paused and looked at herself. Laura was right about one thing, they were much alike. The anger Laura held for her mother, Dakota had for her father. It drove Laura to do the things that she did and now it was driving Dakota down a similar path. _  
_

_You're just a broken angel  
Angel…  
You're just a broken angel  
Oh angel_

Dakota stopped before she went into the wine cabinet at the thought of Laura. Laura was really Dakota's best friend in all aspects of the word. Laura and Jayden were the only two people to really know how Dakota truly felt about Craig. She hated him and loved him at the same time. She would smile that he didn't stop by to give her that "look" but cried later because he never came around. At some points Dakota drunk because it made her feel better about the absence of Craig… Other times it was to stop her from blaming herself.

_And I promise that it's not your fault  
It was never your fault  
And I promise that it's not your fault  
It was never your fault_

Dakota's hand reached for the cabinet again, only for the phone to ring and startle her. Answering it, she was relieved to hear that it was Laura, calling to tell her about her day in school. Dakota only smiled hearing how happy Laura sounded- Laura never sounded cheerful, just happy- and only spoke when Laura took a breath.

_Oh broken angel  
Were you sad when he crushed all your dreams?  
Oh broken angel  
Inside you're dying 'cause you can't believe_

When Laura asked Dakota about her day, Dakota revealed to Laura about her run-in with Leona. And it seemed as if Laura's mind immediately figured out what Dakota was doing or about to do.

_He would leave you alone  
And leave you so cold  
When you were his daughter_

Dakota never understood why Laura was always so demanding, but let the absent girl berate her poor decisions anyway. The last thing Dakota wanted was for Laura to call Jayden or else he would be here monitoring Dakota's every move. All because Craig didn't want to do it.

_But the blood in your veins  
As you carry his name  
Turns thinner than water_

Laura reminded Dakota of all of Dakota's friends, fans, and family that would probably be pissed if she relapsed now. She then reminded Dakota that Dakota was now the godmother to Laura's twins, Jaylen and Daniella. They would want to see how great Dakota was after rehab.

_Oh, he would leave you alone  
And leave you so cold  
When you were his daughter_

Craig wasn't worth it. That's what Laura kept telling her. Craig wasn't worth it and Silas was a great dad, which he was. And while Dakota agreed with Laura 110% of the way, she still couldn't help it. She was still Craig's daughter.

_But the blood in your veins  
As you carry his name  
Turns thinner than water_

She would always be his daughter despite what he or anyone else wanted. That would be the everlasting consequence of that one-night affair between Ellie and Craig. And no matter how hard Dakota tried, she would always think about how the media made her Craig Manning's illegitimate- though some sources used the word "bastard"- child.

_You're just a broken angel  
Angel…  
You're just a broken angel  
Oh angel_

Dakota argued with Laura for minutes. Ironically, a year ago, it had been Laura telling Dakota to drink her problems away. Now the tables were turned. And why? Because Laura had somehow come on talking terms with her mother, Bianca. But it was pretty obvious that there was still some tension between Laura and Bianca, like there was between Dakota and Craig. Yet, Laura kept telling Dakota the same thing Jayden told Laura about the death of their third child, Jason.

It's not her fault.

_And I promise that it's not your fault  
It was never your fault  
And I promise that it's not your fault  
It was never your fault_

Laura repeated this over and over until she was pretty much quoting the song Dakota was trying to run away from. And eventually it settled in Dakota's mind. It wasn't her fault that Craig held some sort of regret about making her.

_I promise (promise) that it's not your fault  
It was never your fault  
And I promise that it's not your fault  
It was never your fault_

Sighing, Dakota left the wine cabinet alone, still chatting with Laura. It was weird to hear Laura worried, but she really wanted to stay up to date with her kids while she was in London. On her way back to her room, she was pulled into a small embrace from Silas, who was just returning home. Smiling, Dakota moved with her stepfather up the steps.

Even a broken angel had its heaven.

* * *

**A/N: **Here is Dash's Mitunes. Takes place between You Are My Sunshine and Dance, Dance. Enjoy and review.


	120. S4 Episode XVII: Two Wrongs Pt II

**Episode XVII: Two Wrongs Pt. II**

Helen walked to her locker with Nicole at her side.

"I don't know Nicky. I think she's seriously broken." Helen stated. "I mean, it's been a week and then some and she's still not over it."

"Maybe she just needs someone else to talk to? DeWayne's single." Nicole replied.

Helen scoffed. "That loser is the reason for all of this."

"Well… You have a point there." Nicole said before snapping her fingers. "Maybe Braxton has a friend that-"

"Kelly's already staked a claim in him." Helen interrupted before spotting Shane walking towards them. "Your plain ex is coming." Nicole glanced at Shane as he neared him. "What's wrong Plain Shane? Jayden screwed your sister yet?"

Shane frowned. "No. And he'll never get the chance to so long as I breathe." Shane's face relaxed. "But I wanted to talk about, you know. He and Scarlett and the whole paternity test thing."

Nicole gasped. "So Scarlett go the test done?!"

"Way to go Shane. Tell the neighborhood." said Helen before looking at Nicole. "And don't you say a word of this Nicky or that punch that I that I owe you will be delivered. Quickly and painfully."

Nicole nodded. "Sure Helen. But don't you think Jayden has a right to be mad? I mean, I would be mad if she did _that_."

"Really? Do you not remember that he _cheated _on her to have the kids in the first place?" Helen returned. "I'm not saying that he doesn't have a right to be angry, but he's far from innocent in this. Plus, Scar has a point. Laura's… Well, she's a whore. Or at least she was until she began dating Jayden."

"That's not what happened." Nicole said. "Jay and Laura were together pretty much since that night."

Shane frowned. "And how do you know this?"

"Scooter was telling me and Jackie about it. Laura would 'disappear' and make some excuse about it later." Nicole explained before frowning. "How do _you_ know?"

"Jayden told me." Helen let out a quiet "duh" as Shane finished talking, causing Nicole to shrug. "Anyway, Jay's been off and I'm sure Scarlett's been worse. She's been ignoring my calls all week."

Helen sighed. "Shane, for once I agree. They're not the same. Hell, I've been _dying_ to hear at least _one_ joke from Jayden and haven't gotten it yet!"

"Yeah, it's bad." Shane said. "He's always watching his kids now or working. Dakota says that they were writing songs one day and he just up and walked out. Didn't even come back."

"Weird…" Nicole stated.

"Alright," Helen said. "This is the thing. We'll get them to meet up to talk. Lock them up in some closet or something. Deal?"

Shane nodded. "Anything to stop this madness."

"Nicky?" Helen asked.

"I'm in Helen. But what if they find out?" Nicole asked.

"Then don't hesitate to knock them out and drag them to the closet." Helen answered. "Now, if you don't mind, I have class."

"Yeah," Shane said. "By the way, thanks Helen."

Helen waved him off as she walked away. Shane then turned to his ex and put his hands in his pockets.

"Well… See you around Nicky." Shane said.

"Sure." Nicole replied with a smile as the two walked separate ways.

Shane realized that while helping Jayden patch things up with Jayden's ex, he would have to make amends with his ex, Nicole. Hopefully this time, he would not make the same mistake he made with Jacquelyn and somehow overlook Nicole for Deanna. Then again, Jacquelyn and Deanna were two totally different people. If Deanna felt ignored, he would know one way or the other.

* * *

Walking into the principal's office, Jayden gave Darcy a heavy sigh as the woman shook her head.

"You know why you're here Jayden." Darcy said. "You can't tell a teacher to jump off of a cliff."

"Would it help if I said that said teacher liked rock climbing?" Jayden responded. Darcy shook her head. "Mrs. Taylor, I've had a really rough week and I just want to get home so I can-"

"I know Jayden. Your parents have filled me in." Jayden only nodded as he sat across from her. "Jayden, answer me this. What would you have truly done if Laura lied to you about being her kids' father?"

Jayden shrugged. "I don't know. I'd be mad, yeah, but I know that I would _eventually_ have forgiven her."

"And how would you have done that if she had gone off to England anyway?" Darcy asked.

"I…" Jayden paused. "I guess I would've had to wait until she came back."

"And hook up with Scarlett or some other girl in the meantime, right?" Jayden shook his head. "You wouldn't have? That's not what I see."

"This has something to do with Scarlett, doesn't it?" Jayden stated. "Because if either parent put you up to this then-"

"Sit back and just talk to me Jayden." Darcy said. "You know, I know what you're feeling right. You feel absolutely terrible for the lost of your son. You know that Laura is dealing with a heap of paparazzi and you're not there to protect her. You feel wrong for even agreeing with the whole Scarlett ordeal. And now you feel betrayed by a girl who you loved." Jayden nodded. "So you see, I understand you. But you're not going to get any better if you don't admit it yourself, okay? So talk to me. Tell me, in order, what's on your mind."

Jayden sighed. "Well, Scarlett's paternity test has been on my mind for days now. I mean, I can't trust Dakota's people to watch them anymore because I'm afraid of what could happen to them and I trust Dakota with my life."

"Jayden, you've lost your trust in people." Darcy stated. "You need to forgive Scarlett and let it go."

"I can't." said Jayden. "I just can't. Not yet."

Darcy sighed. "Has your mother ever told you about the night I was raped?" Jayden's eyes widened, but he shook his head. "I felt miserable. I mean, if it hadn't been for your mother, I would've committed suicide at least one of the two times she's stopped me."

Jayden smiled. "That sounds like my mom."

"She's a good person once you get passed her more, loose past." Darcy stated with a grin. "And she helped me through the darkest moments of my life, which is why I'm going to return the favor by helping you."

"Really?" Jayden said. "So that means I can hangout with you all day instead of going to class?"

"Not quite." Darcy responded. "But I could get you out of fifth and sixth period. How does that sound?"

"Sounds like my Friday has gotten better." Jayden replied rising from his seat.

"But you're still getting detention for your comment." Jayden groaned. "You can't tell a teacher to kill herself."

Jayden subtly rolled his eyes. "Better than me doing it."

"Now that's the Jayden I know." Darcy said, gaining a smile from the teen. "Let me write you a note back to class before sending you into the halls."

"I already have detention. What's the worse that they can do to me?" Jayden asked.

"I don't think you want to find out." Jayden nodded at Darcy's words as she wrote him a note and then handed it to him. "Now don't make me call you in here before fifth period or you might regret it Mr. McDuelle."

"Sure thing Mrs. Taylor." Jayden said taking the note and heading for the door. "See you later Darcy!"

Darcy went to reply, but the boy had left her office before she could do anything. She only sighed and shook her head. To think that there were six more like him, five of which were younger than him. She then thought about how Manny must feel watching all seven of them at home at once.

"Heaven help her." Darcy found herself saying aloud.

* * *

The bell rang, ending first period. While walking to his second period, Aaron found himself in the company of Ashton, the two talking about their plans for the weekend.

"I have to somehow get Nigel and Brie together." Aaron announced. Ashton gave Aaron a frown. "Nigel likes Brie and he's kind of scared to talk to her."

"Do you think he should?" Ashton asked.

"Do you?" Aaron returned.

"No." Ashton said. "I don't like some creepy-looking nerd that we don't even know around her." Aaron smirked. "I'm not jealous Santos, so get that out of your head." Aaron's smirk grew. "Stop smiling."

"Just admit that you don't like the thought of Brie seeing other guys." Aaron said. "It's perfectly fine."

"_Right_. Because you are the guru of love." Aaron only shrugged. "Seriously Santos, between you and me, I've had fewer relationships that have lasted longer."

"That's not the point Ashton." Aaron said. "You like Brie."

"I have no idea on what you're talking about." Ashton stated.

"Oh come on, you-" Aaron was interrupted when Ashton's foot tripped him.

"Now that was rude." Vanessa said walking up to Ashton while Aaron stood up. "What did A.J do to deserve that?"

"Just being his normal annoying self." Ashton said. "Yet, I find myself helping him in his dilemma which you can't be apart of since you have a biased opinion."

"Oh." Vanessa said before giving Ashton a kiss on the cheek. "See you later then. See ya A.J."

"Yeah…" Aaron responded as Vanessa walked off. "You could've just told me she was coming."

"Yeah, but I've been dying to pull one over on you A.J." Ashton told his friend with a grin. "Besides, you're fine. _Your _brother didn't punch you in the face and you don't have to hear about _your_ ex trying to date some creep nerd."

"You're right, I have to hear about Tevin taking _another_ ex of mine while my brother _and_ sister uses me as target practice whenever they feel like it." Aaron returned.

"You know," Ashton said. "I've been meaning to ask you something. Is Danni seeing anyone?" Aaron sighed heavily and began walking faster. "Hey! I'm just trying to have options! I mean, we could be brothers and stuff!"

"Good grief…" Aaron muttered as he walked in front of a laughing Ashton.

* * *

Rounding a corner while putting up flyers for the next game, Scarlett spotted Dakota sipping some water from a fountain. Hesitantly, she neared the redhead.

"Dakota," Dakota looked up to se e Scarlett and raised her brows. "Can I talk to you?"

"…" Dakota only stared at the girl for a moment. The two had never really been friends, despite them never being enemies either. Yet, Scarlett had done something against her godchildren, something Dakota took quite offensive. "Sure."

Scarlett sighed. "Okay. Just tell me now. How bad does he hate me?"

"On a scale of one to ten," Dakota said. "Probably a fifteen."

"That bad huh?" Dakota nodded. "Does he talk to you about it? Or Laura?"

"You don't want to know the things Laura said she would do to you when she returns. I try not to think about it before going to bed." Dakota responded. "And to be honest, I think you deserve half of it."

"I know, I know," Scarlett replied. "I just… I just thought that her time was off. That Jayden would've used a condom or something. Anything to have him to my own without sharing him with Laura."

"Scarlett," Dakota said. "I've been sent to rehab and pretty much on house arrest for drinking and both times Jayden and Laura have been there for me. So you must understand that I will do what I can for them and their kids." Scarlett sighed but nodded. "I can't help you get with Jayden and a part of me hopes he never forgives you. But I can try. But only because I know he needs to focus on other things and can't if he's thinking about you."

"Thanks Dakota." Scarlett said. "And I'm sorry for everything that I've done to you in the past. I know I've done and said a lot of mean things to you."

Dakota shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I never really thought much of it." Dakota paused. "Then again, only Jayden seems to think you're worth saving."

As Dakota walked off, Scarlett felt that much worse knowing that Dakota was telling the truth. Sans Shane, no one really cared to even talk to Scarlett, finding her easier to ignore than talking to. Even Helen ignored her whenever she felt Scarlett was becoming irritable.

As for Dakota, she knew just how pissed Laura and Jayden were. She had always felt bad for anyone who was dumb enough to piss both of them off, such as DeWayne. In Dakota's mind, whatever Scarlett had coming to her, whether it be from Laura or Jayden, she deserved it. Though she knew Jayden would never harm Scarlett. Not physically at least. Laura on the other hand… Well, Dakota found Scarlett _extremely_ lucky that Laura had not arrived at her doorsteps yet. But Dakota knew that it was only a matter of time until Laura was kicking down Scarlett's door ready to fight.

Dakota smiled. She would have to teach Jaylen and Daniella how _not_ to be like their parents or they would be in twice the fights Jayden and Laura have been.

* * *

As the bell rang for lunch, Helen found herself searching for Jayden once more. Unlike earlier, she found him at his locker talking to some of the rather unknown basketball players. The two other guys saw Helen making her way towards them and promptly left, causing Jayden to laugh.

"Am I the only guy man enough to stand up to you?" Jayden asked.

"No. Just the only dumb one." Helen responded. "So what're you doing today after school? I wanted to talk to you."

Jayden sighed. "I'm sorry, but I'm busy. I have-"

"No band practice. I've already talked to Plain Shane." Helen interrupted.

"Well…" Jayden began. "I do have kids that-"

"Will be at Laura's mom's. Ran by Dakota too." Helen cut him off a second time. "Got another lie?"

"Helen," Jayden said with a sigh. "How about you just let this go? Your cousin screwed me over and I'm not too happy that you knew and didn't tell me either."

"Jayden, I'm really sorry. I did try to get her to tell you though." Helen said. Jayden only shrugged before grabbing the books for his afternoon classes and closing his locker. "If it helps, Nicky and Plain Shane are going to try and drag you into a closet with Scarlett. They want you to at least look at the girl like she exists." Jayden remained silent as he paused to tie his shoe. "Are you ignoring me?"

"Yes." Jayden stated.

"Why?" Helen asked.

Jayden finished tying his shoe and rose. "Because you didn't tell me about Scarlett's paternity test. This entire thing could have been avoided if you had."

"Or brought out sooner." Helen said. "And I tried to get her to tell you. Remember, I am her cousin first. I can't just betray her. Much like you wouldn't betray your sister."

"I would-"

"Oh come on. Danni is practically as much as a reason you and I aren't together as Scarlett is." Helen inputted. "So understand it from my viewpoint before you start blaming me for something else." Jayden turned, preparing to leave. "Jayden please just talk to her. I'm practically begging here."

"You _are_ begging and I told her to stay out of my life. I meant it." Jayden said.

"No you didn't." Jayden glared at Helen. "You'll never mean it."

"You would think so, but I do." Jayden said. "Which is why I've been making sure to go different ways to lunch, bringing a soda to school instead of getting it out of the vending machine, and sitting in a completely different seat during second period. I want to forget her because forgiving her seems too hard."

Helen huffed. "Fine, fine, forget her. I give up. Just know that in the end, when she ends up committing suicide, it was _your_ fault."

Helen walked away when she saw Jayden wince a bit. She knew it was a cheap shot, considering he hated the idea of his loved ones dying, more now since the death of his son. Plus, since the whole Nicole episode that happened at the Mason's house, Jayden was more than watchful when it came to his friends' stress level. He did not want any of them committing suicide. And Helen used said weakness to make him think of the absolute worse.

He was bound to at least ask about Scarlett's well-being now.

* * *

Jenna sighed heavily as she lied on the couch. Working with Ellie and Maxwell was near slavery. Danica appeared to be used to it and only nodded her head when orders were given to her, never complaining about anything. And while Jenna did not outright complain, she was sure her facial expressions showed her want for a break.

Thankfully she got one.

"What a day." Jenna muttered to herself before she heard her doorbell ring. "No, no! Go away!"

"I need to talk to you." K.C's voice came from the other side.

Sighing heavily, Jenna got up from the couch and made her way to the door. Unlocking it and opening it, she gave her ex a fixed glare.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Uh, did I do something wrong?" K.C asked. Jenna's eyes only grew narrower. "Okay, I get it. You wanted to relax. But this is important. It has something to do with Clare."

"And just what did Saint Clare do that's so important that you had to tell me?" Jenna questioned.

K.C sighed. "Can I come in?" Jenna stepped aside, allowing the man to enter her home. She watched K.C sit on the couch with another heavy breath. "I think Clare's having an affair."

"What? Do you remember who you married?" K.C only stared at Jenna. "With who?"

"Eli."

As Jenna closed the door, she assessed the probability of Clare doing such a thing. Had K.C said anyone else, Jenna would have just laughed at him and told him to get lost. But he said Eli. He said the one person in the world that _everyone_ knew Clare still thought about.

"Why do you think that?" Jenna asked as she moved to sit beside K.C.

He shook his head. "I don't know. I just have this gut feeling." Jenna's lips thinned. Women were not the only ones with intuition. "It's just that, since he's moved in across from us-"

"He lives across the street?" Jenna interrupted.

K.C nods. "Yeah. He and his daughter, Ariana. But Clare's been 'going out with her friends' more than often and coming in later than normal. Abby called me one day and said that Clare had her phone off. And Clare _never_ ignores Abby."

"Yeah, that doesn't sound good," Jenna stated. "But what do you want me to do?"

"I don't know. Could you talk to her?" K.C asked. "It would help."

"Right, help." Jenna said. "K.C, what if she _is_ cheating on you? Then what will you do? I'm sure you don't want your daughter to return home and you and Clare are on opposite ends."

"I don't know Jenna. I guess I'm trying to stop what happened to Raven to Abby." Jenna bristled at the memories of raising Raven with and without K.C. "Though, Abby's older and she's a smart girl. I'm sure she'll-"

"Be devastated." Jenna blurted out before she could stop herself, again, remembering what she went through with her daughter.

"Jenna…" K.C began but stopped himself. He then stood up. "I'll just talk to Eli. See if I can manage this _without_ violence."

"Good luck." Jenna said. "And K.C, know that I'm here for you."

K.C grinned. "Thanks Jenna."

* * *

Helen watched one of the strangest scene take place from her spot at her normal lunch table. Jayden and Scarlett were at the soda machine together. Now, that alone was nothing new to anyone, but when Jayden practically grabbed his soda and left without even _looking_ at Scarlett, Helen was worried. Maybe he _did_ hate Scarlett.

Scarlett returned to her seat with her soda and buried her face in her hands. Helen glanced at Jacquelyn and then Nicole before turning her attention back to her cousin.

"…" Unable to find the right words to say, Helen only released a long, loud breath. "Scar, stop crying. He doesn't hate you."

"Yes he does!" Scarlett cried.

"No he doesn't. Not stop crying already!" Helen responded.

"Oh," Scarlett snapped at Helen. "I'm sorry me crying makes your family look weak! I'll remember that the next time the love of _your life_ wants you to die!"

"Wow, overdramatic much?" Helen said. "And he doesn't want you to die. He just wants you…" Helen paused. "To give him some space. He just needs time to calm down."

Scarlett rose. "I don't have time. Not anymore."

With that, Scarlett walked away from her table leaving Helen and her two friends there.

"You know," Nicole stated. "She's normally the _only_ one of us without a boyfriend…"

Helen opened her mouth to tell Nicole to shut up, but promptly closed it when she realized that Nicole was right. So instead, Helen just shook her head.

"I really don't know what to do anymore." Helen said. "I've tried talking to Scar, I've tried talking to Jayden, hell, I even talked to Plain Shane. And for nothing!"

"I don't Helen. I've never seen him _this_ angry." Jacquelyn inputted. "Maybe it's best if we just leave them alone."

"Maybe you're right." Helen said before turning her full attention to her friends. "So, what do you two have planned later? Braxton has practice, so I'm free for the evening." Helen smiled. "Well, for _most_ of the evening anyway."

Nicole smiled. "Well, Ethan and I were going to hang at the ravine. Maybe you should join us?"

"I'd rather not." Helen said with a sneer. She then looked at Jacquelyn. "And now that I think about it, _anything_ with Scooter is out of the question."

"Oh come on Helen. He's not that bad." Jacquelyn defended her boyfriend.

"Sure he's not. Just the jerk of the year." Helen replied before sighing. "I never thought I'd miss having Scarlett _and_ Jayden around."

Jacquelyn and Nicole only shook their heads. If Helen was going to be bored for however long it took Jayden to forgive Scarlett, then they had a _long_ wait ahead of them.

* * *

After school, Mary-Jane made her way to her father's class to see him on his cell phone.

"You know," she said. "I don't think it's fair that teachers can use their phone on campus but students can't."

"I'll talk to you when I get home. Your daughter's here." Marco said giving Mary-Jane a critical eye. "Alright. Bye." Hanging up, Marco sighed. "Mary, what do you want?"

"So," Mary-Jane said. "I have this stupid English project and I have no idea on what the stupid men of mice or mice of men is about."

Marco grinned. "_Of Mice and Men_?"

"Yeah, that's it. See I knew you'd know." Marco's grin did not falter as he shook his head. "Come on Dad, please? This is very important to my grade."

"Read the book." Mary-Jane's shoulders slumped. "Besides, your mother and I have to be at Angele's play later on tonight and we need you to be there to let your uncle in."

"Uncle…?" Mary-Jane stated before gasping. "Dylan's coming?" Marco nodded. "Why?"

"Dylan is your uncle and he'll be staying with us for a while. End of story." Marco replied. "And if you're lucky, he'll help you with your report."

"How'd you know it was a report?" Mary-Jane questioned.

"Because it was my idea." Marco answered with a grin. "Which is why I can't help you."

"Gee, thanks a lot Dad." Mary-Jane said lifelessly.

"You're welcome." Mary-Jane could not help but to smile as Marco grabbed his things. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah. Let's go to he…" Marco glared at Mary-Jane, catching her before she finished her statement. "Home. Let's go _home_."

Marco shook his head and followed his blonde daughter out of his classroom. He hoped that one day, she would not be so much like her mother.

* * *

Helen and Torrie waited patiently as Fiona talked to Scarlett about Scarlett's actions. While both knew that Scarlett had never really been punished, nor would she be punished for this, they were slightly shocked that Scarlett said nothing in response. And when Scarlett passed them to head for her room, they both knew that this would be the _only_ time that Scarlett showed remorse for her actions.

"Wow." Torrie said.

"I know. I've never seen Aunt Fi so pissed." Helen said. "I'm almost worried for Scar."

"Well," Helen did not like the smile coming on her cousin's face. "Now that Jayden _hates_ Scarlett and Laura is in _England_-"

"Don't you dare." hissed the shorter girl. "In fact, it's partially _your_ fault that this happened!"

"My fault?" replied Torrie. "How so?"

"Because if _you_ would have left Jayden alone, Scar wouldn't have seen you two kissing!" Helen argued. "Thus DeWayne would be irrelevant in all of this, but _no_! You just _had_ to go see him!"

"Sue me." Torrie said.

"I would, but you don't have anything to offer." Helen replied.

Torrie only scoffed lightly as she and Helen made their way to Scarlett's room. The self-proclaimed ringleader of the trio was currently sitting on her bed, reading a book.

"The end is near. Scarlett Chessex is reading." Torrie stated. Scarlett did not move, let alone acknowledge the comment. "Oh come on, I pick on you and you just sit there?"

"Yeah Scar, this is the part that you do me the favor of kicking her out." Helen added. Again, Scarlett did not move. "What's wrong?"

Now Scarlett looked up at her cousins.

"They didn't make it in time." Scarlett said quietly. While Torrie frowned in curiosity, Helen knew exactly what that meant. "But, they're trying to keep me out of the story."

"I'm lost." Helen rolled her eyes at Torrie before looking at Scarlett.

"You mean to tell me," Helen said. "That even after you did _that_, they're still trying to keep you out of it? If that was me, I'd blame you on TV, magazines, my biography! Every thing!"

"Yeah, well Jayden told his parents not to do it so they didn't." said Scarlett. "I just want to do my homework now, so could you two please leave?"

"Whatever." Torrie said leaving Scarlett's doorway.

Helen sighed. "You know that this just proves my point right? He doesn't hate you Scar. He never will."

"A part of me wishes he did." Scarlett told Helen. "That way he can run off with Laura and never look back. Never think about all that I've done to him." Helen smiled before moving to Scarlett's bed. "What are you doing?"

"Helping my cousin with her homework? You got a problem with that?" Scarlett shook her head for no. "I didn't think so. So, what're we doing?"

Scarlett smiled lightly. She knew that deep down, it was her fault that Helen and Jayden were not together today and that was something that neither would ever forget. Yet, she was glad that Helen always looked over the things Scarlett did to comfort her. In Scarlett's mind, she really did not deserve such a friend, but was glad she had Helen. Now if only she could get her _other_ friend to stop being mad at her would her life be better.

* * *

Mary-Jane groaned as she sat down on the couch. Her parents and younger siblings were gone for Angele's play and would not be back for about two hours, considering that the play was after a PTA meeting. Amber and Marc were out somewhere, and even Jordan had something to do for the time.

Mary-Jane smiled at the thought. She had called _Jordan Cameron_ to talk to. She must be bored.

The doorbell rang and the blonde moved to answer it. She hoped that it would be someone to talk to, but was a little disheartened when she saw her uncle; Dylan.

"Hey Dylan." she greeted with a smile. "Mom and Dad are at Angele's play and won't be back for a while. Come in."

Dylan moved inside the home, looking around it. Mary-Jane found this slightly odd, but remembered that for whatever the reason, Dylan did not visit often. In fact, Mary-Jane only saw him when she was at her mother's parents' place for whatever event that took place there. He never really called on her birthday and normally sent them a card for Christmas. She did remember seeing him once on Justin's birthday, but he had a plane to catch later that evening. At first, Mary-Jane always thought it was the European hockey schedule, as he played in Switzerland. But as she got older, Mary-Jane felt that there was something else.

"Mom said that the guest bedroom is already made up so you can just make yourself at home." Mary-Jane said. Dylan, again, was silent which caused Mary-Jane to frown. "Is something wrong or do you just hate being here?"

"…" Dylan's eyes moved to connect with his niece's. "Neither. I just hate you."

The words seemed to stun Mary-Jane. Surely she had heard those words before, but they were from her peers and sometimes from Angele or Justin when they were angry at their big sister. Regardless, Mary-Jane never took the phrase seriously. But this was her _uncle_ saying it. This was someone who knew the weight of the phrase and still threw it around like it was nothing.

"Y-you're just saying that, right?" When Dylan merely nodded, Mary-Jane sighed. "For a second there I thought you were serious. You should lighten up!" Mary-Jane moved past Dylan and headed for the steps. "I'll show you where your- Ah!"

Mary-Jane's words turned to a scream when she felt a tight grip on her hair that nearly pulled her down the two steps she had climbed.

"Your mother took the love of my life and had _you_." Dylan spat in anger. "And every time I see your face, I'm reminded of their affair! How she pleaded to me on how it was an 'accident' or how Marco would always love me. Well look at him now! He's fucking your mom!"

"Let go!" Mary-Jane screamed.

"For nearly eighteen years I've lived with your 'perfection' and how my parents just thought of you as a gift from God." Mary-Jane let out a whimper when his fist tightened in her hair. "Well I'm going to return that gift, now." Mary-Jane's heart rate climbed when she felt her uncle's lips near her ear, the smell of beer kicking her in the face now. "And I dare you to tell your parents."

As futile as it was, the ever determined Mary-Jane attempted to break free from his grasp while loosing as few strands of her precious hair as possible. However, Dylan merely grabbed her by her waist and threw her over his shoulders as he marched up the steps.

"No! Put me down! This isn't funny!" Mary-Jane screamed. "Let go! Someone help me! Help me!"

No matter how she kicked or scream, the man continued to carry her in the direction of her room. In desperation, she maneuvered her head enough to bite him on the neck as hard as she could.

"Ow!" Mary-Jane hit the ground hard as she fell. She attempted to get up and scramble for the steps or a phone, but Dylan's foot quickly stomped her body flushed against the floor. "You little bitch!"

Mary-Jane felt Dylan grab her kicking legs and began dragging her towards her room now. Her nails practically dug themselves into the floor, her last attempt to stop the inevitable. She did not know whether or not he was going to rape her or just beat her, but neither sounded pleasurable in her mind.

Her body went airborne and soon crashed onto her bed. Fear had now completely paralyzed her body as she realized that he just practically dead-lifted her and threw her on her bed while being a step or two in her room. She watched him close the door and lock it as she balled up against the headboard of her bed.

"Wh-why?" she cried. "Why do you hate me?!"

"Eighteen years of my life have been hell and do you know why? Because of you!" Mary-Jane flinched, muttered "sorry" repeatedly as Dylan neared her. "No, I don't think you're sorry. But you will be. You will be very soon."

She never truly felt sad for Chandra when Steven beat her. She never truly felt bad when Jayden and Laura's son passed away. And she never really thought twice about Nicole's close-call when the girl attempted suicide. But now she wished she had. If she had, then this probably would not be happening to her. And as his hands went around her throat, she closed her eyes and prayed for the first time in a long time outside of meals.

If she lived this, she would seriously change her ways.

Again, that's _if_ she lived this.

* * *

Jayden sighed. "Jaylen go to sleep. You're going to wake your sister and then I'm going to have to put her _back _to sleep."

"Right, because he understands you." Jayden gave his sister a glare as the woman shrugged sitting beside her friend. "You are talking to a baby."

"A very handsome baby." Isabella said before sighing. "It's a shame that he's so young."

"Hey, I'm old enough." Jayden stated.

"Yeah, well you're spoken for. Jaylen's not." Jayden laughed a bit at Isabella's words, the woman smiling. "I'm glad to see that you're close to your normal self."

"Well, my mom just flies out of town for no reason so I have no one to run to but Danni. And if I came to her moping, she'd probably snap." Isabella looked to see Danica nodding. "So I have no choice but to just move on. I was born to celebrities so I have to live with that. My life is their entertainment. Deal with it."

"Spoken like a true loser." Danica said rising from her seat. She moved to the chair where Jayden sat and held her arms out. "Come on. Let Aunt Danni show you how it's done."

Jayden subtly rolled his eyes but gently handed his son to his sister, who immediately began to rock him.

"Aw, you're going to make such a soft mom!" Isabella cooed.

Jayden snorted. "I feel sorry for the poor sap already." Danica gave her brother a harsh stare. "Let's be honest sis, you'll make a harder parent than both of our parents _and_ grandparents combined."

"I would not!" Danica protested quietly. "I will make a great mom someday."

"Uh-huh? Right." Jayden said skeptically before looking at Isabella. "And where's Angel? She stopped coming by since she and Jacob got together?"

"She's fine. She's normally doing some after school thing or studying with Jacob." Jayden nodded. "Why are you worried about my sister? I thought you had enough women in your life to deal with."

"Hey, a guy can worry, can't he?" Jayden said rising from his seat. "But I have to go call my mother who has left me once again in a time of need."

"She'll be back soon, I promise. Stop worrying her." Danica stated.

"Not on her life." Jayden said before gently rubbing his son's head. "We're going to worry that woman until we're gone, aren't we grasshopper?"

"The last thing we need in this world is another you." Danica told her brother.

Jayden smiled before kissing Danica's cheek.

"Too bad. You got two." With that, Jayden left for his room.

"He's such a charmer." Isabella said. "I don't know how you put up with him."

"He's my brother, unfortunately. We're stuck with each other until the end of time." Danica replied before looking at her nephew. "But, I don't mind it much. He does cook and clean, and with his two kids, I'm never bored at home. So he has his perks."

"Is that your way of saying you love your brother?" Danica smiled.

"Did you expect me to just outright say it?" Danica said.

The two women laughed quietly as Danica watched Jaylen's eyes slowly droop. She could only imagine what the next few years would be like with Jayden, his twins, and Laura all together. It would surely be an interesting set of years.

* * *

**Author's Note:** There you have it, part two of Two Wrongs. Remember, there is just one chapter left before the two part finale. Furthermore, I want to thank all that have reviewed recently. Thanks for the support. Like always, I'll update as soon as I can. Later.


	121. S4 Episode XVIII: My Prerogative

**Episode XVIII: My Prerogative**

She never knew why parents could not tell that something was wrong with their children at first sight. She called those parents "TV parents" and not fit to be parents in the first place. But now, as she put on another coating of make-up to hide her bruises, she realized that it could happen to anyone, anywhere. Her parents, as observant as they were, overlooked her problems.

"Hey MJ!" Mary-Jane flinched at the sound of Amber's voice and quickly turned to slam her locker shut. "Uh, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. What do you want?" Mary-Jane quickly replied before groaning. She hated her jumpy responses when nervous.

Amber frowned. "Is something wrong? And why do you have on so much make-up?"

"Tyler gave me a 'love mark' and I'm trying to hide it from my parents." Mary-Jane lied. "Why?"

Amber's frown remained. "Just wondering. You know, you've been acting strange lately. Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine!" Mary-Jane snapped, causing more attention than she wanted.

"Okay MJ, whatever," Amber said. "Um, you missed hanging out with us yesterday. Si, Marc, Randy, and I went to party."

"Didn't feel like it." Mary-Jane said walking away.

"Okay, what's going on Mary-Jane? And don't tell me nothing because there is clearly something wrong." Amber said. "You would _never_ 'not feel like' hanging out with Si _and_ Randy."

"Just leave me the hell alone!" Mary-Jane shouted as she shoved Amber.

Amber swallowed her anger and watched blonde march away. Something was clearly wrong with Mary-Jane, and Amber would find out by the end of the day.

* * *

Jordan sighed heavily as she moved down the halls. Just how did she oversleep? With people like her siblings, parents, and Aaron, it was pretty hard for her not to wake up in time for school. But somehow, none of them seemed to bother to wake her up today. Though she kind of understood. Sean worked late night shifts as a guard before having to be at the garage in the afternoon, sleep was important to him. Emma had left earlier due to some meeting she would have to go to after dropping Maddox and Anastasia off at school. Kelly and Shane, well, Jordan did not know why they did not wake her up, but she knew that Aaron was going through some family crisis that was seconds away from being plastered on billboards in the U.S and Canada.

"Um, excuse me," Jordan huffed as she looked at the boy calling towards her. "C-could you show me where Mr. Chamber's class is?"

A part of Jordan just screamed at the new guy to just jump off a bridge and save them both the trouble. But since she was going that way anyway, the nicer side of her decided that it was best to show him. A good deed never went unrewarded in her world.

"Fine. But keep up." Jordan said walking down the halls at a brisk pace. "What's your name?"

"Tim. Tim Murphy." The boy answered.

"Jordan Cameron." Jordan replied. "First day?" Timothy nodded. "Yeah, well you might as well turn around. People here will destroy you."

"Like my uncle…" Jordan frowned at Timothy's words, but the boy just shook his head. "Don't worry about it. It happened a long time ago. My mom says that he was misunderstood and that it shouldn't have happened anyway."

"Whatever." Jordan said before pointing. "That's where you need to be."

"Thanks." Timothy said. "Um… See you around?"

"I doubt it." Jordan muttered as she continued walking to her class.

Timothy only smiled. He had never really talked to a girl before, let alone one as beautiful as Jordan was. She seemed so dominate, yet he was already sure that she had a softer side to her. So he made it his goal to at least talk to her again before the day was over with. Who knows? Maybe he would even cough up the courage to ask her out before the year was over?

* * *

Bianca sighed heavily as she looked at her sleeping grandchildren. How two babies could cause so much stress and yet look so innocent was beyond her. Though, she had to admit that she missed being a parent. There was something about it that made her feel… Warm. That was the only word to describe the feeling she felt; Warm.

Yet, a knock on the door would crush the warm feeling as she trudged to open it and give the knocker a piece of her mind.

That is until she saw who it was knocking.

"You mind if I take my kids?" Laura asked.

Bianca crossed her arms. "Yeah. It's my time with them so you're either here or without them." Laura actually smiled as she hugged her mother. "It's been a while kiddo. What're you doing back?"

"We have a small break." Laura answered as Bianca allowed her into her apartment. "Jayden's mom came and got me. Said that in a time of a family emergency, the family should be together."

"So you've finally gotten the monster-in-law to love you? And it only took what? Three kids to do so?" Laura grinned at her mother's words, moving for the couch to sit down. "So what are you going to do to Princess Coyne? I'm sure Jayden has forbidden you from doing what you want."

"He doesn't know I'm back." Laura stated. "Meaning by the time he hears about what I've done, it'll be too late and we can just move on."

Bianca's lips thinned. "You're going to fight her."

"Of course." Laura said with a scoff. Bianca merely shook her head. "I didn't make her the topic of some Sweet Sixteen magazine, okay? She did that to me."

"Yeah, well fighting her is just going to give them something else to talk about. And you know I'm right." Bianca stated. Laura merely brushed her mother's words off, her mind dead set on ringing Scarlett's neck. "Besides, you're a mom now. Doing that would be the same thing that I did to you. And do you want to have the same influence on your kids as I did you?"

Now Laura sat in silence before sighing.

"No Mom…"

"Then don't fight her." Bianca responded. "You should use the time to get reacquainted with your husband anyway." Bianca saw a small smile come onto Laura's face and frowned. "What do you have planned Laura?"

Laura scoffed. "You sound just like a mom now."

Bianca let it drop this time. She was glad that she had her daughter back, even if Laura probably would not admit the same.

"You know," Laura spoke quietly. "Jayden says that one day in the future, we'll get married." Bianca's brows rose. "And I want that so bad. But I'm almost afraid to think that he'll expect something _more_ out of me. I mean, I haven't held my kids in months now. How will I adjust to being a mom _and_ wife?"

"Laura, you're young. You will eventually grow into those roles, trust me." Bianca answered. "Besides, I doubt that he'd expect you to change. The only person dumb enough to believe that is your dad."

Laura glared. "I can change."

"Oh yeah? Prove it. Don't. Fight. Scarlett." Laura now felt a little idiotic for falling for such an obvious trap. And despite her nodding, she was still thinking about pounding the blue-eyed girl into oblivion. "So what are you doing later on today?"

"Oh you know, being a mom, spending time with Jayden, being picked on by his sister," Laura paused. "Anything else I'm missing? Oh yeah! Having Dad tell me all the things I've done wrong while _not_ telling you my plans."

"Is it so hard to tell your mom that you're planning on screwing your boyfriend?" Bianca asked in a teasing manner.

"No!" Laura replied, though her blush clearly said otherwise. "That's just not a conversation for a girl to have with a mom she hardly knows."

Bianca crossed her arms. "Sure, that's it." There was a pregnant pause between the two before Bianca smirked. "You're thinking about it, aren't you?"

"Stop it!" Laura snapped back, Bianca only laughing. "I miss school already…"

* * *

Briskly walking to her next period class, Mary-Jane hardly paid attention to anyone that got in her path. This caused for several students, some she knew and some that just knew her, to be knocked to the side as she subconsciously pushed them out of the way.

"Mary!" Mary-Jane barely heard Amber's voice as her friend caught up to her. "Alright Mary-Jane Del Rossi. What's going on? Did you and Tyler have another fight?"

"No!" Mary-Jane said angrily. "Look, just leave me alone, okay? I have a lot to think about.""

Amber glared. "Listen, you're not going to use that queen bee attitude and get me to bend to your every whim. I know something is wrong Mary-Jane. So just tell me."

"Go to hell." Mary-Jane snidely said walking away.

Amber stared in a mixture of anger and shock. She knew that something was bothering her friend and Mary-Jane was never one to really hide these sorts of things.

"Hey," Amber quickly snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of Marc. "Something wrong?"

"Yeah. MJ's acting weird." Marc frowned. "I don't know what it is yet, but I'm going to find out." Amber gave Marc a smile. "Mind helping me? Please?"

Marc sighed. "She's only going to flip on me but… Sure." Amber's smile widened as the two exchanged a brief kiss. "We should get to class first."

"Yeah." Amber said taking Marc's hand into hers.

As the two walked towards their next class, Amber thought about all the possibilities that could be Mary-Jane's problem. For some odd reason, she was stuck on Tyler impregnating her friend. That would explain a lot, sans the weird make-up. And if Tyler did knock-up her best friend, Amber was going to make sure that he took care of his kids.

No one was going to have her best friend being a single mother.

No one.

* * *

Scarlett glanced at Jayden, who was currently talking quietly to Shane as the teacher continued to read a about some African narrative. She noticed that his hair was now back in their normal cornrows, unlike the last previous days when he had it pulled back into a large fluffy ponytail. Though she was certain that he would never use the word "fluffy" to describe his hair style, no matter what.

"Ms. Chessex," Scarlett blinked as all eyes were on her. She prayed beyond measures that no one saw her staring at Jayden. "You and Mr. McDuelle have a meeting with the principal."

Scarlett looked at the clock on the wall near the door and mentally slapped herself. How could she forget such a thing?

"Remember to read the passage about Robert Berold tonight."

Jayden nodded as he rose. "Will do."

Scarlett watched as Jayden walked by her without a glance and quickly moved after him.

"Lucky us, right? I didn't think I could take another poem." Scarlett said lamely as she attempted to make conversation.

Jayden glanced at her. "Since when did we re-establish our talking clause?"

"Since five minutes ago?" Jayden let out a small snort and looked away. "Come on Jayden, please talk to me? I've been having the worst couple of weeks and lately I just feel…" Scarlett paused. "Nothing. Like, completely numb."

Scarlett was unsurprised by the silence that he gave her and sighed, still walking beside him.

"I'm not going to give up Jayden. You're at least going to tell me 'hi' in the mornings." Again, he said nothing. "I will personally stalk you until you do, you know. I do have the tendency to be a little bitchy at times."

"I know." His words were neither light nor joking which made Scarlett sigh once more.

"Okay, I deserve that one. But will you at least talk to me? I could really use a friend." At her words, Jayden completely stopped walking and stared at her.

"A friend?" Scarlett almost gulped. It was like talking to Danica all over again. "Well _friend_, let me tell you what _friends_ do. A true _friend_ wouldn't do something as ignorant behind their supposed _friend's_ back and then not tell them. That's what a _friend_ is."

"And a real friend forgives." Scarlett quickly said. "So please, forgive me."

Jayden shook his head. "No. Not after you called my kids a mistake."

Scarlett swallowed quietly now. She remembered the look on his face when she had indirectly said that. And while she was sure that he knew that Jaylen and Daniella were not made on purpose, Scarlett realized that Jayden would not refer to them as a mistake either.

"I'm sorry, okay?" Scarlett said stepping in front of him. "I'm sorry for getting the test. I'm sorry for being so stupid as to being a leak to the media. I'm sorry for calling your kids a mistake. I'm sorry for talking to DeWayne, let alone dancing with him. I'm sorry for all the times that interrupted your time with Laura. I'm sorry for making Laura feel second-best to me. I'm sorry-"

Jayden raised a hand, promptly stopping her. Her stared into Scarlett's beautiful blue eyes and mentally kicked himself for ever cheating on her. Though, what he did was done. There was nothing he could do but go on with his life.

"Stop apologizing. You sound like A.J." Scarlett smiled a bit. "And as for forgiving you goes… I'll think about it. It'll get Helen and Shane off my back for a while, as well as Dash so-"

Scarlett immediately threw herself onto him, catching him by surprise. Thankfully they did not go crashing into the floor as he was able to stop her momentum just in time. However, the near bone-crushing hug was something that was both comforting and painful at the same time.

"Scarlett," Scarlett looked up at Jayden, too afraid to let go. "We have a meeting to get to."

"Oh, right." Scarlett said, forcing herself to break away from him. "Jayden… I meant what I said. I will never give up on us."

"We are all entitled to chase after our respective goals and dreams." Jayden responded. "And if you ever succeed… I'll be waiting."

Scarlett smiled. "You always are."

* * *

The bell rang for lunch, something that Aaron was more than pleased about. The day was nearly over, meaning he could go home and probably relax with his girlfriend. Or Chandra depending on how their schedules played out.

"Hey A.J," Aaron gave Farah a smile as they neared one another, she taking his hand into hers. "Nigel is really excited about meeting up with Brie later on. Thank you for doing this."

Aaron shrugged his shoulders. "It was ultimately Brie's decision. I didn't force her."

"But you asked. So thanks." Farah said as the two walked for the cafeteria. "Do you have anything planned today?" Aaron shook his head for no. "Did you want to go out or something? I mean, we don't have to if you don't want to… I just…"

Aaron chuckled. "It's fine Farah. Why are you so nervous?"

"Well," Farah began. "You've kind of avoided going out since Chandra began dating Tevin."

"Oh…" Aaron replied. "I'm sorry Farah. I just-"

"Like Chandra." Farah interrupted in a sullen mood.

"Not what I was going to say." Aaron told her. "I just _really_ don't like Tevin. I guess some of Ashton's anger towards him has rubbed off on me, especially since he continued to stand Jordan up."

Aaron saw Farah nod her head in comprehension. He wasn't lying when he said that he did not like Tevin. He practically hated the guy. He disliked Tevin more than he did like Chandra, that was for sure. And Aaron wasn't lying when he said that most of his dislike for his ex's new boyfriend came from when he continued to stand Jordan up time after time. Yet, the true icing on the cake in Aaron's mind was that Tevin had actually won that stupid bet Tevin and Dustin made the previous year. And what was worse was that it was _Aaron's_ fault that Tevin even had the chance!

"Hey," Aaron blinked and looked at Farah. "Maybe we can go to Little Miss Steaks after school?"

"I'd like that." Aaron responded before spotting Ashton nearing them. "Oh boy…"

Farah did not know what to expect as Craig's youngest son neared the couple. His eyes were solely on her in an angered fashion, an anger Farah did not know what she did to cause. Yet, as soon as Ashton was about to open his mouth, Aaron spoke quickly.

"Farah, could you give us a moment?" Farah looked between her boyfriend and his friend before nodding. "Thanks."

Farah reluctantly released Aaron's hand and headed into the cafeteria with Ashton following her every move.

"You know I'm to blame for this, right?" Aaron stated.

"Of course I know that Santos. Why else would I be out here with you and not in there with her?" Ashton remarked.

"Because your girlfriend would hear you." Ashton bit his cheek. Aaron had a point there. "Look, Nigel's a nice guy. Soft-spoken and a bit of a pushover, but nice nonetheless. He won't hurt Brie."

"You," began Ashton. "You think I _care_ if he's a nice guy? No! I could care less if he was secretly an agent working to find some murderer!" Aaron's brows rose. That was a little imaginative. "I just don't want her to go through what she did with Dustin. And let's be honest Santos. After me, she can only go down."

"Way to sound modest," Aaron muttered. "Seriously Ashton, I've done a background check on him. He's good."

"What part of 'I don't care' did you miss? The 'I', the 'Don't', or the 'Care'?" Aaron sighed. "Just… Just stop this before it gets out of hand."

"Why don't you?" questioned Aaron. "Obviously you're the only one who cares who Brie sees or not. I doubt Nathan is this protective of her."

Ashton glared. "You know he is." Ashton then sighed. "And you know why I care about who she sees or not. And it's not like I want to. I just… I can't help it."

There were many things about Ashton that bothered Aaron. They included his obvious crush on his sister and Ashton's lack of care to do homework. And Ashton's knack for calling Aaron "Santos". Aaron _really_ was bothered by that, but let it go. However, despite all of his annoyances, Aaron knew that Ashton was doing nothing different than he was; trying to crawl out from their parents' and older siblings' shadows. Neither of the two boys got the attention their older siblings received and they both wanted a girl that was currently interested in a guy that, while they did not like, they hardly knew. So in the spirit of being a good friend and knowing how Ashton felt, Aaron grinned slightly.

"They're going to The Dot around seven." Ashton frowned as Aaron began walking to the cafeteria after saying that. "Just don't tell her that I told you."

Ashton actually grinned at that. "Santos, you're becoming more sneaky as the days go by. I like it!"

"Whatever," Aaron replied. "Manning."

* * *

Bianca was amazed. No. Amazement didn't even cover what she was feeling. It was beyond amazed.

Laura, her sole living child, had somehow mastered motherhood in the short period of time before she left for London and picked back up on those habits faster than Bianca did. The amazing part was how Laura did it while not even paying attention to what she was doing. Or at least, that's what Bianca saw. Laura would be chatting with her mother or on the phone with a friend while changing a diaper or feeding one of the twins and doing it with the gentleness of a well-seasoned mother.

"Don't kill the boy Sarah. Jaylen and Maxi won't ever meet their British friends if you do that." Laura said to her friend on the phone as she cooked herself something to eat. "Fine, fine, I'll call you back later. And if that douche comes by, tell him that I'll be back if he tries something funny… Bye."

Laura, who was currently scrambling a few eggs to go with her already made bacon and toast, stared at her mother for a moment. The woman's eyes were dead set on her and it made her a bit uneasy. And right before she could ask Bianca what her problem was, a knock came on the door.

"Someone hates me…" Bianca muttered as she answered the door for the _third_ time that day. She was slightly shocked to see one Manny McDuelle standing there. "This is new…"

"I just came to check in on Laura and the twins." Manny responded. Bianca gave a small shrugged and stepped aside, allowing Manny to enter. "I see you're okay."

"Oh I'm just _dandy_ Mrs. McDuelle. Mom and I were having a girls' chat." Laura stated as she continued to cook her late breakfast.

Manny looked at Bianca who lazily rolled her eyes.

"Laura's too embarrassed to tell me she plans on screwing your son." Bianca stated boringly.

"Oh really?" Manny asked, her eyes now on Laura.

Laura turned to see the two grandmothers of her children staring at her with amused looks. She actually wished Sarah was here as Sarah was the _only_ female friend of Laura's that did not have some kind of relation with Jayden. Dakota would biologically count in this category, but the brother-sister bond between Dakota and Jayden was too apparent to ignore.

"I'm not- I didn't say- Ugh!" Laura gave up and turned back to her eggs, missing the smiles on the women's faces.

"As you can see," Laura heard her mom say. "She's been avoiding the subject since she's gotten here. I thought Danni would know something, but your daughter hasn't shown up. Yet."

Manny nodded. "I see. So Laura, what _are_ your plans with Jayden?"

"None of your business." Laura said under her breath in a tone she knew Manny could not hear.

"We can't hear you." Bianca teased.

Laura turned to the two women. "Leave me alone, okay? I just got back and you two are already making things difficult for me."

Manny giggled. "We're messing with you Laura. We both know what you and Jayden are going to do the moment you two have the chance." Laura felt a little better as Manny seemed lighthearted about the whole ordeal. "Seriously. Do you know how many times I've come back from a movie and all I wanted to do was spend a day in bed with Max? There're too many to count!"

"But… Aren't you going to tell us that we're too young and sh- stuff like that?" Laura asked.

"You mean before or after you give birth to triplets?" Bianca stated.

"Your mom's right Laura. It's a little too late to tell you what you're too young to be doing." Manny added. "Besides, so long as a _fourth_ child isn't the result of this time, I'm not going to stop you."

Laura nearly choked on her spit. "You're telling me to have sex with your son?"

"I'm not _telling_ you to. I'm just saying that _if_ you do, I won't stop you." Understanding what she meant, Laura only smiled and put her eggs on her plate. "Jay's been having a rough few weeks since the incident. The last thing I need is to stop someone for easing his pains."

"Explain to me," Bianca said sitting on the couch. "Just what happened and why was I only giving a summary of it?"

"It's really nothing to explain." Manny replied, sitting beside the other woman. "Jayden's friend illegally obtained DNA from Jaylen and Maxi and got another DNA test done, saying that it was a request from him. Some outlet heard about it and made it appear that Jayden didn't believe Laura."

"Uh-huh. Well, that does deserve an ass-kicking." Bianca said.

Manny sighed. "As hard as we pushed Jayden to reveal just who it was that did so, he stood his ground, stating that it was for the better that Scarlett remained anonymous." Manny looked at Laura. "Which is why I personally went to get Laura. She has much of a vote in this as he does."

"What would have happened if you _did_ reveal who sent it out?" Bianca questioned.

"Hell." Laura stated after swallowing the food in her mouth. While Bianca apparently did not care about her daughter's choice of words, Manny gave Laura a reprimanding stare. "When we were in Italy, it was like _everyone_ knew who we were and what we did. So I just imagined what that would be like for Scarlett here and actually felt bad for her."

"Oh really?" Laura nodded at Bianca's question.

"Yeah. Dimples always said that fame is a lot harder than popularity. No way she could deal with that kind of backfire." Laura stated before smirking. "Though, watching her try would be entertaining…"

"Yeah, yeah, just one question," Bianca said. "Did you just call him 'Dimples'?"

Manny waved Bianca off. "Pet name. Danni's told me that _ages_ ago."

Bianca only nodded. From what Laura, and Danica, has told her about Manny was that Manny was _very_ protective over her children. So if Manny was okay with the nickname, who was Bianca to judge her?

Laura also stood in quietness as she ate her breakfast. It was still awkward talking to Bianca as friendly as they did now, but more so now that Manny was here. Between the three of them, she was certain that there was still some hostility in the air. Yet none of them seemed to care at the moment. In fact, Laura was more than pleased to have her children and their grandmothers in the same place at the same time. It meant she was one step closer to having that dinner in Italy like she had asked for.

Manny soon rose. "I'm going to go see the twins."

"I'll show you where they are." Bianca offered as she stood as well.

Laura watched the two women leave and smiled. If everyday was like this, then she could actually enjoy the company of the two older women. Though she knew for a fact that today was a once in a blue moon kind of thing.

She might as well enjoy it while it lasts.

* * *

Helen walked down the halls, not to go to class. Her attention was set on one braided Jayden McDuelle for a _very_ good reason.

Scarlett was smiling.

"There you are." The boy hardly acknowledged her, though his shoulders slumped a bit. "Don't give me that. What angle are you working at?"

"A one-eighty. That's a line, by the way." Jayden answered.

Helen glared. "You forgave her? For what?"

"Why do I have to have a reason? Can't I just be a nice guy?" Helen shook her head, causing Jayden to sigh. "I figured that if she's smiling, you'd leave me alone. Though I see that I am, once again, wrong."

Helen crossed her arms. "You forgave her because you think _I'm_ annoying?"

Jayden nodded. "Pretty much."

"You don't care about her at all?" Helen asked.

"I care about Scarlett. Just not like she thinks I do." Jayden stated. "I see now that I can't do what Laura asked. Having Scarlett 'look after me' has done nothing but made life harder."

"Then don't have her look after you." Helen said. "Jayden, you once knew the line between friends and friends with benefits. That's how you and Scarlett were when Laura was here. Just go back like that." Helen saw Jayden nod. "Oh I get it. You need a female to replace your wife."

"You're too kind." Jayden said closing his locker. "But seriously Helen, that's not my problem."

"Then what is it?" Jayden sighed.

"You said you broke up with me because you were a cousin and a friend to Scarlett first." Jayden said. "Now I feel the same way. Like as a friend to Scarlett, I want to help her. But I know that what she wants is me and I can't give her me."

Helen smiled. "I really wish that Braxton turns out as loyal as you really are." Jayden grinned. "Too bad you're a bit of a stubborn loser who won't do what I say when I say."

"I have class, as do you," Jayden stated. "Talk to you later."

"By the way," Helen began. "When your girlfriend returns and wants to knock Scarlett's head off her shoulders, what do you do?"

Jayden only laughed. "In an evil twisted way that only you'd understand, that would solve all of my problems, don't you think?"

Despite herself, Helen laughed with Jayden as he walked away. She had to admit that he forgiven Scarlett put him in better spirits. She just felt bad that in the end, Scarlett would actually be heartbroken.

"She'll get over it." Helen muttered before heading for her class. She had only taken a few steps before bumping into Mary-Jane. "Watch it."

"Go fuck yourself." Mary-Jane spat, still walking the other way.

Helen sneered. "You first bitch." The statement caused Mary-Jane to stop dead in her tracks and turn around. "What? You need me to dumb that down for your?"

Helen saw the anger in Mary-Jane's eyes until her green eyes caught something else. A nearly invisible dark purple ring on Mary-Jane's neck. And by a "ring" she meant a bruise that looked like it went around the blonde's entire neck.

"I've had a real bad day so-"

"Tyler do that?" Helen asked immediately.

"What? What are you…?" Mary-Jane paused when she saw what Helen was staring at and covered the bruise. "No, he didn't. He loves me, more than he ever did you."

"Then who did?" Mary-Jane turned on her heels.

"Mind your own business." Mary-Jane said walking away.

Helen's eyes narrowed. She originally wanted to beat Mary-Jane senseless due to Tyler cheating on Helen with Mary-Jane. But, after some talking with Jayden and Nicole, she dropped those thoughts and eventually found Braxton. Now she felt conflicted. While she virtually hated Mary-Jane in all senses of the word, she would not wish harm on the girl that she did not cause herself. And Helen did not cause that bruise.

"Oh well." Helen told herself as she continued for class, putting the thoughts in the farthest parts of her mind.

* * *

The bell rang, signaling the end of the day. Shane and Kelly were both ready for a day off of work, despite having to babysit their younger siblings in return.

"I don't know A.J," Jordan said as Aaron walked with the Mason siblings and Jordan out of the school. "Ashton's a creep. You and I both know that."

"Aw come on Jordan. Little Manning isn't that bad." Kelly stated.

Jordan scoffed. "Yeah right. Whether I was the old me or the new me, he's always had something against me."

Aaron smirked a bit. "You know he had a crush on you earlier last year right?"

"And he replaced me for Brie?" Aaron nodded. "That proves it. He's just as loony as his older siblings. Both of them. Combined. Times ten."

Shane sighed. "Jordan, you're not the best looking girl in the world."

"Of course you'd think that. You're my brother." Jordan replied. "But ask anyone else and they'd say-"

"Deanna Fitzgerald. Or Laura Reynolds. Scarlett Chessex. Mary-Jane Del Rossi. But not Jordan Cameron." Shane cut his sister off. "Seriously, you're becoming more annoying than you were two minutes ago."

"Whatever Shane." said the younger blonde. "Anyway A.J, so what are you going to do with your wife and girlfriend? I mean, if you're going to ruin Brie's date, might as well ruin your own. It's only fair that-"

"Hi Jordan." The group all paused as they looked at Timothy.

"Oh… Hey Timmy." Kelly, Shane, and Aaron gave Jordan confused looks. "He's the new guy and I showed him around."

Kelly gasped. "You do have a heart."

"Shocking…" Shane added in mock surprise.

Jordan ignored as her two teasing siblings laughed and continued walking towards the sidewalk, she and Aaron now behind them with Timothy catching up.

"So," Jordan and Aaron felt a little unnerve with the newcomer tagging alone, though neither said anything. "Your parents own The Dot?"

"Something like that…" Jordan said. "Look, Timmy, I know that you're new and you tend to attach to friendly faces but-"

"Your face is anything _but_ friendly." Kelly said.

Jordan huffed. "That would include beautiful, priceless, pretty, cute, sexy, amusing, and a ton of compliments that _aren't_ friendly."

Kelly smiled. "You're still too easy to pick on Jordan. Lighten up and let your new boyfriend tag along. A.J doesn't mind, do you?"

"I-"

"He's not my boyfriend!" Jordan quickly said before Aaron could add his two cents to the joke. "Can't I just be nice for once?"

"No." Kelly and Shane said in unison.

Jordan looked at Aaron for some support, though he refused to say anything. She huffed once more, crossing her arms.

"You guys are such jerks." Jordan said.

"And we love you too Jordan." Shane said. "Now, what does Mom have to cook at home? I'm starving."

* * *

Mary-Jane nearly quivered as she entered her mostly empty home. Her mother and younger siblings had just left for the store, Marco staying to grade few more tests and doing some staff meeting. This left her and Dylan alone.

Briskly walking up the steps, she thought she had made it until she felt a familiar grasp on her hair.

"Please… Just let me go! I promise I won't tell or anything!" Mary-Jane cried, already knowing what was to come.

Dylan only laughed. "You don't have much of a choice, now do you?"

Mary-Jane's body went weak. She had tried fighting and lost every time. Now she felt no need to fight. She felt useless and powerless, something that was unlike her in more ways than one. And as he dragged her to her room to commence another tortuous "bonding" time, she thought about Amber. Amber told her to get help. Amber said that she would help. Yet, Mary-Jane feared what Dylan would do to Justin, Angele, and/or Amber if he found out who told.

So Mary-Jane would take another beaten. Not because she was weak. Not because she was powerless. But because she knew that if Dylan was ever left alone with Angele or Justin, he would have this same aggression pent inside of him and he would take it out on them. And she would fail at her duties as an older sister if she let something like that happen to them.

Hopefully, she thought, he would knock her unconscious like two days ago and she wouldn't feel a thing.

Or maybe he would stop altogether.

Unfortunately, neither would happen.

* * *

Helen groaned as no one in the house seemed to want to answer the door and the ringer was testing her patience. She swung the door opened and nearly gasped at the person standing there. The two stared at one another before Helen silently stepped aside.

"Second room to your right," Helen said. "And don't kill her. One hit, that's all I'm giving you."

"One is all I need." Laura said making her way into the home for the first time.

Helen watched Laura walk up the steps figuring she had done some twisted justice. Truth was, Scarlett needed to learn her place with Jayden and Laura was more than the woman to do the job. If only Helen would've done so earlier…

Scarlett was actually having a rather peaceful moment while doing her homework. Her mind was able to solve problems a lot easier now that she was not down over Jayden hating her. In fact, she was almost glowing with happiness as she did her homework.

And all that would go away when her door opened and she saw one pissed off Laura Reynolds standing in her bedroom.

"Laura…" Scarlett began to say, not knowing if anything could be said to justify her actions.

"Listen," Laura stated. "I'm not going to hurt you. Not now." Scarlett frowned. "I just want you to know what you've done to me."

"I'm sorry I got-"

"Forget the damn test!" Laura snapped. "I told you to make him happy! Do you know what that means? Make him happy! Not drag his name through shit!" Scarlett's eyes went to the floor. "If I didn't make that damn promise to my mom, I would've kicked your sorry ass by now, but I'm not. Why? Because unlike you, I can change. I can swallow my pride and just talk instead of doing what I do best."

"Laura, I'm really sorry. I know you'll never forgive me but-"

"You're damn right I'll never forgive you!" Scarlett winced at the volume of Laura's voice. "I hardly care that you got a DNA test done because that's some fucked up shit I'd expect from you. But you did it after I _asked_ you the favor in keeping Jayden happy. And you fucked that up. I _gave you_ the boy on a fucking silver platter and you still managed to fuck that up! How many times is it going to take for you to get your shit right?"

"I don't know…" Scarlett answered quietly.

"Helen gives you Jayden and you dry hump DeWayne during Jayden's performance. I give you Jayden and tell you _not_ to focus on my kids, and you do the exact opposite!" Laura shouted. "What is wrong with you?!"

"I'm sorry!" Scarlett retorted. "What do you want from me Laura? I know how bad I've screwed things up with him, okay? I know that he loves you more than he'll ever care about me!"

"And listen to you. Making this all about who Jayden loves." Laura said. "I hardly care if he does or doesn't love me more than you! Why? Because I know that he deserves better than me. That's why I have to do what I do to make it up to him."

Scarlett frowned. "You don't care?" Laura shook her head. "Then why are you still with him?"

"Because _I_ love _him_!" Laura retorted. "Do you know how it feels for some grown man with a camera to come up to you and ask how it feels to be in a relationship with someone who doesn't trust you? Huh? Do you?" Scarlett shook her head. "I didn't think so. I had to deal with that alone."

"I know…" Scarlett said before sighing. "Laura, if it means anything, I'll-"

"I'll make the demands here, got it?" Despite her pride, Scarlett nodded. "You will _not_ be watching after him anymore, okay? Don't spend the night in _our_ bed again or else I'll introduce you to the pain of child birth with they have to surgically remove my foot out of you."

"Ouch…" Helen said, leaning against the door frame.

"I understand Laura. Is that all?" Scarlett asked.

"One more thing," Laura said stepping near Scarlett. "If I _dream_ that you're going to do something as soon as I leave again, I will force that half-ass boyfriend of mine to come to school with me and blow your damn house up. Stay away from him. Stay away from our kids. And stay away from my family!"

By now, Scarlett had grown just as angry as Laura was, but said nothing as the girl stormed out of her room. Scarlett's eyes then moved to Helen, who looked very amused.

"Well," Helen said. "That could've gotten messy."

"You were going to let her fight me?" Scarlett asked.

Helen shrugged. "Can't save them all, can I?"

Scarlett watched Helen walk away before sighing heavily. She no longer felt like doing her homework. Now, she needed a nice long nap to clear her thoughts of what Laura had just told her. Though Laura was right. Jayden was hers, Jaylen and Daniella were her kids, and all in all, they were Laura's family.

Laura's perfect family that Scarlett would soon dream was her own…

* * *

Aaron smiled as he and Farah sat at their table. He had to admit that he actually liked times like this. Times where Chandra and Jordan were not telling him how wrong dating Farah was or his brother was not looking at him as if he had done something terrible. It was just he and Farah on a date.

Nothing could go wrong, right?

"Oh," Aaron frowned at Farah's sudden outburst and followed her eyes to Chandra and Tevin entering. "Chandra…"

A part of Aaron wanted to leave right then and there. Not because Chandra was on a date with her boyfriend, but because something told him that Farah had set this up. Before he went to Japan, he was a little skeptical to believe what Chandra was trying to tell him about Farah. Could this be another one of Farah's doings or was it actually a horrible coincidence?

"What are you doing here?" Chandra asked Aaron.

"A date…" Aaron was a little unsure on how to handle being out with his girlfriend when "the other woman" was right in his face with her boyfriend. He had never done such a thing as cheating before, that being one of Jayden's things.

Then again, Jayden is currently happier with said other woman so maybe it wasn't all bad.

"Uh-huh?" Chandra's remark made Aaron believe that Farah had set this up as Chandra's brown eyes soon met Farah's dark green ones. "And you just chose to come here?"

"Hey," Tevin said. "We can sit somewhere where you don't have to see them." Aaron's eyes slowly began to narrow as he saw Tevin put an arm around Chandra. "Come on Bambi. Let the losers have their little date."

Aaron slowly began to repeat his mantra in his head. He wasn't Jayden. He wasn't Jayden. He wasn't Jayden. Yet, as he said that, he began to morph into a bigger fighter than Jayden was; Danica.

"That's my cousin and friend," Chandra told Tevin. "So watch it."

Despite her coming to his defense, Aaron could hear at least three voices in his head telling him to just punch Tevin, kiss Chandra, and leave before the cops or his parents were called. But he didn't. He sat there like the composed boy that he and his parents had groomed him to be.

"Well," Chandra said. "Have fun." Chandra then glanced at Aaron. "I'll call you later. Your friend has some _serious_ jealousy problems."

Knowing that she was referring to Ashton, as well as him, Aaron nodded.

"Sure."

Tevin gave Aaron a smug smile before leading Chandra away. This only further pissed Aaron off to the point that he released a heavy breath that caught Farah's attention.

"We can go somewhere else if…" Farah began.

"No, it's fine. I just hate the guy." Aaron replied. "But I'm fine. I don't want to ruin your evening just because of Tevin."

Farah smiled. "I'm fine A.J."

Aaron returned the smile, though he was still seething at the thought of Tevin and Chandra being so close. Though he wouldn't have long to think about that as his cell phone rang. Frowning, he looked to see that the caller was Jordan.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Oh A.J! You missed it!" his blonde friend laughed. "Nigel looked _so_ scared when Ashton walked in!"

Aaron sighed. "I fail to see the humor there Jordan."

"Oh really? I though since _you_ told Ashton when and where to go, you'd at least smile." Jordan stated. "Though, he didn't stay long. He just sat, talked to them a bit, and left." Aaron nodded his head, glad that Ashton did not do something extremely outrageous. "Oh! And Brie's pissed at you."

"I figured she would be." replied Aaron. "I'm going to have to call you back. I'm actually on a date with Farah right now."

"And that's somehow more important than me or Ashton interrupting Gabrielle's date?" Aaron did not answer, knowing that the new Jordan would just argue if he said 'yes' anyway. "Oh well. Call me when you're done playing with Lying Barbie."

"I will Jordan. Bye." Aaron stated before hanging up and sighing. He then turned his phone off and set it on the table. "Okay. No more interruptions."

Farah grinned. "Thank you A.J."

* * *

Dakota was acting strange. That was the only thing in Jayden's mind now. While they did not have a band meeting today, he and Dakota still worked on the music beforehand and afterwards to make sure it met their parents' standards. Of course, working with two perfectionists became tiresome at some points, but Dakota was a hard worker and Jayden had his determination to rely on. And together, they would _surpass_ the bar that his dad and her mom set for them.

Though, he wondered why she continued to call him back for little things.

Oh well. Now he was home and had no intentions on leaving again. Danica was picking his kids up from Bianca's and he knew Scarlett would give him time to calm down some more before calling him, let alone showing at his doorstep. So he had all the time just to relax.

"What in the hell?" Jayden said to himself as he opened the door. The dimly lit apartment had several of lit candles and few pots on the stove. "Danni! Are you having some guy over that I don't know about?"

"I don't know about Danni but…" Jayden's jaw dropped when Laura revealed herself. Not that she was dressed in anything provocative, a simple shirt and jeans, but because it was _her_. "I know I am."

His bag instantly fell to the floor as he quickly moved and scooped Laura into his arms. She giggled, arms around his head as he spun her around.

"When'd you get back? And why didn't you…" Jayden paused. "Damn you Dash…"

Laura laughed. "Yeah, she knew." Laura kissed Jayden deeply. "I missed you Dimples."

"I missed you too Beautiful." Jayden returned. "And I see you didn't burn dinner this time either."

"It was one time asshole!" Laura replied. "And we might want to hurry. I don't know how long your sister is going to stay out and the kids are asleep."

Jayden frowned. "They're here?" Laura nodded. "You've been watching them all day _and_ you cooked? Is there anything else that you've done that can top that?"

"I had a talk with your mom and mine at the same time. And we were all _laughing_." Laura said with a grin.

Jayden blinked. "Whoa… Didn't see that one coming." Jayden stood Laura on the ground and smiled. "You don't know how happy I am to see you right now."

"I think I know. Between your mom, my mom, your dad, sister, Dash, _and_ Scarlett, I think they've all told me just how badly I'm needed here." Laura said.

"Scarlett?" Jayden questioned with a frown. "You went to go see her?" Laura nodded. "You didn't…"

"Kill her? No. Just talk." Jayden's brow rose. "Don't believe me?"

"I'm shocked." Jayden answered. "I was thinking you were going to ask for some bail money."

Laura smiled. "Can't have your future wife in jail, now can we?" Her response both surprised and pleased Jayden, causing him to smile wider than he normally would. "Now come on. There's 'something' that I want to do with my half-ass boyfriend."

"You don't have to have sex with me Laura." Jayden said as she pulled him towards his, no, _their_ bedroom.

"Oh, this is for me." Jayden laughed at her words as she dragged him into the bedroom, he quietly closing the door behind him. "Now, you have a lot of time to make up for and not enough time to do it. So I suggest you get started Jayden."

Laura yelped as he quickly had her in his arms again and had laid her on the bed before crawling over her.

"I love you Laura." Jayden said soothingly.

"I love you more." Laura replied before the two shared a passionate kiss.

* * *

Amber sighed as she moved to answer the door. Since her mother and Paige were good friends growing up, Mary-Jane always used her house as a getaway from her younger siblings. So when she got a text saying to open the door, Amber already knew that her mom would be angrier if she told Mary-Jane no than she would disturbing the sleep in the Clarke household.

Opening the door, Amber gasped.

"Mary-Jane! What happened to you?!" Amber questioned in a loud whisper.

Mary-Jane sniffled. "Amber… Please help me!"

Amber was taken back when Mary-Jane threw herself at her shorter friend. Amber could count all the times Mary-Jane has cried like this on one hand and have four fingers to spare. She immediately knew just how serious this was and quietly closed the door.

"Come on Mary-Jane," Amber said soothingly. "Let's talk in my room."

After Mary-Jane calmed down enough to tell Amber what has been happening since Dylan arrived, Amber began to cry herself. Her best friend was being beaten for something out of her control. And what was worse was she realized that if Mary-Jane chose to say or do something about it, Angele and Justin may be harmed in response, something Mary-Jane was trying to avoid. But Amber made a promise to help Mary-Jane anyway she could. If only they knew what to do.


	122. S4 Episode XIX:Love the Way You Lie Pt I

**Episode XIX: Love the Way You Life Pt. I**

Jayden smiled contently as Laura pushed into his body more, trying to rob him for all the body heat that he had. The two were currently at his and Danica's apartment, lying in bed while their twins were still asleep in the next room. In his mind, there was nothing that could ruin this moment.

Leaning in to kiss her shoulder, Jayden heard Laura stir.

"We should separate for months more often." Jayden laughed at her statement. "That was _amazing_."

"Yeah, well, I don't think I can take months separated again. I can barely stand minutes away from you." replied Jayden before smiling. "Thankfully today is Saturday and we can spend all day together."

"I invited Dash over so none of this." Laura told him.

Jayden groaned. "You just _had_ to ruin my fun."

Giggling, Laura looked at him. "Your sister is here, you know? Do you know what she could do to us if we made all the noise we wanted to _and_ left her to watch the kids?"

"Point taken." Jayden said staring into his girlfriend's eyes. "Still… There aren't a lot of things that I wouldn't do to spend as much time with you. So maybe Dash and Danni will just have to deal."

"I think you're on to something Dimples…" Laura stated before kissing him. The kiss turned into ten more before Jayden pushed Laura onto her back. Before anything else could happen, however, the sound of both twins could be heard. "Breakfast time."

Jayden sighed. "You know, when you weren't here, I would actually look forward to them crying. Now… Now it's just annoying."

Laura smiled. "Get up Dimples and go feed your kids. I have to call Sarah and make sure her son and his father are still alive."

"Fine." Jayden said kissing Laura's forehead. "I'll get breakfast started for us too. And Danni."

Laura nodded as she watched Jayden move out of the bed to cater to their twins. Last night had been perfect for many reasons, though she still could not shake the thought of what one said to her. Jason's death was something she would never get over, but for someone to make Jason's death the reason Jayden got a new paternity test was seriously inhumane. She had not told Jayden this because she knew how he, and his family for that matter, would react. And for once, Laura did not want any violence.

"Look who's up." Laura sat up in bed as Jayden carried both twins in his arms, handing Laura Jaylen as he sat with Daniella. Laura was actually surprised to see him carry two crying babies _and_ their respective bottles with such tenderness but brushed it off as one of the amazing things about the guy she called hers. "You're off the hook Laura. Apparently, Danni called Bella over as well. And Shane and Deanna are stopping by, so I won't blame Dash as the only reason we couldn't do what I said."

Laura rolled her eyes. "Stop being such a baby." Laura looked down at Jaylen, who was currently quietly feeding on his bottle while staring up at his mother. "Don't be like your dad. He's _such_ a whiny boy."

"Who wouldn't want to be me? Smart, good-looking, and on the path of success? I'd die to be a guy like me… Well, if I wasn't me that is." Jayden stated. "Besides, I have the most beautiful girl that the world's ever seen." Laura smiled. "I guess, since you're her mom, I shouldn't be surprised but-"

"You were talking about Maxi?" Laura interrupted.

Jayden smirked. "Thought I was talking about you? What an ego Laura."

"Jerk…" Laura muttered before Danica appeared at the door. "Morning. Did we keep you up?"

Danica smiled. "Not at all Fat Mama." Laura glared at the nickname. "By the time I got home, you and your kids were all sleeping peacefully."

"Then what's the smile for? You obviously have something up your sleeve." Danica's smile did not falter as she shook her head.

"Nothing. Just this nice picture of you two sleeping together. You two are _so _cute!" Jayden only rolled his eyes at his sister lazily.

"Gee Danni, could we have a moment of privacy?" he asked.

"At my house? I doubt it little brother." Danica replied. "But Izzy and Raven should be here soon so I'm going to start cooking. You two, enjoy your time and I'll-" Danica was interrupted by a knock on the front door. "I'll answer that."

"Probably Dash." Laura said as Danica walked away. She looked over to see Jayden staring down and smiling at Daniella. "You're going to spoil her."

"I will not." Jayden said.

"Yes you will!" Laura argued back.

Jayden sighed. "Seriously… We sound just like your parents." Laura gave him a curious look. "Don't worry about…" Laura's eyes left Jayden's and landed on the person at the door. "What are you doing here?"

Torrie stared at Laura for a moment before smiling.

"Laura! I didn't know you were back!" Torrie said gleefully.

"I'll ask his question again," Laura said angrily. "What are you doing here, Torrie?" Jayden smirked as Laura continued. "Are you here to kiss my boyfriend? Again?"

"No! No, I came to, uh…" Torrie paused. "Scar's been a little depressed about their recent battle so I-"

"Princess and Dimples have already settled that and I put my two cents in as well. So what are you _really _doing here?" Laura asked.

"Say what you want. She's not going to do anything until after the kids are calm." Jayden stated.

"Listen, Laura," Torrie said. "The kiss Jayden and I had was-"

"Hold your son." Laura told Jayden angrily.

Jayden sighed. "Should've just told the truth." Jayden shifted his daughter into his right arm, now holding his son in his left. "Well it was nice knowing you Torrie."

Laura rose from the bed moving towards the door where Torrie stood. The blonde showed no fear, as no one scared Torrie Stone. But she did have the knowledge that this fight wouldn't go her way.

"This way hoe." Laura said, literally dragging Torrie away by the girl's arm.

Jayden laughed while leaning his head back against the headboard.

"You two have the best mom in the world." Jayden said as he could hear the front door close. "Ever."

* * *

Amber stared as Mary-Jane stood in her bra and panties, revealing Amber the bruises over her body. It sickened Amber greatly to think that it was Mary-Jane's uncle who did this to her. From the stories that Hazel and Paige had told their daughters, Dylan was an alright guy. Though, people tended to change over time.

"MJ…" Amber gasped before sitting up straight on her bed. "We have to do something."

"But what?" Mary-Jane replied as she slipped on some pants. "Tell my parents and they'll either disbelieve us or just make things worse."

"I know but I can't let this happen to you. You're my best friend Mary-Jane." Amber stated.

Mary-Jane snorted. "Come on Amber, we both know that I practically deserve some of this. From what I've done to most of the kids in school, this doesn't really scratch the surface."

Amber glared. "No, you don't deserve this. No one does." Mary-Jane nodded a bit, knowing that this was an argument she was going to lose, and slipped a shirt on. "Seriously Mary-Jane, you're not that bad. Half of the kids just ignore you, like Helen and Laura did."

"You ever…" Amber was curious as to why Mary-Jane paused and frowned. "I was going to ask if you ever wished you were sort of like Laura." Now Amber's face went from confusion to shock. "I mean, she had found the boy she would fall in love with, who had practically been in her face this entire time, and now look at them. Magazines and TV shows, happily together. You ever think that we could've been that way?"

"Together?" Amber asked with a small smile. "I don't know Mary-Jane. I'm flattered that you think of me like that but-"

"Not you!" Mary-Jane snapped before giggling. "You're a perv Amber!"

The two girls ended up laughing, the thoughts of Dylan buried deep in their respective minds. After a period of straight laughter, they ended with heavy sighs.

"One day in the future," Amber said. "I'm going to call you and say 'MJ, don't look hideous as my Maid of Honor' and you'd better not."

Mary-Jane rolled her eyes. "I've never had a hideous day in my life."

Amber was going to reply before Hazel knocked on Amber's door and pushed it open slightly.

"Girls, breakfast is ready." Hazel said.

"Alright Mom, we'll be down in a sec. Planning our future weddings here." Amber responded, Hazel smiling before leaving the two alone. "Mary-Jane, you do know that my dad and James's dad work together. They can help you put Dylan away for a long time."

"Would that help me sleep better?" The question made Amber cringe, knowing how many times Mary-Jane woke up last night in tears. "I don't just want him to go away Amber. I want him to pay. And if that means dying, well I want to drag him to hell with me."

Amber nodded, smiling a bit. She did not want her friend to die, of course, but this sounded more like the fighting Mary-Jane than the tearful one that showed up late last night. Still, she wanted Dylan to be put behind bars, not necessarily beat him like he did Mary-Jane. If only there was a way for both of them to get what they wanted…

* * *

When Ashton got a call from Gabrielle to meet him at her apartment, he jumped on the idea immediately. However, he now regretted it as she glared at him from her spot across the threshold. He had seen this glare once and it was when she was healing his bruise during Spring Break and told him not to touch the freezing cream on his face.

"Why did you do that?" she asked him.

"I don't know what you're talking about." While Ashton was calm on the outside he, and he alone, has seen Gabrielle at her angriest. The resemblance between her and Nathan was never so apparent when she was mad.

"You scared Nigel." Gabrielle said letting him enter. "You made him think that he has to be careful with me twenty-four seven or you'll hurt him."

"I will." Ashton muttered as he closed the door.

"Ashton." Gabrielle's voice was firm and unwavering, unlike her normal quiet tone.

Ashton shrugged. "Look Brie, you're my friend, possibly my best friend. That being said, some nerd creep hurts you, I'll have to beat him. Simple, see?"

"No. Not simple." replied Gabrielle. "You and A.J set that up. And Jordan isn't innocent either."

"And why do you believe A.J and Jordan have a part in this?" Ashton asked.

"I'm not stupid Ashton. Only A.J knew where we were going to be at and Jordan just magically helped out despite her brother and sister off yesterday." Ashton nodded a bit. That did sound suspicious. "Why can't you just let me be happy Ashton?"

"Tell me what will make you happy and I'll give it to you." Ashton said. Gabrielle's eyes narrowed. "Come on Brie. Don't be a coward. Just say what you want from me."

Gabrielle opened her mouth but her voice died. Vanessa was one of her best friends and she knew just how much Vanessa adored Ashton. Did she really want to take Ashton away from Vanessa for the sake of her own happiness? A part of her did, but she knew that people would think how unlike her that would be.

"You can't say it." Ashton finally said. "You just can't say, 'break up with Vanessa' can you?" Gabrielle shook her head. "So I guess we're just like Santos and Bambi, huh?"

"I guess so…" Ashton cringed again, but now because he heard how sad she sounded.

"Brie I-"

"Go." Gabrielle interrupted. "And don't interrupt our next date Ashton."

Ashton frowned. "I'll interrupt as many of them as it'll take."

"I'll stop talking to you completely."

The threat, as small as it may seem, caused Ashton to swallow quietly. He did not want to lose Gabrielle completely.

"Fine Brie. I'll back off." Ashton said.

He was unprepared for her kissing his cheek.

"Thanks Ashton." she said. "And tell your friend that I'll be talking to him soon as well."

Now Ashton smirked. "Oh, I will…"

* * *

Jordan gave a small smile at the sight of Renée and Jenée running around. She found the two highly annoying, but with Manny having a careful watch on the blonde, she could not just say how annoying she found them to be. Manny would only be pissed and tell Emma, which would make Jordan's life harder than it already was. So therefore, Jordan just smiled and made her way to the sanctuary of Aaron's room.

Seeing his door slightly ajar, she pushed it open to see him slipping on a shirt. Her trimmed brow arched in amusement as he stared at her.

"Bad time?" she asked.

"No." he said, now fully clothed sans socks or shoes. "What do you want?"

"Trust me. You're not really what I call 'fun' anymore, but it is Saturday." Aaron smiled. "Oh don't think that I rely on you, okay? Mary-Jane is just going through something and she and Amber went out to handle it."

"Sure Jordan." replied Aaron. "And other then doing what got us in trouble, what did you want to do?"

"Oh nothing. Just talk to waste some time before I leave you here to deal with your younger siblings." Jordan answered as she sat on his bed. "Seriously A.J how do you do it?"

"Well I don't necessarily leave them like you do yours." Aaron stated with a grin.

Jordan sighed. "So many times I've wished that Maddox and Ana would just go away." Aaron's brows lifted. "What?"

"Isn't that what you told Tevin about Shane and Kelly? Should I find some way to get them arrested too?" Jordan scoffed as Aaron chuckled a bit.

"Such a comedian." Jordan said while rolling her eyes. She then grinned with him. "You've become a natural McDuelle A.J. Annoying just like the rest of them."

Aaron sighed. "Well, to Vanessa I'm just a… A part of the male anatomy."

"A dick?" Jordan stated. Aaron nodded. "Why didn't you just say…? Oh who am I talking to?" Aaron only shook his head as he moved to close his door lest Manny overhears Jordan saying something wrong. "You know what I was thinking about last night? That kiss in Japan-"

"Never happened remember?" Aaron quickly interrupted.

Now Jordan smirked. "A.J, there were like a _thousand_ witnesses. I'm sure if we searched on YouTube or something, _someone_ would have recorded it."

"Yeah," Aaron said. "And let's pray that that _someone_ has a really bad shot."

"So you're worried that Farah will be angry at you for kissing me when you were single? Or is it your precious Bambi that you're worried about, hm?" Aaron glared at Jordan. "Okay! I'll lay off. Just stop with the look."

"I don't know why you came all this way to annoy me," Aaron began. "But I'm thinking about doing something unlike me."

"We both know that you're not." Aaron's eyes only narrowed more. "But I was being honest. That event just popped up in my head last night."

"And why was that?" Aaron asked.

"I don't know." Jordan stated. "I figured since you're our neighborhood Dr. Phil, I'd ask you."

"One, we don't live in the same neighborhood," Jordan rolled her eyes at the statement. "And two, I'm not Dr. Phil."

"Hey A.J," Manny said opening his door. "Would you guys like something to eat? Your dad's in the kitchen making something for Kitty, Chris, and the twins."

"Yes Mrs. McDuelle." Jordan replied.

Manny smiled. "I'll call you when it's done then."

With that, Manny left the two alone once more.

"So like I was saying-"

"It. Never. Happened." Jordan hushed at Aaron's firm words, but nodded.

Though she was only getting started at reminding him of what could have been.

* * *

There were things Deanna did not understand about people. She did not know why Dakota liked the colors black and pink. She did not know how Jayden put up with Danica and vice versa for as long as they did. And she was clearly clueless as to how Jayden, Shane, and Dakota all seemed to go to their own little world when they were together despite the three of them being three completely different people.

But the one thing that got Deanna the most was how Laura was able to con her into being in a bedroom with the temperamental girl with no witnesses. Again, Deanna was no fighter and Laura clearly was, but Laura looked too calm to throw a punch.

"He doesn't know, does he?" Deanna frowned at Laura's words.

"Who doesn't know what?" Deanna returned.

"Shane doesn't know that you originally befriended his sister to get with him, does he?" Laura said. Deanna's jaw dropped. "What? You didn't think that I would know?"

"It's not like that. Shane and I-"

"It _was_ like that." Laura interrupted with a smirk. "And now you're praying that Shane _never_ reads your precious diary where you write everything in it."

"You… How do you know this?" Deanna asked.

Laura glared at her. "Do you remember a certain Saturday where you and your former lackey walked in on me and Jayden at Little Miss Steaks? Or maybe you remember when you asked me to hook you up with Jayden and when I refused, you said you'd take me down. Well, here we are. Take me down if you dare."

"Listen," Deanna said. "I don't know how you heard about _that_ and why-"

"Okay, stop." Laura cut Deanna off again. "I'm going to say this once so as soon as this door opens, never repeat it, got it?" Despite all the pride inside of her, Deanna nodded. "Good job."

Deanna blinked in shock. "Wh-what?"

"I said I would never say it again, so tough shit for not hearing me." Laura said.

"I heard you loud and clear." Deanna said. "I'm asking why you're saying that."

"You think that I got Jayden fair and square? No. I had Dash. And while Dash and I were actually friends _before_ I went for Jayden, I still know how it is to play the inside game." Laura stated. "The difference between you and I is that I had fallen for Jayden years ago and you just went for Shane out of the blue."

"I love Shane." Deanna said.

"And I love Jayden." Laura stated. "You and I will do everything in our power to keep them. Whether we use force, money, or any underhanded tactic that we can think of."

Deanna crossed her arms. "So why am I here?"

"When I learned that you grew a spine and used Shane's weird ass sister to get with him, I laughed. Then I said that I had to see it for myself and here we are." Laura answered. "But I will warn you. I just kicked Torrie's ass, Scarlett's my next target, and you will be my third if you somehow mess this dysfunctional but happy family up."

"And how do you suppose that I would do such a thing? And why?" Deanna returned.

"By not telling Shane before someone else does." Deanna's eyes narrowed. "Don't worry, it won't be me to tell him and it sure as hell won't be Jayden. You know, the guy that told me." Deanna's eyes lost their glare and went wide in shock. "You're surprised?"

"Not that he would tell you, but he knows and hasn't told Shane?" Deanna stated. "Why? What is he playing at? It's no secret that he still thinks that I'm after something and doesn't really want Shane."

Laura snorted. "You're not that bright are you?"

"Excuse me?" Deanna replied.

"Dimples doesn't think that you're up to something. He already knows what you did." Laura stated. "He's just waiting for it to hit the fan." Deanna nodded. That made sense. She, Jayden, and Laura for that matter, knew how to capitalize on any mistake their opponent made. "So I suggest that you and he come up with some sort of deal or else…"

"Or else what?" Deanna asked.

Laura smiled. "You'll see why he's the regional champ of Human Chess."

Deanna felt a little uneasy at the statement as Laura made her way towards the door. How Jayden even got that information was startling alone, considering that he had been to Deanna's house multiple of times without her or her brother watching him. But what scared Deanna the most is that if she were to do something against the boy, he could reveal to Shane what he knew.

"Laura," Deanna said stopping Laura from exiting the room. "Will he tell?"

"Jayden? Nope. I even tried to get him to, but no dice. Why?" Laura asked.

"I guess I owe him then…" Deanna began.

"Nah. He thinks of you as the lesser of two evils. Shane could be out there trying to chase Nicky down or being happy with you." Laura said. "Honestly, I didn't care whichever way he chose. He's just a loser friend to my half-ass boyfriend."

Deanna watched the other girl leave without saying another word. Honestly, it had been Laura who gave Deanna the idea to sleep with Shane in the first place. She would not say that she _idolized_ Laura, but Deanna did know she could learn a thing or two from the young mother.

"Hey," Shane said, gaining Deanna's attention as he stood in the doorway. "I hope Laura didn't threaten you or anything."

"Not all. Just a little girl talk." Shane frowned at Deanna's answer.

"Funny. That's what she said." Shane replied.

Deanna giggled. "Is that supposed to be a perverted joke Shane?"

"No! I mean, she actually said that!" Shane replied. Deanna only laughed some more causing Shane to grin. "You and Kelly are spending way too much time together."

"I actually picked that one up from you." Deanna told him.

"Oh. Huh, guess I asked for that one then." Deanna nodded. "Well let's go join the others. Hopefully you won't pick up anything else from someone else. I'd hate it if you became as sneaky as Laura."

Deanna swallowed silently. "Yeah. That wouldn't do us any good."

* * *

Chandra smiled. "Hey!" Tevin grinned at her pleased appearance. "So what's the plan for today?"

Tevin shrugged. "Don't know. My parents just left for some company picnic or whatever. We could hangout at my place."

Chandra knew what Tevin was really trying to say. He wanted her in his house unsupervised. She opened her mouth to reject the offer until she envisioned Aaron and Farah eating from the previous day.

"Sure." Chandra said. "Not like I have anything better to do."

"Cool. So, you wanna go now or…?" Tevin said.

"We can go now." Chandra replied.

Chandra gave Tevin a smile, though she was mentally arguing with herself. She wanted Aaron to see just how badly he had messed up when he chose to date Farah, yet she did not want to cross a line that she was not ready to cross. At the same time, she was questioning if she _was_ ready to do such a thing if the opportunity presented itself. She was surely ready for Aaron to make a move at her house before her dad walked in.

Chandra followed Tevin down the sidewalk. If it happened, it happened. That's all she could think now. If Aaron lost another chance, then it would be his and Farah's fault. All their fault.

* * *

Gabrielle smiled as Nigel came into Little Miss Steaks.

"Hey." she said politely to Nigel. "Glad you came."

"Me too." Nigel replied sitting at her table. "I hope I didn't do anything wrong yesterday."

"No! Ashton is just…" Gabrielle paused as several words flew through her mind. "A little overprotective." Gabrielle sighed. "And honestly, he is right. There is someone who I do like and want to be with."

"It's A.J, right?" Nigel said before releasing a huff. "I knew it. He's got the looks and the money. He's a really cool guy and-"

"It's not A.J, Nigel." Gabrielle interrupted with a smile. "A.J's a really good friend, but I can't date him. That would be weird."

"Really?" Nigel said. Gabrielle nodded. "Oh. Okay, then who is it then?"

Gabrielle sat quietly. She could just say that it was Ashton, but that would probably make things worse since it was Ashton who ruined their first date. Then she was brought back to her talk with Ashton earlier. He was actually willing to break-up with Vanessa if Gabrielle gave him the word. She could not say now what she should have said then. Maybe she really was a coward?

"Don't worry about it." Gabrielle said quietly. "Um, did you want to order now?"

"Yeah." Nigel replied. "And Brie, I'm glad you asked me out again."

Gabrielle smiled. "No problem."

* * *

Laura sighed contently as she leaned against Jayden. The couple, along with Dakota, Shane, and Deanna had left Jayden's apartment minutes ago and went to the park to enjoy the beautiful day. In Laura's mind, days like this were limited with them going to school in two different countries and two kids already. So she wanted to enjoy the peace and serenity as much as she could.

A smile came onto her face when she felt Jayden's lips press on her forehead. It was weird that such a simple gesture made her feel like the luckiest person on the planet, but it did.

"I'm going to hate it when the days get too cold to come outside." Jayden stated.

"Is there such a day?" Shane questioned. Jayden nodded. "Oh yeah, I forgot. It never rains in southern California, let alone snows."

Jayden grinned. "Don't believe the hype. _Anything_ can happen at anytime." Jayden shifted a bit, making himself more comfortable under the tree he and his friends sat at. "I just wish that things didn't have to change from today."

Dakota frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Laura's going back to England and I have to deal with Scarlett. Again." Jayden answered before sighing. "My kids are slowly growing in front of me and I can't stop them. Soon they'll be walking and talking-"

"And fighting." Shane added.

"Plus my best friend has married someone twice as rich as I am so he doesn't stop by anymore." Jayden retorted.

Shane laughed. "Dude, if I chose you over my girlfriend, there'd be a problem." Jayden laughed as well, though he nodded. "Besides, do you know how many times you left me for Laura, Scarlett, Jackie, or Helen? Too many times to count."

"Shane's right Jay. You do abandon us for your girlfriend." Dakota added.

"Dash, you went to _California_ to be with some guy that we hardly know." Jayden countered.

"And you took your girlfriend to _Italy_." Dakota argued.

"Yes," Jayden said. "But I took my _pregnant_ girlfriend to my _house_ in Italy so she could get used to it. You just flew the coop to spend quality time with your boy-toy." Dakota only shook her head. "And as for you Shane, we normally date friends."

"Yeah… Up until you began dating Laura." Shane said.

Laura frowned. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Well… He's kind of got a point." Laura turned her glare to Jayden's smiling face. "When I was with Jackie he dated Scarlett and then when I was with Scarlett, he dated Jackie. Helen is Scarlett's cousin and a friend of Jackie and Nicky. So when I began dating you, that pattern broke. And it only got worse when he started dating Deanna."

"True." Shane said. "Very true. What a pair of tradition breakers."

"Tradition breakers." Jayden parroted.

"Assholes." Laura muttered.

"Jerks." Deanna said at the same time.

Jayden gave Laura a kiss while Shane pulled Deanna closer to him. While both girls were still angry about the comment, they were pleased by the nonverbal apology that they received from their respective boyfriend.

"Speaking of tradition," Laura stated, looking at Shane now. "Don't forget about the new tradition of skipping classes the first day back from Winter Break."

"I thought I said that that wouldn't be a tradition?" Jayden replied.

Laura shrugged. "We out voted you. Right Shane?"

"Right." Shane stated.

"No," Deanna said. "We are not skipping classes on the first day back. That's wrong."

"Exactly." Jayden said. "So there. We're now tied fifty-fifty." Dakota felt a little uneasy when Jayden and Laura turned to her. "Well Dash? You're the tie-breaker."

Dakota went to agree with Jayden and Deanna, but Laura's pleading look made her sigh. Some days she wondered how someone so tough could feign such innocence.

"One day couldn't hurt." Dakota said.

"Yes!" Laura cheered as Shane grinned.

Jayden sighed. "My friends are turning on me for my girlfriend. What a weird world I live in…"

"Don't worry Dimples. I'm sure you'll just _love_ the trouble we can get into." Jayden's smile seemed to agree with Laura, causing Dakota roll her eyes.

"Get a room." the redhead muttered.

Jayden chuckled with his girlfriend as he turned his attention back to the clouds quietly traveling above them. He really wished that there were more days like this. Days where he could actually enjoy Deanna's company without remembering the things she had done in the past or hold Laura under a warm sun like now. Though he knew these days were limited now that he had kids and Scarlett would probably be trying to spend as much time with him more than ever once Laura leaves.

He just wanted to listen to the serene quietness with his two closest friends and his girlfriend for the rest of the day as much as he could.

* * *

Mary-Jane knocked on the door once more, but no one came.

"Dammit Tyler…" Mary-Jane muttered as she began dialing his number again. When he did not answer, she nearly threw her phone at his door. "Dammit!"

She had left Amber's house almost an hour ago and went to Tyler's to ask him for help with her uncle. However, he was nowhere to be found. And now her only option was returning home and praying that one of or both of her parents were there.

Though she really did not want to.

"Why can't you be here Tyler?" Mary-Jane said to herself.

Mary-Jane walked away from Tyler's apartment. In her mind, she was telling herself to stop shaking and face Dylan head on. She was reminding herself that she was Mary-Jane Del Rossi, the toughest girl that walked this planet, despite what people said about Helen and Laura. No one, man or woman, could beat her, let alone scare her.

But this pep-talk died as soon as she reached her car. Dylan was stronger, faster, and bigger. His hatred for her would always win no matter what.

Mary-Jane dialed her mother's cell phone and released a sigh.

"Hi Mary. Where are you?" Paige answered.

"On my way home. Just wondering if you and Dad were there or not." Mary-Jane answered.

"I'm here." Paige stated. "Why? Are you trying to bring some boy over?"

"No Mom," Mary-Jane said while rolling her eyes. "I just wanted to know. Honestly. Tyler's off somewhere."

"Uh-huh?" It was obvious that Paige did not believe her, though Mary-Jane hardly cared. She was just happy that her mom was home. "Well come on home. Hazel says that you and Amber stayed up all night last night. I'm sure you're tired."

"Believe me," Mary-Jane replied. "A nice long sleep is all I want."

"Well you can do it now. Your uncle took Justin and Angele out for a while." Mary-Jane gasped, her eyes widening in fear. "Mary-Jane? Are you alright?"

"Fine. I'm fine." Mary-Jane stated. "Where'd they go?"

"To get some ice cream. But-"

"I'll call you back Mom. That's Tyler." Mary-Jane said quickly. "Love you, bye." Mary-Jane hung up before Paige had a chance to say anything else and started her car. "You will not hurt them."

With those words, Mary-Jane quickly sped off for Angele's favorite ice cream shop where she prayed that they would be at. So long as she drew breath, no one but her bullied her younger siblings and she sure as hell would never beat them. And she would make sure that Dylan would never get the chance to raise a finger at them.

* * *

It was something to see when Chandra Torres willingly went to visit her cousin Farah. Chandler, who had been at Farah's house at the time, only looked at the more popular cousin before turning to her friend and whispering.

"What is she doing here?" Farah ignored Chandler as Chandra stepped into Farah's room.

"I need to talk to you." Chandra's voice was quiet, something that alerted Farah. Then Chandra's eyes cut towards Chandler and narrowed. "Alone."

Chandler frowned. "If this has something to do with stealing A.J-"

"Get out." Chandra growled.

"Chandler, it's okay. Just step out for a moment." Farah said.

Chandler sighed. "Fine. But if she tries something funny…"

Chandra glared at the girl as she walked next to Chandra, exchanged a level stare, and then left. Chandra made sure to close and lock the door behind Chandler, muttering "brat" under her breath.

"What's wrong?" Farah asked.

"I… I did something stupid Farah. And I have to make sure that A.J never hears about it." Confused, Farah nodded for her cousin to continue. "I… Tevin and I…" Chandra paused. "I lost my virginity."

Farah sat up in her bed. "What?!"

"Ssh! Not so loud!" Chandra chastised as she neared Farah and spoke quietly. "I know it's dumb but…"

"But what? Do you know what Papa and Nana will do if they find out?" Farah said, referring to Sav and Alli's parents.

"I know! I just…" Chandra paused and released a frustrated breath. "It's hard to explain. At first I was going to push away but then… I just lost it."

Farah stared at Chandra before shifting in her seat.

"Why'd you do it?" Farah asked. When Chandra's eyes refused to look at Farah, Farah's shoulders slumped a bit. "Is it to make A.J mad? Is that it?"

"No. That's why I don't want him to find out." Chandra said. "Farah, I'm asking you to make sure that _no one_ tells A.J. Please."

Farah sat quietly. If she told Aaron, there would be no chance that Chandra would get him back. Farah would have secured the boy that she should have anyway since they were dating, but Chandra was refusing to let him go. Yet, if she told, she and Chandra would never be as close as they once were again. Family events would be weird unless one or the other refused to show up.

Knowing what she must do, Farah nodded.

"I'll make sure he doesn't hear about it. And if he does, I'll make an alibi and say you were with me." Farah stated.

Chandra smiled. "Thanks Farah."

"No problem." Farah replied with a small smile.

* * *

Mary-Jane walked into the ice cream shop and looked around.

"Mary-Jane!" Angele called.

Mary-Jane released a breath and quickly moved to her sister and brother, the two kids moving to hug their older sister tightly.

"Thank God…" Mary-Jane muttered before her eyes landed on Dylan, the man seated at the table where Justin and Angele were previously at. "What happened?"

"Uncle Dylan took us to the park and then ice cream." Justin said.

Mary-Jane frowned. "What happened to your elbow?"

"We were playing and-"

"He fell." Dylan said firmly.

Mary-Jane glared at Dylan. "Well I'll make sure that that doesn't happen anymore. Come on you two, Mom wants us home. So finish your ice cream and let's go."

"I'm already done." Angele stated.

Mary-Jane nodded, not taking her eyes off of Dylan. She could tell that he was pissed, but there were witnesses. He would not hit her now.

Or so she hoped.

"Justin, let's go." Mary-Jane demanded. Her younger sibling pouted, but moved with Angele for the door anyway. Mary-Jane then bravely stepped towards Dylan and spoke in a tone so only he could hear her. "If you _ever_ put your hands on my brother again, I will make sure that it's the _last_ thing you do!"

"You'll try." Dylan remarked quietly as Mary-Jane turned and led her brother and sister towards her car.

"Mary-Jane," Angele said. "Does Uncle Dylan hate us for something? He got mad when I said that I loved him."

"Get in the car and I'll tell you later." Mary-Jane said.

Her heart was racing at the moment and she did not want anything more than to be somewhere safe with her family. But as she started her car, she saw Dylan walking out of the shop. Until he left, finding somewhere safe would be hard for her. Yet still she was willing to try for her siblings' safety.

* * *

Jordan and Aaron laughed as the two continued to talk about the events that happened over the summer. Their laughter only quieted down for a moment when Gabrielle entered Aaron's room.

"Hey Brie," Aaron said sitting on his bed beside Jordan, who was still lying on her back. "Is something wrong?"

"Not this time." Aaron frowned at Gabrielle's response. "I know you sent Ashton to The Dot A.J."

Aaron sighed. "I'm sorry Brie. But he was a little persistent about knowing where you guys were going."

"But did you really have to tell him? You knew what he was going to do." Gabrielle stated.

"I know, and I'm sorry Brie. But the truth is Ashton wanted to know badly. And I mean really bad." Aaron told her. "He doesn't want you to go through what you did with Dustin. Or at least that's what he told me."

"Just don't do it again." Gabrielle said.

Jordan scoffed. "Right. Because everyone knows how much you _hate_ Ashton."

"Jordan…" Aaron muttered.

"Let's be honest A.J. Ashton and Brie are annoying, but more annoying when they're separated and complaining about who the other one sees." Aaron fought himself not to nod his head as he was also a little annoyed about Gabrielle and Ashton telling him their feelings instead of each other. "I say we just slap them both as hard as we can and see if any sense gets knocked in."

"And that would work how…?" Aaron questioned.

Jordan shrugged. "I don't know. I just really want to slap Ashton."

Aaron stared at Jordan before chuckling a bit.

"You do know that he originally had a crush on you in the beginning of the year last year, right?"

Jordan blinked before shivering.

"Dating one rich boy is enough for me." Jordan said before sitting up. "That would be weird, don't you think? If I were to date Ashton and Brie and you…" Jordan paused and smirked. "Dustin would actually have Chandra…"

Aaron thought about the picture Jordan had painted and nearly felt sick. First, as attractive as Gabrielle was, he just could not see himself dating her. Then there was the fact that Ashton and Jordan would probably try to be the power couple of the century as they walked down the halls. Finally, Dustin and Chandra. That alone was enough to make him sick.

"I think I like the way things turned out better." Gabrielle said, Aaron nodding.

"Me too." Aaron said.

Jordan looked at the two before lying back in Aaron's bed. She would agree, but the truth was that she was single and no one worth talking about seemed interested in her. What was worse was Timothy appeared to be the stalking-type and she really wanted to avoid that. For some reason, he just really rubbed her the wrong way.

Jordan's attention was turned to Aaron as he seemed content being in close proximity to her. There were times where being next to him made her day seem perfect. It was during the days where she could not accept the fact that her granddad had passed. Then there were days when Aaron would do his best to be on the opposite building as Jordan. Yet here they were, back to lying next to one another as if nothing had changed.

How she wish that that was true and Chandra Torres never entered Aaron's life.

* * *

Amber knocked on the door loudly. Marc was out with his brothers and she knew how long that could take. So she went to the other person she could trust at the time; Randy. The young man opened the door and motioned for her to enter. One step into Jay's apartment and Amber could smell the smoke in the atmosphere and she was sure that it was some form marijuana.

"Um," Amber said waving the smoke from out of her face. "I need your help."

"Really?" Randy said raising his brows. "What is it?"

Amber sighed. "Mary-Jane's uncle is back in town and he's abusive towards her. Mary went to Tyler to help her, but I don't trust him. With Marc gone for the day with his brothers, you're the only person I can trust to, you know. Beat him."

Amber saw Randy's red eyes scan her before going to the drink on the table. He downed whatever it was in the red plastic cup before setting the cup on the table with a loud sigh.

"Fine." Amber smiled at his words.

"Thank you Randy! I knew I could count on you!" Amber said happily. Randy rose from his spot and searched for his apartment key. "Mary will be happy!"

Randy was unprepared for when the girl hugged him tightly. Sure, there was physical attraction between him and Amber but nothing more. Well, up until now.

Now it was Amber who was not ready for Randy's lips meeting hers. She attempted to pull back but he kept her still in his grasp. Finally he pulled away, staring down into her eyes. She felt a mixture of fear, excitement, and betrayal all at once. She found Randy attractive, as did many girls she knew that knew him, but she neither wanted to have sex with him or cheat on Marc.

"Randy, we can't." Amber voiced.

He grinned, sending shivers down her spine.

"Whoever said I was doing this for free?" Amber's eyes widened and she attempted to make it for the door.

Though she would never get anywhere close before she was sent flying onto the couch. And like her friend, she prayed that he would either stop or she blacked out and remembered nothing. Much to her displeasure, neither happened.

* * *

Jayden and Laura now lied in Laura's bed at her dad's, both naked and panting. Jayden looked at his girlfriend's smiling face and chuckled.

"You don't quit, do you?" Jayden asked her.

"Never." Laura said rolling on top of him and kissing him. "Give me five good reasons why I should let you leave my room?"

"Our kids are two." Jayden answered as Laura began pulling the comforter over them. "I can't think of another-"

"Laura- Oh God!"

"Dad!" Laura shrieked as she rolled off of Jayden, clutching the sheets to her body.

Mr. Reynolds stood with his hand over his eyes. He was furious and embarrassed to have caught his daughter in such an act, but knew very well what she and Jayden did at moments of their lives. They did just have triplets after all.

"I'll tell you later." Mr. Reynolds said before moving out of her room, closing her door again.

Laura collapsed onto her back in mortification, Jayden only laughing. She glared at him and punched him in the shoulder.

"It's not funny asshole!" she growled.

"Yes it is," Jayden laughed. "I just found your other three reasons!"

Despite herself, Laura laughed with Jayden. It was still amazing to her that Jayden could turn something as serious as her dad catching them in the middle of sex, well in-between their rounds, and turn it into something comical. And while she still wanted to punch both father and boyfriend in the face right now, she only laughed as Jayden slid out of her bed and searched for his clothes on the floor.

"You know he's never going to let me in here alone again, right?" Jayden said as he slid his boxers on.

"I know." Laura said sitting up, not caring if the sheet fell or not. "I hate it that I didn't lock the door."

"You'll learn someday." Jayden replied. Laura stuck her tongue out at him as he smiled. "I kind of like how you're seated now. Letting the covers slowly slide off of you in hopes that it'll make me stay. It won't."

Laura smiled. "It was a good try though, right?" Jayden nodded, pulling his pants up. "I don't like being in two different houses Dimples."

"What can we do about it? We're still kids." Laura's frown told Jayden that he needed a new answer. "But, I'll see if I can't get Danni to somehow con a way for us to stay together whenever you're in town. How's that?"

"Much better." Laura said as he grabbed his shirt. "Wait! I just want to stare for a moment." Jayden laughed, slowly putting his shirt on. "Why do you let such a good body go to waste?"

"I don't. I let you abuse it everyday." Jayden answered gathering his socks and shoes. He sat on Laura's bed, she moving behind him and putting her arms around him. "What do you want Beautiful?"

"A house." she answered. "Somewhere where only the kids can interrupt our moments together."

Jayden sighed. "Now that's something that I doubt my parents will be okay with, let alone grandparents and your dad." Laura pouted before kissing his neck. "But I'll see what I can do about life _after_ graduation."

"I say we spend at least six months in the house in Italy. You know I went there and didn't get loss inside of it?" Jayden grinned.

"You're starting to love that place, huh?" Laura nodded, resuming her small kisses on his neck. "I told you, you would. Plus it'll be a great place for the twins to learn how to run and play at. Nice beach not too far away and miles away from any grandparent."

Laura paused in-between kisses. "Is that a yes?"

"It most definitely isn't a no." Jayden replied turning to face her. Laura squealed before kissing him deeply, one that lasted until Jayden pulled away. "Now I have to return home to Maxi and Jaylen."

"Don't remind me." Laura said in a saddened tone.

Jayden grinned. "Or I could drop them off here and you can have them for the night." Laura's eyes lit. "I take it that you like that idea."

"Not as much as I love you."

Jayden would never understand why he loved Laura so much. Truthfully, he figured Marissa or Scarlett made better candidates since they knew him longer and got along with his mother all the time. But there was just something about Laura that stopped all rational thinking in his mind and made him do anything to see her happy. Even if that meant her taking off the shirt that he had just put back on and allowing her to pull him back into the bed he was trying to stay off of.

"Laura I have to go." Jayden half-heartedly pleaded.

"Not yet." Laura replied.

"Laura…"

"Jayden."

Jayden looked into her eyes, her arms locked around his head as his body was now positioned over hers. He knew that she would have it her way if he continued to stare into her eyes, but found it impossible to look away. So he just closed his eyes and slowly moved in to capture her lips again. It would be just another thing that he would give Laura because she deserved it in his mind.

* * *

The ravine was by no means a hidden place. To many of the local partiers that went here to relax, they were amazed that the cops did not just permanently stay around to see the minors drinking and smoke and those of legal age smoking, drinking, and having sex with said minors. But they were glad that that had not happened and there was a safe haven to go to for such activities.

But for Amber, she was only here because she was desperate. She had just experienced one of the most traumatic things in her life and needed to talk to someone. Well, not just "someone" but one person.

James.

"Amber!" Nicole greeted brightly before frowning. "What's wrong? You look horrible."

"Where's James?" Amber asked quietly.

Nicole simply pointed and Amber turned her gaze to see the boy sitting on the hood of some car, Brooke seated next to him with her head on his shoulder. Amber swallowed what little dignity left in her and moved towards him.

James spotted Amber moving to him and frowned in thought. What could she possibly want with him?

"Isn't that your ex?" Brooke asked. James nodded. "This should be good…"

"Hey James… Can we talk?" James slowly nodded as Amber looked at Brooke. "Can I talk to him alone?"

"Sure." Brooke said before giving James a lingering kiss. "Call me."

Amber looked at the ground. She knew Brooke had done that on purpose but was in no condition to retaliate. While she felt very little physical pain, she was in a great deal of mental and emotional pain. She was screaming on the inside, crying even, yet did not know how to react outside.

"What's wrong?" James asked, sensing that something off.

"Randy raped me." James was a little confused as to why she had said that in a neutral tone. He then quickly moved off the car to embrace her as she began to cry. "Randy raped me James! And I just took it!"

James had never sobered up so fast in his life as he held Amber's shaking body. The girl who could be the love of his life had been raped by a guy he hardly knew. He felt hopeless holding her tightly, knowing that there was nothing he could do to take this pain away. His mother had told him that some rape victims only let very little people touch him, so he was also quite shocked that Amber would pretty much throw her weight onto him so soon. Then he realized what he must do.

Randall Morning was going to receive the ass kicking of a lifetime.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Here is part one of the season finale. Enjoy and next chapter will be out next Friday or Saturday. See ya.


	123. S4 Episode XX:Love the Way You Lie Pt II

**Episode XX: Love the Way You Lie Pt. II**

Waking up seem to be like the worst thing in the world for Amber, though sleeping wasn't any better. Her dreams just replayed the event over and over again. She had yet told her parents about the incident and was contemplating on just burying it somewhere inside of her. But that would make her into a really big hypocrite considering how hard she pressured Mary-Jane into telling someone about her uncle.

Her phone began vibrating on the nightstand next to her bed. She watched it move slightly due to the high vibrations before slowly reaching for it and answering it.

"Hello." Even her voice sounded dead at the moment.

"Hey." James said. "How're you feeling?"

Despite the previous dreams and thoughts she had, Amber smiled.

"Better."

* * *

"Who goes out on a Sunday?" was Jayden's question as he sat at the counter in his parents' kitchen.

"That would I asked." His father replied. "But apparently we're both wrong as your mother and her friends are having some sort of get-together."

"And the reason Danni doesn't watch our younger siblings is because…?" Jayden asked.

"She's busy." Jayden hated the answer but did not argue. "Besides, A.J's here. He'll help you."

"You say that like I'm younger than him." Jayden said. "Dad, I have kids to watch."

"Which you aren't because your girlfriend is." Maxwell pointed out. "By the way, her father called. As you know, your mother has pretty much grounded you for life for that." Jayden only sighed. "Son, you have duties as an older brother. Do them."

"But they're annoying." Jayden complained.

"Like you aren't." Jayden turned his glare to his older sister. "Do you know all the things I could do without having my little brother staying with me?"

"No, I don't. So why not tell me and our dad what some of those things are Danni?" Jayden returned.

Danica only thumped him in the forehead. "Not on your life."

Maxwell grinned at his oldest two kids, seeing a younger version of both of them doing similar things. Of course, when they were younger, Danica thumping Jayden in the forehead would cause the boy to attempt some form of retaliation until they were both dealt with properly. Thankfully, and unfortunately, Jayden had learned to take the light tap and let Danica walk away.

"Besides," Danica said. "You don't want to be in a room full of old people talking about boring business stuff, do you?" Jayden smirked at the frown on his father's face and shook his head. "So you got off easy."

"Old people?" was Maxwell's response, Danica giving her dad a smile.

"Come on Dad. You're a grandpa now! Of course you're old!" Danica joked.

Maxwell was going to reply before he spotted his wife moving into the kitchen. The resemblance between Manny and Danica grew everyday and he had watched it happen. In fact, there were more personality differences than physical ones.

"So," Manny said moving for her husband. "Em has called up our gang of friends and we'll be going out later."

Maxwell sighed. "You know how I feel about you leaving without me, right?"

Danica smirked. "Kind of like how Jay feels about Laura leaving?"

"Don't you have a mirror to annoy?" Jayden replied, earning him another thump to his forehead.

"Not until noon." Danica said.

"Are you sure they're the oldest? Some times I believe it's A.J." Manny said to her husband, though loud enough for her kids to hear.

"A.J?" Both Jayden and Danica said in unison.

"Mama, we're talking about the _only_ child that can't deal with us being rich and famous." Danica added.

"_Plus_," Jayden continued. "If one _dared_ to say the wrong thing about his precious little Bambi, he'd be ready to fly off the deep end!"

"So therefore, we are more mature than A.J can ever hope to be." Danica concluded. "Ain't that right little brother?"

"More than right." Jayden answered.

"Since you two are on the same page," Maxwell began. "How about one of you get ready for a meeting while the other prepares to watch his younger siblings and we'll see just how 'mature' you are."

"How long are you staying home Mama?" Jayden asked. "I mean, Danni ran my girlfriend off, pawned my kids off to said girlfriend, _and_ is spending a whole day with my dad. The least I could do is keep my lovely mother home, right?"

Danica rolled her eyes. "Ass kisser."

"What was that? I don't think they heard you." Jayden said with a smile, knowing his parents did not hear Danica curse in their house.

"I said," Danica said louder. "Kiss-up!" Jayden's smirk remained on his face as neither parent seemed to believe her. "Oh come on, I said kiss-up! Honest!" When Maxwell shook his head, Danica sighed. "I'm going to go get my stuff from the apartment. I'll be in the office."

"Uh-huh." Their father said.

Danica glared at Jayden. "When you come home…"

"You'll have dinner ready? What a nice sister you are. Love you sis." Jayden teased.

Danica released a heavy sigh before walking out of the kitchen. Jayden knew that by the time she was from the meeting she would not be mad at him, or at least not as angry as she was now. Jayden then looked at his parents who were both staring at him with a pitiful look. He knew the look all too well, though they normally gave it to him when he had said or did something to Laura that she did not agree with.

In other words, he was alone in his fight with Danica.

"Well," Maxwell finally said. "I should get ready to leave as well. This meeting isn't going to end itself."

"Alright. Guess I'm stuck with the kids." Maxwell grinned and gave Manny a kiss. "Be back soon babe. I don't want to leave until you're home."

"And you guys say that _I_ can't keep my hands off of _my_ baby mama." Jayden mumbled.

"We're grown." Manny retorted. "And speaking of which, don't you need to check in on her?" Jayden nodded. "Go. Go call her. Now."

Jayden sighed before getting out of his seat to fetch his cell phone to call Laura. This left Manny and Maxwell alone in the kitchen, Maxwell laughing a bit.

"They're going to make one funny married couple." Maxwell told Manny. "I can just hear Jayden calling us every other night asking what he did wrong."

Manny smiled. "You know, I don't remember you calling your mom every time something went wrong."

"That's because I knew the woman I was marrying." Maxwell replied. "There's nothing that a little apology and ice cream can't solve with you."

"Really?" Maxwell nodded. "Well how about if I told you that that wouldn't work anymore? Then what?"

Maxwell laughed, leaving the kitchen. "I'd still give it to you and you'd still forgive me for not believing you."

"Loser!" Maxwell waved Manny off, leaving the kitchen. She stood there with a smile on her face knowing full well that ice cream will forever be her one true weakness.

And Maxwell used it every time.

* * *

Ariana grumbled as she went to open the door. In her opinion, it was still too early for visitors, despite it being a quarter till noon. Eli had left moments ago to get them some breakfast as he did not feel like cooking now and needed some inspirations for his next book. She had just lied in bed, trying to get back to sleep without any interruptions.

Yet, here she was, answering whoever was interrupting her sleep.

"What do you want?" Ariana rudely asked as she eyed Clare.

Clare ignored her comment, already used to Ariana.

"Is Eli here?" Clare asked.

"Is his car outside? I mean, it's a freaking hearse. If you can't see it, then you need glasses. Again." Ariana answered.

Clare sighed. "Ari, I know you don't like me because-"

"You're interrupting my sleep." Clare paused. "Look, I know you think my old man is hot or whatever, but it's too early to be talking about it. Give me twenty minutes and then come ring the doorbell. Or just wait for him to return one, I don't really care."

Clare was a little bewildered now. Ariana had made it clear from day one that she did not like Clare. Yet, the only problem the teen had with Clare was the time of day Clare rang her doorbell. In Clare's mind, this girl had more quirks than Imogen could ever dream of.

"I'm sorry Ari. I won't disturb you until then." Clare said politely as she turned on her heels and walked off of the porch.

Ariana grunted, closing the door and locking it. She moved for her bedroom again, each step becoming heavier and heavier. School had been tough on her for several different reasons. The bastards of society, as she called the people who always found time to pick on her, were not making classes easier. Then there was the after school program she was in, meeting with Jayden and the other students in Degrassi talking about peace negotiations amongst the two schools that would never happen. Lakehurst students hated Degrassi students and vice versa and it all started with some kid who died decades ago.

"Ari!" Ariana groaned at the sound of Eli's voice. "Breakfast!"

Ariana muttered a few curses under her breath as she moved out of her room and headed towards the kitchen. She saw pancakes, her favorite breakfast food of all time, on the table along with some scrambled eggs and link sausages.

"Clare came by." Ariana told Eli. The man only raised his brows. "I was too tired to even tell her to go jump off a cliff or anything, so there's nothing you should worry about."

Eli only shook his head. "Some day you're going to be nice to her."

"I'm sure." Ariana replied before pausing. "Did you get your inspiration?"

"Yes I did." Ariana looked at him expectantly, only for him to give her a smirk. "I hope you didn't think I was going to tell you how it began or ends."

"Come on Old Man, I always know!" Ariana pleaded.

"Not this time." Ariana sighed heavily at his remark. "Besides, it's a nice day. Go outside and get some fresh air." Ariana opened her mouth. "Not up for discussion. You need to get out at least once a week Ari."

"Fine…" replied the teen. "But when I come back can I know?"

"We'll see." Eli said. "Now let's eat."

* * *

Amber was more than happy when she saw James open her bedroom door. Her phone had been ringing nonstop and she knew that it was him, Mary-Jane, and Marc calling her. Yet she refused to answer it. In fact, she refused to do much of anything today. She just did not feel like doing much. She did not feel like much period, but that was beside the point.

"Hey," Amber said with a smile as she sat up and brought her legs closer to her. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to check in on you." James answered. "Amber… I know lately I'm the last guy you want to see. But I can't let something like this happen. Not to you."

Amber nodded. "I understand."

"No, you don't." Amber frowned at his words. "Amber, I still care about you. You don't understand that."

"James…" Amber said quietly.

"I know, I know. You're dating Marc." James responded. James moved towards Amber, only to see her slide away. "Amber-"

"Just don't come any closer. Please." Amber told him.

James nodded. "May I sit on the edge of your bed?" Amber pointed to the foot of her bed, where he sat. "Tell me what I can do Amber. Tell me what I can do to make this better."

"You can't." answered Amber in a quiet tone. "This is something that I have to deal with."

"You won't have to do it alone." Amber gave James a teary smile. "I'll stay here all day, if that's alright with you."

"It's perfect." Amber responded. "I…"

Amber stopped herself from saying that she loved James. She did, though that was the reason they broke up in the first place. He was not ready to say such a thing, whether he felt the same or not. And somehow knowing that James could not say he loved her hurt a lot worse than being raped.

* * *

Mary-Jane watched as her mother moved around the house with a smile.

"Date Mom?" Mary-Jane asked with a brow arched.

Paige only rolled her eyes. "Mary-Jane, your dad and I are going out with some friends later on." Paige then smiled. "Kind of excited seeing some old faces."

"I hope I'm not so wound up in my exes Mom. My future husband might be jealous already." Mary-Jane joked.

"Your dad and I thought that, since you've been watching your siblings lately, we'd give you the night off as well." Mary-Jane frowned. "My parents will be keeping them tonight so you can go out with your friends." Paige then gave her daughter a stern look. "But don't go to any wild parties acting like a hooker Mary-Jane."

"And when has that happened?" Mary-Jane retorted, crossing her arms. Paige's look did not lessen, causing Mary-Jane to uncross her arms and sigh. "Yes ma'am."

"Better." Paige stated. "Oh, and your uncle's cab to take him to the airport should be here around seven so if your dad and I are gone, could you help carry his things out?"

"I'd love to." Mary-Jane mumbled. Paige saw her daughter staring off to space and snapped her fingers, causing Mary-Jane's hazel-green eyes to look at her mother. "Seriously Mom. I'll help, promise."

"Okay." Paige said. "I need to run out real quick."

"Sure Mom. Go ahead." Mary-Jane replied. The blonde teen looked to see Dylan staring at the two from the doorway to Paige and Marco's bedroom. "We'll be fine, won't we Uncle Dylan?"

"Definitely." Dylan said with a grin.

Mary-Jane felt her rage building to the point that she wanted to gouge out Dylan's eyes with her bare fingers. Though she knew she did not have the strength, knowledge, or heart to do such an act. And despite the fear that was as present as ever inside of her, she still wanted to beat him.

And she knew that it was only a matter of time till she tested her newfound strength and courage against the man she currently feared.

* * *

Torrie grumbled as she searched for Ethan. She was in dire need of something to smoke or drink and was not in the mood to be picky about it. Not only did she lose a fight against Laura, but there were witnesses to it that actually applauded Laura for doing so. And to add icing on the cake, Helen _and_ Scarlett laughed about it all night!

She hated those bitches at times.

"What happened to your lip?" Ethan asked spotting Torrie.

"Laura's back." was Torrie's response. Ethan smirked, knowing that Laura had to have heard about that kiss Torrie gave Jayden. "It's not funny and I need something. Now."

"Sorry, but out of stock." Ethan told her. "Nathan should be here soon. You know, now that his girlfriend stops by whenever she pleases he has to come and babysit her."

Torrie rolled her eyes. "So not helping." Torrie then frowned. "And where's Nicky at?"

"Hell if I know. I figured she and Jackie were doing their girls' day thing. And if they are, then I don't want _anything_ to do with it." replied Ethan. "Shopping is something I don't do. Not for leisure."

"Great. Now what is there to do?" Torrie said.

"Avoid Laura or apologize." Torrie glared at him. "Kidding. Hey, go sell some girl out to some random guy, meet me in my normal van, and we can play cards. What do you say?"

"I guess so." Torrie responded with a large sigh. "Why did she have to come back now?"

Ethan only grinned as Torrie walked away. Torrie and Laura fighting was nothing new to anyone, especially since Laura actually won said fight. They had been fighting since elementary school, probably earlier. Yet, it was strange that they had not made up already. Despite being two of the most vindictive girls that he knew, Ethan always witnessed the quick make-up between Laura and Torrie.

Maybe Jayden has changed Laura that much?

* * *

Dakota's brows rose. "And why not just go to his parents' house?"

"I told you, our parents communicate Dash," Laura remarked. Dakota's brows soon creased. "And if my dad told his mom that he caught us having sex then whatever happiness is thrown out of the window."

"Like you did Jayden the first night you two slept together?" Dakota joked. Laura glared at her, causing Dakota to laugh. "Sorry Laura. But that was quite the story."

"Yeah, well, it's in the past where it shall remain until years later." Laura said. "Besides, you never told me what you and Emmanuel did this summer. I'm sure you've done worse."

"I'm not telling." Dakota said defiantly.

Laura's eyes hardened. "You're not?"

"No." Laura and Dakota glared at one another before Laura sat back against her headboard and snorted.

"You grew a spine Dash. I like that." Despite herself, Dakota grinned. "But I still want to know."

"Later, I promise." Laura seemed to be okay with that answer and nodded. "I want to know how you're doing about the whole Scarlett thing. Last you spoke on it was that you'd handle it and then nothing. I was expecting her to be in the hospital by now."

Laura sighed. "I couldn't do it." Dakota gasped. "It's not that shocking Dash."

"Yes it is." Dakota argued.

"Whatever," Laura said. "I just couldn't do it. And it's not that I didn't want to. I just know how Jayden would've looked at me, you know? He doesn't want me in trouble and so I didn't get in trouble. Simple."

Dakota smiled. "That's sweet Laura." Laura rolled her eyes, but smiled afterwards. "You know this means that I was right, right?"

"What?" Laura asked.

"Beginning of last year?" Laura's confusion remained on her face. "I said to be nice to Jayden and he'd lighten up on you and you said-"

"That we were never talking about that again? Because it sounds like you are." Dakota smiled at Laura's interruption. "Besides, it's not like I _planned_ on having a life with the loser. It just sort of happened." Laura then sighed happily with a smile. "But I wouldn't change it for the world!"

"I bet!" Dakota said and the two shared a brief laugh.

Laura was the first to settle down from their laughter, still smiling a bit.

"Do you know the best part about it?" Dakota's face scrunched up, praying that this was nothing perverted about a guy she saw as a brother, and then shook her head for no. "Having someone say that they love you for who you are. Even if you are a messed up, always fighting, never listening person."

Dakota grinned. "That's love Laura."

"I guess it is." Laura responded. "Well, I have to go check on the kids. They've been strangely quiet today."

"I think they're afraid of their mom. You did just drag a girl out to beat her." Dakota stated.

"They won't even remember that unless they're some sort of genius." Laura paused. "You think one of them could be?"

"Anything's possible Laura." Dakota said. "Anything."

* * *

Aaron grinned as Jayden sat beneath a tree and sighed heavily.

"If Laura reaches child number five, stop me from getting six, okay?" Aaron nodded at his brother's words. "As for you, I'll stop Bambi at kid two."

"Whatever Jayden." Aaron replied.

"Seriously. No more than two A.J and Bambi kids. Unless you want Jordan or Farah to carry your kids, in which you're limited to one. Especially with Jordan." Jayden responded. "Lord knows that she shouldn't be fertile in the place to reproduce little blondes like her."

"As much as I agree," Aaron said. "I don't think that your words can really stop Jordan from having kids in the future."

Jayden chuckled. "Little brother, you will be amazed at what I can do if I sit back and just think about it." Jayden's laughter slowly died. "Which brings me to a new question. What's going on with you and Bambi?"

"What do you mean?" Aaron asked.

"Next to you sneaking off with her for like weeks and then ultimately ending it? I'm questioning what's going on between you two in general." Jayden said. "Seriously bro, it's a shame that I have to get most of this from Bambi instead of you."

Aaron sighed. "Jayden, it's hard, okay? When I was dating Jordan-"

"Wait, Jordan? Why'd we go back _that_ far?" Jayden asked.

"Because when I was dating Jordan, there was no Bambi in my head. Chandra Torres was a friend of mine that I found to be attractive." Aaron answered. "And then when we were together, I sometimes asked myself how I ended up with someone so…"

"Amazing?" Jayden finished after Aaron struggled to find a word.

"Yeah." Aaron replied. "I'm not trying to take anything away from Farah or Jordan. They're great girls but Bambi got me on levels that neither of them could or will."

"I know what you mean." Aaron frowned when Jayden's eyes moved onto a target other than him. "There was once a girl who I clearly told a lot of my secrets to and in the end, she screwed me over. And no matter how far I seem to run, she always seems to beat me to my next destination."

"Are you talking about Scarlett?" Aaron questioned.

"Are you?" Aaron almost flinched at the sound of Helen's voice and he looked to see, not only Helen, but Scarlett as well. "Didn't know we were interrupting brother time. Then again, I didn't think you did brother time."

"Let's see," Jayden said. "Braxton is somewhere where you don't want to be. Torrie has once again been named the outcast of the trio. And Scarlett's homing device that she bugged on me gave off my location. Is there any other reason why you two are here?"

"It's a nice day to go to the park and this is a park." Helen remarked. "Seriously Jayden, everything doesn't revolve around you and Scar."

"You're right. Currently it revolves around me and Laura and why I would be so unsure to get a second test done. Oh wait. I didn't." Scarlett looked at the ground at his words.

Helen huffed. "I thought you said you'd forgive her."

"Yeah, well, I really did try. Kind of ran out of forgiveness when she called Laura a bitch who didn't know what love was. Or when she slapped me and called my kids a mistake. Did I mention that she knew I wanted to date her and dated my best friend in retaliation?" Jayden continued.

"Maybe we should just go." Scarlett began. "It was nice seeing you Jayden. You too, A.J."

Aaron was actually stunned to see the coldness in Jayden's eyes, despite Jayden sounding his normal mocking self. This was Scarlett Chessex that Jayden was talking about! The girl who Jayden would have given an arm and leg- though not his own- to talk to in the morning.

"No, we're going to enjoy the park like we planned. If Jayden has a problem with it, then it's his fault." Helen replied. "Besides, the McDuelle family may own a hotel and a few houses, but they don't own this park."

"I could make it happen, you know? And what I can't buy, Dakota could for me. Or Shane's new girlfriend. You know, the blue-eyed girl that didn't get a test done on my kids." Jayden stated.

Helen stepped towards Jayden, bending so she could glare him straight in the eye.

"Let. It. Drop." Helen growled. "Now."

Jayden's eyes narrowed. "Make me."

Scarlett and Aaron could now feel the tension between the two as they were nearly nose-to-nose with Jayden in a seated position and Helen standing over him. They had never seen the two at each others' throat like this before, and that was including the McDuelle family's first few months back in Toronto.

And then the unthinkable happened.

Jayden smiled.

"Fine. Join us." Helen smirked at his words and moved to sit to Jayden's right. "But I warn you, we're talking about our exes and how they screwed us over. No joke."

"Well just skip my chapter and keep telling your story." Helen said before looking at Scarlett. "What're you standing for? Sit down already." Scarlett looked at the grass before slowly sitting down. She would have preferred sitting at a table or on a blanket, but if Jayden indirectly insisted, she would do so. "So what's going on with Aaron? Is it Bambi or the other chick?"

"The other chick." Jayden answered. "Apparently she's not what he wants and he doesn't want to hurt her feelings by breaking up with her."

"Nothing like his brother." Helen remarked.

"Hey! I care about women's feelings. That's why I used to let you hog all of my bed when you used to lie on it or refuse to tell a certain secret about Laura that Nicky almost died learning." Jayden said.

Helen waved him off. "Yeah, yeah. But you're nowhere near as considerate as your brother is." Aaron nearly smiled. For some reason, he loved getting attention from Jayden's current and ex girlfriends in front of Jayden. "Did you help the mini-Mary-Jane get over her granddad's death? No, you were too busy sucking Scar's tongue out of her mouth. And were you there for Bambi when she was passing out in the hallways? Nope. Too busy screwing Laura."

"Oh excuse me that I allowed A.J to worry about his at-the time girlfriends while I did the same. I should be more considerate in what a bunch of seventh graders are going through because you never know when they might experience their first period." Jayden said.

"All I'm saying is," Helen said. "Laura got pregnant and Aaron was there for her. Least you could do is return the favor."

Jayden shot a glare at Aaron. "Why do you always turn my female friends against me?"

"I didn't say anything." Aaron stated.

"Where is Laura?" Scarlett asked.

"With the kids at her dad's house." Jayden answered. "I seriously thought you would wait until she was out of the country before you tried to make a move. I see I was wrong. Again."

"I'm not-"

"Please. Let's not even bother lying, okay? It is a Sunday." Scarlett sighed, but nodded. "The only problem you and I have isn't what you did, per se, but the consequences it had. Seriously, if Danni would've stopped it from being spread, I wouldn't be so angry at you."

"You wouldn't?" Scarlett questioned.

"Nope. But only because Laura reminded me that you do selfish things in time of desperation and I should've seen something like this coming." Jayden paused and shrugged. "I guess I was so caught up that I didn't stop and ask myself what was Red and her redhead cousin scheming."

Helen scoffed. "All I did was keep her secret a secret. Big whoop."

"You don't keep secrets from friends." Jayden said as if he was scolding a child. "You're old enough to know that now."

Scarlett looked up and saw Ariana seated a table.

"Hey it's that weird girl from Lakehurst." Scarlett stated, causing the other three to turn their heads to see who she was talking about.

"Oh her." Helen said. "Hear she likes to read while hanging upside-down from buildings or something like that."

"Lies." Jayden stated while rising.

Helen frowned. "And how would you know?"

"Because we're sitting around the tree where she and I normally meet each other." Jayden responded before nearing the girl reading another one of Eli's books.

"You ever wonder what attracts him to the girls that he talks to." Helen asked Scarlett.

Aaron laughed. "That's easy. They're all attractive girls."

Helen and Scarlett exchanged looks before looking at the younger McDuelle, Scarlett hugging Aaron.

"You are the sweetest!" Scarlett squealed causing Aaron to blush.

He really did like stealing the attention from Jayden's past and present lovers.

* * *

Jordan huffed as she leaned on the counter top.

"Can we go now?" she asked.

"Wait a sec Jordan." Kelly said. "The world wasn't built in a day."

"Good thing we're not trying to rebuild the world then, right?" Kelly glared at her younger sister. "Shane, come on! Deanna said she'd meet us there and she hates it when you're late."

Kelly put a hand on her hip.

"And since when did you become an expert on my friend and Shane's girlfriend?" Kelly asked.

"I'm not. I just don't want to be here when Mom comes in trying to throw shifts around. I don't even work here and I have a part-time schedule!" Jordan remarked.

Kelly hummed in thought. "You have a strong point there." Kelly then glanced towards the back room. "Hurry up Shane! We have to beat Mom before she gives us another shift!"

Shane emerged from the room. He swore to himself that his younger sisters rushed him more than his parents ever did, but that was something he was going to keep to himself. For now, he was going to meet up with his friend and his friend's siblings at a park where they could continue to enjoy the nice weekend.

"I'm ready, I'm ready." Shane said. "Do you two have to yell?"

"She started it." Jordan's jaw dropped at the completely childish remark Kelly said while thumbing to Jordan. "Besides, she does have a strong point. Dee hates to wait and if you're late, she won't be happy."

"I know. Just wish that she wasn't so impatient." replied Shane. "Oh well, let's go you two. I have to stop Mom's to pick up Ana and Maddox."

Jordan's shoulders dropped. "I left the house to get away from them!"

"Well too bad. They're coming with us." Shane said.

"Can we just go? I have a paper to finish." Kelly stated. Shane nodded at the trio headed for the door. "Hey Jordan, isn't that your new boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend!" Jordan argued.

Timothy, who was walking into the establishment as the three siblings were heading out, paused and gave Jordan a smile.

"Morning Jordan." he said.

"Hey Timmy." Jordan replied. Kelly snickered behind a hand, causing the shorter blonde to glare up at her sister. "And he's _not_ my _boyfriend_!"

"Sure, sure," Kelly said with a smile. "See you around _Timmy_."

By now, Shane was smiling at Kelly's teasing. It reminded him of when Aaron and Jordan would hang out last year except with the difference of Jordan actually having a crush on Aaron. Yet, the results were the same. Whenever Kelly brought up Timothy's name, Jordan was quick to defend herself as she was with Aaron. Though, Shane did miss the blush on Jordan's face when she was sprung over Aaron, and Jayden for that matter.

The trio made their way to Emma's car. Emma was already off with Manny somewhere, hence she allowed her son to use her car.

"You didn't want your _boyfriend_ to come with us Jordan?" Kelly asked.

"Why are you so annoying?" Jordan returned angrily.

"Me? Annoying?" Kelly said with feigned innocence. "I never thought that I could be annoying."

"Not as annoying as Jordan is." Shane muttered as he opened the driver's door and unlocked the other doors.

"I heard that." Jordan said.

"It isn't a secret." Shane replied. "Now stop it. Both of you." Kelly smiled, but nodded. "Besides, we can bring this up with Jayden _and_ A.J."

"Shane!" Jordan whined as Kelly began laughing.

Despite herself, Jordan actually smiled as Shane pulled off. To think that there was actually a time where she could not stand her older siblings at all. Not to mention that Tevin actually tried to do something about it… Jordan sighed quietly, pleased to know that in the end, everything came out okay, even if she was about to be made the butt of Shane, Kelly, and Jayden's joke. Hopefully Aaron would help her out this time, and if not, she would be happy to see him happy.

And then she would throw a crack at him for not helping.

She did have a reputation to maintain, right?

* * *

Mary-Jane waited patiently. Her parents had just left and her siblings were safe at her grandparents. She had exactly one hour to survive Dylan's final assault before he left for Switzerland again.

But this time, she was beyond ready. Instead of the frightened nerves that normally overwhelmed her, she pictured Helen on the other side of her fists. She would never back down from the redhead and it really was a weird that in a way, Helen was helping her out. But she could not let Dylan walk away with the thoughts that he could continue to beat on her or her siblings. Marco may not have been much of a fighter, and Paige had mellowed out during the years, but Mary-Jane Del Rossi was a thorough bred winner at anything she put her mind to, from cheerleading to fighting. She would not lose this time.

"Look at you," Dylan said entering the living room where Mary-Jane stood. "You actually look like your mom a bit."

"I'll take that as the only compliment you've ever given me." Mary-Jane retorted.

"Yeah, she thought she could beat Dean as well. Though she went through the legal system and failed." Mary-Jane felt her heart rate climbing. "Too bad I won't give you the chance."

"I won't need it!" Mary-Jane shouted as she charged for her physically larger uncle.

It shocked her that she actually landed the first blow on Dylan, right before he slung her into one of the corner tables. The pain in her back was quickly numbed with a blow to the top of her head, all of her attention moving there instead of her back.

"You dumb bitch." Dylan said hoisting Mary-Jane up by her collar. "Do you know who you're dealing with?"

Dylan's question was answered by Mary-Jane slamming the lamp into his face. He instantly released her, stumbling backwards. Dylan recovered enough to see the second strike with the lamp, but could only bring his forearm up to protect his face. Mary-Jane continued to assault her uncle with pent up rage until his foot nearly sent her through the couch behind her.

"Eighteen years of happiness, denied because of a spoiled bitch like you!" Mary-Jane let out a scream as he kicked her side painfully hard, the couch actually moving as well. "You took Marco away from me!" Another kick. "You made me into this!"

Two more kicks followed before Mary-Jane felt the familiar position of Dylan's hands around her throat. She gasped and attempted to pry him off. Then, out of desperation, she was able to bring her foot between his parted legs with a swift kick to the groin. Dylan doubled over, moving away from her to recover as Mary-Jane gasped for air.

"You dumb fuck!" Dylan hissed as he fell backwards.

Mary-Jane was now crawling for the hockey stick that her father kept in the living room. She knew that it was her safe bet in battling Dylan.

"Don't run now." Mary-Jane screamed when she felt Dylan's hands on her ankles, stopping her progress. "Time to go to your room so we can finish this like normal. Except this time… You won't walk away!"

She kicked. She screamed. But nothing seemed to help. That is until she heard a loud whack and Dylan fell on top of her. She screamed and pushed her unconscious uncle off of her before looking up to see Tyler, he with his lacrosse stick in hand.

"Mary-Jane!" he said.

With newfound energy, she leapt into his arms, Tyler hugging her securely. It was Tyler's first time seeing Mary-Jane in a weakened state, let alone crying. But she was crying profusely now and he knew she had a very good reason why. With the looks of the living room, she had been through one hell of a battle.

"Come on," Tyler said. "The cops will be here soon."

Mary-Jane released Tyler before looking at Dylan. She angrily began stomping on the man, screaming in frustration over and over. Tyler, knowing that she shouldn't be doing such an act when the cops arrived, began to pull her away.

"I hate you!" Mary-Jane cried as she attempted to get more strikes on Dylan.

"It's over Mary-Jane!" Tyler attempted to soothe, though she was amazingly stronger than she appeared and he was having a hard time containing her. "Come on! Let's go outside."

Mary-Jane only heard one thing from Tyler and that was "it's over." And indeed, it was finally over.

* * *

Jayden looked at the group staring at him. Helen and Scarlett, along with Ariana, Dakota, Laura, Deanna, Shane, Kelly, Braxton, Hakim, Aaron, Jacob, Angelina, and Jordan had somehow backed him into a corner into singing a song. Of course, Jayden could not really say no to Laura, but the others added their own two cents to the conversation as well. His younger siblings, as well as Shane's, were busy keeping his twins quiet as they had never baby-sat before and wanted to try the new experience on the babies. Since Laura saw no problem with that, neither did Jayden. But he did keep a close watch on what they did with his kids.

"Alright, alright," Jayden said before stroking his guitar. "I swear you guys make me work more than you."

"Sing." Helen and Laura said in unison.

Taking a deep breath, Jayden began singing the song that surprisingly Scarlett suggested and the others, Laura included, agreed to. Though Jayden noticed that Dakota did well to remain between Scarlett and Laura to make sure Laura did not just spring up and attack Scarlett.

Not that Jayden would blame her though.

_On the first page of our story  
The future seemed so bright  
Then this thing turned out so evil  
I don't know why I'm still surprised  
Even angels have their wicked schemes  
And you take that to new extremes  
But you'll always be my hero  
Even though you've lost your mind_

Jayden's mind traveled to Scarlett, though he refused to look at her while singing. They had built such a wonderful story together, being best friends and slowly progressing to something more. And then came DeWayne and the rest was history. Yet, throughout all of that, she was still a loved one in his eyes. Maybe not the love of his life, but she clearly held second place in that race.

* * *

_Just gonna stand there and watch me burn  
Well that's alright because I like the way it hurts  
Just gonna stand there and hear me cry  
Well that's alright because I love the way you lie  
I love the way you lie  
I love the way you lie_

_Now there's gravel in our voices_  
_Glasses shattered from the fight_  
_In this tug of war you always win_  
_Even when I'm right_  
_Cause you feed me fables from your head_  
_With violent words and empty threats_  
_And it's sick that all these battles are what keeps me satisfied_

Mary-Jane watched as Dylan was being escorted out of the house. Tyler had yet released her from his grasp, though now he had his arm around her shoulders in a comforting hug. But of Mary-Jane's parents were there, stunned to hear about what had been going on in their home from Mary-Jane herself. Paige went so far as to slap a handcuffed Dylan, despite the officer recording Mary-Jane's story telling her not to. Marco had apologized to Mary-Jane countless of times, blaming himself for this entire ordeal, though Mary-Jane hardly heard him. Her word was set on making sure that Dylan stayed away from her and her family for a long time.

* * *

_Just gonna stand there and watch me burn  
Well that's alright because I like the way it hurts  
Just gonna stand there and hear me cry  
Well that's alright because I love the way you lie  
I love the way you lie  
I love the way you lie  
_  
_So maybe I'm a masochist  
I try to run but I don't wanna ever leave  
Till the walls are going up  
In smoke with all our memories  
_

James watched Amber slowly slip off to sleep before kissing her forehead. Call him crazy, but he was going to do the very thing she just told him not to. He was going to find Randy. He was not going to tell Marc about this at all. Throughout their battles, James had never physically harmed Amber, and he never _dreamt_ about raping her. Brooke could wait. Marc could wait. Now was the time for revenge. Now was the time to fight for his girl.

* * *

_Just gonna stand there and watch me burn  
Well that's alright because I like the way it hurts  
Just gonna stand there and hear me cry  
Well that's alright because I love the way you lie  
I love the way you lie  
I love the way you lie  
I love the way you lie_

As Jayden finished his song, Jordan looked at Aaron. She remembered him telling her how perfect she was. She remembered him calling her smart and beautiful and the best person suited to date him. She remembered the two of them in Japan, in the middle of a dancing crowd, kissing. Not just "a kiss" like Aaron refers it to, but _kissing_ as in more than one. Was Aaron still the honest boy she once knew or did he actually become more like his brother and filled her head with things she wanted to hear?

"Alright," Jayden said. "Singing time with Jayden has officially-"

"Like hell it is." Jayden sighed heavily at Laura's interruption. "It's time for you to sing _me_ a song."

"Laura, you practically live with him." Helen stated. "Sing a song that all of us will enjoy and not some sexy crap that you can get Laura in the mood for."

"It might work on Hakim or Braxton too so…" Jayden replied.

Shane grunted. "No one is having sex with my sister."

"Shane!" Kelly gasped, feeling a bit embarrassed that he said that so loudly.

Deanna only smiled as she leaned against Shane.

"Can someone have sex with Kelly's brother?" she asked sweetly.

"No!" Kelly argued.

"Alright, alright," Jayden said. "I think I get it. Geez, do you guys ever care what _I_ want?"

"Let's see," Helen said. "All the guys to be gone and all the girls except Dakota to be half naked."

Jayden smirked. "Now there's a thought… Ow!" Jayden held his sore arm after Laura punched him. "She said it!"

"You shouldn't have thought about it." Laura stated before crossing her arms. "Now sing."

"Why do I fall for such bossy women?" Jayden asked, staring at Aaron who only shrugged. "Alright, here we go then."

As Jayden began strumming a more up tempo beat, he looked around to see his group of friends. Days like this were really too good to be true, considering that Helen, Scarlett, Laura, and Deanna were in the same place without trying to kill one another. It really was something worth living to see.

Aaron had snuck off to make sure that the twins were still alive. Katya, being four years younger than he was, was the oldest watching the twins which slightly startled him. She was ten and was more or less a mellowed Danica.

"So," Aaron nearly jumped at Jordan's voice. "You're actually a nice uncle, huh?"

"Sometimes," Aaron answered before seeing his sleeping niece and nephew. "Why are you over here?"

Jordan shrugged. "I don't know. I got tired of hearing things about what Deanna does or doesn't do with my older brother." Aaron nodded, understanding the feeling. "You haven't called your wife or girlfriend today."

"I did earlier." Aaron replied. "Farah's busy."

"And Chandra?" asked Jordan.

"Didn't call." Jordan's perfectly arched eyebrows rose. "It's not like I run to her house every second Farah isn't with me. I still have to dodge you."

Jordan scoffed. "Whatever A.J." Before she could say anything else, Daniella let out a soft whine that signaled that she was awake and needed to be changed. "Looks like you're on parenting duty." Aaron sighed as he gently lifted his niece out of her carrier, only before spotting Laura nearing him. "Or maybe not…"

"Time to change her." Laura stated before tenderly taking her daughter from Aaron's hands. "Come on Maxi, let's get you cleaned."

Jordan watched as the proclaimed "Toughest Girl in Degrassi" had somehow done a one-eighty and became the greatest mom ever. It was amazing to watch and harder to believe.

"You ever think that one day, we'll be like that?" Jordan asked.

"I'm sure you'll be a great mom Jordan." Aaron answered. "So long as you don't change again."

Jordan grinned. "I just might…"

* * *

Hours later, Nicole made her way to the ravine. Her parents believed that she was out with Jacquelyn, which was true since Jacquelyn was there with Damon, but Nicole really wanted to sneak off to find Ethan. Only problem was, she could not find him.

"Hey Nicky." Nicole's attention was directed to Victor and she smiled.

"Oh, hi Vicky." The boy bristled, still hating being called that. "Have you seen Ethan around?" Victor merely pointed to a van. "Thanks! I just hope he isn't in the middle of a deal."

"Uh… Yeah." Victor stated.

Nicole made her way to the van with a smile. She and Jacquelyn had done some shopping and she had the greatest piece of lingerie that she was sure that Ethan would love. Well, she knew that Shane would have loved it, but that was besides the point.

"Oh Ethan! I…" Nicole's words died as she saw Ethan pause in mid-thrust, a naked Torrie beneath him.

"Oh shit." Ethan muttered.

* * *

Dustin was slightly confused as to what was going on. His mother had left earlier that night with Jordan's and Aaron's respective mothers to have some sort of outing. Of course, this was nothing new to him as Emma and Manny liked to keep in touch with their friend. However, Liberty was returning a lot later than usual, though Damian, Dustin's dad, had already gone to bed.

The front door opened, startling the boy, and he quietly tuned in to what was being said at the doorway.

"Toby, stop," Clearly his mother was not talking to a woman and Dustin nearly gagged at the thought of his MI teacher at his house. "This can't go on much further."

"Liberty, I-"

"I know." Liberty interrupted. "But this is getting out of hand. Friday after school, someone could have caught us. Your son could have seen us."

"I know, I know," Dustin frowned as he moved off of the couch. "It's just… This is what should've happened. You and I? I can't help what I feel for you and I know you can't do the same."

"I-"

"Mom, what is he talking about?" Liberty and Toby stood with wide eyes. "You're cheating on Dad, with my teacher?"

"Dustin, honey, can you-"

"Are you?!" Dustin asked angrily. When neither adult said anything, Dustin marched up to his MI teacher and landed a blow to the man's gut. "You dick! That's my mom!"

"Dustin? Liberty? What's going on?" Damian asked.

Liberty took in a deep breath. Manny warned her. Emma warned her. Yet she didn't listen. And now it was time to face the music.

* * *

The Mason siblings were currently enjoying a late night snack with their father while retelling him their day at the park. Of course, Gavin hardly cared about the events, he just liked how his kids retold the story. For example, he did not bother to dig into the Scarlett-Jayden-Laura love triangle, but he found it interesting how Shane and Kelly made it appear that Laura was sitting on pins and needles when around Scarlett.

The doorbell rang causing Gavin to excuse himself from the table to answer it.

"Yes?" he said before seeing a very pregnant Jane. "Whoa, look at you!" Jane smiled. "So who's the lucky guy?"

"You are." Gavin's smile nearly dropped, much like Shane dropping out of his seat in the kitchen. Kelly only grinned, already knowing about this. "Spinner, we're going to have a baby."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **So here we are, the last chapter of Season 4. Of course, I don't own Skylar Grey's "Love the Way You Lie". I want to say thanks to all that reviewed and favored/followed the story thus far. It really means a lot to me and gives me more of a reason to continue. The next season will be out sometime in March with webisodes filling the gap between now and then some (including one A.J/Jordan one in Japan!). Since Season 5 will be called Reflections, most of the webisodes will show things that happened during the earlier seasons such as Shaky moments (Shane/Nicky by the way) and some Jayden/Scarlett moments as well. Whew, well I think that just about sums it up. I know many of you are are like WTF?! with the cliff hanger and all, but all will be explained in March. As always, see you then. Ciao.


	124. Webisode: Mitunes: Deanna

**MiTunes: Deanna**

Song: Breathe No More  
Artist: Evanescence

Deanna hated playing the piano, but it was something that her mother and stepfather were so adamant of her doing. Now she played the cursed instrument during her spare time whenever there was either nothing better to do or something seriously on her mind. And today, there was something seriously on her mind.

_I've been staring in the mirror_  
_For so long_  
_That I've come to believe my souls_  
_On the other side_

She was worried about the new and improved Deanna Fitzgerald and what she once buried months ago. The secret that she never cared about befriending Kelly in the first place. If Kelly ever knew how Deanna used her to get to her brother, Deanna feared that Kelly and Shane would no longer speak to her.

_All the little pieces falling, shattered_  
_Shards of me too sharp to put back together_  
_Too small to matter,_  
_But big enough to cut me into_  
_So many little pieces_  
_If I try to touch her_

But how long could she keep up this façade? How long could she sit back and watch Kelly and Shane be duped by her former self while the new her took advantage of it and kept them in the dark? At some points, it actually made her sick to think that she had changed so much that she even cared. But the new Deanna cared more than the old Deanna ever would. And the new Deanna wanted nothing more but to have a real friend and a real relationship.

_And I bleed_  
_I bleed_  
_And I breathe_  
_I breathe no more_

Deanna continued to play as she thought about what Shane's reaction could be. He could forgive her quickly and they never speak of it again. Or he could do what she feared and look at her the way he did months ago. And if he did leave her, she questioned just how long it would take her to recover if she ever did.

_Take a breath and I try_  
_To draw from my spirits well_  
_Yet again you refuse_  
_To drink like a stubborn child_

At some points, when she was alone with Kelly or Stephanie, she tried to bring out the old, bitchy Deanna. But it was hard not to laugh at some of their corny jokes or not to giggle when Kelly would bring up some old story about Shane. Hell, she had even begun learning how to cook! This new Deanna had a grip on her life and she was refusing to let go, that's for sure.

_Lie to me_  
_Convince me that I've been sick forever_  
_And all of this_  
_Will make sense when I get better_

This new Deanna made it appear that she had been inside of the old Deanna this entire time, and everyone sans DeWayne and Jayden bought it. But she didn't care what they thought, no matter which version of herself she was. She only cared what Shane thought. And if needed be, she would permanently remove the old Deanna from herself to keep him with her.

_But I know the difference_  
_Between myself and my reflection_  
_I just can't help but to wonder_  
_Which of us do you love_

It nearly killed Deanna to know that Shane did not like, let alone love, the real her. Then again, how could he? She had yet to show him who she truly was. Or had she? All along, Deanna had just really wanted a meaningful relationship and had gotten it. So maybe the girl deep inside of her was the girl she was showing Shane and the others and the old Deanna was nothing more than a mere shell? She snorted under her breath. Now she was sounding like Stephanie with all of this poetic stuff.

_So I bleed_  
_I bleed_  
_And I breathe_  
_I breathe no_

Deanna rose from the piano to go prepare to meet up with her new best friend and her boyfriend at their house. Shane relied on her now that Nicole was completely out of his life. She had to be the one to make him feel better now. Problem was: Which side of her did that best? The bossy bitchy side that he knew before they began dating or the new loving and caring side that she showed him? It was confusing, but she had to figure it out soon.

_Bleed_  
_I bleed_  
_And I breathe_  
_I breathe_

She really wanted to please him more than anyone on this planet, including her dad. Shane brought out the nicer side of Deanna, the side that she had dubbed the new Deanna. She knew he did not purposely do this, it was just him being himself. But she could not help it. She smiled every time she saw him. She gasped every time he touched her. Her heart probably skipped a beat every time he dreamt about her. But he only liked the new Deanna. So the old Deanna must die. Along with the secrets that came with her.

_I breathe_  
_I breathe, no more_


	125. Webisode: Her Family

**Author's Notes:** So, it's March which means that Season 5, also known as Reflections, will be posted pretty soon. Just not today, though I do have the first two episodes done. But until then, here is a Webisode that focuses on the Santos Family. Enjoy it and be on the look out for the Season 5 promo coming out pretty soon.

* * *

**Her Family**

And two becomes eleven. Those were words going through her head. Her _two_ kids had a combined total of _eleven_ children between them; Four from her eldest, seven from her youngest. And now all eleven were currently present in her apartment, talking amongst themselves.

Lilo, the eldest of all, was twenty-three and presently working at his mother's shop in Hawaii. He had many of his father's traits, both physical and mental, and currently only had one son.

Danica was next in line, being eleven months younger than her cousin. The girl with the big imagination had transformed into a beautiful and powerful woman with a voice to match. While she had no children at the time, she pretty much babied all her siblings and then some.

Next was Kelani. The boy had a passion for surfing and was every bit of the Hawaiian surfer that people made him out to be. He was pretty down-to-earth and normally had a leveled head, though she can remember him being suspended for at least two fights.

Then there was Jayden. The teen father of three- she would always remember that his girlfriend had triplets despite the outcome- was a happy baby and a more laidback person. He had grown up much like his older sister without exuding the power that Danica did. Even now, with a son dead and his parents still angry about him getting a girl pregnant at fifteen, he smiled.

Lana was next. She was quiet and calm, hence her name which meant "calm as still waters". Unlike her older brothers, Lana did not necessarily enjoy surfing. She was, as they referred her to, a shoobie and a smart one at that. The girl was practically the smartest of the bunch and the only one to wear glasses like her mother.

A year younger than Lana was the also quiet and intelligent, Aaron. Commonly called "A.J", he was once referred to as the "baby boy" of the family. He, like his older cousin, was soft-spoken about many things, but was willing to put his foot down when needed be. He was the only one to visit his grandparents on a near-daily basis which made him a favorite amongst them.

After A.J came his younger sister, Katya. Katya was truly a beautiful little girl and had a voice like her sister, Danica's. One look at the girl's brown eyes could warm the heart of anyone and her smile was almost to die for. Yet, there was a bad side to Katya that made her lash out on people who had been a constant annoyance to her. Then again, she was a McDuelle…

Antonio's youngest child, Ellie, came next. She was the wild child of her four siblings and had a knack for adventure. While not the best surfer or the best climber, she wanted to compete in everything she did. Even now, she was holding a staring contest with her younger cousins.

Manuella's youngest son, Christian- or Chris- was next. He idolized his father and hoped to be like him one day. Though, as many have stated, he was a bit spoiled and whined when things did not go his way. And Danica and Jayden would forever taunt him for that as well.

Finally there was Renée and Jenée, Manuella's twin girls. The two were identical in many ways, both physically and mentally, though Renée did have the odd habit of keeping all things separated on her dinner plate. They concluded the bunch and, much to their grandmother's chagrin, got into everything that they could together. As Manuella said, they were six going on seventeen.

"Nana," Danica said. "When's Grandpa getting back?"

Julietta Santos only smiled. Despite her age, one could still hear the child in Danica if they knew her back then.

"He'll be back soon Mari." Danica only nodded as she eyed the other children present. "I heard that you're helping her father with the new entertainment portion."

Danica nods with a smile. "Yeah. It's much different from just running errands like I used to do. Mrs. Lowry is amazing to work with and she knows what music is. Plus, I have enough to travel like I want to again."

"When'd you lose it?" Lilo asked with a grin.

"When my dad decided to put his grandkids on me." Danica responded, her eyes moving towards her younger brother.

Jayden merely shrugged. "They're not as annoying as your twin sisters."

"Point…" Danica stated.

"How are your kids?" Lilo questioned Jayden.

"Very loud." Jayden answered. "Kind of like babies just two of them. And they have a mother who would kill me if I chose to just pawn them off to anyone just to get away from them."

"Aren't you doing that now?" Lilo said.

Jayden shook his head. "No. They're with Laura's mom and dad. Bianca has this little deal with… Bianca and Laura made a deal with my parents that Bianca can see them at least once a week, and it normally occurs on the weekend." Danica saw Lilo nod and grinned, knowing her cousin bought the lie. Jayden did well to hide Bianca's troubles with the law, even if the woman did not truly want him to. "So I have no choice but to let her keep them. Kind of works to my favor though."

"You know there's a surfing contest this summer. Think your band will play?" Jayden nodded at Kelani's question.

"If we can." he stated.

"You blinked!" The in sync voices of Renée and Jenée said.

"Nuh-uh!" Ellie argued. "You cheated!"

"We don't cheat! You just suck!" Jenée taunted, Renée sticking her tongue out for extra hurt.

An eight years old arguing with a pair of six years olds. What a life?

"Renée, Jenée, stop it." Danica admonishes and the two immediately stop making faces at their cousin. "I swear you two are _so_ annoying at times."

Jayden snorts. "Tell us how you really feel."

"I _really_ feel that my parents should've stopped at one." Danica replied.

Lilo laughs. "Still stuck on that Danni? I thought we gave up on that wish years ago."

"Some dreams are worth chasing, I suppose." Danica said. "Besides, what're you complaining about? Kelani doesn't live with you, Lana is satisfied with a book of bugs or birds, and Ellie is…" Danica paused. "Well, I kind of see your point with Ellie."

"Nana," Christian stated. "Where're your games at? I'm bored."

"A hundred kids in one room and you can't find someone to play with?" Danica said before Julietta could even speak.

"Danni, he's eight. He needs something to occupy his time." Lilo stated.

"He's spoiled." Danica argues back. "No one else is complaining about being bored but him."

"Let's play Uno." Jayden stated.

"Yeah!" Jenée and Renée cheered, Christian smiling as well.

"Are you in sis?" Jayden asked, looking at Danica.

"No. I'll sit this one out." Danica answered.

Jayden found a spot on the floor to sit, the twins to his left, Christian beside Renée, Ellie next to Christian, and Katya completely the circle, sitting between Ellie and her brother.

"Alright, everyone knows the rules right?" The younger kids nodded at Jayden's words. "And remember," Jayden looked at Jenée and Renée. "There are no teams in this game. Everyone for themselves."

The girls nodded enthusiastically as Jayden began to shuffle the cards.

"So A.J," Lilo began. "Aunt Manny says you broke up with that Chandra girl. What happened?"

Aaron, who had been seated next to Lana on the couch quietly, looked at Lilo and Danica. While Lilo had grown out of the habit of picking on his younger siblings and cousins, Aaron could still remember a time when Lilo and Danica ruled their family reunions and with them standing next to each other now, he was brought back to those darker days.

"She got sick." Aaron responded. Lilo frowned. "Mentally ill. Kind of like PTS."

"That's serious." Lana finally said.

Aaron nodded. "Yeah, but she's getting better every day."

"Oh." Lilo said. "What about Jordan?"

"Yes A.J. Tell us about Jordan." Danica added.

"She cheated on me." His words caused his grandmother to gasp.

"Little Jordan cheated on you Aaron? I'm so sorry Baby Boy." Aaron bristled at his childhood nickname but did not overreact to it. "She seemed like such a sweet girl."

"Nana, things change." Danica stated. "Jordan Cameron is nothing more than an attention wh…" Danica stopped herself before smiling. "She craves attention."

"She's not like that. Not anymore." Aaron said. "And Bambi and I are friends. I'm dating Farah. Her cousin."

Kelani laughs. "Ain't that just like Jay?"

"Don't bring me into your conversation. Not while I'm losing." Jayden replied.

"Jayden did date cousins, didn't he?" Lilo said, looking at Danica for an answer. Danica nodded. "Why?"

"Because Helen and Scarlett are hotter than your baby-mama." Jayden retorted. "Now stop bringing me into your conversation until I start to win."

"Chill bro, you're losing to kids in a kids' game. It's bound to happen." Kelani said.

Jayden turned and glared at his older cousin.

"Losing may be something you're okay with, but I don't lose. I just choose not to win sometimes." Jayden said. "Now, quiet. I need to concentrate."

Danica rolled her eyes. "Oh brother…"

"Yes?" Jayden asked with a smile.

"I wasn't… Shut up Jayden." Despite herself, Julietta smiled. Jayden has found ways to irritate the best of them, she included. Yet, somehow, it was amazingly hard to stay mad at the boy over a long period of time.

"You know Mari, I remember a time when you and Lilo were like that." The two young adults stared at their grandmother. "You two competed over a lot."

"No we didn't Nana. Lilo just wanted to show me how he'll always be second-best to me." Danica teased her older cousin.

Lilo raised a brow. "Oh really?"

"Hey," Danica said. "The field is open. Me, Jay, and Kitty against you, Kelani, and Ellie. Five goals to win it all."

"Danni, you must think I'm stupid." Danica smiled at Lilo's words. "Kelani and Ellie didn't play soccer like we did. Plus, Kitty's a freaking prodigy at the sport, so that's a no."

"Why Lilo, I never pegged you to be one to be afraid of a challenge. At least not to a _girl_." Lilo's eyes narrowed. "But hey, you did start working behind a counter and not out surfing like you once did. So maybe you're just old… Or soft."

"How about a surfing contest?" Kelani suggested.

"Basketball." Jayden added.

"Tag!" Jenée stated.

Aaron sighed quietly. "Good grief…"

"Exactly." Lana stated.

Julietta agreed with her two quiet grandchildren on the couch. This was becoming too much. Antonio and Manuella never argued this much growing up. Sure there were incidents when they did, and some were a bit messy, but Lilo and Danica were clearly over twenty and still competing.

"Okay," Danica said. "How about this. You team with Lana and Kelani and pick one event and I team with Jay and A.J and pick another event. Then we'll get Grandpa to pick a third."

Julietta smiled. Danica Mariella McDuelle, always the business woman.

"Fine. But we do this on our home turf." Lilo said.

"Like he… No. Not going to happen." Danica stated. "We'll do this somewhere where we all know. Here. Toronto. Canada. Deal with it."

"Uno!" Renée called happily.

"Cheater!" Ellie argued.

Jayden only rolled his eyes lazily. He was not really trying to win, just trying to prolong the game to keep the younger kids busy. Yet, the longer the game seemed to take, the louder they became. He was so glad that Laura was the mother of his kids. There was no chance in hell that his kids would be this loud when they were older. Laura would make sure of that.

A knock came on the door, Lilo moving to open it. When he did, Jayden actually smiled.

"Mama, you were supposed to leave them at Bianca's." Jayden said.

"She's okay with it." Manny said entering the apartment with her grandkids, Jaylen and Daniella. "Your dad said the same thing."

Manny's older brother, Antonio, entered next with his two years old grandson, Eduardo.

"Dad, the boy can walk." Lilo said as his son began to reach for him.

"He was sleep in the car." Tony responded, Lilo taking his tired son into his arms. "I see you haven't driven Mom to insanity. That's good."

"I win!" Renée cheered.

"Good going twerp," Jayden said moving from his spot and going to the dual stroller where his twins were. "Now it's time to be a dad again."

"They're cute Jay." Lana said.

Jayden looked at his younger cousin. "You want to hold one?" She timidly nodded. "Alright." Jayden gently removed his son from his seat, Daniella beginning to whine. "You are so spoiled little girl."

"Says the guy that caused it." Danica replied as she went to pick up her crying niece. "Every morning you're holding her and talking to her. Not like that with Little Jay."

"It's a guy thing. Get over it." Jayden said as he squeezed between Aaron and Lana. "Alright Lana, see how I'm holding him?" Lana nods. "Just do that and he'll be quiet. It's his sister that's the loud one."

Julietta watched as Jayden placed Jaylen into Lana's arms. While a little miffed that the twins came out looking more like Laura than Jayden, Julietta admitted that they were two cute babies. She could already tell that Daniella would be a man-eater when she grows up, especially with how she had Jayden wrapped already.

"Here he is," Danica said handing the still fussy Daniella over to Jayden. "Now be quiet."

Amazingly, the girl did, her body relaxing into her father's as Jayden smiled.

"It's you Danni. Maxi knows that you're evil and she doesn't like evil." Jayden taunted.

Danica rolled her eyes. "Well that means she hates her mom." Jayden's eyes narrowed. "Oh come on. Laura's just one step away from the Queen of the _darn_."

"I would never let her dethrone you." Jayden shot back. Now it was Danica who glared at her brother.

"Alright you two." Manny said before sighing. "I tell you. Just one day without Danni and Jay making noise is just too much to ask for."

"Are you talking about us or the twins?" Jayden asked.

"Yeah because they're babies so it's not like they have much of a choice Mama." Danica added.

Julietta smiled. If there was one thing that Danica and Jayden learned is that they could get more accomplished working together than separately. This train of thought worked wonders when they were trying to avoid getting in trouble.

"I need to go get their bag out of the car." Manny said.

"I'll do it Aunt Manny." Kelani stated.

"Aren't you sweet." Manny said with a smile.

Jayden frowned. "Kiss up to your own mother Kelani. Not mine."

Kelani chuckled as he walked out of the apartment, though Jayden's face hardly changed. Danica smiled and placed a hand on her brother's head.

"Give it up little brother. Now that you're a dad, you're no longer Mama's favorite. That simply goes to…" Danica did not finish her sentence, though her eyes trailed to Aaron, who sat next to Jayden.

"He wishes." Jayden stated. "Remember, he broke up with Bambi."

"He did?" Lilo asked.

"No, I didn't." Aaron said before looking at Jayden. "And stop talking about it."

"Whatever _Aaron_." Jayden said.

Kelani soon returned with the twins' bag and two pizza boxes. Joseph Santos soon entered as well, carrying three more pizzas.

"Dad," Manny said. "Why didn't you ask Tony to help you?"

"I'm old Manny. Not handicap." Julietta watched Manny's elder three children- Danica, Jayden, and Aaron- subtly smirk. Who would've thought that Aaron was so much like his siblings? "Where's your husband?"

"Max is working late. He'll be here as soon as he can, though with the two meetings today, I pretty much told him to meet us at home." Manny answered.

Joseph gave a small nod as he maneuvered through the many bodies of children to get to the kitchen where he and Kelani placed the pizzas on the table.

"Alright you little brats," Danica said. "Go wash your hands so we can eat."

None of the kids argued, not even Kelani, as they all did as they were told. Jayden remained in his seat with his daughter though, Lana handing Jaylen off to Julietta.

"Jay," Manny said nearing him. "Go eat. I can take it from here."

Jayden nodded, handing his near-sleep daughter to his mother and moving to do what his sister had practically demanded.

"So how was your day Mom? I hope they didn't cause too much trouble." Manny said rocking her granddaughter.

"They were no trouble at all Manuella." Julietta answered.

Tony snorted. "That's hard to believe. Lilo and Danni alone is enough to drive someone crazy."

Manny smiled. "They were. Remember how competitive they used to be?" Tony nodded. "So glad they grew out of that."

Julietta only smiled. If only they knew what had occurred earlier.

Minutes later, the kids were spread amongst the apartment, some in the kitchen at the table, others seated on the floor in the living room. All with plates full of pizza of their choice.

"I guess," Jayden said looking at his sister. "Tonight's toast would be the Santos Family?"

Danica nodded. "Seems good enough." Danica raised her cup full of soda. "To the Santos Family."

"The Santos Family." The others soon followed.

Julietta felt a small tear trail down her cheek and was glad that no one else saw it. In the beginning, they did not have much. She and Joseph lived a rather simple life filled with old traditions. They moved to Canada when Manuella was five and Antonio was eleven and things seemed to become worse. Antonio began staying out with friends and Manuella just seemed to hate Toronto. Then came Manuella's Craig days and her abortion and Antonio moving to Hawaii. Finally, after all of the drama and battles that the small and middle-class family had, both Antonio and Manuella found soul mates that seemed to give them everything that they could ask for. It started with Lilo and Danica, and then the others soon followed.

And by the end of it all, two became eleven.

Long live the Santos Family.


	126. Character Poll! Guys!

**Top 10 Male Characters**

With Season 4 completely over, it is time for us to sit back and reflect on what we just witnessed… And while you attempt to compile every breath-taking moment of the story, let's go back and think about the male characters and why we love them. So, here is the Top 10 of our favorite guys. If you have any suggestions or problems with the list, review or PM me. But until that happens, here's what the list looks like:

**1. Shane Mason: **Number one will be the only guy in the entire series that didn't make us want to hate him. Shane makes us all wish we had a brother like him, even when he seems to be taunting Jordan. While we all know that there is some flame that Nicky left in him still burning, we are all waiting patiently to see how he will take Deanna's secret. And we might get that answer in Season Five…

**2. Aaron J.** **McDuelle:** While we can't really condone A.J's relationship with Farah, we can all agree that he's still a favorable guy. Helping those around him is just what he does bests, as seen in seasons 2 and 3 with Jordan and Chandra respectively. He has even shown to have an aggressive side when it comes to Tevin. A.J's life will take a severe turn in Season Five where we will see him be put in a dire situation that will test his love for Chandra. Now if only we knew what happened with him and Jordan in Japan.

**3. Jayden T. McDuelle:** Jayden comes in at number three for a valid a great reason. We can't decide on who we want him to be with. The girl that he's loved with since the beginning or the girl who he has a happy home and family with. Hard right? Though Jayden continues to charm his way through the series, whether he's flirting with Laura or Scarlett, joking with his older sister, or kissing up to his mom, Jayden will always be around one girl or another. And much like his brother, his life will take a serious turn in Season Five where he must bury a certain feeling that he has been living with for months now.

**4. Ashton Manning:** Number four is the younger brother of Steven and Dakota, Ashton. Since Season 1, we have seen Ashton stay true to his self, always telling people exactly how he feels. There are moments when he says the absolutely wrong thing (such as breaking up with Brie) but that's in the past. Yet, despite his hard exterior, he has a serious soft spot for on Gabrielle Nunez. And it will only get softer with time.

**5. DeWayne Fitzgerald:** Let's be honest, we love to hate this guy, right? Whether he's snooping in Deanna's diary or doing everything in his power to keep Scarlett away from Jayden, DeWayne is never really still. And despite the little screen time he had in Season 4, there will be more of DeWayne in Season 5 as he has a new mission: Getting rid of Shane Mason.

**6. Nathan Hogart:** Let's start in the beginning, shall we? Season 1, Nathan and Scooter jumped A.J in the bathroom and then episodes later, Nathan introduced Nicky to the wonderful world of cocaine. Fast forward to Season 3, and he had transformed to an overprotective brother who would physically beat the first person that dared to raise a finger and his younger sister, Brie and also a boyfriend to Stephanie Tucker. Throughout his time, Nathan has battled against Shane and Jayden constantly, not to mention his own father. But in Season 5, we'll see Nathan battle a greater foe in the form of Stephanie's parents.

**7. James Brooks Jr.:** James, or Little Jimmy as Damon and Nathan refers to him as, comes in number seven even after all he has done to Amber. Despite his newly found hobby (drinking and screwing Brooke), James remains to be completely loyal to his friends, even going as far as picking a fight with Randy for Amber. It's pretty obvious to most of us that Amber is where he really wants to be. And with Season 5 concluding with his graduation, we'll see just how far he's willing to go to secure her.

**8. Jacob Isaacs:** Playing the keyboard at number eight is Jacob Isaacs. The quiet Jacob has only had one major storyline and that was when he was tutoring and dating Vanessa. And we all remember the kiss that he and Kelly shared (more like the five kisses) in Season 2. Jacob is currently in a pleasant relationship with Angelina, thanks to Jayden and his life has been rather easygoing. But a lot will change when he has to deal with his father's infidelity.

**9. Ethan Valieri:** Ethan makes the top ten due to his relationship with Nicky. For a while, he was the only one to make her smile. And while we could blame him for the end of Shane and Nicky's relationship, we could also thank him for the birth of Shane/Deanna. In Season 5 Ethan will most likely pursue a romance with Torrie (hey, I can't just give you spoilers here!) while he gets entangled in another couple's problem. Oh, and we'll also get to see just how he and Isabella get along.

**10. Tevin Sharpe:** No, this spot does not belong to Marc, Dustin, Scooter, or Steven. It belongs to the only guy in the entire series that ruined two perfectly good couples (Ashton/Brie & A.J/Jordan) in one try. And while I could probably assume that most of you hate him, I must remind that you love to hate him, and thus, he's our favorite hated guy. Now, he's currently with Chandra and he's done the most unforgivable thing in the world. But trust me, you'll hate him more by the end of Season 5. This I promise.


	127. Character Poll! Girls!

**Top 10 Female Characters**

Now that we've seen the males, lets look at the top 10 girls that we just could not get enough of. Again, if you have any suggestions or problems with the list, review or PM me. But until that happens, here's what the list looks like

**1. Laura Reynolds: **Remember in Season 1 when we all thought that she was going to give Jayden hell once she found out that he and A.J were brothers? While she can still give him hell, it won't be because of that. Laura has slowly changed from just a fighting, drug-dealing girl to a more mature one. She still fights from time to time (ask Torrie) but she is now willing to talk it out for Jayden and her kids' sakes. And in Season 5, we will see Laura make the biggest change in her life. Seriously.

**2. Deanna Fitzgerald:** Climbing the ranks of popularity since Season 2, Deanna is easily one of the favorite female characters there is. Posh and pampered, she is Scarlett's equal except that unlike her Degrassi counterpart, Deanna has the boy of her dreams and is doing everything to keep him with her and happy. But just how far will she go to do so?

**3. Mary-Jane Del Rossi:** Now, as the author, I can say that Mary-Jane was a favorite of mine from the start. But with biased thoughts aside, I'm sure we all can agree now that the strong-willed Mary-Jane Del Rossi will be our favorite Queen Bee of D3G. Being one to always throw a comment to anyone that will listen (and they _will_ listen or else), Mary-Jane is slowly counting down her final days until graduation. But will the events that occurred in Season 4 change her for better or worse?

**4. Chandra Torres: **Known by her nickname, Bambi, Chandra makes number four after being knocked down due to her relationship with Tevin. But let's be honest for a second. Whether she was chasing after Jayden, being attacked by Steven, or just having a moment with A.J, Bambi will forever be one of our favorites. As a person who has had a major storyline in three of the four seasons (Season 1 being the only one she didn't have one), you can safely bet that she will have a great plot in Season 5.

**5. Scarlett J. Chessex: **The beautiful girl-next-door makes number five of the females' list. While she has shown more of her princess side during the last season, there are still some of us that believes that Jayden and Scarlett belong together, regardless of his kids and Laura.

**6. Dakota Nash: **Commonly called Dash by Jayden and Laura, the leader and drummer of the band Juvenile Grace makes number six. The godmother of Jayden and Laura's child has battled with alcoholism in the past as well as issues with her father. In the next season, we'll see her face one of the greatest problems in her life.

**7. Kelly Mason:** Shane's younger Irish twin (metaphorically and literally) comes in at number seven. Kelly shows her freedom of expression with the way she dresses and guys (Jayden and Hakim) seem to like it. While nothing _huge_ has happened in Kelly's life, she will soon be confronted by her friend's secret, a kiss she thought she buried, and shockingly, her father.

**8. Jordan Cameron: **Right after her big sis is Jordan Cameron. Being apart of the only couple in Degrassi history to share names (Aaron's middle name is Jordan), Jordan has blossomed from the opinionated nerd to the perfect mixture of beauty, brains, and a bit of brawns. We can all agree that there is some chemistry between Jordan and A.J, but will another guy come in-between what could be again?

**9. Helen Sinclair-Coyne: **The always snappy redhead, Helen comes in at number nine. She's never one to hold anything back and will always stick by her friends no matter what. She seems to always be in the middle of Jayden and Scarlett's disputes, trying to calm them both down while telling the truth. But as Helen will soon find out, sometimes the truth isn't what someone wants to hear.

**10. Nicole Campbell:** Nicky tops off the top ten for the females due to, well, our favoritism for her. Whether she is her normal giggling self or picking fights with Deanna, Nicky will always make an episode of D3G livelier. And what better way to see Nicky making an episode livelier than her response to Ethan and Torrie? Hell hath no fury like Nicky's scorn.


	128. Webisode: Scarlett Rose

**Author's Notes: **So Season 5 will be out Friday, meaning a promo will be out Thursday. Several Webisodes will be put up in-between time, like this one here. This takes place during Jayden's first year in Toronto, his eighth grade year. Enjoy and please review.

* * *

**A Scarlett Rose**

Jayden sighed heavily as he stared at the blue-eyed girl currently ignoring him. It had taken him _weeks_ to get Scarlett Chessex- her last name he got from her dad- to even talk to him. And now, because of one little detention, she was ignoring him all over again. What was sad was that they were neighbors and saw each other almost everyday, yet he could hardly get a greeting from her.

"Alright," Jayden said quietly so that the teacher, Ms. Anderson, would not hear. "I'm sorry."

Scarlett kept her eyes in front of her. Just how she got suckered into passing notes in class was beyond her. She was normally smarter than that, yet somehow, Jayden could easily make a fool out of her. He was different, that was for sure, but that did not necessarily mean that she wanted to be with him. And at the moment, she hardly wanted to know him.

"You're acting like your cousin." Jayden's words caused Scarlett's eyes to slowly cut towards him.

"Do you know that this is the first time I've had detention?" Scarlett hissed.

Jayden shrugged. "It's really not so…"

"Mr. McDuelle, Ms. Chessex, stay here for another minute. I have to step out for a call." Ms. Anderson stated as she got up from her table and left.

"Like I was saying," Jayden said a bit louder. "It's not really that bad. And we wouldn't have detention if you just checked the freaking box."

Scarlett's glare hardened. "If I…! Do you know how immature that is?!"

"Well you wouldn't answer the question when I said it and I don't have your number to send you a text, so how else would I get an answer?" Jayden asked.

"That's just it! You're not supposed to get an answer!" Scarlett snapped back. "I don't want to be another one of your groupies, so just quit, okay?"

"Ah… So that's what this is all about." Scarlett looked away from him. "Well, now that I know that, can you at least answer my question? Are you a flowers type girl or candy?"

"Neither. Now leave me alone." Scarlett answered.

"Not until you answer my question." Jayden said.

Scarlett let out a small grunt. "You don't know when to quit, do you?"

Jayden smiled. "I have no clue on what you're talking about." She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Hey, none of that. We were doing good, remember? You actually smiled at me earlier."

"We were doing _well_, and we weren't." Scarlett corrected. "I smiled because…"

"Oh come on. I'm hot!" Again, Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright. You're hotter. But seriously, can I at least learn this one measly answer?"

"No. Now leave me alone." Scarlett said.

Jayden huffed and sat back in his seat.

"I will find out one way or another." Scarlett ignored his words, now staring at the clock.

There weren't many girls in her position at the school. When Jayden and his family arrived a week or two before school started, she and her cousin Helen were the first ones to even see him. Helen had immediately pegged him for the pretty boy who thought he could get everything he wanted, and so far, was right. Scarlett has seen the boy casually flirt with a few girls, flashing his wonderful smile here and there to get his way. And those girls, sans herself, Helen, and amazingly Laura Reynolds, fell for it all the time. Heck, even Kelly Mason was seen blushing once due to a compliment giving to her by Jayden. But Scarlett would not be another mindless broad that went crazy every time he stepped into the room.

"If it means anything," Jayden finally said. "I don't believe what they say about you." Now Scarlett looked at Jayden with confusion. "Kelly and her friends? They think you're kind of snobby and a prude."

Scarlett scowled. "I don't have time to listen to them. It's not my fault that I was born with more things than them."

"No, it's not your fault. Then again, they kind of hate you for reminding them of the fact instead of the fact itself." Jayden responded. "Kind of how you and Helen think I'm just some rich boy with this lovely easygoing life, and I'm not."

"Then what are you?" Scarlett questioned. "Because for the past three weeks, you've been nothing more than a player. Every girl you've come in contact with, you've flirted with. I can even throw in a few teachers for that matter!"

"I did turn down Laura. Shane told me that she had a history that I didn't want to get involved with, so I left her alone." Jayden stated. "And I don't try to even talk to your cousin anymore. I seriously think something crawled up her butt and died."

"Whatever." Scarlett muttered. "Just stay away from me."

"Sure Scarlett." Jayden said. "Just…" Scarlett's brows rose. "Never mind."

Scarlett frowned. "What's your problem? You sound almost mad that you failed to get me into your little group."

"I don't want you apart of any group." Jayden said. "Seriously, is it that hard to believe that I just want an attractive girl who just so happens to be one of the smartest in the class?"

"No, it's not hard to believe. You and all those other little boys just want one thing." said Scarlett.

"Your number?" Jayden asked. Scarlett scoffed. "Oh come on, I seriously am not trying to have sex with my _neighbor_. If anything was to go wrong, you'd just hop the fence and get your cousin to kill me."

"Then what do you want?" Scarlett questioned.

"Are you a flowers or candy type girl?" Scarlett fought the urge not to slap him with all she had. He had been asking her that question all day for some reason and she had no idea why. It was seriously annoying and she wanted nothing more than to just end it.

"Both." Scarlett told him. "I like them both equally the same."

"Ah…" Jayden stated before frowning. "How come no one ever sends you any? Where I'm from, beautiful girls like you don't stay on the market for long."

"I'm sure that's because you just snatched them up, right?" Jayden's response came in the form of a laugh.

"No! I would never do that to my ex." Scarlett frowned. "I was in a pretty steady relationship with this girl named Marissa, who you oddly remind me of. I and she only broke up because I was moving and she was starting school at this PCA place." Jayden's eyes drifted towards the window. "Though sometimes I wonder if that was such a smart idea… Girls up here are as cold as the weather and that's saying something."

"It's not girls, it's just me. And you're just angry because I don't see you like everyone else." Scarlett said.

"Which wouldn't be so bad," Jayden countered. "If you _did_ see me differently from everyone else."

Scarlett sat back in her seat. "Oh really? So tell me what I'm missing."

"My name is Jayden McDuelle." Jayden began. "I am a _normal_ kid that lives with his parents and five of his six siblings. I'm not some celebrity and I don't intend on being one for a while. Though I would like to be known for something… Just don't know what that something is yet."

"Really?" Scarlett asked.

"Yes." Jayden said. "I go to a _regular_ school like you. I live in the _same_ neighborhood like you. So what's make me any different than you?"

Scarlett thought for a moment. The boy had a point. From what she saw and heard, his family was quite normal despite having an actress for a mother and a pretty well-known and successful business owner for a dad. Jayden did not seem so different from any other guy in the school that thought he could get any girl he wanted. Yet, the difference was that the other guys moved on from Scarlett while Jayden continued to pester Scarlett.

"Maybe if you didn't buy into the hype, you'd see that I'm actually a really down-to-earth kind of guy. I don't like flashy things and I have a small fear of the paparazzi." Scarlett smiled a bit.

"You're afraid of the paparazzi?" she was amused by this.

"Hey, those people have control the masses. You may not believe it now, but wait until you do a scandal that they want. You are literally at their mercy." Scarlett rolled her eyes.

"Yeah right Jayden." Scarlett said.

"Have you two been talking this entire time?" Ms. Anderson asked as she reentered the room.

"Guilty as charged." Jayden responded. "Can we go now? My mom is has a meeting with some agent and I have to watch my younger siblings."

"You both may go," Ms. Anderson replied. "But I'll be having a talk with your parents, Jayden."

Jayden sighed. "I get that a lot nowadays."

Scarlett smirked a bit. She felt a little better knowing that Jayden would get extra punishment. It was his fault that she was here after all and this was going on her permanent record! How was she going to be the next Degrassi president when guys like Jayden McDuelle kept her in detention?

Leaving the class, Scarlett headed for her locker, leaving Jayden behind. Her dad was still here, so she had a ride. Her only problem was the boy she just left behind. Jayden freaking McDuelle. A part of her actually liked that he would go out of his way to talk to her, even if she ignored him for the better half of the time. He would be flanked by girls of all ages, asking him about his parents and his "amazing" life, and then poof, he was walking beside Scarlett. This was nothing new for Scarlett though. There had been several guys that had turned away from several girls just to talk to Scarlett. They found her pretty. They found her stunning. They found her beautiful.

And Jayden…

Well, he found her pretty, stunning, and beautiful as well, but Scarlett had heard him throw new compliments at her. Up until now, she had never been called smart and brilliant and she most definitely had never been told to be "scary in a sexy way". Jayden had given her strange compliments, that's for sure. What guy cared about how smart she was or how organized she was? There was none. Well, there _was_ none until _he_ arrived.

"If getting detention means that I can see you as the only person in the halls," the subject of her thoughts voiced. "Then I might have to start getting detention more and more."

"What do you…" Scarlett's words died when she looked at him, the boy now with a rose and a box of chocolates. "What are those for?"

"An apology." Jayden said holding the gifts to her. "For making you get detention."

Scarlett's gaze hardened. "Are you trying to butter me up? Because if you are-"

"Seriously. Take the freaking flower and candy." Scarlett was now shocked. "I'm sorry. Truthfully and honestly sorry. Do I find you attractive? Yes. Do I find you smart? Smarter than me in some areas. But you _really_ have me twisted. I'm not trying to just screw you and put you on some imaginary list that you think I have."

"Then what do you want?" Scarlett questioned. "What do you _really_ want from me?"

"Is friendship too much to ask for?" Scarlett opened her mouth. "Friend. Ship. Not a relationship. Not friends with benefits. I don't even want to know your number. Just friends. You do have them, don't you?"

Now Scarlett felt ashamed as she looked at the ground.

"No. I don't have a lot of those. If any." Scarlett said. "Not true ones."

Jayden extended the rose and candy.

"I can be the first of many if you let me." Jayden said softly.

Scarlett's mind nearly collapsed when she failed to pick up any deceit in his voice. Was he serious about just being a friend or was Jayden McDuelle a master of lying? She had to find out.

"Honestly," Scarlett said. "Am I the hottest girl you've met since coming to Toronto?"

"You want the truth?" Scarlett nodded and Jayden sighed heavily. "Well, I kind of rank you third, only behind Mary-Jane and Laura." Scarlett's glare returned. She honestly did not want to be behind those two of all people. "But I found out that Laura's a bit, um, slutty and Mary-Jane's a bit bitchy," Scarlett giggled quietly. "So that kind of makes you better than them."

Scarlett's quiet laughter became nothing more than a smile before she finally accepted the gifts he was holding out to her.

"Thank you." Scarlett said. "I actually love chocolates."

"You're welcome." Jayden stated as he began walking backwards. "I have to run along now. My mom is waiting outside and she has gone from the _L.A Complex_ to _Saints Row_ killer."

"Hey," Scarlett said stopping him. "Saturday, if you're not doing anything, I could show you around Toronto."

Jayden smiled. "Scarlett, I've been here for months now. I think I know my way around."

"I'm sure you don't know the city like I do." Scarlett told him.

"I… I don't have anything to do." Jayden replied.

"Good. We can leave around noon." Scarlett said.

"Oh, and Scarlett?" Scarlett watched Jayden's smile become a smirk. "If you wanted a date, all you had to do was ask."

"It's not a date!" she argued.

Jayden did not say anything, turning around and walking away. Scarlett huffed a bit, hating the thought of losing an argument. But her anger was cooled when she looked at the box of chocolates in her hand and saw that there was a note on it. She opened the note and read it aloud quietly.

"No one deserves to be alone…" Scarlett read before smiling. "Thanks Jayden…"

It was at that moment that Scarlett put aside all the bad thoughts of Jayden. Truthfully, he was a lot better than Damon or Nathan was. Plus, there was something about his smile that made her lose track of time. She could just stare from a distance until Helen's voice interrupted the serenity of her mind.

Inhaling the scent of the rose, Scarlett's smile widened.

Maybe pursuing Jayden McDuelle would not be such a bad thing after all?


	129. Season 5 Promo

**Season 5 Promo**

Jayden looks over his shoulder at his band, preparing for their next song. He then turned back to the crowded club and took in a deep breath. While he was not overly nervous, it had been a while since he's been onstage. Not since his kids were born had he performed as his new duties as a father occupied much of his time, whether it was needed or just wanted. Yet, he had a certain hatred for this club as it was this place that painted the picture for his future. Yes, he was back at Jimmy Greene's once more doing another performance. It was at this place that he grew jealous of Scarlett and DeWayne dancing and went with Laura to her place where they created their children.

What a night it was…

Looking around, he could see a lot of familiar faces, some not even paying attention. There was hostility in the air though he did not know where it was particularly coming from. Then again, hostility was always in the air whenever certain ingredients such as Laura, Scarlett, DeWayne, himself, and a few others were in the same room.

Releasing his breath, Jayden began singing.

_Give me a second I  
I need to get my story straight_

Jayden eyed Jacquelyn being led away by Torrie and shook his head slightly.

_My friends are in the bathroom  
Getting higher than the empire state_

Jayden now spotted Nicole smoking a cigarette near Nathan and, surprisingly, Stephanie. He honestly did not think that Stephanie was the type to like smoking, let alone let Nathan do it so close to her.

_My lover, she's waiting for me  
Just across the bar_

Unsurprisingly, he found Scarlett standing, well, next to a bar and DeWayne right next to her.

_My seat's been taking by some sunglasses  
Asking bout a scar and_

Feeling a familiar anger building up inside of him, Jayden tore his eyes away from Scarlett's direction, doing his best not to hop of stage and beat the living hell out of DeWayne.

_I know I gave it to you months ago  
I know you're trying to forget_

Interestingly enough, he could see Chandra, Tevin, Aaron, and Farah standing near each other. This was going to be good, he thought.

_But between the drinks and subtle things  
The holes in my apologies, you know  
I'm trying hard to take it back_

Some words were exchanged by the two boys, mostly Tevin shouting as Aaron would not publicly start a fight. Jayden had to admit that his brother's will to never throw the first punch was stronger than anything he had ever witnessed.

_So if by the time the bar closes  
And you feel like falling down  
I'll carry you home_

When Tevin shoved Aaron, Jayden grew angrier. But just before he could even stop the song to point it out, Aaron, his _younger _and_ passive_ brother, landed a strong right hook on Tevin. And despite a fight ensuing, Jayden just continued the song.

_Tonight  
We are young  
So let's set the world on fire  
We can burn brighter  
Than the sun_

And if that wasn't enough excitement, Jayden soon spotted Nicole making her way for Deanna. He glanced to his left, seeing Shane more than ready to stop the two from another brawl, and mentally sighed. This was going to be some night.

_Tonight  
We are young  
So let's set the world on fire  
We can burn brighter  
Than the sun_

Jayden soon spotted Ariana shouting at her "old man" while pointing to the woman he had entered the club with. Jayden had always felt that there was some fire in the petite girl, and soon saw it when Ariana flung her drink on Clare. The shock in his body did not reflect in his voice as he continued to perform like nothing was happening.

_Now I know that I'm not  
All that you got_

Mercedes now had Scarlett by the hair, yelling at the girl for destroying her and DeWayne's relationship. Again, Jayden would have helped, but the show must go on.

_I guess that I, I just thought  
Maybe we can find new ways to fall apart_

Shane had left the stage now, bass guitar on the ground, as he attempted to separate Nicole and Deanna. Kelly was helping him as well, seeing that she was the _only_ person friends with both of the fighting girls. Well, she was until Nicole shouted something incoherent to Jayden and Kelly abruptly shoved Deanna into Shane and stormed off.

_But our friends are back  
So let's raise a cup  
Cause I found someone to carry me home_

And if things could not get any more out of hand, Jacob abruptly left after Kelly. He caught her before Kelly could leave the club and, surprisingly, kissed her again. While Jayden did not see the first kiss the two supposedly shared, he saw Kelly's reaction on this one. And it looked like it hurt as her hand came flying across Jacob's face, knocking his glass completely into the air. Kelly soon left, Hakim following her, with Angelina softly crying behind Jacob.

_Tonight  
We are young  
So let's set the world on fire  
We can burn brighter  
Than the sun_

In all this mayhem, Jayden could spot a pair kissing in the back of the club. Unsurprisingly, the couple was none other than Ashton and Gabrielle. He idly wondered where Vanessa was, but brushed it aside as _someone_ was enjoying the show and not fighting or flinging food.

_Tonight  
We are young  
So let's set the world on fire  
We can burn brighter  
Than the sun_

Heck, even James was fighting some guy that Jayden did not know. The fight seem to just grow as Nathan, for whatever reason, jumped on the guy that James was fighting and then some more people. Jayden shook his head as the hostility in the air seemed to be affecting even the soberest of minds like himself and he turned to Dakota as she was the only person who had yet to leave his side.

That was great, considering she sung the next part.

_Carry me home tonight (Nananananana)  
Just carry me home tonight (Nananananana)  
Carry me home tonight (Nananananana)  
Just carry me home tonight (Nananananana)_

It was odd that while he and his dubbed sister sung, he could see Scarlett moving to him, asking for a ride home. He looked to see Helen and Jeanette, someone he had thought he would _never_ see fighting, actually doing just that, fighting. And they were fighting beside Mr. Isaacs, who was doing nothing to separate the two, while he had a heated discussion with a woman Jayden knew only as Dustin's mother.

_The moon is on my side (Nananananana)  
I have no reason to run (Nananananana)  
So will someone come and carry me home tonight (Nananananana)_

Jayden watched Aaron pick up Tevin's phone and stare on the screen. It was the first time in a long time that he had ever seen Aaron completely pissed and the younger boy hurled the phone onto the floor, it practically exploding on contact. Chandra, who probably knew what Aaron saw, ran out of the club in tears while Aaron only searched for Tevin, ignoring Farah completely.

_The angels never arrived (Nananananana)  
But I can hear the choir (Nananananana)  
So will someone come and carry me home (Nananananana)_

Jayden soon realized that Laura had left. He searched the entire place from his spot on stage, trying to find his love, but did not. He did come close though, finding her mother fighting some guy near the back where Ashton and Gabrielle made-out. Unsurprisingly, the man got the upper hand, being physically faster and stronger than Bianca was. Jayden's worry about his kids' grandmother disappeared when his children's grandfather came and landed a clean blow on Bianca's assailant.

And by their grandfather, he meant his dad, not Laura's.

_Tonight  
We are young  
So let's set the world on fire  
We can burn brighter  
Than the sun_

Shane finally returned onstage to finish the song, despite it nearly being over. Deanna looked terrible after the fight and Kelly's angry reaction. Jayden had seen this look before on the face of Scarlett, who was still pleading to be taken home. Though he really did not want his friend to lose the possible love of his life, even if that girl was Deanna Fitzgerald.

_Tonight  
We are young  
So let's set the world on fire  
We can burn brighter  
Than the sun_

And thankfully the riots were calming down. Ariana had left Eli and Clare, storming out of the club completely. Helen had finished the mostly one-sided fight with Jeanette and Randy had been taken out of the club by security which stopped his fight with James and Nathan. Jayden saw Aaron and Dustin heading out, most likely to find Chandra, and noticed that Jordan was not too far behind. Amber and Mary-Jane, two people who he had not seen since entering the place, we hugging one another while crying about something and Jacquelyn had _finally_ exited the restroom with Torrie, though she was dressed differently.

Reaching into his pocket, Jayden grabbed something and pulled it out. Making sure to keep it concealed within his closed hand, he extended it to Shane. Yet, he continued to finish the song like this was an everyday thing.

_So if by the time the bar closes  
And you feel like falling down  
I'll carry you home tonight_

He saw Shane's reaction to said item, though Shane took it immediately. Shane moved towards Deanna and handed her the token that Jayden had given him. With a tearful smile, Deanna hugged Shane tightly as Jayden closed the song with a smile on his face. Looking over his shoulder at Dakota, he could see his sister giving him a nod of approval while clapping erupted in the destroyed club.

What a night it was.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I don't We are Young by Fun. The video for this song is what actually inspired me to use it anyway as it just seems to scream "Degrassi moments" at me. Anyway, Season 5 will be posted tomorrow. Oh, and to Sonni, I will give Brie more of a plot this time around, I promise. And to Pocksuppet, I'm really sorry that you had to witness the whole Liberty/Toby thing. As for the rest of you, thanks for reading, review or PM if you have anything to say (I would appreciate it) and enjoy.


	130. S5: Episode I:Trapped in the Closet PtI

**Author's Note: **So here it is, D3G Season 5, Reflections. I have to say, I'm really shocked about the feedback from Season 4. But I am beyond grateful for all the reviews and favorites that I received. Thank you all and I hope I can continue to stay in your good graces. Anyway, I know you didn't click this to hear me ramble, so here we go. D3G, Season 5: Reflections.

* * *

_Previously on D3G:_

_"Mom, what is he talking about?" Liberty and Toby stood with wide eyes. "You're cheating on Dad, with my teacher?!"_

XXX

_"Oh Ethan! I…" Nicole's words died as she saw Ethan pause in mid-thrust, a naked Torrie beneath him._

_"Oh shit." Ethan muttered._

XXX

_"What's wrong?" James asked, sensing that something off._

_"Randy raped me." James was a little confused as to why she had said that in a neutral tone. He then quickly moved off the car to embrace her as she began to cry. "Randy raped me James! And I just took it!"_

XXX

_"Why'd you do it?" Farah asked. When Chandra's eyes refused to look at Farah, Farah's shoulders slumped a bit. "Is it to make A.J mad? Is that it?"_

_"No. That's why I don't want him to find out." Chandra said. "Farah, I'm asking you to make sure that no one tells A.J. Please."_

XXX

_"Shane doesn't know that you originally befriended his sister to get with him, does he?" Laura said. Deanna's jaw dropped. "What? You didn't think that I would know?"_

XXX

_"Whoa, look at you!" Jane smiled. "So who's the lucky guy?"_

_"You are." Gavin's smile nearly dropped, much like Shane dropping out of his seat in the kitchen. Kelly only grinned, already knowing about this. "Spinner, we're going to have a baby."_

* * *

Season Five: Reflections

**Episode I: Trapped in the Closet Pt. I**

Amber sat up in her bed and sighed heavily. How hypocritical of her to tell Mary-Jane to get help when she refused it herself? She knew what she had to do and she had to do it tonight or be robbed or more sleep.

Taking out her cell phone, she dialed Randy's number.

"Yeah?" he answered.

"Hey," she said. "Where are you?"

"Out." he told her.

"Where? I wanted to talk." Amber nearly threw up in her mouth, literally, when she heard him chuckle. He was sick and twisted to think that she would just faithfully return to a sleaze who would rape her. Still, he told her where he was and she swallowed the sick feeling. "I'll be there around eleven. Meet me out front, okay?"

"Sure." And with that, the two hung up.

Amber sighed heavily. She really hoped this worked out.

* * *

Kelly eyed her brother, who had just fallen out of his seat. She had never seen Shane literally floored before and her father was not doing any better. However, she had heard this months ago when Jane had called. Despite the fact that Kelly had no part in Jane's pregnancy, she did play a huge part in making sure her dad and Jane had enough time alone to make a baby.

In her mind, Kelly was a matchmaking genius.

"B-b-b-baby?" Gavin stuttered. "Y-you're pregnant?!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Jane replied.

"Dad, aren't you going to let her in?" Kelly asked, now moving to the living room.

Gavin stumbled aside, Jane moving inside the home. Shane had finally picked himself up off the floor and moved to his sister.

"She's pregnant?!" Shane asked in a tone that Gavin had just used.

Kelly giggled. "Duh Shane. Look at her! She's as big as a house!" Jane frowned. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. It's not the worst I've heard." Jane said as she slowly sat on the couch. "Spin, I know this is a surprise to you-"

"You think?" Gavin interrupted. "Oh man… Another kid?"

"Dad, stop sweating it. Shane and I-"

"Kelly," Gavin said. "This isn't something to joke about. Having a baby around will seriously change the way things are, especially with your mother." While Shane and Kelly both nodded, Jane frowned. Here she thought Emma and Gavin were divorced… "It's not that I'm angry. I'm shocked."

"Well apparently I'm still as fertile as a sixteen years old girl and your stuff is still working too." Jane said.

"So…" Shane said. "Does this mean that you're up here for good this time?" Jane nodded, her eyes slowly moving to Gavin. "Good. Because last time you left, Dad was in a real bad slump for a while. He needs a slump-buster."

Jane's brows rose. "Slump-buster? Is that what I am to you Spinner?"

"No! I never said that!" Shane and Kelly smirked, knowing full well that he didn't. The duo still loved messing with their dad though. "And Jane, if you want to stay here, well, my home is your home."

"It's _our_ home." Jane said.

"Yeah…" Gavin said before sighing heavily and sitting beside Jane. "Another kid… On top of two restaurants and my teen children… This is going to be tough."

"Don't worry about it Dad. Shane and I are here for you, right Shane?" Kelly stated.

Shane shrugged. "Unless we move in with Mom." Kelly nudged him hard. "But we won't do that… Until the kid begins talking and things become like Jordan all over again."

"The joys of sibling-hood, right?" Kelly said.

Gavin looked at his kids. "You two are taking this quite well. Too well if you ask me."

Kelly sighed and moved to sit next to her dad, throwing an arm around his shoulder.

"Look at the big picture," Kelly said. "You get Jane. Shane gets someone to talk music to. I get another female in the house since Nicky left, and now we can torture Jordan by making her babysit our new sister."

"Brother." Shane corrected.

Kelly's eyes hardened. "She's having a girl Shane."

"Well I say it's a boy." Shane replied. "Unless you want to make another bet like we did with Jay's kids."

"You're on." Kelly said. "Loser does the dishes at The Dot _and_ Mason's for a week."

Shane smirked. "Sucks to be you then."

Jane smiled. "So, what's for dinner?"

The three Masons looked at one another before moving to the kitchen. There was definitely going to be a change at their home soon. But the Mason siblings grinned at one thing.

At least their dad got the girl.

* * *

"Oh shit…" Ethan muttered before rolling off of Torrie and pulling his boxers up. "Nicky I-"

Nicole only held a hand up, hushing him immediately. Her eyes never moved from Torrie, even if the other girl was naked from the waist down. Then, without another thought, Nicole pounced on Torrie. Torrie, who was trying to pull her panties back on, stood no chance as the flurry of swings rained down on her.

"Dammit!" Ethan cursed as he attempted to pry Nicole off of Torrie. "Come on Nicky, that's enough! Let stop hitting-" Ethan never saw the right hand coming for him. To his surprise, it wasn't an open hand strike. No, this was a closed-fist punch directly to his nose. "Fuck!"

Nicole glared at the boy who had backed off to nurse his bleeding nose.

"You know what, keep your little trampy whore! I don't even care anymore!" Nicole shouted before leaving the van in tears.

Completely ignoring Torrie, Ethan followed Nicole.

"Nicky wait!" he called, drawing attention to the duo. "Please hear me out for a second!"

Nicole ignored Ethan, moving for Jacquelyn's location.

"What's going on?" Jacquelyn asked her friend.

"I'm going home." Nicole said angrily. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Yeah sure but…" Jacquelyn's words ended when Damon put a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him and saw him shake his head. "Okay Nicky. Talk to you tomorrow."

Nicole stormed off, leaving Ethan standing with Damon and Jacquelyn.

"I told you," Damon stated. "Messing around with Torrie was bound to backfire sooner or later." Ethan could only nod, angrier at himself than he was Damon or Torrie at the moment. "Might as well go back and finish. You know she'd let you."

"Need to go home. Nicky has a serious right jab." Ethan replied.

Damon shrugged.

"Wouldn't have been me." Jacquelyn's brows rose. "I wouldn't cheat on you baby. You know that."

"I know." Jacquelyn said with a smile.

Ethan began walking towards his home, Torrie soon joining him.

"Sorry about that." Torrie said quietly.

"It's alright. Kind of my fault as well." Ethan returned.

Torrie smiled. "It was nice while it lasted. You haven't missed a beat." Torrie's smile became more seducing. "Do I have Nicky to thank for that?"

Ethan chuckled. "I guess you do."

"I should get on that then." Torrie responded. "So, same time tomorrow after school?" Ethan looked at her and frowned. "I'm sure Nicky's going to break up with you and I am still pissed about what Laura did to me."

"Sure." Ethan said. "Might as well since Nicky will be pissed for a mighty long time."

"Long time indeed." Torrie said.

* * *

Aaron listened to his phone ring for a few seconds before answering it. It was around ten at night and he really wanted to get some sleep, especially after his brother had threatened to kill him for what Aaron did earlier. Though Aaron did not do _all_ of it on purpose. Aaron just loved it when Laura, Scarlett, and Helen seemed to place Aaron over Jayden.

"Hello." Aaron said.

"I hope I didn't wake you." Chandra's voice returned. "I just couldn't sleep."

"Oh," Aaron said sitting up. "Um, is everything alright?"

He heard her release a heavy breath. "I guess. I mean, it's not like something is wrong. It's just…"

"Different?" Aaron implied.

"Yeah." Chandra said. "I actually talked to Farah earlier and we didn't argue."

"Really? I'm glad." Aaron could practically hear her smiling after his statement.

"Yeah, we just had a small talk about little things." Aaron nodded, though he knew she would not be able to see him. "So what did you do today? Did your royal annoyingness show up?"

Aaron grinned. "Jordan isn't that bad anymore and yes, she did. Well, she showed up at the park. But that's only because Jayden had to watch our little brother and sisters and Shane had to do the same, so we all ended up going to the park together."

"Oh. Wish I was there." Chandra said. "Question. How badly do you hate Tevin?"

Aaron frowned. "Where'd that come from?"

"I just want to know." The confusion on Aaron's face grew until he finally relented on trying to figure out the reason and just answered.

"I don't necessarily hate him. I hate what he's done to me, Brie, Ashton, and Jordan." Aaron answered "Why?"

There was a moment of silence before Chandra replied.

"Just wanted to know. I was kind of joking with Farah earlier and said that I had a dream about marrying Tevin. Just wanted to know your reaction if that or something else were to happen." Chandra casually said.

"Something else as in what?" Aaron asked.

"I don't know. Something big like marriage I guess." Chandra continued. "What's big like that? Me getting pregnant like Laura?"

"If you were marrying him, I'd be okay because you'd have to be older and know what you wanted," Aaron said. "But you having sex or getting pregnant by him might make me hate him with all my being."

"Uh-huh…" Aaron was now confused until he heard her yawn. "Why do you make it so easy for me to go to sleep?"

"I don't know…" Aaron answered. "See you at school tomorrow?"

"Not unless I see you first." Aaron smiled lightly at her remark. "Goodnight Aaron."

"Goodnight Bambi." Aaron said before the two hung up.

Aaron sat in his bed, replaying the conversation. He then brushed it off as Chandra taking one of her pills and being a little disoriented since it was the first one in a long time. He heard that things like that happened from time to time. So he just lied in bed and prepared for a nice dream. One that did not involve Tevin either marrying or having sex with Chandra.

* * *

Damian sat stunned. His wife, _Liberty Van Zandt_, was having an affair with _Toby Isaacs_. His mind attempted to grasp that concept. In high school, the roles had been reversed. Liberty was not dating Toby, it was more of a fling. But Damian was dating Emma when he was seeing Liberty. That was high school though. They were older now and supposedly wiser. They had kids together.

"Why?" The question seemed to be the only thing Damian could think of saying, though he hardly wanted to hear the answer.

"Damian, it happened when Dustin got detention last year." Liberty began. "Toby and Christy was having a dispute at home and-"

"You slept with him." Damian interrupted.

"No! No it didn't happen like that." Liberty said. "But, it did lead to it. Eventually." Damian sighed heavily. "Damian, I'm sorry. I-"

"What Liberty? You're what?" Damian said in a harsh whisper. "Our son caught you with his teacher! Do you know what this will do to him?!"

Liberty took in a deep breath and sighed quietly. This was not how she wanted her night to end. She and Damian hardly argued, though lately they hardly talked to have an argument in the first place.

"We'll talk more about this in the morning." Damian said. "I'm going to bed."

"I'll be up in a second." Liberty replied, though he was already up the steps. Taking out her cell phone she stared at it in her hands before dialing Manny's number. "Pick up."

"This better be good Liberty." Manny answered.

"Damian found out." Liberty stated.

There was a moment of silence, a sigh coming from Manny's end though Liberty knew for a fact that it was Maxwell instead of Manny. Some rustling was heard before Manny spoke again.

"Okay, start from the beginning." Manny said.

* * *

Eleven o'clock on a school night and he was currently waiting outside of a nightclub for his target. Though there was nowhere in the world he would rather be at the moment. Randy made a mistake when he forced himself on Amber and now James would make him pay.

"Hey," James said spotting Randy coming out of the club with a girl on his arm. Randy frowned, not recognizing who James was, and was angered when James shoved him. "Does it make you feel tough? Huh? Raping Amber! Does it make you feel like a man?!"

The girl that had accompanied Randy out of the club stared at him incredulously before taking a few steps away from him.

"Who are you?" Randy asked.

"James. James Brooks." James replied.

Randy smirked. "Oh that's right. The jealous ex." James was now fuming. "What? Are you pissed that she put out for me but not for you? That she was moaning my name every second of-"

James had had enough, his fist connecting to Randy's jaw instantly. Randy stumbled back for a moment before returning the punch that knocked James backwards. Before long, the two were on the ground exchanging blows. Randy soon got the advantage, landing strike after strike on James as the younger male attempted to block as many as he could from the bottom. Soon the striking stopped and James looked up to see two officers struggling to keep Randy down.

"Randall Morning," one of the officers said. "You're under arrest for the rape of Amber Clarke."

James sat on the ground in confusion before smiling. Amber always seemed to have his back, even when he did not necessarily want her to.

Too bad she was dating Marc…

* * *

The next morning, Jayden groaned as he stepped out of his car and stared at the school.

"Curse you facility of academics and athletics," he said. "You have deprived me of my weekend with my girlfriend."

"Who knew you spoke poetry?" Helen taunted, leaning on her car parked two cars down from Jayden.

Jayden smiled. "Why if it isn't my lovely redhead ex-girlfriend. Isn't it too early for your wise cracks and evil jokes?"

"For you, there's always an exception to the rule." Helen replied moving to him. He waited until she was next to him before heading for the school with her. "Tell me, have you really forgiven Scar? I know that asking you to forget about it is out of the question, but forgiveness is within sight, right?"

"You know I find it funny that you're not asking if I forgive you." Jayden said with a smile.

"I hardly care." Helen told him. "I just want to know if you forgive Scarlett and if so, to what degree."

"Laura and I talked it over last night over the phone," Jayden stated. "And she holds a valid point. Scarlett deserves me hating her for the rest of the year. Especially since she did so not even a _year_ after the death of our son." Helen nodded, knowing that neither teen parent was truly over Jason's death yet. "But, I've come to realize that the more energy I spend hating Scarlett, the more I actually have to think about her. So if I can just forgive her and let it go, eventually I can learn to let her go as well."

"Yeah, well tell that to the magazines." Helen replied. "They're going to hound you until this story gets old, and it's _far_ from that."

"So glad you understand." Helen smiled. "No, seriously. My parents and I have devised a plan for this and Laura and I have agreed that when the twins get older we will tell them the truth."

"Is it weird that I'm slightly jealous that Laura gets all of your deep dark secrets now and all I get is the annoying shallow you?" Helen asked.

Jayden laughed. "Very."

The two came to Shane and Kelly at Shane's locker.

"Good morning Shane and sister of Shane that is still hot in her camouflage pants." Jayden stated, gaining a grunt from Shane. "How's your day been since you didn't bother to wait for me at the steps."

"Jane's back." Shane said. Jayden raised a brow. "And she's pregnant."

"By our dad." Kelly added.

Helen's face scrunched up. "Isn't your dad old? Like older than my mom, old?"

"Who cares? Jane's knocked up with our little brother-"

"Sister." Kelly cut Shane off.

"Brother." Shane argued before continuing. "And she's back for good this time."

"Dude… That sucks for you." Shane frowned at Jayden's words. "Jane is Bella's aunt. Therefore your brother or sister is Isabella's cousin, thus making her related to you." Shane seemed to be considering Jayden's words. "Damn… Oh well! More Bella for me and all of those _not_ related to her in anyway!"

"That's disgusting." Helen said before spotting Jacquelyn and Nicole. "And look. My friends."

"I hate your cousin." Nicole said once she was closer to Helen.

"Really? I'm doing great, thanks for asking." Helen remarked. "And what do you mean that you hate my cousin? I have a lot of cousins that I hate, so you're going to have to be more specific."

"Torrie Stone. That's who." Nicole said. "She was having sex with Ethan in the back of a van!"

"Didn't you?" Helen replied.

"That's not the point! We were dating!" Nicole shouted.

"Some guys are jerks, Nicky. Forget about him." Jayden said.

Nicole scoffed. "Right. Because you and Shane are the epitome of _loyal_ boyfriends."

"Hey, I get that you're angry or whatever," Jayden began. "But in Shane's defense, he slept with Deanna because he thought that you did with the jerk that just cheated on you." Nicole opened her mouth, yet Jayden continued. "And he wouldn't have had those thoughts if you had kept your promise and stayed away from the ravine _and_ a boy that Shane was questioning in the first place. Therefore, that was partially your fault."

"Wow. Tell us how you really feel." Helen told Jayden. "And as for you Nicky, Jayden's partially right. You did set your self up when you were dating Plain Shane. Plus you did pick a fight with his new girlfriend so…"

"She was flaunting him!" Nicole argued.

"So you were jealous?" Jayden asked.

"Of course I was…" Nicole's words died when she realized that Shane was still standing next to her. "Um, well…"

"Awkward…" Kelly said.

"Yeah…" Shane said. "I'm going to go to class. See you guys around."

Jayden smiled as Shane walked away. Sighing heavily, he put an arm around Helen.

"Do you smell love in the air? I do." Jayden said.

"I smell your body spray." Helen said. "Now back off."

* * *

Maxwell's brows rose. "Say that again?"

"Jane's back and she's pregnant." Gavin replied. The man behind the desk leaned back in his seat. "And I haven't told Emma. Yet."

Maxwell whistled. "Well more power to you. Glad that all of my exes are no longer in my life."

"I don't know how to deal with this. I mean, I love Jane more than anything. And now that she's pregnant…" Gavin paused. "We're not getting younger. I mean, your _grandkids_ will be older than my youngest kid!"

"Yeah, well sometimes that's just how the universe works. Be thankful you were given a child and not one taken away from you." Gavin nodded, understanding that Maxwell was referring to his deceased grandchild. "You know she won't flip out, right? I know that you and her agreed that if someone new came into Shane's and Kelly's lives that you would let the other know beforehand. But this is Jane. From what Manny tells me, she was in love with you on the day you married Emma in the first place."

"Manny actually told you that she started a fight with Jane at my wedding?" Gavin questioned.

"Not in so many words, but yeah." Maxwell replied with a grin. "And actually, she said that she fought someone at a wedding once. Emma actually filled me in on the rest."

"Yeah. Wasn't pretty." Gavin said.

Maxwell snorted. "Should've seen my wedding. I thought my mom was going to kill Manny's dad." Gavin chuckled with his friend. "I think you're over-thinking this. Worst case scenario, Emma makes Jane fill out some kind of form before agreeing with us."

"You're probably right." Gavin said. "Well, I guess I'll get back to work."

"Hey, my doors are open anytime." Maxwell replied. "In fact," Gavin paused at Maxwell's door and looked at the man. "How about we celebrate this weekend? Not everyday that a woman carries your child, you know?"

"This coming from a guy with seven kids?" Maxwell shrugged. "Sure, see you Saturday. Just make sure that your wife and her friend doesn't hear us gambling again."

"If only that's what I had in mind." Maxwell said as Gavin left.

* * *

The bell rang, the students now moving for their second period class.

"James!" James paused as Amber ran up to him and hugged him tightly. "James, thank you! Thank you so much!"

James smiled. "Amber, I got my ass kicked."

"Yeah, well you did it for me." Amber replied before pulling away and looking up towards him. "Even though you said you wouldn't!"

"Sorry. I just…" James paused. "I don't like to see you hurt Amber."

"Well, I'm fine now." James frowned. "What?"

"You're not fine. You hardly got any sleep these past two days." James argued. Amber's eyes moved to the floor, knowing he was right. "Look, maybe we can go talk to a counselor or someone?"

"I…" Amber began.

"We can go together if you want. I'll even try to talk Mary-Jane into going." James continued. "Come on Amber. We can't have you going through your nights like this."

Amber sighed. "Fine. But only if MJ goes."

James smiled. "I'll get her to come. See you later."

"Yeah…" Amber said as James walked away.

A smile crept onto Amber's face as she watched James's retreating figure. She was beyond happy that he was going to be there for her in her time of need, but she could not help but to think that he was the problem behind this as well. Had Simon and James not argued over Spring Break last year, she and James would still be together and she probably would not have had any reason to even go to Randy's apartment. But that was in the past. Now it was time to put it behind her.

If she could.

* * *

Scarlett walked down the halls quietly until she saw Jayden talking with two other soccer players. She eyed him silently as he appeared to be happy. He was smiling and laughing with the other two boys, obviously enjoying their company. She was going to move right by them until one of the boys saw her. There was a quiet conversation before the two left Jayden alone with Scarlett.

"Hey Jayden." Scarlett said quietly.

"Did you need something?" Jayden replied.

"No. Nothing at all. I just…" Scarlett paused. "I wanted to tell you that I've been thinking about what I did. I'm going to the press about it."

Jayden frowned. "You're what?"

"I asked Kelly if I could come in to her job and tell a reporter that it was I who got the test out of spite and jealousy." Scarlett explained. "I know that it'll never undo everything that I've done but it's a start, right?"

"Whatever. It's not going to do anything but make things worse, but I'm not going to talk you out of it. You're your own person." Scarlett nodded at his words. "Besides, what could've been between us will probably never happen now because of that."

"I thought you were trying to forgive me?" Scarlett said. "I'm trying to make this right."

"Me with Laura is right." Jayden replied. "And you're trying to interrupt that."

"I-"

"I thought I told you to stay the hell away from him?" Laura's voice caused Scarlett to quickly turn and see the teen mom moving their way. "Or do you not remember that?"

"You're leaving?" Jayden asked Laura, she only nodding. "I'm going to miss you."

"Uh-huh." It was apparent to Jayden that Laura was more interested in beating Scarlett than she was him at the moment.

"Laura." His voice became firm and grabbed Laura's and Scarlett's attention. "Don't start a fight with her. Not here."

Laura's eyes narrowed. "You can't keep saving her Jayden."

"And you could go to jail. You're just a visitor here and she's a student. Think about it." replied Jayden. Laura gave Jayden a small sigh, but nodded. "Now there's my beautiful girlfriend." Laura smiled as Jayden moved and kissed her. "I have class. Please have a safe trip."

"I will." Laura said before frowning. "And you'd better answer your damn phone tonight!"

Jayden chuckled. "I will." Giving her another kiss, he smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too." Jayden gave Scarlett a dark glance before walking towards his class.

When Jayden rounded a corner, Scarlett found herself pushed against a row of lockers, Laura's hands tightly clutching her collar.

"Listen to me carefully," Laura hissed. "You're only walking now because of him so thank God that he was around. But the next time I catch you in the same building with him, your ass is mine. Got it?"

Reluctantly, Scarlett nodded. The last thing she wanted to do was get suspended for fighting Laura, knowing her parents would have something else to be angry about and possibly losing her presidency at the school. Plus, there was the chance of losing, not only the fight, but what little friendship she had with Jayden. Yet, there was something else that stopped Scarlett from picking a fight with her cousin's longtime rival.

Her eyes. Laura's eyes somehow reflected Scarlett's, despite the difference in color. They showed Scarlett that Laura would do everything to keep Jayden happy. Laura's eyes also promised a certain doom if Scarlett chose to ignore them, but that was another topic. Right now, Scarlett was focused on the determined and protective look on Laura's face.

"Good." Laura finally said, giving Scarlett a small shove afterwards.

"I go speak to Darcy for _five minutes_ and you're already back to your old ways." The voice of Danica did nothing to calm Scarlett's nerves. She would never fear Laura, but Danica scared a lot of people for a lot of good reasons. "What am I going to do with you Fat Mama?"

Laura rolled her eyes. "I was just talking to the child. You make it seem like I was going to kill her or something."

"I'm a little downhearted that I can't count on you to do so." Scarlett saw the small smile exchange between Jayden's girlfriend and his sister. "Oh well. Time to get you on that plane and back to school."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You don't have to remind me." Laura said before looking back at Scarlett. "Just like I won't be reminding you again."

"Are you done?" Danica said. "I do have to get to work."

"All you do is work. You're no better than your dad." Laura remarked.

"'You're no better than your dad.'" Danica mocked. "Let's just go. I'm starting to feel a certain kind of way looking at a certain someone."

"Whatever." Laura replied as she and Danica began walking away.

Scarlett released a breath. His entire family hated her now. Sadly, she couldn't really blame them. They were a family that enjoyed what little privacy that they could get and she had almost completely ruined that plan.

Scarlett walked the opposite way, heading in the same direction as Jayden since they did share the same second period.

"Are you okay?" the boy asked. Scarlett was shocked to know that he had been standing around the corner this entire time and nodded. "I'm sorry about that."

"For what? It's my fault." Scarlett replied.

"Yeah, well I did tell Laura not to get physical with you." Jayden said. Scarlett bit the insides of her cheeks, forcing herself to snap back. "Come on. We're both late."

"Yeah." Scarlett responded, walking quietly behind Jayden. "Jayden?" She saw him look over his shoulder, brows raised in question. "I really am sorry for everything."

"Sorry doesn't always cut it." Jayden muttered just loud enough for her to hear. "Besides, you're much more fun to mess with when you're no apologetic and refuse to say what's on your mind."

Scarlett stopped and grabbed his arm, forcefully turning him around.

"This is serious Jayden!" Scarlett scolded. "I am literally falling apart and it's all because I don't have you! I can't deal with you angry at me all day!" Jayden's eyes narrowed. "I know what I did was wrong and I'm truly sorry about that. But please, don't let me go. You're really all I have."

"Scar-"

"Jayden, please." Scarlett pleaded. "I'm begging."

Jayden raised a brow. "You're begging while standing up. People normally get on their knees."

Scarlett gave Jayden a bewildered look before taking a small step backwards and sighing.

"Okay. But-"

"Don't you dare." Scarlett was shocked when his voice went from smug to serious in a matter of seconds. "Now stop with the water works and let's go already. We're already late as it is."

"But I-"

Scarlett's words were silenced when Jayden's lips pressed against hers. She could feel his arms wrap around her and pull her closer to him. And just before her brain could completely crumble into bliss, he pulled away. Her eyes connected with his, remembering when he kicked her out of his apartment. She barely felt his hand grip hers and gently rub it.

"Let's get to class." Jayden said softly. Scarlett nodded. "We'll worry about forgiveness later, okay?"

"Okay." Scarlett responded.

She had no idea on what brought this on, but she was glad that it happened. Her lips tingled and her body felt like it was floating as she walked with Jayden to class. Was this even for real or was this some ploy that Jayden had concocted to get even? And why did she even care? For now, she temporarily had the boy. And that's all that matters.

* * *

Manny looked at Emma and then at Gavin.

"Congratulations!" Manny said happily. "Do you know what it is yet?"

"I do actually." Gavin said. "It's, um, it's a boy."

"This is great, right Em?" Manny said.

Emma blinked out of her thoughts. "I'm… I'm shocked. I mean, you've always said that you wanted one boy and one girl, and we have that."

"Emma I know that we said that if someone was to move in with either of us, we'd say something for the kids sake but-"

"No, no, I'm fine! I'm just… I don't know." Emma said before sighing. "This is just happening fast."

Manny frowned. "Wow Em, I thought you'd be happier that Spinner is going to be a dad. Again."

"I'm surprised that you're taking this so well. The last time you saw Jane, you fought her. At my wedding, no less." Emma responded. "And now she's pregnant with Spinner's child. She's staying with my kids."

"I knew that-"

"Hey," Manny smiled as her husband walked into The Dot. "I heard about Liberty. Is everything alright?"

"No." Manny told him. "Damian's not talking to her." Maxwell nodded a bit, now standing beside his wife. "Jane's back in town and she's pregnant with Spinner's baby. Isn't that great?"

Maxwell grinned. "Yeah, it is. Well, if you don't throw in the fact that our oldest grandkids are older than his youngest son, then nit's great."

"I…" Manny paused and frowned. "I never said she was having a boy."

"And I never said that this was news to me." Manny and Emma looked at Gavin. "He stopped by the office earlier."

"So I'm the _last_ person to know?" Emma asked her ex-husband.

Gavin shook his head. "No. I haven't even told Kendra yet." Emma nodded. "Em, I'm really asking for your help here."

"Helping the woman that fought at my wedding? The one that cheated on you?" Emma questioned.

"Yes. That woman." Gavin stated.

"Come on Emma," Manny said. "You have to let it go. Besides, you left Spin for Sean, remember? So everyone should be happy."

Maxwell nodded. "Manny's right. We did sort of force her to let go as much of a grudge with Laura as possible."

Emma looked at the other three adults. Gavin was using the frontal approach, just telling her what it is without any ad-lib. Manny was giving her the whole "it's in the past" speech which made some sense. And finally Maxwell was using the guilt approach. And while she had a counter for all three of their statements, Emma could only sigh and nod.

"You're right. I do need to just let it go and move forward." Manny's smile widened. "Besides, I did drop off Jordan a lot, so it's only fair, right?"

"There's the Emma I know." Gavin said. "And for that, lunch is on the house."

Maxwell smirked. "Well Spin, we are at a café that you both own. So you're kind of taking money from Emma too."

"I was hoping she didn't notice." Gavin said, the two men laughing afterwards.

"Boys." Manny and Emma sighed in unison while shaking their heads.

* * *

At the end of the day, Jordan found herself in the company of Aaron and Dustin. She had to admit that it had been quite some time since the three had actually hung out, but blamed that on Dustin. After the dance, she had done her best to stay away from the growing pervert. Jordan swore on her grandfather's grave that if Dustin's hands ever got that close to her butt again, she would beat him within an inch of his life. But of course, Aaron found this quite humorous and just laughed it off.

"And now my dad is super pissed about the whole thing." Dustin concluded.

Jordan grimaced. "Why Mr. Isaacs?"

"That's what I said!" Dustin replied, causing Aaron and Jordan to stare at him. "No! I mean, why did it have to be him? It could've been someone I didn't know."

"Would that really make you feel any better?" Aaron asked.

"I guess not." Dustin said before sighing. "My brother was right. Life sucks sometimes."

Jordan rolled her eyes. "Oh great. Another older brother who we won't ever meet."

"You met my brother long before I introduced you to him." Aaron countered. "You even used to write-"

"No one asked you!" Jordan snapped, afraid that Aaron would reveal her innermost secret diary entries to Dustin of all people.

"My brother is a master at women. He even got Danni-"

"No he didn't." Aaron interrupted. "Believe me, I was there when Danni thought about going to dinner with him, called him, and thought that they should just stay friends."

"Are you saying my brother's not good enough for the Californian Princess?" Dustin questioned.

"I don't have to say it, Danni already did." Aaron said.

Jordan sighed heavily. It was one thing when Dustin said something outrageously stupid and Aaron corrected him, but this was something completely annoying. They were arguing over which of their older siblings was too good for the other one.

"Whatever A.J." Dustin said. "Facts state that he was good enough for her to say yes. She just wants you to think that she didn't like him."

"Dustin," Jordan finally stated. "You've known your brother for like a month while A.J's known Danni a lot longer. I think he would know."

"That was low Jordan." Aaron replied after reading the shocked look on Dustin's face.

Jordan shrugged, flicking some hair from her face.

"It got you two to shut up, so who cares?" Aaron shook his head. "Besides, if we're going to catch up with _my_ brother and sister, then we'd better hurry up before they leave us."

"I can't. I have to get home." Dustin said. "See you two later?"

"I doubt it." Jordan muttered.

Dustin did not comment on Jordan's reply, separating from his two friends. Jordan glanced to see Aaron giving her a disapproving look and huffed in exasperation.

"Okay, so that was a little below the belt. But he needs to stop with this 'my brother this' and 'my brother that'. It's annoying!" Jordan stated.

"Doesn't mean you have to remind him that he just now met his older brother." Aaron told her.

Jordan rolled her eyes. "Save the good Samaritan crap for your girlfriend. Only she and Bambi are dumb enough to buy it." Aaron's brows rose. "Oh come on. We both know that you're not as innocent as you put on."

Aaron only smiled. "Whatever Jordan. Though, people are likely to believe me than you."

"Whatever _Aaron_." Jordan remarked. "I can get them to believe otherwise."

"Is this another bet?" Jordan was going to say yes but quickly silenced herself. She had lost too many bets with him already, the last one forcing herself to be at a dance with Dustin. "Like I said. They will believe me first."

"I hate you sometimes." Jordan stated.

"I know." Aaron said with a smile.

* * *

Jacob walked into his house and immediately froze.

"Mom," Jacob called, seeing a few packed and taped boxes in the living room. "What's going on?"

"She's putting me out." The voice of Toby caused Jacob to turn around and face his father, who had given him a ride home. "I was going to tell you before we got home but…"

"But what? Dad, what's going on?" Jacob asked.

Toby sighed. "I…" Toby paused and released another breath. "I cheated on your mom with a friend of my from high school." Jacob's jaw dropped, as did his book bag. "Son, I want you to know that I am forever sorry for what I have done. If I could take it back then I would. I just-"

"No…" Jacob said. "You're lying to me. What's really going on?"

"That's what happened. Honestly." Jacob shook his head, sitting on the couch. "Jacob, son, I know this is something that's not easy to take, but I promise that I'll do everything to fix this. Your mom and I… We just need space, okay? Let everyone calm down first."

Jacob only rose from his seat and moved down the hall for his room. He closed the door gently before locking it, finding his way to his bed and sitting on it.

How did this happen? His mother and father had one of the strongest relationships he had ever known. They loved each other as well as their kids very much. Why would his father step out of such a happy home to do such a terrible thing? And just who was this other woman anyway? Obviously, she was to blame.

There was just no way that Jacob would ever believe that this was his father's fault.

* * *

Scarlett sighed as she went to her room. DeWayne had called her twice and she has been desperately trying to find some way to ignore him. Thus she stayed after school with her dad all day instead of riding home with Helen. Sans DeWayne's calls, she had a lot of time to think about what had happened between and Jayden earlier.

"Oh, hey Scar." Helen said passing Scarlett's room. "Is Aunt Fi done talking to that guy?"

"What guy?" Scarlett asked moving to her bed.

"I thought I would've gained a name by now," Jayden said moving beside Helen, the shorter teen smiling a bit. "But whatever Helen. You will call me whatever and whenever, I suppose."

"And you shall answer." Helen replied. "Now get in there and forgive her already. I want to go to bed tonight and not hear her crying."

"Aye, aye evil Smurfette." Helen glared at Jayden but walked away. Jayden took a step into Scarlett's room, closing the door slowly. "I talked to your mom about what you were saying earlier."

"I take it that you got her to agree with you." Scarlett said.

"I did." Jayden replied. "You're not going to be revealing anything for a long time. In fact, if I have my way, it'll be something you'll be taking to the grave and nowhere else."

"Why?" Scarlett said sitting up in her bed. "Why can't you just let me take what I deserve?"

"Who says you deserve it?" Scarlett was going to answer but Jayden raised a hand, stopping her. "I know all about the fight you had with Danni and what Laura said to you. But the truth is, they have their personal feelings in a business matter, and that's not right. Danni wants you to pay because you betrayed her trust and Laura…" Jayden shrugged. "Laura's never liked you from the start."

"And you?" questioned Scarlett.

"And I… Well I just want everyone to be happy." Jayden stated. "Which is why I went to practice earlier today and raced over here." Scarlett's brows rose slightly. "Your mom and I believe that you do deserve some sort of punishment that we both agree on. She, being your mom, and I, being the person you harmed, have come up with the perfect solution."

"And what's that?" Scarlett asked.

"Well," Jayden said, now smiling a bit. "You know how the whole video yearbook is being made now for the seniors and stuff?" Scarlett nodded slowly. "Well… I let it, uh, 'slip' about the little incident that occurred here." Now Scarlett frowned. "You know. The gown. Your boob. The hug."

Scarlett gasped. "Jayden!"

"And now you'll see just how Laura and I feel about everyone being able to hear about something personal. Just to a lesser extent." Scarlett, despite being beyond angry and embarrassed, nodded. "You can call us even. Whatever you have between Laura and Danni, that's them."

Scarlett's lips twisted a little. "I don't like what you did but I'm glad that you're happy."

"I'm always happy. I just have a weird way of showing it." Jayden said.

"Um," Scarlett began. "Can I ask you something?" Jayden nodded. "That kiss earlier…"

"Got you to shut up and come with me. Two birds with one stone." Jayden replied. "Why? Did you think I did it for some other reason?"

"Oh no! I just… Um…" Scarlett's incapability to create a lie caused Jayden to chuckle a bit. "What's so funny?"

"You." Jayden said backing towards the door. "I'll see you later Red."

"Sure Jayden." Scarlett said with a smile. "Is it alright for me to call now?"

Jayden smiled. "Anytime Scarlett. Just don't do what I feared you might be doing."

"Going to the press?"

"No," Jayden's response was quick and he sighed to calm himself down. "No. A few weeks back, Helen had me thinking that you might commit suicide or at least self harm. Even while I was with Laura and felt like all was right in the world, I was praying that I didn't cause you to do something like that."

"I'm not that bad without you Jayden." His raised brow caused her to slump a bit. "Okay… So I was a _little_ down. But nothing like that."

"Well, that's good to know." Jayden said with his hand on the doorknob. "I'm going to go next door to tell my parents that we've reached an agreement and then head on home. Kids are probably cranky now that Laura is gone. They're more attached to her than they are me. Well, Jaylen is anyway."

Scarlett nodded and watched Jayden open the door and pause. She saw him slowly turn back around and stare at her. She hoped that he would cross the room this very instance and give her another mind-blowing kiss. And while it look like he thought about it, he merely gave her a smile and left.

"Ugh!" Scarlett said flopping backwards on her bed. "So close!"

"So close to what?" Fiona's voice caused the younger brunette to prop herself up on her elbows. "Jayden told you that the school pretty much knows about your little slip up, didn't he?"

"Yeah. But I'm okay with. Well…" Scarlett paused before sitting up completely. "I'm fine Mom. I'm real happy that he finally forgives me."

"I'm sure you are." Fiona stated. "Don't let this happen again." Scarlett nodded. "Now, there are some dirty dishes with your name on it and do _not_ use the dishwasher."

"Mom!" Scarlett whined.

Fiona smiled. "Don't get mad at me. This is a punishment that I and Jayden have sat down and thought of. Now, go."

Scarlett huffed, but moved out of her room anyway with a small smile. She would be washing dishes for Jayden's sake, gaining his forgiveness along the way.

She finally had him back.

* * *

Kelly, Shane, and Jane looked between Gavin and Emma as the two adults were having a silent conversation. Emma's eyes would move to Jane and then to Gavin, the man periodically nodding or shaking his head with sighs now and again. Finally Emma turned to Jane.

"Congratulations." Both Kelly and Shane knew that their mother had forced that comment out.

"Thanks." Jane said. "I seriously just want the little one out. He or she is starting to become a large pain."

"I thought you said-"

"Kelly and Shane have a bet going on." Jane interrupted before Emma could reveal that Jane was indeed carrying a boy. "I don't want to ruin their game."

Emma nodded a bit. Jane was somehow molding into the Masons' lifestyle, that was for sure.

"Well," Emma said. "I'm going to go home."

"Already Mom? That's not fair." Kelly said with a mock pout.

Emma smiled. "You could come if you'd like Kelly. You know that."

"I promised Dad and Jane that Shane and I would lend helping hands around here. You know, Jane is kind of…"

"Big and immobile at some points." Shane finished.

"Shane!" Kelly chided. "She's pregnant! Not big and immobile!"

Shane looked to see that his words had caused Jane to flinch a bit and remembered what Jayden said his summer with Laura. Every little word either made Laura pissed beyond words or cry. Shane, who did not want to make Jane to express either of those two emotions, quickly stood up.

"Um, I have to go talk to Deanna about something important." he said.

"Just go." Kelly said as her older brother gave Emma a hug and he moved out of the living room. "And people call me odd."

"He just has a problem with not saying everything he's thinking." stated Kelly's mother. "It's a problem that he and Jordan share."

"Wonder who they got that from?" Gavin questioned with a smile. Emma shot him a stern look, though the man shrugged it off. "Hey, they only have one common parent and she just so happens to be in my living room right now."

"You have dinner to be making Mr. Mason. I suggest you go do it." Emma said. Gavin chuckled, though he did move to do just that. "And Kelly, please make sure that your dad and brother doesn't drive Jane into insanity. I know that living with them can do that to a person. Surprised Deanna hasn't cracked yet."

"I will Mom. And Dee has a strong personality. The only time I've seen her cry is when a store runs out of her size and she can't special order it." Kelly said as Emma moved to hug her. "Bye Mom. Drive safe."

"I will." Emma said walking towards the door. "Jane, if you need anything Spinner has my number."

"I'm sure your kids will be all the help I need, but just incase they forget about me, I'll call." Jane responded.

Emma smiled and left the house, Gavin soon reentering the living room.

"Kind of hard to imagine that you tried to stop us from getting married, huh?" Kelly's eyes widened.

"What?!" Jane sighed heavily. That was something she did not want to relive anytime soon. "What happened? Tell me!"

Gavin sighed. "Well… Where to start?" The man then sat down beside his daughter. "Well, it all started this weird morning I woke up married…"


	131. S5: Episode II: Trapped in the Closet

**Episode II: Trapped In the Closet Pt. II**

"Hey," Farah smiled as Aaron neared her. "You look tired."

"Oh," Farah replied as she grabbed the books for her morning class. "I was just talking to Chandra last night." Aaron's brows lifted. "She's fine. She just wanted to talk."

"Oh. That's good I guess. I mean, I'm glad to see you two talking now." Aaron said.

Farah nodded a little. "Yeah, we're slowly becoming like we once were. We even exchanged a few secrets."

"Secrets?" Farah was a little unnerved by Aaron's curiosity, but was pleased to see him grinning. "Wow, I didn't think you'd get that far in such little time. Jay and Danni would take months before telling me their favorite color."

"I doubt that." Farah replied with a small laugh. "But, it feels good to have my cousin again."

"I bet." stated Aaron. "But it does lead to the problem that I have to share you with Bambi and your friends now."

Farah grinned. "No you don't. Chandler and Nigel would understand if I wanted to just spend time with you and I'm sure Chandra will too."

"I dated Bambi and she blew me off for you some days. I'm sure she's expecting the same." Aaron said with a grin.

Farah was quiet for a moment as she thought about what Aaron had said. Maybe Aaron had a point there? Then again, Farah was sure that Chandra would understand if Farah chose to hangout with Aaron instead of her cousin. Besides, all they would mostly talk about is how bad Chandra felt about sleeping with Tevin and how she wished Aaron never knew.

"I'm fine with you spending time with Bambi Farah. In fact, I sort of wished it happened earlier." Aaron stated. "It's no problem. Seriously."

"Okay… But I'll call if she changes her mind." Farah said.

Aaron smiled. "That's perfect."

* * *

James sighed as he closed his locker, already hating the day. Vanessa was a little angry at him for being late since he had misplaced his keys earlier. But her anger, as always, died before they got to school and she quickly dashed off for class. He, on the other hand, did not have the energy to run. Staying up all night with Amber had taken its toll on him and at the moment, he just wanted to go to sleep.

"James," James tiredly glanced at his larger friend moving to him. "Need to ask you something."

James sighed. "Marc, I don't need to know if you and Amber had sex or anything like that."

"This isn't about that. It's about Randy." Now James was paying as much attention as his tired mind would allow. "You fought him for her?" James nodded. "I thought you two were hardly on speaking terms."

James shrugged. "Rape isn't something you just brush off, you know? I'd expect you to beat someone who raped my girlfriend or Vanessa if I wasn't around."

"I don't think that's why you did it." stated Marc.

There was a moment of silence afterwards. James would have joked that Marc hardly thought at all, but did not have the energy to deal with his reaction if Marc did not take it as a joke. Besides, Marc was right. James fought Randy because Randy raped Amber. Had it have been pretty much anyone else, James would have just comforted the girl. But James went out of his way to fight Randy because it was Amber Clarke that he was fighting for.

"I have class." James finally said.

"Wait," Marc said physically stopping James. "Thanks."

James gave Marc a small nod and Marc released James's arm. James idly wondered if Amber had told Marc about the whole Randy ordeal or if Mary-Jane, but did not think too much of the question. At this moment, there were two things on his brain: Amber and sleep. He did not care which came first, just so long as he got to sleep and made sure Amber was okay by the end of the day.

* * *

Darcy looked at Mr. Goodwin and Mrs. Hart as the two counselors shook their heads.

"I thought so." Darcy said before sighing. "We'll have to do a meeting with their parents, schedule a few sessions, and pray for the best."

Mr. Goodwin nodded. "That seems to be the best solution. Neither Amber nor Mary-Jane seems to want to talk about the events, let alone retell it. I think its best to have their parents and possibly anyone else that they would need there for us to better assess this."

"I agree." The aged woman with glasses said. "Abuse and rape are not things that someone just shakes off and if not left attended too-"

"I know the repercussions if left alone." Darcy interrupted, not trying to uncover buried feelings inside of her. "I will get in contact with their parents and push the meeting with Lakehurst for another day."

"Mrs. Taylor," Mrs. Hart began. "Don't you think you should put someone else in Amber's spot? It would be better for the schools."

"No. Trust me, I don't want her to feel as if she's incapable of doing things anymore. Same for Mary-Jane. I will give them time to relieve, but I won't automatically take away their lives." Darcy stated.

Mrs. Hart and Mr. Goodwin looked at one another before nodding. Not only was Darcy their boss, but she had experienced rape before. Her say wasn't just final, it was based on experience.

"I'll talk to Amber first." Darcy said rising from her chair. "Contact their parents for me please."

The principal made her exit before either of the two elders could answer her. She knew that when she took the job, there would be headaches to come, but this one had just grown into a full-scale migraine. And what was worse was the thoughts of sitting Amber, Mary-Jane, and James down in one room and have to deal with what teenage emotions that those three may have for one another while trying to get the two girls to relive their respective incidents. She just hopes that she would not add to their problems by dragging James into the meeting.

* * *

After the bell rang, the students flooded the halls on their way to second period. Jacob walked down the halls, hearing the voices about what his father had done. It angered him greatly, but of course, what was he to do? Most of those that spoke were those that once bullied him. A physical fight was something he was trying to avoid, but the voices, they were growing louder.

"Hey Isaacs," Vanessa said nearing him. "Are you okay?"

"Not really." Jacob answered honestly.

"I heard about your dad and Dustin's mom." Jacob sighed heavily. "You know, if you want to talk, I'm still a call away."

Jacob let out a snort. "Does your brother approve?"

Vanessa frowned. "I'm sure James would understand me helping out a friend."

"I doubt it." Jacob said walking away.

"What's gotten into you?" Vanessa said moving after Jacob. "You sound more like your cousin than you." Jacob glanced at her. "I'm talking about Steven. Not Ashton."

"Right. Because they're dad slept with another woman and the world knows about it." Jacob sarcastically stated.

"He did. Dakota's mom." Vanessa responded pointedly. "You should know that. But you're in such a funk that-"

"That what Vanessa?" Jacob interrupted. "Do you know how it feels for your parents to be on the brink of divorce? Do you know how it feels to have people talking about your dad cheating with some random woman?" Vanessa shook her head silently. "I didn't think so. So just leave me alone."

As Jacob walked away from his ex, Chandra moved for Vanessa with her brows raised.

"Wow. What a jerk." Chandra said.

Vanessa sighed. "He's just mad. I kind of understand him."

"Right." Chandra said before smirking. "I don't know Nessa. You've managed to piss of Jacob _and_ A.J this year. You might beat Jordan out for the Biggest Annoyance Award soon."

"No I won't." Vanessa responded with a smile. "Besides, both of them weren't thinking right. A.J dating your cousin and Jacob walking around like he's mad at the world."

Chandra shrugged. "Still you made them both mad. And it takes a _lot_ to make A.J mad."

"You would know." Vanessa said. "Come on. Let's get to class before something else happens."

"About that…" Vanessa sighed at Chandra's words. "Come on! Farah kept me up all night and I didn't have time to study so I need your notes!"

"You're hopeless." Vanessa stated.

* * *

Shane groaned. "I hate projects."

"Welcome to the school where the teachers don't care." Jayden remarked as they both sat in their respective seats in their second period World Literature class. "I really wish that I didn't have to do it."

Shane nodded. "Ditto. Especially now that Jane's staying with us and is totally pregnant. Mood swings and hunger are things that I'm not used to."

"Don't worry. When you knock Deanna up, you'll have plenty experience." Jayden stated. Nicole gave a low growling sound that caused Jayden to look at her. "What I meant," Jayden began to restate. "Was that when you knock up _whoever_ you'll have plenty experience."

"Yeah, thanks for that." Shane stated, his eyes looking at Nicole.

"As for the partners," the teacher, Ms. Warren, stated. "Shane," Shane let out a groan as his name was the first to be called. "You will be working with Nicky."

Despite his attempts, Jayden began laughing in his seat. Shane did his best not to tell his friend to shut up and instead focused on Nicole's facial response. She looked, as he did, a little frustrated by the teacher's call.

"Mr. McDuelle," Jayden's laughter quieted down a bit, though he was still chuckling. "You'll be working with Scarlett."

"Say what now?" Now it was Shane's turn to laugh as Jayden's humor died instantly. Jayden only glared at Shane. "Shut up."

Shane reached over and patted Jayden's shoulder.

"Hey, look at the bright side," Shane spoke quietly. "Laura's in England and can only hire your sister to kill you." Jayden groaned. "Oh wait… That's not really a bright side, is it?"

"Why?" Jayden said. "That's all I ask. Why? Why is it that life always slaps me with a dose of pain everyday?"

"You two complaining about joining with two hot girls?" a boy beside Scarlett asked. "What a pair of-"

"First," Jayden interrupted the guy. "Who are you? And when'd you start coming to this class?"

"Yeah, and it's not like we don't know how hot they are. We dated them." Shane added.

"So get a girl and leave our exes alone, okay?" Jayden said before sighing. "I swear, these background characters get bolder everyday."

"Every single day…" Shane said.

* * *

Helen requested to go to the bathroom so she could answer whoever felt it necessary to call her during class. While the teacher did not hear the buzzing, some students did. And now here she was, seconds away from giving someone a piece of her mind.

"What?" Helen answered.

"We need to talk." Helen's brows furrowed.

"Mercedes? How the hell did you get my number?" questioned the redhead.

"You're dating my cousin. You think about it." Mercedes snapped back. "And speaking of cousins, I have a bone to pick with yours."

"Scar hasn't been near you in months. Hasn't even been thinking about you." Helen replied. "So what could you possibly be mad at her for?"

"Next to DeWayne breaking up with me out of the blue?" questioned Mercedes. "You think I don't know that it was her who told him to do it and not some 'gut feeling' like he said?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. Scar hasn't been around your boyfriend in…" Helen's voice trailed off before it dawned on her when Scarlett had done so. The day that Kelly and Deanna had seen her leave DeWayne's bedroom. "She hasn't been around your boyfriend so fix it on your own. And stop calling me!"

"Whatever. Just tell your-" Helen hung up before cutting her phone off.

"Why does that child get me in so much trouble?" Helen said to herself, referring to Scarlett.

* * *

Jayden sighed as he tied his shoe. He did not know if telling Laura that he and Scarlett would be doing a project where they will have to connect enough to recite a created poem without reading it was a good idea or not. He figured that he could tell Laura that he and Scarlett were doing a project with Shane, which would not be a complete lie as Shane had the same assignment, but did not want Laura to feel as if she was being lied to. Then again, if he told Laura the entire truth, she would probably attempt to fly back to Toronto and beat someone severely. And that meant death to his partner and an F on his project.

"Can we talk?" Jayden frowned and rose. Since when did Jacob use a demanding tone?

"Sure," Jayden said skeptically. "What is it?"

"Why?" Jacob questioned. "Why do you guys do it?" Jayden frowned. "Cheat. Why do you guys do what you do?"

"I can't answer that." Jacob frowned.

"What do you mean you can't answer it? You did! And now your kids will have to live with the knowledge that-"

"That their parents love them dearly and their dad will kick his friend's ass if he doesn't calm down." Jayden interrupted. "I know what happened to you is a bit unfair, and if I had to be honest, I'd wish it on someone else. But comparing what I did to Scarlett and what your dad did to your mom is two different things. So don't."

Jacob glared. "What do you mean its two different things? There's only one definition for infidelity!"

"Yeah," Jayden replied. "But I _technically_ cheated on Scarlett. Your dad _legally_ committed adultery. Now, I can try to help you through this or I can keep throwing stones back at you, but you're not going to point fingers at me for something I had no control over."

"Your mom knew." Jacob stated. "Your mom knew the entire time and did nothing!"

"How do you know?" asked Jayden.

"Because I heard her!" Jacob shouted. "I heard her continuously tell my dad how they should've stopped and how she knew it was bound to happen! What kind of friend is that?"

"My mom," Jayden replied. "Is one of the most remarkable people that I know. If she didn't tell your mom or Dustin's dad then there is a great reason. It may be because she's friends with _your_ dad and Dustin's mom. But I could just be speculating."

Jacob sighed heavily. "You even do it to me. Can you just answer the question? Why'd you cheat on Scarlett? Why'd you hurt the girl you claimed to love so much?"

"I did it out of revenge and jealousy." Jayden answered. "Are you happy now?"

"I don't think I'll ever be happy again." Jacob said.

"You have two parents who would die for you and your siblings in a heartbeat whether they're together or not. You're one of the smartest guys in the school. You play the keyboards in the hottest band in school. And to top it off, you're dating the daughter of a famous model." Jayden said. "If you have all this and will never be happy again, then maybe you need to be checked out."

"And what do you have? Loving parents that are married. More siblings. More love from everyone!"

"Don't do that." Jayden nearly hissed. "Don't make me out to be the poster boy Jacob. I'm not the enemy here and you know it."

"But you did the same thing!" Jacob protested.

"And I paid for it, okay? Laura became pregnant." Jayden argued. "But do you know something? I wouldn't wish it any other way. Why? Because I love Laura. I know that your parents were married with kids, but who are we to tell your dad who he can and cannot love? No one."

"I'm his son!"

"Exactly! Not his dad!" Jayden retorted before sighing. "Look. Let's just go to lunch alright? I have too much to worry about than listening to you throw around your pity party invites."

Jayden turned around, ready to walk away.

"You and my dad are both the same. Walk away instead of fixing the problem." Jacob said angrily.

"The major difference," Jayden said glaring at the other boy. "Is that you're not my son and I will hurt you badly the next time you drag me, Laura, and my kids into your dilemma."

Jayden walked away and released a frustrated sigh. He and Jacob had been friends for years and he had never thought about punching the boy before now. But Jayden realized that what Jacob was going through would be something that would put him on edge, so he let it slide.

This time.

* * *

"Scarlett J!" Scarlett frowned. Helen's mother once called her that whenever she was in trouble. "What did you do in DeWayne's room?"

Nicole and Jacquelyn, who sat across from the blue-eyed brunette, stared at Scarlett with shocked eyes. Scarlett was a little baffled that Helen would even know that she was DeWayne's house, let alone his room.

"Well?" Helen impatiently said.

"I…"

"You told him to break up with Mercedes, didn't you?" For once, Scarlett wished that Mary-Jane or someone would come and take Helen's attention off of Scarlett. But having no such luck, Scarlett meekly nodded. "What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't." Scarlett told her cousin. Helen frowned and sat next to Scarlett, causing the blue-eyed girl to sigh. "I saw Jayden and Torrie kissing and just lost it."

"Why would you even think that our annoying neighbor would care for that whore?" Helen asked.

"Because I thought Danni told him." Scarlett answered. "Remember, Danni said that she would do her best to rip me apart, physically, emotionally, and mentally. I thought she told Jayden and he did it out of spite. Kind of like why he slept with Laura…" Helen glanced at Nicole and Jacquelyn to see their slightly confused faces before turning her attention back to Scarlett. "Anyway, that's why I did it. But I never went back. I don't even answer his calls!"

"Yeah, well his ex called me. You know, Braxton's cousin Mercedes?" Scarlett sighed.

"I'm sorry Helen. I really am." Scarlett stated. "I just wish this year would be over already."

"It's not going to go any faster with you whoring yourself out to the first guy that comes by!" Helen retorted. "Seriously, you just got on the guy's good side again. Don't screw it up."

"You make it sound like he's going to leave Laura anytime soon." Scarlett mumbled.

"I didn't say that. What I'm saying is that if you're happy being near him and he's happy making you happy and Laura's nowhere around to stop it," Helen said. "Then I'm happy. And if I'm happy, then a lot of people like Nicky and Miss Jackie are happy. See how that works?"

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Yeah. I do."

* * *

"I'm so happy!" Isabella squealed as she hugged her aunt.

"Really? We couldn't tell." Danica as she stood behind her friend next to Raven.

"Oh shut up." Isabella shot back before smiling. "I'm going to have the perfect little cousin! I can teach her-"

"It's a he." Jane interrupted. "But please, don't tell Shane and Kelly."

"Fine," Isabella said. "I can teach _him_ all the great things I know."

Danica hummed in thought. "And I could probably teach him a thing or two as well…"

"You have babies to teach things to. Leave him to me." Isabella said before looking at Raven. "And if you want a baby to watch, help Danni."

Raven held her hands up defensively. "Hey don't drop any babies on me. I don't want them. Now."

"I'm so happy that you're excited about this." Jane told Isabella. "Your grandmother was a little… Worried."

"Ah, don't worry Aunt Jane. You'll have plenty of help with the little guy. Won't she Danni?" Isabella said, glancing at her friend with a pleading look.

"I swear," Danica began leaning towards Raven. "That she just told me to pretty much mind my own business and only look after my niece and nephew. Didn't she just say that?" Raven laughed quietly and nodded. "Seriously Ray, how do we put up with such a wishy-washy person?"

"Is this coming for someone who spent an hour debating between two pairs of shoes with Laura?" returned Isabella.

"I'll have you know that it was _Laura_ who was the indecisive one. I just couldn't pick one for her." Danica responded. "So nyah!"

Jane shook her head as Danica stuck her tongue out, Isabella feigning hurt at the gesture.

"I don't know if I want him around either of you two if you're going to act like this all the time." Jane joked with a grin.

"I'll keep an eye on them Jane." Raven announced causing her two friends to stare at her.

"_You_? You can hardly stay awake for two minutes!" Danica argued.

"And since when did _you_ become _my_ babysitter?" Isabella added.

Raven smiled. "Like I said. I'll keep an eye on them."

Jane smiled and shook her head. Between Kelly and Shane and the three women in the room, she knew that her son would have some group of people looking after him. She only prayed that he did not become as violent as Danica or as talkative as Isabella was as a child.

* * *

With one final class to get to, Aaron was quite pleased about how the day had been going. Despite Jordan complaining over their English assignment, everything was fairly pleasant. Vanessa had even toned down her dislike of his and Farah's relationship due to Jacob's well-being, or lack thereof. Though Aaron did not worry about Jacob. He knew that Jayden, being the friend that he was, would at least attempt to help Jacob the best way he knew how. So there was nothing to worry about.

"Um, A.J," Aaron paused in mid-step and allowed Timothy to catch up to him. "I have a question."

"Ask away." Aaron said.

"Are you and Jordan…?" Timothy's unfinished question caused Aaron to frown a bit before he pieced together the only scenario that seemed to work with Timothy.

"Together?" Timothy nodded. "No. We're just friends. Why?"

"Well," Timothy stated as he pushed his glasses up. "Could you, I don't know, stay away from her? You're always around her and it sends weird signals."

"Uh… Okay…" replied Aaron. "Jordan and I are friends. Good friends. If you want me to-"

"I don't need you to do anything." Aaron's eyes narrowed slightly. What was this guy's problem? "I can get Jordan on my own and I could do it faster if you would just stay away."

"I don't think that I-" Aaron was interrupted by a small shove.

"I'm serious. Stay away from her." Timothy said in a low threatening voice.

Aaron had half the mind to taunt Timothy by asking "Or what" but did not out of the lack of time he had to get to class. That, and Aaron was not a fighter. Well, he tried not to be a fighter. But with his parents' genes and the siblings he had, it was getting harder to resist everyday with people like Tevin and now this Timothy guy.

"Whatever." Aaron finally said before turning to walk away.

"I'm-"

"Aaron Santos!" Aaron sighed at the sound of Chandra's voice. "We're going to be late! Hurry up!"

"Good grief…" Aaron let out as he walked towards his ex. "I was coming Bambi. You didn't need to shout out my name like that."

Chandra smiled. "I didn't. I said Santos." Aaron grinned at her statement. "What was that about? You and the new guy?"

"He wanted me to stay away from Jordan so he could try to date her. Though honestly, I don't think he has much of a chance." said Aaron.

"Oh? Did you set the standards that high?" Chandra teased.

"No but Jordan's already told me that she found him creepy." Chandra nodded. That made sense. "And now I'm starting to feel the same way. There's something not right with him."

"You know," Chandra said. "There was nothing wrong with Tevin until he basically stole Jordan from you. So maybe you just don't like to see your exes being taken away from you."

Aaron glanced at Chandra. "I'm serious."

"Oh. The McDuelle voice." Chandra said before sighing. "I'm sure it's nothing. Maybe you're reading him wrong or he just tried to put on some act to scare you away from Jordan."

"There's one thing that scares me Bambi and she's not here." Aaron replied.

"Who? Danni?" Aaron shook his head. "Laura?" Aaron shook his head again. "Your mom?"

"My dad's mom." Aaron answered. "The only person that puts Danni and Laura in their places without even saying a word."

Chandra whistled quietly. "You're right. That is scary."

"Think about how the holidays will be now that all three of them will be in the same place." Aaron said.

"Poor Jayden." Chandra said.

Aaron chuckled. "Yeah. Poor Jayden."

* * *

Amber glanced at her parents.

"Why didn't you come to us first?" Hazel asked.

"I… I don't know." Amber began. "It just happened and I… I don't know."

"We'll make sure that he never gets a chance to be near you again." Jimmy assured. He then looked at Paige who was seated next to Mary-Jane. "Both of them."

"Thank you Jimmy." Paige said before looking at Darcy. "You too Darcy."

"I know this will not heal overnight, but we are willing to work with them until it is." Darcy said. "The last thing I want is for two girls who have it set in their mind to go to school in California to not achieve that due to circumstances out of their control."

James stepped in the room. "Sorry. I had to drop Vanessa off." Jimmy opened his mouth to respond, but Amber had risen out of her seat and hugged James before he could. "Um… You're welcome."

No one said anything as Amber hugged James as if he were her life support, Mary-Jane actually smiling at the scene. She, like Jimmy and Amber's parents, one thought in her head.

It was about time.

* * *

"I'm telling you," Aaron said to Jordan as they entered The Dot. "Your friend is weird."

"I've been saying that for weeks and now that he's interested in me, you believe me." Jordan remarked. "Almost like Tevin."

"That's the same thing Bambi said." Aaron muttered.

Jordan scoffed. "I'm sure she didn't. There's no way she's as smart and beautiful as I am. That's why I will always be number one. Even to you." Aaron subtly rolled his eyes at the statement as the duo came to a table. "Now, what would you like? On me today since I'm in a fairly good mood."

"Just a drink. I have to get home soon." Aaron replied.

Jordan nodded. "Sweet tea no ice?" Aaron nodded and Jordan smiled. "Be right back."

For a moment, Aaron found himself wondering where he had gone wrong in dumping Jordan. Sure, she kissed Tevin and liked it, but that did not necessarily mean that she chose Tevin over Aaron, right? Maybe he had been a little rash in his judgment. Then again, this new Jordan was quite interesting to learn. She was more outgoing and, sadly, fun to be around whenever she wasn't nagging about this or that. And he had to admit that her new attire did bring out growing "assets" of hers.

Shaking his head, Aaron sighed.

"Now I'm becoming just like my brother…" he said to himself.

"Hey A.J." Aaron was now a little annoyed how everyone seemed to be calling his name today, but said nothing as Chandler sat across from him. "Where's Fare?"

"She's with her cousin. Apparently they have some more bonding to do." Aaron answered. "But it's cool. I want them to talk."

"Oh. I'm sure they're talking about _that_." Aaron frowned at Chandler's words. "They didn't tell you?"

"No. In fact, I'm pretty sure that they didn't tell you." Aaron stated.

"Then how would I know that Chandra had sex with Tevin if they didn't?"

The words seemed to cause Aaron to go temporary blind and everything seemed to become red. He could feel his temperature rising and his breathing became more apparent. Then he closed his eyes and took in the deepest breath that he could muster.

Danica would have killed them both. Jayden would have just killed Tevin. Aaron would do neither.

"If that was true," Aaron said as calmly as he could. "Then why should you care? Tevin and Chandra are dating. They can do…" Aaron's words died as he tried to accept what he figured _could_ be true. "Whatever they want."

"You're right," Chandler said. "But it doesn't stop Chandra from being kind of a hoe. I mean, from what she was telling me and Farah, she practically _begged_ for it. She-"

"Shut up." Chandler gasped at Aaron's cold words. "I'm going to give you three things to do and you're going to do it, okay?" Chandler nodded slowly. "You're going to _never_ repeat that. You're going to get up. And you're never going to face me again unless Farah is with you. Got it?"

"A.J, if you're still thinking about her after she-"

"I think you misunderstood him." Jordan interrupted as she sat the drink in front of Aaron, Kelly standing behind her. "He said, leave him alone. Now."

Chandler looked at Aaron, then Jordan, and finally Kelly. The girl sighed and rose.

"I'm telling the truth A.J. Ask Farah if you don't believe me." Chandler said.

"I _believe_ my fist will be permanently sketched in your fat face if you're not out here in thirty seconds." Jordan threatened. "Go!" By now, many of the customers, Gavin, and Shane were staring at the scene as Chandler walked towards the door. "Loser…"

"A.J," Kelly said soothingly. "Are you alright? Do you need me to take you home?"

"I'm fine." Aaron said taking his cup. "Thanks for the cup."

As Aaron walked towards the door, Jordan felt Kelly give her a tap on the shoulder. Looking up at her older sister, Jordan watched as Kelly gave her a leveled stare and then moved after Aaron.

"A.J wait up!" Jordan called, though he continued walking. She sighed as she jogged to catch up with him. "Listen, don't worry-"

"Why?" Aaron questioned, stopping completely on the sidewalk. "Why would she do that?"

Jordan saw how angry he was and simply hugged him.

"I'm sorry A.J." she said quietly, not knowing what else to do.

It was almost three full minutes until he hugged her back. And while Jordan felt like this would be the perfect moment to make a move on him, she didn't. She figured that he had too much on his plate as it is. The last thing she wanted to do was to add more to it. Besides, she still saw Aaron as her best friend. Making him happy was good enough for her.

* * *

"You're going to ultimately ruin your life." Helen said to Scarlett.

Scarlett sighed. "Can we let it die? I said that it was just one mistake."

"_Nothing_ in your life is just 'one mistake' Scar." Helen retorted. "It'll just lead to something bigger and you know it."

"What's the worst that can happen Helen? I don't have much to lose anymore." Helen glared at Scarlett. "And I'm guessing that's my fault too, huh?"

"Duh." Helen said. "Who else can take a perfect relationship and ruin it in a matter of weeks?"

"Helen," Scarlett began. "I know that I'm not the best person in the world. But at that moment, I thought that-"

"You got what you deserved? Seriously Scar, even if Jayden were to kiss Torrie, you got a paternity test done on his kids." Helen pointed out. "But, he being who he is, somehow magically forgives you." Helen sighed and crossed her arms. "He probably wouldn't have forgiven me if I did that…"

Scarlett smiled. "Jealous?"

"Single?" Helen returned, ending Scarlett's smile. "Anyway, just make sure that you fix whatever you've done with DeWayne before I have to do it. And to be completely honest Scar, I will not hesitate on him, Mercedes, or you if you decide to jump in."

"Sure-" Scarlett's words were interrupted by her cell phone. "That's J.T. We have to work on this project and need to schedule a day to meet up and work on it."

"Take it." Helen said nearing Scarlett's door. "Tell him that I said that we need to talk. ASAP."

Scarlett sighed as Helen left her room before looking down at her phone again. It was not Jayden calling, but DeWayne. With the thoughts of her practically seducing DeWayne to break up with Mercedes, Scarlett hit the ignore button and released another sigh.

When did all her plans go horribly wrong?

* * *

Gabrielle and Nathan looked at one another and then back at Jay.

"What happened?" Nathan asked, more impatient than his younger sister.

Jay sighed. "Your brother is in some serious trouble. In fact, I'm not going to sugar-coat it. He's in some deep shit." Nathan nodded. "He, uh, raped a girl that goes to your school. Amber Clarke?"

"The cheerleader?" replied Nathan.

"I guess so." Jay said. "Either way, cops and detectives will be in and out of the apartment for a few weeks so if you don't want to get involved with those guys, just call."

"Do you…" Gabrielle began quietly. "Do you think he did it?"

Nathan looked at Jay, interested in his dad's answer as well.

"Honestly," Jay answered. "I don't want to. But…"

"You do." Nathan said quickly. "Seriously, what kind of dad are you? You're supposed to support your kids even-"

"Shut up Nathan." Jay snapped coldly. "You don't know shit about being a father and right now, while I want to beat the hell out of your brother for even having sex with a seventeen year old girl, I have this gut feeling that…"

Gabrielle saw the hurt look in her father's eyes and glanced at the floor.

"That he did it." she finished. Jay nodded.

"I'm going to meet up with Amber's parents later. Her mom and I went to school together… Well, when I actually showed up." Jay announced. "If you want to come with me, I won't stop you."

"I have something else to do later." Nathan stated, obviously not wanting to be involved with the whole ordeal.

"I'll come." Gabrielle said. Nathan looked at her with raised brows.

"Really? Why? It's not like Randy cared about us and Amber surely doesn't." Nathan said. "It's best to just stay out of this Brie or they'll be blaming you for his doing."

"But it's the right thing." Gabrielle told her older brother in a firmer voice.

Nathan rolled his eyes. "Of course A.J gave you a voice…" Gabrielle let a small smile grace her face, though she blamed Ashton for her newfound confidence, not Aaron. "Fine. Do what you want Brie. But if Amber or her stupid brother turns this on you I'll do more than hurt her."

"We don't need that." Jay said.

"Fine, fine," Nathan said rising. "But I promise you that they're going to turn this on us. That's what those preppy cheerleaders always do."

Jay raised a brow. "Don't you date a preppy cheerleader?"

Gabrielle saw the frustration rising in Nathan as he tried to think of some sort of counter, but could not. Instead, the boy placed a hat on his head and began to head for the door.

"I'm going home." Nathan said.

Gabrielle looked to see Jay smiling.

"And that Brie," Jay stated as Nathan left. "Is how you best your brother all the time. Use Stephanie."

Gabrielle grinned. "Sure Dad."

* * *

Manny was now more confused than anything. First, Jayden had actually gone straight home and began doing his homework and Danica did not even joke about it. Or at least, that was how it was told to Manny when she called to check in on the two. Secondly, Renée and Jenée were both quiet. And as much as Manny loved her children, she knew that none of them sans Aaron was really quiet, not even Katya. But what really puzzled Manny was the funk that Aaron was in when he returned home. He did not greet anyone and practically stormed up to his room.

"Hey," she said to her husband who was watching TV with their twin daughters occupying his sides. "I'm going to go check in on A.J. He's been quieter than normal."

Maxwell gave her one solid nod. That was their code that they would both dissolve the problem quietly so that the younger children- two of which were in the room- would never know. That nod has been their signal since Danica and would be used on Jaylen and Daniella when they got older.

Moving up the steps, Manny came to Aaron's room and gave it three solid knocks.

"Its open." he said from the other side. Manny slowly pushed the door opened. "Hey Mama…"

"Is everything okay A.J?" she asked.

Aaron sighed as he sat up in his bed. "No. But it's nothing that I should be thinking about or-"

"Chandra." Aaron dropped his head, hating that he could always be easily read. Manny smiled as she stepped into his room, closing his door quietly. "I figured it had something to do with her."

"Mama it's more than just Bambi." said Aaron. "And if I tell you, you'll just tell Dad and that might make things worse."

"This will stay between you and me. I promise." Aaron's eyes told Manny that he was not easily fooled. "I never told your dad that your brother was sleeping with Laura before Winter Break."

"You knew?" Aaron voiced before he could stop himself.

Manny frowned. "_You _knew?" Aaron nodded slightly as Manny sighed. "Well I can't really say I'm surprised. You are a little too smart for your age." Aaron grinned. "Now, tell me what's so bad and maybe I can get my positive son back."

"Well," Aaron began. "The thing is… Well…" Aaron stopped and thought long before continuing. "I heard that Bambi _might've_ had sex with Tevin."

"Do her parents know?" Manny questioned.

"I don't think so. Her dad's mom is almost as worse as, well, Dad's mom." Aaron answered. "And I know that it's none of my business because they're dating but… I'm mad. Angrier than I've ever been and I don't know why."

"Oh A.J," Manny said moving towards his bed to sit beside him. "You're going through a stage where you're going to feel a lot of things you don't understand. And right now, you're feeling jealous."

"Did you have this talk with Jay and Danni?" Aaron asked.

Manny shook her head. "Not really. Your sister was, _is_, controlling. If she wanted a guy, she went to get him. And Jayden… Well he always went to Danni for these sorts of things because he felt that it was 'too embarrassing' to tell his parents."

"But they've told you _something_ right?" said Aaron.

"Well," Manny said. "Not like that, but _someone_ has before. In fact, it was pretty recent." Aaron frowned in questioned as he stared at his mother. "Laura told me about how she felt when she thought that Jayden had actually given his tickets to the Black Mist concert to Angelina. She said that she ran out of school crying because of it."

"Wow… I never pictured Laura the crying type." Aaron stated, dismissing the fact that he had seen her crying when she found out she was pregnant and at the hospital when Jason passed.

"Yep," Manny continued. "Said that she felt so stupid for even putting herself in that position."

"That's… That's how I feel. Sort of." Aaron replied. "But… I kind of have that same feeling for J- Um, someone else."

Manny had the idea that Aaron was going to say Jordan as she was the only girl that she knew of that started with the letter "J" and had dated her son. Plus, she had seen the blonde girl around a lot lately and Emma has also stated that the two were noticeably close again.

"A.J," Manny said. "If this rumor about Chandra is bothering you so badly, you should call her, or even better, go see her face to face. Just don't be loud and in her face."

Aaron nodded. "I won't. I just wish that this was all a lie."

"Chandra's a smart girl. I don't think she'd do that just yet." Manny said before giving Aaron a stern look. "And I _know_ that you're not even _dreaming_ about that, right Aaron?" Fearing that Laura's pregnancy had somehow bit him in the rear, Aaron nodded quickly. "That's good."

"But, what if it is true?" Aaron asked.

"Then you have to sit and ask yourself if she's worth it after all." Manny told Aaron before rising. "Now I have to make sure that your sisters haven't driven your dad insane. They've been quiet today, but that can only mean that they are plotting something. Will you be okay?"

"I'm fine." Aaron responded. "Thanks Mama."

Manny smiled. "No problem." Aaron watched his mother near his door before pausing. "And by the way, I'm sure Jordan feels the same way."

"Uh, um, sure." Aaron stammered with a small blush. Manny left Aaron's bedroom causing him to flop backwards. "Should've just called Jayden…"

* * *

Amber watched as Mary-Jane got comfortable on the bed, Amber taking the spare mattress that Mary-Jane has kept and cleaned throughout the years for this sort of thing. The two were at the Del Rossi house, Amber opting to sleep in Mary-Jane's room than the spare. A part of her did not feel okay about sleeping in the same bed that Dylan was previously using.

"Comfortable?" Amber's brows rose at the question, but she nodded in response. Mary-Jane never seemed to care about her comfort before, though the mattress on the floor was _never_ uncomfortable. "Good. I nearly broke a nail getting that from the closet."

"There she is." muttered Amber before smiling. "You know MJ, I think we can make it through this."

Mary-Jane nodded. "Me too."

There was a pause. Both girls were lying and the other one knew it. Amber's first day in court was four weeks away, Mary-Jane's happening soon afterwards. They both wanted this nightmare to be over as soon as possible.

"Amber," Mary-Jane said quietly. "I'm sorry."

Amber sat up on the mattress, the covers given to her falling off of her.

"For what?" Amber asked.

"For putting you in that position…" Mary-Jane replied. "If I… If I wasn't such a… Well you know. If I didn't think Randy was hot, we would've never talked to him when we bumped into him."

"You can't blame yourself-"

"Just accept it, okay? It's my fault. It's my fault for a lot of things actually." Mary-Jane interrupted. "Like why Dylan hates my parents and why Randy even knew your name. It's my fault."

While a very small part of Amber agreed with her blonde friend that it was Mary-Jane's fault that they even knew Randy and vice versa, Amber would never pin the blame for his actions, or Dylan's, on Mary-Jane.

"Mary-Jane, it's not your fault." Amber said. "It's his. He chose to do what he did to me, just like Dylan chose to do to you what he did."

"How else would you know where Randy stayed if I never spoke to him? Why would Dylan be angry if I was never born? I-"

"Don't say things like that Mary-Jane." Amber interrupted before sighing. "I know that you think it's your fault, but it's not." Mary-Jane let out a frustrated sigh, but nodded anyway. "Look, we're going to get through this, okay? My dad and James's dad will put those two bastards away for a long time and we'll never have to see them again."

"But…" Mary-Jane drawled on.

"No buts." Amber said confidently despite doubting her words. "We have our parents and Marc and Tyler and James. They'll see to it that we're alright MJ. I promise."

There was another silence that spread throughout the room before Mary-Jane let out a small laugh. From this laugh, Amber knew that her friend was crying softly as Mary-Jane let out a sniffle afterwards.

"Amber," Mary-Jane said. "I still like your shoes."

Amber lied back on the mattress, resting her head on the pillow she was giving. A smile graced her face as she remembered her and Mary-Jane's first conversation years ago when their mothers practically put them together.

"And I like yours too." Amber replied.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** So here we are, the second episode of Season 5. I wanted to post this Friday but forgot, sorry. Hope you enjoyed it and please leave a review. Ciao.


	132. S5: Episode III: Don't Let Go

**Episode III: Don't Let Go**

Shane groaned as he was woken up by, not Kelly, but his phone ringing. Retrieving it from his dresser, he yawned and answered it.

"Hello?" he asked tiredly.

"Morning," Shane let out a groan. Why couldn't he date someone who liked to sleep-in? "Are you busy later on?"

"Nicky and I were going to work on the project for an hour and I have work, but nothing out of the normal. Why?" Shane replied.

"My mom wants to finally sit down and meet you." stated Deanna. "So, dinner at my place?"

Shane groaned again. "Do I have to?"

"What did we talk about Shane? Yes, you have to." Deanna answered. "Besides, Mercedes won't be here since she and DeWayne broke up. So you don't have to worry about anyone."

"Other than your mom and stepdad." Shane pointed out.

"Shane," Deanna said reassuringly. "Nothing bad is going to happen. You're not dating them, you're dating me. So worry about pleasing me."

"You sound selfish and spoiled." Shane joked with a tired grin.

"I _am _selfish and spoiled." Deanna returned. "That's why I like it when I have you all to myself and not sharing you with Kelly."

Kelly knocked on Shane's door, opening it a bit. Seeing her brother on the phone, she tapped her wrist to indicate the time. Shane nodded and his currently redhead sister left.

"I have to go take a shower." Shane said. "I'll call whenever Nicky and I get finished, alright?"

"Right. Just make sure she keeps her hands off of your." Shane smiled. "Adios!"

"Bye." Shane said before hanging up. "I hate parents…"

"I heard that!" Gavin called causing Shane to sigh heavily.

His Friday was already ruined.

* * *

Gabrielle quietly walked to Aaron in need for some advice. Last night, she and her father went to Amber's house only to run into some hostility. While Jay had foreseen the reaction from Amber's parents, Gabrielle was a little shocked at some of things she heard. Though, if she had to be fair, she could see her mom doing the same thing as Amber's if the roles were reversed.

"Hey A.J," the boy muttered a response which caused Gabrielle to frown. "Is everything okay?"

"Not really." Aaron answered. "But I'll get over it. Is everything okay with you?"

Gabrielle shook her head. "No. I found out that my older brother raped Amber."

"Oh… I hope she's going to be okay." Gabrielle shrugged at his words. "Are you…?"

"Supporting him?" Aaron nodded. "I don't know. I don't really know Randy that much and my dad seems to think that there's a great chance that he did it."

"I'm really sorry this is happening Brie. I know how much you wanted to get to know your older brother." Aaron said.

"I'm fine. Besides, I still have years to learn Nate, right?" Gabrielle responded. "So what was wrong with you?"

"Can you keep a secret?" Gabrielle nodded. "The other day I went to The Dot and Chandler told me that Bambi slept with Tevin." Gabrielle gasped. "I know. I talked to Jayden about it and he told me to just go up and ask her but I don't know how. I mean, they're dating, so they can do that stuff right? And then there's Farah who could already know this and hasn't told me."

"Maybe she doesn't want you to get angry like you are now." Gabrielle stated.

Aaron sighed. "I know. And I'm not trying to be angry, but I can't help it."

Gabrielle smiled. "I understand. I'd feel the same way if, well, you know did that with his girlfriend." Aaron smiled a bit. "Well, actually I might ask Nate to 'talk' to him for me."

Now Aaron laughed with his friend. "That's mean Brie. You know that Ashton wouldn't be able to stop Nathan and his friends if they jumped him."

"And why would they do that?" Aaron and Gabrielle stopped their laughter, though both were grinning as Ashton neared them. "Okay Santos, what are you and Brie cooking up?"

"Nothing." Aaron answered. "But, I have to go find Farah. Talk to you guys later, alright?"

Ashton's eyes narrowed as Aaron walked away. He then looked at Gabrielle who was still grinning a bit about whatever she and Aaron were talking about.

"Will you tell me?" Ashton asked.

"No." Gabrielle answered with a quiet giggle.

Ashton just sighed in defeat. Truth be told, he was actually more pleased about seeing Gabrielle smiling and laughing than he was annoyed that she was talking about him with Aaron behind his back. Then again, the two were great friends. They probably talked about _everyone_ behind their backs. If they were people to do that sort of thing, that is.

"Come on Brie," Ashton said. "I'll walk you to class and you can tell me what you and Santos was saying about me."

Gabrielle grinned. "You can walk me to class, but I won't tell you."

"Aw come on!" Ashton pleaded as Gabrielle walked away. "You're trying to get your brother to jump me!"

Gabrielle just smiled as Ashton followed her. Her oldest brother was being tried for rape, her other brother wanted little interaction with the family while this was going on, and her best friend was currently having problems of his own. Yet somehow, having Ashton walk with her made all those problems seem to vanish. And that made her smile even brighter.

* * *

Steven sighed. Every time he thought he was going to get out of this cursed place, they had a new reason to keep him in. Mostly because they believed that he did not end his addiction as Dakota had done, something that greatly irked him. But he had stopped verbalizing his complaints. That did nothing but add to his time.

"Knock, knock," Steven sat up in his bed as his aunt, Angela, walked into the room. "Hey."

"Angie. What're you doing here?" Steven questioned.

The woman smiled. "Getting you out." Steven gasped. "But… There will be some _major_ changes, Steven. You have to continue to go to your group therapy sessions. Once you miss one meeting, you'll be back here again."

"Is that all?" Steven said. "I'll do just about _anything_ to get out of here."

"I'm glad you think that, because you also have to write an apology to your brother _and_ Chandra Torres." Angela added.

Now Steven sat angered. Writing a letting to Chandra was borderline cruel, but one to Ashton as well? That did not sit well with him at all.

"And I want you to tell Dakota that you're sorry for what you said to her." Steven's eyes narrowed. "Those are your only two options. You either do it and leave or you don't and stay here. You choose."

Steven sat quietly as he weighed his options. Of course, he was really comparing which he loathed more: Apologizing to his younger siblings or staying in this dreaded place. He figured that if stayed, then he would not have to deal with Ashton, Dakota, and Chandra. But he would be trapped here without any freedom.

"Fine." Steven finally said, drawing a smile on his aunt's face. "But I won't like it."

"I knew you wouldn't." Angela said before sighing. "I'm just glad to know that you're smart enough to see the lesser of two evils. Though I wouldn't call apologizing to those you harmed 'evil' but it's your life."

Steven remained quiet. He really did not want to apologize to his younger siblings and Chandra. But what choice did he have? He could either take his aunt's proposal or attempt to break out and breaking out was near impossible.

"When do I have to do this apology?" Steven asked a bit angrily.

Angela smiled. "Now." Steven groaned. "Don't worry. I'll go get you some paper and a pencil. You'll be out of here quicker than you know."

"I hope so." Steven said. "I really hope so."

* * *

The bell rang for the end of first period. Nicole happily left her class, not because she was happy to leave the over-working man she was forced to call her first period teacher, but because she was in a happier mood to get to second period. Since the beginning of the school year, she and Shane had never really said more than two words to each other. But now they were talking more and more, and some of it was not even related to their World Literature project.

"Morning Jay!" Nicole said happily as she neared the boy.

"Well, well, if it isn't Pretty Nicky? What's got you in such a good mood today?" he replied.

Nicole shrugged. "Friday?" Jayden nodded a bit at the obvious statement. "So, how far are you and Scarlett?"

"That's a tricky question. I've done _my_ part. I'm just waiting to see if her lines can match mine and make the poem make sense." Jayden answered.

"Jayden, it's a _partnership_. Therefore, you can't just write a bunch of lines down and tell her to add to it." Nicole said. "You have to work together and come up with the lines like a cou… Pair."

Jayden stared at Nicole now as they walked to their second period class. He knew she was going to say the word "couple" and idly wondered who she was thinking about: He and Scarlett or herself and Shane. Of course, he did not want to just question her right here and now due to the fact that Shane and/or Scarlett could be right around the corner and overhear them. But it was obvious that she was thinking about one pair or the other.

Maybe both?

"So," Jayden snapped out of his thoughts and Nicole spoke. "How're the twins? I bet their still cute as cute can be!"

Jayden chuckled. "Yeah, they're still pretty cute."

"You and Laura make cute babies." Nicole announced before humming in thought. "I wonder what the next one will look like."

"I wish I could tell you," Jayden said. "But that one won't be coming for a while now. My parents would kill me if Laura got pregnant before I graduated again. And I'd hate to see what they would do if she had_ triplets_ again."

Nicole smiled. "I'm sure they wouldn't. Besides, _you'd_ be the one watching all five of them if she had three kids again. So I'd worry more about that than your parents."

"Nicole Campbell, you speak the truth. A very cold and cruel truth, but the truth nonetheless." Jayden said as the two neared the classroom.

"Is Laura doing alright?" Nicole asked.

"I guess. Her and her little partner in crime have been picking on me about pretty much everything." Jayden answered. "But she's finally getting used to being there, which is good. A happy Laura equals a happy Jayden."

Nicole smiled as the two stepped into the classroom and found their respective seats. Her smile brightened further when Shane entered the class, an action that Jayden did not miss.

"Morning Shane!" Nicole practically chirped.

Shane paused. "Um… Morning." Jayden raised a brow as he watched his friend sit in the seat beside him. Shane looked at Jayden's curious face and sighed. "Deanna's parents want me for dinner."

"I always knew that they were some form of demonic creatures. Now I know what they eat." Jayden responded.

"Not like that. Like to sit and have dinner with them." Jayden smirked a bit. "It's not funny either."

"Yes it is." Jayden argued playfully.

"No it's not." Shane returned. "You've never had to do that."

"You're right. But at the same time, I'd rather sit down and say 'Hey Mr. Reynolds, catch the game last night?' But instead our dinner went like, 'Hey Mr. Reynolds, Laura's mom is quite hot. Oh! Did I forget to tell you that your daughter is carrying my triplets and we'll be in Italy all summer long.'" Jayden told his friend.

Shane grinned. "I can see how that's a problem."

"Just a very small one. Especially with…" Jayden paused when Scarlett entered the classroom. "Well if it isn't the Wicked Witch of the North?"

"The north witch was the good one." Scarlett responded.

"Who said I was talking about the Wizard of Oz?" Scarlett sat in front of her partner, to Nicole's left, and glared at the boy. "Helen says that you've finally gotten DeWayne to break-up with Mercedes. Makes me wonder which one of your exes is next? Me or Shane?"

"Don't drag me into this." Shane said. "Bad enough I have to sit with DeWayne and listen to him talk for at least an hour. I don't want to hear about him before then."

"We could always work on our project tonight?" Nicole suggested, her three friends turning to her. "I mean, it'll give you a good reason to skip dinner with _her_."

"It would…" Shane began.

"And then she'll be kicking in the door, strangling you with a pillow while Kelly holds you down so she can do it." Jayden said pointedly. "Believe me. I know all about dating a friend of your sister's, despite my girlfriend and sister hating each other before I dated her."

"So you're an expert on that, huh?" Scarlett asked Jayden with an amused smile.

"An expert with tons of experience." Jayden answered. "Have you ever questioned what Danni and Laura can do when no one is around to stop them? Genocide with me the first and last to die."

Despite Scarlett's smile, she knew from personal experience that Danica and Laura _could_ make a deadly duo. They both seemed to hate her with every fiber in their respective bodies and Danica's made it no secret that she would not stop Laura from beating Scarlett.

"And speaking of genocide," Jayden continued as he looked at Scarlett. "We'll have to work at my place today. So let's pray that Danni has plans."

Scarlett nodded, unsure if this was a good idea or not. Was getting an A really worth her physical health? To some students, yes it was. To others, no. Question was, what did she want more? A night with Jayden or her safety?

"Alright class, let's begin." Ms. Warren said entering the class and closing the door behind her.

* * *

"Morning," Emma said giving her ex-husband a hug. "Your son came here earlier in a bad mood. What's that about?"

"He has to meet Deanna's parents." Gavin answered. Emma gave a silent "oh" in response as the two released one another. "But Kelly and Deanna wouldn't let him find a way out of it, so he's stuck."

"That could be embarrassing…" Emma said, remembering her and Sean's first date. "Anyway, what're you here for?"

"Um… Jane and I were talking last night…" Gavin began. Emma raised her brows. "We decided that we want you to be our son's godmother." Gavin read the shocked look on Emma's face. "Em, please? You're really one of the few people I trust to help me out right now."

"I don't know what to say actually." Emma responded.

"But you will?" Emma sighed before smiling.

"Sure Spin, I can be the godmother." Emma said. "But don't think that he's going to get special treatment. He'll get the same Emma that Shane and Kelly gets. The only difference is that he doesn't call me mom."

Gavin smiled. "You're a lifesaver Em, I swear." A beep from his pocket ended his smile. "I have to get back to Mason's. Big turnout today."

"I'll be down there in a few. There's something I have to do first." Emma said.

"Sure." Gavin replied opening the door. "Thanks again Emma. Jane will be very happy."

"Oh really?" questioned the woman skeptically.

Gavin nodded. "It was her idea."

Emma was actually shocked by that. She figured that there still may be some hostility between Jane and herself, but it did not look that way. In fact, everyone seemed to just overlook the fact that Jane fought at Emma's wedding, including the woman who fought against Jane, Manny. Of course, Manny did bring up the valid point that Emma and Gavin were no longer married, so therefore, there was no marriage to ruin this time. And being who he was, Maxwell supported his wife one hundred percent of the way.

As Gavin left, Emma went back to finishing her dishes. She thought about a time years ago where she would probably loathe the idea of Jane returning. But now everything was different. Emma and Gavin were no longer married and Sean would probably question why Jane and Gavin could no longer be together if Emma objected. Plus, Kelly and Shane would be angry at their mother if she did anything to ruin their dad's happiness, Kelly especially. So, for the sake of her family, Emma buried the thoughts of her first wedding once and for all.

Or at least she would never voice it aloud.

* * *

"Aaron Jordan McDuelle!" Farah watched as Aaron uncharacteristically let out a low grunting sound that came pretty close to an actual growl when Jordan shouted his full name. "Tell me what's going on between you and Timmy!"

Aaron wanted to bang his head up against the locker until the noise stopped. Well, he wished he could bang _someone's_ head against the locker until they stopped their shouting, but that was just unlike him to do so.

"What are you talking about Jordan?" Aaron questioned.

"He said that you practically threatened him to leave me alone." Jordan answered.

"Really? Me?" Jordan shrugged at Aaron's response.

"Hey, after seeing you at your worst, I can imagine a lot." Aaron only sighed and closed his locker. "But what happened? Seriously."

"He came to me and told me to stay away from you. He said that he could get you a lot faster with me out of the way. So here I am, staying out of his way." Aaron answered.

"Gee A.J. Who knew that you still got pushed around so easily?" Jordan said before glancing at Farah. "Was I interrupting?"

"Actually," Aaron stated. "I have to go talk to Dustin about something. Unless you wanted to join me, Jordan."

Jordan scoffed. "That perv? Go ahead."

Aaron smiled. "I didn't think so." Farah gave Aaron a quick peck. "I'll see you for lunch."

Farah smiled as Aaron began walking away. Her smile slowly died as she turned to Jordan. She felt a bit ashamed that she had to do this, but she was desperate. Aaron was keeping something away from her and only Jordan would know what that something was.

"Hey Jordan," Farah began. "Can I ask you something?"

"You just did." Jordan responded walking away.

"No," Farah said following her. "Can you answer something for me? It's about A.J." Jordan gave the girl a half-amused looked. "Has he, I don't know, said something to you?"

"Um, it's kind of hard for him _not_ to say something to me. I hate being ignored." Jordan answered.

"No. What I mean is," Farah was getting a bit annoyed by the blonde's responses. "Is there something wrong? He seems a little off today."

Jordan rolled her eyes. "He is _your_ boyfriend. How about you just ask him?"

Of course, Jordan knew exactly what was bothering Aaron. He had not gotten over the whole ordeal that Farah could know that Chandra had sex with Tevin, if that fact was indeed true. But Aaron had made Jordan promise to not start something between Farah and her cousin, so Jordan had kept quiet. And that was getting harder and harder with each passing day.

"Please Jordan. If you know _anything_, can you tell me?" Farah asked.

"Even if I did, I wouldn't." Jordan replied before looking Farah squarely in the face. "Because I just don't like you."

Farah nodded a bit. Chandra had warned her that Jordan was, and she was quoting here, bitchy at certain moments of the day. Here was a proof that Chandra was right.

"Now if you don't mind," Jordan said. "I have admirers and you're scaring them off. So go be annoying elsewhere."

"Sure Jordan." Farah stated. "But you don't have to be so bitchy all the time."

The statement caused Jordan's temper to flare, but she could practically feel Aaron talking her out of retaliating. And not just Aaron, but Kelly, Shane, and her dad were telling her to let it go. This was for a better cause. But, she figured that the moment Aaron revealed to Farah and/or Chandra why he was so pissed would be approximately two seconds before she knocked Farah out. No one called her bitchy.

No one.

* * *

"You're happy." Shane stated to Scarlett as they walked down the halls. "Why is that?"

"Um, the guy that hates my guts no longer hates them? I think I deserve to be happy." Scarlett replied.

Shane smirked. "Yeah, but at the cost of _everyone_ knowing that you flash- Oof!" Shane's words were interrupted when Scarlett's elbow lodged into his gut. "That… Hurt Scarlett."

"_Anyway,_" Scarlett continued. "It's also Friday and we don't have one of those godforsaken meetings today. So it's a great day actually." Scarlett sighed happily and smiled. "Don't you just love it when things work out for the best?"

"Right. Because you don't have to have dinner with your girlfriend and her family." Shane said.

Scarlett shrugged. "I don't know what the big problem is. I've had dinner with J.T's family and the last time we weren't even dating."

"You know what the problem is. DeWayne, their mom, and their stepdad. In one place." Scarlett smiled at Shane's words. "And the sad thing is that I want to blow this dinner off to work on my project, which wouldn't be so bad, but my ex is my partner."

"So is mine." Scarlett responded.

"Again, Laura is in _England_ and this isn't the first time you've had to do a project with Jayden and he was with Laura." Shane pointed out.

"Again, don't see the problem." Scarlett replied. "Just tell Deanna to stop being so needy and get over herself."

Shane smiled. "We both know the problem with that, especially if Kelly hears me." Scarlett nodded. "Besides, I don't need to work on my project with Nicky. Not now anyways. We don't have to present until next Thursday, so we've got time."

"You know," Scarlett said. "She's pretty much still into you and with her and Ethan just breaking up…" Shane frowned and looked at his shorter companion. "I'm just saying Shane. You might mess up and end up in bed with Nicky again. Rumor has it that she's quite a flirt."

"You have a better chance in Jayden leaving Laura than that happening." Scarlett glared at Shane now, her playful mood almost completely gone. "So there's nothing to worry about."

"Sure Shane." Scarlett muttered.

"I'm serious Scarlett. Give Dee a chance, okay? She's not that bad." Shane said.

"I'm still trying to see Laura as 'not that bad', but I fail every time." Shane only sighed. "Hey, she just had me up against the lockers like she wanted to take my lunch money."

"Well, you would be the ideal person to rob if someone wanted to get rich fast." Shane noted. He glanced to see Scarlett's angry face. "I'm just saying… You would be the first person I try to rob if I wanted to."

"I'd know it was you." Scarlett said.

"Yeah, you might." Shane said with a smile. "But I bet if I had _Jayden_ occupy you, I'd get away with it."

Scarlett scoffed and rolled her eyes playfully.

"You're such a jerk!"

The two laughed a bit as they continued walking to class. Though, they both knew that Shane was right. Jayden could very occupy Scarlett long enough for someone to rob her…

* * *

At lunch, Farah realized that something was definitely wrong with Aaron. It had gotten to the point that she _almost_ just bluntly asked him. But there was the possibility of being lied to or completely ignored. Things she did not want to risk after everything she had done for him to even date her in the first place.

"You're bullying him." Vanessa's voice caught Farah's attention for the moment and she eyed the always arguing couple across from her and Aaron.

Ashton sighed heavily. "I'm not 'bullying' him Vanessa. I'm just making sure he doesn't turn out to be another Dustin."

"He and Brie are _perfect_ for each other." Vanessa argued. "Don't you want to see your friend happy with someone?" Ashton's silence caused Vanessa to frown. "Well?"

"You don't understand." Ashton muttered. Vanessa tilted her head to the side. "It's kind of like Santos and Jordan. He protects her from whatever no matter how annoying, right? That's because they've-"

"Been friends forever." Vanessa interrupted. "You and Brie-"

"Are just like that. Except I don't bother her every five seconds of the day and she's not obnoxious." Ashton cut Vanessa off. "Look, there are things that Brie has told me that I haven't even told Santos and that's because she trusts me to because we're tight like that."

"Wrong choice of words…" Aaron mumbled.

"Fine." Vanessa said. "Just know that in the end, you're ruining Brie's chance of happiness."

"That sounds like a line from Chandra's book." Ashton stated.

"Hey! Leave me out of this!" Chandra said.

"Santos, get your ex!" Ashton retorted. "She's being annoying again like the other one!"

And just like that, Farah sat and watched the table go into their normal frenzy. She noticed that Aaron had temporarily returned to his normal self, instantly trying to dissolve the inevitable argument between Ashton, Chandra, and Jordan. Though, Farah could not help but to feel something was seriously off about this whole ordeal. Jordan had instantly dropped out of the conversation and went back to her previous quiet thoughts while Aaron soon allowed Chandra and Ashton to just continue. Gabrielle seemed to also pick up on this and commenced in a quiet exchange between her and Aaron, something that further annoyed Farah.

* * *

As the bell rang for the end of the day, James found himself leaving the principal's office with a small smile on his face. Amber and Mary-Jane had a small meeting with a psychiatrist and some officers investigating their separate cases. Therefore, while they were at home preparing for the two separate meetings, James had to be the messenger for both of them and thus had to give them their homework and other newsletters from the school.

"Hey James," James saw Jeanette walking towards her mother's office and waved at her. "You know Brooke's been asking about you."

James sighed heavily. "I'm sure…"

"Don't go to her though." Jeanette stated. "Amber needs you."

"She's still dating Marc." James pointed out. "I'm only there to be a friend."

Jeanette gave James a firm glare.

"Listen," Jeanette said. "I maybe Brooke's best friend, but I can't condone you running off with her when Amber and Mary-Jane needs you somewhere else. Brooke is going to do nothing but string you along her parties anyway, so it's best if you stay away from her."

"Jeanette I know-"

"Stay away from her. She'll just have to learn how to deal without you." Jeanette told James as she stepped by him. "Believe me, she'll be okay. Just make sure your 'friend' is too, okay?"

James grinned. "Sure."

Jeanette smiled. "See? Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"

James walked away, his grin never fading. He knew that Jeanette could be a righteous and pious pain in the butt every now and again due to his time being with Brooke, but she gave pretty good advice. Brooke would probably understand too. Then again, the only time Brooke realized James's presence was whenever she and Nicole were not plotting on ways to ruin Shane's relationship with Deanna.

* * *

"There you are." Torrie sighed heavily. Here she was just trying to grab some coffee from The Dot and return home, and yet Helen and Jacquelyn had to show up and ruin a would-be peaceful trip. "We need to talk."

"Really, because the last time I checked, we didn't bond Helen. Or at least, you don't bond." Torrie said.

Helen crossed her arms. "Why'd you sleep with Ethan?"

Torrie shrugged. "I don't know. Why'd you sleep with Tyler?" Helen glared at her blonde cousin. "See? Hurts when the tables are turned, huh?"

"No, it doesn't. Nicky was your friend. I can't stand Mary-Jane." Helen replied. "And, again, I'm not the slutty one, you are."

"Then that should answer your question!" Torrie said throwing her hands up. "Christ Helen! Can I get a fucking drink without you-"

"Who are you cursing at?" Helen practically growled.

Jacquelyn looked between the two and secretly questioned how the two got along long enough to go to New York, let alone _Miami_. She sees them just standing there practically at the verge of ripping each other's throats out. But, as Jacquelyn predicts, Torrie's eyes soon diverts away from Helen and lands on someone coming behind them.

Ethan.

"Oh goody," Helen said turning around. "I get both of you at once."

Ethan sighed. "I really don't have time for this."

"Then shut up and listen." Helen stated. "Because you were being a dick, my friend is walking around thinking all men are dogs."

"…" Ethan stood quiet for a moment before looking at Torrie. "Were you getting something?" Torrie nodded. "Come on. I'll pay."

"Thanks." Torrie said.

Jacquelyn saw her short friend's eyes narrow and cringed a bit. She had seen that look right before the inevitable happened. And the "inevitable" was Helen losing her cool.

"What in the hell is going on here?!" Jacquelyn only buried her face in her hands in embarrassment. Helen was now drawing a crowd and she did not want to be around. "You think that you can just walk away from me?! Screw that! You think I'm going to let you walk away after what you did to Nicky?!"

"Helen, let's get one thing straight, okay?" Torrie said. "Ethan and Nicky was bound to end soon. We both know that she's not over Shane."

"Not the damn point," Helen's words were now laced with venom and hatred at the moment. "You and Nicky were friends. She _defended_ you when I called you a slut at the mall. And you go out and sleep with her boyfriend because you got rejected by Jayden? You've reached an all-time low Torrie."

"Sue me." Torrie said. "Now can we go now?"

"Not yet," Helen said. "Just answer me this, okay?" Torrie rolled her eyes, but nodded afterwards. "Did Nicky kick your scrawny ass better than Laura? It would make me feel better knowing she was using some of my moves to beat you."

Torrie scowled. "She jumped me when I wasn't ready."

"Was your back turned?" Torrie's scowl remains. "Then she didn't 'jump you'. She beat you fair and square." Helen smirks. "Maybe next time, you'll find your own boyfriend instead of trying to steal one for yourself."

Torrie does not verbally remark, merely storming into the shop with Ethan. Helen turns to see Jacquelyn shaking her head slightly in disbelief.

"Come on Miss Jackie," Helen said. "We do have an afternoon to ourselves."

"Sure Helen." Jacquelyn says before grinning. "I think you've been spending too much time with Nicky. The _old_ Helen would've knocked them both out."

Helen glares at her taller friend. "Keep this up and I just might make that happen with you." Jacquelyn's smile only grows, causing Helen to scoff. "Let's go."

"Whatever Helen." Jacquelyn said.

* * *

Chandra smiled brightly when she saw Aaron at her doorstep. As of lately, he had stopped coming by as often as she would like. Seeing him here now only made her feel better about the weekend.

"Hey!" she said happily. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd want to start your weekend being with Farah."

"I'm only here to ask you something." Chandra smiled.

"Ask me anything A.J. But I warn you, I'm not good at pop quizzes. But you already knew that." Chandra said.

"Yeah, um," Aaron continued. "I was talking to Chandler the other day, well more like she came and sat at my table, and she said something. Something about you and Tevin." Chandra's smile vanished. "Did you have sex with him?"

The question forced Chandra to completely step out of her home and close the door behind her. Her worst fears was not her parents hearing it, but Aaron learning the truth and he blowing up. There were no excuses this time, other than the simple fact that she was angry at the boy currently in front of her.

"A.J I-"

"You did." Chandra silently gulped. The anger was apparent in his voice and she had no choice but to nod to his statement. "Why?"

"I wasn't thinking. It just sort of happened." Chandra told him.

"It just happened?" Aaron repeated.

"Yes! Kind of like how you just _happened_ to pick Farah after everything she's done to us!" Chandra argued back.

"Oh, so this is about me?" Aaron had never felt the kind of anger he was feeling now, but was doing nothing to stop it. "I was the person that told you to have sex with Tevin!"

"No. You were just the one that gave me the opportunity." Chandra snapped. "Because of you and your 'feelings' for Farah, I have to stomach the sight of you two every single day!"

"But you don't have to hear about me screwing her, do you? Especially not from her nosey friends!"

"You're just jealous because it wasn't you!" Chandra was losing this argument and was down to petty statements such as this one. She hoped that Aaron would just walk away and they would never talk about it again. But of course that was not going to happen.

"I am." Aaron's tone was calmer, though there was still an angered manner his words came out. "And I'm not ashamed to say it anymore."

"Well, now that that's over, you can leave." Chandra stated. "I don't need you to tell me how to live my life." She winced when he frowned. "So just go."

"You're an idiot." His words caused Chandra to reel backwards as if she had just been struck verbally.

"What?" To say Chandra was flabbergasted was an understatement and Aaron knew it. So rather than repeat himself, he simply pulled her into a kiss, holding her body close to his.

In Chandra's mind, there were no fireworks. There was no electricity surging or fire brewing. There was nothing. And it was a good nothing. Somehow, one kiss had made her temporarily forget about Farah's schemes, Chandler snitching, Tevin period, and even the fact that Aaron had called her an idiot. Her mind was filled by a warm nothing.

Aaron pulled away and looked in front of him. Sure, lately he's been assessing his friendship and previous relationship with Jordan, but that did not compare to what he had with Chandra. Chandra Torres was and will always be his first girl of choice.

"A.J…" Chandra attempted to say something _other_ than his name, but her brain had yet to reboot at the time. "A.J…"

"Hmm?" he replied.

"We… We can't." Chandra said shaking her head slightly. "Not until you end it with Farah." She saw Aaron's body tense. "I knew it. You-" Chandra immediately stopped talking when Aaron took his cell phone out. "What are you doing?"

"What I should've done-"

"No!" Chandra said snatching his phone. "Don't you know what that'll do?!"

Aaron frowned. "Not really."

"There're only _five_ people that know about, well, you-know." Chandra pointed out. "You, me, Tevin because he was there," Aaron grunted at this. "Farah, and somehow Chandler."

"So Farah _does_ know." Aaron said causing Chandra to mentally slap herself.

"Yes, she does," Chandra responded. "And she will tell the world if you break up with her now."

Aaron sighed. "You're probably right. And that won't help us out at all."

"It won't help _me_ out. Your parents won't care if I slept with Tevin or not." Chandra said.

"But your parents will and you'll be in far worse trouble than fighting Jordan. That's something I don't want which means it won't help _us_ out at all." Chandra smiled. "Bambi, I don't want you to get in trouble for this. In fact, I don't like that Chandler knows."

"But…?" Chandra asked knowing that one was coming.

"But I don't want to be like Jayden and Scarlett. I don't want us to keep battling until something life changing happens. Well…" Aaron paused. "I don't want something to ruin us forever."

Chandra hugged Aaron tightly. "Nothing can tear us apart forever. Not even death."

"Not even death." Aaron said hugging her just as tight.

* * *

Shane looked around. His family dinners were a lot different than this. First, there were more people. They included himself, his _four_ younger siblings, a mom, a dad, a stepdad, and now a possible stepmother. Big difference between his family and Deanna's four-person family present. Secondly, there were always different conversations at the dinner table unless it was just himself, Kelly, and his dad. Here, everyone seemed to be content talking about one thing or the next. Not a disarray of words like he was used to. Finally, unless they were eating outside of their home, his family cooked. At the Fitzgerald's home, he was being served.

"So, Sean-"

"Shane." Deanna corrected before shooting a glare at DeWayne. "DeWayne was trying to trick you Mom."

"Shane," Mrs. Hughes said. "Deanna tells me that you work at your parents' restaurant."

Shane nodded. "Yeah, The Dot. I also do some work at Mason's but that's only when it's completely necessary."

Mr. Hughes nodded. "I see."

"I hear from my son," Mrs. Hughes began. "That you're also in Juvenile Grace." Shane nodded once more. "You guys did well at the Battle of the Bands last year, second place, correct?"

"Yeah, it was a bit of a drag, but hey, we're fine by it." Shane said. "It was fun."

"I bet. Having all those girls chasing you around." By now, Deanna knew her mother was fishing for something and gave her mom a warning glance.

Despite this, Shane laughed. "No. That's Jayden's thing. He'll talk to whatever girl before telling them that he's taken and walks away."

"He deliberately toys with women? Now that's something I'm sure his parents won't like." Mrs. Hughes said.

"Should've heard what he did to Scarlett." DeWayne finally stated. "Slept with her cousin. Supposedly, both of them."

Mrs. Hughes gasped. "Goodness. I hope she's okay. Scarlett's a-"

"He never slept with Helen or Torrie." Shane interrupted before looking at DeWayne. "Scarlett knows that now."

"Sounds more like you defending him." DeWayne said. "Even Deanna has to agree that it seems rather suspicious."

Deanna felt uneasy as Shane and DeWayne looked at her direction. And to add to her nerves, her mother and stepfather also looked at her.

"Well Deanna?" Mrs. Hughes said.

"I…" Deanna began.

"Deanna," Shane said, gaining her attention. "It's fine. Say what you want, I promise I won't be angry." Shane then looked at DeWayne. "At you…"

Deanna sighed. "Jayden never slept with Helen or Torrie." DeWayne scoffed under his breath. "He may flirt with girls here or there, but at the end of the day he's deeply in love with Laura. I know because he pretty much rejected _me_ for her."

"So Wayne's just making this up?" Mrs. Hughes questioned, her eyes on her son. "I find that kind of hard to believe…"

"Mrs. Hughes," Shane stated. "I assure you that Jayden isn't a bad guy. He's just in a bad place now since his son passed."

Mrs. Hughes gasped. "How could I have forgotten? I hope he's alright."

Deanna and DeWayne exchanged glances. She knew his game plan and was not going to let him win this round. Making Jayden, and Shane for that matter, into someone that they were not so that their parents would disapprove of them was not going to happen on her watch. Especially Shane. She would defend Shane until her face turned blue if needed be.

"So your parents re-opened Above the Dot, huh?" Mr. Hughes said before rubbing his chin. "I remember years ago when it first opened. Kind of had a bad reputation."

"Really?" Shane asked.

Mr. Hughes nodded. "Yeah… People were selling drugs there. But I'm sure that your parents fixed that, right?"

"My stepdad's a security guard and Jayden's dad helped set up security cameras and alarms in the place. I doubt that'll happen again." Deanna grinned a bit.

"I helped too." she said.

Shane smiled. "Yeah you did. By giving us the entertainment for whining over a chipped nail."

"It hurt!" Deanna argued.

DeWayne wanted to throw up listening to Shane and his sister talk. It sickened him that his parents were falling for Shane's blue-collared charms. In DeWayne's eyes, Deanna deserved better. Heck, if Jayden wasn't such an ass, DeWayne would prefer Jayden over Shane for Deanna. That's why DeWayne had eyes for Scarlett. Someone brought up in an upper class home with the heir of importance. Not someone like Shane Mason.

DeWayne's thoughts and the conversation at the table were both interrupted by Shane's cell phone.

"Sorry." Shane said rising. "It's my English partner. She's taking this project to the extreme."

"No problem." Mrs. Hughes said as Shane stepped out of the dining room. Mrs. Hughes saw Deanna's disapproving face and frowned. "Something wrong?"

"It's…" Deanna paused. "His English partner is his ex-girlfriend, Nicky Campbell."

Mr. Hughes whistled. "That's tough."

"Yeah, it is. Shane doesn't want to do it, but he has to for a grade." Deanna then smirked and eyed her brother. "Jayden has to work with Scarlett, so Shane's happy that he isn't alone."

"How do you feel about him working with his ex?" Mrs. Hughes asked.

Deanna did not answer immediately. Sure, she was pissed to know that Shane and Nicole had to be together to work on their project, but Shane had assured her that nothing would happen. And nothing has happened. But Kelly had warned Deanna that Nicole was not the same girl she once was. Nicole now wanted Shane and was going to go after him. Deanna had only response to that and still believed that response till this day.

Over her dead body.

"I'm fine by it. He's got to keep up his grades if he wants to play football right?" Her mother and stepdad nodded at the logic, Shane returning a few seconds afterwards. "Everything okay?"

Shane blew out a breath. "Not really. I need to finish this project and I have to work tomorrow morning. So that means tomorrow afternoon I'll be working on this poem with her."

"Don't worry. I'm sure Kelly and I can give you company." Deanna said.

Shane smiled. "It might be a good idea if you didn't distract me. This is a project, you know? Not just homework."

"I'm not that big of a distraction Shane." Mr. and Mrs. Hughes read the look the boy was sending Deanna and smiled.

"I think you are." Mrs. Hughes stated.

Deanna only grinned. Dinner was now becoming what she wanted it and she was loving every bit of it. Now she had to get even with her brother for setting the stupid event up in the first place.

* * *

Scarlett sighed. "Well, we're done."

"Finished." Jayden replied closing his notebook. "Um… Do you need a ride home or…?"

This was weird for both of them, Scarlett especially. She was at Jayden's apartment, his twins currently resting and Danica emerging from her room every two seconds to give Scarlett a warning glare. Laura had called once and went absolutely bat-shit crazy when Jayden explained to her that Scarlett was there. Of course, Jayden had calmed Laura down for the moment and had somehow blackmailed Danica into staying away from the two while they did this project.

"Helen has the car but I can call a cab." Scarlett answered.

"No, don't. I have to stop by my parents anyway." Jayden told her.

"Jayden…" was all Scarlett could say. She wanted him to stay here so Danica would have nothing to tell Laura and thus dodging that conflict altogether.

"I insist. And I never insist." Jayden responded. Scarlett smiled and nodded. "Besides, why wouldn't you want to spend time with your favorite musician?"

"My favorite musician is a girl so…" Scarlett joked. Jayden scoffed and stood up, grabbing his notebook and pen. "How are they? The twins that is."

Jayden shrugged. "They're babies being spoiled by everyone. I'm guessing life is good for them."

"And you?" Jayden raised a brow at her question. "Jayden, I'm the reason that you're being hounded by those cameramen outside. You can't be alright. Not completely."

"I am content." Jayden answered. "You aren't the easiest person to like at some points and one of the hardest to hate all the time. But I'm content to know that, in the end, we'll be alright."

"Will we?"

Her question seemed to linger in the air as Jayden searched for the answer himself. His ex Marissa, and even Helen, had said that his feelings for Scarlett clouded his better judgment. They both claimed that Scarlett would cross that line of "just friends" and enter something more while he would simply allow it. But he was determined to, not only prove them wrong, but end up with Laura.

"You don't know, do you?" Scarlett asked. She had been around him long enough to know that look on his face and right now it was the last thing she wanted to see on him.

Jayden then smiled. "I guess that's the exciting part of life, huh? Not knowing what's around the next corner."

"I guess." Scarlett's voice was barely above a whisper, though her eyes seem to speak volumes for her. "You know that I meant what I said, right? I will _never_ give up on us."

"Scar-"

"You can't be involved with me right now, I know. And Laura's too perfect to make a mistake, I've heard that too." Scarlett interrupted. "But a one percent chance in us happening is worth trying for me. And I'm sure a part of you believes that as well."

Jayden sighed. He did not want to argue with Scarlett, but she was in her special world again. A world where he would magically leave Laura and they could be a happy family together. A world that he would try his best from ever creating himself.

"Let me put this in my room and tell Danni we're leaving." Jayden said.

"Sure." Scarlett said standing up as Jayden went to his bedroom.

Scarlett grabbed her things as well. Writing a poem was hard enough, but writing one with someone else, memorizing, and recited as if it was dialogue from a play was pushing it. The duo had agreed to dodge the subject of love and settled with friendship. However, most of Scarlett's written piece had to do with wanting to be more than friends while Jayden's part- though going with hers perfectly- was leaning towards just being friends. In the end, when read and said together, it pretty much detailed their lives now. One wanting to be more than just a friend and the other satisfied with just being friends.

"Be back." Jayden said walking through the living room towards Danica's room. "Oh Danni, my dear sweet sister!"

Scarlett smiled. While she doubted that she and Danica would be on talking terms for quite some time, she was glad to know that the brother-sister relationship between Jayden and his sister had only grown. Jayden needed someone to be there for him. Sadly, Scarlett wanted to be that someone but knew she couldn't. And it was mostly her fault that she couldn't, but that was beyond the point.

"It's in his office." Scarlett heard Danica say as Jayden left Danica's room.

"Alright." Jayden replied. "Check in on the twins for me, okay? It's about time for them to wake up."

"Just go." Jayden smiles before closing Danica's door.

He looked at Scarlett. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah." Scarlett answered. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Knock yourself out." Jayden stated, moving past her to the door.

"You think you can make a pit stop to get something to eat?" Jayden paused and looked at Scarlett's small grin. "I kind of had a small lunch."

Jayden sighed. "Women and counting calories. I will never understand it."

"I was not counting calories." Scarlett argued.

"Good. You're not even a cheerleader." Scarlett scoffed and rolled her eyes as they left his apartment. "What? You're not."

"You're so lucky-"

"That you love me and can't think of doing anything wrong to me on purpose." Jayden interrupted. "Yeah, I know."

Scarlett smiled. "So long as you do."

* * *

Shane sighed as he and Deanna stood next to his dad's truck. There was an awkward silence between the two. Not because of what happened at the dinner, but what had occurred afterwards. Deanna had attempted to live up to her promise and sneak Shane to her room. And while reluctant, he followed. However, as soon as Deanna's nimble fingers had managed to tug his shirt of, her mom knocked on the door.

And now here they were.

"That could've gone better." Shane finally said.

Deanna rolled her eyes. "You think?" Shane smiled at her, putting a comforting arm around her shoulders. "She's going to ask me so many questions."

"We should've waited." Shane stated before frowning. "Well, _you_ should've waited."

"But you'll be busy tomorrow and, as much as I would love to mess with her, I don't want Nicky to even get the thought of what we do." Deanna responded.

"Well, having your mom _know_ is worse." Shane said. "Thankfully the whole 'we were making out' excuse worked. Now if you can convince her that that's all we were doing would this be great."

Deanna smiled. "You worry too much Shane. You really do." Deanna rose on her toes and kissed his cheek. "But now your dad needs you to help take care of his pregnant girlfriend. So go do that."

"Why is it that you put _their_ needs over mine?" Deanna giggled, exchanging a kiss with Shane.

"Because I'm all that you need." Deanna answered. "Now go."

Shane grinned as he got into the truck. Deanna walked towards her front door, hearing the truck start and Shane slowly driving out of her driveway. With a heavy sigh, she returned indoors where her brother awaited her.

"Come to tell me something else that I should kill you for?" Deanna asked.

"Not this time." DeWayne told her. Deanna frowned when he neared the dining room and followed him. "I just thought you could use something to ease the stress."

Deanna entered the dining room, seeing two glasses of champagne. She and her brother had tasted the stuff once, with their mother's permission of course, but that was about it.

"With Mercedes and Scarlett playing games and Shane's performance not being the best," DeWayne said holding a glass towards her. "I figured we both need a little something to get us in better moods."

"I'm not drinking with you Wayne." Deanna said.

"Then drink to the fact that tomorrow Nicky Campbell will be all over Shane and if you snaps, he hates you." Deanna rolled her eyes. "Or you can drink to the fact that our mother now disapproves of the behemoth that just tried to swallow your tonsils."

Deanna sighed and took the glass, DeWayne raising the other one to her.

"I will drink," Deanna said. "For having the biggest dick for a brother."

"And a bigger one for a boyfriend." DeWayne replied before the two lightly clinked glasses and sipped their drinks.

Deanna sighed. Her mother's disapproval of Shane would seriously put a hamper on her happiness. Yet, nothing could compare to the thoughts of Nicole putting her claws in Shane all afternoon tomorrow. The thought made Deanna both sick and angry at the same time. And to top it all off, she was having a drink with the guy who had read her diary and pretty much revealed how Deanna even got Shane in the first place. There was no way that this one little drink was going to relieve Deanna of all of that.

So maybe another one wouldn't hurt?


	133. S5 Episode IV: Human Nature

**Episode IV: Human Nature**

Amber moved slowly up the steps. She had been feeling quite ill these past few weeks, having nightmares every other night and then waking up in a pool of sweat. The only two guys that she allowed to even touch her now were her dad and James. Hugs from Marc were short and she shivered every time. Though it was getting better.

"Morning Amber…" The quiet voice of one Gabrielle Nunez reached her ears. Amber looked at the timid girl and gave her a small smile. "Um… I never got to say sorry for… What my brother did."

"It's not your fault." Amber said.

"But-"

"It's not your fault." Amber interrupted. "I just want that bastard to pay. That's it."

Gabrielle nodded. "I understand. Is there anything I can do?"

Amber was going to snap at the younger girl. Here she was trying to just move pass the whole ordeal, and Gabrielle was doing nothing more but reminding her of the very guy that gave her the pain. But Amber knew it was unintentional. Gabrielle only wanted the best for her.

Gabrielle was unprepared for when Amber hugged her. The smaller girl froze in the hug. Gabrielle has hardly said two words about Amber all year, let alone to her. But there was somehow a connection there. Gabrielle did not know what it was for sure, but she knew that Amber felt it as well. And so, Gabrielle hugged her back.

"I'm really sorry." Gabrielle muttered another apology.

"I know." Amber said before pulling away. "But do you know what I just figured out?" Gabrielle frowned and shook her head. "You're Nathan's little sister as well, aren't you? I mean, your dad and Nathan have the same last name and they look alike."

Gabrielle opened her mouth but nothing came out. Nathan would kill her- metaphorically of course- if Amber told the school that they were siblings. Unlike the McDuelle brothers, Gabrielle and Nathan were going to keep their sibling-hood a secret until they were both alright to reveal it.

"I won't tell." Amber said, relieving Gabrielle a bit.

"Thank you." Gabrielle replied. "Um… I have to go…"

"We both do." Amber stated.

Gabrielle nodded. "Yeah… Hey Amber?" Amber hummed in response. "If you need anything my dad and I are willing to help anyway we can."

Amber grinned. "Thanks."

Gabrielle released a breath as the older girl walked away. Besides her brother, Gabrielle did not have a connection with the "in-crowd" like her friends did. She had no idea on how Amber was going to react to her statement. But Aaron was apparently right. Amber was probably the better between Amber and Mary-Jane. Then again, Mary-Jane was not known as _the_ Queen Bee for nothing.

* * *

Jacob saw his friends all laughing. He hated it honestly as none of them seemed to even care about his situation. When Mr. Simpson died, they all consoled Shane and Kelly. Heck, even Scarlett was given a shoulder to cry on. Dakota started drinking and took all the attention. And finally there was Jayden. Jacob could not even count how many times Jayden had everyone fixing his problems. Now here was Jacob trying to get the same aid from his friends and yet received nothing.

"You know she's going to kill you." Dakota told Jayden who only shrugged.

"She's got to come home first." Jayden responded before eying Jacob. "Hey Jacob. How's it going?"

"Do you really want to know?" Jacob's response seemed to kill the jovial mood. Again, not that he cared.

"Uh, I wouldn't ask if I didn't." Jayden said. "So what's eating you?"

"The fact that my dad and this Liberty lady seems to be hitting it off pretty well. That's what's 'eating me' Jayden." Jacob stated. "It's getting pretty annoying and no one seems to be doing anything to stop them. Even my mom stopped trying."

Jayden shrugged slightly. "That's just the way life goes sometimes. But I'm sure that they'll-"

"What do you know?" Jacob interrupted angrily.

"Uh, he knows that our parents split when we were kids and we're still a happy family." Shane inputted.

Dakota nodded. "And I was made during an illicit affair that my dad had on his wife."

"Plus my kids just remind me everyday of how badly I cheated on Scarlett. So I think _we_ have a pretty good knowledge on how this goes." Jayden finished. "So just tell us how you feel and we'll help. I promise."

Jacob looked at them. Kelly and Shane were kids when their parents divorced and Dakota's parents were never married in the first place. Jayden's parents were married and will probably die married. So none of them knew how he felt now.

"Don't worry about it." Jacob muttered.

Jayden raised a brow. "You should know I can't do that. Friends of mine don't walk around with a chip on their shoulder. Not when I can help. And today, I'm relieved of my fathering duties by Laura's lovely mother."

"I got nothing better to do." Shane said.

Kelly sighed. "It's 'I _have_ nothing'."

"Stop being a critic Kelly." Shane argued. "You're just mad because Jane's having a boy."

"So that means you have to do the dishes at Mason's _and_ The Dot?" Jayden asked. Kelly begrudging nodded. "I wonder how much of my parents' money I can spend at each restaurant. I could treat the soccer team to one place and then the basketball team to the other. It'll be like a school function."

"Don't forget the football team." Shane said. "I'm sure they'd love to dirty up some dishes as well."

Jayden snapped his fingers. "Now I would invite them but I don't play the sport. But you could."

"That I could…" Shane responded with a grin.

Kelly glared at the smiling boys next to her. "I hate you both."

"Alright you two," Dakota said with a sigh. "You can't just invite people there or I'll schedule three straight hours of practice today." Both Jayden's and Shane's smiles dropped. Dakota gave Kelly a small smile. "You're welcome."

Jacob did not understand it actually. How were these four even friends, let alone related? There was Kelly who was adopted by Shane's parents. The girl wearing some sort of punk rock shirt, jeans, and boots met her mother last year and had no idea on who her dad was. Then there was Shane who was young when his parents divorced, witnessed his mother re-marry, and now has to deal with his dad's pregnant girlfriend. Dakota was brought into a divided home as well as Craig was already married to Jacob's aunt, Ashley, before Dakota was born. And then there was Jayden in the perfect one husband and one wife household, just with a butt load of kids.

And now that he looked at it, Jacob realized that maybe _he_ did not belong here. Kelly and Shane were adopted siblings, Jayden being their god-brother, and Dakota was Jayden's dubbed sister. They were a family. No amount of divorce or marriage could change that.

But it changed Jacob's family. And it was changing it now.

"I have to go." Jacob said.

"If you want to talk about it, just call." Jacob ignored Jayden's words as he walked off causing the braided haired boy to sigh heavily and shake his head. "It's always the quiet ones."

"Yep." Kelly added.

"Oh well." Jayden said before putting an arm around Kelly's shoulder. "To class my lovely rock star?"

Shane forcefully removed Jayden's arm with a grunt.

"Stop flirting with my sister!"

Dakota grinned. She swore that if they had a show, this would be a running gag that would last for _seasons_.

* * *

Manny smiled as Emma flopped with exaggerated fatigue on her couch.

"Long week?" Manny asked.

Emma sighed heavily. "The longest!" Manny giggled at Emma's outburst. "Do you know how hard it is to live with a pregnant woman?"

"First, you sound like Spin when _you_ were pregnant with Shane," Manny replied. "And secondly, I just dealt with a pregnant teenager. I'm sure you can handle Jane."

"It's just crazy. I mean we're all into the whole baby hysteria thing. Even Sean. And he pretty much rushed Ana's birth." Emma said, remembering how her husband prayed that Anastasia would be born quickly to avoid the hormonal Emma.

"You'll live." Manny said.

"Thanks for your support." Emma stated before frowning. "How're things going for Jayden and the paparazzi?"

Now it was Manny who sighed. "Still following him around every other day. They scared the twins pretty bad Tuesday afternoon. Neither he nor Laura were happy about that."

"I hope that ends soon." Manny nods.

"Me too. Last thing I need is for Max to get too upset about it." Manny paused. "How's Liberty? I haven't talked to her lately."

"Last I heard, Damian was still pissed at her and she was going to meet Toby somewhere." Emma answered. "I can't say that I'm happy about her decision but it's her life."

Manny gasped. "Meddling Emma doesn't want to meddle in someone else's life? I've seen it all!"

"Ha-ha," Emma returned sarcastically. "I don't meddle in _everyone's_ lives. Just those that needs my help."

"Right, right, and Danni can actually claim self-defense for half of the fights she's been in." Emma rolled her eyes at her friend's words. "Seriously Em, I'm a little concerned about them. We're not in high school where cheating on someone didn't hold that much weight. They're adults, _married adults_, with children."

"I know. I feel bad for their kids. Jacob especially." Manny frowned a bit at Emma's statement. "You know how much he looks up to Toby. And now this…"

"Yeah, you're right." Manny said. "I just wish that, in the end, everything ends up the way it's supposed to be." Manny smiled. "That way I can get all the rest that I can and not have to worry about my friends!"

"You haven't changed a bit Manny." Emma murmured.

"Not at all." Manny replied.

* * *

Chandra walked with Vanessa towards their separated second period classes. Like last year, Vanessa was signing up for several sports, something Chandra found a bit tiring. But Vanessa liked being swamped by activities, so Chandra said nothing.

"Say," Vanessa stated. "Do you think that there's something going on between Ashton and Brie?"

Chandra frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Do you think that they're…?" Vanessa's question caused Chandra to laugh.

"Do I think that _Brie_ would ever do that to _anyone_?" Chandra questioned.

Vanessa smiled. "I guess you're right about that."

"Of course I am! This is Gabrielle Nunez! She's the only one of us who doesn't legitimately hate Jordan despite whatever Jordan's done to her." Chandra assured. "I honestly can't see them doing anything together."

"But have you seen the two of them together? They're always joking and talking. And he always calls her at night." Vanessa said before sighing. "I don't know Bambi. I think I've been hanging around you too much. I'm worrying over the littlest things."

"I don't worry over everything." Chandra pointed out.

"Sure you…" Vanessa's words died when she spotted Gabrielle and Ashton talking by Gabrielle's locker. "…Don't…"

Chandra looked over to see the pair talking as well. While Chandra saw nothing out of the norm, she knew what Vanessa was thinking. Sadly, Chandra knew that Vanessa was right. Talking with Aaron had pretty much given Chandra much insight into Ashton and Gabrielle.

"Come on," Chandra said walking towards Gabrielle and Ashton. "I'm sure they're just talking about school."

"Sure they are." Vanessa said following her friend.

"…Which is why I think Santos should give him one good punch to the face." Ashton concluded before spotting his girlfriend and her friend coming towards them. "Is it so hard to get my girlfriend without an annoying attachment?"

"Deal with it." Chandra shot back. "And why are you talking about A.J?"

"Because we can." Ashton returned. "Why do you care? You're dating the enemy, remember?"

Vanessa sighed. "Ashton, what are you two talking about?"

"Not much. Just how Santos should punch Tim in the face." Ashton said nonchalantly.

"And the reason you couldn't answer _my_ question?" Chandra seethed.

"Because I'm not dating you. Duh." Vanessa had to smile at Chandra's angered face. "Besides, you'd be the first one to talk Santos for doing so. Well, you and Brie."

"He shouldn't fight him Ashton. No matter how annoying Tim is." Gabrielle stated.

"Actually," Vanessa said. "Tim's pretty much been asking for it since he got here. I kind of agree with you Ashton." Ashton, Gabrielle, and Chandra stared at Vanessa. "What?"

"You agreed with me?" Ashton questioned. "You're supposed to _disagree_ with me."

"Yeah Nessa, what's going on?" Chandra added.

Vanessa shrugged. "I just think that Ashton's actually right. A.J does need to stand up for himself some times."

"Right…" Ashton said skeptically. "Well, I have to find Santos before class. I'll catch up later."

As Ashton walked away, Vanessa's eyes slowly turned to Gabrielle. She knew that Gabrielle would never intentionally steal Ashton away from her. Gabrielle was too much of a friend to do that to Vanessa. Yet, at the same time, Vanessa saw Gabrielle as a rightful opponent. If anyone in the school had the right to date Ashton, it should be the girl who first did so and brought out the good inside the boy.

"Is everything okay?" Gabrielle's soft voice broke Vanessa out of her thoughts.

Vanessa smiled. "I'm fine. Just thinking about something." Gabrielle gave an unconvinced nod while Chandra just rolled her eyes. "Uh, I have to go. See you two around?"

"Whatever Vanessa." Chandra voiced before Vanessa took off. Chandra looked at Gabrielle. "You do know why she's acting all weird right?" Gabrielle nodded. "So long as you knew."

Gabrielle sighed. "I will always know, Chandra. Doesn't make it easier."

"Wait until he dates your cousin." Gabrielle shared a smile with Chandra. "Then you'll understand why knowing _never_ makes it easier!"

Gabrielle laughed quietly with Chandra. Chandra had a strong point there. Fortunately, Gabrielle did not know of any cousins on her mom's side, and she doubted that her dad's family was close. So she would _never_ experience what Chandra was, thankfully.

* * *

After finishing their project, Jayden and Scarlett returned to their separate seats.

"Spoken Word is now my least favorite form of literature." Jayden muttered.

Shane yawned. "Ditto."

"The kid isn't even here yet and you're already beat. What are you going to do when he wants to play with his big brother?" Jayden questioned.

"Send in Nicky." Shane retorted, the two sharing a quiet laugh.

The inside joke was one that Shane had made whilst he and Nicole were still dating. Seeing as Nicole adored children, Shane would have her babysit his younger siblings when he and Kelly were unable to do so. And Nicole wholeheartedly agreed, so long as Shane was not just using her to dodge watching his brother and sisters.

"You two are sad." Scarlett said while pulling her hair into a ponytail. "You're always dodging your brothers and sisters. For what? They aren't that bad."

"Is this the only child speaking?" Jayden asked Shane.

Shane shrugged. "She lost me at 'sad'."

"I wouldn't mind watching your brother Shane." Nicole said.

"See? And everyone wins." said Shane before looking at Scarlett. "So who's sad now?"

"The fry cook." Jayden grinned as Shane's face dropped.

"And she returns with a good one." Jayden said.

"I'll have you know," Shane began. "That I'm not just a 'fry cook'. I'm the bass player in Juvenile Grace. Best one there is too."

"Uh-huh?" Scarlett droned on.

"_And_ I just so happened to be good enough to have dated _you_ before anyone else have." Shane added.

Scarlett sighed. "You're right. You did. But using Nicky to watch your brother is sad Shane." Shane gave her another uncaring shrug. Scarlett shook her head and looked at Jayden. "And you-"

"Two of seven, father of three, boyfriend of Queen Evil, brother of the Queen of the Damned, and son of paparazzi attracting parents," Jayden interrupted. "I have a _very_ good reason to enjoy peace and quiet whenever I can."

"…" Scarlett attempted to find a counter. Other than voicing the horrible reality that one of the triplets had died, she had none. Laura was evil. Danica _could_ be the Queen of the Damned. And his parents attracted quite the attention whenever they went out. "Whatever J.T."

"Hey! I got my nickname back. It is a good day." Scarlett smiled and turned around. "And I got her to be quiet and turn around. Must be an early birthday present."

"Could've done that earlier." Shane stated. "You know, before she called me a fry cook."

"Yeah, but where's the fun in that?" Shane smiled a bit. "Hey, have you ever thought that in the right light, Ms. Warren looks…"

Shane looked at their teacher and then back at his friend. With a sigh, Shane rested his head on his desk.

"Don't see it." he muttered.

"Hmm…" Shane knew that Jayden would keep at it until he was sure that she was either hot or not.

As for now, he needed rest. Work, practice, and Deanna pretty much drained him of all the energy he could have. Then there was Jane who was not annoying, just pregnant. Her needs were above his and he would have to do whatever she could not do, such as reach something out of the cabinets. Thankfully, today Shane and Kelly would be home for most of the day, meaning that Kelly could help Jane and Shane could rest until Deanna showed up.

Or so he wished.

* * *

Jacob was a little annoyed that it was only lunch. He was ready for the day to end. For some reason, being at school only made things worse for him. He had practically avoided talking to his father all day and had only seen his friends once after this morning. His understanding of infidelity was slightly growing, but not to the point where he could fix his parents' situation. And that's all he wanted to do.

"Watch it." So caught up in his thoughts, Jacob bumped into one hot-tempered Helen Sinclair-Coyne. The girl and her cousin were on their way to lunch as well.

"Whatever." Jacob mumbled.

Bad move.

"What was that?" Jacob paused in his step after he realized that Helen had stopped moving for the cafeteria and her eyes were solely on him.

"Helen," Scarlett began before approaching Jacob. "Hey. Is everything alright?"

"No." Jacob answered. "And I don't know how to fix it."

"What ask me and we'll see if I can't help." Scarlett stated with a grin.

Though Jacob felt his former crush on Scarlett to rise again, he nodded slowly. He doubted that Scarlett, though quite intelligent, could tackle this problem. Then again, she was on the cheated side instead of being the cheater. She could probably guess how Jacob's mother felt and possibly how Jacob felt.

"Okay," Jacob began. "My dad cheated on my mom. Now they're living in separate places."

"Oh…" Scarlett's words made Jacob sigh quietly. Maybe he should have asked her first. "I'm sorry Jacob. I hope it gets better for them."

Jacob frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Helen inputted. "That there's nothing Scar can do for your parents. They have to work this stuff out by themselves."

"That's not helping." Jacob said.

"Jacob," Jacob felt his heart skip when Scarlett put a hand on his shoulder, something she had not done since last year's Back-to-School Dance. "I know this is hard, but there's really nothing anyone can do. But who knows? Maybe they'll be back together by the time you come home today."

"But, Jayden cheated on you and you forgave him. Why?" questioned the boy.

"I…" Scarlett struggled to come up with an answer that was not completely private information. "I forgave him because I love him. Simple as that."

Helen rolled her eyes. "Duh."

"How can you love a guy that had two kids with someone else?" Jacob asked. "He deliberately cheated on you without being under the influence of drugs or alcohol. And he admits that he wouldn't change that for the world!" Scarlett removed her hand, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Why do you love someone who doesn't love you back?"

By now, the roles of the Coyne Cousins had been reversed. Helen was silently praying that Jacob just leave before her cousin flipped and Scarlett was now the aggressor.

"You don't know what you're talking about." Scarlett said angrily. "You're just a sad little boy who's crying because his parents are having some issues!"

"I _know_ Jayden doesn't love you. It's apparent from his actions and words." Jacob retorted.

"He's told me so." Scarlett snapped back. "So why don't you run along before I remove what little manhood you have."

Helen cleared her throat, catching Jacob's attention. She silently shooed him away and he took the hint. Speaking badly about Jayden and Scarlett's strange relationship was almost suicidal in front of Scarlett. So, Jacob just walked away from the irate girl, hoping that _someone_ could give him insight about how to fix his parents' relationship.

Helen sighed. "Well… That was awkward."

"Annoying is more like it." Scarlett said as she turned towards Helen. "Lunch?"

"Lunch." Helen replied.

* * *

Amber knocked on the closed door before opening it slowly.

"Amber," Darcy said. "Come in." Amber stepped into the principal's office quietly. "What's wrong?"

"I…" Amber paused. "I've been having trouble sleeping." Darcy nodded as Amber sat in the seat in front of her desk. "I'll have this nightmare and then just wake up sick. I'll rush to the bathroom and…"

Darcy held a hand up. She did not need a visual.

"It'll get easier Amber." Darcy stated. "Have you tried any of the medications?"

Amber nodded. "Only two, but I stopped using them because they seemed to make me feel worse."

"I understand." Darcy replied. "Amber, can I ask you a slightly personal question?"

"It's your job." Amber said with a small grin.

"A part of it is," Darcy said. "But I was wondering how your relationship with James is going. Has he been helping you and Mary-Jane as much as he promised?"

Amber thought for a moment. "I guess… I mean, I've been spending time with Marc lately. But James has been around from time-to-time."

"How does that make you feel?" The question made Amber shrug. Truthfully, she would like James to be around more than Marc.

"I don't know." Amber said.

Darcy nodded with a grin. "I think you do."

Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Amber subconsciously hugged herself a bit. Seeing the action, Darcy sat back in her seat.

"When Randy kissed you," Amber flinched at the words. "You said that one of the thoughts running through your head was the thought of cheating on Marc. Do you still have those thoughts?" Slowly, but surely, Amber nodded. "Amber, to relieve some mental stress, I think you know what you must do, right?"

"But he's such a nice guy. And…" Amber paused.

"And you're just stringing him along." Darcy said. "I'm not pressuring you to do so. I just want you to do what's best for yourself. If you think you can handle it even with your want of James being around, then go for it. But if not…"

Darcy did not finish her words but Amber knew exactly what she was suggesting. Breaking up with Marc was something that Mary-Jane had hinted as well. But Amber did not want to do so. She did not want this once incident change so much in her life. Sure, it brought her and James closer, but they were not together. She was with Marc and he was doing whatever with Brooke. That's how it was before she was raped and that's how it should be for now.

"Now," Darcy said breaking the girl's concentration. "About these dreams."

* * *

Kelly sighed. Jayden and Shane had given up for unknown reasons and Dakota chose to stay out of it, despite being the closest to the problem in terms of family. So here Kelly was, trying to cheer Jacob up, while not taking her anger out on him. She was pretty upset when Shane had claimed that he was too tired to do so and Jayden said, and she quotes, that Jacob "was becoming a pain in the ass."

"So," Jacob snapped out of his thoughts as Kelly sat beside him on the stairs in front of the building. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Not unless you can stop my dad from cheating." Jacob answered dryly.

"I thought so." Kelly replied. "Look, Jacob, I can't change what happened. In fact, no one can. But we don't want you to get so wrapped up in it."

"We?" Jacob parroted.

"Yes. We, as in my friends and yours." Kelly told him. "They're worried about you."

Jacob snorted. "That's a laugh. Jayden's probably worried about Scarlett or the next girl. Shane's normally half asleep by now. And Dakota…" Jacob paused. "She likes to stay neutral and out of everyone's business."

"They're worried about you." Kelly did not want to give Jacob any idea that he was closed to being right, despite correctly guessing two of those three scenarios. Jayden was actually more worried about the band than any female acquaintance. "So come inside and we'll help. I promise."

"How does it feel?" Jacob asked quietly. When Kelly frowned, Jacob continued. "You know that you're adopted and you're adopted parents split. How does that feel?"

Kelly took in a deep breath. Jacob was not a jerk, or at least he normally wasn't, so she figured he was genuinely asking. Still, bringing up her adoption was something she normally did in the company of her family and her family alone. But if it was for the sake of helping a friend, she figured she would do it this one time.

"It hurts." Kelly answered quietly. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I love my parents and Sean a lot. But sometimes… Sometimes I wish I had my birth parents to fuss at me or teach me how to ride a bike." Kelly looked at Jacob. "Is that what you're thinking? That they're going to split and you'll have a stepmom?"

Jacob nodded. "That's exactly what I'm thinking."

"Well, maybe it won't be so bad." Jacob frowned. Leave it to Kelly to be optimistic about something like this. "My dad once told me that sometimes new things are for the better. Of course, at the time, he was explaining why my mom was married to another man, but that's beside the point. The point is, I like Sean. I like Sean with my mom just like I like Jane for my dad. And now instead of two parents that originally didn't want me, I have three and hopefully four if my dad ever marries Jane. Plus my godparents are amazingly awesome and I just started talking to my actually mom, bringing my number of parents up to seven."

"I don't want three parents." Kelly shrugged at Jacob's words.

"And I don't want younger siblings. I still love them though." When she saw and heard Jacob sigh, she put a hand on his shoulder. "Jacob, you're one of the smartest kids I know. Even you have to think of _every_ possibility."

"Like what?" questioned the boy.

"Like the possibility that your parents might get back. Or you might like Liberty. You never know with these sorts of things." Kelly said.

Jacob now thought about those chances. He quickly ruled out the possibility of him ever getting to know or like this Liberty woman, but maybe his parents would get back together. Still there was one question still bugging him.

"I just want to know why he did it." Kelly shrugged.

"Can't answer that. I mean, we are all human. We're bound to make a mistake once in our lives, especially mistakes made caused by emotions running wild." Kelly answered.

"Like us?" The question caused an uneasy silence to settle. Jacob looked to see Kelly's eyes somewhere across the street. "Kelly? Is that what caused you and I to kiss?"

"I guess so." Kelly said.

Jacob turned to the clouds above him. "So does that mean that you and I…?"

Kelly snapped her eyes to her friend.

"Jacob, don't get me wrong, but you're really not my type." Kelly said. "I'll admit, you're quite cute in a nerdy way, but…" Jacob looked at her as she paused to get the right words. "We would never work out."

"But I'm good enough to kiss?" Jacob questioned.

"If Jayden was the one that helped me, it would probably be him that I kissed. I was just too happy to get the thing done." Kelly stated.

"And you find Jayden attractive, right?" Kelly sighed but nodded. "So why wouldn't you two work?"

"Because we're god-siblings and I don't want to be involved with someone who has kids." Kelly bluntly said. "Anymore questions?" Jacob shook his head. "Good. Now, let's get back in there. It's quite chilly today."

Kelly stood and looked down at Jacob. The boy seemed to be deep in thoughts before he slowly rose. She gave him a grin which quickly went away when he kissed her.

"What the?!" she said pulling away. "What was that for?"

"You helped me like I helped you. I was only returning the favor." Jacob answered.

"Yeah, well you could've just said thanks." Kelly said angrily.

"Kelly, you may not like me that way, but I like you that way. So-"

"Whoa, stop right there." Kelly interrupted. "Jacob, I just explained to you that this would never work. So don't force me to hurt you."

"But-"

"Just shut up." Kelly cut him off again. "I'm going back inside. Do whatever the hell you want."

Jacob frowned as Kelly stormed inside the building. He seriously tried to understand relationships, but was failing miserably. When they had kissed the first time, things were much more pleasurable and Kelly didn't seem that mad about it. In fact, they had kissed more than once that day. But now, she seemed almost reluctant that their lips ever touched.

Jacob's frown deepened as he thought harder. Maybe she hated it because _she_ was now seeing someone instead of just Jacob? That would make some sense as Kelly was faithful, or at least portrayed to be. Jacob could not be sure what happened behind closed doors.

Jacob sighed. Relationships were hard. If only someone could explain it to him would he be alright. Unfortunately, it seems that all his friends were too busy trying to tell him things he did not want to hear.

But he would get his answer, one way or another.

* * *

At Bardell, Brooke and Jeanette were both heading to class after lunch. Jeanette noticed that her shorter friend was deep in thought, something that Jeanette never thought was a good thing.

"Who is he?" Brooke blinked out of her thoughts and gave Jeanette a confused look. "Anytime you're thinking that hard, it's a guy. So who is he?"

"Oh, no one new. Just James." Brooke answered. "I haven't seen him since his ex stopped by…"

Jeanette sighed. "Brooke, I don't think it's a good idea for you to see James."

"Why not?" asked Brooke.

"Because Amber needs him." Brooke frowned. "Listen, it's really not my place to put her business out like this, but she was raped recently. My mom is trying to help her through it and James promised that he would help any way he could. You taking him away would only make things worse."

Brooke frowned. "She was 'raped'? She didn't appear raped when she came to the ravine."

"People tend to react differently. It's not like-"

"I think she's just trying to get James back anyway possible. Have you seen the guy she dates now? I'm sure she's desperate." Brooke interrupted.

Jeanette's eyes narrowed. "Don't go messing around with him Brooke. I mean it."

"Or what? You going to have God spite me?"

"It's _smite_, genius." Jeanette retorted. "And no, I can't do that. I just don't want you to be the reason that some girl never got over her rape."

Brooke crossed her arms. "Why can't I be happy?"

"Because you're making everyone else miserable." Jeanette answered. "Look, there are tons of guys out there. And I thought you said you wanted to date DeWayne? He's single now."

"Maybe you're right." Brooke said with a sigh. "Still…"

"Brooke, no. No James. Not now at least." Jeanette said as she stepped towards her class. "And I mean it. Don't go messing with him."

"Yeah, yeah, go save a lost soul somewhere." Brooke muttered as she moved for her class.

Jeanette released a quiet breath as she shook her head. Brooke was her best friend, but there were times when she wished the shorter girl would at least considered what others were feeling. Amber was raped and was in no condition to deal with that reality alone. Yet, all Amber requested was help from her friends Mary-Jane and James. And here Brooke was trying to deny Amber of such a simple request.

"She'll get over it." Jeanette mumbled as she stepped into her class.

* * *

Walking home from school, Jordan spotted her older brother yawn and shook her head.

"Seriously Shane, did you actually sleep in every class?" Shane looked at Jordan with a small smile.

"I tried." Both of his sisters released a sigh. "What?"

"You're sad." Jordan remarked.

"Says you." Jordan rolled her eyes as Shane's response. Shane then looked at Kelly. "What's wrong with you? You came back to the table kind of pissed."

"Your friend kissed me." Kelly stated.

"He kissed you or did you…" Shane stopped once Kelly glared at him. "Okay, I get it. But why?"

"As if I know. I had half the mind to kick his ass." Kelly stated. "But… But I didn't, because I understand what he's feeling. Or at least, I did some time ago." Shane noticed his sister's eyes trail to the sidewalk for a moment before she looked back at him. "He needs help Shane."

Shane shrugged. "He's just going through a phase, like Jordan."

"Hey!"

"He'll get over it." Shane continued while completely ignoring Jordan. "Besides, it's not like he tried to rape you or something. I'm sure he just thought that you two bonding meant something."

"Why can't you be protective like other brothers and talk to him?" Jordan asked.

"Why can't you be quiet?" Jordan huffed at Shane's retort. "Like I was saying, Jacob probably read the whole situation wrong. Besides, it's not like he would intentionally cheat on Angelina with you."

Kelly glared at her brother. "Are you saying that I can't compete with _Angelina_?"

"Uh…" Shane responded as he tried to come up with the best answer.

"Don't answer that Shane." Kelly said angrily while Jordan snickered quietly. "Some brother I have…"

* * *

"Well, if it isn't my one of a kind friend, Ari?" Ariana ducked her face further into her book. "How am I doing? Fine. Thanks for asking."

Ariana sighed heavily and dropped her book. Jayden frowned when he saw her eyes slightly pink, revealing that she had been crying earlier. Understanding that something must have happened, he moved and sat down across from her at the picnic table.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing." Jayden's eyes hardened. "Some boys at school threw some more water on me again."

"Ari," Jayden said. "You have to do something about that."

"Like what?!" Ariana snapped.

"I don't know. But hey, I'll help if you want." Jayden said. "Ari, don't let them get away with this. You don't deserve it."

Ariana scoffed quietly. "If you ask them, I do. I'm weird."

"You're not weird." Ariana frowned at Jayden's words. "I'm serious Ari, you're not weird. Different from others, but not weird."

"What do you know?" Ariana argued angrily. "You're rich. You're famous. You're what they like."

Jayden took in a deep breath and slowly released it. He could tell that she was hurt, but shouting at him was not the way to go about it.

"Who cares what they think?" Ariana turned away from Jayden. "Hey, you're smarter than most of them and prettier than the rest. You don't need their opinions to be Ariana."

Ariana's face scrunched up into a thoughtful frown. Seeing the smile on Jayden's face was slightly comforting and his voice only made her believe him more. But there was something inside of her that did not, or rather would not, trust his words.

"Whatever." Ariana muttered.

"Look at me," Jayden told her. "I'm serious Ari. You don't have to listen to them. And you don't have to take them throwing water or anything on you. You're not weird. You're perfect the way you are."

"As if you believe that." Ariana said. "I've seen your girlfriend. She's pretty and confident and all the things _normal_."

"Normal? Between you and me, Laura asked me how to have a normal relationship." Jayden replied. "She's only normal to me because, well, I'm used to her. Much like I'm used to you being you. Not what they think you should be."

"I wish I was back home and not here." Ariana commented.

"Running never solves anything." Jayden said, reminding Ariana of the words that she told him. "That's why I didn't run, remember?"

Ariana sighed. "Okay. You got me there." Jayden smiled. "Stop that."

"Stop what? Smiling? Smiling makes things better." Jayden replied.

"Actually ice cream makes everything better." Jayden raised a brow. "I'm not asking you to take me for ice cream."

"Are you _suggesting_ that I do? Because, I just dropped my kids off and Shane is currently dealing with his sister and girlfriend." Jayden said. "If we leave now, we can meet them back here before they tag along."

"And if I say no?" Ariana questioned.

"Then you're an idiot for not relying on a friend in a time of need." Jayden answered. "But hey, I won't judge you. Never have and I never will."

Ariana frowned. "Have I told you that you're annoying?"

"All the time!" Jayden said happily as he stood up. "But I'm taking that insult as a yes to my offer."

Ariana rose slowly. She had a hard time trusting a child celebrity. She was not a celebrity, and in her mind, she was unfit to hang with them. Yet here Jayden was trying to prove her inner thoughts wrong.

"Can I ask you a question?" Ariana asked Jayden quietly.

"Sure." Jayden replied.

"Why?" Jayden frowned. "Why do you have to be so… Different?"

"Different from the norm or different from what you thought?" Ariana did not answer, wanting to say both. "I guess I'm not different because my family is full of weird and bizarre things. I mean, my brother A.J is one of the nicest guys I know and then my older sister Danni is like the exact opposite. And let's not get started on how we say grace at family reunions. It's like seven different languages and I can hardly understand English." Ariana, despite herself, giggled at the comment. "So I'm not different. I'm pretty normal for one from my family."

"Really?" Ariana asked.

Jayden nodded. "Like my dad I play more sports than I should and I have a knack for dating cheerleaders. And like my mom… Well let's just say that I get a lot from her as well."

Ariana sighed. "Fine, you're normal for a boy from a weird family."

"And you're normal for a girl with different tastes in fashion." Jayden responded. "Now can we get that ice cream now?"

"Sure. But you're paying." Ariana told him.

Jayden smiled. "Whatever Ari."

* * *

Shane sighed contently. "You're awesome."

"I know." Deanna said as Shane rests his head in her lap and closes his eyes. "So is Kelly alright?"

"No and no." Shane said. "Fortunately they have some pretty big scoop down at The Core and she's more excited about that than hurting Jacob."

"You'd let her hurt your friend?" Deanna looked down to see Shane nodding. "That's not right Shane. You need to keep the peace between them."

Shane shrugged. "I hate it when people hit on my sister, even if they're dating her. So if I hate Jayden's compliments and Hakim kissing her, how do you think I feel about Jacob kissing her?"

"I think you're just being overprotective." Deanna responded as she rested her head on the couch and looked at the ceiling. "Not that that's a bad thing. I'd like you to fight my battles."

"After a nap." Shane said, gaining a small laugh from Deanna.

"Aren't you two cute?" Jane teased as she moved into the living room. Shane did not open his eyes while Deanna looked directly at the pregnant woman. "Kelly hasn't returned?"

"Nope." Shane said as he continued to lie across the couch. "Need something?"

"The couch." Jane's response caused Shane to groan. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting but I just needed to get out of the bed."

"I understand." Shane said sitting up. Jane walked to the couch to sit beside the boy. "Need anything to eat?"

"Got anymore crackers?" Shane nodded and stood up. "Thank you Shane."

"I'm not the one that has to do the dishes at Mason's and The Dot." Shane replied as he walked towards the kitchen.

Jane smiled. "He's so helpful."

"When he wants to be." Deanna added with a smile. "Luckily he's always going to be on my side."

"I wouldn't say always." Shane said as he reentered the room with a box of crackers. "No matter what you say, your mom is out to get me. That's something that we will never agree on."

Jane laughed. "It gets harder with marriage."

Shane sat between Deanna and Jane, putting an arm around Deanna.

"Yeah, well I have the understanding girlfriend. She'll be an awesome wife…" Shane paused. "If…"

"If what?" Deanna questioned with a frown.

"If you learn how to make something other than a grill cheese." Jane burst into a fit of laughter, followed by Shane. Deanna only sat there with a small pout.

"My cooking is not that bad!" Shane kissed her after her proclamation.

"Sure it isn't." he said.

Eventually Deanna smiled, snuggling into the boy as he reached for the remote and turned the TV on. Her mom and brother did not understand how simple things like this made her happy. A simple house with a nice family who laughed and joked with one another was Deanna's idle life. Of course, shopping will forever be her favorite pastime and she would _never_ buy off-brand items. But spending time with Shane came at a very close second.

* * *

Aaron frowned when he saw that Vanessa was calling him. He mentally questioned who had given her his number and limited his answers down to Ashton and Chandra. Though he highly doubted that Ashton was the culprit behind the deed.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Hey…" Vanessa's voice was hardly audible. "Can I ask you something?"

Aaron sat on his bed. "Sure. What's wrong?"

"Does Ashton still like Brie?"

The question had caused Aaron to swallow quietly. He could lie and say that they were only friends, but that had several drawbacks that he did not want to face. On the other hand, he could tell Vanessa the truth and probably be the catalyst that breaks Vanessa and Ashton up. The only problem Aaron saw there was being labeled a home wrecker.

"I can't answer that." Aaron finally said.

"A.J you're his best friend. He tells you-"

"I'm not his best friend Vanessa." Aaron interrupted. "Ashton has no best friend." Vanessa seemed to agree with him. "Besides, he doesn't talk to me about Brie often. He only talks to Brie about Brie, like he does everyone else."

Vanessa sighed. "A.J, please, be honest with me. Do they still like each other?"

"I can only tell you that Brie still likes Ashton because she's told me so. I can't answer for Ashton." Aaron responded.

While that was not a complete lie, Aaron still felt bad for combining his two choices from earlier and made a whole new tactic. He was becoming more and more like his older siblings everyday.

"Do you think that he does?" Vanessa questioned.

"I think he likes her more than a lot of other people, me included." Aaron said in a vain attempt to make a joke. "I'm sure you're over-thinking this."

"Hmm, that's what Bambi said." Aaron smiled a bit. He and Chandra had spent too much time together. "Could you find out for me? It would mean a lot to me."

"I don't know…" Aaron said. "I mean, not too long ago you and I weren't the best of friends. And something tells me that we're still not. Not while you're practically on Chandra's side during every argument and me on Brie's."

"She still likes you A.J. You're just making things hard on yourself and Bambi." replied Vanessa. "I'm asking you for a favor."

"You're asking me to spy on my friends when you can ask Ashton yourself. Like I said, he doesn't really talk to me about Brie anymore. He and Brie talk about themselves when they're by themselves."

"Which is a lot!" Vanessa retorted. "But they're normally with you or leaving you. You have to know A.J. You're not blind or dumb."

Aaron's lips thinned before he sighed.

"Vanessa, talk to Ashton. That's the only thing I can say." Aaron heard Vanessa prepare her argument and continued. "I talked to Bambi and we've come to an understanding. Maybe it'll help with you and Ashton."

"And maybe I'll lose my boyfriend to one of my closest friends." Vanessa pointed out.

"That might happen." Aaron said. "Look, I promised that I'll call Bambi so I'm going to do that now and I'll call you back later, okay?"

"Don't. I'll just talk to Ashton myself." Vanessa said. "Thanks A.J."

"You're welcome." Aaron said before hanging up. "Good grief…" Aaron then sped-dialed Chandra's number. "And Ashton says that _I_ have annoying girlfriends…"

* * *

Adam watched Eli raise a brow as his dubbed daughter stepped out of the rather fancy Mercedes with a cup in hand.

"See you around." The boy driving the car said as he drove off.

Ariana looked to see Eli and his friend staring at her with curious looks. She figured that if she pretended that nothing was out of the norm, then she could at least bypass the two men standing on the porch and enter the house.

"Who was that?" Damn, Ariana thought as Eli's voice reached her before she even made it to the porch.

"Um, a friend." Ariana answered. "He got us milkshakes."

"A date?" Adam teased.

"No!" Ariana argued before scoffing. "Besides, I don't have to answer to you." Ariana's eyes landed on Eli who was silently questioning what his friend was. "It wasn't a date. Gee, Old Man, stop making me sound easy."

Eli then smirked. "Was that Jayden?"

"Ugh!" Ariana practically screamed as she stormed by the two and entered the house.

"Yep, that was Jayden." Adam said, the two men only laughing at Ariana's reactions.


	134. Webisode: Festivals

**Festivals**

Aaron sighed as he stared at himself in the mirror. The coat he was wearing, a montsuki as he was told, was dark blue in color as well as the baggy pants- hakama- he was wearing. The kimono itself, which he was wearing beneath the two aforementioned articles of clothing, was a simple black, oddly. Finally the obi, which he simply referred to as a belt, was white. Lifting his arms a bit, he felt strange wearing these items. When one of his instructors told him that it would feel something like a graduation gown, Aaron merely ignored him. None of the kids there were graduating any time school since the oldest was going to the tenth grade.

His mind then journeyed to where he was. Kyoto was the name of the city. The place was great, with a perfect blend of modern times as well as the older, traditional times. Aaron particularly liked the shrines and temples that his group had visited during the days there and only wished he could have taken all the pictures that he wanted. But it was practically impossible to do such a thing. There were literally too many things and not enough time, as they would be heading for Tokyo in four days.

A knock on his door caused Aaron to move towards it. His two roommates were both out with friends before the festival later on. And while one of them had a knack of forgetting his key, Aaron doubted that he would knock so quietly without calling out to whoever he thought was inside.

"Jordan…" Aaron's words died when he saw his blonde companion.

Jordan smiled. "You like? They called it a fur… Fur… Furisode?"

Aaron stared at her. The garment that nearly swallowed his friend was black with pink flower decorations all over it. It was tied with a golden sash that also had small pink flowers on it. Jordan's hair was pulled back into an elegant bun being held by a clip. Again, completely going with her theme, a pink flower was also in her hair as it held back her bang. All in all, she looked beautiful. But Aaron knew better than to blow her ego up with that.

"It looks good." Aaron said with a grin.

"Just good?" Aaron lazily rolled his eyes as Jordan giggled. "I'm so excited! This will be like a dance! But in Japan!"

"I know." Aaron replied. "And why are you so excited? We have an exam tomorrow and then we're moving again."

"Way to be a kill-joy." Jordan muttered. "Seriously A.J, I think you're too worried about Bambi and Oliver. I say relax." Aaron sighed but nodded. "Besides, I won't have my date ruining my night. I got all dressed up for this as well as spending a fortune on this thing."

"Why?" Aaron questioned.

Jordan shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, it's not like we'll be in Japan for forever, you know? I just wanted to have at least one night that I'll never forget."

"And you thought that you should have that night with me?" Aaron asked.

Jordan scoffed. "It was either you or George and I don't trust him. Rumor is he and Amber were doing things when we went on that walk the other day."

Aaron nodded, hearing that rumor as well. Of course, Amber (not the one he went to school with), was kind of a flirty girl. She had openly told Aaron that she liked him and wanted to "talk" to him in her room later. Jordan then promptly showed her new snobby side in order to drive the girl away. Now, Aaron hated Jordan's new snobby side as she revealed his secret to the entire school, but he was more than thankful that Amber was no longer harassing him.

"You look handsome." Jordan commented.

Aaron blinked before replying. "You look beautiful."

Jordan blushed, something Aaron had not seen in a while now. Truthfully she looked more than just beautiful with her make-up going perfect with her hair, her hair complimenting her outfit, and her outfit giving tribute to her developing body. And the smile she gave him seemed to top it all off.

"So," Jordan said. "What do you want to do before we leave?"

"Not much we can do dressed like this." Aaron replied.

Jordan raised a brow. "So are you suggesting we undress? That's very unlike you A.J." Aaron stuttered for a response, gaining another laugh from Jordan. "I'm kidding! I know you wouldn't do anything like that. Unless…"

"Unless…?" Aaron parroted.

"Unless I was, oh let's say, _Bambi_ you might." Aaron now frowned, crossing his arms with his perfected glare. Danica and Jayden had told him that what their father has claimed as the family's heirloom would reveal itself in time. And now it had. "Okay, I'm done."

Aaron stopped the smirk from coming onto his face. His grandmother's glare could get his father and all eight of his father's siblings to be quiet without the woman even saying anything. Danica's and Jayden's glare could put the necessary fear into whoever they wanted. Now Aaron would wield it on Jordan whenever she crossed a proverbial line with him.

"So," Jordan said. "Wanna play Chinese checkers?"

"In Japan?" Aaron deadpanned. Jordan rolled her eyes. "How about we just play _regular_ checkers?"

"Because you always cheat." Jordan countered.

"I win, not cheat." Aaron said. He had never cheated in any game or sport and he was not going to start now.

Jordan crossed her arms. "Yeah right." Jordan then looked around. "I guess since your annoying roommates are gone, we can just sit here and chat. It'll be just like the old days without the swings and Dustin."

"Sure Jordan," Aaron said with a grin. "Let's talk."

* * *

It was well into the evening and the festival had yet to show signs of ending. The parade may have been over, but the streets were busy with dancing, playing, and food. Aaron was beyond glad that he and Jordan had decided to take their phones with them, despite the warnings of their caregivers. It was easy to lose one's phone during the festival, which is why it was suggested that no one took it with them.

But Jayden once questioned: What's life without risks?

"So good!" Jordan practically chirped as she chewed the chicken in her mouth. "Why don't we have stuff like this at home?"

"Because if you spent too much time eating, you'll be fat." Aaron joked. Now it was Jordan who glared at him. "I'm joking Jordan. Sort of…"

"Well my foot is going to be 'sort of' in your ass." Jordan snapped back. "Seriously A.J. You have got to be the worst date I've ever been on."

"Not including the times that Tevin has stood you up, right?" Jordan's shoulders slumped a bit at the memory. "Sorry."

"No, you're right. I deserve that one." Jordan said quietly.

"You don't deserve to be left alone." Aaron told her. "No one does really."

Jordan smiled. "Are you trying to sweet-talk me A.J? I'm not that easy, you know."

Aaron only grinned. In truth, he was doing no such thing and only speaking the truth. Jordan did deserve better than Tevin. Everyone, from Aaron to Chandra believed that. However, Jordan was one to prove everyone wrong and so she stays with him. Either that, or she just wanted Aaron to be jealous.

Which he wasn't…

"Hey!" Aaron and Jordan saw their classmate, Amber, calling towards them. "We're dancing near the ponds! Come on!"

Jordan and Aaron looked at one another. The ponds that Amber was speaking about were practically forbidden to go to because the teachers and chaperones did not want students wandering without supervision. The students, however, used it as their own little nightclub and snuck there every once or twice. There was a small restaurant not too far from the ponds that supplied the food that they would eat while someone would blast music with their iPod or other musical device until it was time to go or they were caught. And while Aaron had never gone there without adult supervision, Jordan had snuck to it before.

"Come on." Jordan squealed as she squeezed Aaron's arms.

Aaron groaned as Jordan pulled him along. "Good grief…"

"Hey, you're my date, so you'll go where I go." Jordan told her ex.

"But do you have to squeeze my hand so tightly?" Aaron asked.

"Just keep up." Jordan replied.

Aaron did not see it, but the blonde was blushing. There were several dates that the two had where Jordan would take Aaron by the hand and lead him to the movies or wherever she wanted to go. Back during those times, Aaron followed without much fuss, always questioning where they were going but nothing more. During those simpler times, being with Aaron could make even the death of her grandfather seem better. Now there were so many elements between them.

And two of them just so happen to be cousins…

* * *

Amber was not kidding. Many kids were there, as well athis a good number of adults. They were all dancing to some Pop music, which Aaron and Jordan learned was probably the largest genre in Japanese music of the new age. There was also a small stand set up selling a variety of sweets, which Jordan could not resist.

"Mm," Jordan said in delight. "MItarashi dango!"

Aaron rolled his eyes lazily. "You're making a mess." Jordan swallowed the sweet ball of flour in her mouth and stuck her tongue out at her ex. "I thought the new Jordan wasn't this immature?"

"Deal with it A.J." Jordan said before devouring the second sweet. "It's so good!"

Aaron only smiled. Seeing Jordan at her most childish made him happy for some reason. Mainly because it reminded him of his best friend and former girlfriend, but there was another unknown reason that made him smile. He soon found himself eating a sweet known as an anpan, which reminded him of a strange jelly-filled doughnut.

The two ate quietly, Jordan rocking to the music, occasionally bumping against her companion. Aaron found the contact somehow soothing. He felt as if his friend had returned from wherever and they were enjoying a night like only they could. Nothing like the new Jordan and- admittedly he had changed too- the new Aaron.

"Let's dance." Jordan blinked and looked at Aaron. He held a hand out to her. "Come on. We're only in Japan once."

Jordan smiled. "Sure A.J."

Dancing was something that neither knew how to do well, but the beat seemed to have its way with them. Almost as if the songs had turned them into puppets and the surroundings were their stage. They were unable to do anything else at the moment other than dance and enjoy each other's company.

For Jordan, she felt stranger than normal. Time with Mary-Jane had told her to embrace her feminine charm more, but that was on boys that she used to carry her books or moved others out of her way. Her charm was off at the moment and yet Aaron looked at her as if she was the jewel of the town. She felt warm in his arms with a slight tinge of jealousy. She knew that sooner or later, Chandra Torres would cross his mind and he wouldn't look at her like this.

Aaron was also thinking something similar. Since Jordan has become the newer Mary-Jane, she had begun to dress and act differently. And while most of the time he found her obnoxious, he and Ashton both agreed that she did not look bad. Nowhere near. But what Aaron found so amazing was that at this moment, she looked every bit of the newer Jordan and somehow acted like the girl that attracted him long ago.

Before he knew it, Aaron had leaned in and kissed Jordan. The act alone sent both of their hearts into a rapid beating frenzy though neither showed it. The awkwardness soon left them both when Jordan kissed back. This was not their first time making out and in Jordan's mind it would not be the last. However, there was something that stood out in the blonde's mind.

Aaron initiated this.

He wanted this.

He wanted _her_.

So wrapped up in each other, neither realized that they were drawing attention from those around them. It was as if nothing else mattered but their lips connecting. Former sparks and newer ones were lit for what seemed like hours. Finally Aaron pulled away, stunned at what he had done.

"Jordan I…" Aaron could not even find himself to apologize as Jordan's finger rested against his lips.

"There's nothing to be sorry about." she said. "We're only in Japan once."

Aaron nodded. "Right…"

"And when we return, it never happened." Jordan said. "For Chandra's sake."

The two continued their dance quietly until actual hours had passed. The caretaker in the area had given instructions for the children to return to their rooms, something that none of them wanted.

As they walked, Aaron noted how closely he and Jordan were walking and felt a small pain in his chest. Here was the girl that he originally cared for. Sure, he had always found Chandra to be attractive, beautiful even, but Jordan Cameron was his best friend and then some. Or at least, she was. Now they were just becoming friends and it was partially his fault. He was the one that ignored her earlier pleas when she wanted to apologize to him.

"Jordan," Aaron said. "I really am sorry about kissing you."

Jordan smiled. "There's nothing to be sorry about. I liked it."

"I…" Aaron paused. "I liked it to."

"Do you know what that means?" Aaron shook his head for no. "After you're over your Bambi sickness, there's actually hope for you and me." Jordan sighed and leaned against Aaron. "Except this time, no Dustin and we'll be spending more time with your family than mine. I think I have enough embarrassing moments to last two lifetimes."

Aaron felt a little uneasy about the whole scenario now. When Jayden first stated that Aaron had a crush on Jordan, things became weird for Aaron. He saw Jordan differently, from how she walked to how she laughed. When he found out about her kissing Tevin, those things somehow vanished and she just became another girl. Now… Now he did not know what to think.

But he had to admit, there was a pretty good possibility that they would probably end up together somewhere in the future.

"Sure Jordan." Aaron said. "And…" Jordan looked up at Aaron's smiling face. "You'll be paying more since I'm sure we'll be sticking to The Dot or Mason's when it's up."

Jordan rolled her eyes. "For a McDuelle, you're cheap." Aaron chuckled quietly. "Sure thing A.J. Just… Just don't forget about me. About us."

"I won't. I promise." Aaron replied. "You're kind of like my Scarlett."

Jordan kissed his cheek. "And you're my Jayden."

The two were now silent as they walked back to their rooms. They knew that once they stepped foot back in Toronto, things would be different. Aaron would probably go back to Chandra and Jordan was still dating Tevin. People will always remember Jordan revealing Aaron's secret to the cafeteria and how she cheated on him. They would be separated by their groups of friends and only allowed to see each other whenever they both were free.

"Look," Aaron's voice caused Jordan to catch the fireworks erupting into the night sky. "Wow…"

Jordan realized Aaron's hand was now clutching hers, but said nothing about it as he seemed too busy staring at the fireworks.

Maybe they were just like Jayden and Scarlett? Or maybe, just maybe, they were more than that.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **So here is a webisode showing the "kiss" between A.J and Jordan. I hope you liked it. On a side note, I'm doing another poll, this one for the couples. Tell me who you'd like to see on the poll (PM or review) and I'll post it later. Till next time.


	135. S5 Episode V: Disturbia

**Episode V: Disturbia**

"It's Saturday!" Shane complains as Kelly to shake him awake. "Leave me alone!"

"Not until you get up!" Kelly retorted before huffing. "You're getting as bad as Dad."

"Dad's awake. I'm not." Shane argued.

"He's only awake because Jane and I got him up. Now get up or I'll have to resort to other measures." Kelly said.

"Let me handle this," Shane's eyes slowly opened as Jayden's voice registered in his ears. "If you don't get up, I promise I will use every pick-up line on Kelly until one of them works."

There was an unsettling pause in the room before Shane sat up with a glare towards his grinning friend.

"I hate you." Shane said angrily.

"Yeah, yeah," Jayden responded. "We have a small gig later on tonight and practice. So we have to get a move on or be late." Shane only nodded before Jayden grinned once more. "Do you know how hot your stepmom is? She's like the not-so-girly kind of hot."

Kelly raised her brows. "As opposed to?"

"Don't even get him started." Shane said moving out of his bed to stretch. "And, yes, I have noticed that as well."

"Feisty girlfriend, hot mom, hot sister," Jayden listed before shaking his head. "Gee Shane, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were trying to take my world off of my shoulders. You're already in love with the girl that you kind of banged while dating Nicky."

"You make that sound so crude." Kelly pointed out.

Jayden shrugged. "Call a spade a spade."

"First, stop flirting with my sister," Shane responded. "And secondly, I'm _not_ trying to be like you in any way. _Your_ sister is hot. _Your_ mom is hot. And _your_ girlfriend is the queen of feisty. Don't compare us."

"Are you saying yours isn't?" Shane gaped as he had once again fallen for this same trap. He looked over to Kelly who had a questioning glare in her eyes and chose that moment to move for the two at the door.

"I hate you." Shane repeated before pushing Jayden out of the way to exit his room.

Kelly sighed and shook her head. "Well at least he's up." The blonde with black highlights looked at Jayden. "Can I ask you a question?" Jayden nodded. "Seriously, how high would you rank me?"

Jayden shrugged. "High eight, low nine."

"That high?" Kelly asked, Jayden nodding.

"Kelly, nothing says 'beautiful' more than one of a kind beauty. And you're one of a kind." Jayden stated before sighing. "But alas, Laura and Hakim have pulled us away from one another."

"Please. If you wanted to date me, you would've asked me a long time ago." Kelly said.

"I did." Jayden said with a smirk. "You just took it as a joke so I laughed with you."

Kelly's mouth fell open as the boy left her brother's room with a knowing smirk. She was brought back to her conversation with Jacob yesterday. Realizing that there _could_ have been something between her friend and herself, she had to agree that Jacob had some merit. Attraction, one sided or not, did start off a relationship. Then her mind turned to two people which caused her to be thankful that she never dated Jayden. Those two people were not Laura and Hakim, though they were a close second in this ranking. Those two people were none other than Emma and Manny who would do their motherly duty in making _every_ meeting between the Mason/Cameron family and McDuelle family and embarrassing one.

"Are you okay?" Kelly snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of her brother's voice.

She grinned. "Perfect."

* * *

"Liberty!" Manny said happily as she led her friend into her house. "What brings you by this morning?"

"Who is she Mommy?" Renée asked.

"The lady from the funeral." Jenée answered.

"This is Liberty." Manny introduced to her daughters. "She's mommy's friend who came to talk."

The twins frowned as they studied the other woman. Liberty almost shifted under their gaze, feeling slightly uncomfortable. The awkward silence did not help either.

"Where's Emma?" Renée finally asked.

Liberty saw Manny's smile become a firm glance. The twins both walked away while giving their mother sheepish grins.

"Sorry about that. They have the McDuelle, friends first, strangers last rule." Manny stated. "Come sit down in the living room." Liberty nodded, noticing that Manny's living room looked too clean as if no one ever sat there. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I…" Liberty paused. "I think I may be…"

Manny's brows furrowed. "Pregnant?" When Liberty nodded, Manny sighed. "Liberty… This isn't good. I mean, does Damian know? Does Toby know?"

"No one knows but you. And I said that I might." Liberty said before breathing heavily. "Manny, I screwed up. My marriage. My life. Toby's marriage."

"The worst has happened. We just need to move on." Manny said before spotting her husband. "Working today babe?"

"Only for a while." Maxwell replied before stopping in front of the room. "Morning Liberty."

"Morning. I-"

"Daddy!" Liberty was interrupted by the return of the McDuelle twins.

"Play with us!" Jenée said hugging her father's leg.

Maxwell sighed. "Alright you two, we have fifteen minutes so let's make it count." The two girls cheered as Maxwell eyed his wife. "You owe me Dimples."

"I know." Manny said as her daughters dragged her husband away. "So glad that he's here. There's no way I could keep up with them."

Liberty grinned. "I'm sure you could." Manny smiled, only to see Liberty's grin slowly disappear. "I'm going to get a test today. I really hope that this is just my imagination."

"And if it's not?" Manny asked.

"Then the worst hasn't happened yet." Liberty stated.

* * *

Amber ate her breakfast silently, though her parents both noted that she did not have a lifeless manner about it like the previous days. Today had been the closest thing to Amber before her rape that Hazel and her husband Bryan had seen.

"Are you going to see Mary-Jane today?" Hazel questioned.

Amber shrugged. "She might be busy."

"You didn't check?"Amber shook her head at her mother's question. "That's unlike you Amber. You're always the more organized of the two."

Amber's eyes flashed a bit of anger at the phrase "unlike you". It seemed that everyone said that nowadays, more to her than Mary-Jane. Then again, Mary-Jane would pretend to be fine before finding a secluded area and cry. Amber did not have the strength to show that her tragedy had changed her.

"I'll call later." Amber said before going back to her meal.

Hazel and Bryan exchange glances as they noted the change in their daughter's behavior.

"Is everything alright?" Hazel asked. Amber grumbled a "yeah" under her breath, though Hazel was far from buying it. "What's wrong Amber?"

Amber sighed. "I'm just tired of hearing that. I know I'm not like me. My teachers, Mrs. Taylor, even Mary says that some times. I'm just sick of hearing it."

"Amber, I didn't mean to offend you." Hazel explained. "And why are you so upset? No one expects you to just bounce back from this. It's going to take time."

"I just want things to go back like they used to be. No more nightmares or throwing up." Amber said as she rests her head in her hands. "And this headache…"

The family's attention is turned to the sound of the front door opening. None of them move until Simon enters the kitchen.

"Simon!" Amber's reaction is one that puts a smile on both of her parents' faces as she moves to hug her older brother.

"Hey," Simon said. "I heard what happened. Are you okay?" Amber doesn't release him to even answer. "I thought so."

"What are you doing down here?" Bryan asked.

"I thought I'd move back down here. I only have a semester left and I don't mind driving back and forth. Not when Amber's going through… You know." Simon answered.

Hazel smiled. "That's thoughtful of you."

Amber broke away from the hug and gave her brother a mock pout.

"You could've called first." she stated.

Simon only sighed. "Some things never change about you Amber."

The statement, as small as it may have seemed, caused Amber great delight. Someone _finally_ commented how much she _hadn't_ changed. That was unlike everyone else who seemed to search for something off about her. She was just glad that Simon would be around to help her out in her time of need. Though, she mentally questioned if Simon and James could put aside their differences for her sake.

* * *

"Take a break."

Those words seemed to cause Jayden to release a breath he did not know he was holding. He instantly made a beeline for the vending machine and noted that skipping breakfast before practice with Ellie Lowry was a big mistake. However, somehow Jacob seemed to beat him to his destination.

"You skip breakfast too?" Jayden questioned with a grin. Jacob gave the boy a small glare before turning back to the machine. "Not this again… What's eating you now Jacob?"

"I kissed Kelly." Jayden shrugged at his words. "I have to tell Angelina."

"Then do it. Stop moping around about it." Jayden said.

Jacob glared at Jayden. "Not everyone is so nonchalant about cheating Jayden."

"You know," Jayden replied. "I wonder why there isn't a chalant. I mean, if you can be nonchalant, then surely you can be chalant about things, right?"

"Stop making jokes-"

"It makes sense, right? I mean, you can't add a prefix to a word of nonexistence, right?" Jayden continued.

"Stop with the-"

"Or," Jayden interrupted. "Is there some unwritten law that that can be?"

"You're starting to annoy me." Jacob stated.

Jayden raised a brow. "Jacob, it's a well-known fact that Laura could and has kicked your sorry ass before. How ironic would that be if I do it for her after getting her to stop in the first place?" Jacob just stared angrily at the other boy. "Get your damn candy or chips or whatever and keep the problems in the house, in the house. The bigger we become, the bigger those problems become if you let _anyone_ know."

"Right. Like you getting that DNA test." Jacob said.

"I didn't get the test and I'm not revealing who did. So drop it." replied Jayden. "And you know something? Me conflicted about beating you or not has somehow cured my hunger. Get your damn snack and get your ass back in there. We have a show tonight and you'd better not ruin it for us."

With that, Jayden walked away from Jacob, his hands in his pockets. Jacob watched Jayden angrily before another body caught his attention; Dakota.

Dakota saw Jayden walking off quite angrily and turned her eyes to Jacob. Putting two and two together- she had talked to Kelly the previous night- she realized that Jacob must have said something about: Laura, Jayden's kids, the DNA test, or Jayden's on-again off-again relationship with Scarlett. Or a combination of them all.

"What happened?" Dakota asked Jacob as she neared him. Jacob shrugged, retrieving a bag of chips from the machine. "Jacob."

"It's none of your business so stay out of it." Jacob snapped.

Dakota's eyes narrowed, her hand moving to stop Jacob from going anywhere. Jacob looked at his sleeve and saw the tight grip Dakota had on it before looking at the irate girl.

"What happened?" Jacob heard the difference in her tone now and the one she used earlier. There was no escaping this now.

"I kissed Kelly and Jayden wanted to joke about it as normal. He can never be serious about anything, always so immature." Jacob answered.

Dakota released a heavy breath and released Jacob's shirt. Laura was rubbing off on her in the worst of ways.

"Jacob," Dakota began. "I know that you're taking this affair hard. But you can't lash out at everyone because of it."

"I'm guessing you're going to say Jayden especially, right?" Jacob was practically seething as he said this.

"You want to know how it feels to be him?" Jacob scoffed, yet Dakota continued. "How about me? We're children of celebrities Jacob. We can't go to the mall without fifty cameras reminding us of our mistakes or our parents' mistakes. You think your dad cheating on your mom is bad? Try being called the bastard child of Craig Manning when you're only six!"

"Then you understand why I hate what that woman has done to my family!" Jacob retorts. "If she hadn't have slept with my dad-"

"It's not the same. No one comes up to you and asks you questions. No one even cares _but_ you!" Dakota interrupted. "I've been made fun of for my dad's affair and had to deal with it alone. You? You just turn down everyone's help because they won't say what you want to hear."

"Then they shouldn't say anything at all." Jacob argues.

"That's not how that works. So deal with it." Dakota told him. "Jacob, your parents still love you. Ashley will always be there for you, and I know my dad will help if he can. You still have your family."

"No I don't. My parents don't even live in the same house anymore." Jacob pointed out. "They don't ride in the same car. They don't eat at the same table. We're not a family anymore. We're just… Us."

"And if you feel bad about that," Dakota said. "Imagine if your dad stopped seeing you completely. Birthdays and holidays, all you get is a card while he's out with his new wife." Jacob put his head down, figuring Dakota had a pretty rough childhood. "I'm not saying that what you're going through isn't painful. I'm saying it's not as bad as you think. I've been through worse and I know Jayden has too."

"How? He has his family." Jacob said.

Dakota sighed. "Jacob, the guy was kicked out of his house when he told his parents that Laura was pregnant. And visiting Danni can be a little irritating, so I don't know how he lives with her. The mother of his children isn't even in the same country so he can't just walk to her house whenever he feels like it. And to top it all off, he lost his youngest son. You're dealing with a metaphorical death of a marriage. He's dealing with the actual lost of family."

"And you? Besides Craig, what family are you missing?" Jacob asked.

"Did you forget that my brother is in rehab? My dad is probably going on tour-"

"Craig's at home. I-"

"I meant Silas." Dakota cut Jacob off. "My best friend is in England and, again, I lost a godson. So I know about losses. The real kind of losses."

Jacob said nothing more as Dakota went after Jayden. A part of him knew that she and Jayden had made strong valid points. He was crying over spilled milk. And he could understand why Jayden wanted to keep the conversation lighthearted and jovial instead of serious and grim. However, they did not have to ask permission to go to their dad's new apartment, only to see the woman behind it there. He did. Those were the thoughts that kept playing in his head. He had to endure seeing that woman there, not them.

"They just don't get it." Jacob muttered to himself. "And they never will…"

* * *

"You don't get it," Scarlett rolled her eyes at Helen's comment. "This has to be the most _perfect_ planned break ever."

"Helen, it's not even December and you're planning for Spring Break. How about we just relax?" Scarlett suggested.

Helen crossed her arms. "What did you and our annoying neighbor do that has you so winded and tired?" Helen then smirked. "Did you finally go all the way with him?"

Scarlett did not give Helen a response, just sitting on Helen's waterbed with a faraway glance on her face. How she wouldn't mind going all the way with him…

"Scar! Stop fantasizing!" Helen's voice was like a rock to Scarlett's window of dreams, shattering it instantly. "Seriously, I think you're becoming obsessed with him again."

"I don't have the Jayden crazies again. It's just… Those dreams…" Helen nodded.

"I understand." Helen said. "So, while Braxton is probably on his way here, I'll give you a piece of advice. Light some candles, get some rope, and kick your parents out of the house. Invite our annoying ex over, tie him down and… Well, if you can't figure the rest out then you're not worth the advice in the first place."

"I'm not raping him Helen." Scarlett said.

Helen shrugged. "Who knows? He maybe into that kinky stuff. Laura does seem like the dominatrix type."

"Ugh, I'd rather die than imagine that." Scarlett gagged. "Seriously Helen, what goes on in your head that-"

"Morning Helen! Morning Scarlett!" The two girls practically jumped as Nicole's voice registered into their brains.

"Nicky! What have I told you about being loud and cheerful when I'm not ready?" Helen asked.

Scarlett smiled. "Admit it. You get scared." Helen scoffed, rolling her eyes. "What are you doing here Nicky?"

Nicole shrugged. "Jackie's spending time with Scooter so-"

"Whoa, I'm not the leader of the Single Ladies Club. That's her." Helen said pointing to Scarlett. "So you two can leave my room while I prepare for my boyfriend."

"Actually," Nicole began. "I have somewhere to be later." Nicole saw the two Coyne cousins give her their own questioning look. "I… Mrs. Cameron asked me to watch Maddox and Ana today."

"Whoa," Scarlett said. "Mrs. Cameron as in _Shane's_ _mom_?"

Nicole nodded. The two cousins looked at one another before back at Nicole.

"You do know what Deanna will attempt to do, right?" Helen said. "She's going to make sure that you realize the line of babysitting them and staring at Plain Shane."

Scarlett nodded. "Yeah. Deanna isn't the most caring person in the world. She only cares about what she wants. And if you're in her way, she won't hesitate to remove you."

"It's not like I'm going there for Shane. Besides, he's at his dad's." Nicole said. "I'm doing this because Mrs. Cameron helped me when I needed it most and I need to return the favor."

"Uh-huh? Lie to me better." Helen replied. Nicole sighed heavily. "Nicky, you're walking into a seriously bad situation. But, if this is what you want, I won't stop you. You're not the only girl in this room drooling over their ex."

"Whatever." Scarlett said while rolling her eyes.

"I call it like I see them." Helen stated. "But seriously, I have to get ready for Braxton so if you two don't mind…"

Scarlett got off of Helen's bed. "Sure Helen. Just make sure you don't wind up pregnant." Helen shot her cousin a dirty look as Scarlett walked out of her bedroom and closed her door. "So Nicky, what did you want to do until you left for Shane's?"

Nicole shrugged. "Talk?" Scarlett nods. "Can I ask you something? Do you feel…? Do you feel that there's still something left between you and Jay? Like is it mutual or one-sided?"

"I'm sure that's two questions," Scarlett answered. "And the answer to both of those questions is yes. I do think there's something left and I'm sure it's mutual. There's just stuff in the way."

"Like his kids?" Nicole questioned.

"More like Laura." replied the brunette. "But don't worry. I'm positive that one day in the future, J.T and I may be able to have a happy life together. Even if he doesn't want to believe it now."

Nicole only nodded. She knew just how much in love Laura and Jayden were as she had spent an entire day with the New Year's Eve last year. The two were, in Nicole's mind, the ideal teen couple. They seemed to just click better than anyone else at the school did. But, Nicole knew that Scarlett would never see it that way and probably never would.

"And," Scarlett continued as the two walked down the steps. "If you want my opinion, I'd choose you over Deanna any day."

Nicole smiled before the sound of the doorbell caught the girls' attention. Scarlett, who was on her to the kitchen, paused and moved for the door instead. Opening it, she gave the visitor a polite grin.

"Morning Braxton. Come in." Scarlett said letting the boy in. "Helen! The bravest guy on Earth is here!" Braxton frowned at the comment. Scarlett noticed this and waved him off. "You have to be brave to date my cousin. She's quite violent."

"Tell me about." Braxton replied. Braxton then noticed Nicole at the bottom of the steps staring at him. "Uh, hi."

"Hey. I'm- Ow!" Nicole was cut up by a sharp elbow to her arm. She rubbed the sore area, spotting Helen beside her.

"Do that hair twirling trick of yours on my boyfriend and you'll day a painful yet quick way. I promise." Helen stated gaining a smile from Braxton and Scarlett. The shorter girl moved for her boyfriend. "So, what's the plan today?"

"I said I'd surprise you, and I will." Braxton answered before looking at Scarlett. "See you around Scarlett. And, uh…"

"Nicky." Nicole said with a small wave. Her arm still hurt.

"Nicky." Braxton stated as he led Helen out of the house.

"Remember," Scarlett called out to them. "The best sex is safe sex!"

Scarlett closed the door before Helen could verbally or physically reply. However, her jubilant demeanor was crushed when she spotted her mother at the entrance to the kitchen.

"And how would you know?" Scarlett felt her mouth dry up. "Young lady, I think it's time we had a _long_ talk about sex."

"I have company Mom." Scarlett whined.

"Come on Nicky. You can learn a thing or two as well." Fiona said.

"Uh, I'm sorry Mrs. Chessex, but I promised Mrs. Cameron I'd watch her kids." Scarlett's eyes narrowed at Nicole. There was no way in hell she would be getting the Birds and the Bees talk alone. "Maybe another time?"

"Nicole Campbell, I will trap you in my house! Listen to the story!" Scarlett demanded.

Nicole nodded. She had already felt the wrath of one of the two Coyne cousins present today. She did not want to deal with the other.

"Come on," Fiona ushered the two girls up the steps. "Let's go to my room. I have things to show you."

"Ew, gross Mom." Scarlett said.

Fiona smiled. "You should learn to stop teasing your cousin then."

Scarlett groaned. Somehow, she blamed Helen for this. Helen never seemed to get caught shouting things like this. But, on the flip side, it could be Scarlett's _dad_ talking to them and instead of Nicole, it could have been Jayden here. So maybe it wasn't such a bad thing after all?

* * *

There was an unsettling silence amongst the band members and Shane did not like it. Jayden was quietly staring at the ceiling, his eyes promising death to the first person who disturbed his thoughts. Dakota was twirling a drumstick around her nimble fingers, also staring off into space, though at a wall. Shane had seen that look before and knew that something or someone had brought up past memories. Memories that Dakota wanted to bury. Finally there was Jacob. The boy would look at Jayden, then at the floor, back to Jayden, a glance to Dakota, and finally at the floor again. Shane had long forgiven Jacob for kissing Kelly only because Jacob was a friend. Though, Shane mentally promised to have a nice "chat" with Jacob if the event should occur again.

"Anyone want to tell me what's going on?" Ellie questioned. She received four quiet heads shaking. "You guys are normally excited. You have a show tonight, remember?"

"Mom," Dakota said. "I think I just want to go home and get some rest. Laura's kept me up longer than usual."

A likable excuse, Shane thought. Jayden had also used that line before, as well as Danica. Apparently, Laura liked to talk on the phone. A lot.

Ellie nodded skeptically. "Is that what's wrong with all of you?'

"Not hardly." Shane heard Jayden mutter barely loud enough for Ellie to hear. The boy slowly rose to his feet, getting out of the chair. "I have kids to watch."

Shane now frowned. Even he knew that this weekend, much like _every_ weekend, the twins were at their grandmother's.

"Okay…" Ellie said, her eyes moving to Jacob. "How're you Jacob? You seem down."

"You know." Jacob simply said.

Ellie sighed. She did know. Ashley had told Ellie of Toby's affair. Ellie knew firsthand what infidelity did to a family. Comparing Dakota to her siblings was a reminder of such an event as Dakota did not share the common features as Steven, Ashton, and Lillian did. Then again, Craig _had_ promised Ellie that he would not only be a father to Dakota, but ultimately leave his shaky relationship with Ashley.

But of course he lied and here they are today.

Finally Ellie's eyes landed on Shane.

"I'm fine. Seriously." Shane said.

Ellie sighed. "At least one of you is." Shane grinned slightly. "Alright, here's the deal. This atmosphere will ruin the show tonight. So what I suggest is that you each go home, rest, and forget whatever it is that's bothering."

"I can't." Jacob stated.

"Try. And if you fail. Try harder." Ellie replied. "Unless I'm wasting my time with you guys, you're going to have to show me that you can put a hundred percent effort into everything we do as a team. As a band. As a unit. And as a family."

The four looked at one another before Ellie sighed once more. She was seriously getting too old for dealing with teenage drama. Though, she understood why they were all a bit on edge. Dakota's father, Jacob's parents' splitting, Jayden's son, and Jane's pregnancy were all factors as to why these four could be a little edgy today. And the early morning session did not do anything to ease their pains either.

"Alright. You can go." Ellie said.

Unsurprisingly, Jayden was the first out. Ellie knew that the boy's father was likely to catch him on the way out and talk to him, so she didn't call him back. Dakota was next, most likely following her friend to calm him down. Jacob exited third, walking at a slower pace. And finally there was Shane who only stood while stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Looks like this is going to be a tough time." Ellie said.

The boy nodded. "Yeah. Kinda sucks too. This will be the first time Deanna gets to see us play. I really don't want it to be bad."

"If it gets that bad," Ellie told Shane. "I have someone on call to replace Juvenile Grace."

"You're not going to pull us out, are you?" Shane asked.

"That's the problem with the entertaining business. It goes on with or without those in it." Ellie answered. "But I promise that I won't do it now. I'll see how we are later. If you guys are still like this, then you'll do a song or two and switch out." Shane nodded. "Shane, I know this isn't fair to you, but that's just the way it is."

"Did this ever happen to you?" Shane questioned with sincere curiosity.

"Which time? My affair with Craig, my pregnancy, or my affair with Silas going public?" Ellie returned. "Each time we had to close the show earlier, add another act, or cancel altogether."

Shane whistled. "That's harsh."

"Welcome to the hardships of the music industry." Ellie said with a smile. "Now get out of here. I'm sure you want to spend time with your girlfriend."

Shane grinned. "Not like I have much of a choice." Shane paused at the door and looked at Ellie. "I'll make sure that I have the others on the same page. Leader or not, it's my band too."

"I'm hoping you will." Ellie stated before Shane leaves. "I really am."

* * *

Randy sat at the table, a little annoyed at what he saw across from him. His dad had given him the whole "this is your fault" speech, his mother had also chewed him out, and his younger sister had simply questioned why. But now, Nathan sat across from him with his girlfriend.

"You here to give me some stupid shit like everyone else?" Randy asked.

"No." Nathan said. "I just wanted to look at you."

"Why's that?" Randy said.

"Dad caught me smoking yesterday," Nathan began. "And told me that I should stop. I told him that he wasn't really much of a father to me, so he doesn't get much of a say if I did or didn't smoke. His response is that he didn't want me to end up like you."

Randy chuckled a bit. "That's what Dad said? The guy who had three kids and hardly watched any of us?"

"That's what I thought too until I saw the large difference between you and I." Randy frowned as Nathan pointed to Stephanie, who sat beside Nathan quietly. "This is Stephanie. She's the reason that I've cut down on smoking. She's the reason that I'm looking at you and seeing what I could've become."

"She must be a great girl." Randy stated.

Nathan nodded. "She is."

There was a moment of silence between the two brothers before Nathan sighed.

"I don't know Amber that well. Never really thought about hanging around with those annoying cheerleaders, Helen especially," Nathan began. "But, I know she didn't deserve what you did to her."

"Right," Randy replied. "Because you honestly know everything that happened at that house. Or did Dad get you to believe that I did it?"

"I wouldn't trust Dad unless it was something of life and death and I really don't care what really happened. But I know Brie." Randy scoffed quietly. "Brie may be the most annoying sister on the face of this planet with her constant worrying and how she let's some of the kids just walk all over her. But when she puts her foot down, I know she's serious. If she seriously thinks you did it, then you did it."

"Because our sister is all-knowing. Yeah right." Randy said.

"You never got to know her. And to be honest, I didn't want to know her either. Hell, I didn't want a sister or a dad. But I got them." Nathan replied. "And I know Brie would _never_ turn on you or me unless there is a very good reason behind it."

"Like I'll believe that." Randy said. "Look, if you're here to give me a prep talk, quit wasting your breath. The chances of me taking the fall for this is pretty slim."

"It's 'are', by the way. The chances of you taking the fall _are_ pretty slim. Blame the human grammar checker for that." Stephanie smiled at the statement. "And to be honest, I'm pretty sure you'll be taking the fall for it."

"Bet on it?" Randy challenged.

"Don't have to." Nathan said standing up. "What I forgot to mention is that Stephanie's blogs are read pretty much around Toronto. She never uses the people's real name in them, but it gets people thinking."

"And?" Randy said.

"The more people sympathize with a defenseless girl, the bigger the chance is of you to be locked away. It kind of goes with Steph's project on how social media affects us and all." Nathan replied. "But hey, it's your bet, remember?"

Randy's eyes narrowed as Stephanie stood up as well. Did his brother really just try to put him under the bus? Randy was mentally seething at the thought. It's no wonder why he hated younger siblings.

"By the way," Nathan said before departing. "Dad may not be the best dad in the world, but he sure as hell is man enough to live up to his mistakes. Guess the trait skipped you, huh?"

Now Randy was physically seething. He wanted to choke the smartass boy walking with his girlfriend, but the guards stopped that thought. So he just sat back and thought about what he would do if he didn't get busted for this. Kicking James's ass was number one. Beating Nathan could be a close two. And finally, he would return to the states before anything else could happen.

* * *

Manny and Emma waited patiently on the bed, neither woman saying anything. Manny impatiently tapped her fingers on her leg while Emma kept busy by staring at the walls and ceiling. Finally Liberty emerged from the bathroom.

"Well?" Manny said impatiently.

"I… I…" Liberty stammered as she slowly moved for the bed. Emma and Manny since the urgency and moved to aid their friend. "Guys, I messed up."

"It'll get better Liberty." Emma assured Liberty. "We'll help you anyway we can."

Liberty shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes. "You can't do anything. My marriage with Damian is practically over. My son hates me. And now I'm pregnant!"

Emma and Manny exchanged looks with one another. Emma had to mentally think of the irony that Manny, the once claimed School Slut, had one marriage and was still married to the man while the quote "good girls" like herself and Liberty had ended on marriage for a former fling. Of course, in Emma's case, it was more of a mutual thing between her and Gavin and she did not cheat on the man. Plus, Emma was in love with Sean. Always had been and always will be. Liberty and Toby… Emma really did not know what to make of this.

"That's going to be one smart child." Manny commented.

The statement somehow drew a choked laugh from Liberty, Emma smiling as well. Leave it to Manny to unintentionally lighten the mood.

"Thanks you two. You've really helped me out." Liberty said quietly.

"Always." Emma replied.

"Now," Manny stated. "Let's find a way of telling Toby and Damian."

Liberty nodded silently, though she knew that doing what Manny said was a lot easier said than done.

* * *

With Danica watching his younger siblings and his children at Bianca's, Jayden was greeted to a warm silence as he entered his apartment. His mind was solely on his last few talks with Jacob and what to do about them. Hurting Jacob, physically or emotionally, was something Jayden was trying to avoid. Jacob had a right to be upset, but he did not have the right to take it out on anyone besides his dad. And he sure as hell did not have the right to drag Jayden's problems into it.

Hearing his cell phone ring, Jayden sighed heavily. He checked to see the caller and hated himself more for even bothering to answer it.

"Yeah," he answered.

"You sound rather pissed," Scarlett stated on the other line. "Care to share?"

Jayden sighed, moving for the refrigerator. "Something your dance partner said." When Scarlett question who he was talking about, he grinned. "Jacob? The guy you rejected me for last year?"

"We should be so passed that." Scarlett said. "And, let me guess, he went on a rampage because you said something bad about his dad cheating with whoever, right?"

"Sort of. I just kind of ignored him. Now he thinks I'm out to get him or something." Scarlett laughed quietly. "What's so funny Red?"

"It's just, you're you. I'd be afraid that you were out to get me too." said the girl with a giggle. Jayden only smiled as he fished a soda out of the fridge. "So, how are you the kids? And by extension, I guess I'm asking about their mom too."

"Laura's fine. She's supposed to be studying, but fine nonetheless. And so long as Bianca stays clean and remembers that the twins are babies, they're fine as well." Jayden told his ex. "And you?"

Scarlett sighed. "Bored to be honest. Helen's out with Braxton and my mom went out with some friends of hers. Of course, my dad is ignoring me for some stupid football game."

"Hey, hey," Jayden said, now moving for the couch. "Just because you can't grasp the finesse concept of football does not make it stupid."

"Just a reason for men to roll around in the dirt if you ask me." Scarlett said.

Jayden grinned. "I thought one such as yourself would love to see a bunch of men rolling around in the dirt."

"I'd prefer one man and I think standing in the shower is better than rolling in the dirt." Scarlett replied.

"Hmm," Jayden began. "Should I check my bathroom for any spy-cams?"

"I just got you to talk to me again. Do you think I would put one up so soon?" Despite himself, Jayden laughed. "You know… Today is a perfect day to hangout. I mean, if you want to before your show that is."

"I…" Jayden paused. "What the hell? I don't have anything else planned and I'm trying not to strangle the guy on keyboards." Jayden paused when he somehow felt Scarlett smiling. Maybe he was spending too much time with her? "So where did you have in mind? My parents place is out of the question since I'm sure that's where Danni is."

"You know what? I think I have something better to do then." Jayden frowned.

"What's that?" he asked.

"I need to somehow get my other friend back." Scarlett said. "And I know that if you're there, she'll just leave you to deal with me."

"Red, you're committing suicide," Jayden replied. "But if that is what you want, then I will leave it be. Just call me when she's done using your bones for a toothpick."

Scarlett giggled. "I don't think she's a cannibal J.T."

"Cannibal? Sometimes I don't think she's human." Jayden responded. "Call me later, okay?"

"Okay. Bye." Jayden parroted her words and the two hung up. Now he sat on his couch with a bored expression.

"Never thought I'd miss my kids so bad so early." Jayden said before sighing heavily. "What to do…?" He paused and smiled a bit. "Wonder if Ari's at the park?" Standing up, Jayden grabbed his keys. "Yeah. Let's see if Ari's at the park."

* * *

Angelina was a little shocked when Jacob had arrived at her sister's apartment, but was happy nonetheless. Though she knew that something was off about him.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"No." Jacob said. "My friends don't seem to care about my dad and that Liberty lady."

Angelina put a hand on his shoulder. "What did they say? I'm sure you're just-"

"Just what, Angel? They are telling me that everything will work out and how bad they have it, but it's not true. None of what they're saying is true." Jacob said walking to the couch to sit. "I just… I just don't know what to do now."

Angelina watched her boyfriend sit with his head in his hands. She did not necessarily hang out with his friends and only knew Jayden and Shane threw her sister and Deanna respectively. Sure, Jayden had told Angelina that she could call whenever she felt, but she has yet to take him up on that offer for unknown reasons. Then again, up until now, she has had Jacob to call and talk to.

"Tell me what they said." Angelina said.

"That's just it. They're telling me not to worry and everything will work out the way it's supposed to." Jacob replied. "And Dakota…" Angelina saw the anger flash on his face. "She keeps telling me how bad she and Jayden have it. Well they don't have it as bad as this."

Angelina shook her head. "Jacob… Jayden lost his son…"

"I know that!" Jacob said snapping his eyes towards Angelina. "But he ran into the arms of his parents, and Laura ran to hers. They even had half the world mourning with them!"

"They weren't doing a charity, Jacob. They went through something unimaginable." Angelina said. "My mom called Mrs. McDuelle that day to give her condolences and my mom hardly stops work for anything that doesn't have to do with me or Bella."

"Great. So I'm the bad guy." Jacob muttered.

"I didn't say that." Angelina said quickly as she moved to sit beside Jacob. "Jacob, you have to understand that what you're going through can't really compare to losing your son." Angelina paused. "Though I'm sure it's quite painful in its own way."

"Do we just overlook the fact that Jayden cheats on _Scarlett Chessex_ to have said son in the first place?" Jacob said. "And when he wanted help, we didn't say 'it worked the way it was supposed to.' We were there by his side."

"I'm sure Jayden feels bad about cheating on Scarlett." Angelina pointed out.

"He doesn't act like it. He acts like everything is fine. Just like my dad. Just like everyone else." Jacob stated. "God, I feel bad for just kissing Kelly."

Angelina sighed. "I know. It ruined your relationship with Vanessa and-"

"No." Jacob interrupted. "Friday. At school."

"Jacob… Why…?" Angelina questioned quietly.

"I don't know honestly. I just felt like it." Angelina did not know if anger or sadness was the cause of the tears in her eyes, but she immediately rose. "Angel, I'm sorry. I can't help that I find Kelly attractive. And I do feel bad about it. Can't you forgive me?"

"No." Angelina said. "Please. Leave."

"Angel-"

"Leave Jacob." Angelina said. Jacob sighed and rose, walking towards the door. "I thought you were different Jacob. I thought you were better than Jayden and the others."

"It was just a kiss." Jacob pleaded.

"To a girl who you like. One you've liked way before I got here, right?" Jacob only nodded while opening the door. "Please just go."

Jacob left the apartment, closing the door behind him. How the hell did he do it? How the hell did Jayden magically get two of the most vindictive girls to forgive him so damn easily? It angered Jacob greatly that his father could not get his forgiven mother to do so, yet somehow Jayden got Laura to agree to let Jayden see Scarlett while Laura was gone! It pissed Jacob off to no end.

And truthfully, he had had enough.

* * *

Shane paused. Deanna paused. Kelly said nothing. There, playing with Shane and Kelly's youngest two siblings was none other than Nicole Campbell, Shane's ex. Jordan looked between her siblings and Nicole, ready for something to happen. She was quite curious as to how Deanna would react and how long it would take either Deanna or Nicole to lose their temper.

"Where're Mom and Sean?" Kelly asked Jordan.

Jordan sighed. "Mom went out with Manny and Dad went to check on things at the garage. He said he'd be back later." Jordan pointed to Nicole. "Mom had her babysit."

"Right…" Shane said. "Maybe we should just go."

Kelly eyed her brother out of the corner of her eyes but said nothing. Sure, Deanna was a great friend of Kelly's, but Kelly had lived with Nicole. They had more of a sisterly bond at one point of time. Shane's decision to leave one for the other had done nothing but put Kelly in the awkward position between Nicole and Deanna. Though, Kelly had to remember that Nicole had stopped coming by once she and Ethan began dating. Nicole had probably changed once again.

"It's fine Shane." Nicole said. "Besides, Mr. Cameron said he wouldn't be out long. Just stay."

Kelly and Shane looked at Deanna. The brunette looked up at her boyfriend and then at his sister before sighing heavily. Leave it to the Mason siblings to put her in this sticky bind.

"Fine," Deanna said with a sigh. "We can stay."

"Great!" Nicole said happily. "Ana and Maddox wanted to go to the park after we finished in here."

"That sounds like fun." Kelly said with a smile. "It'll be like old times. Sort of."

Shane grunted. "Yeah, sort of."

Shane nearly just gave up then and there. His friends' had made the morning harder than it should have been and now his mother had practically robbed him of the only downtime he had. Sure, he could have stayed at his dad's with Gavin and Jane, but the couple wanted time to themselves. Thus, he and Kelly took his girlfriend to their mom's to relax.

"You know," Jordan said to her older brother. "This kind of reminds me of how I feel when I used to go to A.J's and Bambi would be there." The blonde paused and tapped her chin in thought. "Though I was never the one in the middle. And I have _never_ been the one that _has_ to say the right thing or else…"

"Jordan," Shane began. "Shut up."

Jordan only smiled. "Whatever big brother." The girl rose to her feet. "But now that you two are here, I can go-"

"Sit." Jordan glared at Shane as he pointed to her seat on the couch. Knowing that he would probably just catch her and physically sit her back down, Jordan sat with a huff. "We're all going to have fun like Nicky and Kelly said. No leaving and no fighting."

Nicole smiled. "Of course Shane. You are man of the house."

Deanna only grinned at Shane, though she was wishing she could fire lightning bolts at the blonde girl that once held her boyfriend's attention near twenty-four seven. The tone that Nicole was using was clearly a flirty tone, or at least Deanna saw it that way. Shane may not have seen it that way and Deanna knew that Kelly probably did not considering the close relationship Kelly and Nicole once shared.

"So," Nicole said with a smile. "What to play first?"

Deanna watched Kelly immediately move towards the other blonde while Deanna gripped Shane's hand. If Nicole was going to use Shane's mom to get him back, then Deanna said go for it. But it would be a cold day in hell before Deanna willingly let him go, especially to Nicole Campbell of all people.

* * *

Ariana huffed. Why did people have to assume that she was strange all the time? And who said that gummy bears in ice cream were illegal and weird? She thought it was a delicious treat.

"You are here," Ariana's eyes landed on Jayden as he neared her. She sat in a tree, her back against the trunk of the tree with her legs stretched out in front of her, balancing on the branch perfectly. "Good afternoon."

Ariana frowned. "What do you want Jayden?"

"Uh, nothing really. Just to get out the house and get some fresh air." The boy replied. "You? You're not running from your old man again, are you?"

"Apparently if I'm here and not at home." Jayden only smiled at her statement.

"You're cute when you're mad." Ariana blushed and looked away from the grinning boy. "How about you come down from there and we talk?"

"How about you either come up here or leave me alone?" Ariana shot back. There was a moment of silence until she looked to see the boy quite skillfully make his way to a branch near hers. "Wh-what are you doing?"

"Didn't think I could do it, did you?" Jayden asked. Ariana shook her head. "Well, tree climbing isn't a favorite pastime in Newport, but when I was younger I was into that parkour and the X Games. In fact, I still watch the X Games… Either way, I started trying some of that stuff with my friends. Didn't end well though."

Ariana only nodded. She swore that there were more secrets about this guy than anyone else she has ever met. Her natural curiosity told her to learn more if she could but her shyness- as well as her want to be left alone- pushed those thoughts away.

"So," Jayden said. "What's wrong?"

Ariana inhaled deeply. "I miss my ex."

"Really? I'm not charming enough to replace him?" Jayden teased with a smile. "And here I thought buying you ice cream would work."

"It would," Ariana returned. "If _Andrea_ was a boy."

Jayden paused. "…Andy's a she?"

"You got a problem with that?" Ariana asked angrily.

"Is she hot?" Ariana scoffed. "Hey! I'm trying to visualize something here. Not everyday your hot female friend says she was with another possible hot female."

"You're so predictable!" Ariana stated.

Jayden raised a brow. "So, friend to friend," Ariana glared at him as he paused. "Do you think Laura's hot?" Ariana scoffed and looked away. "You so do. Oh the possibilities."

"You're sick." Ariana said.

Jayden laughed. "I know. But, hey, if the opportunity ever comes, we'll look back on this day and laugh." Ariana, despite feeling nauseas out of embarrassment, smiled. "Besides, it's not like I'm going to tell anyone about if you think Laura is hot or not. Though…"

"Oh no." Ariana said. "What now?"

"Who's hotter? Me or Laura?" Ariana let out a gasp causing Jayden to smirk and look at the clouds. "I'm waiting Ari."

"I hope you're sent to a special hell where there's nothing but guys. Naked, sweaty guys." Ariana said, though she only gained another laugh from Jayden.

"You're too cruel sometimes Ariana Williams. Too, too cruel." Jayden said before sighing contently. "But, jokes aside, I came here because I knew you're the only person that could get me to laugh. And I seriously needed a good laugh."

"At the expense of my embarrassment? Who's cruel now?" Ariana returned.

Jayden raised a brow. "And what is there to be an embarrassed about? I just asked for your personal opinion. It's not like I can say you're wrong or anything."

"Well in that case," Ariana said. "Then Laura is ten times hotter than you are."

There was an unsettling silence that followed. Ariana had never told anyone but her parents and Eli about her relationship with Andy, knowing how people would judge her. Or how much worse their judgment would be, she should say. She figured that Jayden could be one of the better ones. His silence made her think otherwise now.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Jayden said. Ariana released a breath she did not know she was holding as Jayden continued to stare into the clouds. "You think she's thinking of you?"

And like that, the two began another conversation about their loves that were physically out of their lives, Andy in Montreal and Laura in London. Ariana hated to admit it, but Jayden made her feel comfortable. He made her feel as if there was actually something good about the city Toronto. He made her think that she had finally found a true friend again.

* * *

Amber sat on her bed, her legs folded in front of her. On the edge of her bed sat Simon, reading Randy's court dates and ignoring the other guy in the room. Standing up against her closed door was James, his eyes looking at Amber's walls, though he has seemed them several of times before.

"So…" Simon said before setting the paper on the bed beside him. "What's your plan?"

Amber shrugged. "Dad said that the truth is the best plan, so that's what I'm sticking with. No over the top gimmicks or anything."

"Smart." James said.

Simon looked at James. "And why are you here?"

"Si, you said that you wouldn't start anything." Amber stated. "And besides, Mr. Brooks is helping me and MJ too. James is part of the team."

"The team?" James and Simon question in unison.

Amber smiled. "Yeah. Me, Marc, MJ, and you two. The team." While Simon shook his head, James only smiled. "I haven't thought of a name for us yet. I was thinking 'Fab Five' but that sounds more like Mary-Jane's thing than mine."

"Glad to see you back to normal." James inputted.

Amber's smile brightened. "Thanks."

Simon looked in-between his sister and her ex. He would be lying if he said that there was nothing there. Anyone could see it. However, what caused him to smile was the answer to his earlier problem last Spring Break. When he questioned James if he loved Amber like Amber loved James. At the time, James could not give an answer with certitude. Now, just by looking at them, James gave Simon all that he needed to know.

"James," Amber said. "I'm hungry."

James sighed. "Amber, we're at _your_ house. You can go get something from your kitchen."

"Or you can do it for me since you're closest to the door?" Amber suggested with a smile. "Please?"

"For the team." James said opening the door.

"The team." Amber cheered him on as he left. Amber turned to see her brother's amused grin. "What's so funny?"

"Forget the team. He's doing this for you." Simon chuckled.

Amber giggled. "Duh."

* * *

Twenty minutes to the show and the group was still not on the same page. Ellie sighed heavily before pinching the bridge of her nose. This is why teen bands and groups normally fail in this business. With the normal day-to-day stress that the average teen experiences, adding the stress of a job, such as this, was something that they just were not mature enough to do.

And things only got worse when Hakim showed.

"Hey," the boy said to Jacob. "Can we talk for a moment?"

"Don't." Jacob muttered.

"I'm not mad that you kissed her. Just don't let it happen again, alright? She's not happy about it and it's ruining our night." Hakim stated. "So please, don't do it again."

"You know what," Jacob began. "I can't do this tonight."

"Jacob, wait-" Dakota was cut off by Jayden's hand rising.

"We all need time to recover. Let him go." Jayden interrupted before eying Jacob. "If you want to go, go. We won't stop you."

Jacob gave the taller boy a small glare before leaving. Angelina had pretty much told him in text that she was breaking up with him and his dad had something "important" to do today, so Jacob was unable to see him like he wanted. So today was not the best day for any performances.

"I'm sorry Mom." Dakota said.

Ellie smiled. "Nothing to be sorry about Dakota. There will be other things that you guys will have to deal with." Dakota nodded. "So let me get the show changed and deal with the fuss that's bound to come with that."

"Hey," Jayden said gaining Shane's and Dakota's attention. "How about I get a group of friends and we celebrate anyway? On me."

Shane shrugged. "I guess. Maybe it'll get Dee to lighten up as well." Jayden frowned. "Nicky babysat today."

"Oh…" Jayden and Dakota said in unison.

"Well," Jayden said. "Let's go."

The trio left the backstage area, sneaking out the rear exit to avoid the crowd in the front. Shane was already calling Kelly to tell her the news while Dakota watched Jayden send a text to someone.

"You okay?" Dakota asked.

"Fine actually." Jayden answered. "I mean, it technically is your band. You are the leader." Dakota nodded a bit. "Besides, I think Jacob did us all a favor. We need to spend time to just hangout as us. No kids. No parents. And no rules."

"Except for no alcohol." Dakota said with a smile.

Jayden put an arm around her shoulder. "Yeah, yeah, ruin my fun why don't you?" Dakota's grin widened a bit. "Besides, you know what I figured out? I've never really spent the weekend with my brother and his friends."

"Is that who you just texted?" questioned Dakota.

"No. A girl named Ari. She's a bit of a misfit like us. Dad's an author." Dakota nodded. "So, where did you guys want to go?"

Shane shrugged as he hung up. "Doesn't matter. And don't worry, I'll chip in to pay. And I'm sure Deanna will help too."

"Me too." Dakota said. "But don't you think we should call Jacob?"

"Go ahead. Though I doubt he'll join." Jayden replied before smiling. "Now if you'd excuse me, I have to check in on Ms. DeSousa and my kids. And by 'check in' I mean annoy the hell out of her until she calls her daughter and I'm grounded for the night."

"Grounded?" Shane questioned.

"Oh yeah. Laura thinks she's _everyone's_ mom now and somehow tells me when I can't go out." Dakota shook her head as Jayden sighed. "And sadly I'm actually too afraid to sneak out even though I know she's not even here to catch me."

"Why's that?" Shane asked.

"Because then I'll have to deal with my sisters, Danni McDuelle and Dakota Nash." Jayden answered. "Also known as, Laura's enforcers."

The trio laughed as they neared the two vehicles that would take them to wherever, Jayden's car and Gavin's truck. There they waited for Kelly and Deanna to join them with Hakim. They all knew that they shouldn't blame Jacob for blowing a show, but it was quite hard to do. So instead, they decided to focus on another problem. And that problem was Nicole joining Kelly and Hakim as they went out to party.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Alright, so here's a new chapter of D3G. Despite being quite lengthy, this is a relatively small chapter leading to something big. Meantime, I have been revising how I want the chapters to go for this "season" and decided to split Season 5 into two parts. And just and FYI by the end of Season 5 someone will be killed off of the "show", literally. Though I won't give any spoilers other than it is one of the main cast. You can guess from there. Anyway, here's the latest chapter. R & R!


	136. S5 Episode VI: Heartache

**Episode VI: Heartache**

Monday came sooner than anyone wanted and Aaron found himself sighing heavily in the passenger seat of his brother's car. Saturday night had been great, considering that Aaron had never hung out with both of his older siblings outside of their home before. And Chandra was there as well, which made it all the better despite Hakim, Farah's brother, there also. They went to Above the Dot, then to a restaurant of Isabella's choosing, and finally back to Danica's apartment to unwind from the wild night. Aaron had actually spent the night at Danica's, waking up to the sound of Jayden and Danica debating on who should cook breakfast Sunday morning.

"I hate school." Aaron heard Jayden say as he parked in an empty parking spot.

"You only have a year left after this." Aaron commented. "I have four…"

Jayden grinned. "It'll get better. For you that is. Good people like you always seem to get the longer end of the stick."

"And people like you?" Aaron questioned.

"Does 'teen pregnancy' and 'stalking ex' sum up my kind of luck?" Aaron laughed as Jayden cut his car off. "Seriously though, I'm sure you'll probably have an easier time than Danni or I."

"Really?" Jayden nodded.

"Yeah." Jayden answered before looking at Aaron. "Now, if you don't mind, I think this is your stop. Get out."

Aaron grinned, but did as he was told, allowing Jayden to think in private.

"A.J," Aaron paused. Here was the _last_ guy he wanted to see at the moment. "We need to talk."

"Tim," Aaron said. "I don't know where Jordan is and I'm not even looking for her now."

"I want to ask her on a date. Don't ruin it for me." Timothy bluntly said.

Aaron sighed. "I won't ruin anything Tim. Good luck though."

"I don't need luck." Timothy replied.

"Morning A.J. Morning Timmy." Jordan stated before looking between the two. "What did you do A.J?"

"You know," Aaron responded. "I don't even know. So talk without me."

Jordan frowned as Aaron walked away. She knew that Aaron would never start a fight with anyone, but it was fun messing with him. However, now she wanted to know what Timothy said that had irritated Aaron so early in the morning.

"Um, Jordan," Jordan glanced at the other boy. "I was wondering… If you're not busy, do you want to grab a burger or something after school?"

Jordan gaped a bit. Kelly had warned her that kindness had several drawbacks when the other party thought it was more than kindness. For Kelly, there was Jacob who pretty much ruined their show Saturday night. And now Jordan was dealing with the same thing with Timothy. But she figured since Aaron was currently busy bouncing between Chandra and her cousin, she could at least use the company.

Jordan smiled. "Sure Timmy. Just stop by The Dot after school and we can go from there, okay?"

"Really? Even with A.J trying to keep you to himself?" Jordan frowned.

"Um, I don't know what you're seeing, but A.J is clearly after one Chandra Torres, and I don't look _anything_ like her." Jordan stated.

"No. You're better." Timothy said. "Um, I have to go to class. See you at lunch?"

"Uh… Sure…" Jordan said skeptically as Timothy walked away. "Weird…"

"You know," Jordan nearly flinched at Jayden's voice. "I'm slightly jealous that you not only got out of the Jayden Fan Club, but you dump my nerdy brother for a bigger nerd."

"I'm not dating Timmy." Jordan stated.

Jayden smiled. "I'm sure you're not dating him, but he's clearly thinking about dating you. Then again, now that you're not as annoying as you were at the end of the year, you do have that certain charm about you that I once admired."

"You're just saying that." said the blonde.

Jayden chuckled. "You know, I just had a very interesting conversation with you sister. I wanted to date her and she thought it was a joke, so we laughed it off. And now you're doing the same thing." Jayden sighed. "Maybe it's me."

"N-no, thanks." Jordan quickly said. "That's actually a step up from what you normally say to me."

"I've done nothing but tell you the truth. If you're annoying, you're annoying. If you're nerdy, you're nerdy. And if you're pretty attractive, you better damn well believe that you're attractive." Jayden said causing Jordan to blush a bit. "Now where is your brother at? He and I need to have a small talk."

* * *

DeWayne watched his sister put her books in her locker.

"So," DeWayne began. "The reason I saw you take a bottle of Prosecco to your room was because…?"

"Because I'm being visited by Shane's ghost of Christmas past." DeWayne frowned. "Mrs. Cameron had Nicky babysit and I, being the dutiful girlfriend that I am, stayed with Shane and Kelly _while_ Nicky was there."

"Ah… That could be problematic." DeWayne stated. "So did it help?"

"Tons." Deanna replied before closing her locker.

"Uh-huh? Look, if you want my honest opinion, drop Shane before he drops you. It's only a matter of time before he crawls for something a lot easier. And with his mom calling her every other day to come over, she's going to be around him twice as much as you are."

"One, Shane stays with his dad. Two, I doubt that." Deanna said.

DeWayne shrugged. "Believe what you want sis. I was right about her having a grip on him. I will be right about this as well."

"In the event that that ever happens," Deanna said. "I will personally tell you that you were right."

DeWayne only shrugged once more as the Fitzgerald twins began walking to class. The duo was stopped when a larger body almost collided with them.

"Oh, my bad." Deanna gasped.

"Steven? When'd they let you out?" she questioned.

"Nice to see you too." Steven said before glaring at DeWayne. "Well, at least one of you."

Deanna smiled. "We get that a lot. But it's good to see you back."

"Believe me, it's good to be back." Steven said before walking around the two.

"You go from bad to worse." Deanna rolled her eyes at her brother's comment.

"In no shape or form would I in my sanest of minds place Steven Manning over Shane Mason." Deanna responded. "Now let's get to class. I hate being late."

DeWayne remained quiet as he followed his twin. If he was going to help Nicole get Shane back, he needed his sister to continue drinking and Shane to find out about her secret. Those two things were not as big of a problem next to Deanna's own stubbornness. If he could somehow plant the smallest seed of doubt in her brain, then Deanna would break. But how?

* * *

The bell rang, signaling the end of first period. Sadly, Shane was annoyed already. He did not have a true desire to be in school, although he knew it was a necessity in life. Or at least his life. His mother would kill him if he decided to drop out.

"Shane!" Shane paused. Only one person could sound so happy so early. "Hey, can we talk for a second?"

Shane nodded. "Sure Nicky. What's up?"

"I want to talk about the other day at your place." Nicole began. "I'm sorry if I caused some awkwardness between us. I didn't know that you were going to be there or else I wouldn't have agreed to babysit."

"It's cool Nicky. My mom sometimes forgets that Sean calls Kelly and I a day in advance." Shane replied. "Besides, we had fun right?"

"Yeah…" Nicole said quietly. "I was thinking we could… Have a day at your place? Me, you, Kelly, Jane, and your dad? Even Deanna." Shane sighed. "Come on. We had so much fun playing karaoke."

"I don't know. Deanna isn't much of a singer." Shane said. "But if she's okay with it, then sure. I'll see if we can't do it this weekend."

Nicole grinned. "You're the best!"

Shane was unprepared for the hug that she gave him. It was comforting, and yet at the same time, awkward. Had Ethan never entered the picture, Shane would probably love this sign of affection. But, of course, Ethan appeared, Nicole kissed him, Shane slept with Deanna, and here they were today. Standing in an awkward hug.

"So…" Shane said once Nicole broke away. "Class?"

Nicole nodded. "Class."

Shane took in a deep breath. He would have to ask his dad and Jane about how to go about this later on. Certainly Jayden would be of no help considering that he was in the same predicament. And Shane did not want to divide Kelly amongst friends. So his best bet was to ask his dad and his dad's girlfriend. Hopefully they could help him out.

* * *

Emma stared at her ex-husband and her best friend's husband. Neither man said anything as the three women filled them in on Liberty's situation. Considering the fact that neither had children outside of their marriage, they really did not know from experience on how this would play out. Plus, they had never experienced a bad divorce. Maxwell and Manny were probably going to die married in Emma's mind and she and Gavin split on the best terms possible. In fact, the only thing that has changed between her and her ex was that she no longer slept in his bed, no longer carried his name, and had limited physical interactions to something that both Sean and Gavin were comfortable with. Other than that, they were practically still married and a lot closer than Liberty and Damian were.

"Wow," Gavin said. "I'm… Wow."

"Manny when you said that it was, you know, I didn't think this." Maxwell added.

Manny sighed. "Well, we figured since you two do go out on guy's night, you could invite Damian and talk to him. Please?"

The two men looked at one another. Neither really spoke to Damian, let alone had drinks with the guy. Now they were being asked to get gossip from the guy.

"You don't have to." Liberty said quietly. "I already know how he feels about me. And he's partially right. I'm…"

"Liberty, stop with the moping." Manny stated. "You're about as bad as-"

"You were when you were pregnant with Danni?" Maxwell interjected. Manny gave him a dirty glare. "Do you not remember the letter you wrote to her? I think that's an argument you can't win."

"He's got a point." Emma said. Manny turned her glare from her husband to her best friend. "Besides, that's not going to help here. We need to find a way to dissolve this peacefully and quietly. We don't want the kids to get dragged into this."

"So what get's a man's attention away from his wife?" Manny questioned the men present.

"Another woman." They said in unison before sharing a brief laugh.

Manny rolled her eyes. "Figures…"

"You had to see that one coming." Emma added in the same deadpanned style as Manny spoke.

"In all seriousness," Maxwell continued. "I'm not sure on how to go about this. You're asking us to put them together before or after she tells him that she's pregnant?"

Now it was Emma and Manny that exchanged glances before looking at Liberty for an answer. Not feeling comfortable under the gaze of the four other adults in the room, Liberty shifted in her seat on the couch between Emma and Manny.

"I'll just talk to him myself. Thanks for the help but-"

"No buts," Gavin said. "We'll talk to him, right Max?"

"Happy wife, happy life." Manny smiled at her husband's response. It was pretty evident to her and the majority of the people she knew that he is where Danica and Jayden got half of their phrases from.

Liberty smiled. "Thanks guys. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"That is a good question." Manny said. "And thankfully you'll never have to know!"

Liberty's smile seemed to grow as her two friends at her sides hugged her. She was fortunate to have these two, despite the ups and downs in their past, especially with Emma.

"So everything's okay?" the voice came from Jane, who had waddled her way from her bedroom to the living room.

Gavin put an arm around her shoulders.

"For the moment." Gavin said before eying Maxwell. "How about you go in the back and fire up the grill?"

Maxwell's right brow rose. "As oppose to you doing it right?"

"When you're off, creating and managing businesses is the last thing you want to do right? Well when I'm off, cooking is far from my mind." Maxwell nodded at the concept. It made perfect sense. "Besides, someone's got to call Sean right? So you do the grill and I'll get the gang together."

"Fair trade." Maxwell said before pausing. "Your kids will hate you when they find out."

Gavin shrugged. "Kids, right?"

"Right." Maxwell returned.

* * *

Jayden paused as he and Shane were walking down the hall.

"You ever feel like our parents are concocting some plan without us?" Jayden asked his friend.

Shane nodded. "Oddly yes, but back to Nicky and Deanna." Jayden nodded as well and the two continued their walk. "I don't know about having those two in the same place at the same time. I mean, they had a fight at a dance."

"Oh how I wish girls fought over me." Jayden said.

"Seriously," Shane responded. "How do I get them to, you know, stop?"

Jayden sighed. "Well, here's the problem with me helping you there. I, being pro-Nicky, will somehow give you advice that will ruin your admittedly great relationship with Deanna. And I don't want to do that. But, I will say that you should at least ask Deanna if it's alright. Whether she says yay or nay, you can be the judge on if she's doing it out of spite or jealousy or if she's looking out for your best interest."

"Deanna's always looking out for my best interest." countered Shane. "I don't know a day that she isn't."

"This is so very true. But that's mainly because she's been crushing on you for months and you were too oblivious to know." Jayden stated.

Shane frowned. "This coming from a guy that called his girlfriend a whore when he first met her?"

"In my defense," Jayden replied. "_You_ warned me about her."

"And you warned me about Deanna." Shane pointed out.

"So therefore," Jayden said. "We were both wrong and you shouldn't even be thinking about Nicky. Then again, I shouldn't be thinking about Scarlett either."

"Are we going to be like this for the rest of our lives?" Shane questioned.

Jayden patted Shane's shoulder. "I'm afraid so my dear friend. I'm afraid so…"

* * *

Helen frowned. She was slightly annoyed that Nicole had, not only found a perfect way of annoying Deanna Fitzgerald, but had somehow gained some blackmail over the girl as well. How Nicole came across Deanna's diary was beyond Helen's range of knowledge, but Nicole had and had copied entries of Deanna's most personal thoughts. Some of those thoughts Helen was better not reading, but for Deanna's scheme in getting Shane away from Nicole in the first place…

Priceless.

"And you're just going to go up to him and tell him?" Helen asked.

Nicole shook her head. "No. I'm just going to wait."

Helen's eyes narrowed. "Do you know how much I hate that phrase?"

Nicole tilted her head in confusion as to why Helen had said that with such hatred. She had heard the phrase before but could not remember when exactly. Spotting Scarlett hanging up a flyer, Nicole snapped her fingers as the light was lit in her head.

"Oh! Scarlett!" Helen nodded slowly. "Seriously Helen, I wouldn't think you cared considering you broke up with Jayden."

"Let's get back on topic," Helen stated. "You somehow get her diary, copy her words, and now you're going to just wait? That's a little…" Helen paused. "Well you're thinking more than I thought was possible, I'll say that."

"Whatever Helen," Nicole said. "Either way, Shane said that we'd meet up at his place Saturday for some games with his dad and Jane. You know, like it used to be."

"It _used_ to be you, me, Miss Jackie, and Scar walking over everyone in the school." Helen said. "Now that people relate you to smoking, Miss Jackie to a loser, and Scar as a sob story, I'm the only one left."

Nicole smiled. "We can do that next year Helen. Let's talk about this year."

"This year," Helen began. "I'm not getting involved in anyone's schemes but my own. I hate Deanna, but I'll deal with her on my terms. I hate Laura, but I'll wait until she gives Scar what she's been asking for before dealing with Laura. And above all, I hate Mary-Jane, but I won't ruin her and Tyler."

"Really? Why?" Helen sighed at Nicole's question.

"Because sometimes the best revenge is forgiveness." Nicole's eyes widened. "Not that I forgive people often, but Mary-Jane got beat by her uncle. Badly. The last thing she needs is my fist lodged into her eye socket."

"Aw, that's so nice of you Helen!" Nicole said.

Helen grimaced. "Doesn't mean my fist won't be lodged in _your_ eye."

"Hey," Scarlett said nearing the two. "Mind helping me set up the flyers for the fundraiser?"

"Uh, you know, I can't." Helen said. "I have this allergy that stops me from helping people for free. Good luck though."

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Whatever Helen. What about you Nicky? Skip half of third period by helping me?"

"Sure." Nicole said.

"You two go ahead," Helen said. "I'll see you two later. Unfortunately."

Nicole hugged Helen. "You so miss us!"

"I so don't like hugs!" Helen retorted. Nicole released her shorter friend who huffed. "Now I'm definitely going to class."

Scarlett smiled as she watched Helen walk away.

"You knew that that would get her to leave, didn't you?" Nicole smiled.

"Of course I did." Nicole replied. "Helen hates hugs in public."

Scarlett put an arm around Nicole's shoulder. "Nicky Campbell, you may be appointed as my new replacement."

Nicole giggled, throwing her arm around Scarlett.

"Sure Scarlett." Nicole replied.

* * *

At lunch, Aaron found himself in a very odd position. He and Chandra were supposed to be heading for the cafeteria, but she had to tell him something important. Thus, he found himself in a utility closet, cramped with brooms, mops, buckets, and cleaning supplies. And the fact that Chandra was in _very_ close proximity to him did not help him either. Their height difference gave him a rather nice bird's eye view of her cleavage. While he had valiantly attempted to keep eye contact, whenever he knew she was hardly paying attention he glanced.

He was a growing boy after all.

"So," Chandra concluded. "If we can, I don't know, get some dirt on Farah then all of this will just blow over!" Aaron nodded while she grinned. "Come on? That's the best plan I've had in a long time!"

"Let's try ever." Chandra feigned hurt at his joke. "Come on Bambi, between breaking into Ashton's locker and trying to seduce my brother, your plans don't exactly go the way you want them to."

"But this one will." Chandra responded.

Aaron sighed. "It _would_ if we had something. And even if we did, it would have to be something big. She knows that you…"

Chandra saw Aaron's eyes avoid her completely, something that slightly distressed Chandra. She then realized that he must still be angry at her for what she had done.

"A.J," Chandra spoke quietly. "I'm really sorry for what I did."

"It's fine Bambi. I-"

"It's not fine A.J." Chandra quickly interrupts. "I know that you're mad, okay? I'm mad at myself. I just… I just don't want you to pretend like you can look at me when it's killing you to do so."

"You're still an idiot." The words caused Chandra to gape as Aaron smiled. "My dad's told me of my mom's past, or at least some of it, and he still loves her. So why can't I do the same?"

"A.J…" Chandra began but was unable to form a sentence.

"I am mad. Pissed even. But it's you. I couldn't stay mad at you if I tried." Aaron stated.

"Why?" Chandra questioned.

Aaron's smile widened. "That's why I've been calling you an idiot." Chandra frowned angrily before she felt his lips against hers. Instinctively she kissed back until he pulled away. "I love you Chandra Torres. That's why."

Chandra felt her former worries rush to her at the worst possible time. She wobbled a bit, collapsing against Aaron who caught her. Sadly, she did not know why this happened. She figured that Aaron saying that he loved her would be a great thing, and it was, but for some reason she felt… Nervous. Anxious even. Her mind continued playing all the bad outcomes that came from this, even though she originally could not name any.

And all that seemed to go away when she felt his arms wrap around her tighter in a secure hug.

"We'll figure out a way Bambi." His voice was beyond soothing and Chandra did nothing but practically melt in his embrace.

"Yeah," she said before smiling as she rested her head against his chest. "And I love you too, Aaron Santos."

The moment, as loving as it was, was abruptly ended when the door swung open.

"Uh…" Aaron and Chandra stared wide-eyed at the old janitor.

"Um, we were," Chandra released Aaron and reached for a pair of gloves. "Searching for cleaning supplies?"

The man, baffled, only stared at them while Aaron groaned at Chandra's lame excuse. In his mind, this had to be the most embarrassing thing that has happened. Well, that's happened this year.

"We were just leaving." Chandra added taking Aaron's hand. "Come on A.J. Let's go, uh, clean a desk or something."

Aaron did his best not to make eye contact with the man as Chandra led them past him. He could only hear the sound of his mother's voice whenever she got a call from school. It would be _worst_ than him getting detention. And those thoughts were even louder when Chandra stopped and turned to glare at the janitor.

"Never speak of this." The man nodded slowly before seeing the two teens round a corner.

Aaron sighed heavily. "That was awk-" Aaron was cut off by a passionate kiss from the shorter girl. "What was that for?"

"Buttering you up." Aaron frowned at her comment but was more confused, and frightened, when she gripped his collar. "Speak of that to Ashton or Jordan and die Santos." Aaron nodded and Chandra smiled. "See? Laura can be a _great_ teacher!"

Aaron paled. If his girlfriend- or the girl he wanted to date he should say- became like his brother's, then he was in more trouble than he wanted. But for some reason, that was alright with him. So long as he had Chandra, nothing else seemed to matter. Not now at least.

* * *

Dustin saw Jacob sitting in the Zen Garden near Mr. Simpson's and J.T's memorial. Taking in a deep breath, Dustin neared the older boy with caution.

"Hey," Jacob looked at Dustin "I, uh, I wanted to talk about… Well you know."

"Your mom being a whore?" Jacob suggested angrily.

Dustin frowned. "From what I was told, your parents were arguing and my mom was just being a good friend!"

"Who told you this?" Jacob questioned.

"Your slut dad!" Dustin retorted. Jacob frowned at this, silently demanding an explanation. "I went over there this weekend to talk to them. You know, my dad is more pissed than you are. I can't even see my mom at home anymore!"

"She deserves it." Jacob said. "This was probably all her doing."

"Have you even talked to your dad?" Jacob glared at the younger boy. "I didn't think so." Dustin sighed. "I mean, it's not like _you_ caught them at _your_ house trying to sneak in. Your dad was all over my mom."

"Get away." Jacob spoke quietly before shouting louder. "Get the hell away from me!"

Dustin was startled a bit. Quiet guys like Jacob and Timothy always had something secretly wrong with them in his opinion. So, for his safety, Dustin nodded and left Jacob with his thoughts. He originally found Jacob to talk to him as a favor for Toby. Now he could care less what Jacob thought. The older boy was already cracked in Dustin's mind.

* * *

Dakota and Jayden staring did not make Shane's nerves any calmer.

Why did things like this always happen to him?

"So," Jayden began. "Your sister and your ex are off planning on some 'fun' for this weekend and you _haven't_ brought this up to Deanna because…?"

"Because it just happened and I haven't seen her yet." Shane answered. "Besides, Dee is pretty cool. She'll agree to this." It was one thing to see Jayden's skeptical face. It was another thing to hear Dakota snort out a "yeah right" under her breath. "Oh come on. You don't think that this is just a warning of disaster."

"Let's see if I can paint a picture for you," Jayden began. "Laura and Danni plan something for Scarlett. Does that sound like disastrous to you?"

"Jay's right Shane," Dakota said. "I don't think it's a good idea to have Nicky and Deanna around one another so soon. I mean, we're all trying to get used to Deanna and I'm sure we're not ready for the old Deanna to come out. You know, the one that hated Laura so much."

Shane waved Dakota off. "That Deanna is long gone."

"Right until she does something sneaky and underhanded." Jayden inputted. "Then she's back alive."

"But she hasn't." Shane countered. "She's been truthful and honest with me. And that's all I can really ask for."

Jayden's lips twisted a bit. Sure he could tell Shane how he snuck around the Fitzgerald's mansion during Kelly's birthday party and found Deanna's diary in DeWayne's room, but that would probably lead to more problems than solutions. Plus, in a way, Jayden could see what Shane saw in Deanna. The girl was fiercely loyal to those she considered friends. She had proven this when she took the blame for Stephanie's blogs as well as pinning Shane and Nicole's break-up on her and Nicole, not on Shane.

"You have a point there." Jayden finally said.

Shane nodded. "See? She's a bit like Laura. Misunderstood."

"Okay," Jayden said. "Laura is _nowhere_ near misunderstood. I think we can all agree that if Laura doesn't like you, she'll say it. No underhanded tricks necessary. Just a punch to the face." Dakota nodded in agreement. "But I do see a _few_ similarities. They both have dark hair. But…"

"But?" Shane asked.

"Laura is…" Shane knew what Jayden was going to say and frowned. "Oh come on. After dropping those three children of ours, Laura has done nothing but developed in all the right places while Deanna is still on the waiting list for certain parts."

"Hilarious," Shane replied. "But Deanna is at least twice as hot as Laura is. She has the whole hot valley girl next door vibe. Plus she's a cheerleader. The captain at that."

"What? And that's hotter than the tough girl who likes it rough?" Jayden said.

"Who says Deanna doesn't like it-"

"Okay!" Dakota finally said. "Enough about who likes it rough. Let's just eat quietly for a moment. _Please_."

Jayden and Shane looked at one another before Jayden smirked a bit.

"My exes are hotter than yours." Shane grinned at his friends words. "Bet?"

"You're on."

This caused Dakota to sigh heavily. Why is it that whenever she was left alone with the two, they had conversations like these?

* * *

Jordan caught up to Aaron quickly after lunch. She watched him look at her before he smirked a bit.

"You're evil." Jordan voiced. Aaron shrugged. "You know I don't like Timmy like that."

"I know and you do. But he doesn't and that's all that matters." Aaron replied.

Jordan huffed. "Is this why you want do the world a favor and break up with Farah?" Aaron nodded with a small smile. "Being nice sucks."

"It doesn't sucks Jordan." Jordan snorted at his response.

"_Right_. Maybe I should wait until the love of my life loses his virginity to someone I hate." Jordan retorted. When Aaron went silent, she looked up to see his angered expression. Realizing the proverbial line she had crossed, she immediately went to apologize. "I'm sorry A.J. I didn't-"

"Its alright." he said though they both knew he was lying.

"No it's not. You know that and I know it." Jordan replied before sighing. "A.J, have you even told Chandra how you feel about that?" Aaron nodded. "And let me guess. She somehow made it your fault that she did."

"She…" Aaron paused. "She actually did."

"Sad that I know that, huh?" Aaron nodded. "But I know you and you're just going to forgive her. It's not like you couldn't, even if you actually tried."

Aaron frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm your evil counterpart A.J. That means because I'll _never_ forgive Chandra, you will. See how that works?" Jordan answered. Seeing a smile on the boy's face, Jordan bumped her hips against his gently. "See? Now what would you do without me?"

"Crack blonde jokes without you getting mad." Aaron stated.

"Hardy-har-har." Jordan said while rolling her eyes. "You're a riot A.J."

"Jordan," Aaron said gaining her attention. "I'm glad I do have you."

Jordan felt her words get stuck somewhere in her throat and she pretty much choked on nothing. Aaron gave her his normal worried look at the coughs that erupted out of nowhere, but Jordan being who she was, recovered quickly and gracefully. She would be damned if Mary-Jane's teachings went to waste.

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Jordan said. "Now, on to class."

Aaron smiled. "On to class."

* * *

Farah really did not know what was going on. First, Aaron had been practically all smiles since lunch. His demeanor was as close as it used to be since… Well she did not know how long it has been since she's seen him like this. Then there was her cousin. Chandra was probably born talking, so a talkative Chandra was nothing out of the norm. But what was out of the norm was Chandra's constant pestering that the two spend a day together. Farah noted that Aaron's brows rose, giving her the indication that he was as shocked at Chandra's rants as she was. Finally there was Jordan and the blonde constantly stating that something was up. Farah, begrudgingly, agreed with the annoying blonde. Chandra was up to something. Question was: What?

Her eyes scanned the hallways until she found one common friend of the three; Gabrielle Nunez.

"Brie," Farah said as she neared the other girl. "Can we talk for a minute?"

Gabrielle nodded. "Sure."

Farah sighed. "Okay…" Farah took in a deep breath before speaking. "Do you think that something is up? I mean, with Chandra asking me to hang out with her and everything. Do you think she's up to something?"

"Like?" Gabrielle questioned, though the answer was painfully obvious to her.

"Like finding a way to take A.J away from me." Farah answered.

"Farah," Gabrielle started. "A.J can't be 'taken away' from anyone. He chooses his friends and the people he wants to be around. No one but A.J can change that."

Farah nodded. That was true. Aaron did pick his own friends, much like he chose Farah over Chandra. There really was no way for Chandra to sway his mind one way or another. Or so, that's what Farah told herself to keep calm about the whole thing.

"I hope I helped, but I have to get to class." Farah realized that Gabrielle was already backing away and smiled.

"Sure. Thanks again Brie." Farah replied. Gabrielle smiled, turned around, and continued walking towards class. Farah only sighed with a newfound confidence. "A.J isn't going to leave me for Chandra. There's nothing to worry about."

* * *

The bell rang, ending the day of school. For one Steven Manning, that was the best sound that he had heard all day. Of course, that meant that now he had to go to some group counseling like his sister had which didn't make his afternoon something to look forward to. On the other hand, once that was over, he was able to go home for the first time in months.

"We run into each other again," Steven said to Deanna, who only smiled. "You look good in your uniform."

"Uh, thanks." Deanna stated. Stephanie and Angelina soon join Deanna, both in their cheerleading uniforms. "Now if you'd excuse me, I have a show to run."

"No problem." Steven said. "But, hey, do you wanna go out some time?"

Deanna smiled. "I would, but I'm sure my boyfriend would be mad at me if I did." Steven frowned in confusion. When he left school last year, Deanna Fitzgerald was nowhere near having a relationship. How much had changed? "Shane Mason? You went to school with him, right?"

Steven nodded, though more confusion was added. Shane Mason was deeply in love with Nicole Campbell, not Deanna Fitzgerald. And just how did Shane and Deanna even meet?

"Yo, Steven," Steven's attention was turned to Jesse, more commonly known as Tank. "There's a party at Tyler's this weekend. You in?"

Steven nodded. "Sure. Just text me the address."

"Will do." Jesse said. "Just make sure that none of your old friends show up, alright? You know, James and Marc."

"Hey, if they hear it, it won't be from me." Steven replied. "None of them bothered to check in on me when I was locked up, then they're not really friends in my book." Jesse nodded. That made sense. "Besides, Lakers and Panthers don't mix. You know that."

Jesse smirked. "Yeah. Welcome back, by the way."

"Good to be back." Steven said.

* * *

"Pregnant?" The word echoed and Toby found himself seated on the couch. "Liberty I…"

"Toby, please, I need you." Liberty said. "As a friend. As the father of the baby. I need you here, with me. With us."

"You're keeping it?" Toby questioned.

Liberty frowned. "What's wrong if I did?"

"No! No, I mean. I just thought that you and Damian were mending things out. Or at least you were trying to." Toby said.

"I am. I just… I don't want to get my hopes up." Liberty said. "Damian won't take care of the baby unless it was his. And he and I… We haven't, you know, in a while."

Toby nodded. "I understand." Toby then sighed heavily. "I just hope this nightmare would end soon. Christy hasn't been returning any of my calls. She ignores me when I see the kids. It's not like her."

"Has she answered your question? Do you know if she was cheating on you or not?" Toby shakes his head.

"No. She just ignores me." Toby answered. "And now _I'm_ the bad guy for getting caught. Jacob hasn't even talked to me since then."

Liberty gave Toby a smile, sitting beside him.

"He just needs time. We all do actually." Liberty assured him. "And Dustin said he'd help, remember? Dustin would never let me down."

Toby grinned. "I hope you're right. I really do."

The two shared a peaceful silence before Liberty glanced at the ceiling.

"You ever think J.T would have approved?" The question causes Toby to look up as well.

"Of us?" Liberty nodded. "I think… I think he would've wanted us happy, whether it be with each other or someone else. He just wanted you to smile."

"I'm smiling now." Liberty said with a warm grin, her hand interlaced with Toby's.

"Then J.T's happy." Toby responded. "And I guess that's enough to make me happy."

No more words were said as they sat there, staring at the ceiling. Sure, they both felt wrong for ruining their separate marriages, but there was a bittersweet ending to it all. Toby and Christy had been battling for months after her sister told him that his youngest child, Paisley, may not be his. Damian and Liberty had slowly drifted through the years, though neither wanted to admit it until after her affair with Toby had been uncovered. But at this moment, none of that mattered.

They were just, as they said, happy.

* * *

"Okay, bye," Amber said as she ended her call with Marc. "I really wish I could go back to cheering."

"Join the club." Mary-Jane stated as she filed her nails while sitting on Amber's bed. "This counseling is so not for me." Amber frowned at her blonde friend. "Okay, it helps a little. But I really don't want to remember any of it."

"You know we can't do that." Amber replied before tilting her head to the side. "And why aren't you going to Tyler's party Saturday?"

Mary-Jane shrugged. "I promised Angele I'd paint her nails." Amber smiled. "I'm not getting soft Amber. I just like to live up to my promises."

"Mary-Jane you like your sister! I knew you had a big heart!" Amber cooed. Mary-Jane rolled her eyes, but eventually smiled. "Mind if I tagged along? My parents really don't trust me out and about. They think that I'm suicidal or something."

"Amber Clarke committing suicide is like Mary-Jane Del Rossi kissing the ground Helen Sinclair-Coyne walks on." Mary-Jane commented.

Amber sighed. "I tried telling them that but they just want to be careful. Parents, right?" Mary-Jane nodded before Simon opened the door. "Hey bro! Come to get a mani and a pedi?"

Simon chuckled. "No! I just came to check in on you." Amber frowned. "This has nothing to do with Mom and Dad. This is just me making sure that you're still smiling and singing around the house." Simon paused. "I expected James to be here."

"Meeting for the basketball tryouts. He'll be here later." Simon nodded before looking at Mary-Jane.

"How're you MJ?" he asked.

Mary-Jane smiled. "Feeling better already." Amber slapped her friend's leg. "Ow! That actually hurt Amber!"

Simon shook his head. "You two are still the same." The two girls smiled. "So how about we go out for dinner? On me."

"You know Simon," Mary-Jane said. "I'm not just a salad-eating girl and I won't settle for a burger."

"Yeah. We won't a meal." Amber added.

"I've said it once and I'll say it again," Simon said. "You two are still the same."

"Yep!" Amber replied. "Which is why you would be the most awesome brother in the world if you got me a towel from the bathroom closet so Mary doesn't get her toe jam all over my bed."

"Hon, if anyone has toe jam, it would be you." Mary-Jane said. "My feet are as flawless as, well not my face obviously, but better than the rest that's for sure."

Amber rolled her eyes. "Whatever Mary-Jane."

Simon only grinned. A part of him knew that their respective battles would only make them stronger in the future and more prepared for whatever life threw at them. The other part wished for it to never happened, to either of them. He could still see the two little girls from years ago that used to stay locked in Amber's room unless the ice cream truck was heard and they bolted out. Of course, they no longer ran out whenever the ice cream truck was heard, but they still remained the same.

Well, mostly the same. Simon did have to admit that they, Amber and Mary-Jane alike, had grown. He wouldn't just outright say it for multiple reasons, but Mary-Jane once harbored a crush for Simon. And seeing her around all day everyday was starting to make him see her in the same light, if not more. And that was something Amber would not accept. No matter what.

* * *

"Hey," Manny said as she entered Aaron's room. "I thought you'd be out with Farah or Jordan."

"Farah and Bambi are spending a day together and Jordan's on a date with Timothy." Aaron answered before pausing. "Say, Mama, Tim says his uncle went to Degrassi a long time ago. Rick something…"

Manny's eyes widened. "Rick Murray?" Aaron nodded. "He had a sibling?"

"I guess. Who is he?" Aaron questioned.

Sighing, the woman sat down on her son's bed and began explaining to him about Rick Murray's time in Degrassi. She told him of Terri's relationship with Rick and how she ended in a coma before telling how badly Rick was bullied by the other students thereafter. Aaron found it quite repetitive that Rick had a crush on Emma, much like his nephew had one on Emma's daughter. Manny continued her story, telling Aaron how Rick died and how very few people showed up at his funeral. Aaron was shocked to hear that someone died in school, but was more surprised to hear those that were the cause of it; Emma (his godmother), Gavin (his godfather), Sean (his godmother's husband), Toby (his teacher), Jay and Alex (Gabrielle's parents), and Jimmy (Vanessa's dad). Since he was not close to Mary-Jane, her mother's involvement neither stirred him nor concerned him.

Aaron could see Mary-Jane taunting some poor kid until they finally snapped.

"So, that's what happened to Rick." Manny concluded. "I honestly feel bad for how it all turned out. No one deserves to die."

Aaron nodded. "I understand." Aaron then sighed. "But the truth is, Jordan doesn't like Tim, much like Emma didn't like Rick in that light. So what do I do?"

"What can you do? Jordan's going to have to tell him herself." Manny answered. "Besides, I doubt anything like that will happen. No one is bullying Tim like they did Rick."

"I hope you're right. I don't want anything bad to happen to Jordan." Manny's brows rose, causing Aaron to quickly add to the statement. "She's my best friend and one of two that I've known since moving here."

"I'm sure that's it." Manny said before giving Aaron a kiss on his forehead. "You'll figure something out A.J. You always do."

"Thanks Mama." Aaron replied as Manny stood up and began to make her exit.

She paused at the door and looked at Aaron.

"Did you ever talk to Chandra about what you heard?" Aaron nodded at his mother's question. "Well?"

"Rumors." Aaron lied.

"See? I told you." Manny stated. "You should have more faith in people A.J, especially someone you adore so much."

"I'll try." And with those final words, Manny left his room.

Aaron sighed quietly. Lying to his parents was something he hated doing, but he did not want Manny to look at Chandra like she did Laura. He liked the fact that Chandra and his mother could talk with or without him, even if they were laughing about his baby pictures. In a way, he felt the same way Jayden felt. Jayden wanted Laura to be accepted by the family and for Laura to accept his family. But that was only because Jayden was dead-set on being with Laura for the remainder of eternity. Aaron did not feel that way for Chandra. Yet.

Speaking of Chandra…

Aaron felt his cell phone vibrate his entire mattress and grabbed it from beside him.

"Did you find out anything?" Aaron asked.

"Nope. She's as perfect as she used to be." Chandra replied. "So now what?"

"Now we just talk like always." Aaron answered. "Nothing wrong with that, is there?"

Chandra giggled. "No A.J, there's nothing wrong with that. So, what's going on between you and that Tim character?"

As Aaron spoke, he thought about all the ways that he could be with Chandra without Farah telling the world about Chandra and Tevin. He would need someone that could find the best way to go about this. Of course, Jayden and Danica were the first two people that popped up in his head, but Aaron quickly scratch them off his list. He could do with them teasing and taunting him all the way. Then one person settled in his head and he grinned as Chandra began talking about her day with Farah.

Time to call his favorite sister-in-law.

* * *

Deanna sat against the wall, her head resting beside the windowsill. She had never thought that drinking could alleviate so much, but it did. The physical stress that came from cheerleading practice and the mental anguish of Nicole reentering Shane's life were both solved with half a bottle of… Well she could not really make out the fancy writing on the bottle. It just tasted great.

"Drunk again sis?" DeWayne asked leaning against her doorway.

"Sober enough to tell you to leave." Deanna returned.

"It seems as if you have a new crush." Deanna frowned in confusion. "Steven Manning? He sent you an invite to some party."

"And how do you know that?" Deanna asked. DeWayne waved her phone in the air before tossing it onto her bed. "Why do you have my phone?"

"Did you forget that you left it downstairs?" responded her twin. DeWayne then laughed a bit. "Wow Dee, I think you've had enough today."

"I'll be the judge of that. Now get out." Deanna said angrily.

DeWayne shrugs but eventually leaves, closing Deanna's door behind him. Deanna sighed before taking another swallow straight from the bottle. The alcohol was hardly strong enough to burn her throat, or she had built up enough resilience to it to take it one. She let a small bit linger on her tongue, savoring the sweet taste, before swallowing that bit as well and sighing happily.

To hell with DeWayne and Mercedes and Nicole. They weren't worth it anyway. Shane would stick by Deanna no matter what.

Or else the old Deanna would return with a vengeance.


	137. S5 Episode VII: Wild Horses

**Episode VII: Wild Horses**

Isabella was never one to feel uncomfortable. Since she was young, her mother had taken her practically everywhere. Her social survival skills were practically second to none. However, she always had a problem doing what she was doing to her friend.

And Danica knew it, which is why she just smiled.

"Izzy," Danica began. "You want to go on a date with Zach? It's fine."

"Are you sure?" Isabella asked. Taking the attention from the other's love interest was clearly Danica's strengths and Isabella's weakness.

Danica nodded. "I am positively sure." Isabella smiled and hugged her younger friend. "Izzy! You're using that super strength again!"

Isabella only broke away from the hug when she felt Danica actually struggling to breathe. She did not have super strength as Danica said, but she was pretty strong when needed to be. And hugging her friend for being okay with her going a date with a guy Danica had just stopped dating was something to be happy about.

"So how'd he ask you?" Danica asked casually.

Isabella sighed. "It was weird. We were at the supermarket and ran into each other. I told him how sorry I was about his mom's, you know. Sleeping with Mr. Isaacs?" Danica nodded. "Anyway, before we leave, he asked if I wanted to go to dinner soon. I told him that I'd love to, and bam. Here we are."

"Ah, zee sweet smell of love." Danica said in a faux-French accent. "Zit is, comment on indique-t-il? Magnifique!"

"Muy bueno," Isabella replied; impersonating Danica's paternal grandmother. The two young women giggled for a moment until Isabella sighed. "Seriously Danni, thanks. I don't know what I would've done if you had a problem with this."

"You mean you _wouldn't_ have chosen your friendship with me over Zach? I'm hurt." Danica said with a pout. Isabella only rolled her eyes. "Kidding. Besides, what's going on with your sister and Jacob?"

Again Isabella sighed. "Where to begin?"

"The beginning is nice." Danica answered. "We've got all day."

"Fine…" Isabella began.

* * *

Aaron was tired. Talking to Laura until two in the morning was something he was not used to, especially when it was not about his brother. But Laura was beyond helpful and patient with him. She made him see several errors in his love choices, such as dumping Jordan over a simple kiss, letting his anger get in the way of just talking to Chandra before leaving for Japan, and fooling Farah into thinking that he actually would pick her over Chandra on normal circumstances. Laura had also given him the flaws of the girls of Aaron's past and present. In the end, the only thing Aaron could question was his wait to talk to Laura in the first place. She was clearly unbiased, unlike Jayden and Danica.

"So," Speaking of Laura… "Laura says that you had to talk to her yesterday. Not trying to move in on my girl, are you A.J?"

Aaron smiled. "No. I just needed to talk to her about something." Jayden's brow rose. "It was nothing really. Just me needing advice."

"And between our parents, Danica, and myself you couldn't ask one of us because…?" Jayden replied.

"I just needed good advice from someone who wouldn't lean one way or another." Aaron answered. He was unsurprised when his brother nodded. Jayden was a lot smarter than he appeared in school. A heck of a lot more insightful, that was for sure. "Anyway, she helped. Then she not-so-kindly told me to never call her so late again or she would… She would do something quite painful to me."

Jayden chuckled. "Removal a man's 'closest friend' is beyond 'quite painful' A.J."

Aaron nodded. When Laura had pretty much threatened to castrate him before hanging up, he somewhat believed her. The women in his family were temperamental like that, his aunt Ginger the calmest of them all and his sister Danica somewhat the worse. Those that were married into the family, such as Manny and- in a way- Laura, were no different at all. For some reason or another, the McDuelle men love flirting with danger. And thus, all women in the family- born into it or not- were temperamental and capable of living up to such a threat.

"Aaron," The McDuelle brothers looked to see Timothy walking towards them, his eyes set on the younger of the two. "We need to talk."

"We do?" Aaron's remark made Jayden smile.

"Yes." Timothy said. "You ruined my date yesterday."

Aaron frowned. "I was nowhere near you or Jordan after school. I didn't even call."

"No. But because of your brainwash-"

"Brainwash? What are you talking about?" Aaron interrupted.

"You! Every other word that came out of her mouth had something to do with you!" Timothy exclaimed. "And I want you to stop whatever you're doing to her to make her think that!"

"Whatever Tim." Aaron said.

Jayden was a bit amused by this little argument. Here was Aaron, who dates Farah, but wants her cousin Chandra, who is with Tevin, who stole Jordan, who Timothy is seriously crushing on. Jayden himself had been in a love triangle once or twice before, most of them involving Scarlett somehow. But this was huge. There were six combatants in this battle of love. It was a love hexagon.

Pausing, Jayden frowned a bit. Maybe he should stop hanging around Ariana?

"Look," Aaron said. "I didn't brainwash Jordan and I didn't go around her yesterday after school. Whatever happened between you two was not my fault."

"Yes it was! Just admit it!" Timothy accused.

"Morning Jordan." Jayden's words caused the two younger boys to stop their glaring contest to look at the blonde nearing them. "And now that Madam Jordan is here, I shall take my leave. A.J, call your own girlfriend for advice next time. Tim, you're annoying. And Jordan, you might want to change clothes. I'm sure your thighs need to breathe."

The three younger kids just watched Jayden leave after his remarks to them. Aaron knew that Jayden was joking with him. There was no way he could talk to Farah about breaking up with her. Timothy was just pissed. Jayden did not know him enough to just outright call him annoying. As for Jordan, she looked down at herself. Sure her pants were tight, like she wanted, but they weren't that tight. Were they? And even if they were, Jayden's pick of girls- Scarlett and Laura- wore things like this every day!

"What's going on over here? You two sound like you were arguing." Jordan said.

"I'm not arguing." Aaron quickly responded. "I'm just telling him that I had no contact with you whatsoever after school."

Jordan put her hand on her hip. "And why didn't you? I could have you used your help yesterday on Perino's homework."

"Because," Aaron began. "I promised Tim that I wouldn't bother you while he took you out. So I didn't."

"But he did." Timothy stated. "Why else would you bring him up so many times?"

Jordan opened her mouth to rebut but quickly closed it. The old Jordan would have been embarrassed about a good number of students finding out that she still spoke so fondly of her ex. The new and improved Jordan didn't care for those that were lingering around to listen. Most of them weren't fit to carry her books anyway.

"I spoke of A.J to show you what you have to improve on." Both boys frowned. "Hey, A.J set a very high standard for me. If you're not going to be better than the jerk that broke up with me, then there's no need in following me around."

Jordan saw Aaron subtly roll his eyes, obviously not believing the lie. Timothy, however, nodded. She assumed that he saw some logic in her words. Despite she not seeing it herself.

"I have to go meet up with Farah." Aaron said putting his history book under an arm and closing his door. "Perino isn't going to wait around all day Jordan. We might want to get a move on."

"You don't give me ultimatums Mr. McDuelle." Again, Aaron only sighed. "But I have to stop by my locker first. Carry my books?"

"Not on your life." Aaron muttered.

Jordan knew what that meant. He was obviously annoyed and didn't want to be bothered with. So she skillfully moved her brown eyes to Timothy's dark green ones. The boy predictably blushed before nodding.

Mary-Jane would be so proud, Jordan thought.

"Can we go?" Aaron asked as he saw Timothy take Jordan bag from her shoulders.

"You should really calm down. You're acting like a douche." Jordan commented. "You didn't even take my books for me even though they're really heavy."

"I had a long night last night." Aaron stated.

Jordan frowned. "Chandra?" Aaron shook his head. "Farah?"

"Laura." Aaron said before hiding a smirk. "And she's not too happy with you."

Jordan's eyes went wide for only a split second, but Aaron saw it and turned around to head to Farah's locker.

"What did she say? What did you say?" Jordan asked walking quickly after her friend. "Aaron Jordan McDuelle, what the hell did you do to get Laura pissed at me?!"

Those that lingered in the halls quickly dispersed at that. The return of Laura Reynolds would be the second worse thing that happened to the school, only after the return of Heather Sinclair. If she were to return and hear some of the things that people said about her, all hell would break loose. Thankfully, Jordan seems to hold her ire at the moment. And to those students quickly going to their classes, that was all right.

Kill one, save many, they all believed.

* * *

Counseling meetings in the morning were twice as worse as those in the afternoon. But they had to be here for the sake of their mental states. Or at least, that's what Amber said. For Mary-Jane, she felt better when she was thinking of everything else but her uncle. It was bad enough that some of the bruises were still visible.

"Can we take a break?" The teen's question came right after she vividly saw Dylan's enraged face in her mind.

"Do you need air?" Mary-Jane nodded and rose off of the couch.

There was no way that Mary-Jane would get over this any time soon. She was not that optimistic. Amber was though, which is the only reason why Mary-Jane found herself doing this in the first place. The only way to get Amber and her parents off of her back was to just do what they want.

"Are you okay?" Mary-Jane gasped. She had almost forgotten that Simon was waiting outside.

"Yeah." she said quietly. "Shouldn't you be out with your friends or class or something?"

"And what? Miss you revealing your feelings for the first time without shouting?" Simon joked, gaining a smile on Mary-Jane's face. "I just want to make sure that you're okay. You and Amber, that is."

"I have a brother and he's nowhere near older than me." Mary-Jane commented.

"I'm not trying to be your brother." said Simon before pausing. "I'm trying to be a friend."

"I don't have many of those and I don't necessarily want them." Mary-Jane responded before shrugging. "But, I can see how I'm just so irresistible that you are bound to stay around. It happens."

Simon grinned. "Oh does it?"

"Yeah," Mary-Jane stated with a smile of her own. "Men find me appealing. Even those that used to pick on me as a kid."

"Well, you're definitely not a kid anymore MJ." Simon pointed out.

"No I'm not." Mary-Jane's voice held a certain edginess that led to an awkward silence on Simon's part.

Amber most definitely wouldn't approve of this.

"How about," Simon said. "You finish your meeting and I'll treat you to breakfast before dropping you off at school?"

"Good idea," Mary-Jane said. "But I drove. So I have to drive to school." Simon shrugged before Mary-Jane smiled. "But you can take me out to dinner. Friday night sounds okay?"

"What about your boyfriend's party?" The thought of Tyler caused Mary-Jane's happiness to sour for only a split second.

"I wasn't going anyway." Mary-Jane told him. "So is it a plan?"

"It's a date." Simon stated. "Now, you should really get in there. I honestly don't want you or Amber to walk around with this on your shoulders for the rest of your lives."

"You're sweet." Mary-Jane said with a smile. "I see why Amber was so fond of you when we were younger."

"Because I'm the older brother that gave her everything she wanted. Duh." Simon said with a laugh, gaining a small one from Mary-Jane.

She was no longer a kid, Simon continued to think. And soon she would be eighteen, legal in every sense of the word. He could wait a couple of months, right?

* * *

Vanessa was on her way to second period with Chandra until the pair saw a rather familiar scene. Ashton and Gabrielle were once again talking and laughing by Gabrielle's locker, the dark haired girl obviously finding whatever Ashton said funny.

"Oh no, I know that look." Vanessa looked at Chandra. "You're in your little world again."

"Whatever Bambi." Vanessa stated. "I'm just going to say hi to my friend and boyfriend. No harm, right?"

Chandra only shrugged. "I guess."

Vanessa doesn't say anything else, just walking towards the other pair. She noted how they both seemed far into each other that they did not even notice Vanessa and Chandra coming closer.

"Hey!" Vanessa said as cheerfully as she could.

"Hey." Ashton said with a smile. "What's going on?"

"Oh nothing. We were just wondering what the joke was." Ashton and Gabrielle looked at another before Ashton spoke.

"Uh, it's not really something we can tell you. Not now anyways." Ashton responded. "The punch line has Jordan ultimately walking away with A.J and Bambi ending with Dustin."

Chandra huffed. "Some joke."

Ashton shrugged. "I said that we couldn't tell it now. For once, I was actually being considerate about your feelings or whatever." Ashton then looked at Vanessa. "Which means that you can lay off riding my back whenever she says something ultimately stupid and I correct her on it."

"I don't get on you. I just get angry when you bring up her condition." Vanessa pointed out.

"We all do." Gabrielle added.

"Whatever," Ashton said. "I have to get out of here. Too many girls and not enough masculinity." Chandra rolled her eyes while Vanessa just raised a brow. However, Vanessa's expression changed when Ashton hugged her and kissed her. "See you later V. With Steven back at home, I'm finding more and more ways of escaping that hellish place at yours."

As Ashton walked away, Chandra gave Vanessa a smirk.

"So he's been spending quite the time at your place, huh? Doing something frisky Nessa?" Chandra teased.

"Not in the least." Vanessa replied before looking at Gabrielle. "You two are talking about A.J and Bambi a lot."

"Ashton says it's the only thing he can't talk to A.J or you about." Gabrielle said.

"Makes sense." Chandra pointed out. Vanessa shot her friend a look. "Think about it Nessa. How can Ashton talk about A.J behind his back to his face? And we both know that you'd tell me anything he says about me."

"Not _everything_." Vanessa responded.

Chandra frowned. "What do you mean 'not everything'? You're supposed to be my best friend!"

"There is some boyfriend-girlfriend confidentiality code, right? You have it with Tevin, I'm sure." While Chandra nodded, she felt a little ashamed at what the secret was that she and Tevin shared. "And I'm sure Brie had some with Dustin… And Ashton."

"Actually," Gabrielle said. "Most of the secrets are shared with A.J." Vanessa and Chandra both stared at the smaller girl in shock. "He can keep a secret."

"Very good point." Chandra stated. "So can we go to class now?"

"Sure." Vanessa replied. "See you around Brie."

Gabrielle watched the other two girls walk away before sighing. She knew why Vanessa came over. She was insecure. And as much as it pained Gabrielle to think so, but Vanessa had a very good reason to be. Gabrielle still liked Ashton and he had already stated that he would break up with Vanessa if Gabrielle said so. All it took was the word and they were over.

But Gabrielle would never bring herself to that.

* * *

At Lakehurst, Deanna sighed heavily as she leaned against a row of lockers.

"What's the problem?" Stephanie asked, knowing her friend all too well.

"Nicky Campbell." Stephanie frowned. "Apparently she wants us to get together for the weekend. And by 'us', I mean she just wants to see Shane and try to make me out to be a controlling, jealous bitch."

Stephanie smiled. "Dee, it's okay. Hangout with his ex. I've been to the ravine with Nate and I have to see all the girls that he either has slept with or has thought about it, Nicky included."

"The ravine, huh? How is it?" Deanna questioned.

"It's actually not that bad. Like a never-ending party." Stephanie said. "It's really a cool place to be. It's also the only place that I get to see Nate being, well, Nate. He's a little cautious about whoever comes over to talk to me, but he's…"

Deanna smiled at Stephanie. "You are such a sad cliché Steph." Deanna then sighed. "But that won't solve anything. Nicky will be after Shane until she either gets him or I kill her. And I'm thinking that the latter will happen a lot sooner than the former."

"Deanna Fitzgerald, always the schemer." Stephanie said as she closed her locker. "Look, I don't think Shane wants to be with Nicky. I mean, if he did, you'd be the first to know, right? Or at least Kelly. And Kelly tells you practically everything."

"Hmm, you have a point. Especially about Kelly." Deanna stated. "Fine Stephanie. You win this round. But I swear, if I hear one more thing about Nicole Campbell, I'm going to snap."

"How do you think I feel? She didn't even date Nathan and everyone knows about them." said Stephanie.

Deanna only hummed in thought before her eyes spotted Steven headed their way. She had half the mind to turn around and walk off, but didn't. There was no telling what he could or would do if he felt that Deanna was disrespecting him.

"Hey," Steven said. "Did you get my invite?"

"Uh, yeah," Deanna replied. "But I don't think we'll be able to make it. Shane and I have this whole thing planned with his dad and his dad's girlfriend. They're into the family fun stuff."

"Oh. Okay. Well, when you're not busy getting into all of that boring stuff, stop by. I'm sure it'll be a blast." Steven said with a smile.

"I'm sure it will." Deanna stated before the boy walked away. "Remind me to never be nice to strangers again."

"When are you?" Stephanie muttered. Deanna cut her busty friend a harsh glare out the corner of her eyes. "I'm kidding! Kidding!"

"You'd better be." Deanna said rising off of the lockers. "Come on. We're late and you have yet to solve all of my problems."

"The life of Deanna Fitzgerald must be tough. However do you do it without me?" Deanna only smiled, linking her free arm with Stephanie's and began leading them through the crowded hallways.

With each step she took she formed a different plan on how to get Nicole to back off of Shane. Laura said it best; Deanna would do everything in her power to keep the boy that she loves. Whether she used money, force, or any underhanded tactic that she could think of. And fortunately, she could think of a lot.

* * *

Lunch soon came, causing one Scarlett Chessex to smile happily as she made her way to Jayden's locker. The boy was talking to some basketball player who Scarlett hardly knew. And like normal, the boy was shooed away as Scarlett approached.

"Hey," Scarlett said. "Busy?"

"No busier than I normally am standing by my locker and talking to random people." Jayden replied. "What's up?"

Scarlett sighed. "I need your help. I failed with Danni-"

"Horribly, or so I've heard." Jayden interrupted.

"_And_," Scarlett continued. "I wanted you to help me this time." Hearing his normal hum of disapproval, Scarlett sighed and grabbed his arm. "Come on J.T. This is important to me, okay? It's not like I'm you or Helen and have thousands of friends to fall back on. I can literally count all of my friends that aren't related to me on one hand."

Jayden lifted a brow. "Really?"

"You, Shane, and Nicky." Realizing that Scarlett had a strong point, Jayden whistled.

"You know Red, that's sad. Then again, it speaks volumes about how unsocial a socialite can be." Jayden stated before sighing. "If I help you, not saying that I will, but _if_ I help you there will be some serious repercussions. One and most importantly, Danni's British friend will have my head."

"I know I'm asking you to go against Laura's orders but… I just want my friend back. Is that so much to ask for?" Jayden nodded. "Jayden!"

"If you would've walked up to me and asked me for a hundred dollars, I would've given it to you in a heartbeat. This? This is borderline suicide." said Jayden. "Danni practically hates you and when she hates someone it isn't easy for her to forgive them. Did I tell you what she did to that guy that took her virginity? She beat him Scarlett, badly. She was almost expelled from Harbor. Do you know what one has to do to get into Harbor?"

"No…" Scarlett answered.

"Point exactly. And this wasn't a small guy either. He easily outweighed Danni by his ego alone and she beat him in front of his new girlfriend with her bare hands." Jayden pointed out. "I don't fear that Danni would ever do that to me, but you? There'd be virtually nothing I could do but sit back and watch."

Scarlett wondered if Jayden was fabricating the story or not. Sure, she had heard of a story or two when Danica actually fought someone of the opposite sex bigger than she was and won, but never in full detail. And Jayden was one to add things to a story to make them sound better or worse than they actually are. Or so, that's what Scarlett told herself now.

"Listen," Jayden said to Scarlett. "I'm all up for you and Danni being friends again. But you betrayed her. That's worse than shooting me in the face to her."

"Really?" Scarlett questioned.

"No. Nowhere near. You shouldn't even think about that." Jayden continued. "Anyway, Danni isn't as forgiving as me and A.J. If you want her forgiveness you'll pretty much have to beg it out of her without annoying her further."

"And how do I do that?" Jayden shrugged. "Come on J.T! You have to know something!"

Again Jayden shrugged. "Perks of being her brother, I get a pass when it comes to forgiveness. Can't tell you how it feels to be the others."

"But you've done something to piss her off before, right?" Scarlett said.

Jayden snorted. "Red, she's my perfect-grades, athletic, beautiful, social sister. Jealousy led me to do a lot of things when we were younger." Scarlett nodded. One wouldn't think that Danica was as smart as she was until they saw all of her awards at her parents' house. "The worst I've received was a punch here or there and like three days of no communication. You? You'll be lucky if she doesn't put you in a crate and give you to Laura as an early birthday piñata."

"You're probably right…" Scarlett said in a defeated tone.

"I'm only telling you this because I've seen it happen before. Her name was Mira and Mira was jealous because Danni and Sophie went to Harbor and Mira went to Newport Union. Mira got drunk and called Danni some bad names. Danni waited for days until she was certain that Mira was sober, called her up about it, and bam. Danni grounded right before her junior prom and pretty much all summer." Jayden said. "And I watched it. Kind of made me proud… But that's beyond the point. To this day, I say my sister has issues. No one can go from happy to murderous like she can."

Scarlett's lips twisted in a thoughtful fashion. She really was not a fighter and did not want to test her fighting abilities against a veteran like Danica. There was nothing she could do at this point and Jayden did nothing but remind her of that fact.

"Look, if you want to talk to her, I'll be in your corner. And if I see that look in her eyes, I'll tell you to leave." Jayden finally said.

Scarlett smiled weakly. "Don't worry about it Jayden. I can handle my own."

"Doesn't mean I want you to. Especially if you're planning on walking into the lion's den in a meat suit." he replied. "Things like that never go right and I cannot just allow you to put yourself in harm's way. Not if I can stop it."

"Why?" Scarlett asked with sincere curiosity.

"That's a conversation I'm sure we've had before. Several of times at that." Jayden said before sighing heavily. "And now I have to go to the cafeteria and deal with Jacob and his cheating dad and how bad no one listens and yadda, yadda."

"Or… We could run to your car and drive off somewhere." Jayden frowned at Scarlett's words, though she just grabbed his hand. "Come on. It'll be just like last year when…"

"When we dated at could actually do that sort of stuff?" His voice somehow intimidated Scarlett. It was as if he was trying to not be angry at her suggestion. Then he smiled. "Race you there."

Scarlett smiled as the two jogged down the halls. Sure, she loved him and he loved her, but they were friends first. And at the moment, that's all she wanted; a friend.

* * *

Aaron had never felt so annoyed in his life, which was saying something. Living in a house with the two sarcastic older siblings he had and the four hyper younger siblings that came after him was always a pain in the butt. Laura and her kids with Jayden also put in their own ingredients of chaos into the mix, but it still did not annoy Aaron as much as Timothy's obsession with Jordan did. Sure, Tevin's fascination with Chandra had pissed Aaron off, especially considering that they were now dating and had had sex, but Timothy was just straight out annoying. And Jordan pretty much hand fed him all the little lies needed for him to fall more and more for her.

"Santos," Aaron glanced at Ashton. "Brie and I were wondering if you could come over for some studying. And by that, I mean we need your expertise in math."

Jordan snorted. "You study? It might snow."

"Considering its November and Canada, it probably will." Ashton shot back. "Seriously, the blonder you got, the dumber you became."

"She's not dumb!" Timothy argued.

"Just because _you're_ dumber than she is to fall for the dumb things she says doesn't excuse her stupidity." Ashton said pointedly. "So deal with it four-eyes before I break them all."

Vanessa sighed. "Another day, another argument…"

"Hey, he started it this time." Ashton said defensively. "Brie and I just need Santos over to do this stupid-"

"Homework." Vanessa interrupted, causing the group to look at her. "You and the ex that you can't seem to let go need your mutual friend over for homework. Why didn't you ask me?"

"Because you don't have our class." Ashton said. "I thought that was pretty obvious V."

"But you asked Brie to help. Not Chandra. Brie." Vanessa stated.

Ashton frowned. "Did you expect me to ask the girl that so kindly told our chemistry class that I popped pills for help?" Vanessa sighed. "Is there something wrong Vanessa?"

"No. I just…" Vanessa paused before standing up. "I just need to go to the bathroom."

Ashton's frown only deepened as he watched his girlfriend walked away.

"Anyone else feels this awkwardness in the air?" Dustin asked.

"Shut up Dustin." Chandra said before looking at Ashton. "Aren't you going to go after her?"

"What do you expect me to do? Walk in on a game of spin-the-bottle and make out with her?" Ashton's response caused Chandra and Aaron to blush a bit as they remembered Aaron's rather bold actions at the Fitzgerald's party last year.

Though Farah found nothing to blush about.

"Maybe you should." Farah suggested quietly. "It might help."

Ashton looked at Farah before looking past her at Aaron. With one small shake of his friend's head, Ashton knew what he had to do. Unfortunately, Aaron's signal told him not now which meant that he would have to wait later. Yet, on a brighter note, Ashton could at least enjoy lunch without someone telling him when he could or could not pick on someone.

"You know what this means." Jordan began. "It means that Vanessa's going to cry and Ashton's going to be a jerk like normal and bam. No more happy couple." Jordan's brown eyes trailed to Gabrielle. "And in comes the comforting committee."

"Jordan…" Aaron stated.

Jordan waved him off. "It's not like we all don't see it coming. It's practically the second most expected break-up."

"What's the first?" Dustin questioned.

Jordan smirked. "Why Dustin, that's simple. It's our dear old friend A.J and Farah."

"Would you please go somewhere else?" Chandra stated, not needing to be put in a squabble with her cousin at the moment.

"Chandra, hon, let's be honest, okay? You want A.J as bad as-"

"Let's drop this." Aaron finally inputted. His eyes bore into Jordan's. "Now."

It was strange to him, really. Sure, everyone heard what he said and saw how Jordan reacted, but there was a silent conversation that no one but he and Jordan heard. Jordan was telling him how right she was and he was telling her to save it for another time. Eventually she relented, only to tell him that she wouldn't stop next time and he thanked her. All of this was said through glaring eyes and a simple flick of Jordan's golden blonde hair.

"You're welcome." muttered Jordan.

Sure, Aaron figured that the others found her statement to be quite rude, but he understood. He had said "thank you" after all.

* * *

Amber smiled as she walked out of the session. Today had been rather peaceful with her parents and brother there supporting her. Mary-Jane, Marc, and James had all gotten there towards the end, they just getting out of school. For the first time since her rape, Amber felt as if she could take on anything Randy through her way.

"So," Hazel said. "Now that that's over, how about we get something to eat? Marc? James? Do you want to join?"

"I have to get home." Marc said before hugging Amber. "I'll call you later."

"Sure." Amber said as Marc walked away. Her smile only stayed on her face for a split second as Mary-Jane yanked her to the side. "Hey!"

"You can't just rub Marc in James's face. It's not fair." Mary-Jane whispered.

Amber rolled her eyes. "Sorry if I'm dating Marc. I'll try to tone down later." Amber freed herself from Mary-Jane's grasp and stared at Simon. "And how'd you beat me here earlier?"

"I got here a few minutes before Mary-Jane left her meeting. I guess I got your times mixed up."

"Whatever. So long as you're here." Amber said.

Simon grinned. "I'll always be here. Even when you don't necessarily want me to."

The sound of Bryan's cell phone caused all of them to turn at him.

"Ah, this is important." he said. "Go ahead and I'll meet you guys at the car, okay?"

The group nodded and left the man to do his business. Amber already felt that it had to do something with her case. Her dad normally tried to usher her out of the room when he spoke of her case for whatever the reason. She figured he was trying to protect her.

"You know," James said. "It's about time for us to start doing our college applications."

"He's right." Mary-Jane said. "We should do it at my place."

"Good. I was tired of seeing you at mine." Amber said with a smile.

Mary-Jane rolled her eyes. "Whatever Amber."

Hazel sighed contently. She remembered when Paige was raped. She remembered Dean walking away a free man, sans Paige destroying his car. But here was her daughter and Paige's daughter able to win their fights the right way. Randy and Dylan would both serve time for what they had done. And maybe, one day, they might be able to put it all behind them once and for all.

* * *

Walking into The Dot, Ashton spots Vanessa sitting at a table alone. He grins and moved towards her, knowing that this would be one of a few times when they would be without Aaron, Chandra, and/or Gabrielle. But he soon realized her deep-thought expression. He figured he better cheer her up soon considering he brushed off studying with Aaron and Gabrielle for an impromptu meeting with Vanessa.

"Hey," Ashton said before sitting down. "What's wrong? You seem off."

Vanessa sighed. "Ashton, I want to break up."

"You what?" Ashton questioned.

"I…" Vanessa began. "I want to break up with you." Seeing Ashton's unhappy response, she explained. "You like Brie Ashton. You like her a lot. And I know that you two are probably happier together than you and I."

"V, I get what you're saying, but why? I mean, we're happy, right?" Ashton stated.

"It has to be done." Vanessa said.

Ashton frowned. "Did you talk to Santos?" Vanessa shook her head. "Bambi?" Again Vanessa shook her head. "Then why are you doing this now? I just told you my brother is back home and I'm kind of stressed out. This isn't helping."

"But Brie will." said a smiling Vanessa. "Ashton, you're a great guy. But you obviously still have something to finish with Brie. And you can't if I keep dragging you along with me. Besides, it's not like we'll never talk again. Plus we're young. If the opportunity presents itself in the future, I'm your girl."

"Yeah, I guess." Ashton said before sighing. "Wow, it actually sucks being on the other end of a break up. Now I see why Santos went to Japan."

Vanessa laughed quietly. "I doubt that's why."

"You're probably right." Ashton stated. "Though…"

"So," Jordan said nearing the two of them. "What would the happy couple want? And don't worry, I promise I won't spit in it. This time."

"I got this Jordan. Leave before Mom gets sued." Kelly said to her sister before staring at the two seated. "So, what will it be, Little Manning?"

Ashton bristled at the nickname, something that caused Jordan to snicker and Vanessa to giggle. Kelly only smiled as she prepared to write down their order.

"First," Ashton said. "I would like a new waitress."

Kelly's grin grew. "Fresh out of those! Anything else?"

Ashton groaned. Yep, today actually sucked. At least he could call Gabrielle later and no one think anything about it. Well, nothing that they haven't thought about before.

* * *

Danica watched as Jayden drank his glass of soda. There was something up. She knew that when he came home and went straight to his kids. Normally he spoiled Daniella first and then went to Jaylen when she was quiet. And then he practically rushed Laura off of the phone. But what really stirred Danica up was Jayden's apparent interest on whether or not she had a good day. That's when she knew for sure that something was amiss.

"So," Danica began. "Anything interesting happen today?"

"Uh, I think Jacob actually put fear in some other nerd." Jayden stated.

Danica nodded. "Uh-huh? And are you going to tell me what's going on or do I have to…" Danica slowly stopped when a knock came on her door. "Who is that?"

"Let me check with my X-ray vision because we're all able to see who's behind a solid door." replied Jayden. Danica glared at her brother. "What I meant was, let me find out for you, oh lovable one."

Danica's glare did not lessen as Jayden walked towards the door. She saw him release a small breath before opening the door.

"…" Danica sat quietly before leaning back and closing her eyes. "I'm going to count to ten and when I reach eight, somebody's going to explain what the hell is going on here."

"Danni," Jayden began with a sigh. "I didn't have much of a choice. She kept nagging and nagging and you know how much I hate that." Danica's brown eyes shot towards Jayden's. "She just wants her friend back. So I'm going to go in my room, call Dash or Laura, and let you two talk, okay? Please, don't kill her."

"I'm not listening to her." Danica said rising and grabbing her keys off of the table. "Do what you want with her, but I won't be a part of it."

"Danni-"

"No. You don't get to go around and ruin someone's life because you're jealous." Danica interrupted.

"It was an honest mistake. She didn't mean for the media to get a hold of it, and I've gotten even." Jayden said. "So how about you two just talk?"

"Jayden, I'm going to walk out of here and go to your parents' house. Do not call me for _anything_. Am I clear?" Defeated, Jayden just nodded as Danica moved to the door and glared at Scarlett. "Move. Now."

Scarlett glanced at Jayden who nodded. Stepping aside, Scarlett watched as Danica stormed away. Her blue eyes then traveled towards Jayden who was already moving for the couch.

"I think this is the ideal time to say, I told you so." Jayden commented as he lied on the couch.

"J.T, I'm sorry." Scarlett said while stepping into the apartment and closing the door. "But I really just want my friend back. Do you know how many times a week Danni and I would hang out?"

Jayden shrugged. "Oh well. It's all over now."

"You give up way too easily." Scarlett muttered. Jayden only shrugged, closing his eyes and placing his hands behind his head. "Come on J.T, help me. This is serious. More serious than…"

Jayden opened an eye. "Let's be honest for a second. Laura forgiving you is never going to happen and Danni forgiving you is worse than that. You should just accept that I have, to a degree, and move on. Friends are sometimes overrated in the first place."

Scarlett let a heavy breath. "You would know. You have them and I don't."

"And the reason for that is…?" Scarlett's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Red, stop beating yourself up, okay? Plan a school dance or rally or something. It's what people like you do."

"People like me?" Scarlett parroted.

"Yeah. People who cram activities in their lives to keep them busy and thus unable to hang out with the few friends that they have." Jayden stated knowingly. "It's really okay that you do it, honestly. Kelly does it and I'm her friend."

Scarlett sighed again and trudged towards the couch. With a 'hmph' she sat down on the boy's chest causing his eyes to open and stare at the one thing making him uncomfortable in more than one way.

"You are going to help me Jayden whether you like it or not." Scarlett told him.

"And why will I?" Jayden asked raising a brow.

"Because you've been appointed to my best friend and as my best friend you have to help me when I'm in need." Jayden smirked at her answer.

"Oh really?" he said. "And what if I just so happen to say no?"

"Don't tempt me." Scarlett said.

"Tempt you to do what?"

Scarlett just stared down at him. If only things were simpler, she would have kissed him. If things went the way she wanted and the kids weren't his and he broke all ties off with Laura, then she would have kissed him. She would have even settled with the twins being Jayden's, so long as he never heard about the paternity test. She would have kissed him. But now things were different. Really different. Now she had to deal with Laura and Danica waiting for her to slip up so they had a legit reason to beat her and Jayden keeping her at a distance. Not necessarily a physical distance, but a mental distance that hurt all the same.

All in all, it was just like that night in his backyard. She wanted something to happen and yet she knew it wouldn't.

"I'm waiting." Jayden challenged.

"Fine, have it your way." Scarlett said quietly. She was unprepared for a hand to reach up to her and pull her down. "Hey!"

"Relax Red." Jayden said soothingly. "This is how you deal with life. Relaxing." Scarlett nodded against his chest and closed her eyes. "You have to understand that not everything gets fixed. Mirrors, for example, are better replaced. Everything won't go back like they were."

"I know… I just wished it did." Scarlett said.

Jayden chuckled. "Before or after I cheated on you?"

"Before." Scarlett said. "Way, way before." Now it was Jayden who was confused. "Back when you first told me that you weren't a big celebrity and I didn't believe you."

"Wow. That far back?" Scarlett nodded again, inhaling his scent quietly. "That would've changed a lot."

Scarlett looked up at Jayden. "It's when I made the biggest mistake with you. I shouldn't have been such a bitch to you. I should've believed you instead of what people said about you."

"Too bad you didn't." Jayden stated, his brown eyes meeting Scarlett's blue ones. "But I'm sure everything worked out the way it was supposed to, even if we don't want to believe it yet."

"…" Scarlett was going to argue before she smiled. "Like you holding me on your couch while your girlfriend isn't here to see?"

"I…" Jayden stammered before smiling as well. "Yeah, like this."

Relaxing was not a bad thing, Scarlett figured as she rested a cheek on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. Of course, a kiss would have made this perfect for her, but she would settle with good. His arms were around her and his breathing tickled the hairs on her head. And soon she felt herself dozing off like she had before without any worries. So what if Danica never forgave her? So what if Laura wanted to strangle her? She had her best friend again. The one friend who somehow kept the two aforementioned girls from killing her.

Life was good…

Until she heard a familiar cry followed by a groan.

"When he gets older, I'm sending him to London for school." Scarlett laughed at Jayden's tired remark as she moved so he could get off of the couch. "I'll be back Red. Don't take my spot."

Scarlett nodded and watched him walk towards the twins' bedroom. A smile came onto her face when she realized what was about to transpire. In her own little world, Jayden was sleeping with her. Literally. What a way to cap off a really great day?

* * *

Deanna glanced at Kelly for a split second. What the hell was Kelly doing? Kelly was supposed to be _her_ friend, not Nicole's. Sure, she can understand how Kelly bonded with the other blonde but that was months ago.

Then her eyes moved to Shane. He looked happy. That was good. Deanna only wanted what made him happiest. But she couldn't help but to loathe the reason he was happy. It wasn't cooking at home and it wasn't cooking with his sister. It was because he was cooking with a "friend" who he was beginning to speak to again. That's what was killing her.

"I forgot how much fun you made cooking be!" Kelly said with a giggle.

Nicole only smiled. "I know. We should do this more often."

Deanna rolled her eyes. It wouldn't happen if she could stop it.

"Here," Shane said moving towards Deanna with a spoon in hand. "Taste." Deanna kept eye contact with Shane and tasted the sauce on the spoon. "Good?"

"Better than that." Deanna answered with a smile.

Surprisingly, Shane kissed her. "Thanks."

Deanna fought off the blush. Shane wasn't one for PDA, he gave hugs when he wanted and kisses when he felt they were needed. But he had never kissed Deanna because she complimented his well known cooking abilities. Well, not a kiss like he had just given her. It was borderline lustful and if the other habitants of the house were gone, Deanna might have jumped him right then and there.

"So," Nicole's voice broke the happiness. "This weekend? Did you guys talk about it?"

"Hakim said he'd be here." Kelly said before looking at Deanna.

Deanna's brows rose tauntingly. "You want something from me Kelly?"

"Uh, yeah. Kind of said that earlier." Deanna's facial expression did not change. "Please Dee? It'll be fun, I promise."

"Fries and a milkshakes will be served…" Shane added.

Damn, Deanna thought as her brows twitched with want. Whoever invented that snack would forever be Deanna's hero. But for Shane to use it to get her to spend time with _Nicole_, was unfair in Deanna's mind.

Sighing, Deanna relaxed. "Fine, I'll be here. And there'd better be fries and milkshakes."

"For you, anything." Shane stated, a smile coming on Deanna's face.

"And that is why you are the best friend a girl could have." Kelly said to Deanna before walking to hug her tightly.

Deanna laughed. "Kelly you're crushing me!"

When Kelly broke away and went back to cooking, Deanna's smile slowly died as she eyed Nicole. The other girl was not happy about seeing Deanna as favored by the Mason siblings as she was, but Deanna did not care. In her mind, Nicole shouldn't even be here. She was supposed to be with that boy… Ethan was it?

"Shane! Kelly! Could you come here for a sec!" Jane's voice rang.

"Coming!" Kelly replied before looking at Nicole. "Don't let this burn."

Nicole gave a solid nod as the two siblings left. A rather dark silence fell over the two girls in the kitchen.

"I know what you did." Nicole stated in a cold tone. Deanna's eyes narrowed. "You used Kelly."

"DeWayne, I'm sure." Deanna replied. "Just makes me wonder what you have to do for him."

Nicole shrugged. "Nothing really. Just keep Jay and Scar away from one another. Not that hard considering he hates her now." Deanna's eyes only narrowed further in anger. "If you don't let up on Shane, I will tell him everything. And who is he going to believe? A deceiving slut like you? Or someone he trusted enough to live with?"

When stated like that, Deanna knew that Nicole had a very strong point. But she would be damned if Nicole won this round or any that followed afterwards.

"It'll never work." Deanna said. "Shane wouldn't leave me. Not for you at least."

"Before or after he hears about your new drinking problem?" Now Deanna gasped. "What? Not so confident now?"

Deanna glared. "If you want to be my brother's patsy, then I'll just take you down with him. But no one keeps me away from what I want. Not him. Not Mercedes. And not some blonde crack-skank."

The jab at her previous addiction caused Nicole to temporarily lose her cool. However, Shane reentered the kitchen before anything else could be said.

"Everything okay?" Shane said.

Deanna smiled. "Perfect as always."

"Good. I didn't know what would happen if I left you two alone. I'm glad that you can keep your claws away in the house." Shane commented.

"Well, that's me. Perfect girlfriend material." Deanna said.

"That you are." Deanna gave Nicole a smug smile, causing Nicole to roll her eyes.

"Get a room." Nicole muttered.

"Maybe later," Shane said. "Help me finish?"

"I'd love to." Nicole replied, giving Deanna the same smug smile.

Deanna only smiled back. She would kill her brother for teaming with Nicole to split, not only her and Shane, but Jayden and Scarlett. But first, she would take a nice drink.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Big news for D3G, sort of. I'm splitting Season 5 into two parts. Now, that means that there will be three more episodes and that will cap off this half of the season. When it returns in August (sorry!), it will be after Winter Break. Don't worry, I'll have a webisode to fill in some blanks. I'm doing this to focus on my other fics and I ask that you just be patient, please. In the meantime, there are other third generation stories out there, such as _The Kids are Alright_ and _Degrassi: New Beginnings_ which are good reads. You can also re-read your favorite chapters if you like (and leave a review!) Either way, I've spent too much time rambling. Please, leave a review about what you think and stay tune for more D3G!


	138. S5 Episode VIII: All Falls Down

**Episode VIII: All Falls Down**

"You stink." Jayden said to his daughter as he finished changing her.

"That's her way of telling you she doesn't like other women here taking your attention away from her." Danica replied as she leaned against the doorframe. "I would have that problem too if some evil lady came in and Dad started flirting with her."

Jayden sighed. "I brought Scarlett over to talk to you."

"And why is that?" Danica questioned.

"Because she only has three friends now and we both know that I will never truly trust her again." Danica's eyes narrowed as Jayden turned to look at his sister. "Look Danni, I get why you're angry, really I do. But she's been this way since we moved down here and you've never cared before."

"She didn't go behind my back and test my favorite niece's and nephew's DNA." Danica replied.

"I didn't have kids back then." Jayden pointed out. "I'm sure she would've tried if I did."

Danica sighed. "Listen to you. You're just like A.J. You're both thinking that there is something to save in people like Scarlett and Jordan. I, on the other hand, see them for what they really are."

"And what is that?"

"Bitches." Jayden glared at his sister, hating whenever his kids were around profaned language. He figured he got this from his mother who hated the same thing with his twin sisters. "When something doesn't go their way, what do they do? Reveal a family secret to the entire world or make a girl just trying to go to school the butt of all jokes."

"Laura wasn't the butt of all jokes and Jordan didn't tell the world." Jayden stated. "I think you're just overreacting because you trusted Scarlett and this happened."

"You trusted her too." Danica said.

Jayden shrugged. "I loved her. Can't blame me for trusting someone I love. Or should I hire someone to make sure you don't go get a paternity test done?" Danica's glare returned. "See my point?"

"I'm starting to see something." Danica muttered.

"Danni, listen to me for a second okay? Scarlett was your friend whether we were dating or you were scheming of ways to put us together. I have no idea on why you're angry that she thought that she found that plan to put us together without your approval. I thought you'd be happy how the student is trying to use her master's teachings in life." Jayden said.

"That's not it," replied his sister. "What I'm mad about is that people learned about what she did and she wasn't dealt with properly. _You_ let her off with nothing more but a slap on the wrist." Danica paused and released a heavy breath. "Sometimes I do wonder if you love Laura as much as you say."

"And why are you questioning that?" Jayden asked.

"Because she's the one dealing with most of the paparazzi day in and day out, not you." Danica answered. "She has to deal with this because of what Scarlett did and unless you can divert their attention, she's going to keep dealing with it for a long time."

"Danni, we're McDuelles. Our mom is an actress, our dad is a well known entrepreneur, our aunts and uncles are just as famous. We completely outnumber the Kardashian's and pull more rank than the Kennedy's. Paparazzi will forever follow us around for no reason." Jayden said. "As much as it pains me to say this, but Laura is just dealing with things that we're going to have to endure later when we're married and living on our own."

"You honestly believe that?" Jayden nodded.

"Of course I do." Jayden stated. "Now, I have to get ready for school. Just-"

"How about you don't bring her over here trying to buddy up to me and I'll let the first attempt slide?" Danica interrupted.

Jayden smiled. "Deal." His smile then quickly went away. "So long as you don't _ever_ question my love for Laura again."

"It's a deal little brother. Now get out of here." Danica said stepping aside to allow Jayden to leave the room. "By the way, don't forget that you and Dakota need to schedule an appointment with Dad and Mrs. Lowry."

"Ugh!" Jayden groaned from his room. "I hate that I work with you now!"

Danica laughed. "I do too!"

* * *

Riding with his father seemed to be the last thing Jacob wanted to do, but at the same time he was pleased. His mother had not said much about his father as of lately, talking to a group of friends most of the time. It was Jacob who was stuck watching his younger siblings. Thankfully, his mother had not forgotten all of her duties and still cooked and cleaned and got them ready for school. However, Jacob could tell that something was seriously off.

"Want some breakfast?" Toby asked.

"I ate at home." Jacob responded while staring out the window.

"Right, right," Toby said. "Um, how're Austin and Sarah?" Jacob shrugged. "Alright. How are you doing?"

"Horrible." The word came out like a blade, cutting the air between the two. It only made Toby feel that much worse about the entire ordeal.

"Jacob, son, I want you to know something," Toby began. "Your mother and I… We're, how can I put this? We're not in a really good place right now. There're some things that have happened that we won't tell you yet. But we will always love our kids."

"You left us for another woman," Jacob all but hissed. "How can you say you love your kids when you do that to us?!"

Toby sighed. "Because at the time, I wasn't thinking about my kids. Well I was…" Jacob frowned in confusion. What was his dad talking about? "Look, you don't need to know the entire story now, okay? Just know that Christy, Liberty, and I will work something out that will help us all out."

Jacob was never considered an idiot before, so he knew that there was something bigger than his dad cheating on his mom. He also deduced that whatever this "something" was, it was probably his mom's doing. Now he only questioned what that "something" was.

"Dad, what's going to happen between you and Mom?" Jacob asked.

"I wish I knew son." Toby let out with a sigh. "As of now, space is good for us."

"And Liberty?" Jacob questioned.

"That's something else I wanted to talk to you about." Toby said. "Jacob… Son, Liberty's pregnant."

"…" Jacob had wondered if this situation would get better soon or worse. Scarlett's and Kelly's words had made him slightly more optimistic while Jayden and Dakota gave him the harsh reality of what could happen.

"Jacob?" Jacob was still speechless but stared at his dad. "Are you okay?"

"I need time to think." was all Jacob could say.

"I understand."

The car ride seemed to become longer for some reason, despite Toby's apartment being closer to the school than his house with his wife. And Jacob knew why. He no longer wanted to go to school. He wanted to go home, up to his room, and back to bed. However, the distance between himself and his bed got larger with every second. As well as his anger towards Liberty.

* * *

Shane inhaled with a smile.

"Ah, the Degrassi versus Lakehurst game is coming. And we just so happened to be home. What a wonderful day it'll be." Shane said as he opened his locker.

"Yeah, but you don't think that nothing was odd last night when Dee left? She seemed off." Kelly said.

Shane frowned. "No. Didn't think something was wrong other than Nicky being there." Kelly nodded a bit, the beads at the end of her braids clicking as they met. "You're probably thinking more into it Kelly."

"Maybe you're right…" Kelly trailed off before her eyes caught onto Dakota. "Morning Dash."

"Hey," Dakota said before glancing at Shane. "I need to know when you'll be free to do another gig."

"I'll have to check my work schedule later on." Shane replied before adding. "And yours, for that matter."

"Thanks." Dakota said. "Now where's Jay at? He and I have to go to this meeting later on today and I want to run some ideas by him first."

"I haven't seen him all day." Kelly answered.

Shane smirked. "Might want to check in with his new best friend." The two girls frowned in confusion. "Scarlett? She called last night and told me that they're back to being 'close' but I doubt it's as close as it was."

"Let's just hope Laura never finds out." Dakota said.

"Finds out what?" Jayden asked walking towards them. He eyed his three friends before frowning. "What's going on and why shouldn't Laura find out?"

"You and Scarlett?" Dakota answered causing Jayden to sigh. "Jayden, you know that she's not good for you. Laura won't be happy and it'll just put you two against each other again. Do you honestly want to go through with that with your kids?"

"I will kill the subject with three words. I like Scarlett. That's it. Get over it." Jayden replied. "I can't help it that a part of me can't get over my ex. I can't help it that we were friends before we dated."

"I know you mean well, but you can't keep both of them." Kelly said.

"Which is why you should all be helping me trying to get my big sis to forgive Scarlett." Jayden said. "If Danni and Scarlett are hanging out with their friends, Scarlett isn't around me. See my point?"

"Get Danni to forgive Scarlett? Good luck." Shane said.

"Yeah Jayden, who do you think we are? Miracle makers?" Kelly added.

"It's not going to happen." Dakota finished.

Jayden grunted. "Thanks for the support guys. It means a lot." Kelly flashed Jayden a smile while Shane merely shrugged his shoulders. "Now if you don't mind, I have to scheme up another way to put Scarlett and Danni in the same room without Danni knowing I was behind it. If she does find out, Juvenile Grace will need a new lead vocalist."

Dakota, Kelly, and Shane watched Jayden walk away before Kelly sighed.

"He's a goner." Shane and Dakota nodded at Kelly's words. They knew that if Danica didn't kill, Laura surely would.

* * *

Being called out of work was something Damian was not fond on. There was a time when he wouldn't mind. Now, he practically loathed it if it had nothing to do with his kids.

"You had to call them?" Damian asked eying his two exes and his estranged wife.

"Well hello to you to." Manny replied.

Damian sighed. "Manny, it's been rough these past few days so if you could just get on with it and let me go back to-"

"I'm pregnant Damian." Liberty's voice came out quickly and punctual.

Manny and Emma exchanged looks. They honestly did not want to be here. Both of them had a day off and a husband at home- well Emma did- waiting on them. But they had promised to give Liberty the moral support they knew she needed, whether Damian was a common ex of theirs or not.

"I guess it's settled then." Damian stated.

"That's it?" questioned Liberty. "You're not going to shout or yell?"

"Why should I Liberty? Why should I waste my time and breath telling you what you did?" Damian answered. "You know what happened. You were there with Toby."

Liberty sighed. "So what do we do? About our kids? About our marriage?"

"Our kids are our kids, Liberty. They will only have one mother and one father. That's us." Damian stated. "But our marriage? I doubt it can be saved. In fact, I'm not even trying to save it."

"So that's it? We're done?" Liberty asked spitefully.

"Done? No. Unmarried? Yes." Damian said rising from his chair. "Now, if you don't mind, I have to get back to work. We will talk about this later. When we're both free. I'm sure the university didn't give you a lot of vacation days."

"Fine." Liberty said. "Call." Damian only nodded, heading for the front door. "This is horrible…"

Again Emma and Manny exchanged glances. Sure, they agreed with Liberty and then some, but neither could just outright say it. Now, that is.

"How about we go back to my place for some manicures and ice cream?" Manny suggested.

"We're not kids Manny. That won't solve my problems." Liberty replied.

Manny frowned. "Do you have a better idea other than moping around all day?" Liberty opened her mouth to answer, but Manny held her hand up. "Lib, I know you don't. So just come along with us, okay? What you did was foolish, even so to get pregnant, but you're a grown woman. I shouldn't remind you of that. The best thing you can do now is stay calm, think with a level head, and try to get through this without doing something worse."

"You sound like you know from experience." Emma pointed out.

"Did you forget everything I did in high school? I _do_ know what I'm talking about. I faked an engagement, remember?" Manny responded.

"Well this isn't the same." Liberty said. "I'm going to have to live with the fact that I caused this for the rest of my life."

"We all do things we want to take back Liberty." Emma stated.

"My abortion, my engagement, flashing Peter's camera, and a sex tape that thankfully hasn't surfaced are just a few of mine." Manny listed. Liberty frowned. "Jay and I did a pretty stupid thing."

"Oh…" Liberty said.

"So let's take Manny up on her offer before she either forgets or runs off with her husband." Emma stated.

Manny scoffed. "He's at work Em. All day today, so I'm free."

"Yeah, I've heard that one before. Right before I get the whole 'stop interrupting us' speech from him." Emma said standing up. "So, coming?"

Liberty sighed. "It's not like I have much of a choice…"

"Look at it like this," Manny said. "Your kid, Emma's godson, and my grandkids will grow up happily together. And we'll be there to watch them grow without ever knowing what we or their parents did."

"You know," Emma began with a smirk. "You seem kind of old Manny. It's my _godson_ and Liberty's _kid_ that will be going to school with your older _grandkids_."

Liberty had to laugh at Manny's facial expression. She had seen the Filipina woman awed and stupefied several of times before, but this one took the cake. Manny had no retort or retaliation. When it finally became clear that she did not have a response, Manny simply crossed her arms in a way that both Liberty and Emma subtly thought about Manny's oldest daughter.

"Whatever Emma." Emma and Liberty laughed at Manny's antics, the brunette just rising. "So are we going or what?"

"Yes, we're going." Emma said while laughing. "_Grandma_."

"Shut up!" Manny stated, though she was now giggling herself.

* * *

"A.J!"

Aaron was used to a lot of weird things. His family, for example, was not the average family and his friends had a bunch of quirks about them. But never had he heard Gabrielle yell his name so urgently before. He realized that something big must have happened for her to do so and was more than ready to know what it was.

"A.J," Gabrielle said catching up to him. "I need your help."

Aaron frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Ashton." Aaron's frown increased, though now more worried for his friend than curious. "He and Vanessa broke up!"

Aaron's head tilted to the side, a terrible habit that he had picked up from all three of his former and current girlfriends.

"Okay…" he began. "So what's wrong?"

Gabrielle sighed. "He wanted to talk to me today, but I already told Nigel I'd meet up with him." Aaron let out a silent "oh" when he immediately caught on to her problem. "What do I do A.J? I mean, I don't want to blow off Nigel but…" Gabrielle paused. "And what would Ashton say to me anyway?"

Aaron grinned. Gabrielle had never sounded so girly before. Now she sounded like Jordan trying to find the right outfit or Chandra and Vanessa gossiping about this or that. But he understood completely and just rested his hands on her shoulder with a comforting smile.

"Don't worry about anything Brie. I'm sure that whatever he has to say is worth listening to." Aaron said.

"I hope so." Gabrielle stated in her normal quiet tone. "I don't want us to be like…"

"Me and Bambi?" Aaron said for her. Gabrielle nodded. "It'll be fine Brie. Besides, now you don't have to worry about Vanessa's feelings anymore."

"But I do." responded Gabrielle. "What if he broke up with her just to be with me? What if they had a big argument because we were supposed to study yesterday? I'll be the reason they broke up and I'm supposed to be their friend."

Aaron hummed. "I kind of see your point. But I don't think that it's as bad as you think. Maybe they just called it quits just because?"

"That doesn't make sense A.J." Gabrielle told him.

"My brother dating two girls that would rather kill him first than kiss him didn't make sense," Aaron pointed out. "But he dated Helen and dates Laura." Gabrielle nodded a bit. Jayden did have a knack for dating girls that abused him somewhere down the line. "You and Ashton? That makes sense to me."

"What will I tell Nate?" Gabrielle questioned.

Aaron removed his hands. "That, you're on your own for." Gabrielle glared at Aaron. "Don't get me wrong Brie, but your brother is still…"

"I know that, but he's just like that to keep me safe." Gabrielle replied before sighing. "I just wish I hadn't have told Nigel to meet up with me later."

"Who do you want?" Aaron questioned.

"You know how long I've waited for another chance with Ashton." Gabrielle answered.

"Then tell Nigel how you feel and then find Ashton and tell him the same thing." Aaron said. "And if you need my help to keep Ashton quiet long enough for you to tell him, I'll do it."

Gabrielle smiled. "Thanks A.J. You're really the best friend I can have."

"I could say the same." Aaron responded. "Now, class?"

"To class." Gabrielle said with a grin.

* * *

"Hey MJ, busy tomorrow?" Amber asked her friend while nearing her at Mary-Jane's locker.

"Um, kind of." Amber frowned. "I'm meeting someone later. Nothing big. Just… Just to relieve the whole Dylan thing."

"Oh… Did you want me to come with you?" Mary-Jane shook her head. "Are you okay? I mean, have you been having those dreams again."

"That's why I'm meeting up with this guy. He said he can help me." Mary-Jane responded. "But I'm free Saturday."

"We have a counseling meeting, remember?" said Amber. "But Saturday evening, we can hang out. Get some fresh air for once."

Mary-Jane grinned. "You'd rather spend time with me than, oh let's see, James?"

"Ssh!" Amber shushed before giggling. "I don't need to spend my every breathing second with him. Besides, I'm dating Marc, remember?"

"You're telling me one thing and showing me another." Mary-Jane said closing her locker with her English book in her hand. "But we'll talk more after class, okay?"

"Yeah, sure." Amber said. "See ya MJ!"

As Amber walked away while humming, Mary-Jane took in a deep breath and released it slowly. She really did not know how to tell Amber that she was having dinner with Simon later on. She figured she could tell her afterwards if Amber did not find out. Hopefully, Amber would not be but so mad. And as for Tyler… Well Mary-Jane would probably never tell him who she had dinner with, just that she went out with a friend helping her deal with the stress Dylan put on her. It wasn't a total lie but it was nowhere near a detailed explanation.

"Don't stress yourself Mary-Jane." Mary-Jane said to herself as she headed for class. "Everything will work out perfect."

* * *

Danica huffed as she flopped onto the couch in her living room, Raven giving her an amused smile.

"Long day Danni?" Raven questioned.

"The grandmother of my niece and nephew is really annoying." Danica stated before eying Isabella, who was helping herself to some of Danica's tea. "And you're avoiding my question Izzy."

"I'm not avoiding you. I'm getting me a glass of tea." Isabella said.

Danica smirked. "Hey Ray, you think Zach got to third base?"

Raven snickered quietly. "Might've hit a homerun!"

Isabella blushed as her two friends snickered on the couch. She simply rolled her eyes and leaned on the counter while sipping her tea.

"Are you two done?" Isabella asked after swallowing the sweet cool drink.

"Tell us Izzy!" Danica said.

"Yeah Bella, we'd really like to know how your date with Coach Schneider went." Raven added.

Isabella sighed. "Well, we went to Mason's. Not the most expensive place in the world but not a bad choice. We ate dinner and dessert," Danica smirked. "Not like that!" Now Raven was grinning as well. "_Anyway_, after dinner we drove to the park and walked for a while and talked a bit. He dropped me off at home and that was it."

"Uh-huh? You nailed him, didn't you?" Danica questioned.

"That's none of your business." Isabella retorted. "And you probably did yourself."

"Correction: I _should've_. But I didn't because I live with my younger brother who would've blackmailed me for the rest of my life." Danica said. "You, on the other hand, were home alone because Angel went to visit your grandmother."

Isabella smiled. "What's your point Danni?"

Danica and Raven looked at one another as Isabella sipped some more tea.

"Was he good?" Danica asked.

"I'm not telling," Isabella returned. "_But_, I will tell you that we had a good time and we'll be going on this weekend."

"I told you that you'd like him." Danica said. "I have a knack for these sorts of things."

"Which is why you're still single…" Isabella teased.

"Before you two get into another argument," Raven said. "My stepmom is walking out on my dad." Danica and Isabella gasped. "But it's not all bad. I think my parents are rekindling."

"Aw, old people in love." Danica replied.

Raven sighed. "The thing is, Clare's been a major part in my life. I know she'll always be there for Abby, but if she and this Eli guy run off, what about me?"

"It's not easy." Isabella said. "I remember when my mom first explained to me about my dad and why I didn't see him all the time. I was devastated because the only two other guys I can remember watching me were J.T and Peter, and J.T was dead."

"Must've been tough." Danica said quietly.

Isabella smiled. "I got over it with time. Louise used to spoil me to get me to side with him instead of my mom, so he's filled this hole in me, you know? So I can understand how you feel Raven."

"I don't want my mom to feel like I can't come to her for anything, but Clare was closer sometimes. Physically I mean." Raven explained. "So if she's not there, I honestly wouldn't know what to do."

Danica threw her arm around Raven. "That's why you have us Ray. We can't replace your stepmom or anything, _but_ I'll share my parents with you if you want. And my godparents if it'll make you happy."

"That's nice Danni." Raven said.

"Yeah," Isabella stated. "I thought the same thing until her dad found us at a party and practically grounded both of us."

"How old were you?" Raven asked.

"Grown." Danica and Isabella said in unison before laughing.

Raven grinned. "So you're both sharing your families with me?"

"Just so you know, my aunt's having her son soon and Danni's brother has two kids himself. Our families aren't easy to deal with by any stretch of the imagination." Isabella said.

"Plus, my brother conned my parents in letting him and Laura use our villa in Italy so if we go up there on vacation, you might hear things you don't want to." Danica stated.

"Danni! That's gross!" Isabella said.

Danica glared at her friend. "How do you think _I_ feel? I come home and hear it some times!"

"Ew!" Isabella said shivering. "I can't imagine walking in on Angel and some guy. Or worse Ethan and some girl."

"Yeah well, it's not a pretty sound to hear when you're trying to digest food or waking up in the morning." Danica said. "On the flip side-"

"There's a flip side?" Isabella interrupted.

Danica nodded. "Oh yeah. I can say that my brother knows how to please a woman if Laura and Scarlett are any indication. So I should never in my life hear a girl tell me that he just wasn't good enough."

"And how, may I ask, is that any consolidation?" Danica smiled at Isabella's words.

"You must have never dealt with a bitchy Laura. When Jayden's done doing whatever to her, I could practically slap her across the face and she'd just lie there with this goofy grin." Danica stated. "I tell you, it's my diagnosis for her whenever she's in a bad mood and it hasn't failed me yet. Sometimes I just leave because I know what's bound to happen."

Isabella rolled her eyes. "Is there any limits to your devious ways?"

"Let's pray we never find out." Raven said.

"Hey!" Danica replied, before joining her friends' laughter.

* * *

The bell rang for lunch, something that made Jayden happier than ever. He had planned on a weekend of one band practice and nothing else. Maybe he would see if Ariana was at the park or not, but with Bianca watching his kids, he really just wanted to relax. No brothers. No sisters. No girlfriends. No exes. Just peace and quiet.

"Hey J.T," But of course, one Scarlett Chessex would never understand the concept of leaving well enough alone. "Headed my way?"

"What's got you into such a good mood?" Jayden asked with a grin.

Scarlett sighed. "Well, I found out that Braxton and Helen are going out later on tonight and my parents are doing the same. So I get the whole house to myself."

"Ah, a nice quiet evening at home, huh? Sounds like my kind of party." replied her ex. "Thankfully I'll be enjoying that tomorrow after band practice. Twins at their grandmother's, Danni at Bella's, and Laura miles away in England. Whole place to myself."

Scarlett smiled. Not because she was happy that he was happy, but because Laura was miles away and not able to physically stop Scarlett from just popping up tomorrow. Though, the girl realized that she should give Jayden some space, so maybe she would just call? He did deserve a break, even from her.

"So when's the next dance Madame President?" Jayden asked as the two headed for the cafeteria.

Scarlett smiled at him. "Planning on going Mr. McDuelle?" Jayden shrugged. "And with whom?"

"Uh, I think I will be busy so I'm thinking myself. Me and myself get along perfect, so I hope myself is free." Jayden joked. Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Are you jealous that I won't ask you?"

"You won't? Not thinking about taking Helen again are you?" Scarlett questioned.

"Thinking about it." Jayden returned with a smile. Scarlett raised her arched eyebrows. "I don't think it's a problem though. I hear Jacob's single again, so you can take him again."

Scarlett scoffed. "As if. After that talk we had, your friend is just as weird as the others. Well, except Shane. But Dakota, Kelly, Jacob, and that girl from Lakehurst are all borderline loony."

"First, her name is Ariana, and second, they're nowhere near stalk-your-ex loony. That'll be you." Despite the jab, Scarlett still smiled. The last thing she wanted was to anger a boy who has all the right to erase her from his life. "But I like you all the way you are. Stalking and all."

"I knew you'd fall for my charms sooner or later." Scarlett said bumping her hip against Jayden's slightly.

Jayden laughed quietly as the two entered the cafeteria. He honestly loved Scarlett's company whenever she was not planning on splitting him and Laura up. She knew how to make him smile, whether at the expense of her pride or not. And he would forever love how she could pinpoint his problems without him saying anything. In a way, she was approximately eighty-five percent of Laura. Laura could do all the things Scarlett did in her sleep, or at least while sleepy and hardly coherent. But Scarlett could do them, better than Helen, better than Marissa, and way better than Jacquelyn could ever. Maybe that's what drew him to her?

"Well," Scarlett said. "See you at the soda machine."

Jayden smiled. "Yeah, I'll see you there."

Walking to his normal table, Jayden realized that something must have happened. Kelly stared out into space, Shane ate quietly, Dakota quietly observed Kelly, and Jacob was brooding.

The friends he had…

"So," Jayden said. "What's going on?"

"Apparently," Kelly replied in an angered and annoyed tone. "Liberty is pregnant and no one can relate to Jacob having a half-sibling." Kelly then pointed at Jayden. "You being his best example."

Jayden sighed. "This again…" Jayden looked at Jacob. "Listen, I really don't have any advice to give. I've never been on the other side of these sorts of things."

"So I've heard…" Jacob mumbled angrily.

"But you can't sit around here and continue to ruin everyone's day because of that." Jayden continued. "People still depend on you. Like my kids for instance."

Jacob snorted. "Yeah right. Between your parents and Dakota, they're born with a platinum spoon in their mouths."

"Yeah, well their father gets his money from a band. And said band can't play because one of the members is acting like a whiny little bitch." Jayden's words caused Jacob to glare at the taller boy. "So get your act together."

"Do you know what I hate about people like you?" Jacob retorted as he stood up. "You always seem to get what you want! All of you do! You have no idea what it's like to know that your dad is living with some whore who's pregnant with his kid!"

"Who the hell cares?" Jayden returned.

"Jay…" Dakota began, knowing that his temper was getting the better of him.

"No, someone has to tell him this." Jayden said before turning his attention to Jacob. "For the past weeks, all we've heard from you is how we don't understand. Well understand this. I still love Scarlett very much. But I can't just go off with her because I can't do that to Laura and our kids. Do you understand that Jacob? Huh?" Jacob only glared at Jayden. "I didn't think so. So why don't you just save this bullshit for some other time and let everyone live their lives?"

"Why? So you can replace me in the band and make more money?" Jacob spat. "What kind of friend doesn't help when-"

"Fuck your dad. Fuck his affair. I don't care anymore!" Now Kelly and Shane were shocked.

"Dude…" Shane said quietly.

"You want to know something that I live with? I live with the fact that my mother aborted a baby she made with Dakota's dad!" Dakota's eyes widened with shock. "I live with the fact that I loss my son and unlike you, I had to watch it on TV! Do you know how it feels to see people give you false sympathy? To hear them say, 'Son of Manny Santos lost his son today, now on to the weather'? Huh? Do you have any fucking idea how it is to wake up with people watching your every damn move? I don't think so. So sit back and shut the hell up about this damn affair already! If it hurts you so bad, tell your parents, not us!"

Jacob was now pissed. Who did this guy think he was? So what if no one really cared about his son's death, the kid only lived for about a minute or so. It's not like they could feel a page of all his accolades. Who even knew that Manny aborted Craig's baby? That probably happened years before Jayden was even thought about. And who card that Jayden was being watched by paparazzi and other reporters? His parents were celebrities. It's what they did, right?

"You're just a whore like she is!" Jacob accused.

"Say that again?" Jayden threatened.

"Yeah," Jacob continued while glaring at his friend across the table. "You're a whore! You screwed Laura even though you were with Scarlett!" Jayden's eyes narrowed. "In fact, your mom was a whore, your kids' mom is a whore, and your grandmother was a whore! Your daughter has no choice but to be just like them!"

Jayden closed his eyes. "What was that?"

"You heard me!" Jacob yelled. "The fact is that you slept with Laura because she was easy and Scarlett isn't!"

By now, everyone could hear the two arguing. Aaron sat quietly and waited. Jayden's eyes were closed, much like Danica's did when she went from "happy Danni" to "MMA Danica". But apparently Jayden hadn't reached his boiling point.

Yet.

"And another thing," Jacob continued. "I quit your stupid little band! I don't want to work with people who do nothing but try to make everyone's problems seem inferior to theirs." Jayden slowly opened his eyes. "So you can take your stupid twins, your stupid band, and your slutty girlfriend and go to hell with your dead son!"

The fact that Jacob had said that was not scary at all to Dakota. The fact that Jayden had crossed the table within a second of the statement and immediately began to beat his former friend with every fiber in his body was. Jayden's pounce was so precise that he only knocked off Jacob's lunchbox and had somehow tackled Jacob to the ground without harming a hair on Dakota, who was seated beside Jacob. It only scared Dakota to think about what Jayden had told her last year. When things became too much for him, he feared what he would end up doing. And currently, beating on friends seemed to be on that list, somewhere.

"Come on Jayden, get off!" By now Shane was attempting to remove Jayden from Jacob but with no avail. It wasn't helping that many of the students crowded around as if they were watching a circus act or something.

"Jay," Aaron said pulling on his brother with Shane. "Come on! Let go already!"

Aaron had never broken up a fight that included Jayden or Danica. Mostly because his older siblings were a lot stronger than he was and had a way of turning their aggression on whoever it was pulling them away from their target. But for some reason, Aaron knew that Jayden was just using Jacob to release his frustrations and that was not right. Sure, Jacob deserved it for what he said, but Jayden was beating on the guy for things Scarlett and other people have done to him.

"Come on, break it up!"

"Get off of him!"

Teachers came in left and right and began pulling the two boys apart. Jacob's face was bloodied, but no one knew if it was from his lip or nose. His glasses had been knocked off of his face and had fallen somewhere in the sea of crowded bodies. But that's not the worse of it.

The worse came from Jayden who was literally pushing everything and everyone that attempted to quell his anger so he could reach Jacob. And his plan nearly succeeded until Scarlett stopped him.

"Jayden," Scarlett said holding her hands against his chest pleadingly. "Please stop. It's over." Scarlett shivered involuntarily when redden eyes locked onto hers. This sure as hell was not the same guy she was just talking to. "Calm down Jayden… Please."

Chandra looked at Aaron, who was nursing his cheek. During Jayden's fight to break free, Aaron had caught an elbow to the jaw that hurt him enough to let Jayden go. Of all the McDuelle children, Aaron was the non-fighter.

"Are you okay?" Chandra asked quietly.

Aaron only nodded as he saw Jayden's shoulders slowly relax.

"Mr. McDuelle," Mr. Perino said. "Office. Now."

"Fuck off." Jayden said turning around.

"Jay-"

"I said," Jayden said glaring at the old man. "Fuck. Off. I'll be there when I feel like it."

"Jayden," Scarlett said catching up to him. "You might want to go. I don't want you to get into more trouble than you already are."

"You think I give a damn about this shitty school and their damn rules? This guy was just talking about my kids and-"

"I know, I heard." Scarlett quickly interrupted. "But I don't want you to be like this." Jayden scoffed. "I remember what you said. You have a lot to deal with and no way of releasing that stress. But the sooner you go to the principal's office, the faster we can go to your apartment and just sleep."

"We? No offense, but you're one of the last people that I want to see right now." Jayden stated.

Scarlett swallowed her pride- and anger- and just smiled.

"Yes, we. I'll make sure that the twins are taken care of. I'll even throw myself in front of Danni if she gets mad about you being suspended." Jayden's eyes narrowed. "I won't do anything to you. I swear."

"I don't believe you. Now leave me alone." Jayden said shoving his way through the crowd, though Scarlett continued to follow him. "I'm serious Scarlett, leave me alone."

"Or what?" Scarlett said.

Jayden paused and turned to her. "What the hell is your problem? Leave me-"

"No!" Scarlett argued. "You're going to be stuck with me until you smile." Jayden frowned in confusion. "You are truly my only friend Jayden. Maybe I love you more than you do me, but the fact remains that when I need you, you're there. And right now, all you need is a friend."

"A vacation would be nice." Jayden muttered as he continued walking away.

"You know," Scarlett said moving next to him. "My grandparents have their own private plane. I could ask them for a favor." Jayden didn't respond. "You know I'm serious, right?"

"Jayden," The pair stopped at Darcy's voice. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To my car." The boy returned. "Why?"

"You fight with a student and think you can just walk away?" Jayden shrugged.

"I guess so. Everyone says I get special privileges because of my parents, so I thought I'd use them." replied Jayden. "You didn't even hear him Mrs. Taylor. He called my grandmother, my mother, my girlfriend, and my daughter a whore. He said my son was in hell."

"I'm not saying that you had a right to be angry, but now you have to live with the consequences. So my office, now." Jayden sighed heavily but eventually caved. "Your parents will be here sooner than you think. As for you, Miss Chessex, I suggest going back to lunch and enjoying the rest of your day without your friend here."

"Sorry Mrs. Taylor, but I can't do that." Jayden glanced at Scarlett. "Kind of promised I'd be there when they throw the book at him, so that's what I'll do." Darcy sighed and rubbed her temples. "I promise not to say a word."

"Fine, fine, let's just go." Darcy said before staring at Jayden. "You know we have a meeting with Lakehurst coming up. Now we're going to have to cancel."

"…" Jayden was quiet before speaking up. "I'm sorry."

"Just go sit in my office."

Scarlett dutifully followed Jayden down the hall, watching him slowly drop his head. She could only think what Laura would have done at this moment to cheer their shared object of affection up. Of course, Scarlett idly ruled out sex as she did not want to further complicate things for Jayden. Plus, seeing him knock off Shane and Aaron like they were lightweight was quite frightening. But she had to do something.

So she settled with just holding his hand. He doesn't respond at first, but soon grips her smaller hand into his. She honestly doesn't know what to say, so says nothing. Ironically, it's the best thing to say during this moment and she can feel a warm feeling brewing inside of her. Whether or not his parents grounded him indefinitely, she knew that she would be around to see him. The small smile on his face told her so.

* * *

Back in the cafeteria, Aaron sat quietly. His brother getting into a fight was nothing new, Jayden got into at least one fight every year sans the last two years. Then again, Jayden _did_ fight both Steven and Damon, though none of the teacher's knew of that. What had Aaron quiet was simply what Jacob had said. Jayden may not show it, and Laura sure as hell didn't, but they both felt guilty at the loss of their son and tried to avoid it as much as possible whilst out the house. Danica even dodged the subject to avoid awkward and depressing moments.

"Your brother is two steps away from insane." Aaron looked at Ashton. Despite being elbowed in the face and watching his brother storming off, he was somehow not angry at Ashton's words because, well, it was Ashton. "He cleared a table and jumped him like some lion!" Ashton then paused and added like an afterthought. "Are all of you like that?"

"No, A.J isn't." Chandra defended.

Jordan rolled her eyes. "Sure he isn't." Aaron now glanced at Jordan. "Oh come on, let's not pretend that-"

"In other news," Aaron interrupted. "I have to make sure that he's okay and that Laura never, ever, _ever _hears about this. Or else…"

The kids at the table all blanched a bit. Jacob was clearly a dead man walking now.

"Oh well. One less lonely nerd." Ashton commented.

"Hey! I'm a friend of Isaacs!" Vanessa said. Ashton shrugged a bit. "I don't want to see him being hurt."

"V, the boy was just beating severely and you didn't even yell for him to stop. Honestly you don't care about him enough to step between him and the baddest girl in Degrassi history." Ashton said. "And if you somehow do, _I'll_ drag you out before you die as well."

"Ashton's right Vanessa. I've learned to let Laura, and Danni, do what they want. They'll calm down a lot faster on their own." Aaron said before sighing. "Boy my parents are going to flip…"

"You can hangout at my place today." Farah suggested.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Jordan mumbled.

"Jayden won't do anything but just lie in his room all day until he's calm enough to come out. He's always like that." Aaron replied. "But I might stop by. Just because."

Chandra saw Farah smile and sighed. This would be the ideal moment to just outright tell Farah that she wanted Aaron and didn't care what her cousin wanted or felt. Seeing a one-sided fight like that had riled them all up. But that was not going to happen because she knew how Aaron would respond. The boy was already physically harmed, she did not want to add mental and/or emotional to that list.

"He called my mom a whore." Dustin finally stated.

For one reason or another, Dustin's delayed comment caused Ashton to laugh. His laughter was somehow contagious as Aaron found himself snickering as well. Jordan and Chandra soon joined, and finally Dustin himself. Aaron figured it was due to the fact that Dustin had caught on to Jacob's words way later than everyone else had.

"Your mom isn't a whore Dustin." Shockingly, it was Jordan who spoke. "Jacob's just a loser."

"He's still my friend." Vanessa repeated.

"Well that would explain the loser." Jordan stated. "Now, let's forget about Jacob altogether, okay?"

Aaron had to agree with Jordan. "So who's ready for the game Friday?"

* * *

There were three things that she had to adjust to when first arriving. They were, in order; the new time zone, the different culture, and the fame. But if Laura Reynolds was anything, she was one who could adapt to any situation.

"You know," Laura's roommate and new friend, Sarah, said while lying on her bed. "I think Mr. Thomas has a thing for you. He sure loves to hear your voice every day."

Laura snorted. "You're probably right. He does have the whole pedophile vibe about him." Laura's happy demeanor doubled when she got a call and realized it was from her boyfriend. "Dimples calling me at this hour? Something must've happened."

"How do you know this?" Sarah asked.

Laura doesn't answer her friend, finding the call way more important.

"Yeah." Laura said answering her phone.

"Hey Beautiful." Laura smiled at his voice but knew that something was wrong. "How's your day?"

"What'd you do? And if not you, what did _she_ do?" Laura replied.

Jayden sighed. "It wasn't Scarlett. In fact, if it wasn't for Scarlett, I'd probably be arrested by now." Laura's face morphed into a worried one. "Jacob… He just pushed the wrong buttons today. Said some pretty bad things about you and my mom."

"Uh-huh? What else? I'm sure you've handled bad words about me before." Laura said. "Hell, your mom was once the leader of the anti-Laura club."

"He said…" Laura was a bit annoyed when Jayden paused. "Don't get mad, okay?"

"Fine. Now what did he say?" Jayden chuckled.

"Patience was never your strong suit." Jayden commented. "But he said that because my mom, my grandmother, and my girlfriend were all whores, Maxi has no choice but to be one." Jayden waited for a moment before speaking again. "And you have already broken that promise."

"I never promised. And what the hell is his deal? No one has the right to say that about my-"

"Our."

"Kids and get away with it!" Laura concluded before exhaling a breath of frustration. "I hope you kicked his sorry ass. And took his lunch money like I used to."

"He packed his lunch, but I'll do so the next time." Jayden stated.

"Jayden, there'd better not be a next time." Sarah now frowned at Laura's words. Laura had just gone from supporting Jayden's decision to fighting this Jacob character to against it in a matter of seconds. "You're too smart to fight in school and get caught. But I'm not against you doing the whole bat-thing again like DeWayne. That's actually kind of hot to think about."

Jayden laughed. "What? Me walking around with a bat?"

"Hell yeah. No shirt, standing over a pile of assholes that deserve it. Fighting for me and the kids." Jayden's laughter rose when Laura stopped and released a giggle herself. "Of course, we both know that you can't just walk around knocking heads off with a bat. We wouldn't the media getting another story."

"Yeah…" Jayden mumbled.

"But look at the bright side," Laura said. "Soon we'll be living in Italy with the kids and away from all of it. Just you and me until we decide to go to college. I'll wait with you."

"You know that I love you, right?" Laura smiled at his words. "I'm so serious Laura. You are literally my better half."

"Duh. That's why you're my half-ass boyfriend. I'm the half that isn't an ass." Again, Jayden laughed. "But I love you whether you're half-ass or not."

"Well, I love all of you. Especially your ass." Laura laughed, but rolled her eyes.

"Pervert." Laura said before speaking in a quieter tone. "If you keep getting in trouble, you won't be able to see said ass…"

"Now that's not fair. You wouldn't like it if I hid my body from you because you got into a little trouble." Jayden responded. "But I guess it's for the best. You do know how to get me to behave…" Jayden paused. "And now my parents are here so I'll call later. I really don't want you and my parents conspiring some sort of punishment. Locked up in the house and watching you move without touching you would drive me insane."

"I'm sure it would." Laura said. "You try to keep calm. Avoid Jacob and talk to Dash. Hell, talk to Scarlett if it keeps you calm. Just don't do anything that I'll read about tomorrow, okay?"

"I'll seriously try." Jayden replied.

Laura smiled. "Then I'm sure you'll do it. You've never broken a promise yet." Laura stopped and sighed. "Be safe Jayden. For me?"

"I will. Love you Beautiful."

"I love you more. Bye." When Laura ended her call, she could feel someone staring a hole into her back. Turning at her roommate's smirking face, Laura scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Shut up Sarah."

"I didn't say anything!" Sarah protested with a laugh.

"You were thinking it loud enough!" Laura argued playfully.

"You know," Sarah said in a calmer tone. "I'm going to love watching you two get married. I'll stand right by your side so if you doubt marrying him, I'll be next in line!"

"Don't be such a slut Sarah. Get your own." Laura said.

"I would be you won't help me!" Sarah stated before sitting up. "So how about we run off to your place in Italy? Jayden will never hear it from me." Laura sighed. "Please Laura? It's either that or go to some wild party here and we both know that paparazzi will be all over you there."

"Good point. So to Italy it is." Laura said.

"I'll pack!"

Laura only smiled. Sure, skipping school had a worse punishment here than it did at Degrassi, but it was always worth it. Besides, they would not leave at this very moment. They would leave Friday afternoon, missing their last class while heading for the airport.

"Bikini!" Sarah said happily holding up her skimpy bikini.

Laura grunted. "That's mine."

"Not anymore!"

"You bitch!'

"Takes one to know one!"

Laura huffed. It was a lot easier dealing with Dakota than Sarah. But Sarah was her first and really only friend in England, so she dealt with her. Oddly enough, Sarah reminded her more of Torrie than Dakota, but she digresses.

Her mind then wondered back to Jayden, or more or less, Jacob. She would probably beat Jacob as soon as she was out of Jayden's sight when she returned whether they made up or not. No one called her kids a whore and got away with it. And she meant no one.

* * *

Being suspended was something Jacob had never experienced before. He really had no idea on what he would do at home during school hours or how pissed his parents would be. Then again, he hardly cared about the latter. It was their fault that he was being suspended. Of course, Jayden played an important role in the fight but his parents' fighting was clearly the main problem.

"I can't believe you got into a fight." Toby said as he drove Jacob away from the school. "And with your friend, no less. What were you thinking Jacob?"

"I don't want to talk about. I just want to go home." Jacob replied.

"Too bad. You're coming with me." Jacob glanced at his father's face. "We need to have a talk."

"I don't feel-"

"I'm not asking you." Toby interrupted. "Son, I know that this thing with me and your mom isn't making life easier on you, but getting into fights at school won't solve anything."

"Then what will?" Jacob said angrily. "Apparently none of my so-call friends can help and you're not even around!"

Toby sighed. "I promise you that there is more to it. Just be patient and we will tell you later."

"If Mom did something," Jacob stated. "Why are you taking the fall for it?"

"Because that's what men do, son." Toby answered. "We don't go around throwing blame at everyone, we accept our faults and even some for the people we love." Toby paused. "It's part of being a husband and a father. To make sure that your kids are safe, even if it means safe from the truth."

Jacob huffed quietly. "You sound like Jayden now…"

"Do you think you know how it is to be a father better than him? He has experience now." Toby said.

"They're babies. And of course I could be a better dad. I wouldn't cheat on my girlfriend to make the babies in the first place!" Jacob argued. "His kids will grow up with the lie that they're parents have always been in love or something like that. And that's wrong."

"And that's why he's a better parent than you are already." Toby said. "We parents lie to protect our kids. Do you know how it might feel for children to know that there isn't a Santa Claus or Easter Bunny? They'll be devastated. Do you think Dakota likes knowing that Silas isn't her real father and Craig hardly wanted anything to do with her? No, she doesn't like that reality at all. So we have to lie."

"Like you?" Jacob said.

Toby sighed. "One day you'll be able to understand."

"I don't think I will understand what you're trying to tell me." Jacob stated quietly.

"Yes you will." Jacob turned his attention out of the window. "Because you're smart, smarter than I was. And you have friends who, have not only experienced what you're going through, but can help. All of them."

Jacob sat quietly and thought about his friends, or rather former friends as none of them spoke a word to him as he left school.

First, there was Shane. Shane knew how it felt for his parents to be divorced, even if he was too young to understand what divorce was at the time that Emma and Gavin split. So theoretically, Shane should understand Jacob the easiest amongst them, yet didn't. Shane's belief was to not get too worried over things like that, as a parent will make parent decisions whether the child likes it or not. Coincidentally, Shane was pretty close with his stepfather and his dad's new girlfriend and believed that Jacob might feel the same way towards Liberty if he gave her the chance. But Jacob doubted that he would ever see Liberty in the same light that Shane saw Sean.

Next was Kelly. Jacob understood why Kelly thought that divorce was nothing big; she was abandoned as a baby. Her parents- her _biological_ parents- were never in the picture to begin with. Jacob remembers when Kelly pieced together that she was adopted and how downcast she felt on her birthday. But Kelly eventually got over it when she realized that family was not always those blood-related to you, just those close enough to be considered a brother (Shane), a father (Gavin), or a mother (Emma). Kelly's advice to Jacob was pretty much to see the good in this situation, something that was very Kelly-like. But there was no good in this scenario. Only Liberty. And Liberty was bad. Very bad.

As much as it pained him to think about the next friend, Jacob thought about Jayden and his perfect little family. Jayden had never experienced divorce or even seen it, as far as Jacob knew. His parents were his real parents and his siblings were his full siblings. But Jayden had cheated on Scarlett despite being "in love" with her. Jacob realized that this was pretty close to his father's predicament. They, Jayden/Toby, had an affair with some loose girl, Laura/Liberty, even though they were with another, Scarlett/Christy. And worse, a child was the end result in both cases! Jayden told Jacob that things worked out the way they should have. But Jacob didn't believe that. Nothing ended like it was supposed to.

Finally, Jacob settled his mind on Dakota. Dakota's life seemed to be the worse of the group. She had to deal with the paparazzi that Jayden did, the feeling of being cast away like Kelly, and the thoughts of having stepparents like Shane did. Yet despite this, Dakota has never really yelled at anyone except for the time she was dealing with withdrawals. She was, in Jacob's mind, the worse of the bunch and yet somehow could not comprehend what he was feeling. Dakota continued to remind him that there were worse to deal with; and she was right. But that didn't mean that this was any easier. His family would never be whole again and it was all because of one Liberty Hayes.

"You're going to apologize for what you said." Toby's words broke Jacob out of his trance.

"What?! Why?! He started the whole thing!" Jacob argued.

"I heard what he said and I've seen you in this funk for the past month. You will apologize period." Jacob did not argue, only staring back out of the window. "And if you want to know something, Jayden hasn't done _half_ the things his mother did in school and I've always wanted to know how she managed to escape rather unharmed."

"Luck." Toby heard his son muttered.

"Not exactly," Toby stated. "But I'll show you. This weekend, we're going up to a RCL arena match." Jacob looked at his father with shocked eyes. "You won't be there for the robots or to compete. You'll be there to see what your friends were trying to tell you."

"And what's that?" Jacob questioned.

"That things can get worse. Much worse." Toby replied. "And for you, son, they will."

Jacob only sighed. This wasn't fair. He was sure that Jayden's parents probably just sent him to his room or something. Nothing extreme. But his father was punishing him as if he started it. And that just wasn't fair. And once again, he blamed Liberty and cursed the day she came into his father's life. It was her fault that all of this was happening. And no matter what anyone said, Jacob would always see it that way. This was Liberty's fault.

* * *

Danica sighed as her nimble fingers continued to skillfully unbraid Jayden's hair, Isabella watching in fascination.

"I can't believe that you got into a fight with the nerd." Danica said before slapping her brother upside the head again. "And ruining my weekend!"

"For the tenth time, I'm sorry. I just lost it." Jayden replied. "It's not like you wouldn't have done the same."

Danica shrugged. "Depends. I'd have to have kids to get that angry."

"Do you think your band will suffer from this?" Isabella asked the teen on the floor.

Jayden sighed. "As of an hour ago, there is no band unless Dakota replaces Jacob. It honestly isn't my call and I'm sure I'll be fine no matter which way she goes." Jayden paused. "I just wish… I just wish I could've bashed his face into the floor just a little bit more."

"No you don't." Danica stated. "Because you can't live with the thoughts that everyone thinks of you as a violent sociopath."

"You do it." Jayden pointed out.

"That's because I have to." His sister said.

"Sure you do." Isabella said. "And Jayden, you shouldn't wish to do harm on people. Not only do you sound like your sister, but you're his friend. And don't tell me you aren't because you still are."

"Izzy, he said my son was in hell. How great of a friend is he?" questioned Jayden.

"One going through a really hard time." Isabella answered before a knock came on the door. "I'm guessing this is your parents?"

Danica shrugged. "Could be." Isabella rose from her spot on the couch, stepped over Jayden's legs, and walked to get the door. Opening, Isabella let out a breath that caused Danica to look her way. "Oh my… Do you understand what stay the hell away from my place means?"

"She's here to babysit, sort of." Jayden said without looking at Scarlett, who stood in the doorway. "The kids are asleep Scarlett, but you can come in."

"The hell she can…" Danica muttered before tightening her grip on Jayden's head. "And what did I say about bringing her around me…?"

"Ow, Danni I can't think with my hair being pulled like that." Danica released her grip. "And she's only doing it so I can sleep this whole day off of me. Bad enough I'm sure that someone recorded the fight and is ready to post it online for the world to see. The least _anyone_ can do is change a few diapers for me while I get some well earned sleep."

Danica hummed in thought. "I guess you have a small point. Though I would have preferred if you asked Kelly or Shane to do it."

"Kelly has two jobs and I'm sure Shane is better at flipping pancakes than handling babies." Jayden countered. "Dakota has to talk to Dad and her mom about the band and I'd rather keep my innocent children away from Helen. Lord only knows what she'll have them doing."

"Izzy's here." Danica said.

"So are you." This earned him another swat upside the back of his head. "Ow!"

"Don't be an ass." Danica responded before glancing at Scarlett, her fingers still dutifully at work in Jayden's hair. "Why the hell are you here? I promise you that if you give me the wrong answer I'll do Laura the favor in beating you myself."

"Danni," Isabella said closing the door. "She's just here to help. Jeez, could you act civil for one moment?" Danica rolled her eyes. "And now we're onto the eye-rolling phase. Seriously, lighten up. It's not like she can do anything with all of us here."

"Isabella, you don't understand," Danica said. "She betrayed us. She harmed us. And the last thing I want is to give her the opportunity to do it again. She's a spoiled little bitch who will do anything to-"

"Can you just do my hair and get off of her back?" Jayden interrupted. "Seriously Danni, I just needed help with the kids for the day and I know that you're heading back out. I honestly just want to go to sleep, okay?"

Danica glared downwards at her brother, though he could not see her. She then looked at Scarlett, whose eyes were on the floor. Finally she looked at Isabella who gave her a small nod.

"Fine," Danica sighed. "But I promise you this Jayden, I won't let her stay here for free. So you'd better think of something damn well worth my time."

"What if I told you that I have Grandma's key to the place in Italy and you can go there for a weekend and I'll cover for you?" Danica frowned in thought. "I'm sure Dakota could get you a plane ticket without Dad knowing. I could get Sophie to say that you went back to Newport for a visit or something."

"Wow. Good plan." Isabella stated.

"Hmm," Danica began before smirking. "Nope. No deal."

Jayden sighed. "Okay. How about-"

"Don't worry about it." Danica interrupted. She saw Jayden open his mouth. "Shut up and let me finish."

For a while, those were the last words spoken by anyone. The tension in the air could be sliced by a knife, yet Isabella knew that it was mostly one-sided. Scarlett had yet to even look at Danica, let alone shown the young woman any hostility. In a way, Isabella thought of Scarlett as an abused housemaid who was afraid of their employer. She appeared so fragile and yet ready to be of need.

And that came at the sound of one of the twins' cries.

"He probably needs to be changed." Jayden said.

"I'm on it." Scarlett said quietly, moving swiftly to the babies' room.

"You know why she's doing this, don't you?" Danica said quietly to her brother.

"Honestly," Jayden responded. "I just need her to be a friend. We can save all that mushy love stuff for later."

"So long as you know." Danica stated.

Jayden did not say anything else. His parents had taken away, not only his phone, but his car as well. It's not like he could do much about Scarlett being there anyway. But he figured that as long as she kept his kids peaceful, he could keep Danica at bay. After all, what are friends for?

* * *

Ashton had been talking to himself for the past five minutes and he walked down the sidewalk. Why? He had to find the right words to say to Gabrielle. He had to find some way to apologize for looking like a jerk when they broke up. The only question was how. How did he do it?

And then his dark brown eyes landed on someone he wished he hadn't.

Nigel Betenkamp.

"Oh great…" Ashton said nearing the boy. "What're you doing here?"

"Um, I supposed to meet up with Brie." Nigel answered. "What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to her." Ashton told the thin boy. Nigel nodded. "And I don't need you listening in to what I have to say."

"Oh…'kay?" Nigel stated in an unsure tone.

"Listen," Ashton said. "I like Brie, okay? And I get that you do as well, but you have to hear me out for a second." Nigel had no idea what was going on. Was Ashton going to fight him for Gabrielle? Was there something between Gabrielle and Ashton that Nigel missed? "Brie and I dated last year and we would probably still be if I hadn't have acted like a dick and broken up with her."

"And now you want her back?" Nigel questioned.

"More than just want her back. I want to start over. Completely over. Way before Tevin Sharpe stuck his ugly face in our business." Ashton said before sighing. "The truth of the matter is, I know how great a girl she is. And I can see why you like her. I'm sure Santos painted her in a golden light, huh?" Nigel nodded. Aaron's description of Gabrielle's personality made her look almost like an angel. "Well I hate to break it to you, but I'm not going to let you just walk up to her and take her from me."

"But… She's no longer yours, right?" Nigel asked.

"What? No! But that's not the point!" Ashton said before releasing a heavy frustrated breath. "Look, just do me a favor and go somewhere, okay? I really need to talk to her. Apologize for the dumb things I did."

"But we have a date." Nigel said.

The word date caused Ashton's brows to twitch and he could feel himself growing angrier by the seconds.

"Listen here pencil neck," Ashton began. "I don't care about your date because what I have to do is more important, got me? I _need_ to talk to Brie. You just want to talk to her. See the difference?"

"No, I don't." Ashton and Nigel turned to see Gabrielle standing with a small frown on her face.

"H-how long have you been standing there?" Gabrielle hid her smile. Hearing Ashton stutter due to surprise or fear was something she had always wanted to hear for some reason.

"Long enough," she said. "And Nigel's right. We have a date Ashton. I already planned it."

"But-"

"Sorry…" Gabrielle said before looking at Nigel. "Could you give us a moment?"

Nigel nodded and walked away, flinching under Ashton's heavy gaze.

"I don't get it Brie. Vanessa finally breaks up with me and then you go out with King of the Dorks here." Ashton said.

"Stop picking on him. And I agreed to this _two days ago_, which was before Vanessa broke up with you." Gabrielle replied. "Ashton, I'm really sorry, but I promised Nigel I would go out with him today. Can you at least wait until tonight? My dad really doesn't like me going on dates, so you know Nathan will probably give me the signal to go home."

Ashton sighed before smiling. "Brie, for you, I'll wait for the sun to turn green." Gabrielle smiled brightly. "Just remember to call me."

Gabrielle nodded before Ashton hugged her. The act surprised her. She was not used to him giving her hugs out of the blue. But she did not push away. In fact, she hugged him back until he pulled away.

"Alright, go have fun." Ashton said. "But please not too much that you forget to call me."

Gabrielle smiled. "That's impossible."

Ashton sighed as he watched Gabrielle catch up to Nigel. A part of him felt bad. He had probably just ruined any chance Nigel had with Gabrielle. But for the most part, he didn't care about Nigel. He was on the road to get his girl back.

"I finally beat you at something Santos…" Ashton mused as he reached into his pocket so he could grab his phone and call his mother to pick him up.

* * *

Dustin grinned. Having dinner with Zach was always something to look forward to, especially with everything going on at home. He really needed the time to relax.

"Hey," Zach said. "I need to talk to you about something." Dustin frowned a bit. This sounded serious. "You know that Mom's pregnant right?"

"She is?!" Dustin practically shouted. "With who?!" Zach only sighed. "My teacher knocked up my mom?!"

"Yeah…" Zach replied. "Look, I know that it's not really my place to say so, but she needs you. With your dad and her arguing every two seconds, she has nothing but Toby- Mr. Isaacs."

"But…" Dustin began.

"Hey, I know taking care of another little brother or sister is the last thing you want, but it'll mean a lot to her." Zach said.

Dustin frowned again. "Why are you helping?"

"Because I was put up for adopted, remember? I know how it is to feel unwanted by your real family." Zach explained. "I don't want this kid to feel that way. I also don't want you or the others to feel like Mom is abandoning you either. So anytime you need me, just call, okay?"

Dustin sat quietly for a while before speaking.

"Do you mind if I stayed with you for a while? At least until everything is cool at home." Dustin said.

Zach blinked. "Really? I mean, sure, but… Are you sure you'd want to stay with someone you hardly know?"

"You're my big bro. If I can't trust you, then who can I trust?" Dustin returned.

"I guess you're right about that." Zach responded. "Just… I mean, there will be times when Bella will come over. Not for sex but…" Zach paused. "Though I'm sure you didn't want to hear that, right?"

"It's cool." Dustin said. "I'm just glad to have someone to talk to."

Zach grinned. "Glad I could help."

"Now," Dustin said. "Tell me again what your secret technique is for talking to girls."

"Alright," Zach replied. "Just promise me that you won't use it on _all_ the girls. You'll have Mom breathing down my neck!"

Dustin only grinned. He now knew what Aaron was talking about the previous years. Aaron always got the best advice from Jayden, even though Dustin was tired of hearing "my brother said" this or that. It was great to have an older brother.

* * *

Fifteen minutes to midnight and no one outside to talk to. Of course, he had expected as much. Scarlett's plan to stay backfired once Manny got a whiff of it and promptly took the twins to her house. So now Jayden had no car, no phone, and no kids. But with his parents probably asleep and Danica swearing to confidentiality, Jayden was able to sneak out of the house to stare up at the stars and think in peace.

"Oh," Jayden was shocked to see a teary eyed Ariana at the park, but did not let it show on his face. "Evening Jayden."

"Hey," Jayden said in a comforting tone as he sat on the ground beside her. "What're you doing out here in the middle of the night crying?" Ariana didn't say anything, only shrugging. "Oh come on Ari, smile. Or at least snap at me."

"He's not home." Ariana said.

Immediately Jayden knew what Ariana was talking about and pulled her to him. Surprisingly, she did not fight back, only resting her head on his shoulder.

"He hasn't forgotten about you Ari. I'm sure he just got caught up with…" Jayden stopped speaking and changed his thoughts completely. "I got suspended earlier."

"Really?" questioned Ariana. "For what?"

"Fighting." Jayden said with a sigh. "And, to top it all off, I think my band is completely over and the media has a clip of my fight."

"Your parents didn't ground you?" Ariana asked.

Jayden chuckled. "They took my phone, then my car, and finally my kids. I just snuck out." Ariana sat up and gave Jayden a shocked look. "What? Normal kids don't sneak out when they're parents aren't looking?"

"What if they find out?" Ariana said. "Then you'll be locked away and-"

"Ari, calm down. I won't leave you." Jayden interrupted with a smile. "However, I am without a credit card, so the money in my pocket is really all I have. Our trips for ice cream are going to have to be cut down."

Ariana frowned. "I don't want ice cream." Ariana gasped when Jayden took a hand and wiped her tears away. "Wh-what are you doing?"

"Making your face pretty again." Jayden said quietly. "Unless you don't want me to." Ariana opened her mouth. "Too late."

Sighing, Ariana just rested against him. "I really hope he doesn't forget me. What if they get married and have kids? Then they'll be too busy raising their real kids and just send me to the first college that they can think of!"

"Well, I'll probably be sent with you. The way my parents looked at me today, I really wish they forget about it." Jayden responded.

"Maybe we could switch?" Ariana suggested.

"Uh, no. I think that we were giving the trials of our lives because only we can handle them. Besides, I'd rather not lose my girlfriend to a girl. Do you know what the guys on the basketball team would say?" Ariana scoffed at his statement. "Hey, I'm not saying you're bad looking or anything. Hell, if Laura was down for it, a threesome would be on my wish list."

"Do you live in a gutter?" Ariana said.

Jayden smiled. "Smiling makes things easier for me. How about you?" Ariana shrugged a bit. "Well, I like to see you smiling. It makes me not worry, unlike when I got here and you were crying under a tree. You don't know what I was thinking."

"Something perverted no doubt." Ariana stated. "How long do you think you can stay out here?"

"Honestly, I wish I could all night." Jayden said. "Stargazing on a clear night like this calms me."

Ariana looked up at the sky. "I… I really haven't noticed them."

"My friend Kelly got me hooked on it. And in Italy, Laura and I did it every night we could." Jayden stated before sighing. "I used to be able to see which stars she was staring at by seeing the reflection of them in her eyes…" Jayden paused and smiled. "Though she hated when I did that. Made her feel weak and soft and stuff."

"I understand…" Ariana absentmindedly said. It took her a moment to realize her statement and she looked to see Jayden staring at her. "I hate it when people stare at me. That's what I meant." Jayden's brow rose. "Like I care about that mushy stuff."

Jayden smiled. "How about you just be quiet and we enjoy the stars? No awkward moments."

"As long as you don't stare." Ariana retorted, her eyes going back to the glistening balls of gas in the sky.

"I'll try not to." Jayden said, his attention on the stars as well.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** So here is the latest chapter. There is just two more before the small hiatus and the second half of the season will start sometime in August/September. I want to take time to just say thank you to everyone that has read this story. Seeing the hits for this story makes me smile and reading your reviews really makes my day. I am currently doing a "Ask Degrassi" webisode to show my thanks to everyone who has read this. So if you have any questions for the cast of D3G, whether it is about the story or just something you're wondering, let me know and I'll put it in the webisode. Speaking of webisodes, another should be out tomorrow about the couple known as Shaky (so Shane/Deanna fans beware). Again, thank you for your time and patience and I hope that you'll continue to read. Late.


	139. S5 Episode IX: Islands in the Stream

**Episode IX: Islands in the Stream**

Amber stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her life had been completely ruined now. No matter how many times she told herself it didn't happen, she had to relive the events over and over again. A part of her wanted to know why. Why did this have to happen to her? Was this some sort of punishment for an earlier action? Despite not being the most uptight Muslim or Christian, Amber knew that there was no such thing as Karma. Or at least she believed that there was no such thing. So why was this happening?

"Hey," The voice of Simon broke her out of her thoughts. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Amber glared at him with tear-stained eyes. "What's there to talk about? I'm pregnant by that bastard!"

* * *

"Dee, come on, pull yourself together." DeWayne said to his sister.

Deanna looked at her twin through narrowed eyes. She had a very small headache that was growing with each second she attempted to stay away. This was due to her late night drinking. Of course, no one but DeWayne knew of how Deanna dealt with Nicole being around Shane but that was because this was DeWayne's plan. He planned for Deanna to get drunk and do something outrageously foolish. But she wouldn't. Not if Shane was on the line.

"Look at you," DeWayne commented. "You're a mess."

Deanna snorted. "Look who's talking."

"Maybe you should just stay home today?" DeWayne suggested.

"And what? Let you soil my good name any further?" DeWayne shrugged, not denying the fact. "Why? Why do you have to ruin my life?"

"You're dating the enemy. It's self-explanatory." DeWayne said. "Besides, you ruined whatever I could have had with Scarlett. So I call this making us even."

"You're an asshole." DeWayne was actually shocked at Deanna's choice of words but did not let it show. Now.

"Well," her twin replied. "That's your opinion and you have the right to have one. In the meantime, we have to get to school."

Deanna only rolled her eyes. "I've been ready."

With that, the girl stormed past her brother towards the front door. DeWayne only smirked a bit. When Nicole and Brooke came to him about a plan to break up Scarlett and Jayden, DeWayne was more than pleased to think of ways to split Shane and his sister. Fortunately, Nicole and Brooke did not have to do anything as Scarlett apparently screwed up whatever chance she had with Jayden by herself. But now it was time for the coup de grace. Now it was time to finally end Shane and Deanna.

* * *

Aaron sighed as he walked up the steps towards the front doors. With his brother suspended, there was a lot of talk going around his house at all times; some business and some personal. Aaron found himself hounded the day before by many people questioning if Juvenile Grace was over or not. Honestly, Aaron did not know and it was not Jayden's say, it was Dakota's. Chandra and Farah were not making things easier for the boy and he was more than cautious about calling Laura considering that she was not too pleased about what Jacob said about her kids.

All in all, that only left one person to talk to.

"What's up?" Dustin questioned as Aaron moved towards him.

"Next to my life being on display for all to see? Nothing much." Aaron responded. "I honestly do not know how to deal with all of this sometimes."

"Hey, you can come with me and Zach later." Dustin offered. "He's helping me move some of my stuff into his apartment. I doubt he'd mind." Aaron frowned a bit. "Plus, his new girlfriend is smoking hot! Isabella Jones?"

"Yeah, I heard." Now it was Dustin to frown in confusion. Aaron, reading the look elaborated. "Danni apparently hooked the two up or something. Bella made crepes as a sign of gratitude."

Dustin shrugged. "Who cares? Bella is like super cool. She even cooks." Aaron smiled. "What?"

"Do you know how everyone picks on me for having the 'hots' for my brother's girlfriend?" Dustin slowly nodded. "Well, you can't say that now."

"Hey, she's hot and talented. What straight man wouldn't have a thing for Bella?" Dustin responded. Realizing that Dustin had a point, Aaron just shrugged. "Besides, I'm sure you'd rather hang out with me than be put with Jordan and her new boyfriend."

Aaron sighed. "You're right. Though I think it's he that doesn't want to be around me."

"Half the guys don't want to be around you with their girlfriends." Dustin pointed out. "Whether you like it or not, your brother is the legendary womanizer Jayden McDuelle. If any of his charms rubbed off on you, you'd have all the girls after you!" Aaron shook his head. "Think about this. You've dated Jordan, one of the most popular girls in the eighth grade. You've dated Chandra, another popular girl who is a cheerleader. You date Farah, who is possibly the smartest girl in the school. _And_ you have tons of girls that you ignore on a daily basis!"

"I don't ignore them. I just don't give them the attention they want." Aaron responded.

Dustin shrugged. "Call it whatever you want, I understand Tim's cautious about having you around Jordan. The feeling of being the third wheel wasn't comfortable."

"But if they were dating," Aaron said. "Then _I_ would be the third wheel, right? And I can't be a third wheel because I'm dating Farah."

"Whatever A.J." Dustin said. "Just know that you and Jordan will probably end up married somewhere down the line." Dustin then smirked. "I can picture your nerdy kids already."

"I sincerely doubt that." Aaron said before he spotted Jordan walking towards them. "Seriously, sincerely doubt that."

"Well, well," Jordan spoke. "If it isn't my famous ex and his not-so-famous friend. What're we doing today?"

"Moving in with Zach." Dustin announced.

Jordan gasped. "Really? So soon? What's the occasion?"

"Well," Dustin began. "My mom and dad aren't talking much since my mom's pregnant by Mr. Isaacs." Now Aaron and Jordan stared at Dustin in shock, despite the boy thinking nothing much of it. "My dad gave me the choice to stay with my mom and Mr. Isaacs or him, so I chose Zach so it looks like I don't favor one parent over the other."

Jordan frowned. "And your parents are cool with this?"

"Completely." Dustin answered.

"And Dustin's letting us hangout at his brother's place." Aaron added.

"I wasn't really-"

"Well I guess it's a change from going to A.J's." Jordan said, stopping Dustin completely. "Sure, I'm in. Just as long as we avoid the topic of Timmy and," Dustin flinched when Jordan glared at him. "You keep your perverted little thoughts in your head or I swear I will tear you apart limb by limb."

"Uh, yeah…" Dustin replied.

"Good." Jordan said. "See you two nerds later. My flawless appearance is needed elsewhere."

With that, Jordan walked away from the two boys, Aaron smiling all the while.

"You know something," Aaron said. "I think she likes you."

"Like hell she does." Dustin stated which caused Aaron to laugh. "Why doesn't she threaten you?"

Aaron shrugged. "I honestly don't know. But I'm not going to do anything to change it."

"I knew you wouldn't. You're really a bad friend A.J." Dustin stated.

"When I start avoiding you to hangout with the popular crowd," Aaron replied. "Then you can call me a bad friend, Dustin."

"Touché," Dustin said as the two headed for class. "Touché."

* * *

Jay stared at his daughter in deep thought. How the hell she caught a cold was beyond him. He constantly warned her about going out without her coat on, whether she was just heading for the car or not. Now she sat on his couch, sneezing every five seconds and _somehow_ Alex pinned this on him. That's right. It was Jay's fault that their daughter caught a cold in the midst of November.

"I'm going to have to run to the store and get some soup." Jay said. "Will you be alright by yourself?"

"I think-" Gabrielle was interrupted by a harsh sneeze. Jay sighed as his daughter blew her nose before finishing her statement. "I think so."

For some reason, Jay found this oddly cute. Though he would never be caught dead describing _anything_ as "cute", seeing his small frail daughter attempt to battle a cold was somehow giving him a warm feeling inside. Her little nose seemed to glow red like that fictional reindeer in the Christmas tales. Strands of her black hair shot up in different directions that topped off her sickly look. And the fact that she had practically buried herself in the comforter that wrapped around her small body…

It was cute.

"Alright," Jay said. "I'll be back in a few. If your mother calls, tell her I'm in the shower or something."

Gabrielle nodded. She was not keen lying to her mom, but if it got her dad out of trouble, then so be it. Sadly, she was a daddy's girl even if he had abandoned her at birth.

Jay neared the door. "Call me if you need anything else."

Gabrielle sneezed. "I'm fine Dad. Seriously."

"Well you don't look it." Jay commented as he opened the door. "Be back Brie."

With that, Jay left his apartment, leaving Brie to just lie on the couch. She honestly did not know how she got a cold. No one she hung around a cold. Nathan, Aaron, Ashton, Nigel, Chandler, and Chandra were all quite healthy at the moment.

Her thoughts were momentarily interrupted by the sound of her cell phone vibrating on the wood table in front of her. Extending an arm from beneath the cover she was wrapped in, Gabrielle answered it.

"Hello?" Gabrielle said, not recognizing the number.

"…" The silence was scaring her a bit until she clearly her a voice say. "I'm pregnant."

"What?"

"Your brother got me pregnant." Now it clicked in Gabrielle's head who she was talking to and what the person was talking about. "I want an abortion."

The words caused Gabrielle to cough, her cold doing nothing but magnifying it.

"Are you alright?" Amber asked.

"I'm (coughs) sick at my dad's." Gabrielle choked out. "You want… You want…" Gabrielle sneezed and sighed. "An abortion?"

"I figured you were the only one I could talk to at the moment. Mary's acting strange again and I don't want to talk about this to anyone else." Amber stated. "Besides, you said that if I needed anything, just call. Well, I need something."

"Okay…" Gabrielle said with a sniff.

"I need you to support me on this Brie." Amber told the younger girl. "I don't want to have a child made by… I don't want to give birth to a child conceived the way it is."

"I understand but…" Gabrielle paused. "I… I'm not comfortable with abortion."

"Why?" Amber asked. "Do you want me to have a child that your brother made in me against my will?"

"No… But my mom thought about abortion when she was pregnant with me." Gabrielle explained. "I wouldn't have the life I have if she had gone through with it. And I (sneezes) I'm thankful that she didn't."

Amber is silent before speaking.

"That's different."

"I know." Gabrielle said. "But, maybe you can put the baby up for adoption?"

"No. No, I don't want it to be born at all." Amber said. "It'll just remind me of him."

"Okay." Gabrielle replied.

Amber sighed. "I know this isn't easy on you and I'm sorry for even putting you in this position, but I really have no one else to talk to."

"Not even James?" Gabrielle's statement made Amber realize that her infatuation with the boy must have been pretty clear to everyone. "Amber, I'm really sorry about what Randy did to you. But you're talking about killing my niece or nephew."

"Gabrielle-"

"I know, it's your child too and your body and your life," Gabrielle continued. "But, I don't see it that way."

"Then how do you see it?" Amber did not sound angry. In fact, she sounded quite confused and in need of Gabrielle's advice.

"Just another of life's challenges." Gabrielle said.

Amber sighed quietly, understanding Gabrielle's point of view here. The younger girl was born to a lesbian stripper who also worked at a super market. Gabrielle did not have a luxurious life and for the most part, the people in school seemed to make it harder for her. Up until a year ago, the girl did not even know what her father looked like. Yet, she remained mostly positive about life in general and got through each day without complaining but so much.

"You know," Amber said. "I kind of wish I had your strength Brie. I really do." Amber heard Gabrielle sneeze and laughed. "Well, obviously not your strength against colds. Your immune system sucks."

Gabrielle smiled sickly. "Thanks."

"I'll keep your thoughts in mind. I'm going to go to the clinic to see about a schedule." Amber said. "But I won't make a decision until I've looked at it from all angles."

"My dad and I will be with you all the way. I promise." Gabrielle stated.

"Yeah. Thanks." Amber replied. "I have to get back to class. Get well soon."

"I'll-" Gabrielle was now becoming irritated by her sneezes. They seemed to come when she was trying to speak for some reason. "Try…"

"Bye." And with that Amber hung up.

Gabrielle ended her call and curled up on the couch. She thought about telling her dad the news, but knew what he would do. Jay would make sure that Amber never stepped foot at a clinic, let alone schedule an abortion. Aaron and Ashton were not ideal people to share this news with. Aaron was pro-life so he would probably just repeat what Gabrielle said and Ashton honestly couldn't care less about Amber. Harsh, but it was the sad truth. Vanessa and Chandra were also scratched off of the list considering Vanessa would most likely tell James (which Amber had not done for whatever reason) and Chandra would tell Aaron.

Gabrielle sighed. Maybe this was one of those times that the secret was not meant to be shared by anyone but herself and Amber? It would be hard, considering that most- if not all- of Gabrielle's secrets were shared between Aaron and Ashton. But for the sake of Amber, she would keep it to herself.

She just wished Amber didn't go through with what Amber had planned.

* * *

Leaving second period, Scarlett was oddly quiet. Shane, who had already assumed what her problem was, moved after her to attempt to solve it.

"You know," Shane began. "He's probably sleeping his day away without any worries."

Scarlett sighed. "Yeah, well I can't go to find out. His parents have forbidden me to even think about calling him."

"Harsh. Guess they weren't as lenient as Jayden thought." Shane commented.

"No. I think that's because of, well you know what I did." Scarlett said quietly before eying Nicole talking to some friends over her shoulder. "Say, what's going on between you and Nicky? She seems quite fond of you again."

"You know," Shane replied. "I don't really know. I mean, it's nice having her around again, but at the same time, I know that Nicky's just trying to piss Deanna off."

Scarlett scoffed. "Princess Fitzgerald will live, I promise you."

"Hearing you call someone else a princess doesn't sound right at all. Maybe it's because I'm used to people calling you that." Shane stated. Scarlett simply rolled her eyes at the comment, though she did believe that people called her "princess" quite a bit. "Besides, it's not whether or not Dee will live that's bothering me. It's the fact that whenever she and Nicky are around, it's like there's this cold wind that just blows out of nowhere."

"It's called tension and believe me, Laura and I could make that tension look like child's play." Scarlett said. "Deanna's a possessive girl, Shane. She doesn't like you having female friends because she thinks that we're all after you."

"A part of me believes you." sighed Shane. "But at the same time, I know what Nicky does to pick on Dee. I'm not blind Scarlett."

"Call it what you want, but insecurity is insecurity." Scarlett responded. "It's the seed of doubted that causes one to be driven off the deep end."

"So what's your excuse? I doubt it was insecurity." Shane said.

Scarlett looked at her larger male friend with a small glare. She knew that this conversation was growing sourer with the minutes, so she decided to end it before she lost yet another friend.

"My class is that way," Scarlett said. "See you later?"

"Sure." Shane replied. "Just as long as you don't attempt to make Dee into a bad person. She's not Scarlett."

Scarlett sighed. "Sure Shane. And good luck with your game later on. I'd hate to see you lose on purpose because you're playing against your girlfriend's school."

Shane was going to respond but he had thought of a joke that Deanna told him. Deanna had joked about Shane throwing the game away because she didn't want her school to lose and Shane didn't want her to be sad. Of course, it was all for good fun. Now, however, Shane was wondering if Deanna meant just a bit of it.

"No," Shane said to himself. "Dee's a good person now."

Or at least, that's what he continued to tell himself.

* * *

Deanna leaned against the bathroom door, her head in her hands. How could she let it get this far? A simple question from her teacher had her near her boiling point. Was she becoming an angry drunk? Was she even drunk? She had control over her body so maybe she wasn't.

Then again…

"Deanna!" Stephanie called as she knocked on the door. "Deanna open up!" Deanna sighed before opening the door to the ladies' restroom. "Deanna, are you okay? You just stormed out of the class like a madwoman!"

"I'm fine Stephanie. Just a small headache." Deanna replied.

"You're drunk." Deanna's eyes widened. "I've been to the ravine Dee, I know what a drunk looks like. Even those that can hide it pretty well like you."

Deanna sighed heavily. "I don't know what I'm doing Stephanie. I… I know it's wrong and I want to stop. But when I see her-"

"Her who?" Stephanie interrupted. Deanna looked at the ground. "Nicky?"

"You don't know what it's like Stephanie." Deanna said. "She's so… So…" Deanna huffed. "Damn it, she's _perfect_ for him! I mean, they cook together like they share one brain! They laugh at jokes that no one but them know!"

"Dee, I don't think that she's perfect for Shane. You're perfect for Shane." Stephanie replied as she dug into her purse. "Here. These pills will help with your hangover."

Deanna frowned. "And how do you have these?"

Stephanie shrugged. "Some friend of Ethan's. I don't really need them, but I won them off of him in a card game."

"They won't help. I'm going to drink again." Deanna said pointedly as she moved for a sink. "Look at me Stephanie. I'm a wreck."

"Deanna," Stephanie said. "If you really think that you'll keep drinking because of Nicky then tell Shane."

"That's just it," Deanna said. "I don't think it's just Nicky that's making me drink." Deanna sees Stephanie frown in the reflection and sighed. "The truth is, maybe I'm drinking because I know that Shane might make a mistake with Nicky. Constantly worrying if he's let her in when Kelly and his dad aren't home."

"What are you saying?" Stephanie questioned.

Deanna turned to stare at her friend.

"Maybe it's me? Maybe it's Shane. Maybe it's us being together." Deanna stated. "But I know that I'll always worry about not being enough. And it's killing me."

"What are you talking about? You're more than enough for him!" Stephanie attempted to cheer her friend up, only making it worse.

"I can't buy him Stephanie! I can't pay for his love and affection like most of the things in my life!" Deanna snapped back. "And I… I can't compete with her. She knows his strengths. She knows his weakness. She knows his birthday. I don't even know that!"

"Have you asked him?' Deanna scoffed. "Deanna, listen to me for a second, okay? You love Shane and I'm sure that Shane loves you."

"No. No he doesn't." Deanna said. "I know. I've seen love. I've seen how Laura looks at Jayden and how he looks at her. They don't worry if they're miles apart. That's love Stephanie. When I look at Shane and I see him look at her, I worry. I worry that she will take my boyfriend. I worry that she will take my best friend. I worry that she'll take my life!"

"Dee-"

"She knows what I've done!" Deanna cried out. "She's blackmailing me and I can't even tell anyone because then I'll look worse than I do now!"

Stephanie only sighed. She had never seen Deanna like this before. Deanna Fitzgerald was never one to show stress. But now, Deanna was practically radiating with worry. And Stephanie knew that she could not say or do anything to change Deanna's mind. She just wished that Deanna did not do something that would Deanna would regret.

* * *

On the way to lunch, Jordan found herself in the presence of one Timothy Murphy. Of course, her entourage left her due to the company of the proclaimed weirdo. Jordan, however, didn't think that Timothy was _weird_, but she knew he had his quirks. Then again, who didn't?

"Um, hi Timmy." Jordan said. "Something wrong?"

"Yes," Timothy stated. "I think A.J's jealous." Jordan raised her evenly and perfectly trimmed eyebrows. "Of me and Tevin. He knows that you and Chandra are not as good as Farah, so he wants to make sure that Tevin and I don't occupy your time."

"Hmm," Jordan replied as if she was thinking about it. Truthfully, she knew Aaron, the _real_ Aaron. He didn't do jealousy. He _couldn't_ do jealousy. His parents could probably buy Jordan _and_ Chandra if needed be, but Aaron wasn't like that. "No, I don't see it. I mean, I am a _thousand_ times better than Farah but… Nope, I can't picture A.J jealous."

"Well how else do you explain it?" Timothy questioned.

"I think you have A.J twisted." Jordan told Timothy. "He's not worried about me at all. I mean, sure he wants me to be alright, but he's not jealous about who I hang with. Kind of like how he is with Chandra. He just wants her to be happy. That's just it. He wants us to be happy."

"Then why can't he see that you can be happy with me?" Jordan opened her mouth to respond but quickly closed it. Honestly, Aaron was the main and first person to say that there was something wrong with Timothy.

"Maybe you're on to something." Jordan said quietly.

Jordan spotted Aaron along with Farah, talking to Dustin. She idly wondered what Aaron had planned for Farah, considering it was obvious that he did not like her the way he did Chandra. Jordan frowned. Where was Chandra? Surely the captain of the Aaron Santos Fan Club would be around, right?

"Hey Jordan," Aaron greeted. "Tim…"

Jordan's frown grew. "You have a problem with Timmy?"

Dustin said nothing as his two friends stared at one another. Jordan's question was possibly the dumbest one the quite educated girl has ever asked in her life. It was amazing that Aaron did not give her some smart remark telling her how dumb said question was.

"Lunch?" Aaron finally said, turning away from Jordan.

"No. Talk. Now." Jordan stated.

"Fine," Aaron replied. "I don't like people starting arguments and fights with me, especially when they are living some fantasy world." Timothy glared at Aaron who did not glance away from Jordan. "Honestly, I know he likes you and you may or may not like him," Jordan smiled a bit. Aaron knew she did not like Timothy like Timothy liked her and he was good at keeping it between them. "But that doesn't give him the right to tell me that I can't speak to you or hang out with you. It's like if I told Farah to stop hanging around Chandler because of _that_."

Now Farah was the one frowning. What happened between Aaron and Chandler that had him angry at her friend? And why did Jordan know?

"Well," Jordan said flipping her hair back. "Timmy knows that I'm a dime a dozen and Farah's… Well she's the other eleven nickels." Aaron heard Farah release a quiet scoff under her breath. "But, hey, I don't judge."

"Who's up for some lunch?" Dustin asked in an attempt to solve their problems.

"I-"

"Well, would you look at what I see?" Aaron was more shocked at who interrupted him than he was about being interrupted. "The original three nerds back in action. How long has it been? Last September?"

"Jayden? Danni? What are you two doing here?" Aaron asked as his older siblings neared him.

"Oh you know," Danica said. "Being the fabulous McDuelle children and all that. You? How're you Mr. Santos?"

Aaron shrugged. "I've been better." Aaron's eyes cut towards Timothy. "Much better…"

"Ah, that." Jayden said before looking at Dustin. "Question: Where the hell is Jacob at? I was nowhere near finished with him."

"He should be at my mom's with Mr. Isaacs but-"

"That's all I need to know." Jayden cut the boy off. "Come on sis, one more stop before we pick up the twins."

"No and hell no, little bro." Danica stated. "I promised Dad that I could keep you out of trouble and I will live up to my word. Or you will face someone a lot scarier than Jacob Isaacs." Jayden huffed quietly. "Anyway A.J, we just came to see you. Well, we came for other reasons as well, but seeing our little brother survive without us was something we had to just see."

"I'm doing fine." Aaron said. "I'm a little late for lunch but…" Aaron paused when he saw the look his siblings exchanged, a matching dimpled smirk appearing on both of their faces. "No."

"Oh come on!" Jayden said putting Aaron in a headlock, subsequently pushing Farah and Dustin away from him. "On to lunch with your favorite siblings. And you can even invite your friends. On us."

"I'd rather just have lunch-"

"I'm in." Jordan said before Aaron could reply.

"Yeah, what's the worst that can happen?" Dustin added.

"Yeah A.J," Danica taunted. "What's the worst that can happen?"

Aaron groaned. "I hate you two sometimes."

Danica pinched Aaron's cheek. "Love you too, Baby Boy."

Aaron did not even fight back. He was stuck. He was stuck with Jayden. He was stuck with Danica. And worst, he was stuck with Timothy.

"Good grief…" Aaron muttered.

* * *

Vanessa looked at her friend with small worry.

"You're going _back_ to his house?" Chandra winced but nodded. "Bambi, that's stupid! You know exactly what he wants."

"And that would be…?" Ashton questioned. The two girls stared at him. "What? You don't expect me to believe that Chandra would screw Tevin while being so hopelessly in love with Santos, do you?"

"See? Even Ashton has the brains to understand what won't happen." Chandra said.

Ashton sat quietly, reading the look Vanessa was giving Chandra.

"You're kidding me." he finally said after several of minutes of silence. "Does Santos know?"

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Chandra questioned.

"You and Tevin…?" Ashton began. "It's… It's seriously something I didn't see you doing."

"Can you just drop it!" Chandra snapped quietly. "The last thing I want to do is for everyone to know!"

"Hey," Ashton replied in the same tone. "When I screw the enemy of your best friend, then you'll have the right to be mad."

"He's my boyfriend." Chandra said. "I can do whatever I want with him and guess what? It's none of your business!"

Ashton sat back in his seat. "I can't believe that you'd do that just because he dates your cousin. And we all know that when I think something is too low to be used, it's too low. I'd sell my sister to send my brother to the moon, but I wouldn't do anything like this."

"To who? Vanessa or Gabrielle?" Chandra spat back.

"Neither, definitely not Brie." Ashton answered. "That answer your question Bambi?"

Chandra glared at Ashton, though she knew he was right. What she had done was horrible a thing to do. Worst, she had done it to get even with Aaron, who has probably never seen Farah's bellybutton, let alone have sex with her.

"I'm going to sit somewhere else. See you guys later." Chandra said rising and then walking away.

Vanessa sighed. "You know that you didn't help her one bit, right?"

"Tch, like I care. Santos is so sprung over the girl and he probably doesn't even know that she's banging the only guy in the world that he hates." Ashton stated before frowning. "And why haven't you told him?"

"Do you really want A.J to see Bambi like that? It'll devastate him." Vanessa replied.

"You know," her ex began. "I'm starting to think that you don't want Santos to know. And I'm not comfortable with it." Vanessa opened her mouth. "V, I know about you and Santos's little problems, but understand that he is the only person that didn't think that I did any pills. With my dad always working, mom only worried about Steven, and Dakota not even really in the picture, he's the closest thing to a true brother that I have. That paint a picture of why I'm so mad?"

"I guess." Vanessa said. "I just… I just don't want A.J getting mad about it. He could do something wrong to Farah."

"Good. She deserves it." Vanessa found herself smiling at Ashton's words.

"Same ol' Ashton."

"Yes I am."

* * *

After school, Kelly found herself at her house preparing the normal homecoming meal with her father while Shane stayed after for the pep rally. Of course, cooking with her dad was normally more play than business whenever they were at home, and she found her face mottled with flour.

"Look at you two," Emma said while shaking her head. "I don't know how Jane puts up with you two."

"It's a burden, but someone has to!" Jane joked from the living room.

"Thanks a lot!" Gavin returned before wiping some of the flour off of his face with his sleeve. "Sean hasn't picked up Ana yet?"

"Not yet. Just me for the moment." Emma said before eying her ex-husband and daughter. "And I would have liked to see you two working in a _clean_ environment but of course that's just not happening, huh?"

"She started it." Kelly gaped at Gavin's statement, Emma giggling a bit at her daughter's reaction.

"Dad!" Kelly whined before hearing the doorbell ring. "Manny's here already?"

"Hello favorite people!" Jayden said entering the house. Kelly, Emma, and Gavin sighed before the boy entered the kitchen. "Ah, it feels so great to be out the house and not at work. How are you guys doing?"

Emma smiled. "What're you doing here Jayden? And where are your parents?"

"On their way. I told Dad that I'll drive myself since I thought Spinner would need help starting the grill and it would be a waste of time driving to my parents' house and then coming here." Jayden explained.

"You can go ahead and start it up if you want. Just don't burn down the house." Gavin said.

"Aye, aye captain." Jayden said with a mock salute.

Kelly frowned. "What's got you in such a good mood?"

"You know," Jayden said with a smile. "You _really_ don't want to know."

Kelly nodded as she watched her friend leave to wash his hands. And as he left, she hated him more and more. Jayden and Shane knew Kelly's knack for having to know certain things. For some reason, whenever they said something like "You really don't want to know" Kelly wanted to know the secret more. She knew that eventually her parents would leave the two alone and she was practically buzzing to know the secret.

"So," Emma said as Jayden reentered the kitchen, drying his wet hands with a paper towel. "What's the band looking like?"

"I think Dash is pulling the plug. Not that I necessarily care or anything." Now Emma frowned with her daughter knowing how much the band meant to Jayden. "We'll rebuild, Dash and I. Her boyfriend does the band Venom in Cali, so we're good if we all get together."

Emma's lips thinned. "So you're just getting rid of Jacob and Shane?"

"No. I mean, it's really not my call and you know I wouldn't leave Shane behind." Jayden answered. "He who must not be named, on the other hand, can go to a very hot place located a couple of miles beneath our very feet."

"Jayden." Emma said.

Jayden shrugged. "I tried helping him. I tried ignoring him. I tried making him laugh. Nothing works and I'm not even going to try. Besides, Laura told me that if I did anything to get into more trouble, she would come down here and kill us both. So, the less I think about _him_ the greater my chances of survival."

Gavin chuckled as Jayden walked to the backdoor.

"Yeah, I remember those days when I was married to a slightly controlling and overbearing woman. You either do it their way or not come home."

Jayden pointed at Gavin. "Exactly. Which is why I'm leaving the kitchen so you can deal with that 'slightly controlling and overbearing' woman and her daughter."

Gavin, who was busy making hamburger patties, paused in his work and looked at Kelly and Emma. Realizing that Jayden had left, Gavin only sighed.

"How did I let him talk me into this mess?" Gavin asked himself.

* * *

Chandra gave Tevin a smile.

"That was great," Chandra said. "But I really have to go. Helen will be pissed if I miss the game."

"I know." Tevin said before sharing a kiss with his girlfriend. "And like I said, it gets better in time."

Chandra only nodded. He was wrong. While losing her virginity had her in tears, the second time with Tevin hurt her as well. He was quite rough. But she had to pretend she liked it. She had to make him believe that having sex with him was better than just a kiss from Aaron. He fell for it, of course. But it was beginning to become too much for her to take.

"Do you need a ride?" Tevin asked.

"No, I have one." Chandra answered. "See you at the game?"

"Yeah, sure." With that, Chandra left his bedroom.

Tevin grinned. She came to him. Chandra came to _him_. No excuses. No exceptions. No explanations. She agreed to come to his house and they had sex, _again_. He would go find Dustin and remind the younger boy about their bet last year, but he knew Dustin would never take his word for it.

Which is why Tevin recorded it…

Getting out of his sheets, Tevin moved to the camera perched next to his TV. Chandra did not even notice it when she came in, which was a great thing. She surely would have flipped if she had seen in. But she didn't and now Tevin had the best leverage against both Dustin and Aaron.

"I told you I'd win." Tevin said retrieving the SD card from his camera. "I told you both."

* * *

They won. A controversial win depending on if Damon was inbounds or not when he caught the game-winning pass, but they won nonetheless. And Shane could not have been happier.

"Hey," Marc said to Shane. "Stop staring at their cheerleaders and look at ours."

"I can't stare at my girlfriend? You're watching yours." Shane countered.

"Yeah, well mine is a Degrassi cheerleader, not a Laker." Marc said walking by Shane.

Shane ignored him. Marc was always riding his back for something during practice and games, so this was nothing new. And though it was _highly_ forbidden for a student of Degrassi to go to the Lakehurst team due to past fights, Shane had to go see his girlfriend.

"Shane!" Nicole said hugging him, stopping his advance for the moment. "You were great!"

"Thanks, but I really need to talk to Dee for a moment." Shane replied.

"Sure. See you at your place later? You know, the big homecoming dinner and all." Nicole said.

Shane nodded. "Yeah, I'll be there."

Nicole smiled and jogged to catch up to Helen and Jacquelyn. Shane hated to admit it, but he could deny beauty especially in a skirt…

"No," Shane said to himself. "Deanna."

Shane scanned the area before finding his target.

"Deanna!" Deanna sighed at Shane's voice. She waited for him to catch up to her, disregarding all rules of no-contact with the Degrassi players. "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay Shane." Deanna replied.

Shane frowned. "What's wrong? Can I help? And why do you smell like…"

"Wine?" Shane nodded. "Because I'm too sips away from being unable to walk a straight line." Shane's frown increased. "You and Nicky seemed happy earlier."

"She was just congratulating me and asked if it was okay to come over for the dinner my parents made. I thought I'd drive you there and we can celebrate." Shane said before pausing. "Well, I could give you a great second-place prize."

"I don't think I should come."

Now Shane was worried. "Why?"

"I…" Deanna paused. "Do you love me Shane?"

"I think so. I'm not really sure." Shane answered honestly.

"Do you love Nicky?" Seeing his facial reaction, Deanna shook her head slightly. "That's what I've been drinking about for the past month! I can't compete with her Shane. You know that. You're just using me until you're ready to get back with her."

"No! No, that's not-"

"You might not think it, but you are." Deanna interrupted. "The only reason you slept with me was because you were angry with her. The reason why we talked so much over the summer was because she dumped you. The reason why we dated was because she was with Ethan. Everything you do with me is because of what Nicky does."

That was a good argument, Shane thought to himself. Coincidentally, every milestone he had with Deanna coincided with an event in Nicole and Ethan's relationship. But he did not plan it. Sure, he was angry when he saw Nicole kissing Ethan and wanted to get even, but he clearly chose to date Deanna because he liked her, not because Nicole was with Ethan.

"Dee, I don't want Nicky." Shane stated. "I want you. I want you to be happy and sober. You have to stop this."

"How?" By now Deanna was crying softly. "How can I? You don't even know me!"

"What are you talking about? You're Kelly's best friend and a good friend of mine as well. What is it that I don't know about you that doesn't violate personal space?" Shane returned.

"Everything!" Deanna told him. "I… They…" Deanna paused. "DeWayne was telling the truth. Originally I used Kelly to get close to you. I knew that if I was her friend, you'd notice me and I'd have a reason to be near you."

"Deanna…" Shane began.

"I didn't care about Kelly. I didn't care about Nicky. I didn't care about anyone but myself because that's who I am." Deanna said. "Did you know that about me?"

"No. No I didn't. And I didn't want to." Shane replied in a quiet tone.

"And now I'm an alcoholic. So there. There are things you don't know about me." Deanna shot at him. "And it's because of those things that you and I know that Nicky is a better choice for you."

"…" Shane only stood quietly.

"So please, break up with me." Deanna saw Shane turn around. "Break up with me before I break up with you Shane. It's the only right thing to do."

"Is that what you want?" Deanna waited until she saw Shane look at her before nodding. "Then do what you want. It's what you've done all along, right?"

"It was." Deanna muttered.

"Then I'm going to go and do what I want." Shane returned. He took a few steps away from Deanna before turning to her. "And you know something? I would've been okay if you told me this over the summer. I would've been okay if you told me this yesterday!"

"What are you saying?" Deanna asked.

"I don't know." Shane answered. "I don't know what love is supposed to feel like. I'm not that guy that just knows emotions. The only thing I know how to do is express what I feel like. And right now, I'm angry at you Deanna. Not because you used Kelly. Not because you're drinking. But because you hid it from me."

"Shane-"

"Listen to me," Shane cut her off. "I always liked that about you. You were always honest to me. The few times you weren't were the secrets you shared with Kelly. The secrets I never asked about because they were hers to keep. I just…"

"You wanted to know who I am, now here I am. This is the real Deanna Fitzgerald."

"You still look my girlfriend. You sound like her too." Shane said. "I guess if I asked you to act like her that would be asking too much since that's not what you want."

"I'm not acting. This is who I am." Deanna said. "If you want a perfect girlfriend, I suggest that you call Nicky."

"You're right. I should." Deanna felt her heart sink. "But I already had the perfect girlfriend. No matter what she did, she was still perfect."

"I can't be perfect!"

"You _are_ perfect!" Shane snapped back before sighing. "I… I have to go."

Deanna watched Shane walk away without saying anything else. He didn't even look at her. Earlier, she thought that breaking up with Shane and letting him be with Nicole would stop her from drinking. If she had nothing to worry about, she had nothing to drink about. But now the urge to drink was a lot stronger. She hadn't just lost her boyfriend, she lost a really good friend as well. Worst, she probably will lose Kelly as well.

"Dee, are you okay?" The question came from the always kind, always thoughtful, Angelina De Chaplin.

"Don't worry about it." Deanna responded in a harsh whisper. "Just go away."

"Are you-"

"I said go away!" Deanna snapped before storming off.

She had to drink now. She needed her mind to be so cloudy that the pain of losing Shane wasn't clear and evident. She needed an excuse of being so physically weak that she could not strangle her brother for aligning himself with Nicole in the first place. But most of all, she wanted to drown the former Deanna that had caused all of this.

* * *

With the celebration pretty much done for, Shane found himself alone in his bedroom. His family along with the McDuelle family and other friends always seemed to make time go by so fast. And now that Jayden's twins were there to steal everyone's attention, it seemed to be twice as lively as normal. But now Shane just wanted to stare at his ceiling and think.

He missed her. He knew he would, but not this much. He missed Deanna far more than he missed Nicole, and their relationship was longer than his and Deanna's. He shared a home with Nicole. He shared holidays with Nicole. Yet, Deanna meant so much more to him than that.

"Let me guess," Jayden said standing in Shane's doorway. "You and Deanna had a fight which is why she hasn't stopped by or answered Kelly's calls."

"We broke up." Shane plainly told Jayden before sitting up. "Do you know that she's drinking? Do you know that she actually used Kelly to get to know me?"

"She did what?" Kelly questioned stepping into Shane's room.

Shane sighed. "The rumors are true. She told me." Kelly only seemed to nod before leaving Shane's room completely. "Well, that's that."

"Not really." Jayden said closing Shane's door before leaning against. "If you want me to tell you the truth, I _did_ know that she used Kelly to get close to you." Shane frowned. "I snuck into her room during her party after we came back from Vancouver. Wasn't hard."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jayden shrugged at Shane's question.

"I guess I just wanted to leave well enough alone." Jayden said.

"You're pointing at Helen for not-"

"Two different things." Jayden interrupted. "Helen didn't tell me what Scarlett did and all hell broke lose. I could've prevented that. I didn't tell you about Deanna because that would be creating the chaos we have today." Jayden paused. "_Or_ you wouldn't believe me and I'd just let it die."

"Dude, my girlfriend tricked my sister into being friends with her to talk to me. Then she acted all nice and caring, when in reality she only did things to keep me away from Nicky." Shane said.

"…" Jayden's lips thinned before he sighed. "Shane, I'm going to be honest with you. I won't throw Deanna under a bus, but I'd drive the bus if I felt it necessary. You loved her and a part of me still believes you do."

"I don't think so. I can't love someone who isn't true to themselves, you know? I mean, that's all I ask for, honesty. That's all I asked from Jackie. That's all I asked from Scarlett. That's all I asked from Nicky." Shane said.

"Laura will lie to me when she finds it necessary because that's who she is. Deanna will do the same to you." Jayden replied.

"It's not the same." Shane said.

"Like I said, you love her. So call her and just squash this, okay?" Shane's eyes narrowed.

"And what are you getting out of this?" Jayden frowned at Shane's question. "You don't like Dee. And now I have a chance to be with Nicky again. So why does it sound like you're against the idea of me being with Nicky again?"

Jayden sighed. "Because I don't want to mess up a good thing. And you have a good thing with Deanna."

"She drinks."

"What's your point?" Shane grunted. "Shane, listen to me for a sec, okay? If I left your room, went to the Fitzgerald Mansion, and screwed Deanna, you'd hate me for the rest of your life. But you wouldn't if I did the same thing to Nicky. Why? Because you love Deanna."

"How do you know that I love Deanna?" Shane questioned.

"Kelly told me." Shane nearly face-palmed at Jayden's nonchalant answer. "But besides that, I've seen it. You care for her, a lot. And she cares a lot for you. Why else would she go out of her way to be with you?"

"I…" Shane paused. "I don't know."

"Just call her." Jayden said reaching for Shane's doorknob. "Because we both know that you've pretty much forgiven her for whatever it is she said she did."

"I can't understand why I don't hate her. No one uses my sister." Shane said.

Jayden laughed a bit. "Come on Shane, doesn't that just scream 'Deanna Fitzgerald?' You should've expected that." Shane's eyes narrowed. "Hey, don't be mad at me. You were the one so blinded by affection that you forgot that she was a schemer before you met her."

"I don't know Jay. I don't think I can talk to her now." Shane said as Jayden opened his door.

"Then date Nicky." Jayden responded. "But I promise you this, you will hate yourself if someone swoops in and makes Deanna forget about you. She may be the child of a bitch and a snake, but she's easy on the eyes and a few steps away from being a genius. Guys will be all over her."

"Like you?" Jayden laughed.

"Hell no! It'd be weird trying to bang my bro's wife!" Shane grinned at Jayden's words. "Just talk to her when you're ready. I'm sure you'll see what I'm talking about."

"Hey," Shane said stopping Jayden. "How do you know this?"

"Hello? Womanizer, remember? It's what I do." Jayden answered. "Plus, I went several of weeks playing this 'I hate you' game with Laura. Even when you win, you feel like a loser. I mean, I literally cried because she said she hated me and I believed her. I guess…" Jayden paused. "I guess when I realized that Laura was more than the bad things she's done, I saw her for who she really was. Yeah, she's got a banging body beneath those tight clothes that she just seems to love to wear, but she's better to talk to than to look at. I can just unwind with her and tell her anything. Was her number on a stall in the boys' bathroom? Yeah. But does that stop her from being the greatest thing that's happened to me? No." Jayden raised a brow. "That is how you feel about Deanna, right?"

Shane was stunned. Sure, Jayden wasn't dumb, but the boy had never gone in-depth about emotions to Shane before. That sort of talk was for Aaron or maybe Kelly. People who generally asked for Jayden's opinion. And then Jayden was able to specifically pinpoint how Shane felt about Deanna. Yeah, Shane has heard of all the bad that Deanna's done and then some, but that did not change the amazing girl that had just recently learned how to make grille cheese sandwiches without burning the bread. Was she the greatest thing that has ever happened o him? Shane did not know. But what he did know was that Deanna was important to him.

Even if she did lie to him and Kelly.

"I have to get home." Jayden said. "Just remember that I still don't like Deanna, but I like her for my best friend. So long as he's happy and not jacking off to photos of my mom."

"Ew!" Kelly shrieked as she was walking by and overheard Jayden.

"You said you'd never tell!" Shane joked.

The two boys laughed, knowing full well that Shane didn't even have pictures of Manny to do so. Jayden soon left and Shane soon calmed down to resume his thinking. Laura had slept with a number of guys before Jayden and Jayden didn't care. He loved Laura and would admit it any time of the day. Now, here was Shane, mad that his ex-girlfriend lied to him. That was nowhere near what Laura had done, and no one seemed to look at that.

"I gotta call." Shane said grabbing his cell phone from his nightstand. Speed dialing Deanna's number, Shane sighed. "Come on Dee… Pick up."

_"You've reached Deanna Fitzgerald. I'm unable to answer your call, so if you just leave a brief message, I'll return it as soon as I can. Thank you and have a good day."_

Shane sighed. "Deanna… We need to talk. Just… Just don't drink about this, okay? I… Damn. I don't want you to drink because of me. I don't want you to hurt because of me. I just want you. The good you. The bad you. So call, okay? And… Um, I don't know how to say this and I don't know if this is the right time or not, but I do kinda love you. I mean, I do love you. I love you Deanna Fitzgerald. I just…(sighs) Please call me. Bye."

* * *

_"…I love you Deanna Fitzgerald. I just… Please call me. Bye."_

DeWayne's brows rose as he looked at his sister, who had passed out with a bottle in hand. He felt bad for her, considering she had such a rough day. Then again she brought most of it on herself. She picked a fight with DeWayne and Nicole. She used dirty tactics to get Shane from Nicole.

Pressing a button, DeWayne smiled at the phone's voice.

_"Message deleted."_

"Sleep tight Dee." DeWayne said lying Deanna's phone on her dresser and then walking out of her room, closing the door behind her. "Bitch…"


	140. Webisode: A Shaky Moment

**A Shaky Moment**

As everyone knew, the _real_ tradition to do on New Year's was to get in trouble for coming in late. Or at least, that's the tradition Shane did with his best friend, Jayden. It was a tradition that ensured realism for the next year, or so they said. It wasn't supposed to bring luck of any kind. It was just to keep things real and simple. Their mothers being mad at them for breaking curfew was real and simple. And despite Jayden's famous family and Shane's not-so-famous family, the two agreed that that's all they really wanted in life. Real and simple.

Which brings Shane's attention to the girl currently waking him up from his slumber; Nicole Campbell. Her dark blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail, her blue eyes shining behind her glasses. Shane theorized that Nicole had not be up for long considering she did not have her contacts in. Then again, knowing Nicole like he did, she has probably been watching him sleep until the ideal moment to wake him up.

"Guess what?" Nicole asked in a low tone. Shane shrugged wondering if she was trying to be sexy or just sexy by default. Either way, her voice was clearly hinting something. "Your dad and Kelly are leaving for your mom's in a few minutes."

"Okay…" Shane egged her on.

Nicole smiled. "Which means that you and I will have the _whole_ house to ourselves!"

Ah, Shane thought. If there was one thing that he knew, it was that Emma Cameron did not want Shane and his girlfriend to be home alone. The fact that they _would_ be home alone brought a whole new set of rules and problems for the boy. However, Nicole was grinning like a child on Christmas so he really could not deny her of said happiness.

"I'm going to make breakfast." Nicole commented.

"Nicky you don't have to." Shane began as he sat up.

"No," Nicole replied. "I do." Shane saw the determined look in her eyes and knew he was beaten. "It's my way of saying thanks."

Shane grinned. "Nicky, I wouldn't let any of my friends remain homeless, no matter what."

"I'm thanking you for being the best boyfriend in the entire world." Nicole said with a smile as she leaned towards Shane.

"Try the whole universe." Shane responded before sharing a kiss with his jubilant girlfriend.

"Ahem," The two slowly pulled away as Kelly's voice registered in their ears. Shane and Nicole looked at the other blonde who gave them an amused look. "Dad and I are going to Mom's for breakfast. We'll be going to Jayden's house later. Don't make me come looking for you two Shane."

Shane sighed. "And why would you _assume_ that it would be _my_ fault if we're late?"

"Uh, because Nicky's one of my best friends in the entire world and thus can do no wrong." Kelly answered pointedly.

Nicole shrugged. "She's got a point Shane. It would be _your_ fault."

Shane watched the two girls giggle. He never understood how the two became "best friends" so fast. Sure, Kelly and Nicole never had problems before in school, but they did not really talk either. Nicole usually hung out with Helen and the other cheerleaders while Kelly stayed with the girls on her softball team or the friends shared between the Mason siblings. In fact, the only two friends that the two girls shared in common were Shane and Jayden. But since Nicole has moved in with them, Kelly and Nicole have been inseparable inside the home, doing each other's hair or nails. Maybe it was because they were blondes? But Shane could not complain. A part of him liked that they got along so well very much…

But there was a part that wanted his girlfriend to himself.

"Well," Kelly said. "I'll leave you two alone. Don't do anything stupid Shane."

Shane frowned. "And why do you assume that it'll be me that'll do something stupid?"

"Again, rule of the best friend. If you and Nicky agree to do something stupid, it's your fault." Kelly said. "Later."

Shane looked to see Nicole smiling a bit. He had categorized each of her smiles from the fake ones she gave some of the guys on the football team to the real ones that she gave him when he helped her sleep at night. Her real smile always let him know that she was not worried about anything at the moment. It was her fake smiles that worried him.

"So," Shane began. "Now that we're pretty much alone for the morning, what do you want to do?"

"First, cook breakfast." Nicole said moving off of his bed. "And then… Well whatever comes up."

Nicole saw Shane glance upwards in a thoughtful manner. Shane's creativity was normally seen when he and Jayden came up with some prank that normally got the two in trouble somewhere down the line. But Nicole knew that when Shane thought about something, he thought it out through and through. When he thought about dating Nicole, he had told her that Jacquelyn was a serious factor. He did not want to hurt Jacquelyn or create a rift between the two friends as his friend had down the Coyne Cousins. Of course, Nicole had solved her problem with Jacquelyn- or so Jacquelyn says- and thus Shane had nothing to worry about.

"Fine." Shane said attempting to move out of his bed only for Nicole to put her hands on his shoulder.

"No, let me do this." Nicole pleaded.

Shane smiled. "Nicky, I don't find it fair that you can thank me for being such an awesome boyfriend but I can't thank you for being a better girlfriend."

Nicole relented with a smile. He had a point, a very valid point. If she wanted to thank him then he had the right to return the gesture. Besides, cooking with Shane had become one of Nicole's favorite things to do. Not that it was overly romantic or anything like that, but it was when nothing else mattered. Sure, she still had small pains and cravings for cocaine, but they never came when she was cooking with Shane.

"Okay." Nicole said allowing Shane to stand in front of her. "But you'll let me do most of it, okay?"

"We'll split it fifty-one forty-nine." Shane answered. "I don't want you to do _everything_ just enough to make you happy and me satisfied."

Nicole grinned. "Thank you."

"I thought you were making breakfast to say that?" Shane questioned with a grin of his own.

Nicole could not help but to reach up and pull him down for a heavy and heated kiss. He replied as she knew he would but Nicole was not really doing this for his pleasure. This act was all for her. She wanted to show him that her affection for him was beyond what she knew Scarlett felt for Jayden.

"Come on," Shane said when they broke away. "Let's go make breakfast together."

Nicole was happy, possibly happier than any girl in the world now. Sure, Helen was dating Alexander who did everything she ordered. And of course Laura had Jayden to solve any of her problems whether he used his wits, money, or charm to do so. But Nicole had Shane. She had someone who would stand up to her parents and tuck her in and cook her meals when she needed it. And nothing was better than that.

After washing their hands, Shane and Nicole prepared their breakfast. Shane had to admit that there was something alluring about watching Nicole fry bacon. There was Nicole. There was bacon. Was there even a better combination than that? He couldn't think of one.

"Mind if I turn on the radio?" Shane shook his head to Nicole's question and watched her turn on his dad's old radio that sat on the counter next to the sugar dish.

Shane had to smile when Nicole began to sing along with some old Katy Perry song called Fireworks. She danced around the kitchen, her feet gliding over tile easily to the up-tempo beat. She seemed to free whenever she did things like this. There were times that Shane worried that Nicole would go back to smoking, but whenever she was dancing and cooking, those thought seemed to be the furthest things in his mind.

Unfortunately, Nicole's show was over when they had finished cooking and set down to eat their breakfast. Bacon and eggs was one thing, but Nicole practically lived for two things in the Mason's household: Gavin's cinnamon rolls and Shane's pancakes. And right now Nicole was savoring the buttery-milky goodness of Shane's pancakes. They were practically the only thing that could keep Emma's five and Manny's seven children quiet at the table as they all ate in peace. And that was saying something.

"I can make some more, you know." Shane's statement snapped Nicole out of her reverie and caused her to blush a bit.

Shane smiled. Nicole did not blush often, but when she did she went from sexy to cute. Of course, Kelly had warned Shane about saying that aloud, but he meant no harm by it. He just meant that her sex appeal had been replaced by a cute, innocent look. But Kelly insisted that a girl could take that the wrong way.

Yet if _Jayden_ said it…

Shane shook his head a bit. Sometimes he swore his friend had a charm that just worked when it came to the opposite sex.

As for Nicole, she was slightly embarrassed that she had practically lost herself in the taste of his cooking. Her parents had taught her proper table manners, but sometimes Nicole lost them when food tasted this good. She really did not want Shane to see her wolf down three pancakes.

Then again, she knew he didn't care. Shane truly cared about her and something such as her scarfing down pancakes would not change that.

After breakfast was finished, Shane found himself lying on the couch with Nicole, watching some holiday cartoons. With it being the first of the year, the last of the holiday cartoons were playing practically all day.

"Hey," Nicole said, twisting to look at Shane. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure." Shane replied.

"Did you ever hear about Jayden and Laura doing things _before_ they began dating?" To his credit, Shane did an excellent job of not showing his surprise. Sometimes Nicole was ten times as smart as people said she was.

"What? Why do you want to know that?" he asked.

Nicole sighed. "Nate and Scooter were talking about it when I used to go to the ravine." Shane nodded. That made sense. "I don't know. Just some of what they said made sense. And then there's this thing that Laura does when she's jealous…"

"Jealous about what?" Shane questioned.

"Whenever Scarlett was around, Laura would do this thing with her eyes. Kind of like she was trying to set Scarlett on fire or something." Nicole stated. "Just saying. They thought that they were sleeping around and I was just wondering if Jayden told you or anything like that."

"Promise not to tell?" Nicole nodded enthusiastically, obviously interested in her friends' gossip. "Jayden slept with Laura the night you got kicked out of your house. The next day Jayden broke up with Scarlett because he felt bad and he wanted her to have whatever fun she could with DeWayne without getting in the way. The problem was he began falling for Laura and thus they began fighting and screwing each other on a daily basis." Shane paused and sighed. "_Finally_, Laura told Jayden that she loved him, he felt bad about not believing her so he got her like this necklace that was probably more expensive than Kelly's laptop. He came back from Newport, they kissed and made up, and here we are today."

Nicole gasped. "Wow… I never knew."

"Yeah. Their life is filled with drama." Shane stated.

"Yeah, but do you know the best part of their story?" Shane frowned but understood Nicole's plan when he was on his back with her straddling his hips. "The part where they had sex…"

"You having fantasies about my friend?" Shane asked with a smile.

"You haven't had fantasies before?" Nicole returned. "They're perfectly normal Shane."

Shane never got the chance for a comeback as Nicole pressed her lips to his once more. It was weird how he could tell what she wanted from just a kiss. Sometimes she kissed him because she wanted to say something such as "Good morning" or "Thank you". Others she kissed him as a gesture to show that she felt happy and safe from whatever nightmare she was having. But kisses like the ones she was giving him now were more blunt and loud. In Shane's mind, it was a "screw me now or die" kiss. And he really did not want to die.

Despite their limited time, there was no rush once their clothes were off. Every intense moment was rather slow and prolonged. Every thrust, every movement, every kiss, and every sound was stretched out for their maximum pleasure. Neither cared that they were pretty much exposed on the living room couch. For the moment, nothing else mattered. They had each other completely.

But all good things must come to an end, and with a rather loud scream, Nicole and Shane came undone. They rested for only a moment before scrambling to the shower to clean up and get dressed for the day. But as always, the couple squeezed a moment of play between getting cleaned and getting dressed, thus barely making it in time for Kelly to enter Shane's room.

"So," Nicole stopped giggling for a moment, a smile on her face as she pinned Shane's body to his bed with hers. Both Shane and Nicole stared at Kelly as girl spoke. "Mom said that you two would do something outrageously stupid if left alone and I believe her."

"We were wrestling." Nicole said. "And I won."

"I let you win." Shane replied.

"Well get your shoes on. It's time to go." Kelly told them.

"Aw, we were going for round two." Nicole said.

"I'm sure you were." Kelly said before walking away.

Shane stared up at his beautiful girlfriend, glad to see her go through most of the day without a thought of smoking. It made him happy to see her in her former glory. Her smile, as infectious as it always was, seemed to illuminate every part in his room that the sun could not reach.

"Are you ready to go?" Shane asked her.

"I guess." Nicole replied before giving him a sultry grin. "And I really was going for round two."

Shane gaped as Nicole practically slithered off of him and glided out of his room to retrieve her shoes. He didn't base his relationship around sex, but he loved having it with Nicole. It was something he once fantasized about and now his memories did nothing but enticed him more.

"Shane, let's go!" Nicole called.

"Dad's waiting!" Kelly added.

It didn't take Shane long to put his shoes on and meet his sister and his girlfriend near the front door.

"Are you ready?" Shane said.

"About time," Kelly said before smiling. "And next time, spray." Shane frowned. "The house reeks of sex. Good thing I didn't tell Mom to pick you up, huh?"

"You know me too well sis, you really do." Shane replied as the trio left the house.

"Shotgun!" Nicole called.

"I'm driving." Shane said, causing Kelly to sigh heavily.

"Why do I even bother?" Kelly said handing the keys over to Shane as they neared their dad's truck. "So what did you two accomplish today? I'm guessing getting anything done would be pushing it since you two can't go a day without touching each other."

Shane smiled as he started the truck. "I guess you can say things were a little shaky this morning, but we'll manage. Won't we Nicky."

"Like always."

Kelly smiled. She was happy her brother had someone that not only kept his attention away from girls that would be potentially harmful, but also kept him out of trouble. They were happy together and probably deserved more time alone than Emma was willing to give. That's where Kelly came in. Kelly was _supposed _to stay with them all morning but complained until she got her way, a trick Jordan seemed to have stolen and perfected.

After all, when things go "shaky" Kelly did not want to be anywhere around to hear it.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Now, I was going to post this last week, but with the new episode being the break-up up Shane and Deanna, I thought it would go great here. Next week will be the last episode for a while as it is the end of the first half of Season 5. Due to my timing, D3G won't be back until September or maybe October. Sorry. Anyway, please continue to read and send in reviews. I love hearing feedback from all of you. Ciao.


	141. S5 Episode X: Caught Up

**Episode X: Caught Up**

Gabrielle sighed. She wasn't really up for school, but her mother insisted that she was well enough to go. Thankfully she and Jay had concocted a plan to get her out early. Again, lying to her mom made her feel bad, but she was thankful that her dad came up with such a beneficial plan.

"Brie!" Gabrielle paused at the steps. Ashton jogged towards her, apparently out of breath. "How… Are you feeling?"

Gabrielle smiled. "Better. I still have a small headache and my nose is a little stuffy, but fine."

"Good." Ashton said. "Um, about the other day. I'm _not_ sorry for saying what I said to Nigel, _but_ I guess I could have told him at a better time and in a calmer fashion."

"Is that your way of saying that you're sorry?" Ashton knew she was teasing him, but there literally was nothing he could do. This _was_ his way of apologizing.

"Brie." Ashton sighed.

"Ashton," Gabrielle said. "Just say what you want and don't be a coward."

Ashton blinked in shock at her words before realizing what she meant. He had inadvertently called her one when she was fussing at him for ruining her and Nigel's first date. Of course, back then, he was still dating Vanessa. Now he wasn't. Now there were no excuses.

And there was no need for words either.

Gabrielle was mildly surprised when Ashton boldly kissed her, but she responded. It amazed her how natural kissing was as her only experience was with Ashton and Dustin. Of course, with Dustin, she had always found herself thinking before doing it. With Ashton, it just happened. It was like a force far greater than her knowledge made her do it and do it right. And every time Ashton lips came in contact with hers, she felt the fireworks burst inside of her mind. It was the most wonderful thing she had ever felt in her life.

"That say it loud enough?" Ashton said in his normal cocky tone when he pulled away.

"Yeah…" Gabrielle replied quietly. "Um… Should we get ready for class?"

Ashton took her hand in his. "Sure Brie."

Both of them felt different as they walked up the steps. This was not like the first time Ashton had asked her out and she agreed. This time was much different. The first time were just a boy and a girl trying to understand their feelings for one another. This time, it was a boy and a girl knowing that no matter what, they would always find their way back to each other. It was comforting and exciting all at once. Plus, Ashton could rub it in Aaron's face that he got Gabrielle faster than Aaron could get back with Chandra.

What a lovely day this is going to be…

* * *

Scarlett was a little peeved that Jayden got suspended. Without him, she was basically alone again. Helen ran off with her friends, leaving Scarlett to wander the halls for someone to talk to. Thankfully, there was one person she could go speak to.

"Hey," Scarlett said nearing Shane. "Why the long face?"

"Deanna broke up with me." Shane answered.

"Really? Why?" Shane shrugged.

"I don't know. Something about Nicky being perfect for me or whatever." said Shane. "I don't really understand what she's trying to tell me though. I mean, between her drinking and her lies, I didn't really catch much of anything else."

Scarlett gasped. "She _drinks_? For what?"

"She said it was because she knew that Nicky was the better choice for me." Shane told his ex.

"Well, can't argue with her there. You have known Nicky longer. You've _lived_ with Nicky longer." Scarlett pointed out.

"You're not helping at all." Shane said. "I can't just forget about Dee, alright? I'm sure you don't understand what I'm feeling."

"How can't I? I'm chasing after my ex, remember?" Scarlett returned.

"No. When you and Jayden split, you went after DeWayne. I don't want to go after anyone and I don't want Deanna to go after anyone either. I just want my girlfriend." Shane said. "That's what you don't understand Scarlett."

Scarlett sighed. "You're right. But you're not going to get her all mad and stuff. Maybe you should just relax. Text her. Call her. But relax."

"That's what Jay said." Scarlett smiled a bit. Leave it to Jayden to try to solve everyone's problems but his own. "And I guess you two have a point. I do need to calm down. I might say something that I don't mean. Well, I _do_ mean, I just don't mean for it to sound like I'm coming off as the aggressor."

"Look at you, already making up for your mistakes." Scarlett said with a smile. "Now, how about you wipe that frown off of your face and walk me to class?"

"And why would I do that?" Shane questioned.

"Because the guy that normally would isn't here. And you have been appointed as his replacement." Scarlett stated.

Shane sighed. "Sorry Scar, but I can't. You're too pro-Nicky for me to be around and soon I'll be thinking more and more about Nicky than I should."

"Shane," Scarlett began. "Remember when we talked at Kelly's birthday party at the Fitzgerald's place? You were so down about losing Nicky. This is the same thing."

"It feels different." Shane muttered.

"I'm sure it does." Scarlett responded. "And if you want my help with Nicky, I'll help. If you want help with Deanna, I'll try to be as supportive as I can. I still hate her."

Shane chuckled a bit. "That's funny. That's also something Jayden said." Scarlett grinned. "Now I'm starting to think you did place a tracer on him or something."

Scarlett rolled her eyes.

"Whatever Shane."

* * *

Being suspended gave Jayden a lot of time to do things that he normally could not, especially with his sister.

"Sloppy!" Danica barked at him as he panted.

"Give… Give me a minute…" Jayden said before sighing heavily. "How'd you stay so good?"

Danica only rolled her eyes. The two were using their parents' backyard to practice some soccer drills. And, like years ago, Danica looked mildly tired at best while Jayden was sweating heavily.

"Wow son, you are getting old." Maxwell said while feeding Jaylen.

"He's not getting old. Just slow." Manny replied while doing the same to Daniella.

"I'd like to see you two try it. Your daughter is some athletically gifted freak." Jayden said gaining a glare from his older sister. "Oh come on! When do you have time to practice some of this? Did you just watch in on TV and assuming you can do it?"

"I find time." Danica said balancing the soccer ball on her left foot. "You might want to block this or duck."

"Oh come-" Was all Jayden got out before Danica kicked the ball into the air and head-butted it towards her brother at a high rate. Jayden brought his forearms up, blocking the ball from hitting his face. "Did you two see that?! She tried to kill me!"

"Stop whining." Maxwell said. "And Danni, no face shots."

Danica huffed. "Dad, he's not going to get better just by lying with his kids all day. He needs practice and he needs it bad."

"He needs to figure out what he's going to do with his defunct band. The press will be all over that soon and if there is no comeback for them, then I want some money back. That was a year contract and you barely made eight months." Maxwell said.

"I don't care about that. I'll go solo if I have to." Jayden replied. "Jacob's just being a little pansy who cries over his parents divorce and all that terrible stuff."

"Jayden, be more considerate. I've raised you better." Manny chided. "And Jacob is just down about his parents' losing their marriage. It isn't easy for kids to go through that. Their parents splitting isn't easy."

"You guys split and I was fine when that happened." Jayden pointed out.

Manny sighed. "Jayden, you were two and I doubt you know what was really going on."

"Though he does make the strong point that Danni was fine with it." Maxwell said.

"You two," Manny stated. "The point is, we didn't get a divorce _and_ you admitted you were wrong." Maxwell only laughed quietly. "So he has a good reason to feel what he's feeling. You should try to be a lot more supportive than what you are."

"I seriously tried Mama. But I can never seem to feed him the B.S that he wants. It just isn't in me." Jayden said rolling the soccer ball beneath his right foot. "It's bad enough I had to deal with 'Hey Jay, are you still with Laura?' or 'Saw your baby mama, she looks hot and single' every day."

"Well you know she isn't single and that she loves you. You need to learn how to let that be enough." Manny said.

Jayden sighed. "It's never going to be enough Mama. That's why I hated it whenever Helen and I went out. It wasn't a moment where they weren't finding us."

"Should've stayed away from the mall. You know that's where they're at." Danica told her brother.

"It's not that simple. Helen and I didn't ask for this life. We deal with everyday just like you guys. We don't complain. We don't whine. We just do what we must to get through the day. So why can't he?" Jayden argued.

"That's just how it is. But you can't go around throwing your chip on everyone else's shoulder Jayden. That's what our parents have been trying to tell you." Danica said. "Now are you going to kick the ball or marvel in its roundness?"

Jayden grunted before kicking the ball towards his sister, who caught it with little trouble.

"Why are you so good at everything?" Jayden asked.

"Because I am," Danica said. "And you're not."

"Whatever." Jayden replied.

"Jay," Manny said hearing his phone ring from the kitchen. "I think that's Laura."

"It's sad that you know her ringtone better than I do." Jayden said jogging towards the backdoor. Entering the kitchen, he found his cell phone on the counter and answered it. "Hey. What're you doing calling me-"

"Jayden," Laura interrupted him. "I'm going to text you a web address. Go to your room. Close your door. And go to the website. _Don't_ show anyone else, _especially _your brother."

Jayden frowned. "Okay, okay, what's going on?"

"Just do what I said. I have to go. Kiss the kids for me and I love you."

"Laura wait-" Laura hung up before he could finish his statement. Sighing, Jayden went to the backyard. "Danni, can I borrow your laptop for a moment?"

"If you're trying to download nude photos of your girlfriend, do it when you get home." Danica responded as she juggled the ball with her knees and feet only.

"It's important. Laura told me to check this site out." Jayden told her.

"Go ahead." Amazingly, Danica had yet taken her attention off of the ball. He questioned how long she could stay like that, but brushed it aside as he went to get Danica's laptop from the entertainment room.

"Alright Laura," Jayden said reading his new text from Laura. "What do you have me looking at?" After hitting Enter, Jayden was sent to a porn site. "Laura, what in the…" He paused when he recognized a familiar face. "Jesus Christ!"

"What?" Jayden quickly slammed the laptop closed as his father entered the room. "I didn't think you needed to look at those kind of sites considering you're already beyond the birds and the bees explanation."

"Dad, I know you're probably going to make me work in the paper room for the next three months, but I seriously have to go to school." Jayden said, rising with Danica's laptop. "I promise I'll explain later but-"

"Explain now." Maxwell interrupted in a firm tone.

Jayden sighed. "Okay, but please don't tell A.J." Maxwell nodded a bit. "There's a sex tape of Chandra…"

"I'm sorry I don't understand what you said." Jayden nodded. "Chandra Torres? Bambi? She did what again?"

"I don't know how Laura stumbled upon this, but that's what I have to go do. Find out who did this and stop it before…" Jayden paused. "Let's just say I know a thing or two about when a loved one screws you over in the public eye."

"Go." Maxwell said. "But you're on an hour limit. Not a second later."

Jayden did not say anything else, just dashing out of the room with the laptop in hand. Maxwell sighed as he moved to the couch and sat down. He blinked before realizing Jayden left his phone and picked it up.

"This is the site huh?" The man said before going to the desktop in the corner of the room. "Let's see who runs your domain and we'll find out who is responsible."

* * *

"Hey A.J," Chandra said with a wide smile as he neared her at her locker. "I heard that Uncle Sav is taking Farah and Hakim out for some family fun. So what does that leave you?"

"Depends on what Dustin and Jordan have planned." Aaron answered sincerely. "But, if I can, I'll stop by." Chandra's grin brightened. "Did you hear about Brie and Ashton?"

Chandra nodded as she pulled out her math textbook.

"Yeah. Vanessa told me." Aaron frowned. "Oh don't worry, she's completely okay with it. I mean, even you have to admit that they were destined for each other."

Aaron shrugged a bit. "If I believed in destinies and stuff." Chandra gave him a confused stare. "I was made by two celebrities, so whether I like it or not, I had what many did not. It wasn't my 'destiny' or anything. I had the right to say yes or no to whether or not I accepted it, and I didn't for the majority of the time."

"I guess you have a point." Chandra said. "But, if I believed that I was _destined_ to be with a certain American ex of mine, what would you say?"

"Destiny might be one smart girl." Chandra laughed at Aaron's response. "But seriously, before that, we have to find a way to make sure that no one knows about you and Tevin. And Farah might be the one to tell them."

"You're right." Chandra stated.

"Good thing it was a one time thing or we'd be in a serious mess." Aaron said.

Chandra smiled. "It's a great thing. Now, to class Mr. Santos or else."

"You're starting to sound like Laura. Or worse, Danni." Aaron replied. "But we should be heading to class."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Chandra stated.

Aaron smiled as he walked with his friend down the hall. Something in his gut told him that she was hiding something by the way she was so quick to get to class. Chandra never wanted to get to class as fast as she did today. Normally she'd be walking this fast _away _from class. But he didn't say anything. If he knew Chandra, she would either tell him when she was ready or attempt to fix it before he knew about it. Though, he really hoped that it was neither and just his imagination.

* * *

Nicole may not have been the brightest, but she could read some people like an open book. Shane Mason was one of those people she read often.

Currently sitting in their second period class, Nicole noticed that he was a bit off today. Whenever he began to write something, his pencil would pause and he would have a faraway stare on his face. Sure, some would say that he was just over-thinking whatever he was putting down on paper. But Nicole knew better than that. Shane wrote, and said, the first thing that came to mind always. Having a deep thought like this was something Nicole expected Kelly or Jacob to have. People who take the time to actually think long and hard about whatever they are about to say and how to say it.

Nicole's green eyes moved to Scarlett. Scarlett was also having small problems writing about the prompt they were given, though the girl never once looked up for inspiration or down in desperation. No, Scarlett would pause and glance towards Shane. This was odd because Nicole had already pinned which way Scarlett always glanced at and it was always in the direction Jayden- or in this case his desk- was located. Now, for whatever reason, Scarlett's mind was fixated on Shane. This only meant one thing.

Shane had a serious problem if he went to Scarlett about it.

"Pencils down." The class groaned, but complied as they each closed the composition notebooks in front of them. "I will give you five extra minutes tomorrow to finish these up."

Scarlett sighed as she sat back in her seat. "This is torture…"

"What? You think so?" Shane taunted. Scarlett gave him a small fixated stare. "You're always the one that tells me not to complain about assignments and just do them."

"This is different." Scarlett replied before looking at Nicole. "Something wrong Nicky? You look lost."

Nicole snapped out of her thoughts.

"I'm fine!" Shane and Scarlett looked at one another and then at the grinning blonde. "Seriously! Why do you ask that?"

"Well… You're just staring at us." Shane stated.

"Oh! No, I was just thinking." Nicole replied.

"About…?" Scarlett questioned.

Now Nicole sat there as she attempted to formulate a ruse good enough to work. Of course, between the always perceptive Scarlett Chessex and a guy that knew her as well as Shane, making a lie believable enough was practically impossible.

"I was just thinking," Nicole began. "How long it's been since you two dated."

Scarlett and Shane gave her similar frowns before looking at one another.

"Really? Why?" Scarlett said turning her attention towards Nicole.

Nicole shrugged. "I don't know. I just was." Nicole then turned to Shane. "So… How are you Shane? Did Deanna ever call?"

"Uh, no, she didn't. We kind of broke up."

Shane saw it. Scarlett saw it. A light seemed to sparkle behind those green contacts that Nicole loved to wear. They both knew that Nicole would be happy about that information. She wanted Shane to break up with Deanna more than anyone.

"Oh… Well, I'm sorry about that." Nicole said.

Scarlett nodded skeptically. "Sure you are."

"What? I am! I don't want him down about their break-up. He should be happy like normal." Nicole stated.

"And just how do you plan on making Shane 'happy'?" Scarlett asked.

"Hmm," Nicole thought for a moment before snapping her fingers. "Jackie, Scooter, and I were going to the movies later. He can come with me."

Scarlett thought as well before nodding. "It's a deal."

"Wait a minute, don't I get a say in this?" Shane said.

"Shane, we're your friends. We know what's best for you, and at the moment, Nicky's right. You don't need to be moping all around over Deanna. I'm sure she will call you." Scarlett stated. "But in the meantime, relax and go to the movies with your friends."

"First, I hate Scooter, and secondly, Jackie and Nicky aren't necessarily 'friends.' Up until like a week ago, I hardly spent time with either of them outside of school." Shane responded. "Besides, doesn't it look kind of fishy? I mean, they're both my exes and one of them won't have someone to go with and-"

"Just go to the movies." Scarlett interrupted before looking at Nicole. "He'll be ready whenever you stop by."

Nicole only smiled as Shane sunk in his seat a bit. DeWayne held up his end of the deal, so Nicole figured she could find a way to keep Scarlett away from Jayden. She felt a bit bad about doing so, considering she and Scarlett were friends. But a deal was a deal and Nicole hated giving out IOUs. She would do so to make them even.

She just wished that none of them, Helen especially, learned of this.

* * *

"Darcy!" Darcy stared at the boy who had just rushed into her office with laptop in hand. "Darcy, I need you to find Chandra Torres."

"Jayden," Darcy said with a sigh. "First, what have we said about this 'Darcy' business? At school-"

"I'm suspended so it doesn't apply. I'm technically not a student now, I'm a visitor." Jayden interrupted. "So therefore, _Darcy_, I need to find Chandra Torres. It's really important."

"How important is important?" Darcy asked.

"My dad let me come down here with an hour window. So I think it's that important." Jayden replied. "I'm serious, if it wasn't important, I would've called her and just let her get in trouble for using her phone. But I wanted to tell her this face-to-face. Better, show her."

Darcy released another sigh. "Alright Jayden, give me a second." Jayden impatiently shifted from foot to foot as Darcy pulled up Chandra's schedule. "She should be in Mr. Isaacs's class."

"Thank you." Jayden stated before pausing at the door. "By the way, my mom said to give her a call some time."

"I will. Now go." Darcy told him. Jayden rushed out of the office causing the woman so smile. "I wonder what's so big."

* * *

Chandra did not know what was worse. There was the fact that she had just completed a quiz she was not prepared for or the fact that she had just lied to Aaron about having sex with Tevin just once. She would tell Aaron later, she figured, when he and her were getting back together and trying to start with a clean slate. She just hoped he didn't flip like his brother did on Jacob…

A knock came on the door, drawing the class's attention.

"Hey Mr. Isaacs, mind if I borrow Chandra for a sec? It won't take long I promise, and I have permission from Darcy." Jayden said.

"Sure." Toby said before looking at Chandra. "Chandra, you're excused."

A plethora of feelings ran through Chandra. She was happy to get a break from class, but Jayden's demeanor told her that it was something big. Instantly, her mind went to Aaron. Something big must have happened to Aaron which is why Jayden came to her.

Too bad he was here for her.

"You had sex with Tevin?" Chandra frowned at Jayden's question.

"I thought A.J told you?" Chandra questioned.

Jayden's eyes narrowed. "Don't play dumb with me Chandra. You went to him before the game, didn't you?" Chandra's mouth fell agape before she nodded slowly. "Are you that stupid? What were you thinking?"

"I-"

"Don't answer that," Jayden said before opening Danica's laptop and showing Chandra the screen. "I already know."

Chandra's eyes went wide. "What the hell?!"

"Imagine my shock when I see you in your birthday suit." Jayden told her. "Chandra, do you know that this is on the web? People are watching you have sex with Tevin and getting their rocks off to this. There will be guys who will remember you for…"

Chandra shivered as Jayden's eyes scanned her body before locking onto her eyes again. She got what he was saying. There were pedophiles and other perverts who did nothing all day but watched videos of little girls like her. They will now have a very vivid image of what she looked like clothed and unclothed.

"I… I didn't know he was recording it." Chandra stammered.

"That's the least of your worries because Laura says that this video is one of many going viral at her school. Apparently your little boyfriend wanted to make you out to be his…" Jayden paused.

"H-hoe?"

"Bitch." Jayden finished. "Do you know how dirty this is? I mean, even for me and I've always thought that you had such a great developing body. I can't even…" Jayden paused. "I'm pissed at you Chandra. How could you do this to yourself?"

"I'm sorry. I just… I don't know what I was thinking. I mean, he's my boyfriend. Isn't that what you do with Laura?" Chandra returned.

"I love Laura and what we do behind closed doors isn't on the internet." Jayden said.

"Can you help me?" Chandra stated. "If A.J or my parents find out-"

"_Aaron_? You're watching yourself in a porno and the first thing you're worried about is _Aaron_?" Jayden cut her off. "No. Forget A.J. He is the least of your worries. The cops and your life is what you should be worried for. You just went through a year dealing with heavy stress Chandra. I don't want you to go through that again, and I know you don't either. What we need to do now is find a way to get rid of this problem once and for all. Not just solve it."

Chandra nodded. "You're right. I do need to fix this. But you're wrong about A.J. A.J will always be one of the first things I think about because I don't want him out of my life. And I know that I will lose him if he sees this." Jayden opened his mouth. "He may be your brother and you might know him better than I, but it doesn't mean that he isn't as important to me as he is to you. I need A.J."

"I'm not seeing it." Jayden commented.

"I know I've screwed up Jayden. But haven't you?" Jayden's eyes narrowed. "Your brother is the only person that's there when I need them to be. Even when he's mad at me."

"That's just who he is." Jayden pointed out.

"I know. And I know I don't deserve him. He asked me to wait for him and I ended up dating Oliver." Chandra said. "But, if you let me, I can make this all up to him. I promise."

Jayden stared down at Chandra. Truthfully, he knew how badly Aaron was into Chandra. He had always known since they first came to Toronto. Back then, Jayden had made fun of Aaron as Aaron was the quiet nerd and Chandra was the popular girl at their former school. It was no different here in Degrassi. Chandra was still the popular cheerleader and Aaron was the nerdy boy with nerdy friends. Yet, like in every terrible clichéd movie, the two found a way to click and work. And they always would.

"You don't need my permission, Bambi," Jayden said with a small smile. "I just wish that you thought about this before doing it."

"I do too." Chandra said quietly as Jayden closed the laptop. "But it's too late and now-"

"Hey, hey," Jayden soothed as he saw her near in tears. "Danni and I will do everything in our power to get you through this. We trained you for this earlier, remember? I had to do the interview about Laura's pregnancy."

"But that's not the same! That wasn't about me! That wasn't about slutty I've become!" Chandra bawled out. "A.J is going to hate me for the rest of my life! And it's all because everyone will remember me for some stupid video that I didn't even know was made!"

"Now you see how I felt about the whole paternity test fiasco." His words did nothing but caused Chandra to cry. "Come on Bambi, please lighten up. I promise you it'll get easier. I just need time."

"Time? I don't have it and I can't keep relying on you Jayden." Chandra cried softly.

Jayden sat Danica's laptop on the floor before pulling Chandra into a tight embrace.

"Last year," he began. "I told you that I won't let my friends being hurt. That statement still stands whether you're A.J's best friend, his ex, his current, or his fiancée. You and I are still friends and therefore I'll help you."

"Thank you Jayden." Chandra said quietly as she refused to let go of him.

"You're welcome Bambi." Jayden replied while hugging her.

Though he said this, in his mind he questioned how to go about this. Publicizing this would be what he was trying to avoid, so no authorities should be contacted. However, avoiding the police and lawyers and such meant that if he got caught harming Tevin then he could face charges. Then there was Aaron, who Jayden did not want to find out about this. That would be tough considering how smart Aaron was. Jayden's brother could figure out things before anyone could throw him a hint. Fortunately, Jayden did know the one thing to throw Aaron off of his game and would use it if necessary. And at the end of it all, Chandra would be in the clear, Tevin would pay, and Aaron would only hear about it if Chandra told him.

Now was the time for another game of human chess.

* * *

The bell for lunch rang creating frenzy in the hallways. Gabrielle fought her hardest to make it through the large crowds, but found herself being buffeted by the larger bodies easily. Thankfully her target was a lot closer than she thought and she stepped out of the large cloud of bodies.

"Amber!" Amber looked at Gabrielle, a small frown marring her face. "Did you, you know, decide?"

Amber took in a deep breath and slowly released it. Hurting people's feelings was something she did not necessarily like; that was Mary-Jane's thing. But this decision was for the best whether Gabrielle agreed with her or not.

"I'm getting an abortion." Amber stated quietly.

Gabrielle nodded. "Oh. Okay then."

"Brie," Amber began. "I understand where you're coming from, but this isn't the same, okay? I don't want _this_. I don't want anything that reminds me of what happened. Nothing at all."

"I understand." Gabrielle said quietly. "Um, I have to get to lunch."

"You're mad." Amber stated.

Gabrielle nods again. "A little."

"Why? Do you want me-"

"Yes. I do." Gabrielle interrupted Amber. "I don't have a family like you. I just had a mom and her girlfriends which never lasted. No aunts and uncles. No cousins. Just a mom. Now I have a chance to have a dad and a brother and maybe a niece or nephew. I want that. I want a family like that."

"But this will be created by rape. How can you live with that?" Amber asked.

"I'm a drunken mistake. Or so that's what people say about me." Amber's face fell, feeling nothing but sympathy for Gabrielle now. "And if you keep it, you'd have me to help."

"Brie, no offense, but you're in grade eight. There's really nothing you could do to help me while I try to juggle college and a kid." Amber said.

"My parents would be there too, you know?" Gabrielle continued. "And I could ask Ashton and A.J if Dakota's people would look after the baby like they do Jayden's kids since Dakota is Ashton's older sister." Amber smiled at Gabrielle's attempts. "It wouldn't be that bad Amber. I know it so."

"You drive a hard bargain." Amber said before spotting Marc coming towards them. "We'll talk later, okay? Like you, I have a boyfriend to get to."

Gabrielle blushed. "S-sure."

"And Brie," Amber called to the younger girl. "You are _not_ a drunken mistake. You're a better person than half the people in this school."

"Thank you Amber." Gabrielle said quietly before heading for the cafeteria.

Marc frowned as he stepped to his girlfriend.

"What was that all about?" he asked.

Amber smiled. "Just talking to a friend Marc. Now, lunch?"

* * *

Scarlett sighed as she sat at the table where Helen, Jacquelyn, and Nicole sat.

"Tough day?" Helen asked.

"Long." Scarlett replied. "Yours?"

Helen shrugged. "Alright." Helen then smirked. "Nicky says that you got Plain Shane to go to the movies with her and Miss Jackie. Why's that?"

"He just needs some time to relax. That's all." Scarlett stated. "I'm not trying to hook him up if that's what you're insinuating."

"Sure you aren't." Scarlett scoffed. "Oh come on Scar, you're evil like that. First you got DeWayne away from Mercedes. Then you basically begged your way back into our annoying neighbor's life. Finally splitting Shane and Deanna. Classic Scarlett J."

"I split DeWayne up with Mercedes because I thought J.T was sleeping with Torrie and I didn't split Shane and Deanna up. They did that on their own." Scarlett responded.

"And for Jayden?" Helen said.

"Let's not talk about that. I think our space now is good." Helen frowned. "I talked to him last night and ended up staying up longer than I planned. It was a good talk but we figured it would be best if we didn't push it."

"Afraid of Laura?" Helen taunted.

"As if." Nicole and Jacquelyn both gave her disbelieving looks. "What?"

"Scarlett," Nicole began. "Laura's my friend but even I know where to draw the line. Did you know that she used to take Mamba's lunch money?" Nicole's friends gave her confused looks. "Super strong fighter at the ravine that never loses."

"Oooohhh…" Scarlett, Helen, and Jacquelyn said in unison.

"Yeah, he pretty much has muscles that I could lay on." Nicole explained. "And if Laura scares him, then that's enough for me."

"Well Scarlett J. Chessex doesn't fear anyone." Scarlett said. "Not Laura and not-" Helen let out a rather loud grunt, stopping Scarlett. "What?"

"Danica McDuelle? Was that what you were going to say?" Scarlett nodded a bit. "Then don't even lie to yourself. Danni scares all of us, Laura included."

"She calls Laura 'Fat Mama' and Laura answers." Nicole added.

Jacquelyn nodded. "Jay used to tell me stories of his sister too. They weren't all nice."

"I know." Scarlett said. "I know all the things that Laura and Danni have done. Well, most of it anyway. But if I sat there and coward in fear all day, I'd get nothing done."

'You believe that. We'll live longer." Helen stated. Scarlett eyed her cousin. "Hey, I never said that I wouldn't fight Danni if it came down to it, but I know when not to just piss her off for no reason. You obviously skipped that day in class."

"I guess I did." Scarlett said.

* * *

The bell rang for the end of the day, giving one Chandra Torres the relief that she wanted. However, she knew the real nightmare was only beginning.

"Hey Bambi, nice ass!"

"When can I get a piece?"

Apparently the video had already begun to spread through Degrassi. It wasn't surprising to her, she was a cheerleader and top of the social ladder. She knew how these things worked. But her worst fears seemed to come true when she saw Aaron standing by her locker. He had the same look Jayden had when he spoke to her earlier, but worse. Every person that went by Aaron got a severe glare that made them walk faster.

"H-hey A.J," Chandra said meekly. She nearly flinched when his brown eyes snapped towards hers. "Wh-what's wrong?"

He didn't say anything. Then again, did he have to? She knew why he was pissed. He knew why he was pissed. The problem was, Chandra did not know how to calm him down. Her words would only make things worse, she knew, but it was her only option.

"Aaron I'm sorry." she said softly. "I… I was going to tell you."

"When?" His voice was nothing like she had heard before. It was nothing she had heard before. It wasn't A.J Santos she was speaking to, this was Aaron J. McDuelle. And right now, he was all business.

"Jayden was going to-"

"He knows?!" Aaron snapped. "He knew and he didn't tell me?!"

"I told him not to tell you!" Chandra returned. "I didn't want you to hear about this from anyone but me!" Aaron huffed heavily. "Aaron I'm sorry! I'm… I don't know what to do about this! I'm scared about what people will say. What's going to happen to me. What you'll think of me."

"Honestly Chandra, you brought this on yourself." As tears fell from Chandra's eyes, Aaron just stared at her. "I don't know if I can trust you again."

"Don't say that. I need you." Chandra cried. "Please A.J. Please!"

"You don't need me, so stop saying that. You've never needed me before and you don't now." Aaron retorted. "Sometimes I think Farah is right about you. You'll lie your way out of trouble, even with me."

"A.J-"

"Please don't touch me." Aaron said moving from Chandra's hand as if it was covered in a serious disease-infested slime. "Just, just stay away from me for a while. I can't do this."

Chandra glared at him. "You'll make out with me when you want to but now-"

"I love you!" Aaron snapped, causing many students to look at him. "Why don't you understand that?! Because I technically date your cousin?! I faced being a McDuelle for you!" Chandra's tears were pouring more now. "All you had to do was wait for me and you couldn't. You dated Oliver to piss Farah off! That's why I'm dating her, because it's fair."

"How is it fair?" Chandra cried softly. "How is any of this fair?"

"Because you knew she liked Oliver and rubbed him in her face for two months!" Aaron replied. "And then lied to me about it. And now this? You're recording sex tapes with a guy you know I hate!"

"A.J please-"

"No Chandra. This is who you are. This is who you will always be." Aaron said. "Maybe I'm the stupid one. I should've known that a girl who didn't even know we had the same class for three years wouldn't be in to me." Chandra looked at the floor. "So please, just stay away from me. I don't need this now."

Aaron turned to walk away, only to be met by Jordan.

"A.J that was a little h-"

"Shut up Jordan." Aaron said, pushing his way past her and through the crowd of people.

Jordan huffed. "Well hello to you too asshole!" Aaron did not respond, just walking away. Jordan turned her attention to Chandra, who had sunk to the ground. "Well, looks like I was right again. Dating Tevin to make A.J jealous never pans out." Chandra took in a deep breath to respond before her breathing became frantic. "Hey, are you okay? Someone get the nurse!"

The last thing Chandra could make out before blacking out was the coldness of Aaron's eyes. He wasn't there, of course, but it was stuck in her mind. If she didn't have him, then she seriously felt like a major part of her life was missing. Without him she did not truly exist.

* * *

Tevin glared at Jayden. "This is kidnap!"

"Don't think of it as kidnapping," Jayden said as he sat in a chair with his feet kicked up on a table. "Think of it as me taking you against your will and then returning you safe and sound. Well, mostly safe and sound." The door to Above the Dot opened, revealing Hakim. "Ah… Looks your appointment has arrived."

"You!" Hakim growled as he moved for Tevin. The younger boy attempted to get out of the way, but the star Bardell quarterback quickly grabbed him and hoisted him against a wall. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't kick your ass right now!"

"Because-"

"Not good enough!" Hakim said, a punch thrown soon afterwards.

Jayden raised a brow as he watched Hakim punch Tevin repeatedly. He honestly thought that Hakim was more peaceful than this. For some reason, he was starting to approve of Kelly's relationship with the guy more and more as fight went on.

"Hakim!" Jayden groaned as Kelly appeared. "That's enough!"

Hakim sighed heavily but stepped away.

Kelly turned her eyes to her god-brother. "Really Jay? This is what you do now?"

"Kelly," Hakim said. "This has nothing to do with Jayden. This has to do with this sleaze here. He made a sex tape about my cousin!"

"I know," Kelly replied. "But beating him won't change anything."

"Did I mention he's the one that framed Dash and Shane?" Jayden said from his spot before Kelly slapped him upside the head. "Ow! Hey!"

"I know that he's a super jerk. Don't you remember what he did to _my_ sister?" Kelly said. "But violence isn't the answer."

"It's always an option though." Jayden countered.

"Yeah, but nothing good comes out of it." Kelly argued.

"Without war," Jayden said. "There'd still be slaves in the southern part of the United States, the U.S would be a part of the British Empire, Jews might still be locked in a concentration camp, and a certain Al-Qaeda leader would still be alive. So, yeah, sometimes something good does comes out of the use of violence. A very small and bittersweet victory, but one nonetheless."

"But it doesn't make up for all those who died." Kelly replied. "And that's exactly what's going on here." Jayden sighed. "Now what?"

"Aren't Irish people supposed to be feisty? You're really breaking stereotypes." Kelly rolled her eyes, only for Jayden to remove his feet from the table and stand up. "But I guess you have a point. Besides, I need him alive for as long as I possibly can stretch out my torture."

"That's better." Kelly said.

Jayden smiled. "You're really pretty when we agree on something."

"Stop flirting with my girlfriend." Hakim stated.

"You have got to stop hanging out with my brother." Kelly mumbled. "Now let's go downstairs before Jayden gets us all thrown in jail."

"Fine." Hakim said before staring at Tevin, who sat up against the wall. "For your sake, this better be over soon."

"I've got people working on it." Jayden said before looking at Kelly. "And we really need to get you more friends so you can't interrupt things like this."

"You're having some kid getting beat up in my parents' club. What do you think I'm going to do?" Kelly stated before sighing. "I'm telling you Jay, you need to get out more. Whenever you're locked in the house, you have way too much time to think and plot about stuff."

Jayden smirked. "Oh you have no idea what I have in store for our friend here. It'll make what Hakim did look like child's play." Kelly gave Jayden a leveled stare. "This has nothing to do with what Scarlett did to me or my problems with Jacob. This is solely for Bambi's sake."

"Oh man," Hakim said. "I have to get to Aunt Alli's before Chandra gets home. If they find out before she gets home…"

"I already told them." Hakim gave Jayden an incredulous stare. "Look, I know how scandals work. And I know that they'll be harsh on her, but if she's grounded, she can't be out with guys like _him_ doing things that got us here in the first place, right?" While Kelly nodded, Hakim only stared at Jayden. "I know that you're mad, but I had to do it. They're her parents and they have the right to know what's going on. That, and Chandra's been seen with my brother. Fortunately, A.J keeps a low profile so not a lot of camera guys care for a shot of him. But if someone in that cloud of media puts two and two together, your cousin will become an overnight celebrity in the worst of ways."

Hakim sighed. "Okay, I guess you would know better than I would. But did you have to tell her parents without her knowing? I feel like that's dirty, even for you."

"She wouldn't and you know it." Hakim found himself nodding a bit. "I did what I knew was best. I guess, as a child celebrity and a father of bigger celebrities, this is just practice for me."

"Where are the twins?" Kelly asked.

"Surprisingly at my grandparents'. Nana and Grandpa decided that they wanted to see them." Jayden said. "I have to pick them up soon though. My granddad doesn't click well with kids, let alone babies."

"You do that." Kelly said. "And the next time you want to have someone beat up, do it at your father's office, not my parents' club!"

"Are you crazy? That'll have cops swarming all over the place." Jayden said as he neared the door. "And by the way Hakim, you don't have to thank me for what I did. Think of it as a gift from me to you for taking care of Kelly when she was bedridden."

Hakim nodded as Jayden left the place. His eyes then trailed to Tevin, who was standing up while nursing his bruised cheek.

"Go." Hakim said. "And if I ever see you near my cousin again, I'll do a lot worse." Tevin glared at the boy but left. "What a day…"

"And now that that's over," Kelly said. "We need to have a long talk mister." Hakim sighed. "You can't beat up on little kids Hakim." Hakim nodded. "Not all the time. But he obviously deserved it, especially for framing my brother."

Hakim grinned. "Thanks Kelly."

"Now, how about we get a snack downstairs and go for a walk or something? You know, I don't have days off often." Kelly said.

"That sounds perfect Kelly." Hakim responded. "You're perfect."

"Aw, thanks. And I know." Kelly joked with a wink.

The two laughed as Kelly took Hakim by the hand and led him out of Above the Dot, making sure to lock the door behind her. This ordeal with Chandra had become the worst thing that has happened all month long.

"Crap." Hakim said when he felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. Taking it out, he read the name on the screen before answering. "Hey Mom, what's wrong?" Kelly saw Hakim's eyes widened. "Chandra's in the hospital? I'll be there as soon as I can. Okay, bye."

Kelly gave Hakim a small smile. "Let me tell my dad and I'll come with you."

"Thanks Kelly." Kelly gave Hakim a small kiss.

"Don't worry about it." Kelly replied after pulling away.

* * *

Deanna looked around. She has never been so vulnerable in her life. Sure, there were times when she went out of her comfort zone, but she had always had at least one friend with her at the time. Now she stood at the ravine completely exposed to any trickery or thievery that went on there.

"You came," Deanna's blue eyes traveled to meet Stephanie's brown ones. "I didn't think you'd come."

"This place looks dirty." Deanna commented.

Stephanie smiled. "I thought the same thing, but it's actually alright. Come on, I'll introduce you to some people."

Deanna followed Stephanie while taking in every face that she went by. If she was robbed or raped today, she would make sure that she had a full description of the person that did it. Every little detail was taking in by those that stared at her for whatever the reason was.

"This," Stephanie said. "Is Ethan and Torrie, some of Nathan's friends."

Deanna's eyes narrowed. "The guy that was dating Nicky?"

"Yeah… But she's not here today." Stephanie responded. Deanna only gave a small nod, her eyes never leaving Ethan's. "You want to meet some other people? I can show you around a bit. Steven's here."

"Steven?" Deanna questioned. Stephanie nodded. "Well… I guess I can look around. You did say that it would help me relax."

"That's the spirit," Stephanie said with a smile. "I have to go wait for Nate to get here, but you can venture around. I'll be over there if you need me."

Deanna hardly heard her friend. Her awareness and paranoia was rising. She didn't trust any of these people, let alone wanting to be surrounded by them. Plus, she felt slightly wrong for being here after Shane pleading to his ex to not come here. Though they weren't together anymore…

"Guess you haven't heard." Deanna's eyes moved towards Torrie's. "Your little boyfriend left you for his ex. They went out to the movies, or so that's what they said."

"How do you know this?" Deanna asked.

Torrie scoffed. "You're at the ravine. Everyone knows everything here." Deanna only nodded. "It's no secret what they did alone, you know. Wouldn't be surprised if they were just having sex somewhere."

"Hmm, maybe you're right. Though I doubt it. Shane isn't like that at all." Deanna responded. "Now if you'd excuse me, I'm going to look around."

"Seriously?" Torrie said with a smirk. "This isn't like that time you saw me and Laura in front of the shops. Fragile girls like you don't last long in a place like this, especially when half of them already hate you. "

"Deanna?" Steven said nearing her. "Wow, I didn't expect to see you here."

Deanna smiled. "Well, I figured I needed a change of scenery. Mind giving me a tour?"

"No problem." Steven responded.

"Thanks," Deanna said before glancing at Torrie. "Seems as if, once again, you're wrong. Ta-ta for now, other Coyne."

Torrie grunted as Deanna walked away with Steven, only for Ethan to put an arm around her.

"I'll give her a week." Ethan said.

"If she makes it that long." Torrie replied. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Ethan nodded. "Sure."

* * *

Aaron lied in his bed, staring at the ceiling. He was practically angry at the world right now. If he had different parents, different siblings, and a different life in general, none of this would be happening. If he had somehow gotten Chandra to notice him earlier, this probably would not be happening either. Or maybe he should have just stuck with Jordan? He really didn't know anymore and no longer cared. His brother had betrayed him. His father had betrayed him. And his love had betrayed him. He really had no reason to care anymore.

"Hey kiddo," Aaron did not give Danica a response, neither verbal nor physical, as she entered his room. "We need to talk."

"…" Aaron remained silent as Danica moved to sit on the edge of his bed. In his opinion, she was as guilty as their dad and brother.

"Listen," Danica said in a soothing voice. "Bambi was just taking to the hospital. She had quite the severe panic attack. They've stabilized her and everything, but I don't think they've released her." Aaron slowly looked at Danica. "Don't give me that look A.J. You know you care."

"No, I don't." said her younger brother. "And I don't want to again."

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Again, Aaron just stares at her, not giving her a response. "Do you know what your problem is?"

"My problem?" Aaron said as he sat up quickly. "_I'm_ the one with the problem? The guy that seems to get dragged into all of this?! I have the problem?!"

"Yeah, you do." Danica told him calmly. "You kept running from your family that you never had to deal with a problem like this before. When someone you care about gets publicly humiliated. You don't know what to do about this sort of things."

"Right, right, so I should just sit back and let her make more sex tapes." Aaron said.

"And you don't know how to vent well. That you get from Jayden." Danica added. "But you should know that we're attempting to fix this as best as we can."

"You can't fix it." Aaron said lowly.

"Oh, I can fix you if I felt like it. You won't be able to have children when I finish, but you'd be as fixed as a spade dog." Aaron glared at his sister. "Stop that Aaron. I'm not the one you're mad at, and honestly, you shouldn't be angry at Bambi either."

"Why not?! This is her fault!" Danica only sighed.

"A.J," Danica stated. "She made a mistake. Everyone does. But do you know who sent her to the hospital with a panic attack? It wasn't Tevin. It was you." Aaron's breath hitched a bit. "You nearly _killed_ her, A.J. That's different from humiliating her that is life and death."

Aaron sighed heavily. "I'm sorry about that but she just… I don't want her to touch me Danni. I don't want her to call me or to ask me to stay up with her at nights. I just want to be left alone."

"No you don't. You're just angry, and believe me, this won't be the first time." Danica said. "You still care about her very much because it's you I'm talking about. There aren't many people on this planet that you know and don't care about."

"Well she's now one of the few." Danica frowned at Aaron.

"To try to be unlike us so much, you sound a lot like Jayden and myself." Now it was Aaron's eyes that narrowed. "We're the ones that hold grudges, not you."

"Do you know how it feels to be betrayed by someone you love Danni? Huh?" Aaron asked. "I didn't think so. I-"

"Hold on there boy scout," Jayden said leaning against the doorframe of Aaron's bedroom. "Because I have." Aaron sighed heavily. "What? Can't give me the same speech?"

"Just leave me alone." Aaron said lying back down.

"Actually," Danica said. "Jay and I decided to take you out tonight so you can think straight." Aaron exchanged glances between his older siblings. "Just the three of us. No parents. No younger siblings. And no kids."

"Why?" Aaron asked quietly.

"Because it's about time you stopped walking around like you're somebody you're not." Danica said firmly. "We're going to Josh's club for some wings and there will be paparazzi there."

"That's a dumb idea." Aaron pointed out bluntly.

"No. You need this kind of exposure." Jayden told his younger brother. "Because next time something like this happens, you'll know how to deal with it on your own instead of making it worse." Aaron opened his mouth. "You gave her a panic attack, A.J. Are you hearing what I'm saying? Jordan was the one that called 911 while you were storming off in the opposite direction. What would have happened if no one was around when you talked to her? What would have happened if it was worse than it was? Then what would you do? Apologize to her tombstone? Attempt to celebrate her birthday without her?"

"Just leave me alone!" Aaron cried out. "You don't know what you're talking about!"

"We do." Danica spoke. "Which is why it's about time that you learn what it means to be a McDuelle. We don't hide because no one in our family taught us how to hide."

"That's right. And most importantly, we don't leave family and friends high and dry, no matter how mad we are." Jayden added.

Aaron sighed. "I just… I can't deal with this like you two can, okay? And I don't want to."

"Too bad. You have to." Danica said. "Now let's go already."

"Before that, a confession." Jayden announced. "I had Tevin trapped at Above the Dot earlier and didn't call you to tell you."

"What? Why?" Aaron growled.

"Because if I did, what would you have done? Fought him like I would've?" Aaron saw what his brother was saying and nodded. "A.J, you're better than that. I know so. Danni knows so. Bambi's told me so."

"No she didn't." Aaron stated.

Jayden nodded. "She did. She told me that if I were childless and single and asked her out around the same time you did without her knowing that we were brothers, she'd choose you."

"What…?" Aaron let out.

"If you want more of the story," Danica said standing up. "You'll dry your eyes and get your shoes on. If you want to hang with the big kids, you have to look like them."

Aaron sighed. "Fine, I'll go."

Danica smiled before leaning to kiss his forehead.

"You didn't have a choice Baby Boy. So long as Jayden kept our parents busy, I was going to knock you out and carry you out if needed." Despite himself, Aaron smiled a bit. "Besides, I can't let my little brother just sit around and mope all day. So come on."

Aaron only nodded as Danica went towards Jayden. Jayden gave his sister a smile before she thumped him on the forehead and the two left Aaron's room. Aaron did not know whether he was blessed or cursed for having the older siblings he had, but he was thankful for having them. They would force him to have at least one good night, even during a time like this.

"Hey son," Aaron looked up see his parents entering his room. "How are you?"

Aaron sighed as he moved to put his feet on the floor.

"Not good." he said honestly.

Manny gave Aaron a small smile. "Oh A.J, I wish I could do something for you."

"It's fine Mama. Danni and Jay said that they were taking me out." Aaron replied.

Maxwell nodded. "We know. And I agree with them. It is about time that you come to accept who you are A.J. Whether you know this or not, my kids are my future. Like my father did to me, my company will be yours one day."

"B-but what about Danni and Jayden?" Aaron asked.

"Danni will be there to help run it too. But I doubt Jayden will ever learn how to sit down and listen to a group of people talk for more than an hour. Plus, I wouldn't want to make him choose between his music and something I could give to a more suited son." Maxwell said. Aaron's eyes widened, a smile coming on his parents' faces. "It's something your mom, aunts, and I have been talking about. Some day, I'll retire and someone will have to take the torch. Like my dad, I need two candidates. Danni's practically been groomed to do this when she was younger without much of a choice. You? You just became the candidate naturally."

"Dad I… I don't know." Aaron said quietly.

Manny giggled. "A.J, you have all your life to decide what you want. We're just throwing you an alternative if nothing else works."

"Thanks." Aaron said with a smile as he put his shoes on.

"Thanks? A.J, you're our son. This is things that we do for you ahead of time." Maxwell said. "However, we can't have you crying every time something big happens. It's very unmanly."

"Max!" Manny scolded.

"Hey, I'm not saying _don't_ cry. Just don't cry _every time_ something happens." Maxwell explained. Manny shook her head with a small smile. "All I'm saying is that some day A.J people will depend on you to be the strong one in the situation. Crying and running away from it won't do you any good."

"A.J, let's go already!" Danica's voice rang throughout the house. "Don't make me come back up there!"

"Your daughter is so impatient." Manny said to her husband. "I'll go deal with her and Jay." Manny then looked at Aaron. "A.J, I hope you understand what your father is telling you."

Aaron only nodded as Manny left the room. He then turned his attention to his father who stood with a stern look on his face. Aaron had seen that look several of times whenever Jayden or Danica were in trouble, but it generally was never used on the younger kids.

"I found out the source and implanted a small parting gift, so soon the site will close for maintenance and hopefully we can rid the entire web of that video." Maxwell said. "I just want to know that we aren't risking breaking several of laws for someone who you really don't care for A.J. Tell me now and I'll stop."

"I… I want to help her, Dad. I want to somehow protect her from everything that I know will come to her." Aaron stated as he tied his shoes. "But… I don't know how not to be mad at her. She's seriously hurt me."

"That's women. They'll do that sort of thing to you to test you. But I'll tell you a secret, the same trick I told Jayden. You were gifted with my eyes. Use them. A sad puppy look, an 'I love you' here and there, and you're halfway off the hook." Aaron smiled at his dad's words, questioning if it worked or not. "No, seriously, if you really care for Bambi, then tell her. Don't let her catch panic attacks in the middle of the hallway and ride to the hospital with strangers. Be there for her."

"I want to, but a part of me won't let me." Aaron said rising. "So what do I do then?"

"Stare at yourself in the mirror. You'll find your answer there." Maxwell replied. "Now get out of here. Patience isn't something that either of your older siblings are known for."

"Sure." Aaron said walking towards the door. "And Dad? Thanks for helping."

"We're a family, A.J." Maxwell told his son. "From Laura who told Jayden down to me and Danni who did all the nitty-gritty things, we look out for one another. Even if we don't tell you that."

Aaron nodded. He somehow could see what Danica was telling him last year. There was a way to handle things with precision and care, such as Laura's pregnancy to the public. Sure, there was quite the uproar about it and Laura still had to deal with some lingering paparazzo at her front door, but the truth came out before rumors could start. People knew that Laura and Jayden were in love due to the interview that Jayden did. Now they were climbing the ladder of the famed power couples.

Sometimes you have to dig in the dirt to get the diamond.

He finally understood exactly what that meant now. The work that one needed to access a diamond. The effort… The time… His family was a prime example of that statement. And now it was time for him to start digging for his own diamond. It was time to embrace who he truly was.

And he would start by getting his girlfriend back whether Farah hated his decision or not.

* * *

Nicole smiled as Shane pulled in front of her house and parked his dad's truck. She sat in the passenger seat, staring at him as he tapped on the steering wheel.

"Oh come on, you didn't see that ending coming." Nicole said.

Shane finally smiled. "No I didn't. It wasn't as big of a rip-off as the end of Twilight though. A vision…" Shane paused and sighed. "Well, I have to get home. I kind of skipped homework and need to do it before tomorrow."

"Call? Maybe I can help?" Nicole suggested.

"I… Sure. I'll call." Shane said as Nicole opened the passenger door. "See you tomorrow Nicky."

Nicole leaned over and gave Shane a small peck on the cheek.

"See you tomorrow." Nicole said in a flirtatious tone as she exited the truck.

Shane only sighed as he watched Nicole walk up her lawn to her front door. She was beyond beautiful and knew what clothes would bring out what features on her body. But he still wanted to talk to Deanna. Heck, he would settle with a text. Just something that told him that he and Deanna had a chance to make amends. It might take Kelly a bit longer to forgive Deanna, but Shane did not mind. He just wanted Deanna back.

Taking out his phone, he sent her a text, hoping she would at least return it.

**Shane: Can we talk?**

He waited as he started the truck up. Finally, after what felt like a long shift at work, Deanna sent him a reply.

**Deanna: Not 2nite. Busy w/ sum1.**

Shane's brows furrowed. She was busy with someone? Who? He hoped it was either Stephanie or Angelina as they were the only friends he knew that Deanna had that wasn't him or Kelly. He would even settle if it was DeWayne that Deanna was out with. He just prayed that it was no one that would further split the two apart. Alias, another Ethan.

* * *

Deanna stumbled up into her room, barely making it, before shutting and locking her door. Her night had gone from pretty good to worse in a matter of minutes. It started when Nathan flipped on some guy for offering Stephanie something to smoke. Deanna was not exactly sure what it was that was being offered, but Nathan was not having it. Then, as if that drama couldn't get worse, Stephanie's dad found Nathan, Deanna, and Stephanie walking home. Nathan was smoking a cigarette to calm his nerves and Deanna was passed drunk. Stephanie's father had ordered Stephanie to stay away from both Nathan and Deanna as they were "bad influence" on her. While Stephanie wholeheartedly argued against the man, in the end she lost and was ordered in the car. Finally, Steven had caught up with Deanna in his car and drove her home. That alone was bad enough for reasons Deanna could not even comprehend, sober or not. Her body just did not trust Steven no matter what.

Her phone began vibrating in her hand. She ignored it for a few seconds before answering the call, not even caring who it was.

"What?!" she snapped. Her head was beginning to pound and she just really wanted to go to sleep.

"…" Whoever it was seemed to afraid and she was about to hang up before she heard. "You've been drinking, huh?"

"Sh-Shane? What do you want?"

"I wanted to talk. You said you were busy earlier." Shane answered. "Dee, I know what you did in the past and all, but-"

"Not tonight Shane." Deanna responded. "My head hurts and my clothes stink. I just want a hot shower and no worries."

"Do I make you worry?" Shane questioned.

"Yes." Deanna's voice was barely audible now.

"How? Tell me what it is-"

"It's me." Deanna interrupted. "You make me worry about not being enough."

"Not being enough? Dee, you're more than enough." Shane countered.

"No, I wasn't. So please, just leave me alone. I don't want to drag you down with me any longer." Deanna said.

"Deanna-"

"I went to the ravine Shane." Deanna announced. "I went there and did God only knows what. I'm two sips away from passing out and I don't have any intentions of stopping until I can't remember anything. I want to forget us."

There was a long pause before Shane spoke again.

"Fine Deanna." Shane said quietly. "I just want you to know that I won't forget you. Ever. I will get you back to who you once were."

"An evil controlling bitch." Deanna spat.

"No." Shane said. "The girl who got me up in the mornings when my parents failed to. The girl who wasn't afraid of trying new things like cooking. The girl that spent the entire summer waiting on me." Shane paused. "The only girl I love…"

"…" Deanna couldn't help but to cry softly, though she didn't want him to hear it. "Good bye Shane."

With that, Deanna hung up and moved for her bed where she cried herself to sleep. All those dreams she would have when she could not see the guy's face holding her had led her to Shane. He was literally the guy of her dreams. But somehow that went away. Not her feelings for him, and apparently not his feelings for her, but _something_ went away. She could blame DeWayne. She could blame Nicole. She could even blame herself. Truth was, "it" was gone and now she was alone.

Why was love so complicated?

* * *

**Author's Note: **So here is the last episode until the fall. I hope you liked it. Since there will not be any preview for the second half of Season 5, I figured I could give some very small spoilers in this A/N. Firstly, there will be a time skip between now and then and you'll meet the new Mason. Amber's decision will be decided as well. A little drama between Jackie and Scooter with Torrie being in the middle of it. Nathan will fight Stephanie's parents for their approval while Stephanie battles something else. Shane will do the unbelievable thing that will solve his problems with Deanna and Nicky. Kelly will meet her dad. We will find out if Mary-Jane will go after Simon or stay with Tyler. Scarlett will continue to smooth things over with Jayden and his family. Deanna reaches her breaking point. One grand graduation for the seniors. And of course, the death of one of our loved ones. All of this crammed into nine episodes. Thanks for reading and leave a comment. See ya!


	142. Character Polls! Couples!

**Author's Notes: **With Friday slowly approaching us and the return of D3G, I went ahead and posted the polls for the couples (because I had typed this in June and forgot to post it...). So yeah, here we go with the polls for the couples. There will be another webisode around Wednesday and a MiTunes Thursday. So please, read, review, and check out the upcoming episode of D3G Friday. Now, on to the polls!

* * *

**Top Ten Couples**

Earlier I gave you the character polls for favorite male and female characters. Now I'm pairing them up to make a list of the favorite couples. Like the first two lists, this will not be in any kind of order whatsoever, just ten of our favorite couples compiled in one list. Again, if you have any suggestions/problems with the list, a review or PM will help. Also, the next character poll will be done in a few weeks. Tell me who you want to see on there and in what position. Now, on to the poll!

**Ashton and Gabrielle: **This couple starts us off mainly because it frustrates many of you that it took them so long to get back together despite all the signs that they should have been. They play on a multiple of romantic clichés such as tutor/student and the rich/the poor. Even though they technically only lasted for about ten episodes or so, we knew that they still cared for one another. Thankfully they are now back together. But for how long?

**Jayden and Laura:** The bad girl and the ladies man paired together? What's not to like? Their love for one another has weathered Manny's wrath and the death of their youngest son. It even brought Bianca back into the picture. The love between these two is the main reason that they have the longest relationship time during the entire show, starting at the end of Season 2 (2.24) and lasting since then.

**Shane and Nicole: **Better known together as Shaky will top the top three. The couple lasted for the better half of seasons 2 and 3, ending due to the schemes of DeWayne and Mercedes. Yet during this time, we got to see Shaky at school and at home doing what they did best, have fun. Whether it was playing karaoke or cooking in the kitchen, they always had fun together. Since Deanna and Shane are no more, this could be Nicky's chance in getting him back. And she's partnered with some helpful friends to do so.

**Aaron and Chandra:** We all knew that A.J had a crush on Bambi from day one while she was so infatuated by his brother; Jayden. Over time we saw him come to her aid time and time again until the attraction became mutual. They seemed pretty solid until Farah came into the picture. And we all know that she isn't going anywhere so long as she has a say.

**Shane and Deanna:** When the proclaimed Ice Queen of Toronto (as said by Braxton) mixes with one Shane Mason, you get a pretty great couple. Their run (4.04 to 5.09) was full of mostly happy moments and learning experiences for Deanna. Though, like Shane's _other_ relationship, the two were soon pulled apart by a vindictive Nicole, an always meddling DeWayne, and Deanna's new alcohol addiction. And just when they admitted they loved each other…

**James and Amber:** There's no favorite couple's list without the couple that has been on and off since Season 1. They've been through pretty much everything with more to come. With all the things that have happened to Amber, we are very happy that James is there to help. Now what to do with Marc…?

**Aaron and Jordan:** Even though they have not been together since Season 2, there is no denying the companionship (borderline romance) between Aaron Jordan and Jordan. The two started their Degrassi lives together and will probably be there when it ends. Sadly, we can't help but hope that if his romance with Chandra fails (again), that A.J and Jordan will try again. But as two members of the epic love hexagon (A.J, Jordan, Tim, Bambi, Farah, and Tevin) I can safely assure you that _if_ they get back together, it won't be easy and there will be repercussions. Severe repercussions at that.

**Nathan and Stephanie:** You honestly can't hate these two together. With Nathan being over-protective of his girlfriend and trying to change for her, it's a win-win for everyone. However, with Stephanie now introduced to the ravine, we can safely assume that this nearly perfect couple will go through a lot more than they already have. Will they be able to handle it or will Stephanie's parents break them up for good? Only time will tell.

**Jayden and Scarlett:** It wouldn't be a list of couples if these two were not on it. They are the only pair to have shared at least one kiss in all five seasons, whether they were dating or not. It seems that nothing can really keep them apart; not Laura, Jaylen and Daniella, Danica, or even Jayden himself. Scarlett has shown no hesitation in admitting her love for Jayden and he has replied the same on a few occasions. And many have claimed that Jayden's love for Scarlett is at least on par with his love for Laura. Let's just see if these accusations are true or not.

**Jayden and Helen:** The first couple in the entire series is number ten on the list, beating out others including: Helen and Tyler, Ashton and Vanessa, and Jacob and Vanessa. While their relationship only lasted for the majority of Season One, the two have remained close friends and have exchanged information between one another. Helen is also a key figure in Jayden's relationship with Laura. The duo manages to keep the other one on track throughout the entire series which leaves us with one grand question. If Scarlett had not intervened in her cousin's relationship, would Jayden and Helen be together today?


	143. S5 Episode XI: Ice Box Pt I

**Author's Notes:** First and foremost, I want to apologize. I've been seriously sick this entire week (Tuesday to now) and was not able to finish and post the webisode (which is finished) and MiTunes (which I would have had done by Thursday) like I wanted. But I said that the next half would start today so I dragged myself out a bed (pounding headache and all) and posted this. It might take a while for me to kick whatever out of my system because I don't do drugs (street or medical) so I have to rid myself of this migraine/flu the old natural way. However, I will try to get that webisode up tomorrow since it is already completed.

Also, before I begin, I want to say thanks to all of you that takes the time to read this and allow my characters to entertain you. You have been patient with me as well as sending me reviews that heals me faster than any medication could possibly. So thanks.

Finally (because I know you just want to read), I want to remind you that there is a time skip between now and the previous episode. It has been months since Chandra's sex tape has been aired, now being the end of January. It starts on a special day at the end of January at that. So without further ado, I give you the first of the last nine chapters of Season 5. Enjoy.

* * *

**Episode XI: Ice Box Pt. I**

Jayden smiled at his giggling children from his doorway. The twins were sitting on his bed while Laura made funny faces at them. With it being near the end of January, they were now five months and full of energy. Feeding them had become one of the toughest times in the world as Daniella was very picky and Jaylen just wanted to play with whatever was on the spoon. And then came bathing them and making them go to sleep… Yeah, Jayden had been quite busy for the last few months.

"You two are so goofy!" Laura coos with a wide grin.

"I was just thinking the same about you." Laura tenses, not realizing that she was being watched, and turned to look at her boyfriend. "I didn't think you even knew how to make a funny face. Well, not on purpose."

"Shouldn't you be preparing for some meeting with your dad or whatever?" Laura asked.

Jayden shook his head. "Nope, I have the day off. So what do you want to do?"

"Well," Laura began. "Since we can't do _that _in front of the kids, how about you order me a pizza and we watch a movie with the kids?'

"Really? I was thinking more along the lines of actually celebrating your birthday. You know, cake, ice cream, party games. Those types of things." stated Jayden as he moved for his bed. He lied on his bed, Daniella already making a valid attempt to reach he father. "So what do you say? Go to my parents' place for your surprise birthday party?"

Laura rolled her eyes. "It's not much of a surprise now."

"Ah, but that's the beauty of it." Jayden said grabbing his daughter gently and pulling her to lie on his chest. "You don't know the surprise yet."

"And what is that?" Laura asked.

"It's the 'surprise' part of your surprise birthday." Jayden answered before looking at Daniella. "Don't you women ever listen?"

Smack!

Laura burst into a fit of giggles when Daniella's hand slapped onto Jayden's cheek, the girl gurgling with mirth.

"Okay," Jayden said gingerly taking his daughter's hands into his. "I probably deserved that one. Even though you're supposed to be on my side, but whatever you little traitor. You are no longer daddy's princess." As if she understood him, Daniella's smile vanished. "I'm just kidding."

"There you go, starting stuff with people already." Laura said before lying beside Jayden, Jaylen now lying on her.

"Yeah I know." Jayden stated. "But, hey, that's me, right? Mr. Meanie who fought a defenseless nerd for no apparent reason. Or so, that's what YouTube says…" Jayden pauses before covering Jaylen's eyes with his hand. "Though I think people just like making me look bad."

"You've got the Beiber curse." Laura told her boyfriend before smiling at him. "But I'll always be a Belieber."

Jayden laughed quietly. "You're something else Laura, you really are. I'm going to love taking you back to Newport and-"

"Heck no." Laura interrupted him. "I will not be going back down there to be grilled by your large family and weird rich friends. We are going straight to Italy once summer comes and that's final."

"But-"

"Jayden McDuelle, its Italy or nowhere. Take your pick." Jayden only sighed, still covering his son's agitated face while Jaylen attempted to remove his father's hand.

"Fine…"

A laugh caused Jayden and Laura to look at Danica, who was standing in a similar fashion Jayden was moments ago.

"Glad that someone is putting you in your place." commented Danica.

"What do you want o' evil sister from the underworld?" Jayden said.

"I'm heading out for a while. Just seeing if you or Fat Mama needed anything." Laura ignored Jayden's smirking face at the nickname and just shook her head.

"Nope, we're fine Mariella." Laura returned.

"Okay. Don't say I didn't ask." Danica replied before smiling at the twins' glowing faces. "Bye babies!"

Jayden rolled his eyes as his sister left. Laura saw him do so and smiled a bit. She knew what he was thinking and found herself slightly agreeing with him. The twins _loved_ Danica more than anyone else outside of their parents. There would be times where Jaylen and/or Daniella would cry just for Danica to hold them. Yet, Jayden swears that Danica has never been that nice to him all his life and finds it to be a bit unfair. He was her brother after all.

"I still love you Dimples." Laura said.

Jayden smiled. "You'd better or I'd leave you to raise these two by yourself." Laura gawked at his statement before he moved his head to place a gentle kiss on her lips. "But of course, I'd always find a way back to you, no matter how hard I run."

Laura just smiled. She loved her family so very much. Jayden has been and will always be the perfect match for her and their kids were everything she hoped them to be and then some. Her parents were now a part of her life in more ways than she originally hoped for, her mom was especially hard on her school work. Plus, Danica and Dakota were like the sisters Laura never had. They talked to her and, in Danica's case, even teased her about certain dreams/fantasies. Her family was perfect.

"Come on birthday girl," Jayden suddenly said. "Let's get over to my parents' place before they come barging into here like they did in L.A."

Laura blushed at the memory. During her Christmas in California, Jayden and Laura was giving permission to stay at Manny's home in Los Angeles while his family stayed in Newport. Of course, Laura's parents were there as well as their kids, but it didn't stop them from having _some_ time to themselves. And during one of those moments of utter peace and solitude, Manny had driven up there and nearly kicked the door off the hinges because Jayden had ignored her call. Thankfully none of the paparazzi had heard of the incident or else Laura would vow to never go to California again.

"Yeah," Laura finally said. "Let's go."

* * *

Jordan huffed as she walked into Aaron's room.

"I take it that your internship didn't go so well?" Aaron said with a small smile.

"No. My uncle Connor is so weird!" Jordan stated. "How can anyone be so rational all the time? And my mom just thinks it's normal."

Emma's god-brother, Connor, did several computer programming and simulators and was a professor at Banting University. While he was beyond smart, his social skills suffered due to his Asperger syndrome. Yet, amazingly, the guy was a remarkable teacher despite his condition. Jordan knew that Connor was not trying to be impassive, but the way he worded certain things only made her feel more confused and angrier.

"The things I do for a grade." Jordan said before eying Aaron. "What about your job with your dad?"

Now it was Aaron who released a heavy breath.

"Hard. Worse, Danni can now boss me around and I can't even think about saying no or else." Aaron replied. Jordan gave him a small sympathetic smile. "Now what?"

"You don't think I know when you're hiding something? I thought we've been through this already." Jordan said. "You're breaking up with Farah tomorrow and then you're going to apologize to Chandra. And me."

"You mean the new school slut?" Aaron's words weren't intended to be cruel. He was just stating what people referred to his other ex now. "I haven't talked to her for a very good reason."

"Because she made a sex tape? Gee A.J, I thought guys would _love_ to meet a porn star." Jordan retorts.

"Not this one." Aaron said firmly.

"No, you still would. You just don't like the feeling that-"

"I know what I hate, Jordan. And if you came all the way over here to remind me of that, you should leave." Aaron interrupted.

Jordan smiled. "No can do. It's Laura's birthday and I'm stuck here until it's over. So deal with it." Aaron sighed heavily. "Look on the bright side A.J. We all know she loves you. The only thing in your way to happiness is yourself."

"I really don't see much love from her side." Aaron said. "She did have sex-"

"With her _boyfriend_. Sheesh, do you know how many guys Laura is rumored to have slept with _before_ Jayden? Did you forget that Nicky was Nate's personal sex toy _before_ she dated my brother? Get over it." Jordan cut her friend off. "Besides, you still have me and my wonderfulness. You should at least be happy that I've forgiven you for picking on Timmy in front of the entire school."

"I didn't pick on him, I called him weird, because he is. No one should follow me around to make sure that I'm not following someone else around. It's weird." Aaron said. "And I didn't say it to the entire school, I told him when we were alone. He brought it up in front of the entire school."

"Same thing." Jordan noted before sighing. "If only he were…"

"Attractive?" Aaron suggested.

Jordan smirked. "Why A.J, I didn't know you swung that way."

"I don't. I just know what you're thinking." Jordan only shrugged her shoulders slightly. She was thinking of that exact word. "But you're right about one thing. I am going to break up with Farah. I just had to wait until after her birthday…"

"But you'll do it near Valentine's Day. How romantic?" Jordan teased.

Aaron did not say anything, feeling a bit bad about that fact. Truthfully, he had been so caught up in Chandra's life that he had not really paid much attention to Farah at all. Jordan, of course, has noted this on several different occasions but Aaron simply ignored her. Laura and Jayden had implied that Aaron do it while they were away in California, but his other family members insisted that he shouldn't be so inconsiderate to do so over the holidays. Manny had gone as far as threatened to ground Aaron if he should listen to his brother and his brother's girlfriend and broke up with Farah before, during, or right after the holidays. Therefore, Aaron didn't.

"Hey," Jordan said gaining Aaron's attention. "How about we go to the park for a while before your brother's she-devil girlfriend arrives?"

"Just because you're Mary-Jane's shadow doesn't mean you have to hate Laura too. Besides, she's pretty cool." Aaron replied.

"Do you want to or not?"

Aaron sighed. "Sure Jordan."

Jordan only smiled. Sure, she knew that she was some times annoying Aaron, but found it as the only way to keep him from thinking of Chandra. Chandra Torres has been and will always be the only thing in the world that Aaron fails to understand. But Jordan did. Chandra wanted attention. She wanted love. She wanted Aaron to feel bad about dating Farah. She wanted Jordan to never have happiness in life. That was who Chandra Torres was.

And Jordan would make sure that Aaron and the _real_ Chandra Torres never met again.

* * *

Chandra Torres was not a happy person. Nothing bad had happened in the past few months, but she was nowhere near happy. In fact, the pills that she was currently taking were to help her gain some of her happiness. But they were not working and she knew that they wouldn't.

Then again, how could she be? Vanessa had stopped talking to her much because she was angry about the whole sex tape thing. Gabrielle and Ashton chose to just stay with one another, though Chandra never went to Ashton for company anyway.

And then there was Aaron. He went out of his way to avoid her. He didn't answer her calls or texts. There were quizzes and homework she failed because she did not have his help anymore. It hurt her more to know that she had practically begged for forgiveness and he simply walked away. No words. No looks. No apologies. He just simply walked away from her. Her body ached at the memory every time she thought of it.

"Are the dishes done?" came the voice of Chandra's mother, Alli. Chandra only nodded. "Good. You can go rest now."

Chandra had been grounded since the tape had surfaced, which is less than what happened to Tevin. Months at a detention facility was his punishment. But Chandra did not get to enjoy her days like she used to. No phone. No computer. No iPod. Just her books and homework. With this in mind, Chandra had been working hard to get into a science program for the summer, as it would probably be the only way she could leave the house. Or maybe she could travel to Japan with Aaron…?

The doorbell rang, causing Chandra to sigh in relief as Alli left the kitchen. Alli had been hard on Chandra over the past few months, constantly stating how she refused to let Chandra do what she did. Chandra half-listened to the stories, however, and therefore only knew bits and pieces of her mother's past. Drew on the other hand had been quite neutral. He grounded Chandra, but did not take away all of her extracurricular activities, such as cheerleading. His main problem was his daughter having sex. Sure he was pissed about the tape, but the thoughts of his little girl not being his little girl anymore is what got him. Therefore, he forbade Chandra from seeing Tevin ever again as well as having a guy over unsupervised.

Sadly, neither of their punishments scratched her grandparents' punishment. Between the Bhandari's and the Torres's, Chandra was more than okay to be locked in her room than doing what her maternal and/or paternal grandparents wanted her to do.

"Chandra, you have a visitor."

Alli's words confused Chandra greatly and the girl left the kitchen. Entering the living room, she saw Jayden standing with his normal friendly smile. Truthfully, this entire ordeal would have been worse without him. Sure, she preferred having Aaron's support than his brother's, but she was not being picky now. Jayden has been the only friend to walk her through this.

"What are you doing here?" Chandra asked.

"Since I know you're on house arrest," Jayden joked before extending a plate with a cupcake on it. "I thought I'd bring a bit of the party to you."

"Thanks." Chandra said, her eyes on the floor. "Did A.J…?" Jayden's sigh told her everything. "Oh, okay. Well, if he wants to call, he knows my number. Though I can't use my phone."

"One day at a time, right?" Chandra nodded at the older teen's words. "Well, I have Laura and the kids in the car and I have to get going. Will you be okay? We kind of need you tomorrow for the meeting with Lakehurst."

Chandra smiled. "I'll be fine."

Jayden only nodded. He saw the lie in her brown eyes. Honestly, he wanted to call her out on it. But he had seen her nearly pass out twice in the past few months. The last thing he wanted was her to be stressed out about being caught in an obvious lie.

"Thank you." Chandra said taking the plate from Jayden's hands.

"No problem." Jayden responded. "And I really do hope you get better."

"Another A in science will secure me a spot at the camp I was telling you about. So it's not that bad." Chandra stated with a sad smile. "So I'm…" Jayden frowned at her words. "I'll be better tomorrow."

"Alright," Jayden said backing to the door. "Keep strong Bambi."

"I will." Those were the last words she said to the only person who seemed to actually care about her as he left her home.

"That was nice." Alli said.

Chandra smiled. "Yeah, he's been a great friend lately. I just wish…"

Alli released a quiet breath. She knew what her daughter was going to say and honestly wished there was something she could do to either remove Aaron from Chandra's mind or get the two back together. Alli truly could not blame Aaron for his anger towards Chandra, however it has been months since the incident.

"I'm going to eat this in the kitchen." Chandra stated quietly before heading back for the kitchen.

Alli sighed again. How did her daughter become just as crazy for boys as she was?

* * *

As the strange happy couple left Amber's home, Mary-Jane rolled her eyes.

"Good riddance." Amber eyed her friend.

"Oh come on. They seem nice." Amber stated.

Mary-Jane scoffed. "Yeah right. People like them always turn out to be crazy behind closed doors." Amber only smiled. It was good to hear Mary-Jane acting like, well, Mary-Jane. "Seriously Amber, I don't think this whole adoption thing is such a good idea."

"And why is that?" Amber questioned.

"I'm not a mother or anything," Mary-Jane began. "But there are a lot of firsts that you'll miss out on. First birthday. First word. First steps. First day of school. They're important to share between child and parent."

"Yeah, well I honestly don't want to be reminded of Randy." Amber stated. "And this baby will do nothing but remind me of that creep."

"Hey, I understand what you're saying," Mary-Jane replied. "But it doesn't mean that I agree with you one hundred percent."

Amber frowned. "And why not?"

"You already won, Amber. Randy won't be out for a long time, and even when he does come out, he can't be within fifty feet of you." Mary-Jane answered. "But this baby isn't just his baby. It's yours too. And you'd be getting rid of a part of you."

"It's a part of me that I don't want." Amber said.

"Now. But you'll probably regret it in the future." Mary-Jane stated nonchalantly. "But, enough of that, what's going on between you and Marc? You said yesterday that you didn't feel 'it' anymore."

"I just…" Amber began. "I _almost_ kissed James two days ago. I don't want to do that to Marc, you know?" Mary-Jane nodded slowly. "_Right_. Because you did it."

"Hey, I've learned the error of my ways. That is why Tyler and I have called it quits. I'm completely focused on college applications and my best friend." Mary-Jane said.

Amber's eyes narrowed. "Oh really? I think you're up to something. You were pissed when you found out that Tyler left you for Helen. So why go through the trouble of taking him back when you were just going to end it?"

"Like I said, college and my best friend. No more Tyler. No more Dylan. No more fights. Just happy things." Mary-Jane responded.

"You don't do happy, MJ." Amber pointed out.

"I do now." Mary-Jane said. "So, what are you up for today?"

"I have more meetings with more couples." Amber said. "So I'll be stuck here for another two hours. But you can go out. I'm sure you're just waiting to meet that new guy to fill the void."

Mary-Jane rolled her eyes. "What part of 'college' and 'best friend' are you missing? No boys this time. Seriously."

"Uh-huh? I'll believe it when I see it." Amber retorted.

Mary-Jane just shrugged. She was not completely lying when she said that college and Amber were the only two things that were occupying her mind. They were the two most important things in Mary-Jane's life at the moment. However, there was a _third_ thing and he was Amber's older brother. She and Simon were not official yet due to Amber not being in her sanest and calmest mind presently. But they have gone out on a few dinner dates. Mary-Jane felt open with Simon as there was nothing really about her that he did not already know and vice versa. Plus, she had gotten into quite the few college parties thanks to him.

"Fine," Mary-Jane said rising from the sofa in Amber's living room. "I'll go out. Probably head home to see if those little demons I call siblings destroyed my room yet."

"Right. Maybe we can catch up later tonight?" Amber suggested.

"Maybe." Mary-Jane said walking for the door. "Just don't agree to any of these creepy guys that we've seen earlier."

"They weren't creepy Mary." Amber states.

Mary-Jane reaches the door and gives Amber a wink.

"Later."

Amber smiled as Mary-Jane left her house. She knew that Mary-Jane was up to something, she just couldn't pin point what it was yet. But she knew her friend enough to know that something was up. If only she knew what.

* * *

"Happy Birthday Laura." Dakota said as she hugged her friend.

"It _would_ be a happy day if _someone _would tell me what he did." Laura responded as she cut a glance to Jayden.

"You'll like it." Dakota said in defense of her friend.

"I better or else…" Laura let her threat linger in the air as Jayden simply smirked.

"My dear, sweet girlfriend," Jayden began. "Have I ever done something you haven't liked?"

"Do you want me to list the answers alphabetically or chronologically?" Laura returned.

Jayden's smile only grew. "I knew sending you to England was a great idea. Listen to how smart you sound."

Before Laura could respond to Jayden, Shane knocked on Jayden's former bedroom door, gaining the other teens' attention.

Laura put a hand on her hip. "Well? Don't you have something to say?"

"Grouchy… And here I thought you'd be nicer on your birthday." Shane responded. Laura rolled her eyes, moving so she could lie with Jayden on the bed. "Kelly's downstairs talking about this great story she's doing at The Core. It's practically the only thing she cares about now."

"And Cam?" Jayden asked before hearing the familiar cry of Shane's new baby brother. "Never mind."

Shane sighed. "Was it like this with your kids?" Laura and Jayden nodded. "All he does is eat and cry. I thought that was supposed to end like in a month?"

"What're you talking about? That's pretty much all Dimples does." Laura teased.

"Hey! I do more than eat and cry." Jayden replied before frowning. "And I don't cry."

"I think he's just mad about our new tradition." Shane commented.

The others grinned as they thought about their "new tradition". Laura and Shane had somehow talked Jayden into skipping the first day after Winter Break as they had planned, bringing Dakota along with them. Nicole also joined them. They had spent the day dodging grownups at the movies and traveling to Wasaga Beach. It was a well needed trip and they all ended up having a great time…

Until they came back to see one pissed off Emma Cameron.

"Talk to your girlfriend?" Laura said to Shane.

Shane sighed. "Not recently."

Jayden's brow rose slightly in curiosity. While he had no real want for Shane to get back with Deanna, he was curious as to what was keeping the two apart. He theorized that Deanna's drinking fluctuated from day to day considering the times he had seen her during the past two months. Some days she was strangely happy and joking. Others, she was her normal self.

"I don't try to worry about her much." Shane commented. Shane watched the other's reactions. Dakota just sighed with a small shake of her head. Jayden gave him a disbelieving stare. And Laura rolled her eyes with a scoff. "What?"

"But you do." Jayden said.

"I said I 'try' not to." Shane replied. "Can't help it if I do or don't."

"Just remember to keep that sappy crap away for the day. No sappy crap on my birthday." Laura told them.

Jayden smirked. "Really? Just a year ago, you hated celebrating your birthday."

"Another word and I'll keep a certain present wrapped tonight." Laura stated.

"Hmm…" Jayden hummed in thought. "If I were to unwrap a certain present, I'm sure you'd end up pregnant again." Laura stared at Jayden in bewilderment. His perversion always seemed to amaze her. "So therefore, I have to wrap that present up or else."

"Ew gross!"

"Seriously dude, keep those things to yourself."

Jayden laughed at his friends' responses while Laura only sighed.

It was good to be back home again.

* * *

"Ah, the sweet smell of new shoes." Scarlett said with a smile as she walked with Helen through the mall, a bag in each of their hands. "Today has been a pretty great day."

"For once, I completely agree with you." Helen replied.

Scarlett's brows rose. "Really? You didn't want to ditch me for Braxton?'

"Nope. He has some rehearsal for Romeo and Juliet." Scarlett's face showed her shock and amusement. "You look surprised, but when he's on the big screen with Jay's mom, know that it could've been you."

"_Right_, it _could've_ been me." Scarlett said before spotting Jacquelyn walk away from a juice bar in the mall. "Isn't that Jackie?"

"Yep." Helen replied. "Miss Jackie!"

Jacquelyn paused in mid-step before spotting the Coyne Cousins. She gave them a small wave and waited as they neared her with their bags.

"What are you doing here? I thought you had a recital tonight?" Helen asked.

"It got moved to next week." Jacquelyn answered. "Nicky said she'd be here soon but she had to stop by to see Laura."

Helen spotted Scarlett's eyes narrowing for a split second and smiled.

"Something wrong Scar?" Helen asked.

"Other than today being the anniversary of the worst thing that's happened to me, no. Nothing is wrong, Helen." Scarlett answered.

Jacquelyn frowned. "What's the worst thing that happened?"

"Laura being born." Scarlett stated. "Without her, a lot of things would be different."

"Yeah, yeah, your hopes and dreams." Helen commented nonchalantly before turning her attention to Jacquelyn. "Where's your annoying boyfriend?"

"Ravine." Jacquelyn answered. "I was going to meet him until Nicky called."

"She still trying to get with Plain Shane?" Jacquelyn nodded at Helen's question, causing the shorter girl to sigh. "When will they ever learn?"

Scarlett only shook her head, though she understood Nicole. One simply did not forget their first love. It was near impossible. Nicole had been there and done things for Shane that made his relationship with Deanna look quite insignificant. Scarlett liked to compare the two to herself and Jayden without the kids.

"Anyway," Scarlett said. "How about we all wait for Nicky? Knowing her, she'll probably be here soon with more energy than all three of us combined."

"Sure." Jacquelyn stated before her phone went off. "Oh. That's her." Jacquelyn answered the call. "Hey Nicky, where are you?"

"On my way," Nicole responds. "Laura's bringing me."

"Laura's on her way here…?" Jacquelyn said slowly as she looked at Scarlett's face.

"Yeah! It's her birthday and she was tired of waiting for her surprise from Jay. So Jay kicked her out and told her to do something while it gets here." Nicole replied in her normal cheerful voice. "I hope that's okay. Dakota's with us too."

"Um… It's fine." Jacquelyn said. "Just hurry, okay? I don't know when Scooter will be done doing whatever."

"Okay. See ya in five!" And with that, Nicole hung up.

Helen snickered. "Well today just keeps getting better and better, eh Scar?"

"Shut up." Scarlett nearly spat.

She would always remember this as the worst day of her life no matter what happened.

* * *

Jordan watched as Aaron sat down quietly at the table. The two were at The Dot waiting for Dustin. Since he was not focused on her, Jordan could sit and stare at Aaron to pinpoint exactly what was bothering him now. Sure, she could just guess that it had something to do with Chandra, but that was pretty much low-balling it. If she wanted to know exactly what it was, she would need to sit and think.

"You know," Aaron's voice actually made her jump a bit. "Staring at me isn't going to answer your question."

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Jordan stammered. "I don't have a question."

"Okay Jordan." Jordan bit the inside of her cheek. She knew that he didn't buy that lame lie. She would have to do better.

"I'm trying to see what your ex was talking about. You know, how you and Jay are supposed to look alike." Jordan continued. "You look more like your mom." Jordan paused. "Actually you look more like Danni."

"I've heard that before." Aaron mumbled.

Jordan smirked. "What's wrong? Don't like being compared to your big sis? People do it to me all the time."

"I don't." Aaron said. Jordan shrugged, realizing he had a point there. "Where is Dustin? I have to get back before Laura gets mad."

"Ugh, is that all you can think about? Laura?" Jordan responded. "She's dating your brother."

"Yeah, but if she thinks that I'm trying to skip out on her birthday, she will find me. And when she does, I'm putting _you_ in front of me." Aaron stated. "She's like family now and no one will save me considering I'm leaving family behind. Jay will probably encourage it."

Jordan sighed. "Well it's on you, not me. I didn't force you to come here. And I sure didn't tell you to wait for your pervert friend."

Aaron only released a small sigh. He wondered how Jordan talked him into half the things she did. A part of him was scared to find out honestly. He would hate to think that some of her devious mentality had rubbed off of him, or her knack for figuring out things. Sure, Aaron would admit that he had a "healthy curiosity" but Jordan's far surpassed his.

"Finally." Jordan breathed out as Dustin entered The Dot.

"Sorry," Dustin said nearing the table. "I had to do something for my mom."

"Uh-huh?" Jordan said uncaringly. "So what's your 'big news' that you had to tell us?"

Dustin sighed heavily. "I'm transferring to Bardell." At this, Jordan's lackluster appearance left, as did Aaron's. "It'll be easier for my brother to just take me there instead of dropping me off at Degrassi then driving to Bardell himself."

"So," Aaron began. "You'll be going to Bardell when break's over?" Dustin nodded. "Oh… Well, if it's what you want, then I guess I can't really say anything."

"Zach's trying to get me on a sports team. He said it'll build my confidence." Dustin said. "My parents agree, though my mom's been too busy to help me pick a sport and my dad has a lot of work to do. Bella said to go for basketball."

Jordan snorted. "You better learn how to play then."

"I know how to play." Dustin remarked.

"Well," Jordan said. "You better learn how to play well."

"Don't listen to her. You have a good chance at making the team next year, since the year has already started for that sport." Aaron said as he rose from his seat. "We should probably do what we want before I'm called back to the battlefield of my home."

Jordan sighed. "You're right. Come on Dustin, to the park."

"And why do I have to go?" Dustin questioned.

"Because if you don't, I'll find you and drag you there myself. And if I break a nail doing so…"

"Just come." Aaron interrupted Jordan's threat. "Besides, stop by my house and you'll get to perve on Laura and Danni. And Kelly."

"Until they kick your ass." Jordan commented.

Dustin only smiled. "You think Bella will be there too?"

Aaron and Jordan sighed in unison, the trio heading out of The Dot.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

It was as if the entire mall could sense the hostility amongst Nicole's friends. On one side stood a shocked Laura along with Dakota while on the other stood the defiant Scarlett with Helen and Jacquelyn. Nicole looked between her friends before smiling.

"Now, who wants to shop?" Nicole asked.

"Nicky…" Jacquelyn began but immediately stopped when Laura raised her hand.

"I hear from a friend that you haven't listened to me." Scarlett's eyes narrowed as Laura's voice reached her ears. "I said stay away from him, no matter what he says, got it?"

"Laura, don't get into a fight today." Dakota stated. "You know how that'll end."

"I don't care." Laura said through grit teeth.

"Okay, okay," Helen said. "Let's just get through this as civilized women. Laura, Scar will leave our annoying ex alone. And Scar, Laura won't kick your ass. _I'll_ make sure of that."

"Oh really? Just because you told Dimples to date me doesn't mean I favor you over your bitchy cousin." Laura snapped.

"Believe me, the feeling is mutual." replied the shorter girl.

"Can't we all just get alone?" Nicole asked.

Laura's eyes left Helen's to a pair of girls and a smile came to her face.

"Well look what I see," Laura said. "Shane's missing girlfriend."

Deanna sighed. She had been avoiding Shane for months now, which includes his sister and friends. Now, as she attempted to enjoy a day of relaxation and shopping with Stephanie, she was confronted with Shane's friends _and_ his three other exes.

Lovely, right?

"Oh dear…" Dakota said quietly. "Come on Laura, we'll go shopping on the _other _side of the mall."

"Yeah, yeah, shut up Dash." Laura said before glaring at Deanna. "Where the hell have you been? I told you not to mess up my strange but happy family and yet you did it anyway. You're just as dumb as Princess over here."

Deanna scoffed. "Hardly…"

"What was that?" Scarlett stated.

"I said I'm nowhere near as dumb as you are." said Deanna. "And to answer your question Laura, I've been doing some thinking. I'll talk to Shane when I'm ready. Not a moment sooner."

Now it was Nicole who frowned. "You hurt him badly. I thought you 'loved' him so much?"

"I do!" Deanna snapped. "And it's none of your business!"

"I think _everyone_ has heard about your drinking." Laura's brows furrowed at Nicole's words. "Plus, Shane's my friend. It is my business."

"Right. Is that why you ran off to screw some guy in the back of a filthy van?" Deanna retorted angrily. "You think you know everything that goes on between us, and you don't. So stop trying."

"Dee, remember-"

"I don't care Stephanie." Deanna interrupted her friend.

"Okay," Helen said clapping her hands together. "Let's pretend to like each other for the remainder of this trip and afterwards the claws come out."

"Too bad I don't have claws like you." Laura replied. "But I'm sure my fists will do just fine."

Helen's eyes narrowed. "You may live your last birthday if you keep that up."

Laura opened her mouth, only for her phone to ring. She eyed it for a second with a frown before responding to the text.

"Jayden?" Dakota asked.

"Asking me which cake I preferred. He's up to something. Anytime he and Shane are together something drastic happens." Laura paused. "I wonder if it's that surprise…"

Scarlett's eyes shot elsewhere. It hurt her to think of whatever wonderful event Jayden had planned for his girlfriend. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't jealous. Then again, in her eyes, she and Jayden had a more meaningful relationship compared to him and Laura.

"Well," Nicole said looking at Laura. "I promised you we'd go shopping until he had the surprise up but," Nicole's green eyes cut to Deanna. "Since _people_ are here I guess we'll go elsewhere."

"Nicky I've had a real bad day. Don't push me." Deanna threatened.

"Nicky's right about one thing," Helen stated. "We're not going to get along and this mall isn't big enough for all of us here."

Laura crossed her arms. "Tell that to your cousin."

"I have. She doesn't listen to me either." Helen replied. "So let's go Scar. We'll finish our shopping-"

"Oh no. Stay." Laura interrupted. "I don't want her out of my sight now that she knows that Jayden's not by my side. Sure, I could let her walk into a one-sided fight against Danni, but I'd rather Danni stay on her parents' good side."

"And why should I trust being around you all day?" Scarlett questioned.

"Because if I'm walking beside you," Laura's voice was now cold and menacing. "You'll know I won't come from behind you." Scarlett sneered a bit, but Laura just turned her attention to Deanna. "And I'm revoking your right to say _anything_ about it."

"I'm not your pet. You can't-"

"Remember the ass-kicking I let go earlier? Don't make me cash up now." Laura cut the posh girl off. "You're walking with us because I have to talk to you. Got it?" Deanna's eyes narrowed, but she nodded anyway. "Now, let's go. I promised a certain loser that I'll have something nice on later and I want to get that first."

"Do you have to remind me?" Dakota questioned.

"Aw!" Nicole cooed, obviously ignoring the fact that Deanna was in her vicinity. "What are you and Jay going to do all night?"

"I think it's pretty obvious." Helen deadpanned.

"I mean," Nicole elaborated. "_Before_ that."

"He hasn't told me this damn surprise and it's pissing me off!" Laura paused and took in a heavy breath. "But I have more patience now thanks to my children. Who are his as well."

Nicole gasped. "Jackie you have got to see the twins! They are so cute!"

"I'm sure." Jacquelyn replied.

"I have a picture of them on my phone." Scarlett said, gaining a glare from Laura. "Let me show you."

"I wonder if they're cooking anything." Dakota said in an attempt to get Laura's mind off of Scarlett's picture of Jaylen and Daniella.

"They'd better. Shane especially since he didn't get me anything." Laura said.

"I…" Deanna began. "I kind of miss his cooking. Fries and a milkshake were kind of our thing. And Kelly's."

"Well everyone knows he makes the best pancakes. He would make them in the mornings when we woke up." Nicole countered. "And nothing beats a nice stack of pancakes after a _long_ night…"

Deanna pursed her lips. "I guess that's true. Unless he's too tired the next day because of said 'long' night." Nicole's green glare went far beyond any menacing look she had made before. "I'm sure you've tired him out like that before. No?"

Laura snorted. "You two talking about Shane like he's a piece of meat is hilarious. I should text him and tell him what you're saying."

"Just know that I'll send the same text to my annoying neighbor." Helen states.

"Oh, I don't have to compare my sex life with Jayden to Scarlett because I know that they never had sex and never will." Laura responds confidently. "So that would be a one-sided argument unlike Nicky and Deanna. Shane's screwed them both, or so I've heard."

Helen nodded. "He has. But, just a question, did Jayden really sleep with you that night Scar was dancing with DeWayne?"

"Of course. We didn't plan for it to happen, it just did." Laura said before sighing happily. "For a virgin, he knew what he was doing. And his skills only grew with every single time thereafter."

Nicole smiled. "I'm really happy for you two."

"In a sick way, me too." Helen replied. "You get him to stop being annoying and he sends you off to England. Everyone wins."

"Not everyone…" Scarlett mumbled.

"You could just break him and Laura up like you did Wayne and Mercedes." Deanna said in a faux-sweet voice. "I'm sure it'll be no problem for you since you already took Jayden away from your cousin."

"Or I could get you to sleep with him since you like sleeping with guys that are taken." Scarlett retorted. "And then you can write about it in your stupid diary or have your friend write a blog about it."

"Don't mind her Scarlett." Nicole stated. "She's just mad because Shane dumped her."

"FYI, I dumped him and if I'm not mistaken, he only wants _one_ of us back and it isn't you." Deanna told Nicole. "So why not go snort crack under a rock somewhere? It's obvious that every boy you've weaseled your way to has left you for someone better… Well, except for Ethan."

Laura smirked. "Good save. There's no way Torrie should be over Nicky."

"Despite the fact that you're talking about my other cousin," Helen said. "I agree."

"Ditto." Scarlett stated.

"So," Laura said. "How about we put all our differences aside for this one time and put our focus on hating Torrie? Fair enough?" The others, sans Dakota, Jacquelyn, and Stephanie, nodded. "Good. Now, what lingerie should I get? Pink or red?"

Dakota sighed. "I'm so glad I never dated Jay and Shane."

"Agreed." Stephanie replied fixing her glasses.

* * *

Jayden released a heavy breath as he sat next to Shane in his backyard. The two boys were in the lawn chairs in the backyard, enjoying the peace and quietness that they had here instead of inside of Jayden's parents' house which housed chaos at the moment.

"Younger siblings are annoying." Shane said.

"Tell me about it." Jayden replied. "So are you sprung over Deanna like Nicky or past Nicky or what?"

Shane shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I know that Kelly hasn't talked to her and it worries me."

"Ah," Jayden said with a nod. "More than Nicky. Kind of sad really, but hey, your life and your exes."

"I know." Shane said. "What about you? You and Scarlett were almost kissing during the game last week."

"She was just congratulating me. That's all." Jayden answered. "And honestly, I probably wouldn't have minded if she kissed me then. I surely wouldn't have stopped it."

"Dude, Laura's going to kill you." Jayden shook his head, disagreeing with Shane. "How do you know she won't?"

"Because I'm going to marry her and she needs me alive to do so." Jayden stated. "I'm not going to lie with you. Red's hot and you know it. She's still growing and her smile is nearly to die for." Jayden held up a hand. "But, I'd never leave her for Laura. Well, not unless Laura gets caught screwing Damon. Then I'd kill him, dump her, get custody of our kids, and date Scarlett."

"That'll never happen. Laura hates Scooter." Shane pointed out. "But I get what you're saying. I mean, if I saw Dee with someone like Scooter, I'd flip."

"Word is she was at some college party with Steven Manning." Jayden said causing his friend to sigh. "Hey, don't beat yourself up. From what I was told from James, they weren't that close."

"Do you know what I miss?" Jayden shook his head again. "I miss days when our exes didn't have a problem with each other and we could all just hang out somewhere. But now it's all this talk about if you should be with Scarlett or Laura and I have to listen to things about Nicky and Dee. It's just complicated now. And I hate complicated."

Jayden smirked. "What're you talking about? You're single. You can either fix your problem or just ignore it. Me? I have to deal with Laura. If I don't, then she'll call Danni and then bam. Welcome to hell."

Shane laughed a bit. "Yeah. Sucks to be you."

"Yeah, that's me. Superstar playboy who has to be a father and a loving boyfriend. Just wish I had my band on the résumé." Jayden said.

"Yeah…" Kelly entered the backyard as Shane said this holding two canned sodas. "Those for us?"

Kelly nodded. "Yep." Kelly handed the drinks to her brother and friend. "So, when's the surprise getting here?"

"Soon." Jayden answered. "Say, you wouldn't have any advice for us would you? You know, something that will solve our love problems?"

"I might." Kelly said before snapping her fingers. "Oh yeah! Stop dating and worry about graduating high school next year."

"We're serious." Shane remarked.

"Okay, okay," Kelly said. "Seriously Jay, you should tell Scarlett to learn her place. She isn't your girlfriend anymore and she shouldn't be hanging off of you like she is. It's one thing for her to visit you every other day. It's a totally different thing when she's at your house more than you are." Jayden nodded. "And for you Shane, I say you go find Deanna before it's too late and she ends up far worse than you can imagine. I know you like Nicky very much, but you're in love with Dee for whatever the reason may be. Don't let her slip through your fingers."

"Huh… Thanks Kelly." Shane said before opening his drink, only for it to fizz into his lap. "Oh come on!"

Kelly giggled. "You fell for that one!"

Danica's laughter was heard before she appeared behind Kelly.

"I knew one of them would." Jayden glared at his sister, sitting his can on the ground next to him. "Oh come on little brother that was a good one. Besides, it was Kelly's idea to prank you two considering you prank everyone else. I just supplied the resources and plan."

"You're lucky my girlfriend likes you." Jayden said.

"No. You're lucky my friend loves you." Danica replied. "Or else you and your kids would be living with your redhead friend and her butler." Danica then paused. "By the way, I got your ring."

"Ring?" The Mason siblings questioned.

Jayden smiled. "Ready to know my surprise?"

* * *

Mary-Jane lied in her bed, waiting as patiently as she could for Simon to call. He had classes today, but she knew when he got out and when he left for work. On any ordinary day, he would have called by now. And as if he could hear her thoughts, her phone rang.

"Hello?" Mary-Jane answered.

"Hey," Simon replied. "Amber still doing interviews?"

Mary-Jane sighed. "Yeah… I really don't want her to give her baby up for adoption though."

"I understand, but it is ultimately her call." Simon said.

"But she's punishing a baby for something the dad did." Mary-Jane said.

"Mary-"

"No," she interrupted. "I just went through that, remember? My uncle beat me left and right for something I didn't do. And now Amber is throwing away her baby for the same thing. It's not fair Simon."

Mary-Jane heard Simon release a breath. She knew that Amber's baby was made without her consent, but to throw him or her away for that reason was something Mary-Jane just could not condone. Sure, Mary-Jane was not in that situation and does not know what she would or would not have done if Dylan hadn't have done what he did. But he did. So now Mary-Jane despised when a child was blamed for their parents' problems. It was just not fair.

"I'm going to get ready for work." Simon said after a long pause. "Don't get too worked up on this MJ. I know how you are and it won't do you or Amber any favors."

"Stuck between your girl and your sister, huh? Sucks." Mary-Jane stated with a giggle.

"Never thought we were dating." responds Simon. "But I'll see you this weekend, okay? I know that you and Amber wanted to see that new comedy out."

Mary-Jane smiled. "I'd like that."

"Alright, now I have to check in on my sister." Simon said.

"Sure. Bye. And don't be late picking me up Simon Clarke." Mary-Jane replied.

Simon chuckled. "I won't. Bye MJ."

Mary-Jane sat on her bed with a smile. At of all the secrets that she had kept from Amber, this one seemed to be the biggest. Despite not sleeping with Simon- yet- Mary-Jane felt obligated to tell Amber about this. But she knew Amber would never approve. Not now at least. Amber saw Mary-Jane as someone who just went from one guy to the next. And while that was partially true, Mary-Jane did have feelings for Simon outside the physical attraction.

Who knows? Maybe Simon will be the one?

* * *

Walking into the backyard of the McDuelle household, Laura was shocked to see a familiar blonde girl talking to her boyfriend and his best friend.

Laura squealed happily. "Sarah!"

"Hey babe!" Sarah replied in an equally high-pitched voice as the two hugged.

Dakota eyed Jayden for a second. It amazed her how he did these sorts of things and wanted nothing in return. She knew that while it had to cost some money to fly Sarah and her year-old son from London to Toronto, all Jayden wanted in return was for Laura to smile. To the average person that would seem quite illogical. To anyone that knew them, like Dakota, they knew it was purely out of love.

"OMG," Sarah began. "Your kids are so cute! And don't get me started on your boy-"

"Alright, happy is over." Laura said interrupting her friend and releasing the thinner girl from her hug. "Don't tell me you've been flirting with him this entire time. I'd hate to show my kids improper party etiquette."

Sarah waved Laura off. "Blah, blah. You know I'd never do that and even if I did, would it have worked?" Laura glanced over at Jayden who shook his head no. "So there you have it. _Plus_, I got you a great gift."

"What is it?" Laura asked.

"Before that," Jayden stated. "There is that surprise that I want to give you."

Laura frowned. "Sarah isn't it?"

"She doesn't scratch the surface baby." Jayden remarked as he dug into his pockets and pulled out two boxes. Laura was already expected jewelry as he neared her, his left hand extended to her. "Open it."

Laura opened the case in his left hand, seeing a rather expensive looking watch. Her eyes sparkled at it before realizing the time. It was wrong. More importantly, it wasn't even keeping track of time. It was counting down to something…

"Dimples, is this a prank from you and Shane?" Laura asked, her eyes connecting to his.

"No prank," Jayden said. "That clock is counting down to your birthday next year for a very good reason." Laura's frown grew. "I know you said you wanted to wait until college, but I honestly can't. I know that next year, you'll probably graduate months before me. And after high school, I sincerely want to make you my wife."

"J-Jayden, what are you saying?" Laura stuttered.

"Laura Juliana Reynolds," Jayden said getting on a knee in front of her, now extending the case in his right hand. "I'm formally asking you to be my wife."

"Oh my God." Laura gasped. "I… Jay…" He raised a brow, a small smile on his face. "Yes! Yes I'll marry you!"

"Good." Jayden said sliding the ring on her finger.

Laura did not hear the others cheering them on as Jayden rose to kiss her. She could only hear her heart beating. They had said and planned how this would go, but she had not expected him to make it real so soon. For the most part, she felt as if he was making a joke about it. Now a part of her felt as if they were rushing it, but due to her love for him and impatience, she felt as if they were not moving fast enough.

"I love you so much." Laura whispered to Jayden when he pulled away from the kiss and rested his forehead against hers.

"I know you do. And I love you just as much, if not more." Jayden said in an equally quiet tone. "And I'm so sorry that I ever said those things to you when we first met."

Laura smiled. "I forgive you."

"Okay you two," Jayden sighed heavily as he and Laura turned to his mom. "How about we wash our hands and get ready for dinner? Mom, I can take Jaylen for you."

"Will she ever lay off?" Laura whispered to Jayden, causing him to laugh quietly.

"Maybe when she's old and unable to do much." Jayden replied. "But knowing my mom, not really."

"Laura, come on!" Renée said running to the older girl with her twin beside her.

"Yeah, you have to wash your hands so we can eat cake!" Jenée added.

"Go." Jayden said releasing Laura, allowing his younger twin sisters to grab her by the hands and began pulling her to the house. Laura gave him a critical stare which made him smile. "Just think of all the joys the twins will give us."

Laura gave him one final smile before being pulled into the house. Jayden stood with a smile until he felt his father put a hand on his shoulder.

"The life of a married man… How I miss being a bachelor some nights." Maxwell stated.

"Oh really?" Manny questioned, standing on the other side of their son.

"I said some nights." Maxwell replied before looking at Jayden. "But all jokes aside, congratulations son. Girls like Laura become women like your mother. And women like them are those that no matter what they do, they are worth spending the rest of your life with."

"Thanks Dad." Jayden stated. "But, did you have this funny feeling when you proposed to Mama?"

"It's called being nervous and yes your smooth talking dad was nervous." Manny answered.

Maxwell smiled. "I was more nervous saying our vows. But that's for another day."

"Your dad's right. Go wash your hands and prepare for dinner." Manny said. Jayden gave his parents one final smile before walking into the house to do what he was told. Manny looked to see her husband chuckling and gave him an amused look. "What's so funny?"

"Picturing their wedding." Maxwell stated. "You and Emma crying. John passes out. Bianca yells at him for passing out at their daughter's wedding. Jayden trying to comfort his embarrassed wife. My mom and your dad forced to sit on the same side. And me trying to keep all of your daughters from trying to catch the bouquet, Danni especially. It'll be one for the ages."

"You think the media will get whiff of it?" Maxwell nodded, putting an arm around his wife.

"I know they will. But they can handle it together." Maxwell stated. "Besides, it'll be their problems, not ours. Even with Danni and Jayden out of the house, we have five more and only one of them will be in high school."

Manny gave her husband a smile, looking up at him.

"I love you." she said.

"Don't still your son's fiancée's thunder." Her husband responded, gaining a giggle from Manny. Maxwell leaned in and kissed her. "I love you too."

Manny sighed in content. Sure, she probably would have liked Jayden to be with Scarlett, but she was happy with Laura. The girl had undoubtedly grown on her and the rest of her family, even her parents. And Jayden loved Laura dearly. That's all Manny really cared about. So long as Jayden was safe and happy, she was happy. And Laura would do everything in her power to make sure that those two things stayed true.

"Shane, stop eating the wings!" Jordan's voice rang out.

"I made them!" Shane replied.

"Move over squirt!" Danica ordered.

"Hey, it's my birthday! I get dibs!" Laura called.

Manny released another breath.

"What a family…" Maxwell said for her, causing her to nod slowly.

* * *

**A/N: **Well, there you have it. Liked it? Missing Ashton and Brie? Let me know with a simple review. Next episode comes out next week. Until then, I'm going back to bed. Later.


	144. Webisodes: Mitunes: Jayden & Scarlett

**A/N**: Feeling a bit better, which is why this is being posted today. To Totaldramafan123, I am amused about your prediction. It was a very detailed way of how you see this whole thing going down and it had me grinning and coughing yesterday when I read it. But on to the MiTunes. The first of its kind seeing as it is about a couple who many are still debating should still be together, Jayden and Scarlett, rather than being about Jayden or Scarlett. It takes place during the episode Two Wrongs Pt. I. Enjoy.

* * *

**MiTunes: Jayden/Scarlett**

Song: Try  
Artist: Pink

As she slid down against his door, tears pouring from her eyes, Scarlett realized that today was the worst day in her life. How did it even come to this? One small thing had become something so huge that neither of them could do anything about it. Was there even a reason to fight for him anymore?

_Ever wonder about what he's doing?__  
__How it all turned to lies?  
Sometimes I think that it's better to never ask why_

Scarlett knew that if she didn't do something now, she would lose him forever. So what if he had kids? So what if he loved Laura? She loved him and he loved her back. So with a new sense of pride and confidence, she attempted to dry her tears and stood to her feet._  
_  
_Where there is desire  
There is gonna be a flame  
Where there is a flame  
Someone's bound to get burned  
But just because it burns  
Doesn't mean you're gonna die  
You've gotta get up and try, and try, and try  
Gotta get up and try, and try, and try  
You gotta get up and try, and try, and try_

Scarlett opened the door, finding it unlocked and Jayden standing there with his head in his hands. Without much thinking, she moved to him and locked lips with him again, igniting a fire inside of her body. His body accepted hers and backed her to the couch. This was how it was supposed to be.

However, that's not what she did. She just sat there and cried wondering why she didn't try at all. Why she didn't fight for him.

_Eh, eh, eh_

_Funny how the heart can be deceiving_  
_More than just a couple times_  
_Why do we fall in love so easy?_  
_Even when it's not right_

Meanwhile, Jayden sat on the other side of his door staring at the ceiling. Why did he keep falling for her? It frustrated him to no end. Laura was who he should be with, and he wanted to be with her. Yet Scarlett… She had some sort of hold over him. And he'd be damned if he said that he didn't like it.

He had to do something about it and he had to do it now.

_Where there is desire  
There is gonna be a flame  
Where there is a flame  
Someone's bound to get burned  
But just because it burns  
Doesn't mean you're gonna die  
You've gotta get up and try, and try, and try  
Gotta get up and try, and try, and try  
You gotta get up and try, and try, and try_

So he found himself opening his door to find her seated on the floor crying. Not caring about how gentle he was, he pulls her to her feet to give her one of the most passionate kisses he has ever given a girl. He felt her gasp before her arms moves around him and he pulls her back inside. He knew that this would kill Laura if she ever found out, but he couldn't stop. He loved Scarlett and he honestly wanted to try with her again. Clothes began to fly off of them to relieve the heat building up between them. And he was going to tell her how much he loved her but…

But that's not what he did. He just sat there in his thoughts wondering where it all went wrong.

_Ever worry that it might be ruined  
And does it make you wanna cry?  
When you're out there doing what you're doing  
Are you just getting by?  
Tell me are you just getting by, by, by?_

Jayden could hear her cries through the door and found himself growing angry at himself. Punching the floor in frustration, he hated to think that they were right. He loved Scarlett more than he wanted. As for Scarlett, she heard the pound on the floor and her heart skipped in fear. Did she make him that angry? Was it her fault that he was like this? Now she hated herself more than ever.

_Where there is desire  
There is gonna be a flame  
Where there is a flame  
Someone's bound to get burned  
But just because it burns  
Doesn't mean you're gonna die  
You've gotta get up and try, and try, and try  
Gotta get up and try, and try, and try  
You gotta get up and try, and try, and try  
Gotta get up and try, and try, and try  
Gotta get up and try, and try, and try  
You gotta get up and try, and try, and try  
Gotta get up and try, and try, and try_

Scarlett found herself standing up and put her hand on the doorknob to find that it was indeed unlocked. She contemplated on whether or not she should open the door and talk to him. There was something in her head that just screamed for her to go inside and talk. But she didn't. He needed space from her. He needed time to figure out things. And she would rather not see his normally lovable brown eyes blazed with hatred towards her. So she quietly stated how much she loved him and turned around. With each step away from his apartment, she hated herself for not trying. Then again, he hadn't either. So that meant that he didn't want to right?

_You gotta get up and try, and try, and try  
Gotta get up and try, and try, and try_

Jayden opened his door, hearing Scarlett announce her love for him again but unable to see her. She was gone. But he swore he could hear her, feel her close. All she kept saying to him was "try". Realizing that she was probably halfway home now, he opted to go to the park instead. He would at least try to get in better spirits before Danica returned with his kids.

They both would go on to hate themselves for never trying what they wanted. Then again, there would be more chances, right? They would tell each other then.


	145. S5 Episode XII: Ice Box Pt II

**Author's Notes: **The good news, I can breathe again. The better news, D3G has 150 reviews! The best news, a new episode. And tomorrow there will be a new webisode. Don't you love Fridays?

* * *

**Episode XII: Ice Box Pt. II**

Chandra slowly made her way down the steps to see her mother waiting for her.

"Do you have practice today?" Chandra shook her head for no. "Is everything alright?"

"It's fine Mom." Chandra answered. "I'm ready."

Alli nodded. "Alright, let's drop you off at school."

Chandra now hated school. With no friends and more pressure to excel, it was nothing like it once was. She was now back on her medications which gave people more things to taunt at her about. Surprisingly, her three main opponents (Helen, Jordan, and Mary-Jane) were far more lenient on her than they would- or _should-_ have been. It was Aaron who did the worst. He didn't say anything. He didn't do anything. He was just there. No emotion. No care. He just stood there and saw straight through her. And that's what was hurting her the most.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Alli asked a second time when they got into her car.

Chandra nodded. "I'm fine Mom. I just… I just want today to be over with."

This had been her response for the past month. She just wanted the day to be over with. Every day had its own problem yet they were all relatively the same. They all dealt with a mistake she had made. Mistakes that were better left unsaid.

"Chandra," Chandra glanced at her mother. "Please don't stress yourself out."

It sounded more of a plea than a demand, yet Chandra knew it was indeed an order.

"I'll try Mom." Chandra replied. "I really will…"

* * *

Today was the day. That's all Aaron continued to tell himself. Today would be the day that he broke up with Farah. He had already planned on how to do it and the multiple ways she could take it. He thought about doing it after lunch, but felt that the sooner the better. He truly did not want to ruin her day but there was no way around it. If he didn't do it now, Farah would probably make plans for Valentine's.

"So which one of them is it this time?" Aaron snapped out of his thoughts and turned to his brother. "We've been sitting in the parking lot for the past five minutes and you have yet to leave. So here are the choices of your dilemma. One, you love Bambi but can't grasp what she did with her boyfriend. Two, Jordan's been bugging you and you're fighting yourself to tell her to just jump off of a cliff. Or, and this is my personal favorite, three, you've come to terms that you don't want to date Farah and can't tell her."

Aaron sighed. It really was sad that he had thought about all three scenarios on his way to school.

"The third one," Aaron replied. "I don't want to hurt her, you know?"

"Uh, no. I don't." stated his older brother. "Mainly because she manipulated you into dating her in the first place, giving Bambi the chance to date Tevin, which led to your problems with Bambi today."

"Jay…" Aaron began.

Jayden shrugged. "It's true. I live with my mistakes. Why can't you live with yours?"

"Because your mistakes somehow turn out to be a half-naked Laura waiting for you in your bed and a free trip to Italy while mine are different." Aaron said which caused his brother to smirk. "Seriously, why are you that lucky?"

"Who says its luck? Might I remind you that while engage to the love of my life, I still have very real and sincere feelings for a certain blue-eyed girl?" Jayden said. "I'm not lucky. Skilled in a lot of things, yes, but not lucky."

"But you still have Laura. When I break up with Farah I'd be single." Jayden raised a brow.

"And since when did you care for relationship status? I though you were okay being just A.J Santos?" Jayden questioned.

Aaron sighed. "I don't care for status or popularity or fame. I do care about…"

"The choices now are between one Chandra Torres and one Jordan Cameron. Either will work." Jayden said, gaining a small frown from his younger brother. "A.J, don't be like me. Or rather, stop being like me."

"I'm-"

"Jordan will be your Scarlett and Bambi will be your Laura if you don't stop this." Jayden cut Aaron off. "Maybe its best if you don't pick any girl right now and get your thoughts together? Do what you do best and think about what you're doing."

"Maybe you're right… I mean, I'm sure Jordan will be okay with whatever I do but Chandra…" Aaron paused when Jayden frowned. "What?"

"When will she regain her nickname to you?" Aaron shrugged at the question.

"I don't know. Probably soon." Aaron said opening the door. "But I have to go find Farah. I _have_ thought about breaking up with her and I need to do it sooner than later."

Jayden grinned. "Hey, if the worst shall happen and she ends up being a crazy psycho, be glad you had a good life."

"I'm fourteen." Aaron replied.

"I said good, not long." Aaron found himself lazily rolling his eyes at the comment. "But good luck to you. With Farah, Jordan, and Bambi. And Tevin and Tim while I'm at it. Tim especially."

Aaron grinned. "I'll be fine."

With that, Aaron left his brother's car, closing the door behind him.

Jayden sat quietly with the thoughts of his predicament. How in the world will he tell Scarlett that he was engaged to Laura? A part of him knew that he couldn't, not here at least. She would be torn and it would be his fault.

"Let's just get this over with." Jayden said to himself as he grabbed his bag from the backseat and got out of his car.

"Well, well," Jayden heard as he locked his car via the remote. He watched as Helen and Scarlett walked towards him; Helen with a smirk and Scarlett avoiding eye contact. "I would say congratulations but I don't know if you're selling your soul to the devil or not."

"Who told you?" was his only question. He knew that they knew which made his job slightly easier.

Only slightly though.

"It's only the most trending thing on Twitter and Mumblr and FaceRange right now." Helen said. "Caught your wifey getting off of the plane with a nice rock on her finger."

"It could've been a birthday present." Jayden remarked.

Helen waved him off. "Yeah right. Knowing you, you probably did."

"Sue me." Jayden said before throwing his bag over a shoulder and putting his hands in his pockets. "So… Got any gifts for me?"

"I got one." Helen said walking towards him. She stepped onto her toes to whisper in his ear. "Watch out for Scar. She's been quiet since we found out earlier."

Jayden nodded as Helen lowered herself and then walked away. His eyes trailed to Scarlett, who was still looking somewhere else.

"Hey Red. Why so glum chum?" Scarlett slowly brought her eyes to Jayden's. He took a deep breath before giving her a small smile. "It's not fair, huh?"

"I wasn't thinking that." Scarlett told him.

"It should've been you?" Scarlett nodded. "Scarlett, believe me when I say that I'm sorry. I truly am. But-"

"Don't baby me, Jayden. I know that you love Laura and this is what people do when they're in love." Scarlett interrupted. "I just… It's going to take a while for me to accept this." Jayden nodded. "And I know that now that it's official, I shouldn't have these thoughts but… I still believe. I still believe that there is still a chance for us in the future. I just have to take it one day at a time."

"I really am sorry Scarlett." Jayden said.

Scarlett smiled. "Walk me to the office so I can do the announcements?"

"Sure Madame President." Jayden answered.

* * *

Kelly yawned as she grabbed her morning books.

"Long night?" Dakota asked.

Kelly nodded. "Yeah. Cam wouldn't go to sleep."

"Are you sure this has nothing to do with your two jobs?" Kelly gave Dakota a fixed stare. "Kelly, I'm just worried, okay? You over work yourself with one job. Why do two?"

"Because it's my family with The Dot and my dream at The Core." Kelly answered. "It's like if I told you to give up trying to be a musician." Kelly paused. "Which makes me question what you have planned for your band."

Dakota sighed. "It's hard to say. My mom thinks it's better if we call it quits. When my dad's band in high school were up and coming, they fought amongst each other some times. I don't want to that with us."

"I understand." Kelly said with a nod. "I doubt Shane is even worried. Not with Deanna running through his mind all the time. He almost burnt dinner over her."

"He loves her." Dakota stated. "You should try and help him. If you find the time without stretching yourself too thin."

"You're right." Kelly replied before snapping her fingers. "The Valentine's Dance is coming. Maybe I can get her to come?"

"And by 'her' you mean…?" Dakota questioned.

"Deanna of course." said Kelly. "I won't deny what was between him and Nicky, but he didn't burn food when Nicky left him. He now gets so caught up in his thoughts that he forgets that he's cooking. It's sad Dash. It's really, really sad."

While Dakota just nodded, Kelly doubted that her friend knew just how sad it really was. Sure, Shane was a little down about losing Nicole, but it was nothing compared to his Deanna blues. Shane would sometimes just stare at his phones in hopes that Deanna would call. It was, as stated earlier, sad.

"Well," Kelly said. "I have to get to class. I'm just hoping there isn't any pop quiz or anything."

"Good luck if there is." Dakota stated.

Kelly smiled. "Thanks. Say, did you know that Jay was going to propose to Laura or was it as big as a surprise to you as it was to her?"

"I knew that they were talking about it, I didn't know that he was going to do it so soon." Dakota answered. "But I'm glad that they're happy. They deserve it."

"Yeah, they do." Kelly said closing her locker. "Well, see you at lunch Dash."

"Yeah." Dakota said before the two separated.

Dakota sighed contently as she walked to class. Laura honestly could not keep her excitement down about being engaged. She didn't flaunt it, but she surely did not hide it. But Dakota did not blame her friend. It was all of Laura's dreams coming true in one night. She had wonderful kids. She had a great boyfriend. She had her parents together. She finally had a real family. And Dakota was a part of that happy, yet odd, family.

She just couldn't wait to see their wedding.

* * *

Dustin sighed happily as the bell rang and he was out of class. Bardell did not have an extremely large student body like Degrassi, but the curriculum was the same, if not tougher. Especially the Gifted Program.

"Ow," Dustin groaned heavily when someone bumped into him, neither of them paying attention where they were going. "Sorry…"

"No, it's my fault." Dustin said before helping the girl up. "Um, Dustin. Dustin Hayes."

"Leona Parker." Leona replied. "Um, could you let go of my hand?"

"Sorry!" Dustin said quickly, gaining a quiet laugh from Leona. "I was looking for Ms. Clark's class."

"Oh, you must be one of the smarter guys." Leona said.

"I'm also trying for the team. Basketball. My brother's the hockey coach." Leona seemed shocked by this and Dustin ad-libbed. "I'm actually quite good and-"

"After school," Leona replied. "One-on-one. You in?"

Dustin frowned. "But you're…"

"Hey, I can play better than half the guys _and_ I'm already on the team. The girls' team that is." Leona stated before smiling. "I can understand if you don't want to be beaten by a _girl_…"

"You're on." Dustin responded.

Leona's smile widened. "Good! I'll see you then Dustin!"

Dustin released the breath he was holding before grinning.

He liked this school already.

* * *

Chandra smiled as she was being escorted to class.

"I'll be there Jayden, I promise. My parents wouldn't take away the one thing I actually wanted them to." she said.

"Oh come on," Jayden responded. "Name one thing more fun than spending a day with four of Lakehurst most strangest people and Ari?"

"She's the strangest." Chandra said. "Plus…"

Jayden saw his brother nearing the duo and raised a brow. This was either going to go really well or really bad.

"I broke up with Farah." Aaron said. Chandra smiled and was seconds away from talking before Aaron added, "But it doesn't change much between us. I just need time to be alone."

"I understand." Chandra said quietly.

"Seriously A.J, did you have to rain on her parade?" Jayden asked.

Aaron glanced at his brother. "You mean like she did to me? Twice? And then had you keep it a secret?"

"To be fair, I wasn't going to tell you anyway because you can't handle things like that." Jayden said.

"How would you feel if you saw a tape of Laura and Nathan?" Jayden's jaw clenched as he glared at his younger brother. "It's not easy to think about, huh? Now imagine how I feel."

"Come on Bambi," Jayden stated. "I promised you a no-worry day and I'm going to deliver. Whether or not my kid brother lives it."

"I'm fine Jayden, seriously." Chandra said before walking past Aaron. "Good-bye."

Jayden sighed heavily as Chandra walked towards her class.

"You just don't know when to stop, do you?" Aaron remained quiet. "Why can't you just let it go, A.J? It's one small mistake."

"Maybe so I don't forgive her so easily like you did Scarlett." Aaron argued.

"I…" Jayden paused. "I think you're taking this too far A.J. So she made a mistake? You act as if this only hurts you, and it doesn't."

"Jay-"

"Listen to me," Jayden interrupted. "I get that you'll never have the chance to be her first or one and only, but get over it."

"It's not about sex." Aaron stated.

"Who's talking about sex? I'm saying milestones in every soapy high school couples' lives. You would have liked to be her first and only, wouldn't you?" Aaron nodded slowly. "How do you think I feel about Laura?"

"That's different." Aaron's voice was quiet and wavering, causing Jayden to grin and put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"A.J," Jayden said. "There will be a time in your life where this won't even matter. Hell, Bambi probably won't even be in your life. But if she is, you don't want to regret things like I do to Laura. I regret never given her that chance that she deserved, the one that I gave Scarlett, the one you gave Jordan."

"I haven't given-"

"You forgave her. You're friends with her now. That's all Bambi is asking for. You." Jayden concluded, removing his hand. "Be mad all you want, but I know what you both want and you're not helping by holding grudges."

Aaron sighed. "You normally know how to make me feel like a jerk."

"Yeah, well I am the master of it, so I know when someone's being an ass." Jayden stated. "But the good news is that we're staying after school for that meeting, so make-up there."

"I will. But I was serious. I do want some time to think about everything." Aaron responded.

"This is why I'm saying after school and not lunch." Jayden said. "Don't take too long though. Lord knows I can't stop some other guy from snatching her away." Jayden began walking away. "Who knows? Laura's back in England and I am _very_ lonely."

Aaron grinned a bit as his brother walked down the halls. Last year he had tried so hard to get back with Chandra before he left to Japan, but that didn't happen. Now he had a chance to fix that. Even with the drawbacks that came from Jordan and Farah, he wanted to be with Chandra. He just had to find a way to make it up to her now.

* * *

When the bell rang for lunch, Scarlett found herself wishing that the day was over. Of course she knew that she had to stay after for the meeting with Lakehurst which made her hate the day worse. With every other person talking about Jayden and Laura's engagement, she wanted to be at home where no one would speak of it except Helen.

"If you're going to ignore me," Scarlett could not help but smile at Jayden's voice. "At least have the balls to do so out of my presence."

Scarlett looked at him as he stood in front of her locker. A part of her couldn't help but blush at how cool he looked, much like a bad boy who just did not want to go to class. Yet at the same time his eyes feigned enough innocence to sucker most people, her included.

"We didn't get to talk much earlier and I'm holding your afternoon books hostage until we do." Jayden said.

Scarlett smiled. "J.T, I will kick your ass if you don't move."

"Oh ho ho, hostile are we?" Jayden replied. "Well what if I don't believe you? Then what?"

"Jayden…" Scarlett stated.

"Come on Red," Jayden said leaning towards her. "Give me a good one, right across the face." Scarlett found herself laughing quietly, a smile on his face now. "I knew Helen was the tough one. Poser."

"I'm serious. I need my books." Scarlett said. "Besides, your girlfriend has made it perfectly clear that I can't be around you. So I'm actually going to follow orders this time around."

"Don't I get a say on who I want around me or not?" Scarlett shook her head. "Well that's not really fair."

"Who are you telling?" replied the girl. "But it's what she wants and she deserves it. I really have done nothing but aggravate her last year, so this will make it right. Plus the whole paternity test thing… I owe her this one thing."

"Where the hell is Scarlett J. Chessex?" Jayden said. "Where's the dreamer at? Where's the girl that will never forget about us? You sound defeated."

"I am defeated." Scarlett said quietly.

Jayden stared at his ex for a moment. Arguing with her would do nothing but complicate things. Agreeing with her would not make her feel any better. There really was no way to tackle this one.

"The Scarlett I know and once loved more than anything," Jayden said. "Didn't give up."

His words did nothing but build hope inside of Scarlett, though she knew that Laura would soon return and kill said hope. Yet, how could Scarlett not feel hopeful? He wanted her to fight for him, despite being engaged and with children. He wanted her to continue with her dreams.

Or he was playing with her…

Scarlett grinned. "I didn't know you missed her so badly."

"The old Scarlett? I miss her every other day." Jayden replied before stepping in front of Scarlett. "She kind of lit this fire inside of me… Do you know what that feels like?"

"Yeah…"

Jayden smiled. "I thought so." The two stood in a comfortable silence before Jayden looked away while clearing his throat. "So how about we grab lunch somewhere? I'd rather dodge Shane's problems about Deanna and Jacob in general, so leaving school seems like the best option, right?"

"I really can't. Helen would-"

"Do you want to look back on this day as the day that you gave up time with me for your feisty cousin whom you live with?" Jayden interrupted.

"Jay…" Scarlett began.

"Years from now, this one car ride could mean something." Jayden said. "But today, it's just a ride to lunch. So what do you say?"

Scarlett weighed her options. She could go to lunch with Helen and miss the opportunity to hang out with Jayden without any backlash. Or she could go with Jayden and deal with whatever Helen says when they got home. And she really did not want to hear Helen today.

"Jayden, I really- Hey!" Scarlett called as he grabbed her hand and began pulling her down the hall.

"So what are you in the mood for?" Jayden asked.

"Jayden come on I want to eat with Helen." Scarlett said quietly.

Jayden laughed. "You can't even lie right, it's sad." Jayden smiled at her. "So tell me what you really want and I promise you I'll take you there. Just for the day."

"Fine, but only for today." Scarlett replied.

"I thought you'd see it my way." Jayden said.

Scarlett only released a small sigh. She wondered if this was just a physical representation of him stringing her along for the ride while still very into Laura. Or if he was actually trying to tell her that her dream of them being together wasn't as farfetched as she once believed. Either way, she would worry about it tomorrow. Today she would just go out to lunch with a friend.

* * *

Dustin sat quietly at lunch. He was used to sitting alone, considering he had once left his former friends before. But now he was completely alone in his new school. He knew Chandler and Nigel, as well as Oliver, but that was about it. Plus he was really hoping to meet Leona again.

"How's it going?" Dustin grinned as the girl he was just thinking about neared him. "Mind if I sit here?"

"Uh, sure," Dustin said as Leona sat in front of him.

"So how's your first day?" Leona asked.

Dustin shrugged. "No bad. Kind of sucks that my brother works here though. If something happened, my mom would know before I got home."

"I'm sure." Leona stated. "So… You're friends with Victor and Oliver?"

"Just met Victor be honest." Dustin answered. "I met Oliver at a party last year. It was at the Fitzgerald's place."

"I've never been." Dustin's eyes widened. "What?"

"How come?" Now it was Leona who shrugged.

"I guess I just never wanted to go." said the girl. "I'm fine by it. I'm normally at work."

"You work?" Dustin asked.

"Yeah. At Little Miss Stakes." Leona stated. "My family… We're not the richest so I work to help around the house." Dustin nodded a bit. "I hope you don't think I'm some sort of-"

"No!" Dustin quickly interjected. "No, I understand. I mean, my parents aren't rich. My dad is well off but my mom is a professor at TU and just moved in with her boyfriend who's a teacher at Degrassi. With a kid on the way. So money is tight there."

"So you stay with your mom?" Dustin shook his head at the question.

"Nah, I stay with my older brother. And kind of his girlfriend. She's there every other day." Dustin answered.

"Coach Z, right?" Dustin nodded, already familiar with his brother's nickname. "That's so cool. He's like the coolest guy at the school. Well, the coolest teacher." Leona paused. "I guess that makes you kind of lucky, huh?"

"I guess so." Dustin responded.

He couldn't help but stare a bit. Sure, he found Chandra attractive and Gabrielle was beyond easy to talk to, but Leona was like a mixture of them both.

"Say," Leona suddenly said. "You went to school with Dakota Nash, right?" Dustin nods. "Do you think that her band will be back or do you know or what?"

"You like Juvenile Grace?" Dustin asked.

Leona nodded. "Yeah, but Dakota especially. In a way, I want to be like her." Dustin frowned. "She's endured a lot, you know? Her dad didn't want her and then she had to battle alcohol. My dad died two years ago and I'm not in to all that drugs and stuff. I guess I just want to be able to take whatever life throws at me like she does."

"Dakota is very enduring." Dustin said before a thought came into his mind. "And I might be able to let you hear her play one day."

"Really?!" Leona questioned excitedly. "That'd be seriously cool!"

"Yeah," Dustin said. "My mom's boyfriend, Mr. Isaacs, is the step-brother to Dakota's stepmom." Dustin paused. "Yeah… I think that's how it goes. Either way, he can call her. And if that doesn't work, my friend A.J is Jayden's little brother and he and Dakota are tight."

Leona sighed. "I know you think I'm weird for thinking she's cool despite her not being that famous or that much older than me."

"No, not at all. Besides, she's a great drummer. It's rumored she can replicate an entire Metallica concert without breaking a sweat." Leona's eyes widened. "I'm not sure if that's true or not, but that's what the rumor is."

"I wonder if it's true…" Leona said as she stared up at the ceiling.

Dustin was now confused. At Degrassi, Jayden and Shane were the popular ones for Juvenile Grace's success, Dakota taken what they didn't and Jacob bringing up the rear. Yet Leona completely idolized Dakota and forgot about the other three.

"Hey newbie," Leona said snapping Dustin out of his thoughts. "I hope you don't stare off like that when I beat you later on."

Dustin grinned. "Don't count on it."

* * *

Coming back to school, Jayden grinned as Scarlett wiped her face.

"That's not funny!" Scarlett said, though she was smiling quite a bit.

"Oh come on. It was funny." Jayden replied before seeing his brother. "Hey A.J, what's up?"

"I didn't see Bambi at lunch." Aaron stated. "I thought she left with you but I guess not."

"Nope, wasn't with us." Jayden responded. "Did you check the gym?" Aaron nodded. "Mr. Isaacs?" Aaron nodded again. "Mr. Goodwin's office?" Aaron shook his head. "Then maybe she went to the guidance counselor for something."

Aaron sighed. "I just wish I knew where she was…"

"Why? To tell her your undying love for her? I think it's written on your face." Jayden commented with a grin. "But hey, if I run into her, I'll tell her to find you or text… Well find you since I doubt she has her phone."

"Thanks." Aaron said as he began walking away.

"Gee," Scarlett said quietly so that only Jayden could hear her. "Your brother is as much entangled as you are."

"I'm throwing a flag on that play. Penalty of fifteen yards." Jayden replied.

"For what?" Scarlett questioned.

"Uh, I think that was a hit after the play ended. Yeah, sorry Red, but you should keep your low comments to yourself." Jayden answered. "Besides, the way I see it, he's doing better than you are. At least his ex isn't around to say what's written on his face. You? You have to deal with me."

"That is worse." Scarlett stated before taking a few steps in front of Jayden and turning around. "I think I had fun."

"You think?" Scarlett smiled.

"Yes, I think," Scarlett replied. "Kind of hard to know for sure when I don't know what you're planning. And I know you're up to something. I just need to know what it is."

"I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good." Jayden vowed, a hand across his chest.

"Quoting Harry Potter?"

"Surprise you know that." Jayden stated before smirking. "Wanna see my wand?"

"Ew!" Scarlett giggled. "Stop being such a pervert!"

"I was talking about an actual wand I got from Disney World like ten years ago." Jayden said. "What were you thinking about?"

Scarlett blushed. "N-nothing." Scarlett cleared her throat. "Class?"

"Sure…" Jayden said before smiling slyly. "By the way, I so wasn't talking about the one I got from Disney World."

Scarlett's blush intensifies as she walks next to him, neither making eye contact. He was too busy laughing at her reaction and she was too embarrassed to look him eye-to-eye.

How did he talk her into things like this?

"Hey Jay," Mary-Jane called. "We need to talk?"

Jayden raised a brow. "So the mighty queen has time to talk to one of her peasants? It's like my birthday came early. Way early."

"Amber's pregnant and if you tell anyone, I will find you and kill you. Got it?" With a shocked look, Jayden nodded. "But she wants to put her kid up for adoption and I need a parent to show her that it's not all bad. Considering you had twins with a girl who's phone number is in the men's bathroom, I was hoping you could show her that your children are as much as yours as they are Laura's."

"Firstly, Laura had triplets, not twins," Jayden began. "And why would I do this again?"

"Because…" Mary-Jane paused. "Because I know how it feels to be thought of as a mistake. And I'd hate for her kid to go through life thinking that it was such a mistake that his mother didn't want him. Or her."

Jayden inhaled deeply. "Fine. I'll talk to her later at the meeting. But you'd better lay off Laura in return."

"I will. And thank you." Mary-Jane said before walking away.

"Did Mary-Jane Del Rossi just say 'thank you'?" Scarlett asked. Jayden nodded. "Maybe you do have a wand?"

"Oh, trust me, I do." Jayden commented.

"No matter how small it is." Jayden gawked at Scarlett's comment.

"I'll have you know that-"

"See ya later J.T," Scarlett interrupted. "Ta-ta!"

Jayden sighed as Scarlett stepped into a classroom. In another world, this flirting was completely acceptable and alright with everyone there. It just wasn't this one. But he had done what he wanted to do for the day so that made up for everything. Scarlett was no longer thinking of his engagement which is what he wanted.

Now if only he could find Chandra…

* * *

Chandra Torres. She used to love saying her name, thinking that one day she would be Prime Minister or someone of that importance. She once believed that that name would be known throughout the entire world.

And it was.

Just not what she wanted. Now people associated her name with sex. That's not something she ever wanted to be known for.

Which is why she was currently sitting on a bus. Running away would solve her problem. People might remember her for the sex tape, but Aaron would no longer have to see her. That's the problem she had now. How could she make the only person who has always saw the good in her that angry? And then to bring his family into it and force them to confidentiality was just the icing on the cake. She had abused his trust, his _love_, for the last time.

"Running won't solve a thing." Chandra frowned and looked at the woman who sat next to her. The woman oddly resembled Chandra's mother, just blonde. "I know that look. Kind of reminds me of my teenage years."

"I don't have a choice. My parents… My friends… I have no one." Chandra remarked.

"Know this," the woman said. "You will always have someone. That's how I met my husband." Chandra's eyes widened. "When I was around seventeen I ran away. He found me though. It was funny because we had gotten into such a large argument just hours before." The woman sighed with a bright smile. "I knew from that day on just who I wanted to be with."

"That's…" Chandra stopped herself. Who was she kidding? Aaron made it clear that nothing had changed between them. Leaving was the best solution.

"You should get off before we get too far." The woman said. "I know that you have to have one friend waiting for you. Don't do this to them."

Chandra thought about it. Jayden would look for her, she was certain. But would Aaron? If he cared about her as he once said, then he would. He would probably carry her back if it was the Aaron that she fell so hopelessly in love with.

A smile came onto her face as she rose.

"Stop!" The bus driver grumbled before stopping. Chandra looked at the woman next to her. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Getting off of the bus, Chandra apologized to those she would make late for work before stepping onto the pavement. Because her parents were probably at home, she packed no clothes. She had the money in her wallet (no accessories meant no purse) and the clothes on her back. Nothing else.

But she would get all of that once she got home. She would deal with the backlash just as long as she got to see Aaron. It was foolish but she had to see him. Hopefully he would be in a better mood or else…

"Bambi?" Chandra stopped and looked. The man grinned at her. "I'm Kurt Rogers. I do work with Jordan's uncle, Connor." Chandra nodded slowly. "She actually talks a lot about you. Something about how you took A.J away from her…?"

Chandra rolled her eyes. "Figures…"

"What are you doing way out here?" he asked.

"Trying to get home." Chandra said.

"I was headed towards Degrassi. Would that work?" Chandra nodded. "Alright, come on then."

Chandra sighed in relief. She could probably make it to school in time for the meeting with Lakehurst. And if so, then she wouldn't be in as much trouble if she missed it. But she would be damned if she thanked Jordan for this.

"Alright," Kurt said as the two got into his old Honda Civic. "Ready?" Chandra nodded as she buckled herself in the passenger seat. "Alright, here we go."

Chandra only stared out the window. Maybe she should just confront Aaron? Tell him how she felt and told him to deal with her love or else. Or maybe…

She paused in her thoughts.

"Degrassi is the other way." Chandra told Kurt.

Kurt grinned. "I know that."

"Where are you taking me?" she asked worriedly.

"Somewhere where you can reenact your tape over and over again." Chandra gasped. "Scream and I'll make sure it's the _last_ thing you do."

Yeah. No way in hell would she thank Jordan for anything.

* * *

Dustin looked around the gym. He had seen it before, but now he was looking at it in a new light. He could see several fans seated cheering him on as he-

"Hey newbie," Dustin turned to see the shorter Leona dribbling a ball. She was now wearing a Bardell t-shirt and gym shorts. "Ready to get beat?"

"I'm ready to win." Dustin responded with a smile.

"Confident huh? Well let's raise the stakes." Leona said. "If I win you have to get me a private session with Juvenile Grace."

"And if I win?" Dustin's question was met with a shrug.

"You pick something." Leona said.

Dustin sighed quietly. He failed at his chance with Chandra. He would not make that mistake again.

"A date." Dustin stated.

Leona seemed to think about the offer before nodding.

"Cool," she said. "But I get ball first. It's the gentleman thing to do."

"So is letting you win, but I won't." Dustin returned.

Leona smiled. "I wouldn't want you to. Check."

Dustin caught the ball before smiling and passing it back.

"Game to five." Leona stated before the two started their game.

Dustin was actually surprised that Leona was as good as she was. A quick speedy girl with the ball handling skills to match. That was not to say she couldn't shoot as he learned to use his height advantage to either block or contest a shot or else. She also played well defense, though, once more, he used his size against her.

"Next point wins," was Leona's words when Dustin had game point.

He tried every trick he knew, but she was not easily fooled. No crossover would get her to back off. And then, right when he thought he could get by her to score the game winning basket, she kissed him. His mind shut down long enough for her to take the ball and hit the game winning shot.

"I win!" Leona cheered. "So you know what that means, right?"

Dustin tried to comprehend what was going on, but failed to. He was too delighted about the kiss to even consider losing a bad thing.

"Hey, newbie, you okay?" Leona asked. Dustin nodded. "I get a live sit in with Juvey Grace in session, remember?"

Dustin smiled. "You cheated."

"I didn't hear a call so everything was fair." Leona responded. She stepped towards Dustin with a smile. "Besides, I thought you'd like the distraction."

"I do I just-" Dustin was shushed by Leona's finger.

"Be cool." Leona nearly whispered before removing her finger and kissing him once more.

The two exchanged kisses before Dustin could hear his brother clearing his throat behind them.

"Ahem," The two separated. "I think it's time to go, Dustin. And you, Parker, you should be preparing to go to work, shouldn't you?"

"Sure thing Coach Z," Leona said before looking at Dustin. "See you tomorrow."

With that, the girl walked swiftly out of the gym, hiding her blush. Zach stared at Dustin with a smile before laughing quietly.

"Mom doesn't hear about this, got it?" Dustin nodded at his chuckling brother. "Talk about your first impressions, huh?"

Dustin grinned. "Yeah…"

He wouldn't call it love at first sight, but there was something about Leona Parker that made him crave more. He definitely needed to talk to Aaron about this. Only Aaron could think rational for the both of them.

* * *

Amber sighed as she left the meeting with Lakehurst.

"Hey," James said. "Are you free later? I mean, if you and Marc have anything planned then never mind."

"I have a few parents lined up." James gave a small nod. "Why?"

"Oh, no reason." James said backing away. "So… I'll call you later?"

"No different from any other day, right?" Amber said with a smile. "Bye James."

"Bye." James replied before walking towards his car.

"Smooth," Jayden stated as he stepped near Amber. "I remember when I first came here. Between James and your brother, I honestly didn't know who got the most girls. I know it wasn't me though."

Amber's smile only grew. "What do you want?"

"Your friend told me to talk to you about, you know." Jayden answered. "Of course, I wouldn't do it if she didn't beg, so think how desperate she must've been." Jayden paused and sighed. "But I get her point. She doesn't want you to view your baby as something that deserves hatred and he or she doesn't."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Amber stated, her smile no longer there. "So don't try to figure it out."

"I know how hard it is to look at my two beautiful children and say that they're not a mistake." Jayden commented. "I didn't plan on Laura getting pregnant. I didn't _want_ Laura to get pregnant. But it happened and I dealt with it. And, yeah, adoption came up several of times, but we didn't think it was best."

"Your kids weren't made by rape. So don't compare them." Amber argued.

"Oh…" Jayden said before glancing at the sky. "You know, I lost a son. When his brother and sister have their birthday later this year, I'll be reminded of the day that he died as well." Jayden looked at Amber. "I know you're a relatively good person Amber. Do you think that you can go through your life knowing that you basically killed off your child?"

"I wouldn't be killing it. I would be giving it to people who want it." Jayden's eyes narrowed.

"You want him or her." Jayden argued. "You're not seeing it as a baby. You're seeing it as a reminder of your rape."

"It is!" Amber shouted.

"It isn't!" Jayden returned. "It'll be the only good thing you'll have, and I know it. Those nights that they can't go to sleep or fighting to put them in a bathtub are the only things in life that gets me passed the fact that my son is dead and I will never get him back. A physical reminder at how I cheated on the first girl I ever loved is gone and I can't even get over it."

"You… You loved Scarlett?" Amber asked.

"Very much." Jayden said in a quieter tone. "Either way, I know you Amber. I know you don't want to be the one that causes that child pain. Your child. Not whoever it was that raped you. Your child."

"I didn't make him by myself…" Amber muttered.

Jayden shrugged. "Maybe, but it takes more than a little DNA to make someone a parent. And from where I'm standing, that kid will be lucky to have a mother as strong as you. Not many people could put up with Mary-Jane for a year, let alone a _decade_."

Amber smiled before hugging Jayden.

"Thank you." she said quietly.

"Hey, we teen parents have to look out for one another. People like to make us look irresponsible." Jayden said before she pulled away. "Now I have to take my friend Ari home before it gets too late. I hope you do keep your son or daughter. I know two kids who are looking for a friend."

"I don't think that I'll be able to keep it." Amber said quietly.

Jayden put a hand on her shoulder. "My mom told me of a story about when my sister Danni was born. You see, my mom had an abortion in high school and when Danni was born, she feared that Danni was some reincarnation of the child she aborted. She was afraid to even touch Danni and doubted that she would ever be a good mother." Jayden then grinned. "My dad talked her out of it of course and now my mom is the best mom in the world in my opinion. Even when I thought I hated her for bashing Laura, she was still a great mom. So yeah, I know from a child's point of view about how a mother can feel insecure about her mothering abilities. And I know for a fact that you'll do fine."

"Why is it that you know what to say to make people feel better?" Amber asked.

Jayden began walking away with a smile.

"Because I know how to aggravate the hell out of them. I would need to learn how to undo the mess I made, don't you think?" Jayden replied. "Besides, anyone could've talked you out of it if they knew you. All they had to do was remind you how anti-abortionist you are."

Amber realized that the boy spoke the truth and said nothing else as she moved for her mother's car.

"Are you alright?" Hazel asked as Amber got into the car.

Amber sighed. "Mom, I know that you've been behind me all this time but… Do you want me to give the baby up for adoption?"

Hazel blinked, unprepared for the question before giving her daughter a sympathetic look.

"No."

Amber nodded slowly. "Then we need to have a talk."

* * *

Aaron knocked on the door and waited. When it opened he gave the man a grin.

"Hey Mr. Torres, is Chandra here?" Aaron asked.

Drew shook his head. "No." Aaron frowned. "A.J, have you seen her today?"

"Earlier. Why?" Aaron was becoming more and more worried by the seconds.

"Because a few classmates say that they saw her leave campus, one stated that she claimed that she was running away." Drew said. "Do you have any idea where or why?"

"N-no." Aaron stuttered. "She… She left?" Drew nodded, his eyes firmly set on the boy. "I… I have to find her. I-"

"The cops are searching. We will find her." Drew said.

"That's not enough!" Aaron shouted. "She… No. Bambi would never run away. Bambi doesn't run away!"

Drew was actually surprised by Aaron's reaction. It actually reminded him of his reaction an hour ago when he got the news. Of course, he would never refer to his daughter as "Bambi", but the rest was almost spot on.

"Where was the bus headed?" Aaron asked.

"Out of town. Montreal, I think." Drew responded.

Aaron nodded. "I'll see if I can hack into a few camera feeds and see if she got off at a station or…" Drew's brows shot up. Aaron McDuelle breaking a rule was nothing short of a rare occasion, but breaking the law? Unheard of. "Mr. Torres, I promise you, I will find your daughter before something bad happens."

"I hope you do." Drew said. "I really hope you do…"

* * *

Chandra brought her legs up to her body, clutching them as she sat in a large shirt and nothing else. He didn't want to touch her. He wanted to watch her strip and touch herself. It was disturbing and disgusting, but she was alive and fed.

Putting her head down, all she could think about was the woman on the bus.

"A.J… Please find me…"


	146. Webisode: AJ's Alternate Adventure Pt1

**Author's Notes: **Here is part one of a three part webisode starring Aaron J. McDuelle trying to survive an alternate world where nothing is the same. Part II will come out next week. Enjoy.

* * *

**A.J's Alternate Adventure Pt. I**

"Aaron!" The boy groaned as his mother's voice reached his ears. It was seriously too early to get up, school day or not. "Aaron get up! You have school!"

Aaron sat up in his bed and blinked. His room seemed bigger… Believing that it was just his mind playing tricks on him, Aaron walked towards his door and opened. He then froze when a woman he did not recognize moved by him.

"Oh, sorry about that Aaron. I was just moving to wake the twins up." Aaron stuttered a response as the woman dressed in maid's clothing walked down a hall he did not recognize.

Where was he? And where was his dad? His dad would _never_ hire a maid, let alone one so close to Aaron and his siblings. Maxwell only trusted family with his kids and, at times, friends of the family like Emma. Never, and Aaron meant _never_, would Maxwell L. McDuelle hire a maid or butler.

"There you are," Manny said putting an earring in. "You have to get up. Danni's taking you to school. I have to be in Paris today." Aaron opened his mouth but Manny leaned down and kissed his forehead. "Be good A.J! Bye!"

Aaron blinked. His dad hiring maids. His mother too busy to listen to him. What kind of twisted dream was this?

"You going to stand there or are you going to get dressed?" Aaron sighed. He could always count on Jayden to be, well, Jayden. "Well?"

"Jay, what-"

"Don't you _ever_ call me that again." Jayden practically hissed in anger.

As Jayden stormed past Aaron, Aaron could only stare in disbelief. This day just got weirder and weirder by the seconds!

"There you are." A sweet voice said. Aaron looked to see Danica and prepared himself to be put in a headlock. "You should hurry up A.J. You have a project to present today, remember?" Aaron slowly nodded. His parents' and brother's change of character was weird, but an _absolutely_ nice and sweet Danica was just plain creepy. "Do you need me to drop of something to eat today as well? I am free during your lunch period."

"Uh… Sure?" Aaron guessed. Danica squealed.

"Oh! I am most pleased that I can be of assistance!" she said. "I will not fail you A.J!"

Danica practically floated down the hall, missing Jayden- who was on his cell phone- by an inch.

"Watch it bitch." Aaron heard Jayden mutter.

He watched.

He waited.

And he was severely disappointed when Danica apologized and moved on.

The _real_ Jayden would have never said that. The _real_ Danica would have knocked Jayden clear out of his skin. And the _real_ McDuelle family was not watched by freaking nannies! What was going on?

* * *

Jayden skipped classes. At least that was still the same. But as Danica dropped her two brothers off, Aaron realized something else different about his brother. He was a serious pain in the ass to everyone at Degrassi Community School.

"Hey Jayden." Aaron glanced to see Dakota nearing them and practically choked on his spit. She was dressed in a tight white see-through top, her pink bra easily seen, and tighter black pants. Her Converse high-tops were the only thing "Dakota-like" about her attire. "Why is Captain Save 'Em with you?"

Jayden shrugged. "I don't know. The dork's been acting weird all day. As if we're close or some dumb shit like that." Dakota nodded. "Where's Jacob? That idiot owes me money and I swear I'll kick his ass if he doesn't have it."

"Flirting with Laura. Of course she isn't having it." Dakota answered. "And speaking of flirting…"

Aaron watched the two older teens look over at a familiar duo; the Coyne Cousins. Neither of their attires seemed different, sans the glasses that Scarlett sported.

"Well, well," Aaron heard some of his normal brother in Jayden's voice now. It was the same voice he used with _every_ girl. "If it isn't Greenpeace and Red?"

Scarlett scoffed. "Why is this meat-loving loser talking to us?"

"I d-d-don't know." Helen stammered with a small blush. "Um… Hi Jayden."

Jayden raised a brow. "Still playing hard-to-get Scarlett?"

"Why would I want you? You're just as bad as the other losers." Scarlett said in a snobbish tone that made Aaron believe that _some_ of his normal friends' and family's characteristics had not changed. "You all think about yourselves! Well there are kids starving and animals in need of saving!"

"You're way cuter when you don't talk about the environment Greenpeace." Jayden said before shooing them away. "Go away now."

"Gladly." Scarlett sneered. "Come on Helen."

Helen nodded. "B-bye Jayden."

Aaron blinked once. Then again. And finally had had enough.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Kid, scram." Dakota stated. "We've got business to take care of and we don't need an idiot like you around. So beat it already before I get mad."

Being the pacifist that he was, Aaron left. But he did not forget what he had just witnessed. Scarlett hating Jayden was about as possible as Martian flying pigs resurrecting Atlantis. And Helen stuttering and acting shy? The world would end twice before that day occurred.

"Spider!" A familiar scream reached Aaron's ears.

Laura was here as well? Well, at least she still had her fear of spiders.

Racing up the steps and entering the building, Aaron saw Laura and felt his eye twitch. Blue glittery sunglasses were perched on her head. She had a white sundress decorated with _butterflies_. And a purse that looked large enough to carry one of Laura's kids in it.

"Geez Laura, it's just a spider." Scarlett said scooping the arachnid up in a jar. "There you go little guy. Away from the loud screaming cheerleader."

"Get that thing away from me!" Laura said. "It's, like, icky and stuff."

Aaron's eye twitched. Did Laura Reynolds just speak Valley Girl lingo?

"Whatever Laura," Scarlett said before smiling. "What would you do without me?"

"I don't know and I never want to find out. Just take that thing away." Scarlett nodded and did as she was told before Laura quivered. "Ew. Ew, ew, ew, ew!"

"Uh… Laura?" Aaron said as he neared her.

"Oh, A.J. I like, didn't see you there." Aaron felt his eye twitch again. "How's your brother? Is he still down about the you-know-what?"

"I don't know." Aaron answered. "But… Do you happen to know someone named Daniella? We call her Maxi."

Laura hummed in thought. "Hmm… Nope! But that would so totally be my daughter's name if I had one! It's _adorable_!"

"Yeah, it is." Aaron replied. "Are you and Jayden…?"

"No offense A.J, but your brother is a total jerk. I mean, he didn't even remember my name when I called him." Aaron saw the sadness in Laura's eyes and was practically screaming inside of his head to wake up from this nightmare. "Am I too ugly? Maybe he likes someone else?" Laura gasped. "Does he? I bet it's that Dakota girl. She's, like, always with him and stuff!"

"I think I have to go." Aaron said.

"Why?" Laura asked.

Aaron does not answer her, just walking away. He had seen it all and the day had not even begun. He was almost afraid to see what had become of his friends.

"Oh really? Are you coming to cheer me on?" Aaron nearly threw-up at the sight of a barely dressed Kelly Mason being held by Steven Manning.

"Of course I will." Kelly giggled before moving up and nibbling at the boy's ear, mumbling something Aaron could not hear. Whatever she said made Steven blush and he slowly released her. "I'll see you then, okay?"

"Sure." Steven said.

Kelly turned so that she was facing Aaron, the boy attempted to take his gaze from her breasts. Aaron had always known Kelly to be a bit, well, top-heavy, but with the shirt she was wearing now he could practically see them in all their glory.

"Morning Cutie." Kelly said with a wink as she walked by.

Aaron's jaw nearly dropped. Kelly looked beautiful in a Laura kind of a way. And by that, he meant the kind of beauty that was borderline promiscuous, as the real Laura was beyond comfortable with her body.

Aaron shook the thoughts of this Kelly- and the real Laura- out of his head and walked towards his locker. Or rather, where his locker should be anyway. Once he was there, he saw Jordan standing with some lady, the blonde staring at the ceiling.

"Hey Jordan." Aaron said.

Jordan's eyes snapped towards him before looking at the lady. Aaron watched Jordan's hands move, obviously speaking sign language. Despite himself, the smallest of grins came on Aaron's face. The always talkative Jordan Cameron being mute was slightly ironic and humorous.

"She said that your brother has stolen her money again." The woman translated.

"Lunch money." Aaron corrected the woman, who looked at him incredulously.

"Since when did you speak sign language?" Aaron ignored the woman, replying to Jordan's statement.

He had to apologize for Jayden's behavior and reached into his pocket to feel for his wallet. Handing Jordan a couple of bills, he saw her eyes widen, as well as the female translator. Jordan reached into her pocket and pulled out a pad and pencil. She scribbled something down before handing the pad to Aaron. The note clearly read: _Thanks A.J. But I can't take this._

Aaron frowned when he looked up and saw Jordan extending the money back to him. He shook his head and pushed her hand towards her.

"I insist." Aaron stated.

The woman snorted. "The stingiest of a stingy family giving away money? I've seen it all."

Now it was Aaron to frown. "What are you talking about?"

"Child, it's no secret that your father wouldn't give a dehydrating boy a cup of water for free. And your mom? Ha! She doesn't even care for her own children!" Aaron felt anger rising. This woman did not know his parents at all. "I just find it slightly weird that-"

"Go away." Aaron's words came out before he could think of them. "In fact, I'll _pay_ you to go away."

The woman's brows lifted as Aaron handed her some money. She seemed to consider it before nodding.

"See you later brats." And with that, the strange woman was walking away.

Aaron turned to see Jordan nearly in tears and quickly apologized again. He theorized that being unable to speak meant that she relied on the woman for more than translating, but companionship as well. And that humor about the talkative Jordan being unable to talk was slowly leaving him.

Jordan began tugging on Aaron's arm, gaining his full attention. She pointed to someone nearing them.

A braided Gabrielle Nunez.

"Brie?" Aaron gasped.

"You're not allowed to call me that." Gabrielle snapped before her eyes locked onto Jordan's. "You. Homework. Now."

Jordan seemed to nod profusely before digging through her bag. She pulled out a paper that Gabrielle practically snatched from her hand.

"Good girl." Gabrielle stated as she turned around.

Aaron shook his head. "What's going on here?"

A tap on his shoulder made him turn to see Jordan holding another note.

_Gabrielle has been bullying me since third grade._

"Why?" Aaron asked. Jordan shrugged her shoulders. "Well we can't just sit here and do nothing Jordan. That isn't right." A few hand signs made Aaron frown. "What do you mean I normally don't care? Jordan, you're my friend." A few more signs. "Well, we're more than god-siblings. Trust me."

Aaron saw Jordan tear up again before she latched onto him. He had no idea what was going on, but he was sure to find out what and to right the wrong. And he had a lot to right.


	147. S5 Episode XIII: Temporary Insanity

**Episode XIII: Temporary Insanity**

Day four. How in the hell did it even last this long? How hard was it to find a girl in Toronto? They were everywhere!

Aaron sighed. His mind was nowhere near its normal self now that Chandra had been missing for four days. Many students, such as Jordan and Ashton, thought that she ran away like she said. They said that this was her way of gaining attention. But Aaron did not believe them. _His_ Chandra Torres did not run from anything. She tackled her stress problems head on and never backed down from Jordan or Helen. Chandra Torres did not run away.

"Hey A.J," Ashton said as he and Gabrielle neared the boy. "Any luck?"

"No. And the stupid cops are just now thinking to broaden their search." Aaron remarked.

"They're doing their best A.J." Gabrielle said.

"Well maybe their best isn't good enough." Aaron argued. "What if something happens to her? What if she's being held up somewhere? What good is their best if she ends up dying because they couldn't find her in time?"

"Santos, I know that you're worried, but you heard what they said. She ran away. This is her-"

"She didn't run away!" Aaron snapped. "Just, leave me alone unless you have some news. I have to go check in with Principal Taylor."

Neither friend tried to stop Aaron as he stormed off. Ashton let out a small sigh while Gabrielle only stared with worry.

"Well, at least I know one thing." Gabrielle gave her boyfriend a confused look as he spoke. "A.J is just as crazy as the other McDuelles."

Gabrielle sighed. "Come on Ashton."

"What? He is!" Ashton said as he followed Gabrielle.

"We'll talk about that later." was her response.

At least, Gabrielle figured, she had Ashton back to herself. Attitude and all.

* * *

"Hey Jackie," Jacquelyn grabbed her English text book from her locker before closing it, turning to face Nicole as she did so. "So, what do you want to do today? Helen said that there probably won't be any practice due to Bambi's disappearance and all."

"Actually…" Jacquelyn began.

"What? I promise I won't be mad if you and Scooter have something planned." Nicole stated.

"Torrie asked me to hangout today." Nicole frowned. "I'm sorry Nicky. I know that she and Ethan are dating now, but she asked me to go out with her later and I said yes."

"Why?" Nicole asked.

"Scooter and Ethan were hanging out so Scooter suggested that I do the same with Torrie." Jacquelyn answered. "I'm really sorry Nicky. I'll-"

"No, it's fine Jackie. Besides, I'm over Ethan." Nicole interrupted before smiling. "I'll just catch up later, okay?"

"Um, sure. Are you okay?" Jacquelyn questioned.

"I'm fine!" Nicole chirped with a wide grin. Jacquelyn seemed skeptical of Nicole's response, but Nicole's smile did not falter. "I'm serious Jackie. It's fine. Besides, I have to check in on Shane anyway."

"Check in on him…?" Nicole nodded at the question.

"Yeah," The jubilant blonde answered. "Just making sure he's okay. You know, after Deanna broke up with him for no reason, he hasn't been himself. I don't want to see him like that."

"I don't either, but do you have to check in on him? It makes you seem a bit desperate." Jacquelyn commented.

"Does it?" Nicole asked sincerely. Jacquelyn nodded. "Well, I'm not. I'm just looking out for a friend. I'm sure you would do the same for me, right?"

"You mean without the obvious crush? Of course." Jacquelyn said. "But, I have to get to class. I have already been tardy twice. I seriously don't need a third one."

Nicole nods. "Right. See ya later Jackie."

"Sure thing." Jacquelyn responded as she walks towards her class.

There were many things different about Shane that even Jacquelyn could see, but it only proved his desire to be with Deanna, not Nicole. However, Jacquelyn knew that Nicole Campbell was never a true quitter. Heck, she still smoked from time to time despite claiming that she would quit last year. Nicole Campbell did not quit and Nicole Campbell wanted Shane. It just made Jacquelyn question just how far her friend would go to get Shane back.

* * *

Chandra felt exposed under the man's gaze as she slowly spun around like she was on showcase completely nude. Kurt had promised that no harm would come to her if she just did what he said, and so far that had been true. However, she was getting dizzy and not from spinning and her heart was beating greater than ever before. She was certain that if he did not kill her on purpose, he surely would scare her to death.

"Such a nice ass," Kurt said as he sipped his beer from a can. "And to think that you're so young… I can't wait until I can fuck that ass…"

Chandra released a small whimper, but did not stop. She swore to herself that she would not have sex again until after she got married. She would even limit who she kissed and how until then. Chandra never wanted anyone to see her uncovered again.

"Stop," Chandra did, facing away from him. "Touch your toes."

Chandra closed her eyes and bent forward. She heard a grunt coming from behind her and realized that he must be masturbating to the sight like he had done the past four days. It disgusted her to no end, but she was alive. What more could she ask for?

"So hot." Chandra felt herself growing sicker by the seconds. This man was completely sick in the head.

Thankfully, it did not take Kurt long to finish and Chandra was able to straighten up, her arms crossed in front of her breasts while she hid her most delicate part by crossing her thighs.

"You look so hot like that." Kurt said cleaning himself with a towel. "I must say, I'm going to have fun when we finally do have sex." Chandra's eyes went to the floor. "Don't look so sad. I promise, it'll be just as fun for you as it will for me."

At that moment, Kurt's cell phone rang. The man stood up, naked and all, and left the basement where Chandra was stored while answering his phone. Chandra heard her only means of escape close and lock before moving to the bed and digging under the sheets.

How did this happen to her? _Why_ did this happen to her? No one deserved what she was going through at the moment. To have some sicko just watch her move around naked was beyond anything that has happened to her. What Steven had done to her seemed like nothing compared to this. However, she was trying not to panic. She was trying to live long enough to hear someone knock down the door and rescue her. Though, with each passing heartbeat, she knew that her time was getting smaller and smaller. There was no way that she could actually live having sex with the creep.

"I'm going out to work," Chandra heard from the top of the basement steps. Kurt came down with a plate with two sandwiches and chips. "This should hold you until I return. And remember, if you're good, you live."

Chandra felt herself nodding as he sat the plate at the end of the bed and left. Once more, she could hear the lock on the door and all hopes of escape left her body.

Why did this have to happen to her?

* * *

Leading Drew into her husband's office, Manny realized that today must have been a bad day. Whenever Maxwell could not figure something out or just fed up with some of his workers, he just stared at the ceiling contemplating on the best course of action. Today was one of those days.

"Hey," Manny said gaining Maxwell's attention. "I have a visitor."

"Mr. Torres," Maxwell began. "Any word on your daughter's disappearance?"

"They're ruling it a runaway." Both McDuelles presence showed their disapproval of said call. "Which is why I wanted to talk to you."

"Go on." Maxwell stated.

Drew sighed. "Your son and my daughter have had a rather bumpy relationship as of lately. But I know that he cares about her greatly. Great enough to break the rules here or there."

"Are you insinuating that A.J has something to do with her disappearance?" Manny now heard the slight annoyance in her husband's voice and prepared herself to stop any altercation if needed. However, Drew just held up a hand.

"Hear me out for a moment," Drew said. "My daughter, my oldest child, is missing. A.J has and will break the rules to make her happy. I'm just trying to eliminate every possibility here. Do you think A.J could have hidden her somewhere? You are someone with multiple homes."

Maxwell sat back in his seat. "No. A.J wouldn't go through half the trouble he has to find her if he knew where she was. Besides, he isn't a liar. Not to his parents. If he hid her, we would know."

"What if Jayden did it? It's no secret that they are friends." Drew countered.

"Mr. Torres, I'm getting some kind of feeling about you blaming my sons for Chandra's disappearance." Maxwell responded. "In no way or form do I believe that they know where she is. Now I can continue to help you with your search or you can take your accusations, your law books, and get the hell out of my office."

"Max." Manny stated.

"Do you know how hard it is to lose a daughter? I'm trying my hardest to find her and if she did in fact runaway, I'm sure that Aaron would be the first, and probably only, one to know." Drew said. "I'm… I'm just desperate."

"My younger sister ran away from home once before. I know the feeling." Maxwell said. "And as for A.J or Jayden's involvement, I know that they have nothing to hide." Maxwell paused. "If you want my honest opinion, I don't think Chandra is the type to runaway."

"That's the same thing your son said…" Drew muttered.

"Deep down, you know it too." Maxwell countered. "And I know it's hard to think of the alternative, but all three of us in this room knows that she didn't pack any clothes, didn't have her phone, no money but what she had in her wallet. How far could she have gotten on her own?"

"Please…" Drew said. "Please don't say it."

Maxwell nodded. "Fine. I won't say it. But you and I know the truth here. The cops here… They're way off. And if we're going to find her, we're going to have to do this at two hundred percent, with or without the law."

"I'm a lawyer."

"You're a father." Maxwell said. "And we will find her one way or another."

"I take it that you have become attached to my daughter." Drew stated.

Maxwell leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk.

"Mr. Torres, I am a family man, much like yourself," Maxwell said. "And my son, A.J, is deeply in love with your daughter, Chandra. Now, I'm not making any wedding arrangements or anything like that, but I like to see A.J happy. What makes him happy is seeing your daughter alive and well. It may sound selfish that I'm doing this for my son's happiness, but the endgame is the same. We all want her back alive and well."

Drew crossed his arms. "They say you are a man who never does anything without a reason. I guess they were right. Then again, all rich people have a reason for being rich, right?"

"I didn't ask for this company. Hell, I didn't want it at first. It was thrown on my shoulders and I just took it." Manny gave a small nod, knowing the story. "But, if that's what you believe, then I'll allow you to believe that. Just know that I will search for your daughter, and whether it be for my gain or yours, I will find her. Someway. Somehow."

"…" Drew stood silently before uncrossing his arms. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Maxwell responded. "Now, if you want to know my dilemma, it has something to do with your daughter's 'disappearance'." Drew gave a firm nod. "The bus that she supposedly got on was minutes late for it's next stop, as said by the camera. Later than it's ever been. Calculating traffic and all that boring stuff, there must have been a reason it stopped somewhere in-between."

"And you know this for a fact?" Drew asked.

"You lawyers and your facts… It's a theory and theories are what we have now." Maxwell answered. "I believe that somewhere in-between these two stops here is when Chandra got off of the bus."

"Uh-huh. You're quite smart to calculate all of this." Drew said as Maxwell laid out the bus times in front of him.

"A fool that loses his mind, loses his company. Or so, that's what my mother always told me." replied Maxwell. "Now, if she indeed got off the bus somewhere around here then…"

Drew swallowed. "That's where she 'disappeared', right?" Maxwell gave Drew grim look but nodded. "Alright, I'll drive out there and see if-"

"My daughter's already on it." Maxwell countered. Drew gave him a shocked look. "Mr. Torres, you must understand that I was serious. As selfish as it may seem, I will return Chandra for my kids. Danni, Jayden, and A.J want her back for their own reasons, and I as their father, want them to be happy. I too have enjoyed Chandra's company, as well as Manny. But it's a bit creepy if I said that I wanted her around for myself, right?"

"When worded like that, yeah." Drew agreed. "Thank you for this. It means a lot to me and my wife."

"Think nothing of it." Maxwell said as he rose. "Now if you don't mind, I have an employee who deliberated cursed at a customer on the phone because she did not like the customer's tone. I'd rather a lawyer not be around as I fire her."

"You always fire your workers in person?" Drew asked.

"As many as I can. My company has always had high customer satisfaction and I'll be damned if some kid in college ruins it because the customer's 'tone of voice' angered her." Maxwell stated. "Especially when said kid has had _four_ chances to correct her attitude problem."

As Maxwell left the office, Manny let out a breath.

"I'm sorry. He's having a bad day." she apologized.

"No need. I understand." Drew said, his eyes scanning the bus times. "Do you think he's right? That she 'disappeared' somewhere between these times?"

Manny shrugged. "Only one way to find out. And honestly, I don't know if I want him to be right or wrong."

"Me too." Drew said quietly.

* * *

The bell rang for lunch, causing Aaron to sigh heavily. He had never known how badly he missed walking to lunch with Chandra until she went missing. He even missed seeing her walk to lunch with Vanessa or Jayden. He missed her.

"Hey," Aaron looked at his brother, praying that Chandra was with him. "I just got a call from Danni. I don't know if it's good news or not, but she thinks she knows someone who saw Bambi get on and off of the bus."

Aaron's eyes widened. "So she was running away?"

"Was being the key word. Dad thinks that she got off of the bus for some reason and…" Jayden paused.

"Kidnap." Jayden nodded. It was a word that Maxwell had avoided saying and now Jayden attempted to do the same for the sake of his brother. Aaron, however, would always be the logical one in situations and the logical word would be kidnap. "So if Dad is right, some guy or girl has Bambi?"

"Yeah and… And you called her Bambi." Jayden noted.

"Jay-"

"I'm just saying if you'd done this, no. No, I won't blame you for her disappearance." Jayden said. "Look, we may have a lead on her disappearance and I just want you to think for me. Where would you take Bambi if you guys wanted to be alone? A park or something?"

"I've looked." Aaron said desperately. "Jayden I've looked at all the places I've taken her and then some. Places she's told me that she's wanted to go. But none of them have her and no one seems to recognize her. I'm…" Aaron took in a deep breath. "I'm so lost right now Jayden."

Jayden gave a soft smile. "We'll find her. I promise."

"There you are." Jayden and Aaron spotted Kelly and Jordan nearing them, Kelly the one calling out to them. "Hakim just called. He said that he was going to go search for Bambi and I thought that A.J would want to go with him."

"Yeah, I do." Aaron said.

"Come on. He's out front." Jayden gave Kelly a critical eye. "I've already talked it over with Principal Taylor and she allowed it. But only for me, A.J, and Farah. Sorry Jay, but you'll have to sit this journey out."

Jayden shrugged. "I'll be fine. Just make sure you call if you find out anything." Kelly and Aaron nodded as Jayden looked at Jordan. "Come on Blondie, you're with me for the day."

"Sure." Jordan said before hugging Aaron. "Be careful Aaron."

"I will." Aaron said returning the hug until Jordan pulled away. "I'm ready Kelly."

"Alright, let's go. I'm sure Farah's already beaten us there." Kelly stated before looking at Jayden. "Could you keep an eye on Shane for me? He's still in his love funk."

Jayden chuckled. "Aren't we all?"

Kelly smiled as she led Aaron away. Jayden's smile slowly died before he saw the sorrow in Jordan's eyes. Giving her a questioning look, he waited until she could no longer stare at the back of his brother and met his gaze.

"Why the long face?" he asked.

"I just feel like this is somehow my fault." Jordan said. "Every time I just wish for someone to go away, something bad happens."

"…" Jayden took a moment to think. "You're right…" Jordan's shoulders slumped. "But you know what I just noticed? That none of those times were your fault, much like this one. And they all have one common factor."

"Tevin." Jordan spat.

"Exactly," Jayden said. "So how about riding with me after school? He might not know where she is, but beating him will make us both feel better, right?"

"Yeah." Jordan said with anger. "That cheating-"

"Whoa, whoa, save that for later. And _don't_ tell your sister that I'm doing this again. I'd hate to have to deal with her later." Jordan nodded before Jayden threw his arm around her shoulders and pulled her towards him. "Now, let's go to lunch where your brother is currently moping over Deanna."

"S-sure." Jordan stuttered with a blush.

It was sad that her crush on Jayden had never really disappeared. Sure, she could not talk to him eye-to-eye without saying something embarrassing, but being close enough to smell his body spray was having its affects on her.

If only he would ever see her in a romantic light…

* * *

Scarlett frowned in thought as she looked at her cousin's two closest friends that sat across from her at their normal lunch table.

"So," Scarlett began, her blue eyes landing on Jacquelyn. "You are hanging out with my cousin? The same one that stole Nicky's boyfriend?"

Jacquelyn sighed. "Yes, I am. And she's not as bad as you guys make her seem, honestly."

"Speak for yourself," Helen said. "That little whore is always going through my clothes and taking what she wants. And do I get anything in return? No."

"Okay, besides that," Scarlett said. "Why are you hanging out with her again?"

"Because Ethan and Scooter are doing a guys' thing, so Torrie and I decided to do a girls' thing." Jacquelyn answered.

"Like Shane, Jay, and Laura have our after-Winter Break tradition." Nicole stated.

"Exactly." Jacquelyn said.

"Except," Helen added. "Nicky and Plain Shane aren't dating. So it makes more sense for Miss Jackie and Torrie to go somewhere while Scooter and Ethan are out, than it does for Jayden, Laura, Nicky, and Plain Shane to be together."

"We were together when we made the plans and we _might_ be together for next year." Nicole said.

Helen rolled her eyes. "I doubt it."

Scarlett does not voice her opinion for very good reasons. While she hated Deanna more than anything, she knew that Shane cared deeply for the scheming Fitzgerald. If he got his way, he and Deanna would be back together sooner than Nicole wanted.

"Speaking of fairytales," Helen commented. "Why haven't you gone over there with your annoying neighbor?"

"Because he's focused on finding Bambi and doesn't need my interference right now." Scarlett answered. "I don't know how to find people and I'm guessing my beauty will only distract him as always."

"Wow, way to stay modest Scar." Scarlett smiled at Helen's remark. "Seriously though, I say we take a list of the town's perverts and just start kicking down doors."

"Why?" Nicole questioned.

"Because that's where Bambi is." Helen responded. "Not like the little nuisance to runaway. And believe me, I've tried before. Anyone that can stand up to me can stand up to anything else."

"Even if that were true," Scarlett stated. "You have to look at the facts. Fact is, she wasn't stable. Not mentally and not emotionally. Running away is right up her ally."

Helen rolled her eyes. "Whatever Scar. Just know that when they find her and bring her back, I'm going to say 'I told you so' for a week."

"I'm sure you would if you were right." Scarlett said before glancing at Jayden. "I'm sure you would…"

* * *

Making a pit-stop at Bardell, Aaron and Kelly noted how the students all seemed to like Zach very much. To them, it reminded them how students came up to Coach Blue for pretty much anything, though Zach did not seem as strict when it came to the win/loss column.

"Hey," Dustin said entering Zach's office where Aaron and Kelly sat and waited for Hakim. "I heard about Bambi."

"We'll find her." Kelly could hear the slight annoyance in Aaron's voice but chose not to say or do anything. It was quite odd hearing the younger McDuelle show any kind of anger.

"Is it true that she ran away?" Dustin asked.

"No." snapped Aaron. "No matter what they or Ashton say, she did not run away. I know so."

"I'm not trying to sound negative, but we both know that she was dealing with a lot with that sex tape." Dustin said. "Maybe she just left to clear her head."

"Without her phone or clothes or anything like that? That's the dumbest thing you've said." Aaron retorted.

Dustin sighed. "I don't know A.J. I'm starting to think like Ashton. Maybe she ran off."

Kelly was unprepared for Aaron to practically leap from his chair, jacking Dustin up against the wall.

"She. Didn't. Run. Away." Aaron said through grit teeth.

"Okay A.J, that's enough." Kelly said moving to pry Aaron's fingers off of Dustin's collar. "Violence isn't going to bring her back faster."

Aaron angrily moved back to his seat, sitting now with his head in his hands.

"I'm sick of people telling me that she ran away." Aaron's voice rang out. "I know she didn't. She wouldn't. Bambi… She's the reason _I _didn't run away." Aaron paused and shook his head. "I just want her back."

"I know you do A.J, and we're doing everything we can." Kelly said softly. "Look, if it makes you feel better, I'll help you search for the rest of the day instead of checking in at The Core."

Aaron looked up at Kelly. "Thanks Kelly."

Hakim entered the room with a sigh.

"Alright, let's get going. Farah called and said that no one spotted Bambi in any of the nearby cafés so we're going to move along the bus route." Hakim stated.

"Alright." Kelly said as Aaron rose. "We'll find her A.J. You just have to be patient."

"The girl who I love is kidnapped somewhere and you want me to be patient?" Kelly opened her mouth but soon closed it once she realized he had a strong point. "We're wasting time. Let's go."

Hakim looked at Kelly as Aaron slipped between them and left the office.

"It's a McDuelle thing." Kelly said to Hakim, who only nodded. "Let's go before he somehow hacks into every satellite and have the entire world wondering who did it."

Hakim nodded. "Sure."

* * *

Jacquelyn only felt slightly bad that Nicole had nothing to do for the evening. Then again, when the ravine was Nicole's favorite place to go, the blonde did not hesitate to leave her friends behind to go there. And now Jacquelyn sat at the same place, leaning against Damon, as Ethan and Torrie told them about some fight that occurred at Bardell this morning.

"Sounds crazy." Damon stated. "Much like this missing Bambi thing."

Torrie's brows rose. "Did you know her?"

Damon shook her head. "Nah. Never cared to."

"She was on the cheerleading squad." Jacquelyn added. "Helen, of course, does not like her."

"Yeah, well that's my cousin for you. Or maybe it's a New Yorker thing?" Torrie responded before shrugging. "Oh well. Word is she's probably dead by now and they're just searching for her body."

"That's kind of sad." said Ethan.

"It is." Jacquelyn replied. "I just hope that you're wrong and they actually find her. I wasn't her best friend, but I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

Damon grinned. "And that's why I like you, Jackie."

Jacquelyn felt herself smile as Damon pulled her in closer. She heard Torrie mutter "idiot" under her breath and ignored her. Damon was not the smartest person in the world, but he was Jacquelyn's idiot. His stupidity, even if this moment did not constitute as a dumb moment in Jacquelyn's mind, did not faze her.

"We might want to get going." Ethan said.

Damon nodded. "Yeah." Damon gave Jacquelyn a kiss as she sat up. "See you later Tiny Dancer."

As Damon and Ethan walked away, Torrie gave Jacquelyn a confused stare.

"You have got to explain to me this 'Tiny Dancer' business." Torrie said.

"Because I do ballet." Jacquelyn explained. "So what did you want to do today?"

"We're going to a club that my friends were talking about." Jacquelyn's eyes widened. "Oh don't give me that look. I know for a fact that you and Helen have gone club-hopping before."

"Well, yeah, we have." Jacquelyn responded. "Fine. So what's the club like?"

Torrie smiled. "Oh you will see…"

For some reason, Jacquelyn had several red flags go off in her head. Though she ignored them. Torrie was a cousin of Scarlett and Helen, and therefore there will always be a level of distrust between her and Jacquelyn, much like there was between the other two Coyne Cousins and Jacquelyn. They had both played a part in Jacquelyn's break-ups with Jayden and Shane, after all.

Besides, what's the worst that could happen?

* * *

Jordan sighed as she stepped out of The Dot with a cup of tea in her hand. With Aaron currently searching for Chandra and Mary-Jane and Amber doing whatever, she was rendered bored out of her mind. She figured she could help with the search, but getting in touch with Aaron right now seemed basically impossible.

"Hey Jordan." Jordan paused in her step and turned to Timothy with a smile.

"Oh, hi Timmy," she said. "What're you doing here?"

"I, um, was going to ask if you were free later on tonight. We could go out like last time." Timothy answered.

"Tonight's not a good night. I promised A.J I'd help search for Bambi." It was not a complete lie. After she and Jayden had scared Tevin half to death, she had promised that she would try to help. "Rain check?"

"Can I ask you something?" Jordan nodded, feeling a bit uncomfortable about the closing distance between them. "Why? Why do you continue to care for him even when he's worried about another girl?"

"Because he's my friend and that's what friends do. Seriously Timmy, you're acting kind of weird." Jordan said.

Timothy sighed. "I like you Jordan. And I mean, I _like_ you. But you keep ignoring me for A.J. Every time I speak to you, it's A.J this or A.J that. Why? It doesn't care about you."

"Yes he does and this isn't up for debate. Now go be creepy somewhere else." Jordan said. She took a step by him before he grabbed her wrist. "Ow! Let go!"

"Why won't you give me a chance?!" Timothy asked angrily as he pulled Jordan towards him. "Why?!"

"I'll give you a chance with my fist if you don't let her go." Shane's voice caused Timothy to slowly release Jordan. "Now get out of here before I kick your ass until the cops come and escort you home."

As Timothy muttered an apology and walked off, Jordan turned to her older brother while rubbing her wrist as much as she could with a cup in her hand.

"Thanks Shane, but I could've taken him." Jordan stated.

Shane laughed quietly. "I'm sure you could. Though page nine of the older brother code states that I still have to prevent the fight, regardless of how the outcome might be."

Jordan's lips curled into a smile. Honestly, she probably could have beat Timothy if she wanted to. Of course, she would have to waste her drink and then there was the chance of said drink getting on her shoes or pants… No, Shane picked the right choice. She would not risk her beyond fabulous outfit for the sake of one stalker.

"Are you headed towards A.J's?" Shane questioned.

Jordan shrugged. "I guess. It's not like there's much to do anyway."

"Do you need a ride?" Jordan frowned and tilted her head to the side in confusion. "It's pretty obvious that Chandra was kidnapped. Do you think I want you wandering the town knowing that you could be snatched up next?"

"I'll be fine Shane." Jordan stated.

"Well Mom won't and I'd rather deal with you whining then her shouting." Jordan's head nods a bit, seeing the logic. "So let's go. And no whining."

"Fine Shane." Jordan said with a sigh. "Why do I always have to be babied?"

Shane crossed his arms. "What? You don't think I gave Kelly the same speech earlier? The only difference is she had Mrs. Taylor on her side and I couldn't leave without dealing with the school's law."

Jordan only sighed. She figured she was stuck forever with Shane as a brother. Not that it was necessarily a bad thing, she just had a reputation to maintain. It would be hard for her to get into fights if Shane kept preventing them. Mary-Jane had entrusted her with the title Queen Bee once the older blonde graduated. She couldn't have her older brother fighting her battles and still be feared. That's not how it worked.

But she figured that she was lucky. She could have had a brother like Steven who would rather slap her around than raise a hand to help her. Or worse, had Danica as an older sister who was borderline smothering and a slave driver. She doesn't know how Aaron does it…

Speaking of Aaron, Jordan wondered if he was okay. It's not like him to completely ignore her calls. Even when he was mad at her, he would answer at least one. But now he just outright ignored every call and text she made. A part of her worried that something could have happened to Aaron, but she tried not to listen to that. He was just busy searching for Chandra.

Or so she hoped…

* * *

"Yes."

The one answer had Aaron's eyes widened beyond anything Danica has ever seen. It was as if color was being introduced to her brother's skin for the first time in days. She noticed that Hakim also looked ecstatic and hopeful as well. Kelly too.

"So," Danica said pocketing the picture of Chandra as she spoke to the woman who sat next to Chandra days ago. "Can you tell us where the last place you saw her?"

The woman sighed. "Well, she got off of the bus about a street over from where it picked me up. I figured she was going back home."

"So she did get off! Dad was right!" Aaron said. "Um, excuse me, Miss…"

"Just call me Melinda."

"Miss Melinda," Aaron continued, unable to address her as anything less formal. "Can you tell us where that was?"

"Oh! By the bank and… What's the name of that café? Melissa's?" the woman remembered.

"Thank you." Danica stated.

"It's no problem. I know that if it were my daughter, I'd want her home and having friends like you helping would help me." Melinda said with a smile. "She told me that she didn't have anyone that would worry about her, but that's not what I'm seeing."

"I'm more than worried." Aaron replied. "And thank you for your help. We're sorry if we bothered you."

"Again it's no problem. Drive safely." Danica gave the woman a nod as she escorted her brother and his friends off of the Melinda's porch.

"Okay," Danica said. "So we know where to start our search. The rest is…"

"Just finding her." Aaron responded. "And we will."

Danica smiled. "Well, earlier I thought you had lost your will. What changed that?"

"You." Danica blinked in shock, as well as Kelly. "You don't break your promise to me, Danni. Whether it's to take me out to get my mind off of Bambi or to beat me if I touch your stuff, you're always keeping promises. I guess…" Aaron paused. "I guess because Bambi's missing, I realize that lately you do a lot of work for Dad and you're never around like you used to. And when you're here, I try not to be around because I just didn't want to be a McDuelle."

Danica sighed as she put Aaron in a tight headlock.

"Why can't you just say 'I love you Danni'? Huh? You're worse as Jayden." Danica said as she led Aaron to her car like that. "And if you must know, I love you too."

"Aw…" Kelly cooed. "That's sweet. I- Hey!" Kelly's words were interrupted when Danica used her free arm to put Kelly in a headlock too. "Okay! I love you Danni!"

"You, you're not getting out of this one either, my abnormal god-sister." Danica said. "Thank God you didn't have Jayden's kids. Stubborn little brats would probably be walking, talking, and experimenting with hair dye by now!" Kelly and Aaron had stopped struggling, the woman settling her eyes on Hakim. "Get over here and join the hug or else."

Hakim slowly moved over, making sure his arms went around Kelly.

Danica sighed. "We will find Bambi and bring her back to our abnormal family." Danica released Kelly and then Aaron. "And then we're going to give her a _long_ talk about running off in the first place. And then, maybe we'll order a pizza or something."

"Ultimate meat-cheese combo, pizza?" Kelly offered.

"I forget that you and Shane share a stomach. Sure, why not?" Danica said. "Now let's go back and see if we can't find out everyone that was in that café. I'll go down the list while you, small and smart brother of mine, should do your homework. You too, Kelly."

Aaron nods as the two pairs break off into Hakim's car and Danica's. He watched as Danica checked her phone before starting her car up.

"Jayden's hit a dead-end, but I tried to tell him Tevin knew nothing." Aaron frowned. "No, you couldn't see Tevin because you'd fight him. Jayden just went to 'interrogate' him." Now Aaron nodded slowly. "A.J, when we get her back, don't hesitate to cry and tell her how badly you're in-love with her, okay? Life's really too short."

"I will." Aaron replied. "And Danni? Thanks for everything."

"Who wouldn't want to spend their day off searching for their brother's ex?" Danica joked with a smile.

Aaron only grinned. He was thankful for the family and friends he had. They never seemed to fail him when he needs them, whether he wants to admit that he needs them or not. He just wished Chandra was here so he could tell her the same thing. That, and so much more…

* * *

Jacquelyn heard the people cheering and clapping as she followed Torrie to the bar. She had no idea if she could even be in this "club" considering it was indeed nothing more than a strip joint. They were not old enough to drink, so the reason they were at the bar was a mystery to her.

"Hey there," the male bartender said as Torrie sat on the stool in front of him. "What're you doing here?"

"Oh you know me Charlie. Doing things so my parents will have more to fuss about." Torrie said before thumbing towards Jacquelyn. "This is Jackie. Jackie, this is a friend of my mom's, Charlie."

Charlie chuckled. "Dragging another one down with you?"

"Yeah, well I would but your dancers here suck." Torrie said before turning towards Jacquelyn. "You dance, don't you?"

"Yeah but-"

"Come on," Torrie said climbing onto the bar. "Make a few extra bucks with me."

"Torrie…" Jacquelyn said as Torrie stretched her hand out. "Fine, but only for tonight."

As Jacquelyn felt herself being pulled up onto the bar, she tried to imagine being on stage during a recital. Letting the music take control over her, she danced with her friend, drawing quite the crowd. It was becoming quite exhilarating to say the least. Her body moved without her command and she easily tip-toed around the drinks being poured and offered to the men and women in the bar that were interested in her dancing.

It was only after the song had stopped that she noticed that Torrie had stopped dancing some time ago.

"Woohoo!" Torrie cheered with the others as Jacquelyn slowly got off of the bar.

"Maybe we should go," Jacquelyn whispered to her friend. "Everyone is staring at me…"

"Do you know the last time they've seen someone actually dance on beat and good?" Torrie replied. "They're just wondering if you'll do an encore." Torrie then smiled. "And you will, won't you? I can get the tip jar and we can go celebrate with your… Tips."

Jacquelyn looked at Torrie with shock. Did Torrie really want to sell her out like that? Well, to be honest, it was not a large stretch of the imagination considering who her cousins were. Helen fought her own battles and Scarlett didn't even fight. Therefore, there were times when Jacquelyn felt being sold-out by her friends.

Besides, as much as she hated to admit it, she was having fun.

"Fine," Jacquelyn said. "But this will only be for one night."

"Boo!" the men and women that heard her jeered.

Jacquelyn only rolled her eyes, taking off her socks and shoes before getting back up the bar. It seemed that once the song played, there were no worries. She wondered if this is how Nicole felt whenever she was high. This level of ecstasy with the thoughts of nothing bad happening. And what made it all the better was how no one touched her. They cheered her on. They clapped for her. But they neither touched her nor wanted to see her strip. And a simple glance at the jar in Torrie's hands told Jacquelyn that they were making quite the amount of money.

What a perfect night?

* * *

Shane sighed as he rang the doorbell. He knew it was late, but he had to see her. He had to talk to Deanna and he knew that she would not answer his calls. When Mrs. Hughes opened the door, he gave her a polite smile.

"Hey, is Deanna home? I mean, I know she probably is. I'm just asking if I can speak to her." Shane said.

"You want to speak to my daughter? Come," Mrs. Hughes's tone told Shane that she did not like him there at the moment and he followed her to the kitchen where Deanna sat laughing about something. He noted that no one else was laughing, meaning the joke must have not been funny at all or… "Do you see what you've turn my daughter into? A drinking baboon!"

"Baboon…?" Shane repeated. Really, who even used that word anymore? His eyes then turned to Deanna who had finally caught on to his arrival. "Um, hi Dee…"

"Shane!" Deanna was up and hugging him in seconds, her breath reeking of almost every alcohol known to man. "I so missed you!"

"Uh, I see," Shane said pulling her off of him. "Deanna, what are you doing to yourself?"

"As if you don't know." DeWayne commented from his seat. "You got my sister to drink and now she's drunk."

"I don't even drink." Shane said.

"As if I'll believe that." Mrs. Hughes said. "Why else would she even need alcohol to handle stress anyway?" Shane opened his mouth to say something, but Mrs. Hughes held a hand. "Shane, I figured you were hiding something during our first meeting, and now I know."

"No, you don't." Shane said angrily. "And don't treat me like I'm your kids." Shane then turned his glare towards Deanna who was tracing his arms with her fingers. "Snap out of it Deanna! This isn't funny!"

Deanna giggled. "Oh come on. Can't I touch the man who I'm so foolishly in love with?"

"I'd love you a lot more if you were sober. A lot sober." Shane said. Deanna paused, her face morphing into a saddened one. "Dee…"

"You don't love me?" Deanna asked on the brink of crying.

"No! I mean, yes I do, but that's not what I mean!" Deanna's tears were boiling in her eyes and Shane sighed heavily. "Deanna, I love you, okay? I love you very much. But you gotta stop doing this. It isn't what we need. We-"

Deanna quickly shushed him with a kiss, causing Shane to mentally kick himself for allowing her to do so. Then again, a part of him wanted to do nothing more but feel her soft lips against his. And even if she was drunk and he was not looking for a kiss, he could still feel his girlfriend somewhere in this sea of alcohol.

"Deanna Fitzgerald! That is enough!" Mrs. Hughes barked. Deanna slowly pulled away with a giggle. "Do you see what you have made my daughter into, Mr. Mason? I will not tolerate it. You are not allowed to see her, am I making myself clear?"

Shane looked at Deanna and then at Mrs. Hughes.

"I'm not your kid." Shane said calmly. "And I won't stop trying to get my girlfriend back, whether I have your praise or not."

"You-"

"I'll see myself out." Shane said before looking at Deanna. "Please, get better…"

"Okie-dokie!" Shane nearly rolled his eyes. It was like dealing with a high Nicole all over again. Yet, as he walked out of the kitchen, he heard his girlfriend all over again. "I love you Shane Mason!"

Shane paused and smiled at Deanna.

"I love you too Dee." Shane said before spotting what he assumed were the guards to the Hughes' Manor nearing him. "Um, I gotta go."

As he was escorted out of the home, he actually felt happy. His girlfriend- he should blame Laura for even referring to Deanna as such- still cared for him and still wanted him. All they had to do was just speak on sober terms, which would be hard now that he was not allowed to see her.

But Shane would do anything to get Deanna back. And he would employ Jayden and Kelly to help him whether they wanted to or not.


	148. S5 Episode XIV: I Will Not Bow

**Episode XIV: I Will Not Bow**

The banging on his door would not cease and one Jay Hogart swore on his mother's grave that he would kill the poor fool behind the door. The only people that would be safe from his wrath were his children and their respective mothers. Anyone and everyone else would die.

"What?" he growled, seeing the neatly dressed couple behind the door.

"Are you that hooligan's father?" Jay's eyes narrowed.

"What the hell do you want?" Jay seethed. "And who are you calling a 'hooligan'?"

The man stepped forward. "My name is Reed Tucker, I'm Stephanie's father. My wife and I found this," Mr. Tucker holds out a bag of colored pills. "Do you know what these are? Drugs!"

Jay's lips thinned. "And you're saying my son gave them to your daughter? I don't believe you."

"Well then who did she get them from?!" Mr. Tucker shouted as he threw the small Ziploc bag at Jay.

Jay sighed heavily. "I'm going to warn you just this once. Do they again and I'm going to punch your fucking head off your shoulders whether your wife or daughter are here to see it or not, got it?" Mr. Tucker glared at the other man. "I don't think that my son would give her drugs, but I will talk to him later. Now get the hell out of my face before I call you an ambulance."

"It's the cops, ignoramus." came Mr. Tucker's snarky comment.

"No," Jay snarled. "I meant ambulance for after I beat the shit out of you. Now get."

Mr. Tucker was nearly shoved into his poor wife, who had just stood quietly while this ordeal went on. But the two soon left as Jay went to get a napkin and then pick the pills up. He was no fool. He did not want his fingerprints on that bag or the pills. Staring at the different colored pills, Jay sighed heavily.

"Nathan, you'd better have an explanation for this." Jay said quietly as he closed his door, wishing his son had nothing to do with it at all.

* * *

Emma watched as Manny pulled a tray of cookies out of the oven.

"I'm wondering if this is an act or if you're really making your kids cookies for when they come home." Emma taunted.

Manny rolled her eyes. "I actually do try to be a good mother, unlike some of us." Emma smiled. "Besides, with all the hell that's been going on in the house, the younger kids need something to be happy about."

"Chandra's kidnapping?" Manny sighed.

"That and other things," Emma frowned at Manny's words. "The twins and Kitty aren't seeing eye-to-eye on anything as of now, and without Danni, Jay, or A.J actually around to play peacemaker…"

"It's been rough." said Emma. Manny nodded. "I hear you. With Cameron, things have been a little crazy at my place too. I just hope he doesn't get confused about who his actual mother and father are."

Manny smiled. "Ana wasn't confused, was she?" Emma shrugged slightly. "Besides, Cam's a good baby. He's a lot quieter than any of mine were. Grandkids included."

"That's mean!" Emma giggled as Maxwell walked into the kitchen. "Morning."

"Hey," he said as he eyed the tray of cookies. Emma and Manny watched him eye the cookies, obviously surveying the tray to find the best one. Finally he reaches down and lifts one before hissing. "Hot, hot, hot."

"I hope it burns you." Manny comments. "Those are for the kids."

"I know." Maxwell said as he cautiously ate the hot cookie. "Thing is…" He paused to swallow the bit in his mouth. "I get one to make sure they're not poison."

"I would never poison my kids." Manny stated.

"I know that and you know that, but they don't. So as a protecting dad, I have to be the one to taste the dread that is your lovely chocolate chip cookies." Maxwell replied. Manny was going to respond before his cell phone began vibrating. "Damn job. I have to take this."

Manny sighed as her husband left the kitchen, answering his phone.

"And there he goes." Emma said with a smile. "How do you manage with him?"

Manny released a breath. "You know, I've been asking myself that same question for over twenty years now."

"I bet." Emma said before her phone began ringing. "This can't be good." Manny's brows rise as Emma answers her phone. "Hello?"

"Mrs. Emma Cameron?" Emma frowned.

"Yes… Who is this?" Emma questioned.

"This is Edward Whitsett, lawyer for Mr. Diego Harper. How are you?" the man politely questioned.

"Um, I'm fine." Emma said with confusion.

"I'm calling with grave news. Mr. Harper has been found in his home, dead. While we're waiting on the news for foul play I-"

"Who is Diego Harper?" Emma asked.

"Painter. Better known as Diego Hopper for his drawing of some kangaroos and stars and stuff." Maxwell stated from the entrance way to the kitchen.

"Maybe you know him better as Diego Hopper? Painter of the famed Moonlit Outback?" Emma stared at her best friend's husband with shock, he just shrugging. "Anyway, during Mr. Harper's last days, he requested that we find his most prized creation. And believe me, we searched through every part of his mansion to find it, every auction site, and every museum. However, his 'most prized creation' was the inspiration for his painting, Blonde Waters… His daughter…"

"I'm sorry," Emma said getting off of the stool she was currently sitting in. "Are you saying that my daughter, Kelly, is the daughter of some painter?"

"I'm hoping so." Mr. Whitsett answered. "We are talking about the daughter of a Miss… Hilary Parot, right?"

"Yes. Yes, that's Kelly's birth mother's name." Emma said. "Are you _positive_ that Kelly is his child?"

Mr. Whitsett sighed. "Mrs. Cameron, we have spent the last three months searching high and low for this creation of his. During the time, Mr. Harper sickly requested that we search for Ms. Parot, which led us to you." Emma slowly leaned on the counter, making sure not to disturb Manny's hot tray of cookies. "Your daughter is the only heir of Mr. Harper and, as stated in his will, is the sole inheritor of his property in Glendale. And in the event that we could not find her or she refuses, then it goes to his wife, Mrs. Ericka Harper."

"I…" Emma paused. "I will have to talk to Kelly about this. She's in school."

"As she should be," Mr. Whitsett said. "I will call later to hear her decision."

"Um, okay," Emma stated. "Excuse me for saying so, but you seem really close to Mr. Hopper to just be his lawyer."

"I was his butler, his guard, and his friend." Mr. Whitsett said. "My job was to keep him working yet maintain a healthy relationship with his friends and family. As a world renown painter, I'm sure you can imagine the pressure he had trying to maintain his true self and creativity. Especially with that wife of his."

"I can imagine." Emma muttered as she saw Manny giggle in her husband's arms.

"Please know that this situation is of the upmost importance. If anyone should get that home, it isn't that woman. It should be Mr. Harper's greatest creation. It should be his only living child." Mr. Whitsett told Emma. "I will call later. Goodbye, Mrs. Cameron."

"Bye…" Emma said as she hung up.

Manny broke away from her husband as if she was a teenager being caught making-out with her boyfriend by her parents. Emma only shook her head as Maxwell gave her a thoughtful stare.

"So," the man began. "Your daughter just so happens to be the long lost daughter of a very rich artist, the richest of the modern time I believe, and due to his death, Kelly has to say yes or no to what is rightfully hers, huh?"

"How do you know this?" Emma asked.

"Because I inherited my wealth from my father and Hilary had to have used some guy's sperm to make Kelly, artificially inseminated or not." Maxwell answered before shrugging. "You know, if you ask me, this is good for her."

"And how is that?" Emma questioned.

"It's my understanding that you deliberately went against your mother's orders to find your father, did you not?" Emma shot a glare towards Manny who mouthed an apology. "So what better way for Kelly to finally have that closure that she needs than letting her meet her dad's family?"

"And risk the chance of her wanting to live in her new mansion in Arizona?" replied Emma.

"I doubt Kelly would choose to live there and I know she wouldn't leave before school." Maxwell said. "Emma, you know my beliefs of family. You will always be her true mother like Spin will be her true dad. Can you deny that she isn't a blend of you two?"

"No…" Emma said.

"Then that settles it." Maxwell responded before grabbing another cookie.

"Max!" Manny chastised as she attempted to swat him. He, however, only laughed and moved to leave. "Save some!"

"Your cooking is a delicacy, whether it's a meal or baked cookies." Maxwell said. "But I do have to run out. Another conference considering the last one ended… Well, with me not liking any of the ideas and ultimately losing my cool."

"You are a man with limited patience." Emma commented.

"Have you seen my family? Between my kids, my mother, my siblings, and you two, I have more patience than the average man." Maxwell said as he left. "Think about it."

As Maxwell left, Manny turned to her friend with a smile.

"He's right about one thing. Kelly is and will always be your daughter. You don't have to worry about losing her. Ever." Manny stated.

"You're probably right," Emma said before sighing. "Well, that only leaves one thing. Calling Spin and telling him the news."

"Go ahead. And make sure you tell little Cam I said hi!" Manny squealed.

Emma only rolled her eyes. "And people say that _I_ get baby crazy."

* * *

"And people say that I have girl problems." Shane said to his friend, who was currently checking a text from Ariana.

"First, Ari is a good friend of mine and secondly, I hate people picking on her." Jayden replied. "Besides, you do have girl problems. One of them is smoking up the place and the other is drinking everywhere she goes."

"Nice. I'll try to remember that the next time you ask to help you bake Laura's cake." said Shane before sighing. "I don't know Jay. When I saw Dee last night I just… God, I wanted to runaway with her."

"Uh-huh. And what stopped you other than the vision of your mother and common sense?" Jayden paused. "Unless your mom _is_ the physical representation of your common sense in which case-"

"I get it. But you don't understand. I want Deanna badly." Shane said.

"We're talking about love instead of sex, right?" Shane sighed heavily. "Okay, look, if I can help, I'll help. Just know that in the future, I want a discount at The Dot _and_ Mason's and I don't care whose check it's cut out of."

"I don't ask for favors when you need me to do something like talk to Scarlett because you want her to be happy despite not dating her." Shane countered.

"That is a dirty tactic to use and you know that." Shane shrugged slightly. "Besides, she was your so-called good friend until you dropped her for Nicky."

"I didn't 'drop' her," Shane replied. "Nicky had a serious problem. And Scarlett knew that. She just didn't agree with me putting Nicky above myself." Jayden hummed in thought. "What's that for?"

"Wondering if I sound this desperate whenever I need your help." Jayden stated. "Because I honestly don't know what's so wrong just getting up and going to talk to her?"

"Her parents don't want me to and has her brother like some hound guarding her. It'll be impossible for me to do that." Shane paused once he saw a smirk on his friend's face. "Oh God…"

"No, nothing extreme," Jayden said. "You're just asking the wrong person to distract DeWayne." Shane's brows knitted together. "I'm talking about Scarlett."

"She'll kill you." Jayden laughed.

"You think? Because I don't think so." Jayden said. "It's called lover's immunity. I use it every now and again to get out of trouble with Laura. And Scarlett for that matter."

"She'll never do it." Shane said.

"You worry about the specific time and place you want to talk to your girlfriend and leave everything else to me." Shane sighed.

"I'm regretting this already." Jayden raised a brow. "Oh come on, let me in on whatever it is you're going to use on Scarlett to get her to do this."

"Okay, but swear that you won't bring this up to Kelly." responded Jayden. Shane nodded. "Well, first I'll just…"

* * *

At Lakehurst, one Deanna Fitzgerald was not having a good day. After acing a test and practically being praised to the entire class for doing so, she was just not happy. The reason? She had made an ass out of herself in front of Shane and her mother and stepdad blamed him for that. And a part of her could see their point. She drank because of her feelings for him and how she felt incompetent to be his perfect girlfriend.

But they were still wrong for keeping Shane away from her.

Her icy blue eyes turned to the other problem in this equation; DeWayne. This was his fault. She knew that and she was sure that he knew that she knew it. He had helped Nicole to win Shane over while Deanna had no one to aid her.

Jayden had made it clear that their friendship was heavily influenced on her relationship with Shane. The happier Shane was, the friendlier Jayden would be. But that was probably over now.

Kelly would not get between her two friends and Deanna did not blame her. When one built a friendship with someone they shared a home with, favoring said friend was almost automatic over someone who was known as a conniving… Well, Deanna would not go as far as call herself a bitch- again- but she knew why Kelly decided against siding one way or another.

Then there were Stephanie and Angelina. Deanna sighed. What good were they in this matter? Shane hated Nathan and was not Jacob's biggest fan at the moment. Employing the girlfriends- well ex in Jacob and Angelina's case- of these two would not help Deanna at all.

And thus, Deanna Fitzgerald was having a bad day.

"Alright class," the teacher said as the bell rang. "Don't forget to read chapters four through six tonight."

Deanna ignored the woman and left the class, trying to get as far out of DeWayne's sight as possible.

"Deanna!" Deanna paused. While she didn't _hate_ Steven, she was starting to find him slightly annoying. "Hey, busy this weekend?"

"I might be." she muttered.

"Oh. Well, there's another party and I wanted to know if you wanted to come with." Deanna's brow twitched. "It's supposed to be one of the better ones at Banting."

"Banting?" Deanna questioned. "Hm… I do love Banting parties."

Steven grinned. "I'll pick you up at eight."

"I never said-"

"You were thinking it." Deanna bit her cheek. She _had _been thinking it. "So what do you say?"

Deanna sighed. "Sure Steven. Just make sure we're not followed by my idiot brother." Deanna motioned her head to where DeWayne and Alexander stood. "I'm in some sort of trouble with my mom and he's supposed to be keeping an eye on me."

Steven smiled. "I can handle your brother. I always do, right?"

Deanna smiled. Steven was telling the truth there. Every time she partied with him and his friends Jesse and Tyler, Steven had always found some roundabout way to get there and DeWayne was nowhere in sight. So he knew how to lose people.

"Fine," Deanna said. "Just make sure that you don't have me drinking _too_ much. I still have to walk to my room, and that's a walk."

"Who're you telling?" Steven responded. He took a few steps backwards. "I'll catch up later."

As Steven walked away, Stephanie neared Deanna.

"Are you sure it's okay to be hanging out with him?" Deanna slowly turned an icy glare towards her friend.

"Are you questioning my judgment of Steven?" Deanna questioned.

"Yes." Stephanie answered.

"Don't." With that, Deanna walked away. Stephanie had been a great friend during these hard times for her, but she continued to pressure Deanna to stop drinking- which was her only release- and talk to Shane. And that was something Deanna was finding harder to do sober than drunk.

With a small sigh, Deanna slipped into the restroom and took a look at herself in the mirror. Physically, she thought she looked as flawless as the previous day. Mentally she felt like hell. How did it even come to this and why was she angrier at herself than at her brother?

Well, she figured, there was no turning back now. All she had to do was come up with a counter plan while using Steven to keep DeWayne away. Once she had a plan, she would execute it with the perfection that only she could. And then, DeWayne Fitzgerald and Nicole Campbell would rue the day they ever thought about crossing her path.

* * *

Kelly smiled as she walked towards lunch with her friends and brother.

"I know how to change a diaper," Shane proclaimed. "I just don't want to do it, that's all."

"It is quite difficult the first time around." Jayden stated.

Shane grunted. "Not for all of us."

"You don't even change Cam. He's going to grow up and resent you." Kelly said before the four spotted men that appeared to be bodyguards near the cafeteria. "Um, Jay, Dash, are they with either of you?"

"My parents don't do guards. Especially not at school." Jayden said.

"No. I don't recognize any of them." Dakota added.

A rather tall and well-muscled man stepped towards the group. His sharp aged green eyes scanned the four before locking onto Kelly.

"Kelly Mason, I presume." Kelly nodded at the bald man's statement. "My name is Nigel Whitsett. I am a longtime friend to Mr. Diego Harper."

"The guy with the kangaroo painting?" Kelly questioned.

Mr. Whitsett grinned. "The very same. Now," He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "Mr. Harper and your mother, Ms. Parot, were friends a long time ago. Good friends, you could say. So good that he gave her a piece of his inheritance in the event of his untimely death… Which has happened, unfortunately."

Kelly frowned. "So why are you here…?"

"Well, before he died, he changed it to Ms. Parot's oldest heir, which would be you." Kelly gasped as Jayden and Dakota exchanged looks. "I'm sure you want to hear more. So how about we head for lunch? My treat. Your friends can come as well."

"I-"

"Of course you'll go, it's free lunch." Jayden interrupted.

Kelly glared at him. "Freeloader…" She then looked at Mr. Whitsett. "If this is some sort of joke, my parents-"

"I have already spoken to your mother. Emma Cameron?" Kelly saw Shane give her a small nod. If their mother was okay with it, then so be it. "Are you coming?"

"Sure." Kelly said, feeling a bit awkward.

As the group followed Mr. Whitsett and the guards out, Jayden and Dakota strayed back to talk amongst themselves.

"I think Kelly just joined our mile high club." Jayden said quietly.

Dakota nodded. "I know. Just trying to figure out why they went through all this trouble." Jayden frowned. "Diego Harper wasn't a very public man. I heard that he liked to ditch conventions and museum openings."

"I hear you." Jayden replied. "But something about this seems…"

"Fishy?" Jayden nodded. "I have that same feeling…"

"Hey, what are you two scheming?" Kelly asked her friends.

Jayden and Dakota smiled.

"Nothing. Nothing at all." Jayden said.

* * *

Jacquelyn sat down at her normal table with a small breath of relief. This small gesture had Helen pause in her speech and eye her friend with a frown.

"You have fun with my cousin?" Jacquelyn nods. "So where'd you go?"

"Just out." Jacquelyn answered. "Why?"

Scarlett's brows creased. "'Just out'? This is Torrie we're talking about. She should've had you at some club with guys you don't know all over you."

"N-no," Jacquelyn stammered. "I mean, we did go to a club but no guys were dancing with me."

"Sounds like fun." Nicole said.

"It actually was. Torrie knows how to have a good time." Jacquelyn's three friends just stared at her. "What?"

"You going to tell us what exactly happened or do we have to find my Barbie cousin and get it out of her big mouth?" Helen responded.

"Nothing happened. We went to a club. We danced. We went home. Simple." said Jacquelyn. She really did not want her friends to know that she went dancing at a strip-club. Especially not Damon.

"Well, so long as she didn't have you trying any new and untested drug, I guess everything has worked out for the better." Scarlett said. "Well, either that or whore your services out to some guy so she can make a quick buck. Torrie is always about making quick money."

"And sex." Helen added.

"That too." Scarlett said. "I'm just wondering which one she introduced you to."

"Neither." Jacquelyn responded. "Seriously, we just went to a club for some dancing. We're both dating someone, so you know we didn't talk to any guys." Jacquelyn paused. "Well, you know _I_ didn't."

"Right," Helen said. "You're more of a take a guy than cheat on one." Jacquelyn sent Helen a dirty look. "Hey, you're practically two for two with Nicky. First Jayden then Plain Shane. Just wonder who was desperate enough to go for Scooter."

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Let it die Helen."

"Whatever Scar." Helen responded before frowning in thought. "Where're your annoying neighbor and his table of misfits?"

"I…" Scarlett paused. "I have no idea."

"They problem just went somewhere for lunch." Nicole said before gasping. "We should do that!"

"The last time I let you plan a trip, it ended with me shopping with Laura." Scarlett pointed out. "I don't want to go through that again."

Helen smirked. "You know when Jayden saw her in that lingerie she picked out, he so bang-"

"I'm getting my soda." Scarlett quickly said as she rose.

Jacquelyn sighed. "Why won't you just let her cope?"

"Because picking on people is what I do best." Helen said before leaning on her elbows. "Now tell me what you and Torrie _really_ did."

* * *

Kelly was actually shocked. Her mom had met some artist years ago and never told her. Well, to be fair, Kelly never asked about Hilary's _entire_ life. She only questioned things like how living in Ireland was and if she loved her current fiancé, Jeanne's dad.

"He sounds like a nice guy." Kelly mused as Mr. Whitsett finished his latest tells of Diego's life.

"Kelly," Jayden stated. "Your mom never mentioned your dad before, has she?"

Kelly thought before shaking her head. "No. All she said was that Jeanne, Breann, and Tomas has a different dad than I do."

"Uh-huh…" Jayden said. "Well, if that's the case, I may have some terrible news."

"What's that?" Kelly asked.

"Your dad's dead." Kelly and Shane stared at Jayden in disbelief. "And his name is Diego Harper."

Mr. Whitsett's eyes narrowed. "You have your grandfather's eye, that's for sure." Jayden arched a brow. "Oh yes, I knew Jordan McDuelle the Second. A family man and a rather serious business man. Sharp as a katana. He took his father's company to heights no one imagined… His death hit the world hard."

"I know. But this is about _her_ dad, not my granddad." Jayden said. "Was I wrong?"

"No," Mr. Whitsett said with a sigh as he leaned back in his chair. "Diego Harper is indeed Kelly's father."

"H-how…? How are you sure?" Kelly asked.

"I've been with Mr. Harper since he was ten. I don't need a test to know his offspring." Mr. Whitsett answered. "Which is why I'm here. Mr. Harper has left aside a certain home in Arizona which he wished for you to have. It-"

"No." Kelly firmly stated.

"I beg your pardon?" Mr. Whitsett responded.

"I don't want it." Kelly said. "The guy is a good artist, but I hardly know him. I mean, I can't even feel extremely depressed about his death and he was my dad. I don't want to claim him just so I can get his home."

"Dear child, Diego had more than one house and I assure you that the one in Glendale is not the largest or most expensive." Mr. Whitsett said. "However, it is what he called home and he would like for his child, you, to have those same thoughts."

"Well maybe he should've thought of that before he and my mother abandoned me." Kelly shot back. "I'm not taking it."

"You don't know the stakes here," Mr. Whitsett told her in a pleading voice. "If you don't take it, then it goes to his wife, Ericka. His family, your family, does not want her to have it. She has done nothing more than spend his money and waited for him to rot. I will not have her do the same to the one place Diego felt at ease at."

"So I'll take it and then sell it." Kelly replied.

Mr. Whitsett shook his head. "It doesn't work like that. As soon as you say no, it goes to her and then… All his work is sold. All he built to achieve gone. And worse, due to his greatest creation."

Kelly frowned. "I'm his greatest creation? He didn't even know me!"

"I won't go into detail," Mr. Whitsett began. "But I'm sure you're familiar with the painting, Blonde Waters?" Kelly nodded. "There is another version of that painting at his home in Glendale that is worth millions. It's what Ericka is after. His inspiration for that painting was the thoughts of a blonde little girl from a dream he had who called him dad. That girl was you."

"I…" Kelly began. "No. I can't take that. I don't even know him. He doesn't…" Kelly paused. "This is so surreal."

"I will let you think about it." Mr. Whitsett said. "Your decision is needed the day of the funeral and you must be there in person to deliver it. But I beg you, Kelly. Your father wanted nothing more than for you to know who he was. Don't ruin your only chance."

Kelly only nodded before looking over at Shane. He was stunned. Then again, she didn't blame him. He just found out that his sister was as rich as their two friends present. Speaking of which, she saw Jayden and Dakota once more talking amongst themselves. She grew a little annoyed by that for inexplicable reasons.

"What are you two talking about?" It sounded more like a demand than a question and Jayden and Dakota picked up on her anger quickly.

"We were wondering how big the media will take this." Jayden answered. "Obviously that's what those guys are for."

Kelly looked over to the guards that Jayden thumbed to and groaned before putting her face into her hands.

"It'll get easier Kelly." Dakota comforted. "Believe me, the first day is only the hardest. After that…" Dakota paused when Jayden cleared his throat and shook his head. "Right."

"Well," Jayden said with a small smile. "Welcome to the club Ms. Harper."

Kelly groaned again. Just why couldn't she have a _normal_ life?

* * *

Chandra slowly put the shirt on and nothing else. Kurt wouldn't allow her to wear anything else. Speaking of Kurt, Chandra had finally heard his soft snores and began to put her plan to play. What was her plan?

Well, she automatically crossed out the hopes of leaving the deserted cabin and making a run for civilization. She had no idea where she was and Kurt would probably find her, rape her, and then kill her. She didn't want that. Plus, she didn't have the hurt. Literally. Even now, she felt light-headed and dizzy. But she would not faint. She would not black-out. Not now.

But, her plan was simple. Once Kurt was sleeping, she would grab his phone and send a text. She already knew that when he came home from work, he slept for at least two hours unless some noise startled him. So long as she was silent and he had forgotten to lock her in the basement- as he did today- she could call for help.

And she already knew who it was she wanted to hear from if today was indeed her last day alive.

Twisting the doorknob, Chandra pushed the basement door open. It creaked slightly, but not loud enough to wake Kurt. Taking in a deep breath, Chandra crept to the living room where the man was passed on. A magazine, porn no doubt, lied on his chest as he slept quietly. Now for his phone…

Chandra searched high and low before noticing that he was nearly lying on it. She bit her bottom lip as she stealthily neared him.

Closer…

Closer…

She reached out a shaky hand to grab the phone. Her fingers gently grasped it as she slowly pulled it from his body.

Closer…

Closer…

"No…" Chandra gasped quietly as the man spoke in his sleep and turned the other way, freeing his phone completely.

Tears formed in her eyes as she silently and quickly moved back to the basement door. She closed it as slowly and quietly as she possibly could before heading back down the steps to the dirty bed she slept in. As soon as she felt the mattress beneath her, her legs went numb as if they had lost all power. But she did not need them any longer. Now, it was time to use the rest of her energy and power to somehow describe her location before Kurt heard her and confronted her.

Her time began now.

* * *

The bell rang, signaling the end of fifth period.

"You okay?" Jordan asked Aaron.

Aaron shrugged. "I guess."

"That's a no." Jordan commented. "Come on A.J. I'm sure that wherever Chandra is, she's alive and okay." Aaron's eyes narrowed. "I'm not saying she ran away. I'm just say-" The sound of Aaron's phone ringing caused Jordan to huff. "And why is it that no teacher's are around to hear _your_ phone going off?"

"I don't know who this is…" Aaron said.

"Ignore it then." Jordan stated. "Unless you believe it's someone with word on Chandra."

Aaron's body reacted before his mind could and he ended up answering the call.

"Hello?"

"A.J!" Aaron's eyes widened. "Listen to me! I'm at a cabin. It's in the woods. There's a gas station about some ways out. The guy's name is Kurt something. He works with Jordan's uncle Connor. He has an old Civic. And I love you!" Now Aaron could hear her crying. "I love you so much!"

"Chandra," Aaron's words caused Jordan's eyes to grow wide. "Don't worry. I'm on my way. Do you hear me? I'm coming for you."

"Please!" Chandra cried. "I don't know how much longer I have."

"You won't die today. I won't let it." Aaron said. "Get somewhere safe and stay on the phone with me."

"Okay…" Chandra said. "A.J…"

"Chandra, I first need you to calm down, okay?" Aaron said speed walking towards the last location he saw his brother. "Deep breaths. Just think of this as another dream. One that can't hurt you. I won't let it hurt you."

Jordan, who walked behind Aaron, smiled softly. Sure it hurt her to know that her chances with Aaron were slim to none with Chandra around, but she was happy to see him as himself for once. The depressed annoyed Aaron was not sitting well with her.

"A.J," Jordan said softly, causing him to stop. She hugged him. "Bring her back and come back safely."

There was a moment of silence before she heard him respond.

"I will." The two broke away before Aaron jogged off. "Okay Bambi, tell me again how to get there."

Jordan sighed. "Good grief A.J…"

* * *

Jacquelyn was preparing to go home, grabbing the books needed for her homework, when a pair of familiar arms encircled her waist.

"So where'd you and Torrie go?" Damon asked.

"Promise you won't get mad?" Damon nodded. "To some strip-club where her mom's friend works."

Damon clicked his tongue. "Uh-huh. Did you have fun?" Jacquelyn nodded. "Good. Now we can have some fun."

"Actually…" Damon sighed at Jacquelyn's words. "Torrie and I have something to do. But don't worry, tomorrow I'm free."

"Yeah, yeah," Damon said. "I just want to know what's so important that you're blowing me off for Torrie Coyne."

"It's nothing. I mean, it's just us trying to hangout since we don't. Or at least we didn't." Jacquelyn replied. "Listen we're just trying to become friends since we're dating friends. That's not bad, is it?"

Damon only hummed in thought. He had known Torrie for a long time and knew that she was not always up to good. Whenever Torrie and Laura got together, it did not bode well for whoever they were plotted against. In fact, all the girls that Damon hung out with at the ravine were party girls at one point of time or another. Laura, Torrie, and Nicole could last with the best of them. He just wished Jacquelyn did not become like that.

Now he was beginning to sound like Nathan about Stephanie…

* * *

"Is this the place?" Jayden asked quietly.

"It looks like it." Hakim said as he and Jayden quietly opened the car doors. "A.J, call the cops. We'll get Chandra."

"I want to help." Aaron said defiantly.

"A.J, you've helped enough," Jayden stated. "Now stay out here and stay safe. That's final." Aaron sighed heavily but nodded. "Let's go Hakim."

The two boys snuck towards the back where Chandra had claimed the door was unlocked. Both were as nervous as they had ever been, Hakim's palms already sweating. They crept towards the old door, the porch creaking beneath their footsteps. Jayden silently counted down before twisting the knob.

It opened.

Hakim heard his companion release a breath of relief, hardly audible over his heartbeat. They slowly entered the kitchen where they noticed one thing off of the bat. Someone had recently cooked something. The smell of bacon was unmistakable to the two boys and they immediately realized that Kurt had woken up.

"Bend over!" the order came from a door that led to a dark stairway.

Jayden gave Hakim a nod as he slowly neared the door and peered inside. He saw nothing but stairs leading to a well-lit basement. He could see the dark brown carpet from his vintage point and a person's shadow, but nothing more.

"Dear Father, protect us…" Jayden mumbled.

"Never took you for the religious type." Hakim whispered.

Jayden stared at him. "Lose a child and you'll see life in a whole new light." Hakim only nodded. "I'll go first. Wait a while and then come. No point in both of us getting caught at once."

"Be careful." Hakim stated.

Jayden slowly began making his way down the steps. He silently thanked years of living in houses with steps to help him learn how to successfully get up and down them without causing too much attention. Yet, at the same time, he hated the fact that he did not go through any martial arts training like Danica had. It would have come in handy at the moment.

"Beautiful…" Jayden now peered down at the basement where he saw a nude Chandra, on all fours on some shaggy looking bed, a man behind her undoing his pants. "Today is the perfect day to finally get what I wanted."

Jayden hesitated. There was nothing for him to grab and there was no telling if the man was armed or not. He had to wait for the right moment and chose to use his heartbeat to countdown.

Thump, thump… Five…

Thump, thump… Four…

Thump, thump… Three…

Thump, thump… Two…

Thum-

One!

Chandra screamed when Kurt's body suddenly went flying to the left, a well place tackled from Jayden having them both on the ground. She watched as Jayden wrestled with Kurt, having small success but success nonetheless.

"Chandra!" Chandra did not even notice her cousin making his way down there, wrapping her in the filthy sheets to keep her covered. "Come on!" Chandra nodded and made a beeline for the steps. "Jayden, let's go!"

After a well-placed punch, Jayden scrambled to his feet and attempted to get out with the others, only for Kurt to trip him. Quickly rolling to his side, Jayden began kicking the man repeatedly until Kurt's grip loosened and he was able to get to the stairs.

"He's coming! Go!" Jayden ordered the two who stood by the front door.

Though he miscalculated how close Kurt was and was soon thrown towards a nearby corner table.

"Jayden!" Chandra screamed.

Jayden groaned in pain. His body had collided with the furniture head on, knocking it completely over and spilling the contest of the small drawer everywhere.

"Dammit! It's locked!" Hakim shouted as he pounded on the screen.

Kurt laughed darkly. "Well of course it is! You didn't think I'd let her escape again, did you?!" While Hakim and Chandra looked confused, Jayden's eyes were on something that fell from the drawer. "Don't you see, Sarah? We were meant to be together. I never meant to hurt you…"

"You're sick!" Hakim shouted as he stood protectively in front of Chandra. "And I won't let you get my cousin!"

"Then you'll just have to die." Hakim was beyond startled when Kurt pulled out a small pocket knife, advancing towards him. "I won't lose her again."

Bang!

That one sound caused a deafening silence to follow as Kurt slowly slumped to the ground, holding his side. Hakim and Chandra turned to Jayden who held a shaking hand towards Kurt, gun in hand. None of them said anything for what seemed like hours before Hakim turned to Chandra.

"Go out the back." He said. Chandra quickly went to do what he said as Hakim neared Jayden to help him to his feet. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

"…" Jayden was silent, slowly standing on his feet and leaning on Hakim for support.

"I hate you…" They heard from a wounded Kurt. "I hate you all!"

Hakim just led Jayden out of the back, praying that they could finally put this all behind them.

"A.J!" Chandra cried.

Aaron was more than happy to hold her in his arms. So happy that he did not even care that she was completely naked. He was touching skin that he once had to imagine how it felt and yet didn't care at all. He only cared that he held Chandra Torres in his arms and nothing else.

"Did you call the cops?" Hakim asked as he helped a limping Jayden towards them.

Aaron nodded, not letting go of the crying girl in his arms. His eyes then locked on an object in Jayden's right hand and he gasped, something that made Chandra jump. But instead of questioning, he just went back to the girl in his arms as he heard the sirens close in.

"Aaron! Jayden!" Of course, first on scene was his mother. Aaron did not know what to think if Manny did _not_ come. "Thank God that you're okay!"

"Son, what is that in your hand?" An officer asked Jayden.

"I shot him." Manny gasped at her son's shaky response. "I…"

"Oh baby." Manny said softly as she held her eldest son. She noted how cold he felt and how he quivered in her arms. "It's okay."

"Mama… I shot him…" Was all Jayden could say.

"Chandra!" Aaron now felt Chandra wrestle in his grasp at the sound of her mother's voice. However, he refused to let her go and was somehow pulled into the Torres's family's embrace. "Chandra! You're okay!"

While being smothered by both Alli and Drew due to refusing to release Chandra, Aaron heard one thing from Drew that he doubt anyone else could hear.

"Thank you, A.J."

That one statement made Aaron smile a bit. Danica never went back on her promises and Jayden tried his best to make sure he kept his as well. Maybe being like them wasn't so bad after all.

"I hate you all!" Kurt called as he was being led onto an ambulance. "I hate you all!"

"Ma'am," another officer said, directing his statement to Chandra. "We're going to get you to hospital to make sure you're okay. Is that alright?"

"I want him to come." Chandra said, her grip on Aaron's shirt as tight as it was once she embraced him.

"Well…" The man began but Alli beat him to it.

"Of course he can ride with you." The officer, knowing when beat, just nodded and escorted the two to the other ambulance nearby.

"Jayden," Manny said softly. "Give me the gun."

Jayden slowly released the weapon to his mother, who handed it over to the only female officer that came. She idly wondered if the event had finally broken her son or if he would be able to bounce back like he did everything else.

Only time will tell, she figured.

* * *

Nathan walked into his father apartment, spotting the man smoking a cigarette on the couch.

"Sit." Nathan frowned and chose to lean against the wall, causing Jay to sigh heavily. "Nathan, I'm not in the fucking mood. Sit down!"

Nathan's eyes narrowed. "What's eating you?"

"This!" Nathan was unable to dodge the bag of pills Jay hurled at him. "Do you know what that shit is? It's MDMA! This shit will fuck your mind over!"

"I know that!" hollered Nathan as he stared at the bag. "Why are you yelling at me for?"

"Because your girlfriend had it and as hard as it is for me to think it, we both know that you're the one that deals with drugs between the two of you." Jay said.

"I don't do this shit!" Nathan shouted back. "And…" Nathan slowly paused. "What the fuck is Stephanie doing with it?"

"You tell me." Was Jay's calm response.

"I don't know! I don't deal this. I-"

"You shouldn't be dealing in the first place!" Nathan thought about just storming out but realized his dad had a strong point. "People that get in that game normally dies in it. I've seen it happen too many times."

"I don't deal this and I don't let Stephanie anywhere near it." Nathan firmly stated. "I don't know how she has this. I didn't even know she did."

"Well she did and her parents are blaming you for it." Jay pointed out.

"They aren't the only ones…" mumbled Nathan. "Just because Randy raped Amber doesn't mean we're all bad."

Jay's lips thinned before he sat up.

"I know." Nathan was stunned by the response. "Which is why I originally defended you. I didn't want to think that you were that stupid to mess with that stuff. But I do know that you smoke."

"Brie…" Nathan growled.

"Your mom." said Jay before frowning. "Brie knows you smoke and didn't tell me?"

Knowing that he had unintentionally dragged his sister into trouble, Nathan went to quickly change the subject.

"Stephanie's parents found this?" Jay nodded. "That means she got it from someone at the ravine. I just have to find out who."

"And kick their ass." Jay said.

"Exactly." Nathan responded as he neared the door.

"Where are you going?" Jay asked.

"To call my girlfriend and find out who it is I have to kill." Nathan answered as he left.

He was pissed. He told Stephanie to stay away from the ravine. He told those at the ravine to leave her alone. Yet no one seemed to listen to him. And when he found out who it was that gave Stephanie those pills, he would make them pay.

But first he had to call said girlfriend.

"Hello?" Stephanie answered after the third ring.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Nathan growled. "Do you have any idea the shit you've put me in?!"

"I'm sorry Nate!" Stephanie stated.

"I bet!" Nathan shouted before sighing to calm down. "I mean, I know you're sorry Stephanie. But this isn't something an apology is going to fix. Your parents want you to forget about me now more than ever."

"I know, I know," Stephanie responded. "But they don't know you like I do."

"Then you should know how pissed I am right now that you would even have them." Nathan snapped back.

"I'm sorry." repeated Stephanie. "Nate? Where are you?"

"I'm going to the ravine. I just called to ask who gave it to you." Nathan answers.

"Don't go fighting Nathan. Just forget-"

"Who was it Stephanie?!" Nathan yelled.

"S-stop yelling at me." Nathan rolled his eyes. Great. He had made her cry.

"Don't worry about it. I'll find him myself. Bye." Nathan didn't have time to hear her cry or not tell him what he needed to know.

He would not go through what he did with Nicole again. That was a person vow that he made to himself. Nathan cared about Nicole greatly and he let her do the stupid things she did without stopping her. It was what ultimately pulled them apart. Well, that and Laura. Laura played a _huge_ part in their separation. However, Laura wasn't here and Stephanie would not become what Nicole had.

He'd be damned if that happened.

* * *

Kelly stared at her ceiling, her homework incomplete next to her.

"Mind helping me?" Shane questioned from her doorway. "Having some trouble with some history."

"Do you think I should go?" Kelly's question caused Shane to sigh.

"Kelly, you have to go to the funeral." Shane said. "He was, _is_, your dad. It's the right thing to do."

"He didn't want me. My mom didn't want me. Why should I go?" Kelly asked.

"Because you seem to have a wicked stepmom that no one likes," Shane pointed out. "Besides, it'll be kind of cool." Now Kelly sat up. "Think about it? You'd be like Jay and Dakota. Super rich and able to go places without worrying how to get there and how much you can spend. You'd have enough to get into any college, not that you'd need it with your brains. And you'd have a place to spend vacations at."

Kelly smiled. "I guess that would be kind of cool."

"Look," Shane said stepping towards her bed. "You're a Mason Kelly, no matter what. But you're also something else. Irish, for example."

"I thought we let that die?" joked the girl.

Shane grinned. "Okay, I'll let it die. But I honestly don't see the problem. I mean, even if you chose to stay there for the rest of your life, you'd always be my younger sister. And I'd visit all the time with Mom and Dad and Sean and Jane. You could show us the pool and the paintings and-"

Shane was cut off by Kelly's hug.

"You're the best brother ever." Kelly said softly.

"Only when you want something." Kelly found herself laughing at the statement, Shane soon returning the hug. "Don't be afraid of who you are Kelly."

It never failed to amaze her how philosophical Shane could be sometimes. Sure, he normally just bluntly told someone what their problem was and went on about his way whether they solved said problem or not. But there were times, like now, where he said things that solved all of Kelly's problems. She would not run from who she was, even that person was someone with a mom, dad, stepdad, future stepmom, birth mother, birth dad, and another stepmom she had no idea about. Besides, it was all of that that made Kelly Mason who she was today, right?

* * *

Never in her life has Chandra ever been so happy to clothes she already possessed. What was better was she seemed to be clear of disease, something that made her parents very happy.

"Hey," Chandra watched as Aaron closed the door to her room, coming towards her bed. "How're you feeling?"

"Better." Chandra said, though they both know that she was drugged to stop her from hyperventilating. "Why are you still here? I thought Jayden and your mom left an hour ago?"

"They did. I just didn't want to leave you." Chandra found herself smiling at his statement. "I'm glad that you're safe."

"Me too." Chandra responded, though she was mentally questioning why this was so awkward for them.

"I…" Aaron began but paused and frowned as if he was thinking of another way to say or approach something. "I'm sorry, Bambi. For everything." Chandra opened her mouth. "No, let me finish. I shouldn't have gotten angry at you for the tape. It wasn't your fault, it was Tevin's. And I know that I can never undo what you've experienced, but if you let me Bambi, I swear that I'll do everything to make you smile again."

"A.J… Are you…?" Chandra was unable to ask her question as he stepped in front of her, cupping her hands in his.

"I don't want another girlfriend but you Chandra." Aaron said. "And I don't want to waste another second we might not have again."

Chandra smiled and nodded, her voice temporarily leaving her. Aaron only smiled as well, taking one of her hands and kissing it gently. Chandra had no idea why she was crying but assumed it was out of happiness. For the first time in five days, she was safe. And for the first time in months, she had something to smile about.

Aaron gently rested his forehead against Chandra's.

"You're something else, Aaron Santos." Chandra told him gently. "But you're mine."

"And you're mine, Bambi." Aaron responded.

Neither noticed Alli and Drew watching them, Alli doing all she could to keep her husband from breaking up such a warm moment. They both wanted Chandra to be happy and knew that Aaron made her happiest. However, Drew was not so keen about _another boy_- Aaron or not- around his daughter so soon. Saving her from a madman was one thing. Cuddling up with her behind closed doors was taking it too far.

"How about we get something to eat?" Drew's voice startled the two young teens and they broke away with a blush on their faces. "My treat."

"Sure." Chandra said.

"Let me call my parents." Aaron added.

"Come on Drew," Alli said taking her husband's hand tightly. "We need to have a long talk."

Chandra giggled at the face Drew made as her mother dragged him away. She then grabbed Aaron's hand, stopping him from dialing his parents, and pulled him to seal her lips against his. They remained like that until Chandra was force to come up for air.

"Alright!" Drew's voice was heard again. "That's enough Romeo!"

"Good…" Aaron paused and looked at Chandra's face. "You know what, I'm not even going to say it this time."

"Wait until we go on dates again. He's going to be all over you." Chandra stated.

"I'll manage." Aaron replied. "So long as you're there with me."

Chandra's smile widened and she swore that this was what the woman on the bus was talking about. Despite Jayden and Hakim being the one's to rush to her rescue, Aaron had been waiting. He never gave up hope in finding her and was adamant that she would not run away. Sure, she could tell him that she _had_ planned on leaving, but knew that he already figured that part out. So she avoided telling him about why she wanted to runaway in the first place and just let Kurt be taking in.

As for now, she just wanted to go to dinner with her parents, siblings, and boyfriend and put this all behind her.

* * *

Ariana neared the tree in the midst of the night carrying two milkshakes. She theorized that Jayden was normally there, which is why she bought two in the first place. She owed him that much. However, when she spotted that the boy was indeed there, she noticed that something was wrong. He looked paler and in a deeper thought than he was when the paternity test scandal broke loose.

Moving beside him, she took his left hand and made him grip the vanilla milkshake that she was offering to him. He stared at her before she sat to his right, taking his right hand into her left and holding it firmly. She said nothing, only resting her head on his shoulder and staring at the stars. Whatever was bothering him would come out sooner or later, she figured. She just needed to be patient.

But he didn't say anything. His hand just gripped hers in a way that made her blush silently under the partly cloudy sky. She had no idea what it was that made her blush, but she did. It almost made her forget that Eli had just tried to make her have dinner with Clare. Well, almost.

A heavy sigh from her currently human pillow startled her and she turned her eyes to watch him take a sip of the milkshake. His hands had stopped trembling slightly and she could spot some color in his face. His eyes seemed a bit duller than normal, but Ariana did not dwell on the reasons for that too long.

"I shot someone." His voice seemed unsure of itself and wavering, but the message was loud and clear. Oddly, Ariana did not feel herself tense up or fear him at all. More or less, she wanted to comfort him.

"Oh…" Jayden's face scrunched up and he looked at her.

"Oh?" he responded, his voice sounded like its normal self.

"I'm sure you had a good reason." Ariana said. Jayden seemed to through many emotions in the span of five seconds. He seemed confused, then angry, a bit saddened, and finally he relaxed and rested his head on the trunk of the tree.

"Thanks for the milkshake." Jayden said.

"No problem." Ariana replies. "I walked out on Eli and Clare's dinner."

Again there was another silence that made Ariana study her companion more. Her story did not seem to faze him in the least bit and she wondered if it was because her problems with Clare were getting old to Jayden or if it had something to do with him shooting whoever.

"I'm glad we met." Ariana blinked in surprised by the sincere statement before staring at what few stars they could see.

"Me too."

She found her fingers rubbing his hands as affectionately as his were doing to her hand. This was much different than the other nights and they both knew it. The reason? He was vulnerable. Normally, there was a wall that Jayden put up to keep people from prying in his life, something Ariana has picked up on from their time together. He has always seemed to laugh his problems away and has never shown anything remotely close to fear.

Now was different. Even with her head on his shoulder, she could still hear his heart racing in his chest. His hands were now steady, but they were sweaty and shaking when she first interlocked their fingers. And his voice cracked terribly when he first spoke. All in all, this was Ariana's first time seeing Jayden McDuelle afraid and she found herself hating it.

But as the time passed, she found herself slowly growing more comfortable until her eyes grew heavy as she finished her strawberry milkshake. A soothing hum was coming from Jayden now and his hands now felt stronger. It felt like the slightly obnoxious Jayden had return which made Ariana more comfortable.

She was more than glad that they met.


	149. S5 Episode XV: I Don't Mean It

**Episode XV: I Don't Mean It**

"Wakey, wakey," Jayden found himself laughing when Scarlett's voice came through his phone. "You know, I talked to Shane about some promise that had to do with me talking to DeWayne. What was he talking about?"

"Oh…" Jayden said. "Well, you see, we just need you to distract DeWayne long enough for Shane to talk to Deanna. You can help, right?"

"And you _assumed_ that I'd be okay with that?" Scarlett questioned.

Jayden sighed. "No, I knew you wouldn't be. But it was the best idea I could come up with at the time." Jayden paused. "You're not mad at me are you?"

"Would it even matter?" Jayden found himself grinning. "How are you feeling? You know, about the whole Bambi thing."

"Scared." His response startled Scarlett.

"Of what?"

"Myself." Scarlett let out a small gasp. "Red, I shot someone. Sure he was armed with a knife and it saved lives, but I shot someone. And a part of me doesn't even care. I think I like it."

"You don't like it, Jayden." Scarlett told him. "You like saving your friends, no matter what."

Jayden smiled. "Is that what I'm feeling?"

"Of course it is," He had to admit, she did sound like an expert on him. "You saved Bambi. That's what you like. The fact that she's at home right now probably daydreaming about your brother is that warm feeling inside." Jayden chuckled at her choice of words. "I'm just glad that you shot him and not the other way around. How's your leg?"

"Still attached." Jayden answered.

"That's good." Scarlett said. "Is it okay for me to stop by?"

"Always. Just tell your cousin when she drops you off that I'm still injured and she can't abuse me. Verbally or physically." Jayden responded.

"I'll do that." Scarlett replied. "Just as long as you don't do something as dumb as go into an armed creep's house again without giving me a warning."

Jayden chuckled. "You know, it's sad that you sound like my mom, Danni, Laura, and both my grandmothers times two."

"Well they are all right. You shouldn't be doing things like that." Scarlett said. "It's one thing to hear that you left school for unknown reasons. It's another hearing that you broke into an armed man's house."

"I had to get Bambi Scarlett." stated Jayden.

There was a moment of silence where Jayden realized that Scarlett was more worried about his health than he originally thought. He knew that he had hit some sort of nerve in her putting Chandra's well-being over his own, but that was just Scarlett being a tad selfish. She would want him to live despite what happened to Chandra and/or Hakim.

"I'll be there soon," sighs Scarlett. "Bye."

"Bye." Jayden said before hanging up. Sighing heavily, he stared at the ceiling. "I used to love Saturdays…"

* * *

Shane and Jane watched in amusement as Kelly ran through the house. The duo was seated on the couch, Jane holding Cameron as she fed him.

"You know," Shane began. "She originally didn't want to go to his funeral. Now she's running around for the perfect outfits."

"I'll have you know," Kelly replied marching into the living room. "That Spring Break is also coming and Mom figured that since we were going to be in Glendale for the funeral, we might as well enjoy ourselves."

"I know. I just don't know why I have to go." Jane gave Shane a small, yet painful, nudge with her elbow. "Hey! I don't!"

"Support your sister." Jane told him, gaining a quiet huff.

"One mother was enough…" Shane muttered before standing up. "Alright Kelly, here's the deal. I'll help you find the best outfits." Kelly smiled. "_But_, you're making dinner tonight."

"Deal!" says a gleeful Kelly. "Alright, now I'm-"

"Shane, did you forget your dad was bringing something home?" Jane questioned.

"I…" Shane paused and stared at his smiling sister. "You little loser…"

Kelly grabbed his hand. "A deal's a deal. Now, let's go!"

Jane laughed quietly before staring down at her son.

"Your older siblings are something else, eh Cam?" she asked her son quietly.

* * *

Liberty was happy to see her oldest two children present and was more impressed that Dustin had actually requested to see Toby. However, she was no idiot. She knew her son was up to something.

"Yeah?" Toby asked as he entered the kitchen of his and Liberty's small home.

"Hey Mr. Isaacs, I mean Toby," Dustin said, remembering the deal to call him by his first name at home. "Could you do me a small favor?"

"What's the favor?" Toby questioned.

"Well… I kind of lost a bet to this girl at my school and I promised her that I could get her to sit and listen to a Juvenile Grace session. I would've just gone to A.J and talked to Jayden, but he's busy with Bambi." Dustin stated. "I figured since you're like Dakota's uncle and Jacob's dad that you'd be able to get me in touch with them."

"Actually," Toby responded. "There isn't a Juvenile Grace." Dustin's jaw dropped. "They pulled the plug on it."

"Oh great…" Dustin said. "Leona's going to be pissed…"

"Leona?" mused Liberty.

"Just a girl from school. I lost to her in a bet." Zach made a small coughing sound that had Dustin glaring at his older brother. "Fair and square so I owe her one."

Liberty frowned. "Zach. Dustin. What's going on?"

"Nothing Mom." Dustin said.

"Dustin's right. I'm just a bit curious about their friendship." Zach began. "Leona plays a lot of sports, so I know her quite well. Plus her older sister is a friend of Bella's and her dad was the mentor of my youth group when I was younger."

Liberty looked between her sons. She knew that there was more to this story, but did not push. Dustin would just leave and avoid her which wouldn't do her any favors. Since Damian stayed with their younger three children, seeing Dustin and Zach periodically did more than its fair share of pleasing her.

"Maybe you can make a substitute." Toby told Dustin. "I can find out if Dakota has to work today or not. And if she's free, I'm sure she wouldn't mind letting your friend hear her play."

"You'd do that? That'd be great." Dustin said, a smile coming on Liberty's face. "Thanks Mr. Isaacs. I mean Toby."

"Let's just hope she isn't busy." Toby said as he left the room to retrieve his phone.

"So," Liberty said. "What do you two have planned today?"

"Bella's coming by tonight. I think she likes babysitting Dustin." Zach stated.

"I doubt that's it…" Dustin mumbled.

"And Angel's probably coming with her tonight. So I have to make sure that the place isn't a complete mess." Zach continued. "Dustin isn't the neatest person to live with."

Dustin did not respond mostly because he did not want his mother to interrogate him about his day. He was trying to impress Leona with a meeting with Dakota and it was failing fast. The last thing he wanted was Liberty either trying to help- which would be worse- or asking him questions about Leona.

"Dustin," Toby said reentering the room. "Good news. Dakota says she's free today."

Dustin let out a breath. Maybe he wouldn't fail after all?

* * *

Limping towards the door, Jayden silently grumbled about not having somewhere here to do this for him. His children were at Bianca's as they normally were on the weekends, giving him the day to rest. Or he would be resting if his sister's friends did not drag her out of here earlier for some "girl talk".

"Morning," Jayden said once the door was opened and he could see Scarlett. "You look angry."

"I'm not mad Jayden. I'm worried and frustrated. Three totally different things." Scarlett said entering the apartment.

Jayden sighed. "I'm guessing my actions yesterday are the cause of that."

"What if…" Scarlett stopped and turned to face him. "What if something had gone wrong? What if none of you made it out of there alive?"

"I'm assuming we wouldn't be having this conversation then." Jayden joked dryly.

"Jayden…" Scarlett nearly growled.

"Scarlett," Jayden said soothingly as he rested his back against the door. "Believe me when I say that I was more afraid than you can even imagine. But Chandra needed me. If someone were to take one or both of my twins, I'd expect the same support from my friends, if not more."

"But it wasn't about your twins. It was about your brother's ex." Scarlett stated. "I… I know that it's selfish and me just complaining isn't making you feel any better. But Jayden, I- No, _we_ almost lost you. And I know it'll probably affect you more than me, but I hardly slept with these thoughts. I can't lose you.

Jayden smiled. "Why are you worrying about all the things that didn't happen, Red? We should be celebrating that I'm alive and well."

"Why are you making me forget that I'm mad at you?" questioned a smiling Scarlett.

"Because I had this talk already with my parents. I think I know what you're going to say. And don't get me started on Laura and Danni. Hell, I think Maxi gave me a look when I got her ready for Bianca's earlier."

Jayden stepped towards Scarlett, doing his best not to show the slight pain in his leg.

"Scarlett, I am fine. So please don't worry." Scarlett nodded a bit, her eyes never leaving his. "Now, since you're here and I'm injured, how about you take care of me today?"

Scarlett sighed. "Fine, what do you need?"

"I'll get the remote, you get the chips from the cabin and soda from the fridge." Scarlett's smile returned as she realized what Jayden had planned. "Let's pray that something good is on."

"Alright." Scarlett said, moving to get the items. "So where's your sister?"

"Bella and Raven came to get her." Jayden answered as he flopped onto the couch, remote in hand. "It's kind of a bittersweet thing. I can't whine to her to do things for me now, but she's not here to annoy me either."

"I bet she told you to tell me not to stop by." Jayden snorted in response. "What?"

"Danni will do anything not to take care of me on a nice Saturday like today. Surprise she didn't call my grandparents." Jayden told her. Scarlett sat on the couch, snuggling against him while opening a bag of Doritos. "The drinks?"

"They weren't cold enough." Jayden only nodded. "So what's on?"

"Before that," Jayden said. "I want you to know that I am glad that you were worried about me."

Scarlett looked at the boy. "I always worry about you. Some days more than others, but I always know when you are thinking of doing something completely foolish."

"Is that why you're constantly nagging? Huh, and all this time I thought it was because you're just naturally obnoxious like Helen said." Scarlett rolled her eyes and playfully elbowed him, gaining a laugh. "Seriously Red, don't spend your days worrying about me. If I didn't make it out alive, be glad to know that Bambi would have. Because I was going to make sure that she was freed one way or another."

"Well," Scarlett said staring at him. "I would've made sure that you got out of there, whether you wanted me to or not."

"Is this the old daring Scarlett?" Jayden questioned.

"I don't know. You tell me."

Before Jayden could speak Scarlett locked her lips with his. By now, cheating on Laura was something in hindsight as bad as that sounded. Scarlett had a hold on him and probably will always have this grip. It wasn't healthy, he knew, but they practically craved each other's attention.

When the bag of chips fell onto the floor, Scarlett rolled them so she was on top. She wanted control to prevent him working her up and then backing out of it. And thanks to his injury, she had complete control over their activities.

"Red…" Jayden pleaded quietly.

"No." There was something about her defiance that made him smile as she kissed along his jaw line to his neck. She then sat up and glanced down at him. "You're mine."

It reminded him much of Laura yet somehow extremely different. His feelings for Laura were unwavering. He loved her more than anything. Yet Scarlett was a different story. Some days he wanted to hold her. Others he wanted to touch her. And there were a few days that he could barely talk to her. Some days his love outweighed the fire in his stomach and others the lust triumphed over the care that he had for her. Today, however, was somehow a mixture of both lust and love.

Scarlett removed Jayden's shirt, with his help of course, before removing her own. Jayden dared not look away as this was one of the few times he had seen this much cleavage from the blue-eyed beauty. Though his view was quite brief as she leaned forward and kissed him hungrily again.

"Scarlett," Jayden let out when she begins to kiss his neck. "We have to stop." He hears a small growl coming from her. "No, seriously, sit up."

Scarlett huffed. "Jayden, I'm in my freaking bra here. If that doesn't turn you on then-"

"Scarlett, believe me, I'm in great pain right now and it sure as hell isn't my leg." Jayden responded. "But if we do this, if we continue like this, then things will just get worse."

"Jayden McDuelle, I am thirty seconds away from raping you, one leg or none." Scarlett told him. "Why won't you just-"

"Because I love you too much to do that to you. To have sex with you and then go right back to Laura." Scarlett was actually surprised by his response, sitting on him with her mouth agape. "Scarlett, I've told you once before. Sex with you is clearly on my bucket list. Just like me being with you is on yours. But let's not do it like this. Let's do it right."

"How? Jayden, you're engaged. You have two beautiful children with a girl who you love more than anything. And worse, you're out here threatening to shorten your life!" Scarlett retorted. "If I'm going to be with you, physically or romantically, I can't waste a second thinking about Danni forgiving me or Laura being mad."

Jayden's hands slid up her arms. "Look at you Red. You're way too beautiful to have to even wait on me."

"But I want you." Scarlett said as she lowered her head to rest her forehead against his. "I want you so bad. I want to be your wife. The mother of your children. The one that you hate to love the most. Your everything. Maybe I am obsessed. Maybe I am crazy. But I'm crazy for you."

Despite the slightly obsessive statement, Jayden just closed his eyes.

"I know." he said quietly.

"Then please…" Scarlett whispered.

Laura would kill him. That's all he could think about. If Laura or Dakota or Danica walked through that door, Laura was surely going to kill him. And if his mother came in, oh he could see how this would go. She would kill them both.

But to hell with it.

Scarlett squealed when he rolled, putting her beneath him. Her shock was seen on her face as he looked down on her.

"How about we compromise?" Jayden said, a hand traveling down Scarlett's torso. "I'll force every sexual sound out of your body if you let my neighbors know just who it is to make you say those things."

"Jayden…" Scarlett's heart was now beating quickly now as he unbutton her pants.

"All you have to do is say stop." Jayden said before putting his lips near her ear. "And pray that I listen."

Scarlett took in a deep breath. When she was younger, she believed in love at first sight due to all the fairy tales Fiona once read to her. She believed that her Prince Charming would come to her one day and sweep her off of her feet. She would be treated like a queen. Instead, she got a boy who cheated on her and continued to play with her emotions. He was quite obnoxious at some times of the day and had a strange knack for knowing just what to say to get under her skin.

And yet…

"Jayden…" Scarlett moaned out as the pleasure registered in her brain.

And yet she still loved him.

* * *

Kelly thanked for the cup of apple juice Hakim as she sat at his kitchen table.

"So," Hakim said. "You're going to Arizona for Spring Break?"

"I don't want to, but I kind of have to." Kelly responded. "Shane thinks this will be some fun trip but…"

"But…?" Hakim egged on.

"I don't know. I don't know those people. What will I say?" Kelly replied. "The guy was my dad and I never met him. I don't even know what he looks like outside of a picture. I don't know his favorite foods or anything."

"Kelly, you have to go though. What about stopping your stepmom from ruining his house?" Hakim asked.

Kelly sighed. "Honestly, I don't really care. I have more important things like school, The Core, The Dot, Cameron, getting into college and you."

"I'm more important than your dad?" Hakim joked. Kelly smiled at him. "Seriously Kelly, you should go. It'll help you get closure like you have with your mom."

"He's dead Hakim. I can't have a talk with him like I did with Hilary." Kelly stated. "I can't show him how much I've grown."

Hakim placed his hand over Kelly's.

"I'm sure he knows." Hakim said.

Kelly's smile grows before she spots Anya coming into the kitchen.

"Oh…" Anya said.

"Um, Mom, this is Kelly. Kelly, my mom, Anya." Hakim introduced.

"I've heard a lot about you." Anya said as she neared the kitchen. "I'm sorry if I don't have much time to chat. I need to start on dinner." Anya paused. "Will you be staying?"

"Mom…" Hakim began.

"I'll have to call my dad." Kelly answered.

"That's fine." Anya says before looking at her son. "And why wouldn't you want your girlfriend to stay for dinner? It'll be nice to get to know her."

Kelly smiled as Hakim relented, muttering something under his breath so his mother could not hear him. He had stated time and time again that his mother practically ran how things went in his house with his father normally agreeing to whatever she said. It wasn't a bad thing, as said by Hakim.

Kelly then thought about her birth parents. Hilary did not seem to be a tough mom, twice as lenient as Emma is. She wondered if Diego was anything like Gavin? Sean perhaps? Maybe he would have been a dad like Maxwell? Would he get her to push herself or be okay with a C-average daughter?

"Are you okay? You're spacing out." Hakim said.

Kelly cleared her throat. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just… I have to step out for a second."

Hakim went to reply, but Kelly quickly sat her cup on the table and walked out.

"Is everything alright?" Anya asked.

Hakim sighed. "She just found out that her birth dad passed away."

"Oh…" Anya responded. "Well don't just sit there. Go comfort her."

"Sure thing Lieutenant MacPherson." Hakim joked as he rose.

"That's Captain Mom to you and move." Anya returned the joke.

Hakim left the kitchen and made his way towards the open front door. Stepping outside, he saw Kelly seated on the porch, staring up at the passing clouds.

"Kelly…" he began, unsure how to approach the subject.

"Did he hate me?" Kelly questioned. "Did they both hate me so much that they just abandoned me?"

"Your mom couldn't take care of you. She was on drugs." Hakim answered softly.

"Why?" Kelly asked quietly.

Hakim sat beside her. "I don't know. I wish I did though." Kelly looked at him. "I'd be able to answer your questions if I knew. And that would make me feel better."

"Why are you so perfect?" Kelly asks as she leans against him.

"I don't think I am." Hakim said as smiled a bit. "Did I mention that I was too afraid to ever ask you out?"

"Only a hundred times." Kelly said. "But I wouldn't object to hear it again if you ever get the need to tell me. It might just help me forget about what's going on."

Hakim sat quietly with a smile. He knew that it would not help her forget her upbringings but if he could smile for the moment, so be it. There was something about Kelly Mason that he could not quite understand that made her different than any of the other girls that he had encountered. And whatever it was, it made him want to help her no matter what. Though, with her independent attitude, it was kind of hard to do especially when she did not want it.

"Hakim," Kelly began. "Promise me that no matter what happens, you won't make me into one of those phony child celebrities."

"Like Jayden and Dakota?" he asked, unsure of what she meant.

"No. Not like them. Like the others. I don't want fame. I don't want fortune. I just want to be me, Kelly Mason." Kelly said.

Hakim put an arm around her. "Fine. To me, you'll just be a future award-winning journalist who works as a waitress. And my perfect girlfriend."

"That's fine by me." Kelly said as they shared a kiss.

* * *

Dustin had never been to Dakota's house before. He has never been escorted by butlers or guards either. Yet, here he was given this VIP treatment with an awestruck Leona by his side. The pair came to a rather large indoor studio where Dakota sat behind a set of drums, talking to Silas and Ellie.

"Oh my God…" Leona began. It was one thing to see her idol in person. It was another to see Dakota and two other famous musicians.

Dakota smiled. "Hey Leona. I heard that you won a bet to hear me play."

"Yeah… I…" Leona began before shaking her head. "Mr. Lowry. Mrs. Lowry. I'm a big fan of yours. Black Mist is awesome and-"

"Call me Silas." Silas interrupted with a grin. "And we've heard."

"Um, Dakota," Dustin began. "Thanks for this. Seriously."

Dakota shrugged. "It's not a problem. Besides, my mom and dad were going to play some songs with me today anyway. It would be nice to have someone here to hear it."

"Seriously? That'll be totally cool!" Leona exclaimed.

Ellie giggled. "Well then, we'd better get started then."

Leona nodded as the Lowry Family began setting up. She turned to Dustin and kissed him.

"Thank you so so so so so much!" Leona stated.

"Uh…" Dustin was at a lost of words as Leona hugged him tightly. He had screwed up his chances with Chandra, Jordan never cared for him, and Gabrielle will probably never forgive him for cheating on her. He had wanted to impress Leona to avoid any of those three scenarios and apparently has.

Now the only question was how to ask her out. And that was something better left for Aaron.

* * *

Scarlett sighed as she waited for her call to be answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey," Scarlett said.

"Scarlett?" DeWayne sounded absolutely surprised by the fact that she had called him. Then again, she was surprised that she was doing it. "Hey. What're you up to?"

"Oh, nothing. Just bored." Scarlett answered. "And you?"

"I…" DeWayne paused. He really did not want to say that he was following his sister around. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

"Are you free?" questioned Scarlett.

"Yeah," DeWayne responded. "Why? Jayden use you and leave you again?"

Scarlett eyed Jayden as he rummaged through his refrigerator.

"Is that so surprising?" she returned.

DeWayne sighed. "When will you learn that he doesn't love you Scarlett? He's only using you to temporarily replace Laura. And she in no shape or form is better than you. She should be your fill-in."

"I know, I know," Scarlett said. "Say, can we meet up somewhere? I might be running late because Helen has the car."

"I'll pick you up. I-"

"I'd prefer to drive myself." Scarlett interrupted. "Just let me know when you're free and where to meet you."

"My place in fifteen?" Scarlett grinned.

"Perfect. See you then." Scarlett said.

"Scarlett… I meant what I said. I do love you." DeWayne stated.

Scarlett inhaled sharply before speaking.

"I know DeWayne. See you soon." she hung up before looking up at Jayden who was pouring him a glass of Sprite. "He still loves me."

"Kind of hard not." Jayden replied.

"Do you?" Scarlett asked.

"You think I'd risk Laura, Danni, and my mom killing us if I felt anything less than that?" Scarlett smiled at his response. "But I can understand if you really do want to meet up with him. I am engaged."

"Can I ask you something?" Jayden nodded as he gulped down the drink. "What are we going to do when you get married? Do we just forget about all of this or continue to risk it."

Taking a large gulp sighed. "I don't know."

"Why don't you know Jayden? It's simple. Do you want me more or her?" Scarlett's question seemed to have slightly irritated him as his brows twitched.

"Well since you put it like that, let me think." Jayden replied. "Do I want the girl who I've been after since moving here? You know the one that ignored me over and over and eventually dated my best friend. That one. _Or_ do I want to be with the one that originally put me through hell when I moved down here and then turns around and shows me more love than my parents? Did I mention that she's the mother of my kids?"

"I get it. It's hard. But you can't have us both." Scarlett stated.

"Well, if rumors of Laura were true, I would." Scarlett's face scrunched up. "Unfortunately she isn't into girls. Which sucks for me."

"You're a pervert."

"And you're just now getting that. Shows how smart our school prez is." Scarlett found herself smiling at his words. "The harsh reality is, you've replaced me before. You've hated me and probably ripped up every picture you have of me. Laura and I have yet to break-up. I've dated her longer than any other girl before."

"To be fair, most of the time she's been in England doing God knows what." Scarlett said.

"Yes. That is very true." Jayden told her. "But giving her the benefit of the doubt, she's turned her life around for me Red. And a part of me wouldn't sleep right at night knowing it was all a waste of time."

Scarlett huffed. "You know how to ruin my parade, don't you?"

"After the services I just gave you, you should be happy for _months_." Scarlett's smile told him that he was about right. Sure, she had wished for them to have sex, but his way was just as good if not better. "Besides, I'm not trying to ruin your engagement."

"Something tells me that you might." Scarlett said.

"Something might be right." Jayden retaliates before a knock came on the door. "I hate visitors…" Limping his way to the front door, he opened it to reveal his younger brother and Chandra. "Well, if it isn't the happy couple. How the hell did your parents let you out the house?"

"She was complaining about being bored so her mom kicked her out." Aaron stated. "And Mama asked me to stop by to make sure you weren't overworking yourself."

"I'm doing no such thing. Overworking Scarlett, however, is a different subject. In fact-"

"Shut up! They don't need to hear that!" Scarlett interrupted, her face red with embarrassment.

"In fact we were just going to put on another movie." Jayden continued. "You two are welcome to stay. However, I will ask that you guys try to keep me off of my feet. As you can, Red has failed at that job."

Scarlett only buried her face in her hands. She was currently seated on the couch in a pair of Jayden's shorts and the shirt she had worn. Her panties were on, but her bra was somewhere in his room. And by somewhere, she means she has no idea which direction he threw it when he practically ripped it off of her body. If she had known that Jayden would have company in any shape or form, she would have redressed herself and had her normal perfect posture on the couch.

"So," Jayden said as the two younger teens entered the apartment. "How're you doing today Bambi? I honestly didn't expect to see you out and about for a few days."

Chandra smiled. "I'm doing okay. I took some pills and A.J helped me out earlier."

Jayden's eyes moved to Aaron's. His brother simply gave him a look that said "later" so Jayden dropped it. Both of the McDuelle brothers worried about Chandra's stress levels for different reasons and would do anything to keep her calm. So it did not surprise Jayden that Aaron had either completely solved the problem or at least solved it for now.

"So Spring Break is coming. Got any plans?" Chandra said suddenly.

"Uh, pretty sure I'll be stuck being a dad. Vacations are kind of scarce now." Jayden answered. "You? Are you thinking about taking a trip with Casanova over here?"

"No Jay, we're not going to go on any trips." Aaron mumbled.

"Well, to the beach." Chandra adds. "It's going to be our thing."

Jayden's brow rose. "And when you say 'our' and 'thing' you are referring to…?"

"A.J, Ashton, Brie, Dustin, and unfortunately Jordan." Chandra stated. "What did you mean?"

Jayden saw Aaron's eyes narrowed and held his hands up in a defensive manner.

"I was just asking. Sheesh." Aaron took in a deep breath. Five minutes into their visit and Jayden was already teasing him more than he wanted. Well at least Chandra-

"Did you think we'd be doing _that_?!" Chandra practically yelled.

Aaron sighed. At least she was back to her quick-thinking ways, he figured.

"I'm kidding." Jayden responded with a smile. "I just wanted to see you two relaxed. With all that's happened…" Jayden slowly stopped as he could hear the gun going off. His smile no longer there and his eyes went somewhere away from Aaron and Chandra before he snapped back into reality. "I just wanted to see you two relaxed due to what's happened. We all need a good laugh."

"Then a comedy it is!" Chandra cheered as she took Aaron's hand. "Maybe a romance comedy?'

Jayden sighed. "Fine Bambi. But nothing over the top."

"I know the perfect one." Scarlett pipes in.

As the four get comfortable on the couch, Aaron realizes that something is deeply wrong with his brother. Though Jayden was facing the TV, his eyes were nowhere near the flat-screen. And he seemed dazed. Intimidated maybe. Aaron kept quiet so that Chandra would not get worried, but he would talk to Jayden about it later. Even if he did know his brother would probably evade the conversation.

"Jayden," Scarlett said softly, bringing him out of his thoughts. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Aaron frowned slightly. Scarlett had caught on to his brother's abnormal behavior. But like always, Jayden just smiled and his inherited dimples seemed to dazzle Scarlett. And probably Chandra as well.

"I'm fine Red. Just thinking." Jayden replied. "So, what dreary chick-flick will you have us watching?"

Aaron noted that Scarlett's bedazzlement disappeared and her worried expression returned before she answered. She was sharp, he figured, though Laura would have gotten the problem out of Jayden one way or another. She always did. Unfortunately Laura was not here. Or rather, fortunately for Jayden and Scarlett, Laura was not here. Then Jayden really would be in a life-death situation.

* * *

Deanna's brows lifted as she stared at Stephanie.

"You want to come with us?" Stephanie nodded at Deanna's question. "Why? I thought you didn't trust Steven."

"Nate… He's mad at me and I don't know what to do. I just want to be around a friend and Angel is going out with her sister and her sister's boyfriend later on."

"Well I know how that feels…" Deanna commented. "Fine. You can come with us. Just let me call Steven and tell him before he gets here."

Stephanie nodded as she looked around the lounge known as the Break Room. She had never been here before, but obviously Deanna has. The normally posh and rude girl did not seem at all out of place here.

"Do you think he'll stay mad at me?" Stephanie asked.

"No." Deanna was busy into her text but obviously heard Stephanie. "Nate's kind of like the imperfect Shane." Stephanie let out a small grunt. "But despite his flaws and such, he has it in him to forgive you. Of course, he yells and shouts and whines in-between."

"Have you even talked to Shane since that night?" Stephanie returns.

Now Deanna looks up at her friend. "No. And let's keep it that way."

"Why?" Stephanie asked.

"Because," Deanna began. "I made a fool out of myself Stephanie. _I_ made a fool out of _me_. Do you see the problem there?"

"You normally make everyone else look stupid and now it's backfired against you? So what?" Deanna scoffs at the remark.

"So what? Now, not only am I a bitchy ex-girlfriend, I'm a drunk bitchy ex-girlfriend who manipulated his sister to get what I wanted." Deanna said. "I can't even stare at a picture of him in the face."

"You have…?" Stephanie stopped herself from asking such a thing before moving on. "He probably misses you like crazy Dee. You should at least text him."

"It's not just him Steph. What do I say to Kelly?" responds Deanna. "She was my best friend. I mean, there was a time that I didn't even care about working to get Shane. So long as Kelly was there and we did the little things that she did. They were new to me. And I miss her like hell."

Stephanie's lips thinned. She was not jealous of Deanna's obvious choice of placing Kelly as a best friend over her, but she now realized that Deanna's problem was larger than just getting Shane to accept Deanna's faults. Kelly had to accept Deanna's apologies as well.

"Maybe we can have a sleepover?" Stephanie suggested.

"Yes, and she can paint bitch on my nails." Deanna responded. Seeing Stephanie flinch at her sharp tone, Deanna sighed. "Steph, thanks for the suggestion, but I really want to just forget about it. Nicky's probably moving back in with them anyway."

"You can't give up Deanna." Stephanie said. "Who will I look up to when my life sucks?"

Deanna smiled. "I guess you'll just have to find another role model. Though replacing me is near impossible."

"Which," Stephanie began. "Is why I know Kelly or Shane hasn't replaced you yet." Deanna felt a bit dumb for setting herself up like that. "So just talk to them."

"Fine." Deanna said before spotting Steven entering the Break Room. "But after the party, okay?"

"Okay." Stephanie said. "Just don't forget."

"I won't…"

Deanna knew she was lying. She had no intentions of facing Kelly's wrath. Unlike her friendship with Mercedes, Deanna was completely open with Kelly. There were secrets that Kelly knew that no one else did and vice versa. Deanna felt horrible to think that she ever considered using Kelly in the first place. But what was done was done. She could not go back in time and stop herself from doing such a terrible thing. Especially if it ended up costing her Shane and Kelly. It wasn't worth it.

"Hey," Steven said approaching the girls. "There's some heavy traffic so we might want to leave now. Are you two cool with that?"

"Anything to forget." Deanna responds. "Come on Stephanie."

Stephanie nods as she rises with her friend. She did not trust Steven since he came to Lakehurst but had to supervise Deanna somehow. Or at least she would until her demons started to conquer her.

* * *

Dropping Leona off at her house was probably the easiest thing Dustin had done all day. He had probably experienced the greatest family concert in the world and no one was there but him and Leona. Unfortunately, he had found out that Jayden's tale was not false and Dakota could do what Jayden had said. Therefore, Dustin lost a dollar to Leona for betting. But now they were seconds away from parting ways for the day.

"I had a great time." Leona said. "Thank you for everything."

"It was no problem. Besides, I owed you, right?" Dustin replied.

Leona smiled. "We both know that I cheated."

"I should've called foul then." Dustin said. "Um, see you around?"

"I…" Leona began. "I was wondering if you wanted to go out. Tomorrow maybe?"

"Like a date?" Leona nods. "Um, s-sure. I mean, yeah. Yeah, I'd like that."

"Me too." states a smiling Leona. "I think your brother is waiting on you."

"Oh yeah! Yeah, um, thanks. And I'll call." Dustin said.

Leona giggled. "You'll need my number for that." Dustin slapped his forehead at the fact. "But I'll give it to you. You know, so you can call."

Dustin felt so embarrassed yet excited at the same time as he pulled his cell phone out. He handed it to Leona as his fingers were probably too sweaty for him to be messing with his touch-screen. Leona began to smile as her fingers moved swiftly, a giggle escaping her here and there. Dustin would have asked what was so funny, but he didn't care. He would have her number.

"Here you go." Leona said handing Dustin his phone. "Call me later and we can see when's a good time to meet tomorrow."

"Sure." Dustin said. "Um, see you tomorrow."

"Cool." Leona stated.

Dustin took two steps back before turning and walking towards Zach's car. Getting into the passenger seat, Dustin looked at his brother's grinning face.

"Well?" Zach said.

"I just got her number." Dustin answered.

"Just her number? Did you expect-"

"And a date tomorrow so if you don't mind…" Dustin continued.

Zach grinned. "Driving you around? No problem."

"Thanks." Dustin said before sighing. "Is it okay that I'm nervous?"

"Perfectly fine. Though you might want to double lace on deodorant tomorrow. Sweaty pits aren't attractive to the female kind." Zach pointed out.

"Sweaty pits, bad. Got it." Dustin said as Zach drove off. "I just hope I don't do anything that'll make her not like me."

"From what I see," Zach responded. "Just being yourself is working."

"You think?" Dustin asked hopefully.

Zach smiled. "Yeah. Just remember that there is nothing wrong with who you are Dustin."

Dustin only grinned. Last year, he was so caught up in making a name for himself at Degrassi that he not only lost his two best friends but made a bad name for himself. Mary-Jane and James never cared for him. Damon used him. And he hardly hung out with Marc once Marc began dating Amber. So all in all, Dustin had tarnished his name for nothing. He ended up without Chandra. Without Gabrielle. And without Jordan.

But now he would change that. He would make friends at Bardell; real friends. And he would not wait to talk to Leona like he did Chandra and Jordan. He would show her Dustin Hayes and pray that she likes him. Or else, once more, it would be all for nothing.

* * *

Scarlett stood in front of her house with Jayden standing in front of her. Despite Manny chastising her son for even being on his feet, Jayden had chosen to drive Chandra, Scarlett, and Aaron home. His boredom got the best of him sometimes.

"So…" Scarlett said. "Same time tomorrow?"

"I guess so." Jayden replied.

"You think I can have my bra back by then?" Jayden's smile caused Scarlett to blush. His dimples always seemed deepest when he was trying his best not to laugh.

"I'll think about it. Though I must say that you look good without it." Jayden said, still smiling. "Maybe I'll give you my bra as a keepsake."

Scarlett rolled her eyes playfully. "Whatever J.T. Just don't sniff it like some perv."

"I don't have to. I already know what you smell like… What you look like…" Scarlett found her face warming up as he continued. "What you feel like… What you sound like… And most recently," Jayden's eyes connected with hers completely. "What you taste like."

"Enough! I don't want-"

"Well, well, well," Helen interrupted as she opened the front door to her and Scarlett's house. "What did my little ears pick up?"

"Nothing you haven't tried before." Jayden responded nonchalantly.

"We did no such thing!" Helen snapped back, though Jayden and Scarlett were too busy laughing at her flustered facial expression to care. "Laugh it up you two. Freaking annoying neighbor. Why don't you go home?"

"It's good to see you too Helen." Jayden chuckled. "How was your day, by the way?"

"I slept, talked to Braxton, slept some more, found out Jackie was a stripper, and finally slept again." Helen answered.

"Ah. So you had a pretty much perfect day." Helen shrugged a bit. "Well, as for me, your cousin nagged and nagged and nagged and nagged some more."

"Tell me about it." Helen responded. "Last night was 'what if he died' and 'what if I never saw him again' over and over. I almost shot myself in the frickin' ears so if I lived, I wouldn't have to hear her." Helen paused. "You think Bambi has any more sleeping pills? I could drug Scar's drink or something."

"Good idea." Scarlett scoffed at Jayden's remark.

"I am right here." Scarlett said.

"I know." says Jayden. "But I have to get back home. Well actually, I have to meet up with Ari and then head home."

"The freaky girl from Lakehurst? What's her deal by the way?" Helen asked.

"One, she's as normal as… Well everyone is more normal than you are Angry Smurf." Helen's eyes narrowed dangerously. "And two, she has to deal with bullies every other day. So I help. Or I do what I can to help. Sometimes I think she just ignores me."

"Who could ignore you?" Helen asked sarcastically.

"I know right? I mean, your cousin can't keep her hands off of me!" Scarlett swatted Jayden. "See what I mean?"

Helen smiled. "Too bad Laura and Scar into the ménage á trois thing, huh?"

"I'm going inside." Scarlett finally said. "Call me later J.T."

Helen frowned as Scarlett stepped by her and into the house, almost slamming the door.

"What's wrong with her?" Helen asked.

"I kind of said the same thing earlier and it got to her." Jayden answered. "Don't worry though. I'm sure it's nothing." Helen eyed him. "Okay, so I _know_ it's _something_ but nothing at her normal over-the-top level."

"But when you get married to Laura-"

"Let's cross that bridge when we get there." Jayden interrupted.

"Is there a bridge to cross?" Helen remarked. "I think it's kind of cut and dry. You love Laura more than Scarlett. You want her more than you do Scar." Helen paused. "Or has that changed."

"It's never changed." Jayden told her. "But you know how I feel about Red. And it hurts to know… I don't know. Sometimes I think dating you was easy."

Helen's brows rose. "And dating Laura is hard because…?"

"She's perfect." Helen frowned. "No, listen. When we were together, we weren't looking for the other one to be perfect. You liked me for my annoying flaws and I liked your violent ways. But now Laura cooks. I mean she freaking makes the greatest French toast in the world. And when I don't want to talk about what's bothering me, she pretty much gives me this look and says exactly what it is that's bothering me."

"I think that's love." Helen pointed out. "I'm not seeing what the problem is."

"I guess," Jayden began. "The problem is that I've always wanted Scarlett to be able to do that."

"Can't she?"

"No…" Jayden said before sighing. "I'm going to go now. I have a lot to do and my leg is starting to hurt."

"Alright." Helen said. "Jayden, I want you to know something, okay?" Jayden nodded. "If it doesn't work with Laura, and I know that's a big if, but if it doesn't. Come back to Scarlett. Even if she'll never understand you or if she never learns how to make boiling water right, just go back to her, okay? I honestly think she leaves this house just to see you alive and well everyday."

"Creepy, isn't it?" Jayden joked lightly with a smile.

"Yes. Yes it is." stated his ex. "But she loves you more than you know. And I'm not saying this because I'm her cousin and would rather see her happy than Laura. I'm saying this as your friend. There isn't another girl in this world that could put up with you better."

Jayden's lips thinned. "Would you have been okay with me raising kids not my own?" Helen swallowed hard. Trufhfully, she would have. But Scarlett would not. "I'm going to go then."

Helen had no remark for him and let him limp to his car in his parents' driveway. Turning around, she walked into her home to see Scarlett staring at the ground.

"Scar…" Helen began.

"He'll never forgive me, will he?" Helen did not answer. "I knew it."

"Scarlett." Helen calls, but Scarlett was already heading up the steps. Helen sighed before chasing after her cousin. "Scarlett listen for a second."

"Why?!" Scarlett nearly cries in the hall. "I screwed up so bad Helen. And all of this! All of his smiles and such is just to cover up how badly he hates me for being so stupid and selfish."

"He loves you Scarlett. That's why it hurts him so bad. He can't even imagine you doing something like that. And you already did it." Helen answers. "So just calm down and sleep on it, okay? I'm sure it's the last thing on his mind."

"Then why'd he just bring it up?" Once more, Helen is rendered speechless as Scarlett enters her bedroom and closes the door behind her.

"Why do I have to be the messenger?" Helen muttered to herself as she walked towards her room.

* * *

Deanna realized that dropping Stephanie off at home was a terrible idea. Someway, somehow, the girl got her hands on some colorful pills and had not been the same since then. Drunk or not, Deanna still had the common sense to stop her friend from getting in trouble. So instead, she had Steven help her drag Stephanie up into her room where the giggling girl sprawled out in Deanna's bed rambling about colors and how she imagined sex with Nathan would be like.

"Thanks." Deanna said, her buzz from the drinks not completely faded either.

"No problem." Steven said as Deanna leaned against her door, he standing a few inches in front of her in the hall. "So… Till next time?"

"I guess so." Deanna answered.

Steven smiled before leaning in to kiss Deanna. She did not pull away though she did not kiss back. She just stood there as his lips pecked against hers repeatedly. Her body first reacted, causing her to kiss back. But once her brain registered an unfamiliar hand on her hips, she pushed away.

"No." Deanna told him. Steven kissed her jaw. "No!" Deanna pushed Steven away from her. "Not like this. Not tonight."

"Another night then?" Steven asked.

"Just… Just go." Deanna stated. "You know your way out, right?" Steven nods. "Good. Night."

Deanna slips into her room, closing and locking her door behind her. Steven sighs heavily before heading for the stairs where DeWayne stood.

"So you like my sister, huh?" DeWayne said. "Well, what if I told you that I can make that happen?"

"For what?" Steven questioned.

"For free." answers DeWayne. Steven frowned. "What? Don't believe me."

"I don't believe anything you say." Steven pointed out.

"Well," DeWayne said. "When she's practically calling you nightly, you know who to thank."

Steven just nodded skeptically as he walked down the stairs.

DeWayne smirked as he looked at his cell phone. Somehow, he felt that Jayden was behind Scarlett standing him up today. So what better way to get revenge on Jayden than taking it out on his best friend? Plus, with Shane free, Nicole gets him and DeWayne would have lived up to his end of the promise.

Yeah, revenge never felt so good.

* * *

Kelly sat on her bed, looking at her laptop when Gavin entered.

"Hey," Gavin said to her. "What are you up to?"

"Just looking up my dad. My birth dad." Kelly answered. "I guess since I'll never know him, I'll have to Google him to learn him."

Gavin nodded. "I understand." The man then turned to leave. "I'm proud of you, you know? I know if my dad was some rich artist, I'd want it all. But you stay true to yourself, no matter the fame or fortune."

"But… What do I do when the paparazzi are outside our house every morning?" Kelly questioned.

"That's not my forte. What I can say is that my little girl has become such an amazing young woman. I'm going to hate it when you get married and are no longer able to help around here." Her dad jokes.

Kelly laughs. "Dad! You know I'd never leave you and Jane. That's why I haven't stayed at Mom's since…" Kelly thinks for a moment. "Since about when Nicky moved in."

"I wouldn't have it any way." Gavin stated. "Your brother on the other hand…"

"Hey. We're a package deal. You know that." Kelly informed him.

Gavin only laughs as he leaves, Kelly sitting with a smile on her face. She then turns her attention to her computer screen. She was currently looking at an interview Diego did that people called him crazy for. Then again, from what she read about him, Diego marched to his own beat, much like she did.

"_So is it true that you're actually dating Bryan Simms?"_ Kelly's eyes widened. Her father was homosexual?

Diego only laughs. _"I'm not gay. Sometimes I wish I were though. Women wouldn't distract me as much!"_ Kelly smiled. _"No, but I am a friend of his. I don't think it's wrong for a heterosexual and homosexual to be friends, man or woman."_

_ "Now,"_ the off-screen interviewer questioned. _"What would you say is your greatest creation of date?"_

_"That's a trick question. You see, my greatest creation isn't done yet. She's growing."_

_"She?"_

_"Yes. She. I've always envisioned her. But I've never been able to draw her correctly. She's too perfect."_ Diego paused. _"And only when she dies will my greatest creation be completed. Because by that time, no one will be able to recreate her. Reshape her. Rename her. None of that. She would be completed and there will be a lot of copies, but only one her."_

_ "So this 'she' that you're talking about. It's your greatest creation. So it's a painting right?"_

_ "First, it's a she. I know she is."_ Kelly blinked. Was he talking about her? The date of the interview was set three years after she was born, so maybe he knew. _"And she is perfection. She is a masterpiece. She is far greater than anything I have painted before. In fact, at this moment, I can't. She's just too perfect."_

_ "But if 'she' is just a figment of your imagination, then why can't you at least sketch it?" _The interviewer wondered. _"Isn't that where all of your ideas come from? That boundless imagination of yours?"_

Diego sits up with a stern expression.

_"Only God has the ability to paint and sculpt this creation of mine greater than I have."_

_ "So you've already made this creation? How is that possible? You said that it isn't completed and yet you've already made it."_

_ "I said that 'it' is a she. And I have started her. I have not finished her. She hasn't finished herself."_

_ "So she can fix herself? Is it some sort of robot or something?"_ Diego did not look amused at the interviewer's joke and removed his nearly invisible glasses.

_"The problem with people like you," _Diego began. _"Is that you don't know the true beauty of the world. Greatness cannot be replicated. The Mona Lisa, for example, cannot be replicated. Many have tried. Many have done it to the point that people like you can't see it. But I can. I know the difference between a painting and a creation of perfection."_

_ "So you think the replicas-"_

_ "Are not Mona Lisa. It isn't __her__." _Diego said. _"Much like my greatest creation… Wherever she is. However she has become. She is perfect. Too perfect for me to draw. I've tried time and time again, but when I see her. When I envision her. She changes. And, God, she's just beautiful."_

_ "So this 'creation' of yours is beautiful and changes? Like growing?"_ The interviewer stated. _"Is she a child? But you don't have any children."_

Diego's lips thinned. _"I dream of her. So therefore she must be real."_

The other man snorted. _"Like kangaroos in space?"_

_"Knowledge is limited by the brain's capability to understand. Imagination is what goes beyond those limits." _Diego spoke. _"Therefore, knowledge can only answer how to cure a common cold. Imagination will cure cancer. Knowledge can only name stars. Imagination makes them. Do you see what I'm doing here?"_

_ "No."_

_ "You never knew Mona Lisa. Therefore, you know her only as a painting. A lifeless boring painting." _Diego stated. _"I imagine she was somewhat a lovely woman. Caring. Probably a bit headstrong as all woman can be. That is why when I see her smile, I know when it's the real one or the fake one. Because I've answered what you cannot. I've imagined what you don't know." _Diego paused. _"Are there life forms on other planets? We don't know. We make movies to try to answer these questions, but scientists continue to tell us how farfetched our answers are. I don't believe them."_

_ "Why is that?" _

_ "Because they don't know. How can you tell me I'm wrong when you yourself aren't right? Are we all wrong? We can't all be right, right?" _Diego rambles before smiling. _"And that's where my creation comes from. This completely perfect being. She is nothing of this world. My perfect little alien."_

_ "Now she's an alien?"_

_ "Yes. Because no one has an answer to her perfection. Therefore, she either must not exist or only exist in the dreams of those lucky to meet her."_ Diego answered. _"Her knowledge far exceeds yours because she has the imagination to go farther. To alienate herself from the norm. To relieve herself from this forsaken pattern that you guys have settled in. She doesn't settle. She exceeds. She far exceed anything. Any painting I've painted. Any sculpture I've sculpted."_

_ "And this 'alien' lives in your dreams? Correct?"_

Diego finally smiles. _"No. I imagine that she lives somewhere close by. Somewhere right under my nose. And when you see her. When I've gotten the picture I need to draw. You will see my greatest creation. Something that no one, nowhere, could ever come close in duplicating."_

Kelly paused the video and smiled. He did know about her. Or at least, he believed she existed. And he called her his greatest creation. He called her perfect. And he even predicted that she would be different from others. Now she had to go to his funeral. Kelly may not have known about him, but he knew about her. And he wanted to see her.

Kelly thought for a moment. Maybe she could do an article about him for The Core? It was the least she could do, right? Then Kelly could show the world her wonderful family. Her great mothers and fathers, her Irish heritage, her future restaurant empire, her multiple siblings, a life-long butler, and her godmother's family.

Yeah, she thought, that would be her greatest creation of date.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Due to my work hours being shifted, updating will be a little rough. However, I do have some other news. During one of the next four episodes, you will all find out the answer to the most important question ever: Who dies? It can range anywhere from Manny, Emma, Eli, or any of the adults down to Jayden, Amber, Ashton and the kids. Can you guess who? In other news, Season 6 will be the final season. Right now I'm thinking that it will start sometime next year, but that isn't final. Meantime, I'm working on the webisodes to entertain and explain some things. Plus, everyone (the main Season 1 cast) needs a MiTunes. Anyway, I will try to finish Season 5 before the end of the month. Until then, I hope you've enjoyed the story so far and I'll post as soon as possible. Au revoir.


	150. S5 Episode XVI: Whatever Happens PtI

**Author's Note: **So sorry for the delay. Again, with the way my schedule is forever changing, I'm not having a lot of time to update. But I promise that Season Five will be finished by Thanksgiving. Here is the first of the last four episodes of Season Five. Enjoy.

* * *

**Episode XVI: Whatever Happens Pt. I**

"Laura!" Jayden rolled his eyes as his sisters magically beat him to his girlfriend. Laura only giggled and hugged them though as Jenée and Renée had become such a major part of her life.

Finally, though, Jayden got to put his arms around his fiancée.

"Hello Beautiful." Jayden said before kissing her.

"Do you two have to do that every time you see each other?" Danica asked. "Seriously, isn't this how it all started? A kiss at a club?"

"Don't listen to her Laura," Jayden said taking Laura's bags. "Danni's just single."

"Laura will be too if you keep talking." Danica stated before eying Laura. "And where the heck is my hug?"

Laura rolls her eyes. "Gee Mari, if you wanted a hug all you had to do was asked." Laura then hugs Danica who reciprocates. "And you were right. Guys in Italy are nowhere near as annoying as French guys."

"Hey, hey," Jayden stated. "Why would you know that?"

"Because I've talked to guys in France and Italy. Duh Dimples." Laura retorts. "Not like I dated them or anything. Just talked to see if Danni was right."

"When aren't I?" Danica says. "But, alright you kids, let's get home. Spring Break is only beginning."

"Right." Jayden said. "Which only means one thing."

"What?" Renée asked.

"Beach party in Wasaga!" Jayden said with a smile.

"I think you just want to see girls in bikinis." Laura comments.

"Well maybe I'll see if Italian girls look better than French girls." Laura's eyes narrow as Jayden grins. Then she relents and smile.

"Good. You can stare and stare and stare," Laura said. "And when you want to touch someone, I'll let you imagine it's one of them while touching yourself."

"So not fair." Jayden said walking towards the exit.

"Yes it is." Laura said following him with his sisters. "Besides, you have to take me to my mom's and Dash's so I doubt we'll have any touchy moments." Laura then pauses. "And we have to talk about you-know-what."

Jayden frowns. "And that would be?"

"You playing Superman." Laura said. "I don't want the twins to hear me though. Your sisters or your kids."

Jayden only nods, knowing it was coming. Scarlett was worried about him. Laura was terrified. Laura had sent him message after message. One crying. One yelling. An angry text. An apology text. A thankful message. Another angry text and so on. No one was safe from Laura's rants. She blamed Chandra and then apologized. She blamed Aaron and then apologized. Heck, Danica and Tevin were thrown under the bus, only for Laura to take it back. She was seriously an emotional wreck and Jayden knew that it was about to all come out as soon as they were alone.

Great way to start Spring Break, right?

"Laura, will you stay with us?" Renée asks.

"Yeah! We can play all night long!" Jenée adds cheerfully.

"I'm sorry you two, but I have to watch the twins." Laura said. "But I can stay at your house so when they are sleeping, I can play."

"Yes!" the two girls cheered happily.

Laura only smiled. "It's good to be home."

* * *

Kelly took in a deep breath as she was led into the rather large house. When she first came to Degrassi, she had gained the unwanted attention from Nathan. Somehow, the paparazzi outside made Nathan's obsession of her seem like nothing. Heck, Kelly would _date_ Nathan if it caused them from asking her so many questions.

"Oh my God," Kelly, Emma, and Shane saw an elder woman with white hair near them. "You… You are."

"Mrs. Harper," Mr. Whitsett said as he descended the spiral stairs. "Let me introduce to you Kelly Mason, Diego's daughter." Kelly waved. "Her mother, Mrs. Emma Cameron and her brother, Shane Mason."

"My God…" Mrs. Harper stated breathlessly.

"Kelly, allow me to introduce to you Mr. Harper's mother, Lola Harper." Emma's eyes widened about.

"She was going to name you after your grandmother?" Emma questioned. Kelly frowned before remembering what her mother, Hilary, had told Kelly what she was going to name Kelly.

"Wow…" Kelly said before the woman hugged her tightly. "Um…"

"My darling child," Mrs. Harper cried. "You are a godsend, do you know that? We have searched for you for years. And he knew. He knew that you were out there and we didn't believe him."

"I know." Kelly said quietly before a woman entered. "Um, hello. I'm-"

"I know who you are." The brunette snapped. Kelly frowned. "You're Diego's bastard child, correct?"

"Ericka!" Mrs. Harper shouted.

The woman who looked to be in her late twenties only shrugged.

"Whatever," Ericka began. "I just want to tell you something, Kelly. Your so called family only cares about you for one thing. To keep Diego's fortune. They know that you can't touch it until you're eighteen. Until then, they'll spend it on everything that they want."

Kelly looked up at Mr. Whitsett who shook his head. That was enough for her. She trusted him more than anyone else in the room outside of Emma and Shane.

"This way," Mr. Whitsett said. "I will show you to your rooms."

"Uh, what about our bags?" Shane asked.

"They'll bring them in." Mr. Whitsett said. "This way."

Kelly led her mother and brother up the steps, getting a nice view of the pool in the backyard as she ascended. She would love to enjoy said pool, but of course she had to deal with other things.

"Mrs. Cameron, your and Shane's rooms are here." Mr. Whitsett said pointing to two bedroom doors next to one another. "Kelly, follow me this way."

"Uh, we'll be here waiting I guess." Emma said as Mr. Whitsett led Kelly down the hall.

Kelly noted that Diego had several pictures on the walls. Some of things she saw were clearly obvious like a portrait of who she just found out was her grandmother and who she assumed was her grandfather. Others had her thinking.

Finally Mr. Whitsett stopped at a closed door.

"To this day, I've been in this room three times," Mr. Whitsett began. "Once when he bought the house. Once when he designed the room. And finally when he finished his painting." Mr. Whitsett opened the door to reveal, what Kelly believed to be, the perfect bedroom. "This is the room he set aside for you."

Kelly stepped inside. Though she was not big on stuffed animals, everything else was perfect. The light blue walls and the greatest bay window that oversaw the backyard. Her bed was near the center of the room, directly beneath a skylight that showed the blue Arizona sky. And a flat-screen TV was on the wall near her closet which was probably the same size as the TV in Dakota's bedroom.

"Wow…" Kelly said. "He did this for me?"

Mr. Whitsett nodded. "Diego's obsession of doing a daughter's bedroom always confused me. Though, I never openly questioned him about it."

Kelly walked towards the window and looked out into the large backyard.

"Hey, Mr. Whitsett-"

"Please call me Nigel." Kelly smiled at the old man.

"Uncle Nigel," Mr. Whitsett grinned at her new nickname for him. "What're those two buildings in the backyard?"

"One is a pool house. It houses a bathroom, two bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, and bar." Kelly's eyes widened. "The building next to it was Diego's private garden."

"An indoor garden? Like a greenhouse?" Kelly asked.

"Exactly." Mr. Whitsett said. "It was there that he got most of his ideas from. And I can't tell you how many times I have found him sleeping out there."

"Does it have a bedroom or something?"

"I can show you, if you like." Mr. Whitsett answered. "Would you like to see the grounds?"

"Yes." Kelly said. "But only if my brother comes with me. Shane gets excited about adventures too."

Mr. Whitsett gave a court nod. "It is possible. As I said, until you have accepted or denied your inheritance, this is still your father's house. You have more say on who travels the grounds than I do."

Kelly only smiled. The weeks leading up to Spring Break had been pretty hectic. Mr. Whitsett occasionally would try to sway her in accepting the house, going as far as saying that she did not have to _live_ there, just own the house. And after her run-in with Ericka, Kelly could not blame him.

"Kelly," Kelly snapped out of her thoughts. "Shall we get going?"

"Right. Sure." Kelly said.

* * *

Nicole nearly ran towards the ravine where she was to meet Jacquelyn. When Helen had so kindly put it that Jacquelyn was a stripper, Nicole did not want to believe it. But of course Nicole's anxiety got the better of her and now she just had to know.

"Watch it," Deanna snapped when Nicole almost runs over her.

"Get over it." Nicole muttered as she ran towards the area where Jacquelyn and Damon were. "Jackie! Jackie we need to talk!"

Jacquelyn's eyes widened a bit. If Nicole was about to blurt out what she thought Nicole was, then today was about to become a nightmare.

"Jackie, Helen said-"

"Still following my cousin?" However, Torrie seemed to choose that perfect moment to interrupt, nearing the trio with a small. "Wow Nicky, I never thought that you were that pathetic. Well… I knew you were pathetic but not _that_ pathetic."

"What do you want?" Nicole practically seethed.

"I can't visit my friend?" Torrie responded. "And why are you so mad at me? I thought we were friends Nicky?"

"That was before you slept with my boyfriend." Nicole argued.

Torrie shrugged. "I did it. Deanna's done it. Get over it."

"You're such a bitch Torrie Stone." Nicole stated.

"Been called that before too. Gee, could you get more original?" Torrie returned before eying Jacquelyn. "I came to give you what I owe. You did pay for me and I said I would pay you back." Damon and Nicole were shocked at the rolled up bills Torrie pulled out of her pocket. "Thanks, by the way."

"You're welcome." Jacquelyn said taking the money. She knew that Damon would not question how she got that money since Torrie said that it was owed. Nicole, however, would not let it go so easily.

"So," Torrie said. "I was thinking we could hang out tonight. What do you say?"

"Um, I think I have a job interview." Torrie's eyes flashed for a moment as she smiled.

"Really? That's great." Torrie stated before nudging Damon. "You're supposed to be happy for your girlfriend dumbass."

"I am happy. Just a bit down that I won't get time with her." Damon responded.

"What job?" Nicole's question caused Jacquelyn and Torrie to stare at the blonde. "What?"

"I'll tell you later. Now I have to get ready." Jacquelyn quickly said before giving Damon a quick kiss. "I'll call you later, okay?"

"Okay." Damon replied as Jacquelyn excused herself and left.

Nicole frowned. "What is going on?"

"Don't hurt that brain of yours Einstein." Torrie remarked. "Wouldn't want you to catch a migraine or something."

Nicole sneered as Torrie waltzed away. She then looked at Damon who was checking his phone.

"Something's up." Nicole stated.

"You think?" Damon sarcastically returned. "Even I'm not that dumb Nicky." Nicole scoffed. "Don't worry about it. Jackie will tell us whatever it is soon enough."

"But it's Torrie. You can't trust her." Damon shrugged.

"She's been like that since I've met her. So I don't see anything wrong with that." Damon said. "Just let it go. Seriously."

Nicole stood slightly angered as Damon walked away. Torrie was up to something and dragging Jacquelyn down with her. Nicole had to find out what it was and stop it before something terrible happened.

It was time to call Helen.

* * *

Laura took in a deep breath, calming herself. Jayden could only stare at her tear stained face as she stopped her body from trembling. The last time he had seen her cry was when Jason died and only two times before then. So seeing Laura cry was a big deal to him.

Even if she did throw the book at him, take it back, and then throw it again.

"Laura…" He really had no idea how to tackle this one. They were alone in his apartment, yet he was sure the neighbors heard her shouting.

"Jayden," Laura's voice still shook a little. "I lost my son seven months ago. Seven fucking months ago I lost my baby. _Our_ baby. Do you know how hard it is imagining that I could lose you too? I just… I know you did what you did for Bambi and I'm glad nothing bad came out of it. But I can't lose you. I just can't."

Jayden swallowed quietly. This was starting to sound like Scarlett all over again.

"Laura, I'm sorry." Jayden began as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "I know what I did was stupid and next time I'll think about everyone and everything before acting."

Laura removed Jayden's hands and took them into hers, his fingers rubbing the ring on her finger.

"Without you," Laura spoke softly. "I wouldn't know what a family is like or what Christmas is or any of that. Hell, I still don't know if I'm being a great girlfriend or not."

"You are." Jayden quickly interjected.

"I just…" Laura paused. "A part of me is even mad that you would drag A.J there. I mean- God, am I that screwed up?"

"No," Jayden chuckled. "You just love my baby brother, which is alright by me. I love him too."

"Then don't put yourselves in that position. Call the cops and lead them there." replies Laura. "Just don't put your life on the line like that again. Promise me."

"I promise Laura." Jayden spotted a smile come on her face. "And I'm really sorry Beautiful. I didn't mean to make you cry like this."

"Asshole!" Jayden hissed a bit when her fist connected with his shoulder. Seeing his pain, Laura gasps. "Sorry! So sorry!"

Jayden laughed. "It's fine. Really. Besides, I'm sure I deserve it." Laura's worried expression did not leave her. "Come on, where's my kick-ass girlfriend at? I'm fine. You're more than fine. We should be out with the kids, teaching them how to skip class without being caught or how to subtly flip someone the bird."

"No," Laura said firmly. "We will _not_ be teaching them that."

"Right, right," Jayden countered. "With you as their mother, it should come naturally." Laura's eyes narrowed. "Let's be honest, your mom is the true master of those things."

"My mom better learn not to do that stuff around my kids or else." Laura pointed out.

Jayden raised a brow. "You think you can take Bianca? This I have to see."

Laura's hand grasped Jayden's collar and pulled him towards her.

"I could still kick your ass McDuelle. So watch yourself." Jayden blinked. This actually sounded like the Laura two years ago. Yet for some reason, he got goosebumps for all the wrong reasons. "Be lucky you're cute."

Jayden smiled. "Believe me, I am."

"Good," Laura said releasing his collar. "Now take me to your parents so I can see my kids."

"Or…"

"Now." Laura ended Jayden before he could even suggest anything else.

"Fine, fine," Jayden said. "But I want to ask you something." Laura frowned in question. "Chocolate or vanilla?" Laura's frown only deepened. "Did you forget that you're engaged? It's probably easier if we knock off the smaller things on the list."

Laura's faced morphed into one of pure confusion before her eyes sparkled with excitement. Jayden only smiled, knowing that look better than anything. He already prepared his ears for the squeal and tensed his muscles for the hug that was sure to come.

"You're right!" Laura said excitedly. "I should call Dash! Hell, I'll call Sophie!"

"I think Sophie's-"

"Shut up Dimples, I'm thinking." Jayden hushed himself but still smiled. "And the guest list. I…" Laura stopped. "Family."

"Well, we found your mom. I'm sure we can find everyone else." Jayden said. "Besides, I'm sure your mother's side would love to know that their cousin or whatever is getting married."

Laura hugged Jayden tightly.

"I love you so much." Laura told him. "But, if you ever put your or A.J's life in danger like that again, I will skin you alive. Do you understand me?"

"Yes ma'am." Jayden laughed. "Now shouldn't we get going? I'm sure my mom would love to help you plan some of this out."

"Right!" Laura replied. "And maybe tomorrow…" Jayden watched as she trailed a finger down his shirt. "We could…" Her finger paused right above his belt. "Go to the beach."

Somewhere, deep inside of him, he cried. He was not addicted to sex or anything, but Scarlett had clearly made him more than ready for Laura's return. And Jayden was not a patient person by any stretch of the imagination.

"You're killing me…" Jayden groaned.

Laura smiled. "Oh I know." She turned and spoke over her shoulder. "Maybe next time you'll keep your hands off of Scarlett, 'kay?"

Jayden blinked as she walked out of his room. She had known? How? He was sure to keep all physical contact out of Danica's and Dakota's sights. Scarlett had long gotten her bra out of his room. And there was not a mark on him.

"We're going to be late!" Laura called. "Your mom hates waiting!"

Jayden sighed. Only Laura could instantly pick up things like this. And strangely, it was that that drew him to her more than anything.

* * *

"Wow… This is freaking awesome!" Shane called out as he and Kelly were left alone in Diego's former greenhouse. "It's like camping in a rainforest next to the woods."

Kelly smiled. She would not have described it like that, but understood completely what Shane meant. Apparently her father collected a plant from every corner of the world and put it all under one roof. And due to the different flora around them, some had to be constantly watered and heated, which is what Shane was referring to. Mr. Whitsett had instructed them of the area near the back of the greenhouse and told them the time schedule that those trees, shrubs, and flowers were going to be watered to avoid them getting drenched by the rain-like sprinklers.

"Shane," Kelly began. "Do you think I should take it?"

"The house?" Kelly nodded. "Hell yeah! Do you know how many great parties we could throw here and Mom and Dad will be all the way in _Canada_?!"

Kelly sighed. "I'm being serious Shane. What if that Ericka lady is right and they're using me. Then what?"

"I don't think they're using you. Your grandparents are nice and Mr. Whitsett-"

"Uncle Nigel." Kelly corrected.

"Him…" Shane said, unsure when his sister and her father's butler established that. "Hasn't lied to us yet. So maybe they just want to make sure that you're okay. Or maybe it has nothing to do with what you want? They did say your dad wanted you to have this and they are respecting his wishes." Shane took a moment to think. "That would make more sense since they don't know you but are giving you this stuff. It was his dying wish and they're just doing what he said."

"Way to make me feel less important…" Kelly muttered.

"I'm sorry. I just…" Kelly only smiled.

"I know Shane. And you're right. Maybe they are just doing this because it's what he said." Kelly looked around the large building. "Still… It would be nice to know that…"

"You belong?" Shane's words caused Kelly to flinch. "Hey, sometimes I think the same thing between Dad and Jane and Mom and Sean."

"You're always trying to make me feel better." replied Kelly with a smile. "Why?"

"Because you're my sister and normally when I do otherwise you tell Mom." Shane returned with a grin. "Come on Kelly, think about it for a second. You do so much for all of us. Why can't you have something in return? This house is perfect for you. You know it."

"Well… I do like it…" Kelly began.

"It's exactly what you've wanted and then some. It beats Dakota's mansion by a mile!" Kelly giggled at the statement knowing that Shane was stretching the truth a bit. "And you deserve it. Not because your dad died, because that's bad. But because you've worked so hard to get it."

"Haven't you worked just as hard?" Shane snorted at Kelly's question.

"Like sleeping in class and hardly able to stay awake doing _one_ job? I don't think so Kelly." Shane answered. "Besides, you have to learn your other family too. Remember when Dad sent us to stay a week at Aunt Kendra's?"

"The horror." Kelly joked.

"Exactly. At least you have this great house to make up for those cousins that will be completely annoying." Shane concluded. "Think about that."

Kelly's lips sneered. "What about _her_?"

"Your stepmom? Good luck." Shane's response earned him an eye-roll from his sister. "Besides, I figured that once she meets our crazy family, she'd want to get out of here as fast as she can."

"Ahem," Kelly and Shane turned to see Mr. Whitsett standing with a grim expression. "You should be getting ready, Kelly."

Kelly realized what he meant and felt her heart sink. How did she become attached to a man she had never met, she would never know. Yet she still felt pang in her heart about burying her biological father. And judging from the look on Mr. Whitsett's face, he felt worse.

"Okay." Kelly said quietly. "Come on Shane, let's go get ready."

Shane gripped Kelly's hand into his own.

"Will you be alright?" Though his question could have been read completely different and slightly offensive, Kelly only nodded, gripping his hand tighter.

"I'll get through." She answers.

Shane only nodded. When their grandfather died, he had been little to no help to his elder younger sisters. Jayden comforted Kelly and Aaron had gotten Jordan to eventually open up to her feelings. But he swore that he would be there for Kelly through this entire ordeal now that Jane had forced him to come here to Arizona.

As for Kelly, she doubted her words. All she really wanted was to know her real parents. Hilary had shared tons of stories with Kelly; Diego never had the chance. She would not go as far as saying how unfair it was, but it did hurt her to know that Diego actually cared for her and yet she secretly resented her parents for giving her up in the first place. It felt like she owed him an apology and something more. But she did not have the time. That is what hurt Kelly the most. Not having enough time.

Sighing, Kelly looked up at the blue sky. Strange, she thought, it was cloudy on the day that her grandfather passed and rained that night. Today, however, was a clear and perfect day. It completely went against the solemn mood that had just spread throughout the atmosphere.

Yet for some reason, Kelly found herself smiling a bit. Maybe this was how Diego lived? Different. He did not have his funeral on some dreary day where the rain would ruin hairdos and the mud would ruin shoes. He had it on a nice day where people would not waste their day crying over him, but instead out enjoying their lives while remembering some of the better days.

So maybe that's why today was such a great day. Her dad did not want everyone sad. He was in a better place. And he wanted them to be happy. If not for him, then themselves. It hurt that she would never get to sit down and have a conversation with him, but he had left a lot of stories about for Kelly to hear about. And for that, Kelly Mason, born Lola Harper, would forever be grateful.

* * *

"So…" Chandra began, causing Jayden and Aaron to sigh at her barely suppressed excitement. While Aaron and Chandra sat at the counter, Jayden was currently digging through the refrigerator. "Tomorrow we're going to Wasaga, right?"

"Bambi, one more time and I'm putting one of your sleeping pills in the next soda you drink." Jayden said.

"No, you're not." Laura stating walking into the kitchen. "Because if you do that…"

"Ah, ah, ah," Jayden teased. "Only in our home can you threat me, Mrs. McDuelle."

"Fine." Laura said. Laura then looked at Chandra. "Considering your boyfriend will be handing over the ring, you'll have to be flower girl Bambi."

"Do I have a choice?" Chandra asked rhetorically.

"Of course you do," Laura returned. "I just made it for you though."

"Don't worry. She's always like this when she returns." Aaron told Chandra. "She calls it making up for lost time."

"Why are you complaining? Nine times out of ten, I have to sleep with her. Think about how I feel." Jayden said taking out a bottled Sprite.

"Is that even a bad thing?" Jayden gasped at Aaron's response.

"A.J! Are you growing a perverted side?" Jayden questioned with a gasp.

"That's not what I-"

"I knew you a thing for me," Laura said throwing an arm around Aaron's shoulders. "All those texts… I knew they were for something." Chandra giggled at Aaron's facial expression. "Don't worry though. As soon as Jayden's gone and Bambi's back at home, we'll have all the time to ourselves."

"And here I thought you'd end your affair once we were engaged." Jayden said.

"I thought the same thing. I guess we were both wrong." While Chandra obviously missed it, the McDuelle brothers knew what Laura was referring to. Scarlett. "Speaking of which, she hasn't called yet. Why?"

Jayden shrugged. "Must be busy."

"She can stay that way." Laura commented.

"I'm guessing apologizing is out of the question." Jayden said.

"It's never out of the question," Laura told him. "You have just yet to do so and see my response."

"Forgive me for being afraid of that response. Loosing you or an important member of my body are two things I have to worry about." Laura smiled at him. "What?"

"You won't lose either. I promise." Laura then rubbed her cheek against Aaron's, causing the younger boy to shiver. "But someone might lose something to me. Isn't that right, A.J?"

Chandra huffed at Aaron's blush but said nothing. She once thought it was sick when people said that her mom was hot. In fact, she still does. Yet, mothers like Alli and Laura had some sort of ability to turn on a charm that guys just could not ignore. She just wanted to know why. Weren't single, childless women more appealing than women with kids? Or was that just some mindless crap she got from TV?

"Moving on to the other brother? I knew you were borderline slut, Fat Mama." Danica said moving into the kitchen swiftly.

Laura rolled her eyes. "I swear one of these days you're going to get what's coming to you."

"Oh, I've already had that happened." Danica said. "I was a spoiled little girl so my parents introduced me to siblings. _Six freaking siblings_." Danica stepped near Jayden and opened the refrigerator to retrieve a water bottle. "God knows I didn't deserve six. Maybe two or three, but not six. And now, what I didn't share with them, they destroyed. Though I'm still quite selfish."

"Who are you telling?" Laura said taking a step away from Aaron. "So, any plans tonight?"

"With you?" Laura nods. "I guess. But don't you have to get up early tomorrow to go to the beach?"

"I'll survive." Laura stated. She then looked at her fiancé who was silently drinking his soda. "Something wrong Dimples?"

Jayden swallowed the drink. "No. Just thinking."

Laura's eyes narrowed. There was something off about Jayden and she had a good feeling that it had something to do with Scarlett. Sadly, she understood those feelings. Jayden and Scarlett had been in love for years and still are today. It was practically the only thing stopping her from marrying the guy right then and there. She did not want to ruin Jayden's life, even if that meant taking a second seat to Scarlett. Well, maybe Helen. She hated Scarlett far too much to willingly take a second seat without Jayden's input. Helen, she _might_ do it for.

"Is your mom keeping the twins tonight?" Danica asked Laura.

"Yours." Laura responded. "Dimples bribed your dad."

"More like beat him in a card game." Jayden stated walking towards the backdoor. "Giving Laura and myself a nice night together to talk about whatever it is she's mad about me about."

Danica only hummed. She definitely did not want to be around for another round of break-up make-up.

"And what about you A.J? Doing anything tonight with Bambi?" Danica questioned.

"Not really." Aaron said. "Why?"

Danica smiled. "Oh you know. Just trying to find out what my favorite brothers are doing."

"We have to go meet Vanessa at The Dot." Chandra announced. "I can't believe I forgot!"

"I'll drive you." Danica said before capping her water. "Come on." Danica glanced at Jayden. "Good luck Jay. Something tells me you'll need it this time."

Jayden waved his sister off before stepping into the backyard. He could feel Laura's anger rising every second and was feeling worse and worse about it. He found himself seated in a chair, staring aimlessly into the backyard. The soda in his hand was slowly placed on the ground before he let out a heavy breath.

How could he leave Scarlett alone?

Did he want to?

Why hasn't Laura killed him by now?

These were just three of the hundreds of questions plaguing his mind. He was thinking about ways to solve them all until he heard a gunshot that forced him to flinch and look around. His heart was pounding yet all he could hear was the familiar sound of his son flat lining. Closing his eyes tightly, Jayden leaned back in the chair and counted in his head to stop the noises.

One…

Two…

Three…

Four…

Five… Pow!

"Jayden!" Laura called out to him, causing Jayden to nearly jump out the chair. He looked into her brown eyes as she stepped towards him. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," he lied. "Well, other than knowing what's to come later. But that's something I deserve."

Laura sat in his lap. "You deserve a lot of things Jayden. Not all of them are bad." Jayden only nods. "Why are your hands so sweaty?" Jayden sits quietly. "What were you thinking about? And don't lie to me anymore."

"Everything," Jayden said. "Jason… Scarlett… Bambi's kidnapping."

Laura gave Jayden a small kiss.

"Those things are all over now." Laura told him calmly. "You and I, we can beat them together."

"Laura-"

"Let me help. Please?" Jayden smiled and leaned back, allowing Laura to lean back against him. "You've done so much for me Jayden. Let me repay you just this once, okay?"

"But what about Scarlett?" Jayden asked.

"Do you love me?" Laura returned with a question of her own.

"Of course." Jayden answered.

"Then that's enough for me." Laura said. "We'll talk about it when you're calm. As for now, let's get your mind off of everything else and talk about whatever you want to talk about."

Jayden smiled, his arms secured around his fiancée.

"So can we go to California for summer break?" Laura sighed heavily, rolling her eyes.

"No. We are going to Italy."

"But what if I'm not comfortable in Italy?"

"I'll comfort you."

"What if my Grandma wants to see the twins?"

"We'll fly her up there."

"…"

"…"

"So can we go to Disneyland?"

"Ugh! No!"

Jayden only laughed while Laura smiled.

"You know," Jayden chuckled. "We already sound like a married couple."

"Yeah, we do." Laura said as she closed her eyes. "I guess that's why I love you, Mr. Jayden McDuelle."

"And I love you more, future Mrs. Laura McDuelle." Jayden replied.

* * *

Jordan watched as Aaron and Chandra entered The Dot. With her mother and older siblings in Glendale, she was currently helping out at The Dot with Jane while Gavin ran things down at Mason's. It kept her away from her younger siblings and Cameron, who she looked at as a brother anyway.

"What can I get you?" Jordan asked the pair as she neared the table that they sat at.

"We're waiting on Ashton and Brie to get here." Aaron replied. "You filling in for Shane and Kelly?"

"And who says that A.J McDuelle is an idiot?" Jordan commented with a sly smile.

"You did. Once or twice." Aaron returned.

Jordan shrugged. "I might've. But, I could use some help today. Jane can't cook as fast as Dad or Shane and I surely can't wait tables without an extra pair of hands."

"Dakota's helping." Chandra pointed out.

"So not the point. Point is, I need help." Jordan responded, her eyes locked onto Aaron's. "Please?"

"Today isn't a good day." Jordan's pleas did not end, her eyes still begging for help. "Jordan…"

"_We'll_ help." Chandra said.

Jordan smiled. "Two birds, one stone." Jordan then reached into her apron's pocket and placed a pad and pen on the table. "Apron's in the back. Thanks a lot you two!"

Aaron looked over to Chandra.

"I really did not want to help out today." he said.

"You know another way of shutting her up?" Aaron nodded. "Really? What?"

"Speak about her diary entry about-"

"Another word Santos and die." Jordan interrupted. "Now, your wife says you're helping so you're helping. Get up and start helping."

"You owe me big time Jordan." Aaron stated as he rose from his seat.

"Love you too A.J," Jordan comments dismissively. "Now excuse me, another table needs waiting."

Chandra swallowed quietly as Aaron sighed. Sometimes it was hard to figure out when Jordan was crossing that proverbial line of staying just friends with Aaron and not more. Aaron, of course, always knew when Jordan was flirting with him and normally told her to stop someway somehow. But Chandra could never tell the difference. They were each others' familiar. They confided in one another more than anything.

"Coming Bambi?" Aaron said, breaking Chandra's thoughts. "It was your idea, remember?"

"Yeah, sure." Chandra replied as she stood up. "We wouldn't want to keep her waiting, would we?"

Aaron shrugged. "I wouldn't mind." Chandra smiled as he extended his hand. "Come on. Let's get some aprons."

* * *

Deanna sat down at the table and sighed heavily. Across from her, her father gave her an amused smile. She knew her mother had told him about what she had been doing recently and DeWayne probably made it worse than it actually was. He always tried to pry Deanna away from Fitz, someway, somehow.

"So you've been drinking?" Fitz's words somehow made Deanna feel worse and she nodded while staring at the table. "Why?"

"I… It's complicated." Deanna said. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Deanna, you know I'm not going to let you leave this visit without telling me." Fitz said. "What or who made you drink?"

Deanna sighed. "Remember when I told you that I met a guy from a dream?" Fitz nods. "Well, I kind of tricked his sister into becoming my friend so I could get close to him. And then when his at-the-time girlfriend did something stupid, I sort of swooped in and took advantage."

"You fuc… You had sex with him?" Fitz spoke.

"Kind of…" Deanna's voice was hardly audible and rather high-pitched. "Daddy please don't be mad! I wasn't thinking straight and-"

"Is he the reason that you're drinking?" Fitz asked angrily. "Because if he is, I'll kill him as soon as I get out."

"No! No, Shane doesn't drink!" Deanna said before calming down. "No… My guilty conscience is the reason I drink. I just feel bad because, well, I love him Daddy. I really do. And, in a way, I love Kelly as well. She's like the poorer sister that I've always wanted. Heck, I like her more than I do Wayne."

"Dee…" Fitz began.

"No Daddy, I'm serious. Kelly and Shane… They taught me so, so many things. Things that I would not have learned if I hadn't have done what I did. Or…" Deanna paused. "I don't deserve them. Either of them. That's what I was drinking about."

Fitz sighed. "Deanna, you deserve a hell of a lot more than Winston can provide. If this Shane character is worth it, then go for it. But I have to meet him first."

"You can't. He's in Arizona for a funeral." Deanna absentmindedly replied. "I sort of wish I was there instead of here…" Deanna heard a grunt and looked at Fitz. "No! I meant I would have loved to go on vacation for Spring Break instead of being grounded by Mom and Winston. I would never put Shane over you Daddy. Well…"

Fitz grinned. "I understand Dee. You must really care about him."

"God, sometimes I just wish that time would stop and we could lie in his bed forever." Fitz's smile disappeared.

"That's something you really _shouldn't_ tell your dad, Dee." Deanna realized her mistake and giggled a bit. "But I understand that you have no one else to talk about this to. Just make sure you cut down on your drinking."

"I'll try Daddy. But I know that what I did was terrible. I can't even look at Shane without liquid encouragement." Deanna said.

"I'll talk to him." Deanna snorts.

"By that time, his ex will probably have a room in his house again." Deanna comments. Fitz frowns. "She got kicked out of her house because her parents caught her with crack, Shane's dad took her in, yadda, yadda. A cliché story by now."

"Well," Fitz said. "Don't I have a surprise for you?" Deanna's curious frown makes the man smile. "I'm being release in a few days."

"Really?!" she squeals.

"Yeah. Staying with a friend of mine." Fitz explained. "Just until I can get back on my feet. Financially, that is."

"It's not that Bianca lady, is it?" Fitz laughs and shakes his head.

"No. Bee has her grandkids and doesn't want me around them. Well, staying with them." Fitz explained. "Something about the deal she took with the McDuelle Family. But it's cool. I wouldn't want to be around her and her daughter. Heard she's the worse."

"I thought that too, but she has her uses." Deanna said. "In fact, she's trying to help me get back with Shane."

"Oh really? Huh. I guess my daughter and Bianca's daughter would have some sort of mutual respect. We did." Fitz announced.

Deanna shrugged. "I guess it does. Still, I don't like her bossing me around. Can you believe that she was actually going to force me and Shane together on her birthday? And she _knew_ Nicky would be there too!"

"Sounds to me like she just wants you to be with Shane one way or another." Fitz points out. Deanna hated to think that her father was right. She did not like the thought of owing Laura _again_. "But, I think that's all we have time for today."

"It's not fair…" Deanna whined before sighing. "Oh well. I guess I'll just go and-"

"Do not drink Deanna. Promise me." Fitz said.

Deanna smiled. "I promise Daddy."

Deanna almost hurled through her smile. She was definitely going to drink as soon as she left. It had nothing to do with Shane either. She just wanted a drink. Bad.

Sadly, Fitz knew this. His daughter, his _baby girl_, was going to become like her mother. He hated those thoughts but did not want to physically restrain Deanna from doing so. That would give him more time, discipline or not.

Rising, Deanna gave her father a hug despite the strict no-contact rule of the prison.

"See you later Daddy." Deanna almost whispers.

"Right back at you." Fitz returns.

As Deanna leaves, both of father and daughter think the same thing for different reasons.

It was time to talk to one Shane Mason.

* * *

She cried.

She actually cried.

Kelly did not think she would, but she cried during and after the funeral. In fact, it took Emma and Shane to comfort her as much as possible. Even Mr. Whitsett had to lend a shoulder for Kelly to cry on. But for some reason, they were not all tears of sadness. Some were tears of happiness. Hearing some of the stories of Diego's life had made her happy to be his daughter. Knowing that her father was, not only someone who loved her unconditionally, but also as influential as he was made her happy.

If only she got meet him.

But now came the hard part. She sat with Diego's only sister, her biological paternal grandparents, her stepmom, Mr. Whitsett, and Emma. Shane was not allowed to hear Kelly's decision for whatever the reason. Kelly did not mind. He was right outside just in case something happened.

"…Do you understand all that I have read to you and agree?" The question seemed to come out of nowhere, despite Kelly listening to the executor for the past five minutes about all that she would gain as a beneficiary. "Miss Mason?"

Kelly looked at her grandparents and aunt. From what she could tell, they were good people. A little on the conservative side, but that was alright with her. Shane was one of the cheapest people she knew and she loved him dearly.

Then her eyes landed on Ericka. The woman was up to something. Every time Kelly looked at her during the funeral, Ericka was either staring elsewhere or shaking her head. Obviously she was going through some grief, but there was something else there as well. Something that Kelly just could not figure out.

"I…" Kelly began as she turned to the man. "I'll take it."

"WHAT?!" Ericka snapped.

"Oh thank you Kelly!" her grandmother said. "Thank you so very much!"

"_But_," Kelly continued. "I'm not moving into it. Not until after graduation." Kelly then looked at Mr. Whitsett. "I'm hoping Uncle Nigel won't mind looking after it until then? I promise to visit during the summers and vacations."

Mr. Whitsett smiled. "It would be my honor, Kelly."

"Then it is settled. The house and everything on its grounds-"

"My cars are at that house! My clothes! My-"

"If Miss Mason allows for you to stay there, then your clothes will remain there," The executor spoke. "_However_, in the event that she chooses otherwise, you will be moved back to your home in Sydney. The house Diego left you."

"It's more like a dingy in the middle of the outback." Ericka said. "I will not accept this. I will go through every legal action until I get…"

"What?" Kelly asked. "If it's something unimportant, I'll give it to you. I promise."

Ericka's thin brow rose. "You'd do that?" Kelly nodded. "Okay then. The thing that I want most is a painting. The _real_ painting."

Kelly's eyes looked at Mr. Whitsett. "What painting?"

"Blonde Waters." Kelly nodded at the man's words before turning to her widowed stepmom.

"I'm sorry. That painting stays." Kelly began. "I'm not selling it nor letting it go to a museum or collector. It's… It's kind of like my heirloom or something."

"Kid, you got the house. You got the money. You got everything! Just give me the flipping painting." Ericka stated.

"No." Kelly firmly replied. "And that's final."

Ericka grunted. "For the past year all I've heard that man talk about is some long lost dream daughter of his. Day in and day out that's all he ever talked about. How perfect this little girl was. You are nowhere near perfect."

"And you are not allowed anywhere near my house, got it?" Ericka's eyes widened. "I'll let you get your clothes and _one_ car. The rest stays with me."

Ericka's jaw dropped. "You… You can't do that! She can't do that, can she?!"

"Technically," Mr. Whitsett spoke. "Considering that the vehicles are in his name and he has given all of his belongings on said property to Kelly, it is in her rights to do so. And if you want my honest opinion that is more than you deserve."

Kelly realized that she had stepped on the woman's toes and hard. Ericka's rage was clearly seen through her make-up and if not for Emma's hand leaving Kelly's shoulder, Kelly thought that the woman was going to take a blow at her. Yet, being a Mason had its perks. Gavin and Shane always rough housed with Kelly when she and Shane were younger, playing wrestling and football in the house. Emma always got on her dad and brother for being so rough with Kelly, but she could take a hit.

And she could give one back if necessary.

Ericka rose.

"Your _dear daddy_," Ericka spat. "Was as crazy as they say! He talked to himself at nights. He always had this ritual he had to do before taking a freaking bath. And his attire… It was never presentable." Kelly's brows lifted. "You think these people care about him or anything he's created? No. They don't. Not even you. They just want to keep the money within the family. That's all."

"Well," Kelly countered. "That's where you and they are wrong. I am Kelly Mason. My house will be open for my family and friends and only those who I think of as my family and friends. It has nothing to do with blood."

"God, you sound just like him." Ericka said.

Kelly smiled. Being compared to one of the most inspirational artists of all time was beyond a compliment, even if it was intended to be an insult.

"Kelly," Emma said. "Getting you two and from Arizona during breaks will be quite costly. Are you sure you want that responsibility piled up on what you already have?"

"Sure Mom," replied Kelly. "We can even bring Mason's down here. Wouldn't that be great?" Emma nods with a smile of her own. "I promise, I'll keep us all together. Mason, Cameron, Parot, and Harper alike."

Emma sighed. "If that's what you want."

"Kelly," Mr. Harper spoke. "Diego was… Well he was always an odd one. We knew that when he was a kid. But he always had this thing. He always saw the bright side of situations. When he broke his arm tree climbing, he learned how to draw with his right hand and was happy about being ambidextrous. You remind me of him. I just wish you two could have met…"

"It's okay… Grandpa." The word seemed foreign in Kelly's vocabulary. Ever since Mr. Simpson died, she had not called anyone grandpa.

Emma realized her daughter's small discomfort and chose that moment to speak again.

"Maybe we should get some rest? All of us." Emma said.

"I think that would be best." Mr. Whitsett said as he rose from his seat. "Kelly, your ride will be ready as soon as you are. Take your time."

"I think I'm ready now." Kelly told him. "I… I have a lot to learn, don't I?"

"Kelly, my child, thank you." Mrs. Harper said. "Thank you so much."

Kelly smiled. "No problem."

Emma stopped a tear from falling down her face. When she adopted Kelly years ago, she and Gavin were not sure about if they should tell Kelly that she was adopted or not. After agreeing to do so, they then went through the trouble of picking the right time and right way of doing so. That plan failed when Kelly figured it out and they had to move that explanation up a few years. Since then, Emma has noticed that Kelly had been a bit questionable about everything, wondering who she really was.

Now, at seventeen, Kelly was a different person. She exuded confidence and knew exactly who she was. She marched to her own drum and danced to her own beat. There was practically nothing anyone could say to bring Kelly down. Most of all, Kelly was proud of every part of her. She was not afraid of admitting that her parents ran two restaurants. She was not afraid of saying her who birth, adopted, step-, or godparents were. And she already knew exactly who she wanted to be in the future.

All in all, Emma was beyond grateful to have met and raised Kelly and more than pleased to know that Kelly forever saw her as her true mother.

* * *

Silence. That was enough for him to understand everything. Silence. How such a thing could be so loud was beyond him. Yet, as soon as _she_ called, Jayden knew exactly how his day would end. However, he remembered the last time Laura gave him the silent treatment and refused to go through that again.

"Aren't you going to call her back?" Laura asked.

"…" Jayden looked at his phone before sitting it on the coffee table. As soon as they returned to his apartment, things have not been as great as they once were. "Laura, look-"

"Don't tell me to see something that I already know, Jayden," Laura snapped at him. "Just answer me this. Did you fuck her?"

"No!" Jayden answered, not trying to go into detail about how close he and Scarlett had come to doing so on several occasions. "Laura, listen, I'm sorry. I seriously did not want this to happen, especially not after you said yes to my proposal."

"Is this how we're going to be? Huh? Every time I leave the city or country, you're going to run right back to her? Do I have to tell the kids to keep an eye out for her when I'm not around?" Laura questioned. "Just tell me Jayden. Tell me now so I'll know then."

Jayden rose. "This is your fault!"

"My fault?!" Laura retorted. "How the fuck is this-"

"Because you told her to 'look after me' or some dumb shit like that without talking to me about it!" Jayden interrupted. "I had moved past her! I was doing fine with you! And then you go and drag her right back into the picture!"

"I did that because you weren't!" Laura shouted.

"…What…?" Jayden responds quietly.

"You're not over her and you never will be!" Laura said slamming her hand on the counter in the kitchen. "Marissa, you're done with. Helen, you're just friends with. Hell, you don't give a shit about Jackie. But Scarlett? God knows that if I even _dream_ about slapping the shit out of her, you go running to save her!"

"I do that for all of my friends Laura and you know it. Dash-"

"Dash is your fucking sister! You sure as hell do not look at her like you do Scarlett!" Laura's words cause Jayden to sigh heavily. "Look at me Jayden. I asked you way back then if you were just going to use me like you did Helen, and you _promised me_ that you wouldn't. Now look at you? Scarlett's ended her relationship with DeWayne and you're slowly right back to her."

"I'm… I'm not trying to, okay? If you think I'm deliberately doing this, then you're wrong. But… I can't…" Jayden stopped himself.

"You can't what?" Laura said. "Just tell me Jayden. Tell me what I have to do to be the girl you want to be with. I'll try just about anything."

"Don't change yourself for me Laura." Jayden told her. "You're perfect."

"Just not perfect for you…" Laura mumbled.

"No!" Jayden quickly said, taking a step towards her. "Laura, you are all that I've been looking for. You really are. Scarlett's just… I mean she…" Jayden grunted. "Damn it. She's just a girl who I love. And it's not fair that I have to drag you through this but that's just the way it is."

Laura's eyes went to the floor.

"So would you rather marry me or Scarlett?"

"You!"

"Be honest to yourself Jayden," Laura said. "If we didn't have any kids, what would your answer be?"

Jayden took in a deep breath before looking at Laura directly in the eye.

"I meant it," he began. "When I said that I loved you more than I did Scarlett. You get me on levels that she doesn't, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Kids aside, I've worked harder to be with you than any other girl I've known. Hell, you're the only girl I've had sex with."

"Now…" Laura quipped.

Jayden sighed. "Laura, I am sorry. Things got carried away and I probably shouldn't have let them. I don't know what you want me to say or do, so just tell me and I'll do so."

"I want you to either marry me or Scarlett. You can't have us both. Not now. Not ever." Laura answered. "There are a lot of guys at my school who…" Laura paused. "I can find somebody. Scarlett can do the same. We're big girls and-"

"I would kill the poor bastard before he has a chance to lay his lips on you." Jayden said nearing Laura. "Because for twenty-five hours a day and eight days a week, you are mine, Laura Reynolds. Do you hear me? Every fiber of your body is mine."

Laura's brows rose. "And when in the hell did that happen?"

"The day I became yours," he replies as he puts his arms around her. "We are who we are Laura. I can't help my infatuation of Scarlett no more than you can help yourself from flirting with guys in Italy. But I do love you more than anything on this planet and I'm sure that you feel the same."

"Well," Laura joked. "I do have children so…"

"Besides them," Jayden said with a smile. "I love you so, so, so very much. And yes, I do hate the fact that you even put Scarlett back into my life like that and expect me to just get over her, but that's an argument for another day."

"Am I everything you want Jayden?" Laura's voice was now quiet and wavering, showing her insecurity of the subject.

"Sometimes Laura, it's not about what I want. I want a threesome with-" Laura interrupted him with a swift punch to his gut. "I was just joking!"

"Get on with it asshole." Laura said with her arms crossed.

"You're not what I want all the time. I will admit that, especially after you punched me without letting me finish." Jayden said before taking in a deep breath to regain the air loss from said punch. "However, you are what I need. A great mother to my kids. A kickass girlfriend who has gained some culinary skills. One of the greatest friends I could ask for. Plus, you do seem to get Danni off of my back a lot nowadays, so to me, you're a godsend."

"But am I the one you want to marry Jayden. Let's not drag this out if we don't have to." Laura said.

"Yes. Yes you are Laura. Why else would I propose to you?" Jayden's answer makes her smile a bit. "If you took away the kids, those eyes, your great ass, your smile, those mature breasts, your soft skin, your curly hair, and even those hands that can cook, love, and kill," Jayden took her hands into his. "You'd still have the person that I fell in love with. The girl who I want to marry and spend the rest of my life with."

Laura's smile widened. Sure, she knew that some of this was nothing but sweet nothings and Jayden was only saying it to get on her good side. But she'd be lying if she said it didn't work.

"All jokes aside, I love you Laura." Jayden said. "I'll admit that a part of me was hoping that Helen would break up with me as soon as it became clear that Scarlett wanted me. And a part of me will always think about if Scarlett and I dated during the dance last year. But I do know one thing. That day in the boiler room when you couldn't just outright say that you hated me, I felt the same thing. And I was scared. I truly was afraid of falling in love with someone who claimed that they would never fall in love. I guess I didn't want to set myself up for failure."

"Why are you telling me this?" questioned Laura.

"Because you're unsure, just like I was." answers Jayden with a smile. "But, I took a chance. I let Scarlett go and didn't pursue Helen. I took a chance with you. And I don't think I have made a better shot on or off the court than the one I took for you."

Laura rolled her eyes. "You are _so_ cheesy," Her eyes and smile then landed on her fiancé. "But I love you all the same Dimples."

"So…" Jayden began with a smirk. "Is this the part where we have crazy make-up sex?"

"No." His smile instantly dropped. "This is the part that you take me to dinner and try to make me forget about being mad about you. And if you succeed, _then_ you can have your make-up sex." Jayden hummed in thought. "Well? Is that a deal or- Jayden!"

Jayden had hoisted his girlfriend up, carrying her to his bedroom.

"I'm not a patient man Laura. You should know that." She was too busy giggling and trying to fight her way out of his grasp to respond. "It's a good thing you love me though."

Would they have a perfect relationship? No. Did they have the perfect family? Nowhere near. But would his life be perfect with her. Abso-freaking-lutely.

* * *

Steven panicked. "Dee… Come on Deanna, wake up!"

No matter how he shook the girl, she did not open her eyes. Stephanie, almost as high as he was, had no idea on what to do either. Deanna simply dropped the bottle as Stephanie said the first coherent idea since the party.

"I'll call 911."

Steven only nodded. They had been kissing. He was so close to getting more and she passed out. She freaking passed out and now his parents would be down his throat again.

Just fucking great.


	151. S5 Episode XVII: Whatever Happens PtII

**Episode XVII: Whatever Happens Pt. II**

Amber groaned. "Why can't I get any sleep?"

Mary-Jane looked at Amber as the girl lied on the bed comfortably. They were at Amber's house, in Amber's bedroom, while talking about prom and graduation. While they did not get into their dream school in California, they both got accepted to Banting, which made Paige very happy.

However, with Amber being pregnant and all, Mary-Jane found herself more thrilled about Amber's baby than college.

"What has Mrs. Taylor said?" Mary-Jane questioned.

"That the dreams and nightmares should start going away soon. And they have. I just can't sleep long." Amber said before glancing at her stomach. "This better not be your fault."

"Four months in and you're already blaming the baby." Mary-Jane commented. "You're no better than my mom, always blaming me for whenever she loses her eyeliner. Like I use that old people's stuff."

"You do." Amber deadpanned.

Mary-Jane waved Amber off. "Do, did. Different tenses." The girls were alerted when Amber's door opened and Marc and James entered. "Well, well, what did we deserve to have you two come here together? Or are you here for Amber while I was just lucky to see you?"

"Considering the fact that it is our last high school Spring Break," James responded. "We came to see if you two wanted to hang out. We even called Steven, though he said he was busy with something."

"Of course!" Amber said happily. "I've been dying to get out of the house since Mary-Jane is such a bore!"

"_I'm_ a bore? Hon, for the past month all you've been talking about is abort, adopt, keep, repeat." Mary-Jane shot back. "You're just lucky I'm as patient as I am or I would have left you by now."

Amber crossed her arms. "You're patient? Yeah right. And I'm the Queen of England."

"More like the Queen of Annoying." Mary-Jane mumbled.

James and Marc looked at one another before at the two girls.

"We'll… Be in the car." James stated before slipping out.

Amber and Mary-Jane exchange glances, wondering why the boys appeared to be so uneasy. Shrugging it off, Amber slipped on her shoes before rising from her bed.

"Today," Amber said. "Is going to be a good day. I know it."

Mary-Jane smiled. "You bet. Now let's get going. I don't have a lot of patience, you know."

"Would you make up your mind!" Amber said as Mary-Jane winked at her and left her room.

Today would be a good day, Amber figured, one way or another.

* * *

Laura sat up in Jayden's bed. A smile came onto her face as she thought about the last time she had actually slept at home with her dad. It seemed so long ago.

"Morning," Dakota's voice caused the brunette to snap her gaze at the small desk where Jayden's laptop rested. "Surprised to see me?"

Laura only smiled. "No. Not at all. So how much did he tell you?"

"Everything," Dakota answers. "You know, I don't understand why I'm your marriage counselor, but I don't get paid for it. I already watch your kids every other day."

"First, you're their godmother. You don't have a choice. Secondly, _you_ don't watch them, your butlers and maids do." Dakota shrugs at the comment. "And finally, you'll be our marriage counselor because we trust you."

"I know." Dakota said before sighing a bit. "I also know what you're going to tell me. How you think that you'll just end up like your parents except with Scarlett being the reason that you and Jayden split." Laura nodded. "Normally I would tell you all the reasons why that won't happen but…"

"You don't know any, do you?" Dakota shook her head. "I thought so. Why can't he see that?"

"Jay wants to try and prove his love to you somehow. Even if that means keeping Scarlett at a distance, he'll try." Dakota answered. "But if you want my honest opinion, I think it is because Scarlett is physically here."

"She was always physically here, but that didn't stop him from dating Jackie and Helen." remarked Laura.

"No," Dakota said. "I mean here now that all of this has happened. Chandra's sex-tape and kidnapping. His fight with Jacob. Jason…" Now Laura looked towards the bed sheets. "Scarlett's been physically here for all of that and it just seems natural for Jayden to cling to her when things go wrong. I mean, let's be honest, for every break-up he's had, she's been there."

"I guess you're right." Laura voiced. "But why can't _I_ be that go-to person? Or why not you?"

"I honestly don't know." Dakota answers before spotting Jayden opening his door. "Everything okay?"

Jayden nodded. "Yeah. I just have to get my dad's Escalade to take us to Wasaga, that's all." Jayden glanced at his fiancée. "Are we cool?"

Laura rolled her eyes. "Dimples, I'm not your best friend, I'm your girlfriend. You don't need to ask if we're cool or not because we always are. We just have our differences every now and again."

"Yeah, well, for the record you are my best friend, so I do have to worry if we're cool or not." Jayden said. "I just worry that you might do something like take that ring off of your finger."

"Not unless you're getting me a bigger one. Though, I am quite fond of this one already…" Laura remarked. Jayden smiled. "You're stuck with me Dimples so get used to it."

Dakota saw Jayden's smile grow and grinned herself. Though she doubted that this would be the last that the two would argue- especially over Scarlett- but she was certain that they would not do so for the rest of the day. The only problem she had now was their little care for the PDA law. To Laura and Jayden, the world was their bedroom and everyone was just lucky to lie there.

"Are we meeting your boyfriend?" Jayden asked Dakota. She heard the firmness in his voice and gave her own eye-roll.

"Yes Jayden. And can you not question him on every little thing? It's been a year now and he's graduating soon. I just want him to like my friends and not think they're overprotective losers." Dakota responded.

"Me? Overprotective? Never heard of it." Jayden stated. "But if I were," Now Dakota and Laura gave him a deadpan stare. "It might have something to do with five younger siblings, two young children, a feisty girlfriend, and several of friends who have been in trouble in the past. You could say that I'm just looking out for you."

"Is that what you call it?" Dakota asked with a small grin.

"Hey, I'm an honest man. I can admit when it's other people's fault that I am the way I am." Jayden answers. "Now let's let Laura get dress, or better, you leave and I watch as she washes up and get dress so we can go."

A pillow flew threw the air and landed on Jayden's smirking face.

"Pervert!" Laura scolded.

Dakota could not help but to laugh with her dubbed brother. Today was already starting to look like a great day.

If only it stayed that way…

* * *

Scarlett stretches as she makes her way down the steps of her house. Walking into the kitchen, her blue eyes landed on her cousin.

"Going somewhere?" Scarlett deduced as Helen was already dressed.

"Uh, yeah. Your annoying neighbor asked if I wanted to join them in Wasaga and I said yeah." Helen answered.

Scarlett frowned. "Why didn't he ask me?" Helen gave her an expressionless glance. "Oh right… Laura…"

"He doesn't want something bad happening and judging from the last hickey on your neck, you probably have this one coming." said Helen. "But, if you want to come, I won't stop you. Just hurry so I can pick up that blonde ball of energy and her Asian dancing accomplice."

"Nicky and Jackie?"

"That's what I said." Scarlett rolls her eyes up towards the ceiling, wondering how she and Helen were even related, before looking at her shorter cousin.

"I'm going." Scarlett states. "If anything goes wrong, then it's Laura being jealous and J.T trying to talk some sense into her."

"Or," Helen rebuts. "It could be _you_ making a move on _her_ fiancé and Jayden trying to keep her from ripping your head off. Though I could be wrong."

Scarlett gives Helen a fake smile before turning around and leaving the kitchen in time for Fiona to enter.

"What are you two arguing about now?" Fiona asked her niece.

Helen shrugged. "Same thing as always Aunt Fi."

Fiona sighed. "Helen, why do you continue to argue with her about him? You know how Scarlett is and I would really like peace in the house for one day."

"I'm just trying to stop her from getting her feelings hurt, that's all." Helen said.

"We all have to learn pain someday." Fiona quips. "If you keep trying to prevent it, then she'll never know what it is."

"Don't you remember when he was pissed at her and she was walking around like it was the end of the world?" Fiona nods. "That's what I'm trying to stop. But Scarlett won't listen to me."

Fiona shrugs. "True love prevails in the end is what I always say. If it was meant to be then it shall be." Helen's silence caused Fiona to frown. "What do you know Helen?"

"That he secretly still hates her for getting that test done…" Helen's answer was quiet, though Fiona heard every word of it. "Aunt Fi, if I had to be honest, I think Scarlett's ship has sunk and he's just using her to replace Laura."

Fiona only nods. That did make a lot of sense.

"I just," Helen began before pausing. "I just wish that next year when we graduate, most of this will be behind us and we can at least be friends."

"You don't think that they will be?" questions Fiona.

"You obviously didn't hear when Jayden told Scar that he was dating Laura in the first place." Helen said with a sigh. "Oh well. I should get ready."

"Keep an eye on your cousin." Fiona states.

"As always…" Helen mumbled.

* * *

Nathan looked around. God, he hated hospitals so much. He could stare a gun down the barrel and not flinch if the person holding it pulled the trigger, but needles scared him shitless. Laura and Damon always made fun of him for such a small fear, but he did not care. Needles scared him.

Yet, that did not scare him nearly as much as a phone call from Stephanie saying that she was in the hospital.

"Stephanie," The girl looked horrible and quickly rose from her chair to embrace Nathan tightly. "Stephanie, what happened? Why are you here? Have you been taking those pills again?!"

"Yes!" Stephanie cried. "But I swear I'll never do it again! Deanna's hurt!"

"What?" Nathan could not help but let out a sigh of relief as he spoke. It was Deanna hurt, not Stephanie.

"She passed out! I don't know what happened and she just passed out!" Stephanie said. "It was like… I don't know! She just wouldn't wake up and I'm so scared! If Steven-"

"Steven?" Nathan interrupted. "What were you doing with that guy?"

"Nate please!"

"Stephanie I could…!" Nathan paused and took in a deep breath. "Why are you doing this to yourself Stephanie? Why are you hanging out with Steven and his college druggies?"

"I don't know. Nathan, please help me." Stephanie whimpered. "I'm… I'm so sorry! I never meant for anything of this to happen! I just… I was looking for an escape!"

Nathan's face twisted. He had yet found out who gave Stephanie those pills, but he figured he could put his search on hold for Stephanie's sake. Out of everyone he has ever met and known in his life, Stephanie was only behind Gabrielle on Nathan's most-important list. Therefore, her safety meant more to him than his and his parents'. He really did not want to see her like this.

"Hey…" Steven's voice somehow pissed Nathan off and Stephanie knew it. She clutched her boyfriend's shirt to keep him stationed. "Dee's… She's stable now. She hasn't woken up but they say that she'll be alright."

"What did you do?" Nathan seethed.

"I didn't do anything!"

"Bullshit!" Nathan called. "You're full of shit and you know it! This is your fault!"

Steven bristled. "How is it _my_ fault?! Deanna was drinking before I even met her! I just took her to the parties that she wanted to go!"

"I don't care about Deanna! Just stay the hell away from Stephanie!" Nathan ordered.

"Nate, can you take me home? I want to get out of these clothes…" Stephanie said quietly.

"Sure…" Nathan said, though his eyes were still locked onto Steven.

Stephanie grabbed Nathan's hand gently and began leading him away. In all her life, she had never been so scared before. When Deanna did not respond in the back of the ambulance, she thought her friend was dead.

"Stephanie," Nathan said. "You know that we have to talk to your parents." Stephanie was seconds from speaking before Nathan continued. "I can't do the same thing to you that I did to Nicky. I won't do the same thing."

"B-but they'll-"

"Not with me there." Nathan interrupted. "Come on."

Stephanie knew that Nathan was set in his stubborn ways now, but really did not have any logical argument. She did have to tell her parents lest they find out and throw the entire blame on Nathan. And her parents would not just outright down Nathan in his face. They had grown quite the fear of Nathan's dad…

The duo walked to a car Stephanie was not familiar with.

"Come on." Nathan said opening the passenger door. He sees the confused look behind Stephanie's glasses. "It's a friend's and I have to return it as soon as we're done. So come on."

Stephanie almost obediently gets into the car and allows Nathan to almost slam the door behind her. He was still mad, she figured, and rightfully so. In no shape or form was the fault his, yet everyone saw it that way. He did not take her to the ravine, she went on her own the first time. No one showed her how to get MDMA or any of that, she just learned. And now her parents thought that he was some bad guy and Gabrielle was praying that her brother did not go out and pick a fight with whoever it was that supplied Stephanie.

When Nathan got into the car, she looked to see his pissed expression.

"Nathan," she said in a shaking voice. "I'm… I'm really sorry about this."

"Whatever." he mutters.

"D-do… Do you want to break-up?" Nathan turned at her, his eyes boring into hers with flames of fury.

"Of course I do!" Nathan snapped. "But… But I know that's not what I really want." Now Stephanie was confused. "I want to break-up with you because I'm fucking pissed that you would even do this shit! But at the same time, I know it's just the anger speaking. Heh, a year ago I wouldn't even know the difference."

"So…" Stephanie dragged out.

"No, I really don't want to break-up with you. I'm just mad. Really, _really_ mad." Nathan answered. Stephanie gave him a small smile, one that made him grin. "I do care about you Steph. More than I did Nicky. I just… I just don't want to screw this up."

"You'll never be a screw-up Nathan." Nathan had to blink at her words and tone. She sounded sober. She sounded in her right mind. But he knew differently. "You can take me home now…"

Nathan simply nods and starts the car up. He would beat Steven for taking Stephanie to the party and then kill whoever supplied her with her new addiction. He would not lose Stephanie to drugs like he did Nicole. He just simply would not allow it to happen…

* * *

Jacquelyn groaned as her mother knocked on her door once more.

"Helen's here." Leia called.

"I'm up," Jacquelyn returned. "Barely…"

Last night had been one of her more profitable nights as a dancer. Torrie told her that pretty soon Jacquelyn would have enough to buy a used car. Jacquelyn doubted said words until last night. Despite all the bad things one could say about Torrie Stone, the girl was no idiot and knew a lot about finances.

"Hey," Helen said opening Jacquelyn's door with Scarlett and Nicole behind her. "I thought you said you'd be up by the time I got here? I wasted gas for nothing."

"I'm up, I'm up." Jacquelyn responded as she threw the sheets off of herself. "I just…" Her words were interrupted by a yawn. "It was a long night."

"At this new job?" Nicole inquired.

Helen frowned. "What 'new job'?" When Jacquelyn sent a glare towards Nicole's way, Helen sighed. "Miss Jackie, tell me you did not get pulled into Torrie's ring of whores."

"I didn't." Jacquelyn said. "I got a legitimate job that pays legitimate money."

"As Torrie's stripper, right?" Jacquelyn pursed her lips. Months ago, the word "stripper" would just be another word. Now, it was quite offensive. "Look Miss Jackie, today isn't a day for advice. So I won't give you any. I'm just going to grab you, grab some clothes and a bathing suit and then leave. Got it?"

"I'm up. Just give me a minute." said Jacquelyn as she stood up.

The three girls parted, giving Jacquelyn enough room to leave her bedroom and head for the nearby bathroom.

"I can't believe it." Helen said as she stepped towards Jacquelyn's bed. "My good friend, a stripper. What has the world come to?"

"I knew it was true!" Nicole pointed out. "She kept dodging the subject at the ravine, but I knew it was true!"

"Could it be," Helen said. "That she avoided the topic because Scooter was there?" Nicole's face turned into a thoughtful expression. "It is good to see you as your dumb self again."

"Could you be a little bit nicer?" Scarlett questioned her cousin.

Helen snorts as she sits on Jacquelyn's bed.

"The moment my mom went nice, she had kidney failure. The moment _your_ _mom_ went nice, our grandparents were investigated by the FBI or some crap. So no, I won't be any nicer than this." Helen answers.

"Those are just coincidences." Scarlett said. "I don't think being nicer would kill you."

"Okay," Helen continued. "How about this? The moment Jayden was 'nicer' to Laura, she ends up pregnant and engaged to the boy." Anger flashed on Scarlett's face. "See my point?"

"Yeah." Scarlett said.

"But," Nicole began her counter. "A.J is nice and nothing bad really happens to him like they do Jay."

"Let's see," Helen returned. "HIs first girlfriend tells his secret about being Jayden's brother. His second girlfriend makes a sex tape for the world to see. And his third girlfriend manipulated him into dating her in the first place." Both Scarlett and Nicole were both quiet after this. "Nice guys finish last. Remember that."

"I think you're just evil." Nicole mumbles.

"Can't understand how we're related…" Scarlett added.

"So," Helen said. "The two vindictive exes are trying to call _me_ evil? Talk about hypocrites."

"Didn't you date Tyler just to get even with Mary-Jane?" Scarlett says.

"No," Helen spoke. "And I told you that I wasn't going to talk about him. Ever."

"Aw. I think he broke her heart." Nicole exclaimed.

Helen's eyes narrow, though she remained quiet. She had said time and time again that she was not going to talk about her break-up with Tyler for several of reasons. In fact, the only person she has told was Jayden and that was in exchange for his feelings for Scarlett.

"How about we just get your friend and go up to the beach with peace and quiet?" Scarlett said.

Helen ignores her cousin completely. She did not want to fight against Scarlett all day long, especially when she had Braxton and an entire beach to enjoy. In the back of her mind, she prayed that Jayden knew how to deal with Scarlett or else.

* * *

"Stephanie!" Mrs. Tucker exclaimed at the sight of her daughter. "What have you-"

"You!" Nathan grunted at the sound of Mr. Tucker's accusation. "What have you done to our daughter?!"

"Next to picking her up from the hospital, nothing." Nathan shot back. "And I'm sorry, okay? I probably should have been with her but I had something else to do."

Mrs. Tucker frowned. "You _weren't_ with her yesterday?"

"No. I don't do like Tyler Walton, the douchebag that threw the party that Stephanie went to." Nathan said. "So I got mad that she went and stayed home pissed at the world. And now I'm pissed at the _universe_ that she's like this and I had to pick her up from the hospital!" Nathan then sighed. "So are you going to let us in or what?"

Stephanie's parents looked at one another before stepping aside, allowing Nathan to pretty much carry Stephanie into their home. Finding a couch, Nathan led Stephanie there before turning to face her parents.

"Look," Nathan said. "I like your daughter, and if you have a problem with that, then I'm sorry I can't be some middle-class straight-A boy-scout who does everything by the freaking book. But I'll be damned if I let some college junkie turn my girlfriend into a junkie and her parents tell me _not_ to do something about any of it. And I won't just leave her because you don't like me. You don't even know me to not like me." Nathan paused. "Well… I'm sure if you knew me you wouldn't like me either, but that's not the point. Point is, I care for Stephanie and she cares about me and if either of you have a problem with that, then… It's just that. You have a problem. Deal with it."

The boy went to make his departure, only for Mr. Tucker's hand to come rest onto his shoulder.

"Nathan, stop by later. We need to, uh, talk." Mr. Tucker said before looking at Stephanie. "In the meantime, I need to have a talk with my daughter."

"Sure. And let me know if she ever tells you who gave her those drugs. I haven't forgotten to kill the stupid son of a…" Nathan stopped himself. "I meant, I'm going to hurt him badly."

Nathan did not wait for the man to say anything else, just stepping out of the door. He hated the thought that some asshole gave his girlfriend MDMA and _someone_ had to know. Steven maybe? Ethan probably. But _someone_ was hiding whoever gave Stephanie her drugs and Nathan would find out where that poor bastard was. His search would end today, one way or another.

* * *

"A.J! Let's go!" Manny raised her brows as Laura's voice rang throughout the house.

"Jayden was right," Manny said as Laura and Jayden entered the kitchen where she was. "You do believe you're everyone's mother."

Laura mutters an apology, her eyes going towards the floor in embarrassment while Jayden smiles.

"Laura's just excited about going to the beach, that's all." Jayden said as he put his arm around his fiancée. "Deep beneath this tough exterior is a little girl who just likes to have fun Mama."

Manny smiles. "Oh, you wait. Your children will probably be the same way and the words 'nap time' will be two words you will come to love."

"No offense Mrs. McDuelle, but I really don't think I'll love trying to wrestle them down to take a nap. It's hard enough now as it is." Laura responds.

"You're young. You can catch them." stated Manny. "And where's Dakota? I thought you said that she was with you?"

"She had to talk to Dad about some music yadda yadda." Jayden answered. "I don't do work on my days off, so I let them talk." Jayden then sighed. "But I do have to be a dad when we come back…"

Laura frowned. "Are you saying you don't want to be?"

"Your hyper kids make one questions…" Manny giggles when Laura promptly punches her son in the arm as he rightfully deserved. "Ouch! I'm just making conversation here!"

"Well make a better one!" Laura returns before huffing. "You are so lucky you're cute Dimples or I swear…"

They were comical, Manny thought, to the point that she thought about calling her agent right then and there and getting a show done about them. Though Jayden would never let it fly. His fear of having cameras around Laura and his kids would get the better of him.

"I'm ready," Aaron said coming into the kitchen, Laura turning to glare at him.

"What were you doing? I thought I said to be ready when we got here?" Aaron turned to his brother for back-up, though the older brother merely held his hands up in surrender. "Seriously A.J, I think you're becoming too much like Dimples."

"I'm sorry…" Aaron said, not really knowing how to get out of the trouble he was in.

Laura smiled. "That's alright. Besides, I have to go say good morning to the twins." Laura turns and gives Jayden a small kiss on the cheek. "Meet you at the car."

As Laura leaves the kitchen, Jayden notices his mother's amused stare and attempts to answer the question before it was asked.

"She and Dash were talking wedding things and she got nervous. Again." Jayden said. "Her emotions have been everywhere. Worst then when she was pregnant with the triplets."

"Marriage is a big step Jayden." Manny told him. "Even if it's not for over a year, Laura being nervous about her wedding is very common. In fact, I'd be worried if she wasn't nervous."

"Really?" Manny nods at Jayden's question.

"Yep. I was nervous for _months _before the actual wedding and I was dealing with my pregnancy with Danni at the time." Manny explained. "So you see, it's really that big."

"I guess you're right. Then again, Laura is Laura. Her emotions are normally fickle." Jayden stated. "One minute she's happy about everything and the next she's back to blaming herself about something that happened years before she was even born."

"Well that's why she has you. So help her." Manny said before Laura poked her in the kitchen.

"Dash says she's ready." Laura said.

"Yeah, and we're done here." Jayden replied. "See you later Mama. If A.J comes back home alone, then Laura has dumped my body somewhere in Wasaga Beach and there's a good chance that I'm still alive."

Laura rolled her eyes. "Get out of here Dimples and stop trying to make me look like the bad guy… Especially in front of your mother…"

While the second part of Laura's comment was barely audible, Jayden and Aaron heard her clearly and grinned. Laura still believed that Manny hated her for whatever the reason may be. Jayden tried on countless occasions to prove to Laura otherwise, but Laura was not having any of it. In her head, Manny McDuelle would always be out to get her.

"Whatever Laura." Jayden finally says as he leads Aaron out of the kitchen.

Manny let out a breath. Her kids were growing up and she really did not know how to feel about that. On the one hand, she was happy that Danica and Jayden learned to solve their disputes without her or her husband having to get involved. When they were kids, Danica's anger and Jayden's non-quitting attitudes sparked several month-long battles between the two. And then they would remember Aaron and their other siblings and learn that together they could rule the other five.

But…

Now on the other hand, they were growing up. Two of her seven kids no longer lived with her, one with children. And Jayden was engaged. Aaron spent a lot of time out of the house with friends and Katya was starting to become more serious about her soccer, keeping her away as well. They no longer waited by the door for Maxwell or her to come home. They no longer needed bedtime stories to be read to them or their steaks cut for dinner. They were growing up.

"Are you okay Dimples?" Manny blinked at her husband's voice and smiled.

"Never better."

* * *

Kelly let out a sigh as she sat down at the dining room table.

"Are you alright?" Emma asked her daughter.

"Just mapping out the entire estate." Kelly answers. "It's huge! How did one person live here alone for so long?"

"Well… He did have Ericka…" Emma trailed off. Kelly frowned. "I'm just saying. He wasn't here completely alone. He had someone."

"It's someone I'm sure he could have done without." Kelly stated. "Mom, can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Emma replied.

"Do you think…? I mean, I know things are changing so fast but…" Kelly sighs once more. "I don't know. I'm just wondering if things will change. You know, with Jordan, Maddox, Ana, and Cam. They…"

"Are you wondering if you being rich will stop you from being my daughter or not? Because it won't." Kelly smiles as Emma places a hand on her head. "There's nothing that can pull me away from my headstrong daughter. And I don't think the others will change the way they look at you. You are their big sister, after all."

"Thanks Mom." Kelly replied as Shane groggily walks into the dining room. "Morning sleepyhead. Not used to the time zone yet?"

"I wasn't used to the one we live in." Shane grumbles. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

"Like a baby." Kelly said with a smile. "You?"

"I was up all night trying to reach Dee. The first few times she wouldn't answer, then I got some giggling girl on the line, and finally it goes straight to voicemail. I don't want to sound like, well me, but I'm worried." Shane said.

Kelly grins softly. "I'm sure she's fine. Besides, I need you with me today so we can cook for the family."

"The family…?" Shane's voice trailed off.

"Yeah. My, _our_, new grandparents don't leave until tomorrow and our new aunt and cousins are leaving tonight. _So_ I thought it was only fair if we all got to know one another." Kelly explained. "And I need you to help me do that."

"Kelly! We don't have anything in here to cook!" Emma and Kelly gave Shane a deadpanned stare. "Okay, that was a terrible argument. But we don't know what they like."

"Then we'll just have to fix a lot of things." Kelly said. "Come on bro, you promised you'd help me through this and I have to know them. Please?"

"Fine, fine, I'll help. I just didn't think you were serious about the whole cook for your family thing…" Shane said. "Especially at ten in the morning…"

Kelly rolled her eyes. "Why do I have the laziest guy as an older brother?"

"Because my parents had a daughter _after_ I was born and it just so happened to be you." Shane answers. Kelly smiles at his statement. "Any other questions I can help you with Kelly?"

"Yeah. Fish or chicken?" Shane sighed.

"Let's just see all that you have first." Shane answered. "I can't believe I'm doing this…"

"Shane, help your sister." Emma said. "In fact, we'll both help your sister." Kelly grins at her mother. "Come on you two. Let's show the Harper's just how we do in Toronto."

"Yeah, two Masons and a former Mason." Shane cheered flatly.

"Remember," Emma says with a smile. "Half of you comes from me."

Shane and Kelly paled.

"Mom! We don't want to hear how we're made!" Kelly whined.

"Yeah, that's sick!" Shane adds as Emma just laughs.

"Come on you two. We have a lot of work to do."

* * *

Amber sighed as she leaned against the backseats of her brother's car. She was glad to know that Simon was willing to drive them to Wasaga Beach to meet up with some of their friends. It was Jayden who invited James as the two were friends and teammates. Though Amber really wished that a certain blonde friend of hers and their redheaded cheerleading co-captain did not argue or fight today. It was really a nice day out.

"You okay?" Marc asks Amber, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Fine," Amber answered with a smile. "Just thinking. It's such a lovely day."

Mary-Jane, who sat to Amber's right while Marc sat to Amber's left, snorts.

"You already sound like an old house mom." Amber glares at her friend who is casually staring at the buildings and cars they are driving by.

"Whatever Mary-Jane." Amber said before frowning. "You didn't call Tyler?"

Mary-Jane glances forward, staring at Simon through the rearview mirror.

"I told you, Tyler and I are done." Mary-Jane announces.

"Uh-huh," Amber stated skeptically. "Then who has been occupying your time lately? And don't say no one because I know MJ."

Mary-Jane remains quiet before looking back out of the window. She and Simon were still unofficial, yet exclusive. Unlike how her relationship with James began, she and Simon have not had sex yet. She has thought about it, but chose against it for unknown reasons.

"Is there someone MJ?" Now James was on her case…

"Jealous?" Mary-Jane practically spits back at him.

"Sorry. Just wanted to know." James stated. "You do have a knack of disappearing when you meet some new guy. So not all what Amber is saying is just her being annoying."

"Hey!" Amber calls.

"I don't have a new guy in my life! Jesus, do you two share one brain or something?" Mary-Jane replied. "All I want to do is graduate, go to Banting with my best friend, and hopefully help her raise her beautiful son or daughter. Period."

"So," Simon finally speaks. "There isn't _anyone_ in your life at all?"

He was teasing her and she knew it. She would make him pay for it later, but for now, the show must go on.

"What? Are you jealous too?" Mary-Jane said before adding in a flirtatious tone, "You shouldn't have pushed me away when we were younger Si. All of this could have been yours…"

"Along with the headaches that I'm sure comes with that package." Simon chuckles.

"Yeah… It does…" James mutters.

"Ditto." Marc adds.

Mary-Jane glances at her two exes before making eye contact with Simon in the reflection again.

"Assholes." she said. "None of you better look at me when I'm in my bikini then. Wouldn't want you to catch a headache."

Amber smiles. "Don't tease them all MJ. I do date one of them."

Barely, Mary-Jane thinks. She just returns the smile before going back staring out of the window. She thought about her relationship with Simon and just how well Amber would take it. Of course, the longer the two waited, the angrier Amber would surely be. Yet, if they just outright said it, Amber might not approve of it either. She would not approve of _Mary-Jane_. So there was a very good reason Mary-Jane and Simon had yet told Amber about them.

"Ooh! Can we get something to eat first?" Mary-Jane slowly looks at her best friend with a smile.

"Sure sis." Simon said. "What did you have in mind?"

Amber shrugs. "Anything is fine." Amber then looks at Marc. "Suggestions?"

"Not really." The boy said before Amber looks at Mary-Jane.

"Anything you pick is fine. So long as I don't end up looking like some greasy house when we leave." Mary-Jane said. Reading Amber's face she sighs. "Hon, you're pregnant, not obese."

"And you are barely showing." James inputs.

"Exactly," Mary-Jane continues. "So just worry about making sure my godchild is well fed, 'kay?" Amber nods. "Seriously, what would you all do without me?"

Simon smirks. "Let's not find out."

Mary-Jane had to hide her blush, turning back out of the window.

"Right…"

* * *

Deanna groaned. Her head was killing her and her stomach did not feel any better. She felt nauseous and dizzy and just downright angry at the world for being so freaking bright. She looked to her right and spotted her parents talking. Or rather, her father practically yelling at her mother for whatever the reason was.

"…daughter in the hospital!" Fitz continues. "Seriously Delilah, have you really become that selfish?"

"Fuck off Mark!" Deanna almost passed out at the sound of her mother cursing. Her mother _never_ curses. "That boy was trouble and if you knew him, you'd feel the same!"

"I worked with his dad. How much trouble could he be?" Fitz questioned. "She was out there drinking her problems away while you continued to add to her problems! Why couldn't you just put aside whatever-"

"Deanna!" Mrs. Hughes instantly says when she notices her daughter's eyes on them. "How are you feeling sweetie?"

"Like crap." Deanna said. "What happened?"

"You nearly killed yourself drinking." Fitz tells her. "What did I tell you Dee? No more drinking. Did you even call Shane like you said you would?"

"You told her to speak to _him_?" Mrs. Hughes hisses. "He's the reason she's here."

"The guy is in freaking Arizona, Delilah. How in the hell is this his fault?" Deanna stared at her mom. Her dad had a strong point there.

"Because Deanna felt unworthy being with him and in reality she's too good for him." Deanna now looks at her dad. Now her mother had a strong point.

Fitz only sighs. "Delilah, our children are nothing more but spoiled brats thanks to you and your husband. They don't know anything about working or heartbreaks or any of that stuff because you just continue to give them what they want." Deanna shifts uncomfortably in the bed as Fitz stares at her. "You like the guy, don't you? Well stop feeling sorry for yourself and call him already."

"Mark!" Mrs. Hughes exclaims.

"She needs to hear this," Fitz continues. "Or else she's going to end up a bitter old woman married to some guy she doesn't even love because it's all she has left." Fitz pauses before looking at his ex. "Sound familiar?"

Deanna's mouth slowly opens in shock as she realized that her mother _did_ still love her dad. All this time she thought the woman hardly gave a damn and in reality, her parents were very much in-love.

"Deanna, honey," Mrs. Hughes said. "You just rest. We'll get you out of here as soon as you're ready."

Deanna nods and attempts to get comfortable on the hospital bed. She watched her father walk out with a rather cheap cell phone in hand, but chose not to say anything about it. The last thing she wanted to do was anger him by proving him right about how spoil she really was.

Fitz steps into the hall, waiting on his call to be answered.

"Mark Fitzgerald I swear to God I will kill you if you call me one more time today!" Bianca growled.

"I need you to tell your son-in-law that Dee's in the hospital." Fitz said.

"What? Why would I do that? Ask Chloe or Owen or Anya to do it." returns Bianca.

"Their children aren't banging the McDuelle kid, now are they?" When Bianca remains quiet, Fitz smirks. He finally beat the argumentative woman in a verbal dispute. "So will you do it for me? I'll pay you back."

"Fine, fine," Bianca said. "But why? Are you trying to replace my daughter with yours?"

"No. It's just that his friend used to date Dee and-"

"And he'll get worried and call his friend and his friend will come to the rescue," Bianca finishes. "Trust me, I know all about it. Laura won't shut up some times." Bianca then sighs. "Fine, I'll call him. Just stop calling on my day off. It's beginning to piss me off."

"Thanks. Bye." Bianca hangs up instantly before Fitz does the same thing.

Now all he had to do was get in touch with his son and figure out why Deanna really began drinking.

If only he could find him…

* * *

Jayden's brows rose. "Wow… You look great… Dash." Laura huffed as she crossed her arms, Jayden and Emmanuel laughing a bit. "I'm kidding Laura. Sort of. Dash does look great but you… You look amazing."

While Dakota wore a rather simple- yet alluring- red bikini, Laura wore a black monokini that revealed quite a bit of skin. A lot more than Jayden had originally thought. The over-zealous part of him thought about punching Braxton and Emmanuel for even _seeing_ Laura. But the lusting part of him was too busy staring at her to even raise a hand.

"Come on Dimples," Laura said. "I need sunscreen."

Emmanuel and Braxton turned towards Jayden with a hint of envy.

"Thank you God." Jayden said as he looks at the blue sky. He then looks at Laura. "Lead the way Beautiful."

Dakota rolls her eyes a bit. Her friend sure knew how to steal the guys' attention.

"You look beautiful." Emmanuel said.

Dakota blushed. "Th-thanks. Um, come on. Laura said she found the perfect spot to just relax this way."

"Sure." Emmanuel said.

Braxton sighs a bit before he sees Helen nearing him with her cousin and friends. He'd be stupid to just outright ignore how great Scarlett, Nicole, and Jacquelyn looked in their own bikinis, but forced his eyes not to move so much away from Helen's body.

"Where'd your perverted friend go?" Helen asked as Braxton slowly embraced her.

"They set up somewhere over there." Braxton said. "Did you want to join them?"

"The more the merrier." Helen replied. "Besides, when can I ever rub my boyfriend in his face?"

Braxton laughs. "I don't think he'd even pay attention. Laura came out in this little-"

"Stop right there." Helen interrupted. Braxton nods as she slowly rises on her toes to whisper the last part. "Scarlett…"

Braxton nods once more, realizing that his girlfriend was not mad that he had taken notice in Laura's appearance, but wanted him to avoid Scarlett's wrath. Though, he was idly wandering how Jayden would keep his eyes on Laura when Scarlett's top was barely covering her breasts at all. He knew Scarlett was not slutty or anything, but one could not tell by what she was wearing.

"Onward to relaxation!" Nicole says happily.

Helen rolls her eyes playfully. "The idiots I know… This way Braxton. You can make sure that I don't get sunburn." Helen smirks up at her boyfriend. "You do know how to do that right?"

"Sunscreen?"

"Or… Just lying on top of me." Helen said.

Scarlett scoffs. "You and J.T are spending _way_ too much time together!"

Helen only laughs, though Braxton was wondering if she was serious or not. Helen was unpredictable like that.

* * *

Aaron watched as his two friends stared at Laura from their spots in the water. He wanted to say something but chose against it. Laura would probably kill them later if she had the care.

"Do you think in the future Leona will look like that?" Dustin asks.

"You know what, I don't even know." Ashton answered. "But if Brie does turn out like that, I will never let her talk to any of her guy friends without me there again."

"You are so right…" Dustin said.

Aaron sighed heavily. He saw what they did in Laura but was unable to say or do anything about it. She was with his brother and would remain so. And as if to test his patience further, Dustin and Ashton's gaze goes a bit further down the beach.

"And then there's Danni and Raven…" Dustin said.

Ashton frowned. "What about Bella?"

"She's dating my brother. I can't look at her. That's like in-law incest." Aaron stared up at the sky. Did Dustin really just say that after commenting about a girl who his brother was _engaged_ to? "Right A.J?"

"Yeah…" Aaron said before spotting Chandra swimming towards him. "Hey."

Chandra smiled. "What are you guys in here doing?"

"They were wondering if my sister-in-law was hotter than my sister." Aaron said. "While I was wondering if my girlfriend felt better than she did this morning."

Dustin and Ashton glared at Aaron. The boy was starting to learn how to lie ever-so-smoothly to make them look worse and him look better. And what was worse was the fact that he was not lying completely, more like embroidered what was actually happening.

Chandra, of course, sneered at the other two boys.

"We have the entire day at the beach and you want to spend it staring at Laura and Danni? How do you even have girlfriends?" Chandra asked.

"Santos would be staring at them too if they weren't family." Ashton answered.

"If he weren't too busy staring at you like a pervert…" Dustin quips.

Chandra smiles. "He can stare at me all he wants. We are dating."

"We know." Dustin and Ashton drawls out.

"Come on," Chandra said to the guys. "Let's play volleyball. Guys versus girls."

Ashton snorts. "Really want to start our trip off losing to us?"

"As if," Chandra said. "First, its _five_ girls and against _three_ guys. Secondly, Nessa _and_ Leona have played volleyball for the school and A.J and Ashton don't even play sports."

"I do too! Just not for any team." retorts Ashton.

"_Sure you do_…" Chandra said.

Aaron saw Ashton and Dustin give him similar stares and released a quiet breath. He hated being the mediator everyday.

"Bambi," Aaron began. "Could you go back with the girls for a sec?" Chandra gave Aaron a firm stare, one his father and brother has dubbed a woman's death glare. "It will only be for a sec and then I'll join you with or without these two. I promise."

Chandra's stare slowly weakened before she nods.

"Don't let your friends get you into trouble Mr. Santos." Chandra said before slowly swimming back for the shore.

"You two owe me." Aaron mutters under his breath, barely loud enough for his two companions to hear.

Dustin smirks. "You know, if it is any compensation, I still think Bambi is kind of hot."

"In an annoying kind of way, she is." Ashton adds.

"First my brother's girlfriend, then my sister, and now my girlfriend," Aaron replied. "When will it end with you two? It's starting to become very annoying."

"Hey, no one told you to have Manny McDuelle as your mom, Danni McDuelle as your sister, or tell Jayden to bang Laura. It just happened." Ashton points out.

"Yeah, you should be lucky we stare." Dustin said.

Aaron sighed in defeat. "Good grief…"

* * *

Dakota watched her two best friends in amusement. Laura was not kidding when she told Jayden to put some sunscreen on her, but she also demanded a back massage to go with it. Strangely, that is where the always perverted Jayden McDuelle drew the line. He suggested that they went out and did something platonic on the beach. Of course, Laura won that debate and here they were now.

"You know," Laura sighs out. "I could get used to this. A massage every day after work. The kids asleep or outside playing. And no worries at all."

"You know there is a line between pampering and spoiling right? This crosses said line." Jayden replied.

"Oh be quiet. With as many times as you've touched my ass, you should be lucky I don't stop you." Laura comments.

"She has you beat there." Helen quips from her spot on her beach towel next to Laura's. "With how many times as you've whined about how you miss her, you should be happy that's she actually here in a good mood."

"Your ex is right. Listen to her Dimples." Jayden rolls his eyes.

"I think I liked it better when you two hardly spoke around each other and it was never about me." Jayden said. "Man… Where's Shane at when I need him? He would help me out."

"I can't believe you." Laura said.

"Yeah," Helen continued. "You're here in Jayden's heaven with half-naked girls lying all around you and you're thinking about Plain Shane. I'm starting to wonder if it's a bromance between you two or something else."

"Whatever Helen," Jayden responded. "Whatever."

"When does he come back?" Scarlett speaks for the first time since sitting down.

"Um… I don't know actually. In fact…" Jayden was interrupted by Laura's phone. "Oh great. The monster-in-law."

Laura shot her fiancé a dirty look before answering.

"Yeah Mom?"

"Where's your boyfriend? I need to talk to him." Laura was a bit shocked at that statement but held her phone out to Jayden.

"Here. It's for you."

Jayden sighs as he takes the phone.

"Yes?" he said.

"Call your friend. Tell him that Deanna's in the hospital and she wants to talk to him." Bianca practically demands.

Jayden frowns, his hands no longer moving on Laura.

"Wait, hold on a sec," Jayden said. "Deanna's in the hospital? For what?"

"Drinking I think." Bianca answered. "But that's not important. Just relay the message already."

"I will. Thanks." Bianca just hangs up causing Jayden to look at his girlfriend. "We're really going to have to teach her proper manners."

"Yeah, yeah," Laura waves him off. "What's this about Deanna in the hospital? And why did she call and tell you?"

"Your mom wants me to relay the message to Shane for some reason and Deanna's in the hospital possibly for drinking herself into a coma." Jayden explains.

Nicole snorts. "Serves her right…"

"Nicky! That's a terrible thing to say!" Jacquelyn chastised.

"I'm sorry, but she told me to go snort crack under a rock. I don't even snort that stuff anymore." Helen smirks at her friend's comment.

"Oh? Is there something else that you snort now?" Helen questioned.

"No!" Nicole said as she sits up. "I'm going to go in for a dip. Anyone coming with?"

"I will _after_ someone finishes his job." Laura said.

Jayden chuckles. "Babe, I'll be working as your loving annoying lover for the rest of our lives, so you might want to rephrase that."

"Rub me!" Laura demands.

"Okay… But you are wearing a-"

"Not there you pervert!" Laura said, Jayden laughing with a Braxton. "And you, stop laughing. Helen, make him stop laughing."

Helen's smile only widens. "Oh no. I think this is the perfect opportunity to point and laugh at you." Laura huffs. "I thought I'd never see the day that the all powerful Laura Reynolds is defeated by a few fingers and a dimpled smile. Oh how the mighty has fallen."

"Oh shut up. You were probably the same way." Laura said. "Hell, I know you were."

"And I remember you saying how 'pointless' love was," Helen returns. "So what's your point?"

"Point is you fell first." Laura said.

"You fell harder." Helen retorts.

"I…" Laura pauses and Jayden raises a brow. Did Helen just get one over on his girlfriend? "Bitch."

Jayden looks to see that Helen is content with Laura's latest response as it was really a sign of defeat than a comeback. He grins a bit, continuing his massage. He could feel Laura relaxing more and realized that maybe she and Helen had some mutual respect for one another. Now if only he could get her and Scarlett to be on the same page would everything be alright.

"Don't you think you should call Shane now?" Scarlett pipes.

Jayden pauses in his handiwork. "Hmm, maybe you're right." Laura huffs quietly. "I haven't forgotten about you Laura. Just give me a sec."

Helen looked over to her cousin who could barely detain the smile on her face. If anyone doubted that Scarlett was more devious than Helen, then Helen would like to call them idiots. Scarlett J. Chessex was always plotting and planning, just like now. One day said plotting and planning would come and bite the girl in the ass much worse than it already has.

Hopefully sooner rather than later…

* * *

Jay had to raise his brows in shock as his son entered his apartment. With Gabrielle at Wasaga Beach with her friends, Jay thought that he would have a day to himself as she was his only child that willingly visited him. Nathan was normally told by his mother or escorting Gabrielle when he did.

"Everything okay?" Jay asked though he knew Nathan was pissed about something.

"No," Nathan responds as he drops on the couch. "My girlfriend was probably two steps away from OD'ing on pills and her friend passed out from drinking too much. And to make it worse, no one is telling who gave Steph the pills in the first place."

"Then don't worry about it." Nathan glared at his father.

"Don't joke like that." Nathan spat.

"I wasn't." Jay said as he cross his arms. "Son, the overall ending of this is that Stephanie is alright and you have to make sure that she stays that way. How can you do that when you're out here chasing a ghost practically?"

Nathan sat in thought now. His dad had a strong point. He could not be in two places at once. He clearly wanted to be there for Stephanie through the entire ordeal, _but_ he also wanted to find the loser who put her there in the first place. During his calmest moments, Stephanie came first. During these times of anger…

"Nate, look," Jay stated. "You will have more opportunities to go find this guy. Hell, I'll help you look when I'm not busy." Nathan gave him a deadpan stare. "Not today though. Anyway, my point is that your girlfriend needs you and you're too angry and stupid to realize it."

"Is that what Mom and Alex used to say about you?" Nathan returned.

"All the damn time." answers his father. "I don't want you, or Brie for that matter, to make the same mistakes I made. Brie especially."

While the favoritism was as clear as day, it never bothered Nathan. Gabrielle was, dare he say, lovable. There was something about his younger sister that made him regret all the wrong things he had said to her. What was odd was that Gabrielle _forgave_ _him_ for what he used to say and do to her. With that being said, Nathan was beyond okay with Gabrielle being the favorite child of their father's. She deserved it.

"Maybe you're right," Nathan said rising from his seat. "Stephanie first."

Jay smirked. "Did you really think I was wrong, son?" Nathan huffed, hating whenever he had to admit defeat and his father mocked him. "Now is that all you came to talk about?"

"Yeah… Though I'm starting to wonder why I came over here in the first place. _I_ could have thought of that plan." Nathan said.

"Then why didn't you?"

Damn it, Nathan thought, Jay was mocking him again! And what was worse is Nathan could not say or do anything about because… Well because…

He actually could _not_ think of what to do alone.

"Nate," Jay said. "I am your dad. You coming to me for questions is what you're supposed to do, not just run out here and dive into life head first. Well technically…" Nathan saw his father pause and frowned. "All I'm saying is that you can't go out there and do some shit without talking to me first. Because I've done it all before and can tell you from experience what comes out of it."

"Is that what Brie comes over for?" Nathan asked.

Jay shook his head. "Not all the time. Some times I think she's too nice to be my daughter. And other times…"

"Other times…?" Nathan egged his father on.

Jay laughed. "Just don't embarrass her in front of her little boyfriend."

Nathan found himself smirking a bit. He had remembered the look Gabrielle gave him the day he caught Dustin standing too close to her at her locker and how angry she sounded when the spoke later about it. And then there were the many times he had joked about her non-existing crush on Aaron. Oh, how Gabrielle _hated _it when he did that in front of Ashton.

"You should get going." Jay told Nathan.

"Yeah, I'm going." Nathan said walking towards the door where Jay stood. "Um, Dad…"

"You're welcome." Jay said opening the door. "Now go. I have peace and quiet to get back to."

Nathan only nods, leaving his dad's apartment. It was weird that he could show gratitude to _anyone_ else but Jay. It was as if there was something about his father that stopped Nathan from saying the words "thank you" or something of the sorts to him. Nathan pauses in his thoughts as he realizes that he has even thanked _Jayden_ before and he hated the guy!

Sighing, Nathan wondered if all guys had this problem with their fathers or if it was just him. Though something told him it was neither; it was just Jay.

* * *

"What?!" Kelly's voice scared Mr. Whitsett as she shouted/screamed at her brother. "Deanna's in the hospital?!"

"Yeah…" Shane answered. "Jay called to tell me." Shane saw the worried look on his sister's face. "Kelly, I hate to say this but, I want to cut this trip short. For her sake."

"No, I understand." said Kelly.

"But I don't want to leave you here or make you come home earlier than you want to." Shane continued. "So you tell me what you want to do. This is your trip, after all."

"Shane," Kelly began. "This is _our_ trip. We're here to meet my dad's family and get away from Cameron crying all day and Jordan whining all night. If you think we should go, we should go."

"But what about meeting your family?" Kelly smiled.

"I already have big brother." her response made Shane smile. "So what did you want to do?"

"First thing tomorrow morning," Shane said. "But in the meantime, we have a whole new family to meet."

"It's like meeting our godmother and her family all over again." Kelly said.

"Except Jay isn't here to flirt with you and-"

"You can't drool over Danni." Kelly interrupted.

Shane chuckled. "Yeah, that."

* * *

Steven had not left the hospital all day, getting calls from James about going to the beach and from Tyler about the next party. He doubted that he would join either of them as he stared at Deanna's sleeping form. He wanted to be here for her even if it is his fault that she was currently here.

"You can leave anytime now. I'm sure she's fine." DeWayne spoke to Steven. "Deanna's always been a good actress, especially when Dad is around."

"Your dad seems to hate me. Kind of like all parents." Steven remarked.

DeWayne shrugged. "You deserve it." Steven glared at the younger teen. "Not that it's going to matter, but what happened? What _really_ happened?"

"I don't know. We were kissing and just before anything else happened, she just passed out." answered Steven. "I thought she was dead."

DeWayne remained silent for a while. He, too, thought his closest relative had died and refused to let anyone know just how grief-stricken he was. When he found out that she was relatively okay, he left with his stepdad to see his sister. His parents did not tell him what happened or how Deanna got there but he knew that they would soon.

"So are you going to just stay here? Your mom is here." DeWayne states.

Steven nods. "Yeah, I am. Beats going home and having everyone blame me for everything." Steven looks at Deanna's body. "I hope she doesn't hate me."

"Deanna hates everyone. Get over it." DeWayne counters.

"Not everyone. Not me." Steven said as he pulled out his phone. DeWayne looks over the boy's shoulder and sees a picture of his twin and Steven kissing. "I just wish…"

DeWayne let a smirk come onto his face. This picture was the perfect thing to keep Shane away from Deanna. From there, it was all up to Nicole to get the boy back or not. He really did not care. Not if she had to live up to her end and finally bring Scarlett to him.

* * *

It was well into the evening when Jayden decided that it was time to go home to his kids. Today had been one of the better days, especially when James had arrived. Relaxing and playing with his siblings and friends were great, but the fact that Laura was having a good time with _Helen_ of al people just topped the day off.

Plus he got to embarrass Dakota in front of her boyfriend which made up for all the times she sided with Laura instead of with him.

"Are you ready?" Jayden asked. With Hakim taking Chandra and Vanessa home, Danica taking Aaron, and Emmanuel and Dakota going on a date, his only passenger was his fiancée.

"Yeah." Laura said. She now wore just a large shirt over her slightly wet bathing suit, something that Jayden was not objective of at all. "Today was fun."

"Spent the day with Danni and A.J without killing one of them? Yeah, today was a good day." Jayden said starting the SUV up. "Now let's get my car and our kids from my parents and return home."

"I thought you and I didn't live together?" Laura teased Jayden.

"You know what I mean." Jayden said with a smile, driving off. "Besides, it's not like you spend much time at home with your dad anyway."

"He's always at work." Jayden snorted at Laura's words. "What?"

"How would you know? You're always with me." Jayden countered.

Laura smiled and looked away. Today had been one of the best days of her life and she was really not trying to let Jayden win _another_ debate on said day, even if it was for fun. She did have her pride to think of.

"You know," Jayden said. "I don't think I've made this clear to you yet or not, but I really am happy that you said yes to my proposal." Laura glanced at the boy as he drove. "You may not know this, but I truly do love you more than any other girl that walks this Earth. Except for our daughter, of course, but that's a different type of love."

"I love you too Jayden." Laura replied taking his hand into hers. "And I can't wait until we get married."

Jayden smiles. "I can't either."

The two drove in a blissful silence until Jayden glanced at the car riding next to him.

"Laura get down!"

Laura would never see or know what Jayden was talking about as he instinctively pulled her body under his. Loud bangs of gunshots ran through the air before she felt the car jerk as it collided into something. An eerie warmth ran down her face as she dreads at what the feeling is; blood. And before she blacked out, she cried out to Jayden.

He couldn't die on her.

He just couldn't.

* * *

**Author's Note:** So, I did finish the last three episodes, but I have not had time to upload them. Fear not because I'll just keep the schedule and post on Fridays. Anyway, how do you like the chapter? The next one will be the next-to-last episode of Season 5 and was _really_ hard to do for some reason. But I won't give out any spoilers or anything of that sorts. Thanks for reading and please leave a review.


	152. S5 Episode XVIII: Irreplacable

**Episode XVIII: Irreplaceable**

Silence was never a good thing, especially in a hospital. She remembered the last time she was in this predicament. It was when Jason died. She remembered the grave toll it took on all of them. But now, as she walked to find Jayden's family waiting, she had another problem.

They still hated her.

Scarlett's eyes looked at Danica's tearstained face, the woman sending her a chilling glare yet said nothing. Normally said glare would send Scarlett in the opposite direction. Today was different.

"Is he okay?" Scarlett asked quietly.

"I don't know." Danica answered. "We haven't heard about either of them."

Scarlett nods and sits beside Danica. She saw Jayden's other siblings' saddened faces before sitting back and closing her eyes. She wasn't one to pray for a lot, but this was a dire situation. She needed him to be alright.

Scarlett took her hands and smoothed her hair back. It was an act that Danica caught and released a sigh.

"He'll be alright Scar. You have to have a little faith." The young woman said before rising from her seat. "I'm going to join Bella in the cafeteria. Did you want anything?"

"I'm fine. Thanks." Scarlett said.

Scarlett felt so out of place. None of the McDuelle children even acknowledged her and Jayden's parents were keeping a careful watch on her. And to think that these were people that she was having dinner with a few months ago; laughing and enjoying the evening. Did one little incident put so much between them now?

"What the hell is she doing here?" Bianca's voice broke Scarlett out of her thoughts. "She-"

"Bianca, calm down." Mr. Reynolds attempted to soothe.

"Calm down? This girl ruined what little happiness our daughter has!" Bianca shot back before pointing to Scarlett. "Laura has been subjected to hell thanks to what she has done! And now we don't even know if she's…! Ugh!"

"Scarlett," Maxwell spoke to her. "Come with me."

Scarlett nodded, standing up and moving with the man away from Bianca's rage while Mr. Reynolds and Manny attempted to calm Laura's mother down. Scarlett was led to another part of the waiting room, this side being occupied by two other people. When Maxwell sat on a couch and patted the seat next to him, Scarlett found herself obliged to sit next to him.

"Thank you for coming." Scarlett nods at his words. "If you haven't noticed yet, Bianca's still pissed at what you did."

"I know. I'm sorry about that too. I just-"

"Now is not the time or place for that. Right now our focus is on Laura and Jayden and if they will be alright." Maxwell interrupted. "Did your parents drop you off?"

"No. When I got the news, I called a cab. Helen said she'd meet me up here." Scarlett responded. "Um, Mr. McDuelle, is it bad that my main concern is on Jayden? I mean, I don't want anything bad to happen to Laura either but… I can't help but feel like…"

Maxwell gave her a smile. "It's fine. A little selfish, but fine nonetheless. Just don't let anyone else hear it or else." Scarlett nodded and the man stood up. "I'm going back on the other side. I'll send Manny or Danni over to keep you company."

"I'm fine." Scarlett spoke softly.

"Scarlett, no one deserves to be alone. That's a lesson I think I've taught all of my children. And I'm sure Jayden's told you that once or twice." Maxwell said. "Just sit tightly. If we learn anything I'll let you know."

"Sure." Scarlett said with a smile before the man walked away.

Scarlett soon burrowed her face in her hands. She was not good at this. In all her life, she had never had to apologize much. And truthfully there were only three people that she actually meant said apologies to; Helen, Jayden, and Danica in that order. Now it might be too late for Jayden and Danica would never sit in the same room with her again if the worst should happen.

Scarlett felt her breath hitch. If the worst could happen, she would never see Jayden again. Everything that has happened between them over the past few months would be nothing but memories. Memories that will do nothing but make her feel worse.

"Here," Scarlett looked up to see Danica holding a cup of coffee towards her. Isabella stood next to Danica with the same grave look. "You look like you could use this."

"Thanks." Scarlett said taking the cup. She hesitates before taking a sip of the beverage.

"We were going to go check in on him," Isabella announced. "Did you want to come?"

"May I?" Scarlett questioned, her blue eyes locking on Danica's brown ones.

Danica sighed. "I won't stop you, but I want you to know that if Laura's parents overreact, I won't stop them either. I won't stop Bianca."

"Danni, I have to see him." Scarlett told the young woman.

"I know," states Danica silently. "I just wish that…" Danica pauses wiping a tear from her eye. "Come on. Let's go see if anything has changed."

Scarlett stood up and followed the two young women out of the room. In order to keep her thoughts from becoming even more depressing than they already were, she thought of a time when she, Danica, and Isabella would hangout as friends. A time when the three of them and Raven could go out and have a nice time in order to get her mind off of whatever it was Jayden was or was not doing with Laura.

"So how did you get here? I didn't see Helen or your parents." Danica questioned.

"Cab." Scarlett answered.

"You took a cab from Toronto to-"

"Yes." Scarlett cut Isabella off before the woman could even finish her statement. "I don't know why this surprises you."

"I… I guess you're right." Isabella said.

"Um," Scarlett said. "Do either of you know what really happened? The guy on the news just said that it was a bad car crash but wouldn't go into detail."

"It wasn't a fucking accident." Danica's words made Scarlett realize that her question was not the best one to ask now. "Some dick shoots up the car while they're driving and Jayden apparently tried to protect Laura."

"Oh my God!" Scarlett gasps.

"They were both hit," Isabella continues in a calmer fashion. "And the wreck didn't do them any favors so now we're just waiting for the doctors to give us some good news."

"If they can." Danica muttered.

"Danni-"

"I already watched them fail to save my nephew. It's not like I have much faith in these people." Scarlett could only nod. She understood Danica's anger as she remembers how pissed Danica was during the earlier fiasco.

Isabella put an arm around her friend.

"They will get through this Danni. I'm…" Isabella's words die as the trio watches a group of doctors wheel Jayden out on a gurney. Scarlett quickly turned her head away from the scene, unable to even look at her crush in this state.

"Wh-what's going on?" Danica stammered.

"Miss McDuelle, please go to the waiting room." one doctor told her as he attempted to usher the three away.

"Like hell! What's going on with my brother?!" Danica shouted at him.

"Miss McDuelle please-"

"Danni," Isabella said holding her friend back. "Come on. They're just doing their job."

"But they…!" Danica's anger slowly turned into misery. "They couldn't save Jason!"

"I know, I know," Isabella soothed. "But they will save Jayden and Laura."

Scarlett saw Danica seethe, but said nothing. Scarlett could not blame Danica for her anger. In fact, Scarlett would be just as vocal if she was not worried about the McDuelle Family or Bianca throwing her out for doing so. She was stead treading on thin ice with them and did not want to screw it up more than she already has.

"Let's go back to the waiting room." Isabella instructed. "Come on Scar."

Scarlett nods, but looks at the direction the doctors were taking Jayden. She wanted nothing more for the boy to sit up and say he was okay, but she knew that that was impossible. To think that they spent the previous day hardly speaking to each other despite her want to do so. How she wishes that that was different.

Scarlett shook those thoughts out of her head, following her older friends back to the waiting room. She had to keep positive, she kept telling herself. Everything would be alright later today. Jayden and Laura would be up and telling everyone not to be so soft, Laura especially. Jayden would then give her that dimpled smile before Laura kicked her out and things would go back to normal.

Hopefully.

"Hey," Scarlett looked at noticed Dakota's disheveled look. She figured that if the attack affected anyone, it would be her. "Any news? Are they going to be alright?"

"We haven't heard about Laura but Jay…" Isabella paused, her words not needing to be said. It was Scarlett's first time seeing Dakota cry. "Dakota they'll be alright."

Dakota only nods and its then that Scarlett realized that Emmanuel was still with her. The senior put an arm around her, bringing Dakota into a comforting hug. Scarlett's eyes drifted away. The scene, as tender as it was, reminded Scarlett that the boy she loved was currently the reason that they were all saddened. Well, part of the reason, Laura- as much as Scarlett hated to admit- was the other part.

"What the hell is taking them so long? Are they alright or not?" Bianca's voice reached their ears.

"Crazy bitch…" Danica chuckles under her breath, causing Isabella to laugh quietly as well. Even Scarlett had to smile.

"I feel so helpless." Dakota murmurs. "How did this happen? Why didn't I ride with them? I should've-"

"It was nothing you could have done." Danica says firmly. "You'd probably be in there with them. Or worse."

"But…" Dakota pleaded. "I… I mean they…"

"I know Dakota. They'll be fine." Isabella assured. "Now come on, let's get back to the waiting area. I'm sure we'll hear from the doctors soon."

"I guess I should call Shane…" Scarlett said.

Danica glanced at Scarlett. "…Thanks."

A small smile came to Scarlett's face.

"No problem."

* * *

Deanna took in a deep breath. Her parents were pissed at her and DeWayne had a cheeky air about him. She was sure that the news had spread amongst those in her mother's inner and professional circles. Deanna had literally drunk herself to a coma. Well, not technically a _coma_, but close enough. She just shuddered to think what Shane would think…

Her door opened to reveal Steven. He had been in and out of her hospital room all day and night, doing things such as sneaking in candy from the vending machines and tea. Deanna was nothing without tea.

"How're you feeling?" he asked her.

She smiled. "Better, thanks for asking. You should get home, don't you think?"

"I already talked to my folks. It's cool." Steven answered. "Last night, they say that Jayden got into a horrible car crash. Said it was serious."

"Oh…" Deanna was at a lost for words. It wasn't like the boy was her best friend who she confided her deepest darkest secrets to.

"Yeah," Steven continued. "He and Laura are still in critical condition. But, as you know, he was put on the top of the list and has been receiving treatment since they brought him in."

Deanna frowned. "I don't fame has anything to do with it Steven. I think the doctors are just trying to save a life no matter who it is."

"Yeah, well fame doesn't hurt, don't you think?" Deanna went to argue but lost the strength to. Was she really standing up for Jayden and Laura of all people? "My dad says that his dad had the whole staff on lock."

"Mr. McDuelle is a powerful man, but not that powerful. No one is." Deanna remarked.

Steven shrugs. "I believe it. They are known for getting everything they want." Again, Deanna does not argue. "So, um, sleep well?"

"Yeah."

They didn't click. Deanna wished Steven could see this. She and Steven Manning would never be anything but acquaintances and schoolmates. Nothing more.

"You know," said Steven. "DeWayne told me why you didn't like me." Deanna frowned. "Shane? You're still in to him, aren't you?"

"I guess…" It wasn't his business to know if she was still in love with her ex or not, right?

"I guess I have a lot to compete against. In your eyes." Steven stated. "But I'll try."

"Why…?" Deanna asked.

"Because," answers the boy as he stepped towards her bed. "You're so beautiful. And I truly mean it. Whether you're studying, painting, ordering the cheerleaders, or just having a good time at a party, you are beautiful." Deanna felt her breath leave her as he stood next to her bed. "So beautiful Dee…"

His lips slowly came towards hers and she desperately wanted to see if a sober kiss would ignite some sort of feelings for him. But her mind kept telling her not to, like it did before she passed out.

"Get away from my girlfriend." Deanna gasps loudly as Shane's voice reached her ears. She and Steven turned to see Shane at the door, his eyes dead-set on the older boy. "I won't ask so nicely next time."

"You two broke up." Steven said angrily. "So she's free to kiss anyone she wants to."

"Is that why you sent me those pictures?" Shane questions flashing his cell phone. Steven frowns. "Yeah, I got them. Those pictures of you two kissing at some college party."

"I didn't…" Steven began.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that you're about to kiss my girlfriend and I don't like it. So move away." Steven glares at Shane. "Move."

"Shane, stop." Deanna said. "I don't even know how you knew that I was in the hospital."

"I didn't call." Steven mutters.

"Steven," Deanna stated. "Can you give us a second? I think we need to talk. Especially about boundaries."

Steven snorts, walking towards the door. Shane steps aside to let Steven out and closes the door behind him.

"Shane," Deanna began. "I don't know how you knew where I was or why you're here, but we-"

"Dee, shut up." Deanna's eyes widened as Shane walked towards her bed. "That's not important. What's important is that you're okay."

"But…" Deanna tried to respond, though lost the words when Shane was standing directly beside her.

"I love you Deanna Fitzgerald." Shane said quietly. "And I don't care if you're not perfect. You're perfect enough for me." Shane sees Deanna turn away and grins. "You do know that when Kelly gets down here, she's going to give you the same speech right? I think it's a lot better coming from me than her. She's been hyper these past few days…"

"Shane I…" Deanna paused again. "Look at us. We're no good for each other. I'm not good for you."

"Dee, you're the only person next to Kelly and my mom that gets me up for work and school. If that's not good for me, then I don't know what is." Deanna smiled as Shane took her hand into his. "I don't want to risk losing you and always thinking about the what-ifs. And you know how bad I am with words, so I'll just cut this short. Be my girlfriend again. Please."

Deanna only nods, closing her eyes as she feels him resting his forehead against hers. There was a feeling of relief that surged through her body and the headache that she had been battling with since yesterday was finally gone. A part of her still thought that this was a dream, though she hardly cared anymore. It was a great dream if it was.

"I have to check in with Kelly." Shane said quietly.

"Where is she?" Shane stands up straight, retrieving his phone from his pocket.

"You haven't heard about Jayden and Laura?" Deanna nods. "She and my mom went up there to be with them."

Deanna frowned. "And you came here?" Shane nodded. "Shane, Jayden is your best friend. He's your god-brother! Why would you come see me when he's in far worse conditions?"

"I'm sure he would understand Dee." Shane said. "I can't be in two places at once so I chose the person who I could not live without. That would be you."

"Still, you should've gone to see him." Deanna said with a blush.

"Deanna, I'm…" Mrs. Hughes words died as she spotted Shane Mason standing next to her daughter, hand-in-hand. "What is going on here? I thought I told you stay away from my daughter? And how did you know where she was?"

"I have good friends Mrs. Hughes. And I'm here because I date your daughter. And I'm not going to stay away from her because I love her."

Mrs. Hughes's face drops at the declaration while Deanna smiles brightly. The woman wanted her daughter to be happy, yet could not get passed the fact that Deanna drank because of Shane. Despite the boy never handing her a drink, he was still at fault. But if Deanna was alright, she figured she could let it go.

For today, that is.

"I will be outside." Mrs. Hughes said before departing quietly and closing the door behind her.

Deanna looked at Shane. "Did you mean it?"

"Every word." he replied.

"You're the greatest Shane Mason." Deanna said with a smile.

"Only second to you." Shane responds.

* * *

"Are you alright?"

Aaron looked at Jordan. It was a dumb question on her behalf, but he did not just want to explode on her for legitimately caring about his wellbeing. It wasn't her fault that Jayden and Laura were in a hit-and-run.

"I'm fine, I guess." Aaron returned.

Jordan gives him a sympathetic look. "A.J, don't lie to me. Your older brother is fighting for his life in there. I know that you have to be feeling _something_."

"I'm… I don't know. I'm pissed about this entire thing." Aaron told her. "I mean, who did this? Why? And why Jayden _and_ Laura? Are they coming for the rest of us? You maybe? Bambi?" Aaron paused. "I'm just confused and angry, that's all."

"And scared." Despite himself, Aaron nods at her words. "Its fine A.J, really it is. I was just making sure that you haven't lost yourself completely."

"And how would I do that?" asked the boy.

"By not admitting how you feel, especially to me." Jordan told him. "You know, if sitting here makes you feel uncomfortable, we can go to my grandparents' place. You know they stay up here so if you want to go…"

Aaron shook his head. "No. I'm fine here, where I should be." Jordan gives him a small nod of her head. "Thanks for the offer."

"I'm only doing it due to the situation. Don't make me a softy Santos." Jordan said with a smile and a nudge, a brief smile coming onto Aaron's face. "Oh come on. That was a pretty good Ashton impersonation and you know it."

Finally Aaron smiles. "Alright, you got me to smile Jordan. Are you happy?"

"Very." Jordan responds.

* * *

Mary-Jane could not believe what Amber was telling her. The two were, again, at Amber's house with Amber giving Mary-Jane the news about their classmates.

"We were just talking to them." Mary-Jane said. "It doesn't seem…" Mary-Jane paused. "It's scary to think about."

Amber only nods. They both understood how fast a tragedy could happen from domestic abuse to rape and now this. Amber was only surprise at how happy Laura looked at the beach. She had never seen the girl smile or laugh as hard as she was. And how Laura reacted with Aaron? It was as if she was born a McDuelle in secrecy.

Or was that just love?

"Amber," Mary-Jane began. "I've been meaning to tell you something."

Amber's brows rise. "Really? What is it?"

"Um, yesterday you were wondering _if_ I was seeing someone new, and I kind of am." Mary-Jane began in an uneasy tone.

"If you're just screwing some guy again MJ, just tell me. It's not like I'm going to overreact to something I already know." Amber told her friend.

"The thing is, I haven't had sex with him…"

"Yet…" Amber countered.

Mary-Jane huffed. "Why are you so sure that I'm going to sleep with him? Or already have?"

"Because it's you, Mary-Jane. This is what you do. Always have at least." Amber spoke. "I'm sorry if I'm offending you but it's the truth. You can't name a guy that you've dated since the eighth grade that you _haven't_ had any sexual encounters with."

"You know what? Forget you Amber." Mary-Jane shot back. "I haven't had sex with the guy because I'm too afraid to! I still think about Dylan beating me and I get insecure! He's the first guy that I've even let hold my hand!"

"Mary-Jane I'm sorry-"

"Save it!" Amber swallowed at her friend's outburst. "And FYI, the guy is Simon. You know? Your older brother? That's why I was so afraid of telling you because I knew you'd say something like this!"

"I…" Amber was speechless. Her brother was seeing her best friend and she did _not_ notice? How?

"Maybe," Mary-Jane continued. "If you weren't so caught up in James, you'd have the _decency_ to break up with Marc before you hurt him or at least give me and Simon your blessings. But you can't. Because that's what _you_ always do. Always have."

The two sit in silence with Amber racing to come up with some response. Honestly, she did _not_ approve of Mary-Jane making her brother another name on a rather long list. He was better than that despite his not-so-chivalrous past.

However, she understood the attraction and how it came about. Simon had been there for both of them during these hard times. And while Amber's love for him will always remain as siblings, Mary-Jane's has developed into something more. More than Tyler, Amber thought, since Mary-Jane had yet to sleep with him and has made some intimate contact with him after Dylan. Mary-Jane hardly let anyone touch her since her uncle's beatings.

"MJ," Amber spoke softly as she moved to the edge of her bed and sat. "I'm sorry, okay? I just… This is weird for me."

"Tell me about it." Mary-Jane murmured as she sat next to her friend. "Amber, remember when we were younger and I kept telling you that I was in love with your brother?" Amber nods. "Now… Now I really believe that. I mean, it's different. He doesn't care about the bruises on my back or if I comb my hair in the mornings. He makes me feel safe."

Amber smiled. "Yeah, well I knew him first and he always picked on me if my hair was nappy. But he does make me feel safe. Sometimes smothered."

"So… Are you cool with us? I mean, we were waiting to tell you at the best time but with the end of the year coming and exams and-"

"MJ! You're being jumpy again!" Amber scolds playfully. Mary-Jane instantly hushes herself cursing that forbidden habit of hers. "And it's fine, I guess. Just as long as you promise me that you won't do to him like you did to James or Marc."

Mary-Jane hugs her friend. "I won't! Thank you!"

"Mary-Jane! I'm pregnant remember?" Mary-Jane mutters and apology, loosening her hug. "Besides, I think it was destined for us to be sisters somehow, don't you think?"

"We're not talking marriage Amber, but whatever." Mary-Jane said. "Oh! There is one _more_ think I wanted to tell you."

"Don't tell me you two are planning on some romantic getaway to the tropics and leaving me behind…" Amber mumbled.

"No! It's got something to do with you, your not-really boyfriend, and your real boyfriend." Mary-Jane answered. "You were a little cozy with James at the beach, don't you think?"

Amber rolls her eyes. "This again… Look, MJ, I-"

"Just admit that you still love him and I'll lay off. Promise." Amber gave her friend a firm glare, though Mary-Jane Del Rossi backed down from no one.

"Fine, I do. But… I don't want to do that to Marc." Mary-Jane scoffs. "What?"

"You did it to him the _first_ time, remember?" Mary-Jane points out. "Just do it before prom so we can all have a good night, okay?"

Amber smiles. "It's a deal MJ."

The two girls share a smile, both rethinking of their past together. They had shared many similar events, starting from when they were small kids making up some fantasy life to today where they have faced some of the harshest realities and still managed. And they would forever manage so long as they had each other, just like their mothers before them.

* * *

Helen sat next to her cousin.

"How're you holding up?" Scarlett shrugs a bit. "Did they give you any news?"

Scarlett sighs. "They just took Jayden back for some reason. I guess it wasn't serious as they haven't said anything yet."

"Oh…" Helen stated. "I guess that's a bittersweet thing. I mean, he hasn't worsened."

"Helen," Scarlett said. "I don't know how to do it anymore. I mean, I'm sitting her biting my nails off questioning if I'll see him again. What if I don't? I know I'm selfish but… Could I live without him?"

"You have up until you met him so…" Helen answered.

"He's more than just some boy that I have feelings for," Scarlett argued. "He's my best friend. The only person who I can talk to when you're not around. Someone who I study with and run track with. I'll lose all of that. Not just the guy of my dreams but my one true friend as well…"

"I know what you mean." Helen said quietly. "When I heard about Nicky thinking about suicide… God… She's my true friend. The first person who I could actually tolerate being around, you included."

Scarlett laughs softly. "So glad you care."

"I'm being serious here. Nicky was actually the first person who I could stand being around and I really don't know why. Her carefree attitude is really obnoxious at points." Helen replied. "But when she was going through _that_, I was scared. Really scared. So I know exactly how you feel."

Scarlett placed her hands in her lap.

"I doubt that." she whispers. "A part of me blames myself for them being there. If I hadn't done what I did with DeWayne, none of this would be happening."

"You're right. It'd be you in there and me going off on every doctor in this place." Helen said as she puts a hand on Scarlett's shoulder. "Take a breath Scar. He'll be fine. Heck, knowing them, they're too stubborn to die."

"Or so you hope…" Scarlett responds.

Helen's face drops. "Yeah… I do."

* * *

Nathan was shocked when he saw Stephanie answer her door. She looked pale and her braids looked completely horrible, though he was not going to outright say it. For a second, he saw Nicole standing in front of him. He saw the beautiful thing that he destroyed a year ago. But he soon got rid of those thoughts.

As for Stephanie, she knew he found her supplier. His bruised lip told her that he had gotten into some altercation, most likely after he left her house last night. She thought about chastising him about fighting for her case, _again_, but knew better. He would always fight for her.

Nathan was unprepared for the hug she gave him, he almost being knocked off of his feet. He quietly reciprocated the hug just as tightly. In all his life, Nathan had never heard such a louder silence before. Emotions that he swore he'd never feel came rushing to him at once as he held the girl who had somehow gotten him to limit the number of cigarettes he smoked in a day. He was currently smoking once a month, last night being an exception after he found her supplier and beat the loser.

"I'm so sorry." Stephanie cried softly.

"Don't worry, I handled it." Nathan told her.

"But you shouldn't have. I shouldn't have been doing drugs." Stephanie tells him as she buries her head against his chest. "I'm such a screw up Nathan. How can you even still be with me?"

"Just because." Nathan answered. It was really the only answer that made sense.

"Yeah." Stephanie said as she looked up at Nathan. "This is the part where you kiss me, my hero."

Nathan grinned. "Now that I can do."

As Nathan pressed his lips against Stephanie's, he almost forgot why he came by. He wanted to make sure that she was alright. Last night she looked horrible, not that she looked that much better today. For once, she did not comment about the taste of cigarette that blended with the mint mouthwash he used earlier.

Pulling away, Stephanie clutched his hands in hers.

"How many?" Stephanie asked. Nathan frowned. "How many more chances do I have with you? Be serious."

"However many it takes until we get it right." Nathan responded. "Just don't ever go to the ravine again."

"It's a deal."

Stephanie knew it was not fair. She had dragged him through troubles with her parents, his father, and her growing drug addiction. She had a problem and he continued tried to help her. It was sad because now Nathan did not even joke about having sex with her. He was going to wait until she was ready and not a second sooner.

As she hugged him tightly again, she smiled. He may be a bit overprotective, but that was alright with her. Just as long as he never gave up on her, she was okay with everything.

* * *

Jacquelyn watched Nicole pace back and forth while Jacquelyn reclined in her bed with Damon. The trio was waiting for Helen to call back with more news on Jayden's and Laura's health, Nicole obviously more troubled than the other two.

"Nicky, calm down. They'll be alright." Jacquelyn comments.

"I can't help it." Nicole said, an unlit cigarette in her hand now. "I… I need to step out for a moment."

Jacquelyn sighs as Nicole leaves her bedroom. She gives Damon a sympathetic look and his arm releases her waist.

"Go." Damon said.

Jacquelyn gives him a small kiss before pursuing Nicole to her backyard. Since Jacquelyn's parents were currently not at home, it was fine for Nicole to smoke in the backyard like she was doing now. Normally Jacquelyn would tell Nicole that she had to stop smoking but today was an exception.

Though she still wanted her friend to quit the stupid habit.

"Are you okay?" Jacquelyn asked.

Nicole shook her head. "I don't think you know how I feel right now." Nicole exhaled a cloud of smoke. "These are my friends in trouble. My _good_ friends at that."

"I've been friends with Jay-"

"I'm not talking about just Jayden." Nicole snapped back. "Laura and I… I know I'm annoying Jackie, I get it, but she put up with me. _Me_. The only people that have done that are you, Helen, and Shane. Well, I guess you can add Kelly too, but that's it."

"So," Jacquelyn said as Nicole took another drag. "You're feeling bad about Laura as well? I honestly can understand feeling bad for her, but I don't think that she sees you in the same light."

"I don't remember her inviting you to her birthday." Jacquelyn hushed. Laura did personally invite Nicole to her birthday party at the McDuelle's house in January. "I'm sorry Jackie… I just get agitated easily. You know that."

"I know, I know," Jacquelyn replied as Nicole blows out more smoke. "But I'm sure that they are alright." Nicole nods slightly. "Come on Nicky. Let's put that out and go back inside. I'm sure Scooter's probably wondering if we're talking about him."

Nicole frowned. "Have you told him?" Jacquelyn shook her head as Nicole flicked some ash to the side. "Jackie, you have to. It's only a matter of time before he either finds out or Torrie tells him."

"Can we not talk about that?" Jacquelyn requests.

"I can't help it. It keeps my mind off of Laura and Jay." Nicole said.

Jacquelyn sighs, sitting on her back porch.

"Nicky, I can't just tell Scooter, okay? He'll flip and then he'll be mad at Torrie." Jacquelyn said. Nicole began shaking her head. "What? What's wrong Nicky?" Nicole sighs, a cloud of smoke coming out of her nostrils, before pointing behind Jacquelyn. The girl looked to see her boyfriend behind her. "Scooter! What're you doing…?"

"What can't you tell me Jackie?" Jacquelyn shoots Nicole a glare who only looks away sympathetically.

"I…" Jacquelyn began. "Well you know that 'job' that Torrie got me?" Damon nods slowly. "It's at a bar… As a dancer."

"Like a stripper?" Jacquelyn flinches but nods. "Why the hell would you want to do that?"

"Because I love to dance and it pays a lot." answers Jacquelyn. "Scooter, please listen to me. It's just for a while. But I like it. I like owning the stage, having their attention, and-"

"Getting naked in front of strangers?" Damon spat.

"No! I haven't stripped out of my underwear!" Jacquelyn quickly tells him.

"Like that's any better Jackie!" Damon shouted. "Look, do what you want. I have to go."

"Scooter wait!" Jacquelyn called with no avail. She then turns to her friend. "Thanks a lot Nicky."

"I was trying to get you to stop." Nicole said. "But I have something to help." Jacquelyn was going to remind Nicole that she did not smoke but Nicole suddenly reveals a bag of sunflower seeds. "You don't just forget crack and if they can beat my desire for that, it can help you now."

Jacquelyn huffs quietly and accepts the bag. She knew Nicole meant no harm, always trying to make sure that there weren't any secrets amongst her friends while keeping them all pleased. Even at her expense. But Jacquelyn would have loved to have told Damon when she was ready.

"You know, if I never get a chance to say it," Nicole told Jacquelyn. "I'm glad that we became friends Jackie. Even if you did steal Jayden _and_ Shane away from me and secretly talk about how stupidly optimistic I am, I'm glad that we are friends."

"Me too Nicky." Nicole leans against her friend a bit. "I'm just trying to figure out how you and Laura became friends."

"If I tell you, you can't tell her that I did. She'd kill me." Jacquelyn promises and Nicole sighs, putting her cigarette out. "Well, it started one day at school when I was walking towards lunch and saw her sitting outside alone…"

* * *

Marc watched as Mary-Jane left Amber's room. While he was happy that they had a little privacy, he was a bit uncertain as to why Mary-Jane gave him the fixated glare she did as she walked by. He didn't do anything, did he?

"Hey Marc," Amber began. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything." he tells her.

"I, um, I really don't know how to say this." Marc smiles a bit. "Why are you smiling?"

"It's cool Amber. I think I know what you're trying to say." Marc said. "You want to break-up so you can date James, right?" Amber is shocked but nods. "He and Jayden were talking about it yesterday. I'm cool with it."

"You are?" Amber said.

Marc nodded. "Completely. Besides, we're going off to college and I'm going to the states to pursue football while you'll be in Banting. I won't be able to be here for you and your baby."

"Marc, that's sweet. You can't be sweet and break-up with a girl. It sends her mixed signals." Amber joked with a giggle.

Marc laughs. "Yeah, I know."

"I guess," Amber said, her smile slowly fading. "With all that's happened, I don't want to lose you as a friend, but at the same time, I don't want to lose James at all."

"I know. This whole Laura and Jayden thing has all of us kind of messed up." Marc stated. "We were just talking to the guy, you know? I never cared to even get to know him and the one day that we're actually talking… This."

"MJ has been avoiding the conversation but, yeah. I know." Amber said. "It seems surreal, right? Like how someone can be right beside you one moment and then…" Amber shook her head. "And they're still dealing with their son's death?"

"I forgot about that." Marc said honestly.

"I haven't." Amber told him. "It's one of the reasons that I chose _not_ to adopt my kid. Jayden made me realize that every child is special and I would want to spend as much time with my child as possible, even if I didn't willingly help make it."

"That's, uh, kind of deep." Amber smiles.

"Yeah, I guess it is. But hey, you don't have to worry about your girlfriend carrying another guy's baby now do you?" Amber said.

"Amber, I just want you to know, that we'll all be there for you. Hopefully even Steven like the old days." replied Marc.

Amber grins once more. "Thanks Marc. I really needed that." Amber and Marc both catch a smiling Mary-Jane entering her room. "MJ, how many times do I have to tell you to stop flirty with my brother?"

Mary-Jane scoffs. "Hon, if I wanted him, I'd have him eating out of the palm of my hand. Be thankful that I don't."

Marc felt that something about this was just not right, but did not question it. He just stood there look at the two girls' smiling faces before he gave up trying to figure out what it was. They would always have secrets between them, he realized.

"So," Mary-Jane said sitting on Amber's bed. "What did you come over here for Marc? Here to stare at us?"

Marc smirked. "Yeah, that's exactly why I came by."

"Okay… But I warn you, no touching." Mary-Jane continued with the joke.

"Actually," Amber said almost hopping out of her bed. "It's time to eat."

"Again?" Mary-Jane said.

"Hey, hey, I'm pregnant here. And I just got the strangest craving for a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich. And crackers. Lots of crackers."

"Okay, let's go to the kitchen." Mary-Jane told her friend. "Come on Marc. You know that when prego Amber wants something, we'd better get it."

"I could always kick you out of my house." Amber points out.

"Let's just get the stupid sandwich. And call James. It's weird not having him here, eh Amber?" Mary-Jane teased.

Amber flushes. "Shut up MJ."

Marc and Mary-Jane laughed. It was hard to believe that in a few weeks, they would be graduating. It seemed like it was only yesterday when they all met. And now this. Marc did not want to lose his friends, but at the same time understood that people went their separate ways. He just hoped that they could keep in touch through the years so that moments like this would not be a distant memory.

* * *

The twins were fussy as if they could understand that something had happened to their parents. Oddly enough, they both wanted to be held by Bianca. It was a fair trade to everyone as Bianca only kept her cool when her grandchildren were in her arms. If it were not for Jaylen and Daniella being here, a few doctors would probably be beaten in a worse condition than Jayden and Laura combined.

"And that's the _only_ information you have?" Scarlett heard how ticked Maxwell sounded, Manny not looking pleased at all as they stared at the officer. "They were shot in their car and _no one_ saw anything but a freaking red pick-up truck? Are you kidding me?"

"Mr. McDuelle, we are trying to push this investigation as fast and professional as possible," the officer explained. "Your son and his girlfriend-"

"Fiancée." Bianca corrected.

"Were shot while the car was in motion. I doubt anyone was paying attention to the scene until after it happened as traffic in that area can get dangerous for pedestrians."

Maxwell breathes heavily. "So a red pick-up truck. No plate. No distinguishable details. Just a red truck. Do you honestly know how many of them are in Toronto? Thousands."

"There is more," The officer said. "The doctors state that Jayden covered Laura from the shots being fired. Despite her ultimately being shot herself, it is theorized that Jayden saw the shooter before it happened."

"So the best witness is…" Manny's words dragged off.

"So the shooter was in the passenger seat?" Maxwell deduced.

The cop shrugged. "That's what we're debating. Either way, your son saw it before it happens. If we can just get him awake and stable, and he remembers, then I'll ask him. But until then…"

"We're stuck searching for a red truck." The officer nodded at the man's words. "Just find the guy or girl or group that did this to my son and his fiancée and make sure that it snows in hell before they breathe as a free man or woman again."

"I'll do my best." The officer said before walking off.

Scarlett's attention was turned when Danica stood up and quietly moved for the twins in Bianca's lap. Daniella immediately reached for her namesake, the young woman taking her niece back to her seat.

"Hey there Maxi," Danica said with a smile. "Why are you making so much noise, huh? You know your mom doesn't like it when you make noise."

The baby just stares at her aunt with watery eyes and a pacifier in her mouth. Scarlett had to smile a bit at the scene. There were something about the twins, Jayden's children that is, that made her smile.

"There you go," Danica said as Daniella rested her head against the woman's breasts. "Go to sleep for Aunt Danni. I promise you this nightmare will be over when you wake up."

Scarlett then felt her stomach twist and she rose.

"I need a soda." she says quietly.

Helen, seeing her cousin stand, rose as well and followed Scarlett to the nearby soda machine. She could see how torn Scarlett was, despite the brunette not crying at the moment. It was a terrible feeling losing someone close; least of all the one you loved more than anyone else. Helen only wished that she could do something- _anything_- to make this better. But couldn't.

"Damn it." Scarlett mutters when the machine refuses the bill for the third time. "Why won't you work?!"

"Shouting at it won't help Scar…" Helen said quietly. Now she saw her cousin break down, much like she did last year. "Scar…"

Scarlett puts her back against the machine and slowly slides to the ground, her tears more evident now than ever. Helen realized what the final straw was. The soda machine probably reminded Scarlett of the many times that she and Jayden met up at lunch near the mechanical vendor and chatted. With him, Scarlett always came back happy. Without him, she couldn't even successfully get a soda.

Helen was going to move to sit next to Scarlett before Danica appeared to do just that. Helen felt a bit uneasy about the feistiest McDuelle comforting her cousin only because it was no secret that Danica held a grudge with Scarlett. Those thoughts died when Danica, still holding Daniella, pulled Scarlett into a warm embrace. Helen stood frozen with no clear idea of what to do. As much as she hated to think this, but this was the ideal moment for Danica to sucker punch Scarlett.

It never came, of course.

"I'm sorry Scar." Helen gasped at Danica's words. Did Danica just apologize?

Helen took that moment to get her phone. Taking a picture of this moment was what she wanted to do, but she instead called Nicole to give her an update. Also to hear from her friend, but she would never admit that out loud. She had a reputation to maintain, after all.

* * *

Deanna felt dizzy as she woke up for the third time that day. Her brain was not back at a hundred percent and she felt like she was going to throw-up again. That is, until she registered her body against Shane's. She smiled at his almost sleeping form.

"The doctor said that you should try to eat something." Shane told her. "So I called Jane to see if she could bring us some food from Mason's. Oh, and some fries and milkshakes."

Deanna smiles. "Thanks Shane. But I'm really not hungry."

"Not really a problem. But I can't let you go against doctor's orders. You need to eat something." Shane said. "So I told her to give us one of those toasted sandwiches. Well, two for me, one for you. And some chicken tenders…"

"It sounds like you were thinking about your stomach and not mine." Deanna giggles.

"I can't help it that my stepmom just automatically assumed that I was hungry too. I'm just happy that she gets me." Shane told her. "But unfortunately Cameron will be here too, meaning he's going to try to take food he can't have yet."

"Don't be mean to your brother Shane." Deanna says while poking him in his side. He shifts, bringing a smile onto her face. "Why Shane Mason, who knew you were ticklish?"

"No one and no one ever will." Shane responds. "Kelly called. She said that they are still waiting. The cops have no lead either."

"That's terrible." Shane smirks at Deanna's words. "What?"

"It's weird hearing you show genuine care about anyone other than me and Kelly and Stephanie. We have been all that you put above yourself." Shane comments.

"I'm a people person." Shane laughs at Deanna's words, she joining him. Their laughter was only quieted when Angelina entered the room. "Angel! What are you doing here?"

"Bella's up with Danni so I thought that I'd come to see you." Angelina said in her normal quiet tone. "I didn't know that you had company so…"

"Stay," Deanna said as Shane sat up in the bed. "His parents are bringing an entrée since he eats like a pig."

"Oh." Angelina said. "Um, Shane, can I ask you something?" Shane nodded. "Does Jacob…?"

"Talk about you?" Deanna rolls her eyes. Why her friend could not just say that was beyond her. Thankfully Shane caught on and answered Deanna's unasked question. "I don't really talk to him much. He just seems to be isolated."

"Oh…" Angelina responds in a downhearted tone.

"How about," Deanna said. "You call him up? We can do something together."

"You? Want to do something with other people? I've seen it all." Shane joked.

Deanna glared at him. "I'll have you know Mr. Mason that I've planned and delivered the biggest and greatest birthday party your sister has ever had in her life. _And_ I helped my mother do that party for Samantha, which meant getting _your_ drummer out so your band could play. Not to mention a party for your return from Vancouver last year and-"

"I thought you told your mom you did that for your brother?" Shane teased.

"I lied. Sue me." Deanna said. She then froze. "You're not mad about that, are you?"

"Not at all." Shane answered with a smile.

"So are you two back together?" Angelina questioned. Shane and Deanna nodded and the other brunette smiled. "I'm happy for you Dee."

Deanna smiles as well. "Thanks Angel. Now sit down already, you're making me nervous."

Angelina does what she is told, not because Deanna said so, but because she actually wanted a seat. In her mind, the only thing that would make this perfect if Jacob was to randomly walk in and asked for forgiveness. Not that he would have to. She had long forgiven him. But he did not know and thus they were still separated. But if Deanna and Shane could rekindle, there was hope for her yet, right?

* * *

Insurmountable pain registered throughout his entire body as he opened his eyes. His left eye could hardly open due to the swelling it had and the lights made his headache that much worse. Yet his body told him that she still needed him. Laura still needed him. So no matter how badly it hurt, he had to keep going. He had to save her.

"Damn it." Jayden grunts as he tries to unplug himself from the machines. His fingers, once able to move with a simple thought, could now barely wrap around the chords. "Come on Jayden. Get up. Move dammit!"

His shout caused the door to swing open, Scarlett standing there with tears traveling down her face.

"Jayden!" Jayden relaxed in his bed for only a second. He does not know how long he was out or what exactly happened after he blacked out, but Scarlett was there. She looked to be in distraught but relieved to see him. "Oh my God! Jayden I was so scared!"

"Laura…" he croaked out.

Scarlett's eyes dropped to the floor. This was not good, Jayden figured. But he wanted to stay hopeful. Maybe she was just paralyzed? Maybe she was just in a coma? Anything, _anything_, but what he feared.

"They said," Scarlett spoke quietly. "That her last word was Jason…"

That was all he needed to know before he took in a deep breath and turned his head. Laura had elected to go be with Jason now. There was no way that she could not have survived if she really wanted to. Laura was tough and strong and stubborn and… And…

Gone.

The love of his life was gone. He would have no one to call him at odd hours of the night to tell him of their day. No one to wake up beside. No one to share his kids and life with. No one to keep him in line. No one to love.

Scarlett's ears picked up the heart monitor at bedside going faster as Jayden's heart rate climbed.

"I need help!" Scarlett called out as she ran to his side. "Jayden please don't leave me! Jayden! Jayden!"

Scarlett's screams fell on deaf ears as the boy lost his will to even stay awake in a world without Laura. He wanted to be with Laura. He wanted to stay with her for the rest of his life. But Laura would not let him.

_"Jayden,"_ he heard Laura say. _"I'm sorry. Stay with the twins. They need you. I love you."_

"I love you…" Scarlett frowned at the boy's words. Was he talking to her? Was he saying goodbye? She would never know as the rush of doctors and medics pushed her out of the room to at least save one life. The life, in her opinion, that matters the most.

* * *

Damon stalked into the ravine, mad at the world. His girlfriend was a stripper; a _freaking stripper_! And it was all because of one Torrie Stone. If he could find his girlfriend's so-called good friend he would give her a piece of his mind. However, today was one of the few days Torrie opted to stay out of trouble and was not at the ravine.

"Hey," Damon was a bit shocked to find Nathan there and smoking, but chose not to say anything. "What's eating you?"

"What's eating me?" Damon shot back. Nathan frowned. "Apparently Torrie got Jackie a job at some club. And get this, she's a stripper!"

Nathan whistled. "Damn man. What did you do?"

"I left to find Torrie but the slut's not here." spat Damon. "God I wish I could choke that little bitch so-"

"You know you can't do that." Nathan said as he exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Did you ask Ethan where she was?"

"No. Just got here." Damon stated.

"He's this way," Nathan said nudging his head towards a van. Damon followed Nathan as the two walked quietly. "So do you know what club?"

"Come on man." Nathan chuckled a bit, flicking his cigarette butt away from him.

"I'm just asking. Besides, even if Stephanie were to be okay with me going to a strip joint, I'd rather her not come looking for me." Nathan states.

Damon does not respond as the two came to the van and Nathan knocked on the door. He saw nothing amusing about Jacquelyn being a stripper.

"Yeah?" Ethan said poking his head out of the back of the van.

"Where's your bitch at?" Damon questioned. Ethan frowned, looking at Nathan who just shrugs. "Torrie! Where is she?"

"At home I think. Why?" Ethan asked.

"Did you know she got Jackie a job as a stripper?" When Ethan shook his head, Damon grunted. "How could you not? Don't you pay attention to her?"

Ethan glared at his friend. "Don't you pay attention to Jackie?"

"Why you-"

"Hey, hey," Nathan said pulling Damon away. "Calm down man. He didn't get Jackie the job and I'm sure he didn't know about it. So just chill."

"Whatever." Damon mumbled.

"Listen to this," Ethan told his two friends. "Laura died."

"What?" Nathan asked.

"She's dead. Didn't live the shootings and the crash." Ethan said.

Damon shrugged. "Who cares? My girl-"

"Not cool Scooter." Ethan interrupted. "Laura was one of us, remember? And some dick just went out and shot up her car and killed her."

"Ethan's right. Jayden's housewife or not, Laura wouldn't let anyone shoot at you unless it was her. And let's not get started on how many ass-kickings you deserved that she didn't deliver." Nathan added.

Damon sighed heavily. "You're right. I just… I mean damn. She's dead and all but… Jackie…"

"If you don't want her to be a stripper, just tell her. Stop bitching about it." Ethan pointed out.

"Man, I can't believe she's gone." Nathan said quietly, his eyes skyward. "I mean, shit, she was a little bitchy at times but… It was Laura, you know?"

"Yeah… Kind of sucks that none of us got to sleep with her…" Ethan adds with a small smirk.

Nathan shrugged. "I guess it just wasn't supposed to be." Ethan and Damon stared at him. "What?"

"You're starting to sound like your girlfriend. All of that love crap she puts in her stories and poems." Nathan shrugs again at Damon's words.

"Bite me." Nathan said.

"Anyway," Ethan spoke. "I just wish that I could have seen if Laura was as good as they say. Rank her up against Torrie and Nicky."

Nathan snorts. "As if you'd be that lucky. You know Laura. A cock tease with an attitude. She would've never done that with us. Not unless we made it worth her while."

"I probably could've-"

"Don't kid yourself," Nathan said, stopping Ethan from finishing his comment. "From what I hear, the moment Jayden McDuelle stepped into the picture we all lost hope. She's had a thing for him for _years_."

Damon nods. "Yeah, she was always like that."

"Always telling me to get or do things for her…" Ethan says.

"Always being bitchy about everything I do or say…" Nathan adds.

"Always calling me an idiot." Damon concludes.

Nathan snorts. "Scooter, you are an idiot."

"Whatever." Damon replied. "I guess it does suck that she's, you know. I mean, even though she never came around anymore, I only miss her now."

"I know the feeling." Nathan said. "Kind of makes me want to go do something Laura would have wanted, you know? Like throw some random house party at someone else's house."

"We could always trash Pervy Pete's place. You know she hated Pervy Pete." Ethan points out.

"Then it settled." Nathan said. "Scooter, round up some beer and some snacks. People will probably have the munchies tonight. Ethan, give Pervy Pete something hard. I don't care what drug you use, just make sure he's out of it for a while and take his keys. I'll round up as many as I can and then some."

"I'm on it." Damon said walking off.

Ethan sighed. "You think she's partying in the great beyond or whatever?"

Nathan shook his head. "Probably watching after her son. You know how badly she loved her kids."

"You're probably right." Ethan said as the two walked off to throw a party in the memory of Laura Juliana Reynolds.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Typing this was kind of hard for me as Laura was one of my favorite characters. There will be a more in-depth webisode showing her final thoughts coming next week with the last episode of the season and the season 6 promo. While on the subject, any predictions for Season 6? I'd like to know. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and leave a review if it pleases you. See you next week.


	153. S5 Episode XIX: Purple Rain

**Episode XIX: Purple Rain**

Hazel could not help but she a few tears of joy when she saw Amber descend the steps in cap and gown. She was so proud of her daughter for even finishing the school year despite what happened. And while Amber's grades took a small dip, it was nothing to be angry about. Hazel was just glad to know that her daughter was as strong as she was.

"Mom," Amber said after Hazel took another picture. "Save some for graduation, please?"

"I will." Hazel replied as Amber looked down at her growing stomach. "Oh honey, you don't look fat."

"I feel fat…" Amber counters.

"That's just your ego." Simon said from the kitchen. Amber shot her brother a dirty look as he entered the living room.

"I do not have an ego!" she told him. "And if I did, it'd be nowhere near the size of yours."

Simon smiles. "Yeah, well your friend has an ego for the both of you. Ergo, you have an ego."

"You wouldn't be able to live right without me or _Mary-Jane _so deal with it." Amber teased.

Simon let it drop. Neither his parents nor Mary-Jane's knew they were dating at the moment. Amber still had her moments when she was uncomfortable with the idea and they could only imagine how Paige and Hazel would feel. Or at least, that is what Mary-Jane worried about. Apparently Paige always questioned Mary-Jane's choice in guys and the blonde did not want her mother to have the same judgment on Simon. He was alright with it, so long as she was.

"Speaking of Mary-Jane," Hazel comments, missing the victorious smirk on her daughter's face. "I wonder if Paige is ready yet. It normally takes her forever to get ready for things like this."

"Call her Mom. Paige might need you for a make-up emergency." Amber joked with a smile.

Hazel grinned. "This is true."

Hazel steps by Amber, ascending the steps as she calls Paige. Amber sees Simon give her a small relenting gaze and she smiles.

"Okay, I'll stop picking. But only if you don't forget about me tonight. I know its MJ's graduation day as well, but I knew you first. I get first hug and choice of restaurant." Amber said.

Simon crossed his arms. "How about first hug and then go out with James's parents?"

"Because we haven't, you know…" Simon's eyes hardened behind his glasses. "Si, the past few weeks have flown by so fast. And you know he was a friend of Jayden's. So we haven't seen each other a lot."

"Amber, tell him or I will. And you won't like the way I tell him." Simon stated.

"Fine, fine," Amber caves. "We'll talk before the night is over, I promise. I just hope that nothing's changed." When Simon gave her a questioning look, Amber sighs. "It took, you-know, to get me to talk to James again."

Simon was going to question who but saw Amber subconsciously rub her stomach. Realizing she was referring to Randy and what had occurred, he cleared his throat.

"I get it Amber. But let's be honest. You'll hate yourself if you don't talk to him and someone else does." Simon pointed out. "So just do us both a favor and end up happy with the guy you've wanted from the eighth grade."

Amber smiled. "You're the best brother."

"Well I'd like to think so but someone used to call me a doo-doo head." Simon responds with a smile.

Amber laughed. "Sorry about that."

"You're forgiven." Simon said before stepping towards Amber and hugging her. "And I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you from Randy."

Amber does not say anything, just hugging Simon. A few months back, she figured that that was why Simon came back. He felt as if he had failed her as an older brother. He had failed her from the worst thing that could happen. No matter what Amber said, she knew Simon would still have those thoughts until Amber was over the event. And that would not be for some time now.

Then Amber's eyes widened.

"I have to find out the sex of the baby!" Simon chuckled at the outburst.

"Yes, we have to do that too." Simon said. "But we can't do that without Mary-Jane. She'd kill us both."

"Or just you." Amber said. "But I guess you're right. Call her. And tell her not to be late, fashionably or not."

"Done and doner." Simon spoke before walking off. "Congratulations Amber, you deserve this."

Amber smiled. "Thanks."

* * *

It was a rare thing to see a true Jayden T. McDuelle smile now, Danica mused. Her younger brother had very little to smile about, or so he said. He had not really shown any remorse about Laura's death. In fact, he had not shown anything but anger. Jayden vowed to kill the stupid son of a bitch that shot at him and Laura and wholeheartedly argued against their parents about doing so.

But playing with his kids got Jayden to smile every time. Danica pondered if she would be like than whenever she had kids. Oddly and painfully enough, she wanted to be a mother like Laura was. Strong, tough, and able to get into a physical fight without her kids knowing.

Jayden heard the quiet chuckles coming from his sister in the kitchen and looked at her.

"Have you finally lost the last of your sanity?" he joked while trying to pry his hair out of Daniella's strong grip. "Ow, ow, ow…"

"Thinking about Fat Mama fighting Torrie." Danica said, Jayden laughing when he finally got free of Daniella's grip. "I was thinking how I would be a mom and thought I would love to still get into bar fights without my kids knowing."

"Yeah…" Jayden said. "She was great…"

"Is, little brother. She _is_ great." Danica retorted, a smile on Jayden's face. "So, have you packed their toys and stuff? You know the house will be packed and if they're not busy, they'll get into everything."

"I know, I know. Sheesh you are as bad as Laura." Jayden said. "I have successfully packed their clothes, toys, and other necessities to take them to Italy. Do you think I'm that bad of a father?"

"More like forgetful when drowning yourself in sorrows." Jayden turned away, focusing on his son and daughter who were making a valid attempt to pull their father's braids. "Jayden, I'm not saying don't miss her. But can you at least live again? If not for me, for the twins."

"For what Danni? It seems like everything I love is gone." he answered. "I can't even look at myself in the mirror without thinking Laura would still be alive if I…"

"If you, what? You tried saving her." Danica pleaded. "Just stop Jayden. Please."

"If I hadn't have cheated on Scarlett and gotten her pregnant in the first place." Jayden concluded, giving his kids a small ball to play to keep the preoccupied. "If I was as good as Laura thought I was, we wouldn't be here."

"But Laura didn't see you as all good, remember?" Jayden nodded as he thought about Laura's earlier words to him. "She knew that you had a darker side. She wanted to know the _real_ you and you showed her." Danica smirks. "Honestly I'm surprised you didn't scare the poor girl. If I had to wake up beside your face with your morning breath, I'd run."

Jayden laughs. "How you slay me with your jokes sis. I guess that's why you're single now, huh?"

"Hey, just because I don't have half the country lining up outside to marry me doesn't mean I'm any lesser than you are Dimples." Danica taunts.

Jayden raised a brow. "You know, you calling me Dimples doesn't hold the same effect considering you have them too."

"Whatever," Danica said before clapping her hands. "I have an idea. How about you go out and enjoy your day and I'll watch the twins?"

"I'd rather just-"

"Jayden, go outside and enjoy the day. Your friends miss you. No one gets to see you anymore and I know a certain blue-eyed girl who is probably chewing on her nails while praying you'll call." Jayden's lips thinned. "What's wrong? Did something happen between you and Scarlett already?"

"No. No, nothing has happened yet. But…" Jayden paused and sighed. "The other night I was thinking about getting back with Scarlett. Not now, of course, but sometime during senior year. When I was ready. But…" Jayden takes another breath. "I don't think I ever will be ready to date her again. When I think about being with her I think of cheating on Laura again and I just… I can't do it."

Danica stopped herself from reminding Jayden that he could no longer cheat on Laura. She figured he had already thought of that as well and remained quiet to hear the rest of his statement.

"I get that she loves me but… But now I'm questioning if I love her." Danica frowned. "Hear me out, okay? Laura has literally spat on me and said she hated me and it doesn't faze me at all. She could have maxed out my cards and driven my car into Lake Ontario and I wouldn't lose a wink of sleep. All because I accepted it as things that I deserved for doing her wrong."

"But…" Danica egged on.

"But with Scarlett, it's like she hurts me for no reason at all. And I guess it frustrates me more that I literally sit down and try to find a reason why these things happen." Jayden continued. "Why was she dancing with DeWayne during my performance? Why couldn't she support my relationship with Laura like I did with her and DeWayne? Why did she get the paternity test done? Did I really do something to deserve this? Did I unintentionally cause her harm somewhere along the way that I did not pick up on?"

"Jayden, no one can answer those questions but Scarlett." Danica replied. "So how about you find her and ask her?"

"Because I don't want to know," Jayden stated. "And I don't want to put myself in that position where I have to think about it again."

Danica sighed. "Okay, I won't push. But at least go see Dakota. Or Shane? Anyone to get you out of the house."

"Are you trying to sneak a guy in?" Jayden joked.

Danica had to smile. It had been so long since she heard him joke like this. And while it irked her to have her _younger brother_ question if she was bringing a guy back to _her home_, she was glad to see a fraction of the boy she knew.

"No. But it's just been such a long time that you've done anything Jayden-like." Danica said.

"I just watched them bury my fiancée. I'm so sorry I've been busy grieving to care about the other part of the world. I'll put Laura's memory on hold and go see if Deanna's drinking again or if Dakota got her allowance this week included in her paycheck or separately." Jayden retorted. "Or, I know, maybe Scarlett has a new way of saying she loves me _after_ she tells the whole world my deepest darkest secrets!"

"No, I don't want to argue," Danica told him firmly. "I just want to help. And I know that being cooped up here with the physical representations of Laura is driving you crazy. Heck, sometimes looking at Maxi drives _me_ crazy. I just want her to roll her eyes at me, give me the finger, and call me Mari. But she can't. And she never will. She will never be the friend that I lost. And it sucks." Danica saw Jayden take in a deep breath. "So I go out. Not to ignore Laura's memory, but do things that we used to do together. I cried a few times, but it's easier now. And now it's your turn to go out with Laura and do something. Anything."

"You really think that that'll help?" Jayden questioned in a sincere voice.

Danica shrugged. "It might. It might not. But it'll get you out and hopefully allow you to see all that you've missed."

"Did I miss anything important?" Now he was using sarcasm, something that, again, pleased and angered Danica at the same time.

"Remember when Laura told Scarlett to look after you? She said that you would be an idiot and just wait around until she returns. What you're doing now is something she wanted to prevent from the jump. She even swallowed all her hatred and went to _Scarlett_." Danica points out. Jayden crosses his arms, knowing he was defeated there. "She didn't want you to sit around the house and wait for her Jayden. So stop doing so before you have my house haunted by some emotionally disturbed teen ghost."

"Fine, fine, I'll go out. And when I come back a mess-"

"Then at least you got it off of your chest." Danica interrupted. "That's all I want."

Jayden sighs quietly before turning to his kids. They were literally all he had left of Laura, sans the inanimate objects such as clothing and pictures. Some nights they had cried, Daniella especially, and would not stop for hours. Jayden questioned why they did so but Danica only explained that kids had a bond with their parents that were near supernatural. They knew that their mother was not there. However, there were other nights that Jayden has heard his twins giggling in their cribs which made him wondered if Laura was not already haunting their apartment, watching over her kids as she always did.

Maybe he should at least try to have one good day.

"Fine," Jayden said. "But when I come back, can I just lie around with my kids? Please?"

Danica smiled. "My home is your home little brother. Do as you please."

"Thanks." Jayden before sighing. "Oh boy… I wonder what Dakota has gotten herself into now…"

* * *

Kelly sighs as she nears her friend.

"Will this shift ever end?" Kelly asked.

Dakota smiled. "Soon enough."

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us to Arizona? I'm sure you'll like my house and we can enjoy the pool all to ourselves." Kelly said.

"No, I'm fine." Dakota replied. "I just…"

Kelly nodded, needing no more words. Laura's death had changed a lot around Degrassi, more than one could have predicted. Kelly never believed it was possible to be honest. Laura seemed like someone who had more enemies than friends. Yet, if that thought were true, then Laura had _millions_ of enemies considering she had _thousands_ of friends.

"Take your time." Kelly said softly.

Dakota took in a deep breath.

"I'll be fine Kelly. Some days it doesn't get to me as much as others." Dakota said. "I just have to remember that she left us with kids and would want us to look after them."

"That's true." Kelly replied. "Speaking of which, have you seen them lately? The twins and Jay?" Dakota shook her head. "Me neither. I hope he's alright."

"You mean as alright as anyone could losing their son and fiancée within months of each other?" Kelly nodded at Dakota's words. "Knowing him, he's probably bottling it up. He was always good at that."

"It's unhealthy Dash," Kelly told her redhead friend before spotting Deanna enter The Dot. "Hey Dee, come to see Shane?"

Deanna shook her head. "No. Just getting away from the drama in my house. Mom, Dad, and stepfather." Deanna glanced between Kelly and Dakota. "I'm sure you both know exactly what I'm talking about."

"Actually, no I don't." Kelly said. "Considering my parents argue amongst themselves and Jane and Sean are normally the peacemakers."

"Same difference," Deanna said. "Where is your fabulous brother anyway?"

"Out. And what happened to just getting away from your house?"

"Can you blame me for asking?" Deanna's smile made Kelly smile as well. Her friend was so hopelessly in love with her brother that it was sad at some points.

As for Dakota, she did not share a grin with the two. This scene reminded her of her late friend who was in love with her brother. There were many times that Laura had called Dakota just to check in with the redhead and somehow managed to squeeze in a question about Jayden's well-being or whereabouts. Dakota once asked why Laura never just outright asked how Jayden was doing at the beginning of their calls. Now she would give all of her fortune just to hear Laura call her and simply say hello.

"I'm going to step out for a minute," Dakota said to gain Kelly's attention. "I'll be in the back of if you need me."

Deanna watched Kelly's other friend head for the back room, and looked at Kelly for an explanation.

"Laura." Deanna immediately understood and let it go. "Her mom asked us to watch her lately. Things like this will make someone relapse, or so they said. But Dash it's like that. Not anymore."

"Kind of makes you want to do something for her." Deanna states.

"It does…" Kelly said before her eyes widen. "I think I know the perfect plan!"

Deanna smiles. "Details Kelly. Details."

Kelly returns the grin. If there was one thing she knew about Deanna, it was that the girl could not help but be entertained by gossip and plotting. Kelly did not gossip a lot, but match-making and helping friends is something she did as a hobby. So it was no surprise that Deanna was her new partner in crime when it came to such things. Well, only when Shane could not reached like now.

* * *

Helen flopped onto her bed, eyes closed as she readied herself for a nap. Braxton was spending time with his friends and her friends were busy doing whatever they did. Now was the perfect time for a nap.

"Helen," Helen groaned. Of course, Scarlett J. Chessex would be the only person to not get Helen's dire need of relaxation. "There you are. Am I interrupting something?"

"What does it look like?" Helen shot back.

"Good, you're free," Helen grunted and sat up, knowing Scarlett would not just let her be. "I wanted to see J.T today. You know, before he leaves for the summer."

"The car is yours." Helen said.

"No," Scarlett replied. "I wanted you to be there. And Shane. And Dakota." Helen frowned and Scarlett sighed. "I want to show him the people that are still here for him."

"Right, let's show him everyone he wishes were dead in Laura's place. That'll cheer him up." Scarlett rolls her eyes.

"Helen," the blue-eyed girl spoke. "I'm serious. I don't like seeing him like this. I'd prefer him shouting at me than ignoring the world and hiding in his room."

"Scar, you just saw him three days ago." Helen said.

"Yeah, but he refused to go to prom and-"

"He refused to go to the _seniors'_ prom and I think it has something to do with us being _juniors_." Helen interrupted. "Stop making a fuss out of everything. I am positive that he is handling this just like he handles everything else. A nap, a soda, a few wise cracks here and there, his kids, his guitar, and his sister. What more can you do?"

Scarlett walked over to Helen's bed and sat down.

"Hear me out," Scarlett said. "I don't want him to do what he normally does because he never fully releases that anguish."

"Is that your vocab word of the day?" Helen teased.

"Shut up and listen." Scarlett retorted. "I mean, what if he goes out and sees DeWayne? He'd probably beat him up for no reason."

"Ah… So this is about DeWayne…" Helen said.

"No!" Scarlett responds. "It's about Jayden! I don't want him thinking that he has no one now that Laura is, you know."

Helen sighs. "Scarlett, you don't need all of us to show the boy that you love him. And honestly, I don't want to get myself into that mess before summer vacation. It'll just ruin it."

"Do you care about his happiness?" Scarlett asked.

"Yes, but only to the extent of a really good friend. Not someone who desperately wants to prove their devoted love for him." Helen answers.

"Jayden aside," Scarlett began. "Will you do this for me? It'll be fun to hang out with all of our friends before you leave me for New York. Please?" Helen glares at her cousin. "Pretty pretty please with a cherry on top?"

"Scarlett if this comes back and bites me, I'm going to-"

"Thank you!" Scarlett exclaimed as she embraced her smaller cousin. "I promise you, you won't regret this."

Helen grunted. "I'd better not or else."

"Okay," Scarlett said. "But you have to hear my plan first, okay? It'll be something that we can all enjoy, I promise you. Even J.T will have to agree with me." Scarlett paused. "And you might have to call his sister…"

Helen's eyes narrowed. While she did not hold Jayden in the same light that Scarlett obviously did, it was no secret that Danica did everything to split Helen and Jayden up. It amazed the redhead to think that Danica had not succeeded in doing the same to Jayden and Laura.

Then again, Helen doubted that even Laura's death separated the two. Physically, yeah. Emotionally, never.

"Fine," Helen said. "Let's just do this and get today over with, okay? I have to get some sleep before dealing with my twins and Lauren."

"Have I ever told you that I loved you?" Scarlett said with a wide smile.

"No. Not ever. And don't start now. It'll make me thing the apocalypse is coming." Helen replied.

Scarlett sighed. "Well, at least you said yes."

* * *

Jayden had no idea where he was going. He chose to ignore going in the direction the school was due to the graduation being set up. It would not be long before the graduating class would be there with their caps, gowns, and smiles. He honestly did not want to sour the mood.

He ignored going to The Dot for reasons unknown. Being around Shane and/or Kelly would probably do him some good, but he ignored that thought. Plus he could run into someone he would rather not like DeWayne or Damon.

He soon came to a familiar spot and stopped. Laura once danced at this place. He eyed the girls and guys being taught by the instructor inside. When the woman sees him, he grins and enters.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Ms. Hernandez introduced. "We have a visitor. The fiancée of one of my most promising students, Jayden McDuelle."

Jayden smiles. "Thanks Ms. Hernandez. Laura would have loved to hear that. She always looked up to you."

"Laura was a talented dancer and a lovely person. She knew how to own the stage no matter what." Ms. Hernandez spoke.

"Yeah," Jayden chuckles. "Then again, I think that was just her dominating personality than being a good dancer. It could be both."

"Yes, it could be." Ms. Hernandez replied. "Ah, there is something that I want to talk to you about. We are joining teams with the Drama club at Degrassi, putting on a small play that I'm sure you are well familiar of. _August Rush_?"

Jayden swallowed quietly. That was Laura's favorite movie. Of course, it was not something for a dancing school to perform, but he was no longer so judgmental. Anything can and will happen was his new motto.

"We were wondering," the instructor continued. "If you could perform the final number? It was Laura's favorite song and you play the violin."

"When is it?" Jayden asked.

"Two weeks from now. I know its short notice but-"

Jayden simply raised a hand. "I'll do it. Not just for Laura, but because it'll give us all something positive to do. Especially at these times…"

"I understand." Ms. Hernandez spoke.

"I'll get out of your hair." Jayden said before addressing the class. "It was nice seeing some of you again and meeting the rest of you."

Ms. Hernandez only smiles as Jayden leaves. She had known that Laura and Jayden had deep affections for one another since seeing them together last year despite Laura's protests. It was something about how they performed together when Jayden played the violin in the instrument closet and Laura danced for him.

It was as if Jayden was a puppeteer and Laura was his loved companion. His music is what controlled her body. His tempo and rhythm forced her to move a certain way that day, almost as if she was in a trance. Ms. Hernandez has always known Laura to be her own person and damn proud of it, but there was something that day that made the woman believe that Jayden was the only person that could change Laura's actions by a simple note played on the violin or a simple look.

Or…

Or it could be Laura that was in control. It could be Laura who was the painter and painted the lovely melody that Jayden played. When her body moved Jayden would play something that matched her movements. Laura used her body to make the metaphorical strokes of a paintbrush that were the notes and tempo that Jayden became. If this was true, then Laura was the one that made Jayden change his decisions with a simple sway of her hips and the subtle sultriness in her eyes.

Giggling made the instructor look at a number of girls who had the same sparkly eyes that she had seen the first time the son of the famous actress joined one of their sessions. However, Laura was not here to give her silent threats to these girls at the moment.

So Ms. Hernandez would just have to do it herself.

"Ahem," The giggling stopped immediately making the woman smile.

She missed Laura badly, but it did not mean that she would not carry a part of her favorite student with her. Who knows? Maybe she would have the pleasure and honor of teaching Laura's daughter?

* * *

Steven glared at James and Marc as his two friends talked at Marc's house. They were both going on and on about graduating while he was stuck repeating his senior year. Then again, skipping classes and failing exams would do that to someone. But seeing them in their cap and gown really did not make him feel better about the entire ordeal.

"I can't believe that this is it," James said. "Seems like yesterday we were all complaining about going to Degrassi."

"Some of us just wanted to be with _Mary-Jane_." Marc stated while thumbing towards Steven.

"Whatever." Steven mumbled.

"You okay?" James asked.

"I'm fine. Just pissed about flunking." Steven said. "I don't even know why I have to be there."

"I thought we were friends and you'd actually be happy that we were graduating." James responded.

"Sorry I can't be happy that you and Amber are getting back together and have your whole lives ahead of you while I'm stuck doing another year of high school with people who all think I'm crazy." Steven said.

Marc frowned. "Is this about Deanna? Seriously, she's not all that. She used to stalk me constantly."

"Maybe she's over you." Steven retorted.

"Yeah, with Mason." Marc replied. "I don't know why though. I still think of Shane as a loser."

"You don't understand. He's forcing her into this." Steven stated. "At the hospital, he just walks in and pretty much demanded that they date again."

"They looked pretty cozy at Laura's funeral." James pointed out.

"You went?" Steven asked.

James shrugged. "Jayden's a friend of mine. I went to show support." Steven shakes his head. "Come on Steven. The guy just lost his girlfriend. You can't carry on this stupid feud with him. One that I don't even think he even considers a feud anymore."

"He's part of the problem. He normally is." mumbles Steven. "Look, I'm going to get out of here. I don't even go to Degrassi anymore so it's a bit pointless going to the graduation. But I'll be at the graduation party."

"Um, you can't be there. Graduates only." Marc points out.

"Whatever," Steven said. "See you guys later then."

As Steven leaves Marc's room, Owen looks in at his youngest son.

"You about ready? You only graduate once, you know." Owen states.

Marc nods. "Yeah."

"Hey, your mom and I are proud of you Marc. I know that we've been kind of hard on you with your grades, but you pulled through. I'm proud of you son." Owen said.

James smirked. "You know Mr. Milligan, Marc's going to cry if you keep this up."

"Shut up! No I won't!" Marc retaliated.

"Now he's whining." Owen said, getting in on the joke. Marc hated being the baby of the family and hated it when his friends and family babied him.

"Whatever." Marc huffs in defeat.

"Hey," James said putting an arm around Marc. "You're going to Oregon. Go out there and get some west coast girls for the both of us!"

"So long as you make sure Amber and her baby is well looked after." Marc replied.

James blinked. "Uh… Sure man. You got it."

It was really the first time Marc had outright said such a thing. They had normally just skipped over the conversation considering the fact that they both agreed that Amber was a great girl to have and wanted to have her for themselves. But she had chosen James for obvious reasons and Marc was alright with that.

"Alright you two," Owen said. "Let's get going. You only graduate from that hellhole once, thankfully."

"Owen Milligan! Are you using that language again?!"

Marc and James smirk at the sound of Marc's mother from down the hall. Owen merely sighs and just walks away, prompting the two boys to laugh.

* * *

Dakota sighed when she glanced into Little Miss Steaks. Laura worshiped the place as the place she and Jayden had their first date at. Of course, at the time neither had considered it a date and it was temporarily interrupted by Deanna and Mercedes, but that was beside the point. Laura felt something about this restaurant and claimed that Jayden and Shane would host their bachelor parties here.

"Dakota!" The redhead turned to one of the last people she thought would ever be searching for without good reason. "I need your help."

Dakota sighed. "I don't where Jayden is Scarlett. He hasn't called today."

"No, no, that's not what I need," Now Dakota was confused. "I'm doing a bonfire for Laura. Invite the graduates there and people who miss her. It'll be a grand farewell and yet a see you soon as well."

"So you're doing this for Jayden?" Dakota questioned.

"Not just J.T," Scarlett quickly replied. "But for everyone who lost someone, whether it is Laura, Mr. Simpson, or they're just graduating and moving on." Dakota quietly nods. "But I have to be at the graduation soon because I'm the president and all. Helen promised to help but she needs a few extra hands. Mind helping?"

"…" Dakota stood there in silence before tilting her head to the side. "You know, I should really hate you."

"What?" Scarlett responds.

"My best friend died with insecurities about you stealing the one guy she's ever loved. And now you want to send her a farewell?"

"No!" Scarlett explained. "Not at all. I just think we should do something for her and everyone's memories. To help you and Jayden and everyone else grieve and live."

"Live?" Dakota parroted.

"Yes. Live." Scarlett said. "I didn't know Laura like you but I know for a fact that she didn't just sit at home, ball up and cry. Hell, she used to make sure that Jayden didn't do it by sending me there to get him out of the house instead of thinking of their son." Dakota's eyes narrowed. "Dakota, I know you have no reason to believe me and that I've done nothing but aggravate you and Laura, but know that I'm trying to help. If my words won't convince you, then remember who I am. I would do anything to make Jayden smile. I'd resurrect Laura if I could. You know that."

"So this is all about making you look good in his eyes?" Dakota commented.

"No. And I know that he'll probably believe the same thing _if_ he finds out that this was my idea." Scarlett said.

"You're not going to tell him?" Dakota asked.

Scarlett shook her head. "No. I figured you or Danni could take the credit. He wouldn't suspect you two to be up to no good. Well, not you." Scarlett takes a deep breath and releases it slowly. "Dakota, I'm sorry for everything I've done to you over the years. And I know I don't deserve your help, now more than ever. But I need to do this. I need to show him and everyone else that I'm not just some spoiled princess and losing Laura affected me in ways I didn't even think were possible. So please do this. Not for Jayden, but for Laura."

Dakota sighs. "Fine Scarlett. But if anything goes wrong-"

"Then it was my idea and I'll take all the heat." Scarlett interrupted.

"…You really do love him, don't you?" Dakota said.

Scarlett smiled. "Today isn't about me Dakota. Now I have to run. The ceremony is starting soon. Do you have Helen's number?" Dakota shook her head. "Here, let me give it to you. And could you call Shane and Jacob?"

"You're pushing your luck with Jacob." Dakota said handing her phone to Scarlett.

"What's life without risks?" Scarlett quoted with a smile. Dakota grinned as well before Scarlett extended Dakota's phone to her. "I have to go now. That's Helen's cell and Danni's cell. Call Helen first, Danni said she had to do something important. Best not to interrupt that."

"Sure," Dakota said before sighing. "Scarlett… Thank you."

Scarlett smiled. "Think nothing of it."

As the brunette walked off, Dakota thought about everything Scarlett has done to Jayden over the years. She hated to admit it, but the girl had done- or at least tried to do- more good than bad. Scarlett had a strange sense that forced her to cater to Jayden's needs, sometimes putting them above her own. Not on the same level as Laura, of course, but still the same concept. Dakota wondered if Jayden would ever think about dating Scarlett again and this would affect both him and his twins.

Only time would tell…

* * *

Aaron, Jordan, and Dustin sat at a bench at the park across the street from Emma's. While Jordan sat texting her other friends, Aaron and Dustin were staring at the near empty park.

"To think," Dustin said. "Next year, we'll be in the ninth grade."

"Seems like yesterday we were just meeting each other." Aaron adds.

Dustin grinned. "I can't believe that I actually tried to be a bully."

"It wasn't one of your smarter moves," Aaron replied. "But it's in the past. We should try to move on from that."

"Are you talking to him or yourself?" Jordan spoke. When Aaron doesn't respond, she sits her phone on the table. "Still missing Laura?"

"Everyday." answered Aaron. "I don't even know why. I mean, she wasn't _my_ girlfriend. But at the same time… I guess… I mean, she was one of us. A part of the family. Dinner, Christmas, late nights just talking… She would have been the best sister-in-law ever."

"Kind of sucks knowing she wanted to seduce you and you turned her down." Dustin stated. "All for one blonde girl…"

Jordan's eyes narrowed. "Where are you going with this Dustin?"

"I'm just saying," Dustin said holding his hands up in surrender. "A.J placed you above _the_ Laura Reynolds. That's got to say something."

"Yeah, Jayden had already stopped by and told me what she was planning on doing." Aaron said. Jordan's eyes slowly left Dustin to Aaron. "Wh-what?"

"So," Jordan began. "You're saying that if Jayden _hadn't_ told you what she was planning, you would have screwed Laura?"

"No." Aaron said quickly. "That's not what I'm saying at all." Dustin's snickers caused Aaron to give his friend a quick glare to shut him up before turning back to Jordan. "What I'm saying is that because he did, I knew what she really wanted ahead of time."

"Uh-huh? Nice try." Jordan said before hearing Aaron's cell phone vibrate against their seat. "Let me guess, your girlfriend tried to take a nap and failed."

"Lay off." Aaron warned her before retrieving his phone from his pocket and answering it. "Hey Danni… No, I'm at the park…" Jordan and Dustin looked at one another. Danica only called when necessary. "Oh, okay. I'll get there… The Dot? Sure, but I'm with Jordan and Dustin… Okay, I'll see you then. Bye." Aaron hung up and looked at his friends. "Come on. We're needed."

"Uh, a little more info other than 'we're needed' is needed." Jordan responded.

Aaron stood up. "You forget the only person who has read your diary." Jordan scoffs. "So let me rephrase. Come on or I'll return the favor and tell the school your secrets."

"I think she likes the 'we're needed' part." Dustin jokes as he stood up.

"You know A.J," Jordan said standing as well. "I think I liked the old you better. Now you're sly and cunning and-"

"And I only do it to you for a very good reason. Everyone else gets a pass." Aaron told her.

Jordan pouts. "Aw A.J, I thought I was your best friend. How could you be mean _only_ to me?"

"It must be hard considering she revealed your darkest secret to the school and ultimately the world." Dustin remarked. Jordan glared at him. "Just a thought."

"Here's a thought. Shut up." Jordan snapped at him.

"How about we all just walk in peace? Danni's picking us up from The Dot." Aaron said. "Come on. I'll explain the situation on the way."

* * *

Graduation…

No matter how many times she said it in her head, she could not wrap her head around the thought. She was graduating. It seemed like yesterday when she was going to kindergarten and now here she was.

Graduating.

Amber realized that this had to be the longest school function she had ever attended, her brother's graduation included. Then again, she figured it must be the anticipation that was making it this was. She was ready to get this over with as soon as possible.

Sitting not too far away from her best friend, Mary-Jane was thinking the same thing. She honestly had no idea why they were dragging this out as long as they could. And why the heck did this Eli character come down and talk? Was he relevant to the school at all? But worst of all was hearing Scarlett talk. Oh how Mary-Jane despised the fact that one of those two cursed Coyne Cousins were somehow a part of her biggest day of yet and could ruin it if they chose to. But now, Scarlett had sat down and Darcy was now talking. That meant that it was a short matter of time now before her name was called and she would be able to walk across that stage like her parents had predicted years ago.

James was also having similar thoughts. Today seemed to have snuck up on them all despite it being a goal from day one. They all wanted to graduate as soon as possible when they entered the sixth grade. But the past few years have been hectic with all that has happened and the days just seem to go by without notice. For instance, while Steven harming Chandra seemed like yesterday, his friend had been at Lakehurst for over a year now. One day all that mattered was making the basketball team and being the best on it and the next thing he knew, he was searching for Randy for raping Amber. There were literally years between those two incidents and yet it felt as if they were just days apart.

"Now," Darcy began. "When I call your name…"

The rest of her words fell on deaf ears as Amber caught her escaping breath. This was it. Besides Marc, her other friends would be walking around the same time as she was. Then again, their last names were alphabetically consistent being Brooks, Clarke, and Del Rossi. If Marc's last name began with an A or an E, their set would be complete.

"…James Brooks Jr. …"

James smiled as he made his way up onto the stage. He was somehow thinking about his drinking problem. While he had not had a drink in two months, he still had the urge to get a shot here or there. But he made a vow with Amber that he would take it one day at a time so long as she tried to get passed her event with Randy. They both knew that it would not be easy, but possible if they worked together.

"…Amber Clarke…"

A member of the student council. A cheerleader. A girl who excelled in most of her classes. And now a teen mom. Amber really did not see herself being pregnant by the end of her high school career. Sure, her mother reminded her that it was a possibility with hormones running wild at this stage of her life, but Amber swore that she had more control. And yet, here she was, pregnant against her will. Laura's death had made Amber see that life is precious no matter how it comes. She would keep her baby and raise him or her without Randy. Gabrielle had already lined up for babysitting, though she was the only one enthusiastic about it. But Amber did not care. She had a family now, a larger one now that Gabrielle had dragged her brother and father into Amber's life. She was raped. That was the cold-heart facts. But she would live. And she would live like life was precious.

"…Mary-Jane Del Rossi…"

When she first stepped into Degrassi, she made a vow to make her mark. She wanted to outdo any and every other person that had ever gone to the school and then some. She wanted to be the symbol of perfection and, in her opinion, was pretty close to reaching said goal. But she now understood that she was not perfect and making a mark at a school with the history like Degrassi would be pointless. Someone would just outdo her in the future. But as her eyes glanced across the crowd to see her mother with her younger siblings and grandparents she realized what was really important. Being worshiped by countless of students and fantasized by males of all ages was great, but being the person that saved her younger siblings from her uncle's wrath is what really made Mary-Jane happy. Then again, no one bullied her younger siblings but her.

"…Marc Milligan…"

It took some time for his name to be called, but he was happy nonetheless. He wasn't the smartest guy and his mother always got on him whenever he had to attend summer school. And his father always told him that if his grades were too low, football was out of the question. But that was now over. Now he was going to school just to play football, though he still had to maintain his grades. He just wished that he could remain in contact with his friends somehow.

Scarlett could feel her cell phone silently vibrate in her purse next to her seat. Gracefully excusing herself without disturbing the ceremony, she walked out of the room to answer the call.

"Yeah?" she whispers.

"So," Helen said. "We're all setting this up and no one can get in touch with your annoying neighbor." Scarlett frowned. "Danni says he's not answering his phone and Dakota has practically given up."

"Don't worry. We'll find him in time. How's everything?" Scarlett asked.

Helen sighs. "I hate to admit that this is one of your better plans, but it is. If Jayden doesn't like it than he's a bigger loser than I think."

"He'll love it. We just have to find him." Scarlett stated. "I have to go back to the graduation ceremony. After I tell the rest of the seniors where it'll be, I'll go find J.T."

"Are you sure? I mean if he's not ready to see you…" Helen did not finish her statement, but Scarlett understood.

"I'm a big girl Helen. I can take a rejection." Scarlett answers. "Besides, how can anyone say no to my face?"

"Easy. They look at it." Helen retorts. "I have to go find my giddy blonde idiotic friend. There would not be a bonfire without her."

"Why not just admit that you like having Nicky around?" Scarlett questioned.

"Because then she'll get all giggly and I won't be able to stand that for the entire day." Helen said. "So let's not and say we did, okay?"

"Deal." Scarlett said. "But I have to get back so just make sure that everything is okay, okay?"

"Sure. Bye." Helen said.

"Bye." Scarlett replies before hanging up.

Scarlett releases a sigh and stares at the ceiling. If Laura was here, none of this would be happening. Jayden would probably be in better spirits and this graduation would not be something dragging on and on. In fact, a lot of people would be happier and the time would probably fly by easier.

But she wasn't and Scarlett knew that nothing could change that.

"Don't worry," Scarlett muttered. "I promise that no matter what, I'll always look after him. For us."

She knew that Laura understood her, even beyond the grave. They both wanted to see Jayden at his happiest, no matter who he ended with. Scarlett would live up to that promise. Whether Jayden ultimately forgave her or not, she would not worry. She would still watch after him.

* * *

Did Laura ever wander? He figured not. She was known for getting lost, in their vacation home no less, but never one to wander. That boggled him considering that their kids wandered a lot now that crawling had been discovered by the two.

"Hello Jayden." Jayden gave Ariana a small smile as she exited a café.

"Got some ice cream without me? How selfish of you Ari." he joked.

"You haven't been out a lot." she said.

"I know…" Jayden said as he looked elsewhere.

"It gets easier." Jayden shrugged. "That's what I'm supposed to tell you. It gets easier. But I haven't seen it. Not since my parents died."

Jayden sighed. "Ari, I really don't need any more sadness today. Danni forced me outside and now that I'm here, you're just reminding me of all the reasons I _don't_ want to be here."

The girl frowned behind her glasses.

"I'm sorry I'm trying to help. Maybe you shouldn't be so shelled up all the time!" Jayden blinked as she, as she did the first time they met, gasped in embarrassment and quickly went to backtrack. "I mean, it would be easier if you'd tell someone instead of just ignoring us."

"You want to know how I really feel?" Jayden questioned. "I'll tell you. First, in a few months my twins turn one and their mother won't even be physically there to celebrate. Oh, and did I mention it just so happens to fall on the same day as the death of my youngest son? And let's add on, shall we? The guy who shot at me and my fiancée hasn't even been found! He's off laughing his ass off while I have to wake up and force myself not to call Laura like I normally would because she won't answer! She'll… She'll never answer again…"

"I'll answer." Ariana said quietly.

Jayden scoffed. "It's not the same thing."

"Why isn't it?" Ariana asked.

"Because Laura was everything. She was just everything. And you…" Ariana's frown made Jayden pause. "Ari, look you're a good friend and all, but you could never replace Laura. No one will."

"Then stop looking for Laura and look for someone else." Her words angered Jayden greatly.

"You are really fucked in the head or something. Do you think-"

"Scarlett is deeply in love with you!" Ariana interrupted. "And you have tons of genuine friends that want to see you happy. I know how it feels to lose someone because I lost my parents on the same night. And no matter how I want to just be alone and mope about it, someone always finds me and gets me to do otherwise."

"Then find this 'someone' and slap him or her across the-"

Jayden never got to finish as Ariana slaps him. It stung, but he was really unharmed by it.

"You are that someone that always finds away to make me see the bright side." Ariana told him. "So I'm going to do the same thing to you."

Jayden only stares at her. Honestly, he figured that in another world when she slapped him, he punched her in retaliation. But he would not do that in this one. Instead he realizes that every time that he had seen her in a bad mood, he had always attempted to cheer her up. She was just trying to return the favor in her own weird way.

So he just laughed.

"Um… Okay…" Ariana said in an uneasy tone.

"Thank you." he said, quieting his laughter down though still smiling a bit. "I think I realize what I have to do."

"And that would be…?" she asked.

"Buy some ice cream." Jayden said before looking at the melting cone in her hand. "And judging by your ice cream soup, I should buy you one as well."

"Yes but," Ariana said before hugging him. "I'm sorry for your loss Jayden. And it does get a little easier. You just need a few friends."

Jayden returned the hug. "I'm holding my best one right now."

The compliment made Ariana's face heat up a bit. She was thankful that the embrace would not allow him to see said blush as he would probably say something about it. Yet, for some reason, having him be annoying was better than not having him at all.

The warm moment was interrupted by Jayden's cell phone ringing. Jayden broke the hug and looked at it, seeing Scarlett's name.

"Answer it." Ariana told him.

He sighed. "Yeah."

"J.T!" Scarlett was shocked that he would answer as no one has gotten a hold of him all day. "Where are you?"

"Out." he answered. "Why? Did you need me or something?"

"Um, sort of." Scarlett told him. "We were having a day out and wanted you to join." Jayden sighs heavily. "Jayden, please come. I mean, when's the next time you'll see me and Deanna at the same place at the same time without chocking each other?"

"I don't know but… I really just wanted to go back home. It's been a long day and I'm sure whoever Danni dumped my kids off on is getting tired of watching them. They are a handful now." Jayden said.

"Please. They're angels Jayden. A little energetic, but angels nonetheless." Scarlett told him. "Now come on. We're at the park across Shane's mom's."

"You're certain that I'll show." said Jayden while raising a brow.

"No. But I'm hoping you will." Scarlett replied. "We want to see you. And by 'we', I mean I and the rest of us really want to see you before you leave for Italy."

"How did you-"

"Danni. Duh." Scarlett said. "So what do you say? One last day with us before you leave us again? I promise that whatever your sister has cooked up, I won't let it be but so bad."

Jayden chuckled. "You won't, huh? Might I remind you that it took me fourteen years of torture before you even entered my life?"

"Well, there won't be anymore. That's a promise." said Scarlett. "So please show up?"

"Will this be something for me or something for you?" Jayden asked.

"If what Danni says is true," Scarlett said. "It'll be something for everyone but me. But… But that's something we can only talk about face-to-face. And preferably on a day when everyone isn't trying to be lighthearted."

Jayden sighed. "Fine Scarlett, I'll be there."

"I knew I loved you for a reason!" Scarlett said happily before retracted her statement. "I'm… I'm sorry Jayden. I didn't mean to-"

"No, no, it's fine. It's you after all." Jayden cut her off. "I'll see you in a few minutes. I need some ice cream."

"Ice cream? Um, okay. See you in a few minutes then." Scarlett said. "Bye."

"Bye." Jayden said quietly before looking at Ariana. "Well… I guess we're heading to the park."

"We?" Ariana parroted.

"Of course we. Who else has the metaphorical balls to slap me in the face?" Ariana's face scrunched up in disapproval. "I did say metaphorical, right?"

"And I'm metaphorically a girl with no balls." Ariana returned.

Jayden grinned. "Whatever Ari. Now, about that ice cream."

* * *

Scarlett looked around. Everyone seemed to be enjoying this impromptu party, included Danica, Isabella, Raven, Zach, and Jack who were the unofficial chaperones for said event. There was a screen and projection that showed a lot of highlights of the last few years, a few photos of Laura appearing every now and again. And, thanks to Shane getting his dad to do so, food sponsored by The Dot and Mason's.

"I don't think he's coming." Helen said quietly to her cousin.

Scarlett smiled. "It's only been fifteen minutes Helen."

"It only takes ten to get from the nearest ice cream store from here." Helen shot back. "Face it Scar, Jayden just wants to be alone."

A gasp from one of the graduating seniors caused the two Coyne cousins to look as Jayden made his way to the park with Ariana, both finishing their respective ice cream cones.

"You were saying?" Scarlett mocked her cousin before jogging over towards the pair. "J.T! You made it!"

"I gave my word didn't I?" Jayden said as he looked around. "Danni didn't do all of this, did she?" Scarlett shrugs. "Huh… Those banters are a bit uneven."

"Where?" Scarlett asked looking before Jayden laughs.

"Always the perfectionist, eh Red?" said Jayden. Scarlett sighs, knowing that he had caught her. "Thank you. Laura would've loved this. Until we would've returned home and she would've said that this was another one of your ploys to split us apart."

"No!" Scarlett quickly said. "Honestly! This is for everyone. Just… Just for the memories, you know? The happier ones."

Jayden nods. "To the happier memories then. I pray I'll be able to have more someday." Scarlett was going to say something before she spots Dakota nearing them with Jacob and Shane behind her. The redhead said nothing as she hugged Jayden tightly. "I know Dash… It'll be alright."

"She was my best friend!" Dakota cried.

"Mine too…" Jayden's voice was hardly heard as he held Dakota tightly.

"You know I'm no good with these sorts of things," Shane began. "But some of the seniors wanted us to do a song for them. If you're up for it, I mean."

Jayden and Dakota slowly broke away as Jayden stares at Jacob. Scarlett sees an angry flame ignite in Jayden's eyes before slowly dying out. Jayden closes his eyes and then sighs before opening his calm brown eyes.

"I didn't walk out last time," Jayden finally says. "I asked you guys from day one if you were with me till the end of this, and I'll ask again. Are you with me?"

Shane grinned. "You know I'm with you."

"Laura would kill me if I said no." Dakota adds.

Jacob merely nods which causes Jayden to smile a bit.

"Then let's get ready for a show." Jayden said before looking at Scarlett. "And we'll talk later."

Scarlett smiles brightly as Jayden walks off with his band mates. But the farther he went, the less she smiled.

"He's hiding it, you know." Ariana said.

Scarlett nods. "I know. I wish he didn't."

"He always will." Ariana replied. "That's just who he is. If anyone, I thought you should know that."

"I do…" Scarlett began before looking at Ariana. "And how do _you_ know this?"

"He's my friend. The very least I could do is pay attention to when something is bothering him." Ariana answered.

"So you two are kind of tight?" Ariana nodded. "Then… Has he talked about me? I mean, what I did. The paternity test?" Ariana's head moved in a slow affirmative nod. "I thought so…"

"He's just hurt. You can understand that, right?" said Ariana. "Just… Just don't take it personal."

"He hates me. Kind of hard not to." Scarlett replied.

"He doesn't hate you. He just has a hard time trusting you." Ariana pointed out. "Then again, I would too if you did what you did to me." Scarlett glares at the other girl. "But you knew that, right?"

"I don't need any advice from you. I just have to fix it. That's all. Fix-"

"You can't." Ariana says quietly.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Scarlett stuttered.

Ariana shifts on her feet. "He said…" Ariana shakes her head. "I can't tell you. But you can't fix it. No one can. Not about his thoughts of losing his son, losing Laura, shooting that guy, cheating on you and Laura… You can't fix any of that." Ariana pauses. "I guess that's why he's trying to forget. It seems easier than forgiving."

Scarlett stood quietly. It was quite hard forgetting certain things. Something as small as watching her neighbors move in was something she could not forget. So how would Jayden ever forget that she publicized his paternity test? Was it even possible?

Ariana put a hand on Scarlett's shoulder.

"He'll come around. Some day." Ariana said before walking off.

Scarlett only nods before making it her duty to speak to Jayden before he left today. There were things that they probably both needed to say, things she was sure to bite her in the butt later. But it had to be done. She had to know if she did indeed have a chance with him or if she was just living in denial.

Or worse, both.

Bianca threw the empty beer bottle away before lounging on her couch. She hated life now. Work was horrible, and her home life wasn't any better. She hated seeing people smiling and she hated strangers stopping and asking her if she was alright. All in all, she hated life. And it was all because her only child was now gone.

Her phone rang once. She ignored it.

Twice… She sighs.

Three times…

"Go away!" Bianca called out to the mysterious caller. Four times and she moves to answer. "Alright! What?!"

"It's been a long time Bee." Bianca gasps.

"Vince!" she shrieks.

The man chuckled. "I missed you Bee… Too bad that I didn't miss your daughter."

"You son of a bitch! I swear to God when I get my hands on you-"

"I'll be waiting."

With that the man hung up. Bianca could feel her heart racing as she looked around. He could be there, somewhere, at this very moment. But it was not fear that was taking a place in her heart and mind, it was rage. _If_ Vince was there she would have ripped him to shreds for the death of Laura. Or better, _when_ she sees Vince she will rip him to shreds for Laura's death.

Staring back at her phone she eyed it before dialing a number.

"Hey," she said when the man answered. "I need your help. I know who killed my daughter and I want him to pay."

"…" There was silence on the other end before she heard shuffling. "Don't move. I'm on my way."

"Don't tell your wife about this." Bianca warned.

"She'll never know. And even if she does, it won't stop me." The man said. "Besides, he has to pay for what he's done to you. To us."

Bianca nods. "That's why I called you first." Bianca paused. "And Max, thank you."

Again, silence. "You're welcome."

Cheers and claps. Those were things that once made his night perfect. Hearing the sounds of making someone happy made him happy. Now none of that matters. The one person he wanted to make happy was no longer there. So now cheers and claps were just cheers and claps. Nothing more.

Walking to his car, Jayden sighed heavily. He really wanted to live again, be able to go out and have fun like he once did, but he couldn't. He simply could not do it.

"Jayden!" Jayden pauses and lets Amber and James catch up to him, the girl walking as fast as she could. "Jayden, I wanted to talk to you before you left."

"Is everything alright?" Jayden asked.

"Everything is perfect. I just wanted to say thanks." Amber said. "Thank you for making me see that this child is my child as well and I can't kill or give him or her away."

Jayden smiled. "I'm glad I could help."

"I just wish that there was something I could do for you in return." Amber said. "You've helped us out so much."

"Us?" Jayden ponders aloud.

"Well," James said putting an arm around Amber. "It turns out that I'm going to be a dad."

"And Brie and Vanessa promised to be there from day one." Amber adds.

"Oh… Well congratulations then." Jayden said. "A bit of a warning though. Avoid baby showers at all costs. Longest squeal-fest in the world, I promise you."

James laughs. "I'll remember that."

"Which," Amber stated, obviously not happy about Jayden's comment. "I have to plan and _you_," Jayden raised a brow as Amber directed her statement to him. "Will be there. Your kids have to see their future friend."

Jayden looked at James who only shrugs his shoulder. James knew that when Amber put her foot down, there really was not much room to argue until she relents. And she was far from relenting now.

"It's a deal Amber. And who knows? Maybe the twins will be on their best behavior?" Jayden returned before spotting Scarlett nearing them. "Could you two give us a moment?"

"Oh, yeah." James said seeing Scarlett coming. "Come on Amber."

"Right," Amber said before eying Jayden. "Hey, it'll take time to get over this. But don't push Scarlett out of your life in the meantime. You and I know that you still love her. She can't replace Laura, but she can fill that hole if you let her."

"Thanks Amber." Jayden said dryly. As James and Amber walked away, Jayden swallowed quietly as Scarlett neared him. "Something on your mind Red?"

"We need to talk." Scarlett began. "It's about us."

"I don't think there is an 'us' to talk about." Jayden replied.

"Yes there is Jayden. You know it as much as I do. Heck, Laura knew it." Jayden sighed heavily. "I know, I know. And I promise I'll leave her out of this conversation. But I want to know now. Is there a chance Jayden? Tell me now and I promise that if you say no, I'll never bring this up again. I'll let you live your life the way you want to."

Jayden stands quietly as he looks into Scarlett's blue eyes. Half of him wanted to tell her to buzz off as Laura would hate for him to just jump back on Scarlett's train months after her death. The other half knew that Scarlett was the only other girl in the world that he loved. It would be crazy to deny her now that there was nothing physically in their way.

"I can't…" Jayden's voice made Scarlett frown. "I can't tell you either of those things."

"Why?" she asks.

"Because," he begins before stopping. "I don't know Scarlett. I just realized that a lot of things that has happened to me, _you_ caused it. Three relationships that I've been in all have the common factor of you trying to ruin them, two of them you succeeded."

"…" Scarlett looked at the ground. "So this is it?"

"I don't know." Jayden said.

Scarlett takes a small step towards him.

"I'm willing to wait until you do know." Scarlett said.

"Why?" Jayden whispers.

"Because I love you. And nothing you say or do will ever change that." Jayden only quietly stares at Scarlett as she steps towards him again. "I didn't know it back then just how much I did. And I did stupid things Jayden, things that I know you will probably never forgive me for."

"Scarlett-"

"No Jayden, listen to me," she cuts him off. "You're not just something I can own that I know no one else will be able to have. You are the sole factor that makes days good or bad for me. And if you'd let me, I promise that I will try everything to be just something to you. Anything."

Jayden's lips thinned. "I have to go Scarlett."

"Jayden wait-"

"My kids. I need to get my kids." Jayden said as he attempted to walk away, only for Scarlett to step in front of him. "Scarlett please, not now."

"Cry." Jayden blinked at her words. "Cry in front of me. Don't do it when you're at home and no one can see you. Do it in front of me and know that I won't think any lesser of you."

"Why can't you just leave me the hell alone?!" he shouts.

Instead of an answer, Scarlett just hugs him. He was hot and she doubted that he had a fever of any kind. He was just pissed. But Scarlett refused to let Jayden go. Not now, not ever.

In the midst of her hug, she felt something wet on her neck. Tears. He had actually let a few tears slip from his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her. This only makes Scarlett hold him tighter. She truly wanted to be the person he went to for everything, even if he did it only because he was mad at her.

"I'm so sorry…" Scarlett whispers to him. "If only we could switch places I'd-"

Scarlett gasped when Jayden's fingers dug into her arms painfully, pushing her off of him though keeping her in his grasp. She stared into his reddened eyes in fear as this was the most pain she had ever felt from him in her life.

"Don't you ever say that again." Jayden nearly hisses.

"But… Laura…" Scarlett had no idea how to reply as her arms were screaming to be released.

"I…" Jayden released her before rubbing her shoulders. "Scarlett, I love Laura with all my heart, but I would _never_ wish that it were you dead instead of her. Do you understand me?"

"Yes." Scarlett's voice is barely audible and she could feel tears building in her eyes.

His hands begin to rub where his fingers had dug into her skin, nullify the pain in ways she thought were impossible. Then again, it was him. His touch had such a way with her body that it was practically magical.

"Do you still love me?" Scarlett asked him quietly.

He stood there quiet before taking his right hand to rub her face affectionately. Scarlett's eyes closed. She loved his attention, even something as small as this. She opened her eyes when his hands retreat to his sides.

"I can't." Scarlett blinked at his words.

"Jayden…" The boy simply steps past her, walking away. "Jayden!"

A hand on Scarlett's shoulder caused her to turn to see Danica.

"Leave him alone." Scarlett opened her mouth to argue, but the young woman only applied more pressure on her grip and continued. "I let you slide this entire year Scarlett. Now isn't the time. I know you love and I know he loves you. But do not force yourself on him. He just needs his space."

Scarlett nods before sighing. Danica removes her hand as Jayden leaves the park completely.

"You know," Danica said. "I find myself thinking about the what-ifs in life and I can't help but to think if I had just let him and Helen be, I might have not lost a friend." Danica pauses. "Then again, I probably would not have befriended her in the first place. Hell, I know I wouldn't."

"Will he be okay?" Scarlett questioned.

"I honestly don't think so." Danica said. "So I want you to promise me that you won't do anything stupid and make things worse."

"But I-"

"Little girl, don't push it." Danica threatens. "Promise me that you won't send him countless of texts and show up whenever you damn well please."

"…" Scarlett let out a sigh before nodding. "Fine Danni. I promise."

"Good." Danica said before crossing her arms. "Now… Let's figure out a way to make that loser smile _without_ making you go overboard obsessive again."

"But I thought-"

"Will you help me or not?" Danica interrupts.

Scarlett looked at the young woman before the direction Jayden left. A small smile comes to her face before she nods.

"Yeah. I'll help."


	154. Webisodes: MiTunes: Jayden & Laura

**Author's Notes: **So Season 5 is finally done after a lot of rewriting and computer crashing and such. April 25 is the projected date for Season 6 which will be the final season of D3G. Here is a MiTunes about Jayden and Laura that takes place between episodes **Caught**** Up **and **Ice Box Pt. I.**Enjoy.

* * *

**MiTunes: Jayden & Laura**

Artist: Justin Timberlake & Justin Bieber  
Song: Mirror & As Long as You Love Me Mashup

Laura was not surprised that Jayden was up when she finally got online to video chat with him. Between the two of them he always was the more patient one, which was not saying much. And of course tonight would be the night that she had a study group in her room with her roommate Sarah, the other four girls all trying to introduce themselves to Jayden.

Jayden smiled. "Hey Beautiful. I see you're having a slumber party."

Laura rolls her eyes. "Study group. But I actually want to see if you were going to live up to your promise."

Of course he would, Laura thought as he had his guitar in his lap.

"A song for you," Jayden said. "I got you."

There was never one word to describe their relationship, Laura figured. So likewise, there was no one song that perfectly described them. She had given her boyfriend a number of songs to choose from. She just wanted to know which one he chose.

As Jayden began to strum his guitar, he eyed his beautiful girlfriend. If there was a way for them to be together physically at the moment, he would do it. But alas, he had school tomorrow as did she. They would have to settle with their late night video chats.

_We're under pressure  
Seven billion people in the world trying to fit in  
Keep it together  
Smile on your face even though your heart is frowning  
But hey now, you know girl  
We both know it's a cruel world  
Just take my hand_

As Jayden sung, Laura smiled. It wasn't easy dating a celebrity. She had to learn to deal with the fact that several of girls her age and then some had a crush on the guy she rightfully called hers. And when Juvenile Grace was together, Laura had to deal with him having shows come out of nowhere like the Battle of the Bands in Vancouver. But Jayden always told her that it would get better one day, they just had to be patient and take it one day at a time.

_As long as you love me  
We could starving, we could be homeless  
We could be broke  
As long as you love  
I'll be your platinum, I'll be your gold_

Jayden saw Laura's smile and smiled in return. Dear God, if he never saw the sun shining again, he could replace it with her perfect smile. He had never really said how much he liked seeing her smiling, but he figured it went without being said. Sometimes she did it just to make him happy. And others she did it because she was genuinely happy.

_Cause I don't wanna lose you now  
I'm looking right at the other half of me  
The vacancy that sat in my heart  
Is a space that now you hold  
Show me how to fight for now  
And I'll tell you, baby, it was easy  
Coming back here to you once I figured it out  
You were right here all along_

Laura's friends were all giggling in her ear, making it hard to hear Jayden sing, but that was to be expected. They were all giggling and cheering how he combined two songs. But Laura knew that that's what she and Jayden were. Two songs perfectly harmonizing into one. Two reflections made into one. Just as long as they loved one another.

_It's like you're my mirror  
My mirror staring back at me  
I couldn't get any bigger  
With anyone else beside of me  
And now it's clear as this promise  
That we're making two reflections into one  
'Cause it's like you're my mirror  
My mirror staring back at me, staring back at me_

Even with her friends all around her, Jayden could keep his eyes solely on Laura's brown ones. He had no idea how he would survive if something were to happen to Laura. Sure, one could see how much he cared for Scarlett and vice versa. But they were not on the same level like he and Laura. Even now, as he sang two of Laura's favorite songs as one, he could somehow tell what she was thinking just by the small sparkle in her eyes.

_I'll be your soldier  
Fighting every second of the day for your dreams girl  
I'll be your Hova  
You can be my Destiny's Child on a scene girl  
So don't stress, don't cry  
We don't need no wings to fly  
Just take my hand_

Laura found a few of her friends singing along and found it slightly annoying. Yet, she would not let Jayden see her snap or slap any of her loud, fan-girl friends. For the moment she wanted to enjoy what little time that she had with Jayden, knowing that the time difference made it hard for them to find the perfect time to speak.

_Cause with your hand in my hand and a pocket full of soul  
I can tell you there's no place we couldn't go  
Just put your hand on the glass, I'm here trying to pull you through  
You just gotta be strong_

Oh how he wish he could pull her through the screen right now and just hold her. It sounded so mushy and quite unmanly when he said it aloud, but in his head it made perfect sense. He knew that Laura hated the distance more than he did but they only had one more school year after this and then they would have their whole lives together. They just had to be patient.

_Cause I don't wanna lose you now  
I'm looking right at the other half of me  
The vacancy that sat in my heart  
Is a space that now you hold  
Show me how to fight for now  
And I'll tell you, baby, it was easy  
Coming back here to you once I figured it out  
You were right here all along_

By now Laura was singing with her friends as well, causing Jayden to laugh a bit as he sung. She was not only singing with him, but to him as well. She didn't want to lose him, ever. And if Jayden only knew how grateful she was to have him, he would understand how the lyrics of this song reflected her so much. How he reflected her so much.

_It's like you're my mirror (Oh)  
My mirror staring back at me (Oh)  
I couldn't get any bigger (Oh)  
With anyone else beside of me (Oh)  
And now it's clear as this promise  
That we're making two reflections into one  
'Cause it's like you're my mirror (Oh)  
My mirror staring back at me, staring back at me_

Jayden had to chuckle every time Laura and her friends provided back-up for him. She looked like she was having such a good time, one of the few times he had seen this smile on her face when they were not physically together. The last time would be Christmas day, be he digresses. He was just happy to see her happy even though she hated studying and hated being so far away from her family.

_Yesterday is history__  
__Tomorrow's a mystery__  
__I can see you looking back at me__  
__Keep your eyes on me__  
__Baby, keep your eyes on me_

Laura and Jayden stared at one another, somehow perfectly eying one another on the screen and the camera on the top of their respective laptops perfectly. They sang in unison now with Jayden still strumming his guitar, both of them muting out Laura's friends behind her. He did not know if she was telling him to keep his eyes on her. And she did not know if he was telling her to keep her eyes on him. But they knew that if they stared at each other, the distance that was put between them did not seem so far.

_Cause I don't wanna lose you now__  
__I'm looking right at the other half of me__  
__The vacancy that sat in my heart__  
__Is a space that now you hold__  
__Show me how to fight for now (show me baby)__  
__And I'll tell you, baby, it was easy__  
__Coming back here to you once I figured it out__  
__You were right here all along_

As they all sang together, clapping on beat, Jayden realized that Laura was pretty much out-singing him. Not that he minded, of course, because he loved to hear her sing. But she normally did that when they were together in his room and no one was around to hear. Now she did it whether her friends heard her or not. And he loved it. He loved hearing her sing to him even if he was supposed to be singing to her.

_It's like you're my mirror__  
__My mirror staring back at me__  
__I couldn't get any bigger__  
__With anyone else beside of me__  
__And now it's clear as this promise__  
__That we're making two reflections into one__  
__'Cause it's like you're my mirror__  
__My mirror staring back at me_

For reasons unknown to her, Laura's friends vanished from her mind. It was like they were back in Italy, lying out in the backyard overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Only there would she ever sing her heart out to him without being embarrassed. Yet somehow, she did not feel embarrassed at the moment. She was too busy making sure that Jayden realized that his choice of songs meant a lot to her because they explained how she felt about him. He may see her as his better half but in truth they were merely each other's reflection.

_As long as you  
__La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-love me  
__As long as you  
__La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-love me  
__I'll be your silver, I'll be your gold  
__As long as you love, you love me, you love me_

_That's all I want baby  
As long as you love me, you love me  
__Please don't go  
__As long as you love me  
__As long as you love me  
__As long as you love me_

_As long as you love me_

As soon as Jayden finished singing, he saw the five pairs of eyes staring at him. He smiled as Laura blew a kiss to him.

"Thanks." Laura said. "I love you."

"I love you too Beautiful."

Sure, he would rather have her lying next to him than video chatting with her at odd times of the day, but that was alright. So long as she loved him and was there with him spiritually and emotionally, he did not worry much, like she didn't. They were each other's reflection after all.


End file.
